Third Coast conference submissions due March 1
Feb. 1, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- Some of America's most prominent and award-winning authors and poets will be on hand to fuel the creative fires and fine tune the skills of aspiring writers during the Third Coast Writers' Conference, Thursday through Saturday, May 10-12, at Western Michigan University.
This is the 14th year for the conference, which brings acclaimed writers to campus to share their work and insights on the craft of writing with literary neophytes. The conference offers opportunities for participants to partake in readings, panel discussions and question-and-answer sessions with featured writers.
Conference participants will be selected on the basis of manuscript submissions, which must be received by March 1. To be considered for selection, writers should submit three to five poems or fiction and nonfiction works of 2,500 worlds or less.
Among the writers who will be conducting workshops this year are:
Jane Brox, nonfiction writer and author of "Five Thousand Days Like This One";
David Gates, whose first novel, "Jerrigan," was a finalist for the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Literature;
Brooks Haxton, a poet who has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship;
Edward Hirsch, an award-winning poet who has published five books of poems, as well as a book titled "How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry";
Laura Kasischke, the author of two novels including "Suspicious River," which was recently made into a film directed by Lynn Stopkewich;
Thylias Moss, a poet whose book "Rainbow Remnants in Rock Bottom Ghetto Sky," was the winner of the 1991 National Poetry Series Open Competition;
Martha Rhodes, an author and a director of Four Way Books, an independent literary press;
Danzy Senna, author of the novel "Caucasia," which won the Book of the Month Club First Fiction Award;
Barry Werth, award-winning freelance journalist and author of "The Billion Dollar Molecule," which gives an inside look at the biotech industry; and
Art Winslow, the literary editor at The Nation magazine.
A new element to the conference this year will be Anniversary Prizes awarded for the best submissions in each genre. Recipients will be chosen by WMU faculty members.
The conference registration fee is $175 and due April 10. Housing will be available on the WMU campus for less than $20 per night. Reservations must be made with registration for the conference.
The Third Coast Writer's Conference is sponsored by the WMU Department of English with contributions from Meijer Inc. and the WMU College of Arts and Sciences. The conference is directed by J.D. Dolan, WMU assistant professor of English.
For more information:
Third Coast Writers' Conference
WMU Department of English
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5092
Phone: 616 387-2570
Email: michele.mclaughlin@wmich.edu
Web: www.wmich.edu/thirdcoast/
Media contact: Marie Lee, 616 387-8400, marie.lee@wmich.edu