Indiana University Writers’ Conference is now accepting applications
The Indiana University Writers' Conference, now in its 68th year, will welcome eight nationally known writers to the IU Bloomington campus from June 8-13 for a week-long event of classes, workshops and readings.
The IU Writers' Conference is pleased to welcome an exceptional lineup of authors. Donald Antrim (author of the recent memoir The Afterlife) and Karen Joy Fowler (author of The Jane Austen Book Club) will teach workshops in fiction. Poetry workshops will be taught by National Book Award winner Jean Valentine and Reginald Shepherd, a finalist for the 2004 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, winner of the 1993 AWP's poetry award, and author of Fata Morgama, Otherhood and Some Are Drowning.
There will be a range of classes -- poetry (Ross Gay, IU professor and author of Against Which); fiction (Tony Ardizzone, IU professor and author of seven books of fiction, including the novel In the Garden of Papa Santuzzu); creative nonfiction (Anne-Marie Oomen, instructor at Interlochen Arts Academy and author of Pulling Down the Bones and Looking Over My Shoulder), and a class called "Reading Like a Writer" (Alison Umminger, author of Flyover States, under the pseudonym Grace Grant).
Tony Ardizzone, Chancellor's Professor of English at IU Bloomington, said the IU Writers' Conference is a worthwhile investment for aspiring authors. "The real benefit of writers' conferences is exposure and contact, which works nicely in two ways," Ardizzone said. "The aspiring writer is able to meet and take classes and workshops with several widely published authors from around the country -- people the less experienced writer might not otherwise be able to meet. And in turn those authors are able to meet and get to know the work of the aspiring writer.
"Many useful conversations then take place, some of which may save the aspiring writer years of work had the writer been working alone," he continued. "IU's conference is particularly helpful since it focuses on writers who are not only renowned for their craft but also have the reputation of being excellent, personable teachers. For writers with an open mind, a summer conference can be an absolutely invigorating and sometimes a life-changing experience."
In addition to the traditional curriculum of workshops and classes, days are filled with presentations on writing, publishing and editing, as well as informal presentations, discussions and question-answer sessions. IU faculty will give readings each night, and conference participants will have the opportunity to read their work during an open mic event. The evening readings will be held at the John Waldron Arts Center and are free and open to the public. The schedule will include the following authors:
- Sunday, June 8: Alison Umminger and Reginald Shepherd
- Monday, June 9: Ross Gay and Karen Joy Fowler
- Tuesday, June 10: Tony Ardizzone and Anne-Marie Oomen
- Wednesday, June 11: Conference participant reading
- Thursday, June 12: Jean Valentine and Donald Antrim
Workshops are scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., enabling workshop participants to attend morning classes in poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Workshop participants may earn up to two hours of undergraduate or graduate credit, and the conference classes may also be applied toward professional or teacher certification.
To apply for a workshop, submit up to 10 pages of poetry or 25 pages of fiction. A manuscript is not required to apply for classes only, but all applicants must send a $50 application fee (which is applied to the final bill.). Tuition is $500 for a workshop (which includes all classes), and $250 to attend classes only.
Early application is highly recommended. Credit card payments are accepted online for application fees, registration and tuition. Call, e-mail or visit the Web site at http://www.indiana.edu/~writecon for an application and complete guidelines.
