Corrected: Wilkes University's Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing Announces Pennsylvania Writers Conference July 29- Aug. 9

Award-winning Author Andre Dubus III Will Deliver Keynote

WILKES-BARRE, PA (02/13/2018) Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Andre Dubus III will be the keynote speaker when Wilkes University's Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing holds the fourth annual Pennsylvania Writers Conference, celebrating all genres of writing. The event features workshops and panels with authors, editors, literary agents and film producers. The conference includes optional four-day writing workshops from July 29 to Aug. 2 and Aug. 5-9. The conference is Aug. 3-4 at Wilkes University.

The keynote address will be delivered by Dubus on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m.

Dubus will speak about the path that led him to become a writer-one that pulled him out of a life of violence and allowed him to find his voice through the arts. Dubus began writing fiction at age 22, just a few months after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in sociology. He is the author of six books, three of which were New York Times bestsellers: House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days, and his memoir, Townie. His most recent book, Dirty Love-a collection of four short novellas-was chosen as a Notable Book and Editors' Choice from The New York Times, a Notable Fiction from The Washington Post, and a Kirkus Starred Best Book of 2013. His other titles are The Cage Keeper and Other Stories and Bluesman.

The conference will be preceded and followed by four all-day writing workshops in different genres being offered by the Norman Mailer Center. Workshops will begin on Monday, July 30 and end Aug. 2 with a second series of workshops beginning Monday, Aug. 6 and ending Aug. 9. Available workshops will be announced this spring.

Conference attendees interested in applying to the Wilkes graduate creative writing program will be able to receive an instant decision on their application at the conference.

Writers interested in presenting at the conference may submit a proposal starting now by accessing the proposal form online at, http://www.wilkes.edu/PWC. The proposal deadline is May 1.

The two-day conference fee is $150. The fee for early-bird registration, college students, and senior citizens is $125. Attendees of any of the four-day workshops will receive an all-access pass for $575, which includes conference registration.

For more information, please call 570-408-4547. For conference registration, visit www.wilkes.edu/PWC.

About Wilkes University:

Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional programs. Founded in 1933, the university is on a mission to create one of the great small universities, offering all of the programs, activities, and opportunities of a large, research university in the intimate, caring, and mentoring environment of a small, liberal arts college, at a cost that is increasingly competitive with public universities. The Economist named Wilkes 25th in the nation for the value of its education for graduates. In addition to 41 bachelor's degree programs, Wilkes offers 25 master's degree programs and four doctoral/terminal degree programs including the doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education, doctor of pharmacy, and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu.

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