Research Triangle Park ó More than 250 writers, editors and publishing agents will gather Nov. 14-16 for the annual North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall Conference, one of the country’s largest conferences dedicated to the art and business of writing.
Registration for this year’s conference, to be held at the Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport in Research Triangle Park, is now open at the Network’s Web site, www.ncwriters.org.
This year’s conference will feature a keynote address by North Carolina novelist and poet Ron Rash, author of the new novel, “Serena,” as well as the award-winning “One Foot in Eden” and “The World Made Straight.” The yet-to-be-named Piedmont Laureate, a new position for the Triangle area, will read at the Saturday luncheon.
More than 25 writers will lead workshops, master classes and panel discussions in topics ranging from understanding how writers can use the Internet to understanding publishing contracts; from writing poems with presence to turning family stories into drama for the stage.
The conference will also again offer the Manuscript Mart, Critiquing Service and Speed Pitching sessions, in which registrants can discuss their unpublished works with book professionals.
The conference faculty includes authors Paul Cuadros, Marjorie Hudson, Randall Kenan, Zelda Lockhart, and Travis Mulhauser; playwright Gary Carden; poets Stuart Dischell, John Amen and Alex Grant; speculative fiction writer and N.C. State professor John Kessel; memoirist Melissa Delbridge; and mystery author Vicki Lane.
Agents and editors at the conference will include Emmanuelle Alspaugh of Judith Ehrlich Literary Management, Rita Rosencranz of Rita Rosencranz Literary Agency, Kathie Bennett of Magic Time Literary Agents, Stephen Kirk of John F. Blair, Publisher, Amy Rogers of Novello Festival Press, and Kevin Watson of Press53.
The annual banquet on Saturday night will precede the first Network Town Hall, a chance for members to share their thoughts on the direction and activities of the N.C. Writers’ Network.
Registration for the Fall Conference is not limited to members of the Network, or even to writers from North Carolina. Anyone with an interest in writing can sign up online, or by calling the Network at 704-246-6314 or 919-251-9140.
National Storytelling Festival
Jonesborough, Tenn. ó Critically-acclaimed storytellers from across America will take the stage in Jonesborough, as Tennessee’s oldest town plays host for the 36th consecutive year to the National Storytelling Festival, Oct. 3-5. The festival was recently voted Best of the Blue Ridge in the established festival category by the readers of Blue Ridge Country magazine.
Produced by the International Storytelling Center (ISC), the three-day outdoor festival features performances by artists who are recognized as leaders in America’s storytelling revival.
This year’s festival features more than 100 hours of entertainment and performances by more than 24 storytellers who deliver traditional tales, multicultural folklore, contemporary legends and even bewitching ghost stories. Beneath the big festival tents, tellers perform imaginative tales drawn from their ancestors, geographic regions, cultures and their personal lives.
The National Storytelling Festival is sponsored in part by Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Storytelling concerts begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, with events continuing until 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Two popular events return: Midnight Cabaret, held at 10:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, and the Ghost Story Concerts held at 8 p.m. both nights. For information and ticket prices, visit www.storytellingcenter.net or call 800-952-8392 ext. 221.