Kentucky
Writers Conference 2005
Western Kentucky University’s South Campus, Bowling Green
Community College
| Thursday,
April 14th |
| Session
1: 11:00 to 11:50 |
| Room
111 |
DANCING WITH THE COME-BACK KID |
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Nearly
every writer has dreams of seeing his or her name on the cover
of a book. Jerrie Oughton experienced the joy
of having that dream come true, a mere 35 years after she began
writing! Come hear how she not only endured, but thrived through
the winding paths and footholds of her amazing journey. Hearing
her experience may help workshop participants find success without
waiting as long.
Born in Georgia, Jerrie Oughton grew up in
Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Her teenage literary
dreams were followed by literary successes with articles and
short stories, and finally she realized the elusive dream
of having her first book published. Five books and a national
award later, Jerrie now visits schools and presents workshops
nationwide, while continuing to write.
Moderator: Sean Kinder
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| Room
115 |
SONGS FROM THE SHADOWLANDS |
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Bring
your questions and explore the songwriting process with local
singer, songwriter, and musician, Mark Melloan.
He will be discussing how songs happen for him, his inspiration
and writing techniques. His debut album, The Shadowlands,
is an exceptional line-up with 12 original songs, which have
received rave reviews.
Mark Melloan from Elizabethtown, penned “O
Kentucky,” a tribute to the Bluegrass State and “High
on the Hilltop,” an anthem WKU adopted and plays at
home basketball games. Mark is currently working on a MA in
English at WKU.
Moderator: Paul Bush
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| Room
LAC |
GRASSROOTS PUBLISHING IN THE BLUEGRASS STATE |
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Learn
how editors think as they develop a project from the first idea
to a book in a reader’s hands from editors who have done
it. While exploring some of the recent themes in Kentucky women’s
writing, they will cover such topics as: grantwriting, editing,
outreach to communities, both within and outside academe, working
with writers’ groups and with the disenfranchised to create
positive voices of change and healing.
Denise
Roberts McKinney editor of Poetry as Prayer:
Appalachian Women Speak, an anthology representing the
spiritual voices of sixty-seven women in and from Kentucky,
grew up in Jackson County, KY on an 18-acre patch of woods.
She has written for many years, but only recently began sharing
her writing with others. Currently, she is researching her
paternal grandmother's life story, which will be Down
and Out in Carico: Whose Land Is It? She, husband Ray
and sons Raymond and Forest live in Berea. Elizabeth
Oakes, whose Ph.D. is from Vanderbilt University,
teaches American Women Poets and Shakespeare at WKU. Her poems
have recently appeared in The Louisville Review,
Women’s Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal,
and Room of One’s Own (Canada). She was awarded
the Betty Gabehart Prize in Poetry at the 2004 KY Women Writers
Conference. Having recently finished a book of poems about
growing up in Kentucky, she is now writing on Emily Dickinson
and those close to her. With Jane Olmsted,
she is a co-founder/editor of the Kentucky Feminist Writers
Series, which has published three volumes: poetry, fiction
and life writing. Their third volume, I to I: Life Writing
by Kentucky Feminists, was published in November 2004.
The Series was awarded the Sallie Bingham Feminist Action
Award in 2003. Jane, director of the Women's Studies Program
and associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University,
is co-editor of the Kentucky Feminist Writers Series. Her
creative work has appeared in Poetry Northwest, Nimrod,
Kalliope, Beloit Fiction Journal, The Louisville Review, and
A Kentucky Christmas. She received her Ph.D. in 1996
from the University of Minnesota. She is currently working
on a collection of short stories based in Kentucky.
Moderator: Molly Kerby
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| Session
2: 12:00 to 12:50 |
| Room
111 |
GETTING IN THE NEWS AND STAYING THERE |
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Keith
Runyon will share tips on starting a newspaper column.
Find out how to sell your ideas and writing talent to a local
paper and create a sustainable weekly or monthly column. He
will also explain the possibilities of syndication.
Keith
Runyon began a career at the Courier Journal in 1969
as a clerk writing obituaries, subsequently becoming an intern,
reporter and editorial writer. He is currently the Forum Editor/Book
Editor and also serving as this year’s judge for the
Kentucky Book Award.
Moderator: Mike Alexieff
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| Room
115 |
DISTILLING THE STORY: TELLING THE TALE THROUGH SONGWRITING |
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Kiya
Heartwood and Miriam Davidson who
comprise Wishing Chair will take participants through
their writing process with songs, exercises and discussion.
Wishing Chair's songs are full of spellbinding narrative, vivid
poetic imagery and authentic heart.
Wishing Chair, formed in 1995, is known for its haunting
harmonies and award winning songs. From Stamping Ground, Kentucky,
they perform full-time all over the US and Canada. Wishing
Chair has released six CDs on the Terrakin label with the
latest, Underdog, just out.
Moderator: Trish Jaggers |
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| Room
LAC |
POETRY READING AND YOUR PUBLISHING QUESTIONS |
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Steven
Cope, author of Crow! The Children's Poems and
Clover's Log, and Jennifer Gresham, winner
of the 2004 Steel Toe Books Prize in Poetry, will read from
their works and discuss the process of getting published.
Multi-talented
Steven Cope has taught literature and writing at Eastern Kentucky
University, Morehead State and the University of Kentucky.
He garnered many awards, as his poetry appeared in over 200
literary magazines. He served two years as co-editor/publisher
of Wind Magazine and Wind Publications. His musical
talents enabled him to sign with BMI and write and produce
singer Star Johnson’s album Judas Tree Ridge.
His newest book Crow! The Children’s Poems
is a quirky, joyous collection with everything from dancing
cows to do-dilly-deers. His book Clover’s Log
is a serious thematic collection of poetry dealing with a
central figure whose life tips toward madness. Jennifer Gresham
has degrees in biochemistry from the U.S Air Force Academy,
the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Maryland.
She artfully combines science and poetry with her book Diary
of a Cell that won the 2004 Steel Toe Books Prize in
Poetry. She also has a chapbook, Explaining Relativity
to a Cat.
Moderator: Tom Hunley
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| Session
3: 1:00 to 2:00 |
| Room
111 |
ROBERT PENN WARREN: A KENTUCKY WRITER’S LEGACY |
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Join
the panel discussion on Robert Penn Warren’s achievement
and his importance for students of the 21st century at this
centennial milestone of his birth.
Panelists:
Joseph Millichap, professor emeritus of WKU,
and author of Robert Penn Warren: A Study of the Short
Fiction; Dixie Limited: Railroads, Culture, and the Southern
Renaissance; and Steinbeck and Film; and other
books. Pat Bradley, professor of English
at Middle Tennessee State University; author of the recently
published Robert Penn Warren's Circus Aesthetic and the
Southern Renaissance. Anne Padilla,
teacher of A.P. English at Bowling Green High and former English
instructor at WKU. David Padilla, graduate of University of
the South and University of Virginia; teacher at Baylor School
in Chattanooga, TN. Walker Rutledge, Director of English Honors
at WKU and currently teaching a course in Robert Penn Warren.
Moderator: Walker Rutledge
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| Room
115 |
SONGWRITING: QUIETING THE VOICES IN MY HEAD |
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Find
out how to bring your idea, ideals and unique voice together
though songwriting. A singer/ songwriter from Louisville, Heidi
Howe has recorded three albums in the last five years,
all infused with her signature integration of rockabilly stomp,
country balladry and sassy attitude. Heidi
Howe’s awards include first place in the WAMZ Battle
of the Bands contest, first place in the LEO Reader's Choice
awards for Best Country Band and Best Original band. An avid
environmental advocate, Heidi uses her music to help others.
She has completed a national tour to raise awareness for EarthSave
International, written a chapter for a book, Softly On
This Earth, and the theme song for the Vegetarian
Stew radio show in Grand Junction, Colorado. In 2004,
Heidi performed four benefit concerts to purchase children's
books about the earth and its creatures for 35 Kentucky libraries.
Currently, she hosts a weekly songwriter's night in Louisville
that attracts national touring performers. Her newest release
on Ear X-tacy Records is titled Give a Hootenanny! Twangy
Tunes About Lovin' the Earth.
Moderator: Jack Montgomery |
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| Room
LAC |
THE WRITER’S NICHE—DEFINING IT, DEFYING IT |
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After
announcing the start of writing a novel, writers hear the dreaded
question: What kind of book is it? Some books are easier than
others to peg into a niche, and some writers are, too. But is
that to your advantage? Should a writer let herself be put into
a niche? Can she stop it? In this session, Sheila Williams
will share the attempts of others to define who she and her
writing should be…and how she’s dealt with it to
become a successful novelist. Sheila
Williams has written in nearly every genre of the craft since
her grade school years. Despite having enough rejection slips
to “wallpaper two bathrooms and the west side of her
kitchen,” she persevered. In 2002 her first book, Dancing
on the Edge of the Roof was published and found its way
to the KET October book club selection and nomination for
the Kentucky Literary Award for fiction. Her second novel,
The Shade of My Own Tree, was published in 2003 and
honored by Mahogany Book Club, Rebeccareads, and the Go On
Girls Book Club Network. Sheila is currently at work on her
third novel. She lives in northern Kentucky.
Moderator: Jean Nehm |
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| Friday,
April 15th |
| Session
1: 8:00 to 8:50 |
| Room
115 |
SUCCESS AND THE FIRST NOVEL |
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At some point, every famous novelist has experienced publishing
a first book. How does that feel and what should you expect
when it happens to you? And more important, how do you get to
that place? Hear a first time novelist share his story in this
encouraging workshop.
Scott Elliott’s first novel, Coiled
in the Heart, was this year’s One Book for the
Southern Kentucky Book Fest. Scott was born in Lexington and
raised in Kentucky and Washington. He has studied at Vanderbilt,
the University of Colorado at Boulder and Columbia, where
he earned an MFA. He teaches at Whitman College in Washington.
Moderator: Dale Rigby |
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| Room
145 |
ASK A PLAYWRIGHT |
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Bowling
Green native, Mary Hall Surface’s plays
have been produced all over the United States as well as in
Ireland, France, German, Italy, Peru, Taiwan, Japan, and Canada.
Now she’s coming home to answer questions about this writing
genre. If you’ve always thought you had a play inside
you but don’t know how to start, or if you’ve written
one but want to know where to go from here, come to this workshop.
Bring your questions! Mary
Hall Surface is one of the most widely-produced playwright/directors
specializing in theater for family audiences. Her plays include
Most Valuable Player (about the life of Jackie Robinson),
A Perfect Balance (a fantasy about creativity inspired
by the work of Alexander Calder), and Apollo: to the Moon
(about America’s race for space). Most Valuable
Player and Four Other All-Star Plays is a published anthology
of her plays. Mary Hall has been nominated four times for
the Helen Hays Awards for Outstanding Direction, and she won
the prestigious award in 2002.
Moderator: Bill Leonard
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| Room
LAC |
SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY |
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David
and Lalie Dick
both have Kentucky roots and have lived in the Commonwealth
long enough to know a lot about Jesse Stuart, the legendary
Kentucky writer. But to write a biography they had to dig deeper
than the surface. From basic research to searching out one of
Stuart’s old girlfriends, the road to this bio was long
but fun. In this workshop, they’ll reveal how to start,
how to gather information, and how much is enough to write a
bio. David
Dick, a CBS News correspondent for 19 years, and his wife,
Lalie, a marketing executive for Revlon, International, retired
and returned to Kentucky to found Plum Lick Publishing. One
of their recent publications, Rivers of Kentucky,
was nominated for the Southeast Booksellers Association's
2002 Non-Fiction Book of the year. They live in Bourbon County
on land purchased in 1799 by David's great-great-great grandfather,
Joshua. Between the two of them, they’ve written nine
books. David’s newest is titled Jesse Stuart—The
Heritage, which chronicles the internationally-famous
author’s 82 years.
Moderator: Mary Lucas |
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| Session
2: 9:05 to 9:55 |
| Room
115 |
ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH: ADVENTURES AND MISADVENTURES WITH
KENTUCKY AUTHORS |
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Kentucky
has a tradition of producing nationally and internationally
known authors. All these men and women have colorful stories,
some known by only a few. This is the inside scoop!
Wade
Hall was born in Alabama but has lived in Louisville
for more than forty years. His career has spanned teaching
at a number of colleges including Bellarmine and various writing
genres. Wade is the author of books, monographs, articles,
plays, poems, essays, and reviews, many of which relate to
Kentucky, Alabama, and Southern history. The Rest of the
Dream was recognized in 1988 as one of the outstanding
books published on race relations in the United States. He
is currently working on a 200-year anthology of Kentucky writing
for the University Press of Kentucky.
Moderator: Mary Ellen Miller |
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| Room
145 |
TOP TEN MISTAKES NEW FICTION AUTHORS MAKE AND HOW TO AVOID
THEM |
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Wouldn’t
it be nice to know about mistakes without having to go through
the mess of making them? In this workshop, a multi-talented
author will share her top ten writing mistakes and how to correct
them. From dull writing to poor dialogue, you’ll learn
tips that might otherwise take years to learn, tips to help
your next story see the light of publication. Linda
Dockery has written scripts for television shows
such as Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island,
The Love Boat, Laverne and Shirley, and Cagney and Lacy,
as well as two TV movies and one video film, Inherit the
Devil, Rain Softly Till Then, and Wilderness Love.
Her poetry has been purchased by Hallmark Greeting cards.
She has nine books in publication. Her book, An Angel
for Christmas, is currently under consideration for a
movie by the Lifetime Movie Network and Hallmark Movie Channel.
Moderator: Jennie Brown |
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| Room
LAC |
POETRY SLAM: A WORD FEAST |
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If
you've ever wondered what a Poetry Slam was all about, now is
your chance to experience one and root for your team. Taste
a main course of poetry served up with a generous side of drama
as two teams compete. Randomly selected members of the audience
will serve as judges for the performances. (Because Poetry Slam
is spirited and spontaneous, please be advised that strong language
may be used.) The
newly-formed Bowling Green team will break into two teams
and hone their talents in an inter-squad scrimmage as they
prepare for their first National Poetry Slam competition.
Tony Damico is captain/organizer of the Bowling
Green team.
Moderator: Tom Hunley
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| Session
3: 10:00 to 11:00 |
| Room
115 |
FROM A BLANK PAGE TO THE SHELVES OF YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE |
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Who
would be better at telling us how to be a successful writer
than a novelist who has fourteen titles and more than five million
books in print? Come hear this New York Times bestseller
explain how she starts a novel and found such success.
Teresa
Medeiros wrote her first novel at 21. Her titles
have reached the top 20 bestseller lists of the New York
Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.
Her awards include being a five-time RITA finalist and two-time
winner of the Waldenbooks Award for Bestselling Fiction. Her
May 2002 novel, A Kiss To Remember, was chosen one of the
“Top 10 Romances of the Year” by Booklist
magazine. Teresa, a charter member of the Romance Writers
of America Honor Roll, Kentucky Romance Writers, and Novelists,
Inc., lives in Kentucky with her husband and two lovably neurotic
cats. Her most recent release is Yours Until Dawn.
Moderator: Ellen Michelletti |
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| Room
145 |
THE SPACE BETWEEN: FICTION AND MEMOIR |
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It
used to be that only people entering the final years of their
lives wrote a memoir. Today memoir is written by authors of
all ages and may read like a novel. Everyone has a story. But
how does a writer break through to write about his or her own
life, to stay honest in the difficult sections, and to make
what might seem ordinary become as interesting as fiction? This
workshop will discuss both fiction and memoir and how the writing
of one form influences the writing of the other. Originally
from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, Karen McElmurray
has studied and taught at universities in several southern
states. Her debut novel, Strange Birds in the Trees of
Heaven, was published in 1999. It was followed by her
memoir, Mother of the Disappeared: An Appalachian Birth
Mother’s Journey, a “raw, poignant account
of the journey from the teenager who puts her newborn child
up for adoption to the woman desperately searching for the
son she never knew.”
Moderator: Diana McQuady |
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| Room
LAC |
ILLUSTRATING AND WRITING: THE TWO FACES OF CHILDREN’S
LITERATURE |
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Authors
and illustrators interested in creating children’s picture
books will benefit from this entertaining and information-packed
presentation. Gain an understanding of creative and professional
insights unique to the creation and publication of children’s
picture books. The presenters will share and discuss their art
and books as well as an engaging “behind the scenes”
presentation about their personal and artistic approaches.
Christopher
and Jeanette Canyon live in Columbus, Ohio. Christopher
is an award-winning artist, musician, and illustrator of many
picture books. He is currently adapting and illustrating some
of the songs of the late singer/songwriter John Denver as
children’s books with two already published, Sunshine
on My Shoulders and Ancient Rhymes: A Dolphin Lullaby,
and a third, Take Me Home, Country Roads, being published
in 2005. Jeanette creates art for children’s books,
visits schools, and shares her creative spirit with others.
Her first book, Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef
was published in 2004; her second picture book is due in 2006.
Moderator: Roxanne Spencer |
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- All
sessions are at WKU’s Bowling Green Community College,
Rooms 111, 115, 145, and LAC (Learning Assistance Center)
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Subject to change without notice. Free and open to the public
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Free parking available
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We request that groups of five or more contact the Southern
Kentucky Book Fest office prior to the conference
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All attendees are asked to stop by the registration desk
located near the entrance of the Community College upon
arrival
Directions
to Bowling Green Community College
From
Nashville:
Follow I-65 North to Bowling Green. Use Exit 20 (Natcher Parkway).
Follow Natcher Parkway north to Exit 4 (US 31-W). Bowling
Green Community College and WKU South Campus is on the left
about one block past Campbell Lane.
From
Lexington and Louisville:
Follow I-65 South to Bowling Green. Use Exit 20 (Natcher Parkway).
Follow Natcher Parkway north to Exit 4 (US 31-W). Bowling
Green Community College and WKU South Campus is on the left
about one block past Campbell Lane.
From
Owensboro:
Exit Natcher Parkway on US 31-W or Exit 4. Bowling Green Community
College and WKU South Campus is on the left about one block
past Campbell Lane.
Visit
www.sokybookfest.org for more information
e-mail jayne.pelaski@wku.edu
or call (270)745-5016
Thanks
to Kentucky Writers Conference Planning Committee members:
David Coverdale, Sean Kinder, Dory Hudspeth, Tom Hunley, Anna
Jo Johnson, Diana McQuady, Jack Montgomery, Portia Pennington,
and Roxanne Spencer. |
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