Wilkes University Maslow Family Creative Writing Program Announces Full Schedule for Pennsylvania Writers Conference Aug. 3 and 4

Andre Dubus III Is Keynote Speaker

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WILKES-BARRE, PA (06/29/2018) Get your pens ready! Wilkes University's Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing has announced the full program for the fourth annual Pennsylvania Writers Conference. The two-day event celebrates all genres of writing and features workshops and panels with authors, editors, and teachers. These sessions are offered from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 3 and Sat., Aug. 4 with a break for lunch.

The keynote address will be delivered by acclaimed author Andre Dubus III 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. 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. Please note that standalone tickets for the keynote are available at a rate of $15 on the conference registration page. Full conference registrations include the keynote.

The full conference registration fee is $150. An early bird rate of $125 is in effect through July 9. The conference rate for seniors and for college students with a valid school ID is $125.

Eighteen sessions examining fiction, nonfiction, publishing, playwriting and poetry, will be offered during the two-day conference. For a full list of all sessions and schedule and for conference registration, please visit https://wilkes.edu/pwc. The sessions will include:

Can I Make a Living as a Full-Time Writer?

Instructor: Harry Hall

We all dream of making writing our career, but more often than not this isn't the case. Attendees will learn how to develop talents, maximize income, how to stay focused on the end game and how to treat your writing as a business.

Filing the Serial Numbers Off: The Good and Bad of Learning from Fan Fiction

Instructors: Karalynn Morris, Shannon O'Shea

Famous, well-known and well-respected authors have gotten their start in fan fiction but it still has a bad rap. In this workshop participants will examine the good and bad of fan fiction and see what we can learn from the genre.

Immersing Yourself in Story: A Multi-week Approach to Writing Creative Nonfiction

Instructor: Jennifer Judge Yonkowski

Workshop attendees will work through exercises to get them out of their comfort zone and learn how to immerse themselves into writing about new topics.

From Eye to I

Instructor: Edward A. Dougherty

Working with photographs and paintings, each participant will select a single piece of artwork that resonates with them and create a monologue.

Writing With Rubrics

Instructor: Laura Kieselbach

This workshop is for writing teachers who want to introduce rubrics to their classroom. Participants will leave with a tangible activity they can take back to their students.

For more information, please call 570-408-4547.

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. In addition to 43 undergraduate majors, Wilkes offers the doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education and doctor of pharmacy degrees and more than a dozen master's degree programs, including the master of business administration and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu