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News Release

Last modified: Monday, April 21, 2008

Indiana University Writers’ Conference is now accepting applications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Writers' Conference (IUWC), 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 IUWC 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).

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.-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 https://www.indiana.edu/~writecon for an application and complete guidelines.

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