Conferences and Events
Ohio University Literary Festival
University of Ohio, Athens, Ohio
May 9-11, 2012
This year’s Spring Literary Festival visiting writers are Denise Duhamel, Terrance Hayes, Amy Hempel, Richard Rodriguez, and Susan Orlean. This three-day literary festival is sponsored by the Program in Creative Writing of the Department of English and is generously funded by the College of Arts and Sciences of the Ohio University. All readings and lectures are free and open to the public.
San Francisco Write to Market Conference
San Francisco Write to Market Conference
May 11-13, 2012
The San Francisco Write to Market Conference professionally evaluates your novel or work-in-progress in a unique, productive, and pragmatic approach. Prior to the event, participants are given an array of pre-conference work including a multipart analysis or screening of the novel, a study guide and assignments focusing on novel structure and craft.
Astra Writing in Greece
Athens and Elika in Greece
May 16-26, 2012
Astra Writing in Greece is a writing program for women writers who like to travel. It is an eleven-day program that involves writing, walking/hiking and trips to historic sites. The program hosts are Meredith Hall, author of Without a Map (Beacon Press, 2007); a New York Times bestseller and Thordis Simonsen author of You May Plow Here: The Narrative of Sara Brooks (Norton, 1986) whose house in Elika serves as a program headquarters in Greece.
LitCrawl NYC
Brooklyn, New York
May 19, 2012
LitCrawl NYC is a “madcap concept” of LitQuake Festival, San Francisco. “Madcap concept,” according to their official website, is a “bar crawl with literature where hundreds of literati get drunk on words.” This year, attendees can look forward to Armchair/Shotgun’s enactment of a live old-timey radio show, The Liars’ League NYC’s short play of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-time and Cambridge Writers Workshop’s Literary Cabaret.
Aspen Summer Words
Aspen, Colorado
June 17- 22, 2012
The Aspen Summer Words is comprised of three types of workshops: a five-day juried workshop that is ideal for students who opt to have a critique to polish their manuscript, a five-day non-juried workshop such as Beginning Fiction for Adults and Young Writers Workshop for teens, and a series of interactive workshops that examine vigorously the written form, inspire creativity, and expand literary horizons.
Mixed Roots Literary and Film Festival
Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, CA.
June 15-17, 2012
The first Mixed Roots Literary and Film Festival was held in 2008. It fostered a lot of excitement, creativity, and dedication to continue asserting and sharing the rich “mixed” experience. In the last two years, many talented writers and filmmakers have showcased their art. The roster of speakers include Rebecca Walker, Kip Fulbeck, Danzy Senna, Kim Wayans, and Angela Nissel among others.
Kentucky Women Writers Conference
232 East Maxwell, Lexington, KY 40506
September 2012
The Kentucky Women Writers Conference is already open for registration starting May 1, 2012. The upcoming conference will feature best-selling author and food critic Ruth Reichl as the keynote speaker, as well as the amazing poet Tara Betts who will headline the Gypsy Poetry Slam. This annual event was launched in 1979 and has since become a premier destination for women’s arts and letters. To date, it is the longest-running literary festival of women in the United States.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival
Atlanta
September 1-3, 2012
The AJC BDF is a three-day book party thrown around the Atlanta, Georgia, which is considered one of the best literary cities in the Southeast. The highlights of the festival are a children’s stage featuring interactive activities and presentations by top authors and illustrators, a youth poetry slam for kids 12-18 years old, and The Atlanta Fine and Collectible Fair presented by the Georgia Antiquarian Booksellers association where authors can buy collectible books and have their own books appraised.
Baltimore Book Festival
Mt. Vernon Place, Baltimore MD
September 28-30, 2012
The Baltimore Book Festival offers nonstop poetry readings, workshops, panel discussions, cooking demos by celebrity chefs, walking tours, hands-on projects for kids, street theatre, live music, delicious food, beer and wine. The festival will also hold numerous book signings and more than a hundred exhibitors and booksellers.
Brattleboro Literary Festival
Brattleboro, VT, 05302-1116
October 12-14, 2012
The Brattleboro Literary Festival was founded in 2002. The first festival featured Saul Bellow, the Nobel Prize winning legend. Since then, the festival has presented nearly 300 distinguished authors. Brattleboro has always been known for industries that supports creativity. It is a place where book presses and publishers thrive. In fact, the first Bible in Vermont was printed here, and it is no surprise that the first American version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone rolled off the presses in Brattleboro. All festival events are free and open to the public.