Registration brochures are now available for the Edmonds Arts Commission’s 19th annual Write on the Sound Writers’ Conference, presented on Oct. 2-3.
The annual conference, meeting each fall at the Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main Street, in Edmonds, features two full days of workshops taught by regional authors, educators, and trade professionals. A variety of topics are offered on the craft of writing to help writers of all levels gain new perspectives on their work, meet other writers, and spark their creative energy.
Participants are invited to enter the writing contest, sign up for a one-on-one manuscript critique, attend lunch time events including a presentation by visual artist and poet Priscilla Maynard, or browse the on-site book store. The cost for the two days is $99 (before Sept. 20, $125 after) or $65 for one day.
Keynote speaker Diana Abu-Jaber is a novelist, short fiction writer and an Associate Professor in the Creative Writing Program at Portland State University. She grew up with ties to two cultures — America where she was born and raised, and Jordan, the home of her father’s family. This rich cross-cultural experience is reflected in her writing.
Abu-Jaber’s new novel, “Crescent” published in 2003 by W.W. Norton, won the 2004 PEN Center USA Literary Fiction Award. Published to date in seven countries, “Crescent” also was named a Notable Book of the Year by the Christian Science Monitor, and one of the top five in the national Booksense List of new spring fiction. Her first novel, “Arabian Jazz,” was published in 1993 and republished in 2003. It won the Oregon Book Award and was a finalist for the national PEN/Hemingway award. Abu-Jaber’s newest book, a food memoir entitled “The Language of Baklava,” will be published in 2005 by Pantheon/Vintage Books.
Abu-Jaber’s work has appeared in a variety of publications including Salon, The New York Times, and The Nation, and she is frequently featured on NPR. She was named one of the Top Women Writers of 2003 by Vanity Fair Magazine and received the NW Distinguished Author Award from Willamette Writers.
The lecture takes place at 1:15 p.m. Saturday Oct. 2 at the Edmonds Theatre, located at 415 Main Street. It is open to the public but seating is limited. $8 general admission tickets are available at the door or in advance by calling 425-771-0228 or 425-771-0230.
A day of pre-conference workshops is scheduled on Oct. 1 at Edmonds Community College. Faculty will conduct three writing critique workshops Friday afternoon in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. For a Write on the Sound registration brochure including pre-conference events, or other information call 425-771-0228, e-mail wots@ ci.edmonds.wa.us or visit www.ci.edmonds.wa.us/ ArtsCommission/index.stm.
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