Keene State College Hosts Writers in Talks and Readings
KEENE, N.H. 7/24/03 - Writers will present public readings and talks during a weeklong Writers Conference at Keene State College July 27-Aug. 2. Published authors some of whom teach at Keene State, will present five afternoon sessions reading from their works or talking about writing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
Unless otherwise noted, each hour-long session begins at 3:30 p.m. followed by a reception in the Mountainview Room of the Lloyd P. Young Student Center on the KSC campus. All sessions are free and open to the public. For further information, contact Keene State’s Continuing Education and Summer Session Office at 603-358-2290.
Monday, July 28: Ellen Lesser, who is the author of three novels and a collection of short stories, will speak about the craft of fiction writing. Lesser’s stories have been performed on National Public Radio and anthologized in Houghton Mifflin’s Images of Women in Literature. She teaches writing at Vermont College and has taught at the Indiana University, Mt. Holyoke, and Stonecoast summer writers conferences.
Tuesday, July 29: Lesser will read fiction and Jeff Friedman, a Keene State English instructor, will read poetry. Friedman is the author of four books of poetry and is anthologized widely and appears regularly in dozens of literary magazines. In addition to Keene State, he has taught writing on campuses from the University of Iowa to Washington University. There will be no reception following the readings.
Wednesday, July 30: Bonnie Sunstein, who directs the English Department writing program at the University of Iowa, will talk about the craft of nonfiction writing. Sunstein teaches summer writing institutes in Martha’s Vineyard, New Hampshire, and several sites in California.
Thursday, July 31: Joseph Monninger, associate professor of English at Plymouth State College, will read his nonfiction followed by a presentation on writing by Sunstein and Kirsti Sandy, director of writing at Keene State. Sandy is a writer of nonfiction and a specialist in the pedagogy of writing - working with teachers to practice their own craft as writers and to improve their students’ writing. Monninger is the author of eight novels and numerous stories and articles. Also a fishing guide, Monninger has just released his first memoir, entitled Home Waters, about fishing with his dog Nellie. There will be no reception following the readings.
Friday, Aug. 1: Dzvinia Orlowsky, who has published three full-length collections of poetry and one chapbook, and William Doreski, the author of more than 400 published poems, will read their works from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. in Rhodes Hall, room 203. There will be no reception following the readings. Doreski, who teaches creative writing at Keene State, has published seven collections of poetry including Pianos in the Woods, Suburban Light, and books of literary criticism and memoir. Orlowsky’s poetry appears frequently in anthologies and literary magazines including American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, and others. She has taught at the Mt. Holyoke and Stonecoast writers conferences and other workshops.
Keene State’s Writers Conference is an intensive residency program for established writers and teachers who wish to polish their skills and/or improve their students’ writing. The conference offers workshops in three genres - fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction - and participants meet individually with instructors and visiting writers, attend readings, and have time to write on their own.
