Delaware Literary Connection

2011 Delaware Regional Writers Conference

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Wesley College, Slaybaugh Hall, Dover, Delaware

AGENDA

  8:15 -  9:00 a.m.      Registration

  9:00 - 10:00 a.m.    Opening Remarks

                                         Readings/Performances

                                         Regie Cabico, poet, teacher, nationally recognized slam poet, playwright, educator 

                                                       Elise Juska, novelist and short story writer, educator

                                                       Kim Roberts, poet, educator, editor

                                                       Faye Moskowitz, memorist, editor, educator

10:00 - 10:10 a.m.         Break

10:10 - 11:30 a.m.           WORKSHOPS - SELECT ONE:

                                                  A.  Fiction Workshop - Elise Juska

                                                         Beginnings:  Start the day with a workshop about getting started!  This interactive fiction workshop will address several aspects of beginnings, from generating ideas and creating tensions to developing characters and overcoming the hurdle of the blank page.

                                                  B.  Poetry Workshop - Regie Cabico

                                                        Rant Without Whining:  Elements of the Slam Poem:  In this workshop, participants will explore the list and long lines of rhythm from Walt Whitman and use "imagery" to create a poem stating "who we are," celebrating the rant of myself with our dreams and with our urges.  We will look at the poetry of Def Poetry Jam and write our own personal poems that express "who we are," employing sense memory, color and experimental word play to invogorate our language.  We will combine outrageous lies into hyperbole, look at the poem as one explosive haiku, and use the things that "drive us crazy" to propel us into performance.  We will unlock the basic elements of poetry slam performance: vocal, physical gesture & eye contact - demystifying the page from the stage. 

11:30 - 12:30 p.m.          Lunch - Wesley Cafeteria or venue of your choice

12:30 -  1:30 p.m.      AFTERNOON READINGS / Contest Results

                                            JoAnn Balingit, Poet Laureat of Delaware, writer, educator

                                                           Kathleen Wheaton, journalist, travel author, short story writer, MAAF Fellow

                                                            Holly Bass, poet, performer, director, educator

                                                           Mary Pauer, short story writer, essayist, educator, DDoA Fellow

   1:30 - 1:40 p.m.           Break

1:40 - 3:00 p.m.         WORKSHOPS - SELECT ONE:

                                                  C.  Memoir Workshop - Faye Moskowitz

                                                         Life Preservers:  This memoir workshop will include some basic techniques for accessing sources of memoir, tips for putting the memories in the shapeliest and most readable form, prompts and opportunities to write short pieces and have them workshopped by the group. 

                                                  D.  Poetry Workshop - JoAnn Balingit 

                                           Visions of My Neighborhood:  Exploring the Power of Language:  We love to share our words because we know that language has the power to forge deep connections between us.  Sharing our stories helps us navigate the challenges of being alive.  In this workshop, participants will use basic poetry devices to write and explore ideas about their neighborhoods -- past, present or future.  We will use the theme "Visions of My Neighborhood" to enter a deeper dialogue with each other about Community.  What makes communities thrive?  What puts them at risk?  How do neighbors sustain us and our humanity?  What is a community?  What do you value in your community? 

                                            Participants will free-write to get their creativity flowing, and have opportunities to share their reflections. 

                                            "One City One Prompt" community writing events are sponsored by the Transformative Language Arts Network [http://www.tlanetwork.org/].  "One City One Prompt" events are being held across the US and overseas from September through November 2011.  The Transformative Language Arts Network's interactive website will eventually share many of the experiences written by participants during the OCOP project.   

                                                    E.  Poetry Workshop -  Holly Bass     

                                                           Fantastic Voyage:  Infusing Rhythm and Music into Writing and Performance:    Holly will guide participants through a joyous odyssey of poetry, performance and sound.  Participants will uncover new ways to infuse music into their written texts.  How can we evolve our ears to enhance our writing?  What do musicians, DJs and nature have to teach us about sound and communication?  Special focus will be given to freeing the voice -- both written and spoken -- as a way to connect with audiences on a deeper level.  This workshop is recommended for writers, solo performers, poets and musicians.

   3:00 - 3:10 p.m.           Break

3:10 -  4:30 p.m.          WORKSHOPS - SELECT ONE: 

                                                F.  Fiction Workshop -  Mary Pauer

                                                      Suburban Noir:  How do they do it, those skilled writers who build characters that fall victim to their own fatal flaws, who come face to face with the dark side of life and run screaming from their beds in the middle of the night?  Join Mary for a workshop delving into emotional noir.  Utilizing short stories from well-known noir writer Joyce Carol Oates, you will explore the nuances of writing noir and try your hand at in-class exercises.  Participants will be assigned several Oates' stories to read prior to the workshop (materials provided by the DLC), and these will kick off your exploration of this popular genre.  

                                                G.  Nonfiction Workshop:  Kathleen Wheaton

                                                       Writing a True Story:  Using the Techniques of Fiction to Write Narrative Nonfiction:   Story is at the heart of all great writing.  In this workshop we will look at a few examples of great nonfiction narrative and analyze how the authors use fictional techniques such as character, dialogue, plot and telling detail to write compelling and memorable pieces.  We will also discuss some mechanics such as how to structure a story, and the importance of a tape recorder.  

                                                H.  Poetry Workshop -  Kim Roberts

                                                       Three Forms:  Pantoum, Sestina, and Rimas Dissolutas:  This seminar will focus on three received poetic forms -- the Pantoum, the Sestina, and Rimas Dissolutas, traditional verse forms that come to us from Malaysia, Italy and France.  All three are non-metrical forms, and rely on patterns of repetition.  Using models by established poets, workshop participants will learn about the history of these three traditional forms, how they have been modified by contemporary American poets, and why they remain popular.  Then we'll try writing one -- and find how the restraints of form can be paradoxically freeing.  No prior experience writing in forms required; participants need only bring paper, pen, and an open mind. 

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This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. 

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