Ligonier writers to hold seminar
LIGONIER – The 16th annual Ligonier Valley Writers’ Conference will take place July 12-13. This literary weekend will feature an outstanding faculty, workshops and seminars, a picnic at the SAMA museum and the Thoburn Lecture. The conference has been revived and updated to be even more useful for both beginning and advanced writers. Now participants can choose seminars and workshops tailored to their level of expertise. The conference kicks off Friday, July 12, with registration, lunch and opening remarks by Kirk Weixel, head of the English department at St. Francis College.
Friday participants can choose from two afternoon sessions. Jim Daniels and Kristin Kovacic explore the art of “Tricking the Muse: Games Writers Play.”
Gary Eberle presents “The Journal as Incubator: Hatching Your Story by Journaling.” The picnic supper at SAMA combines food and readings by all of the faculty members.
On Saturday from 9 to 10:15 a.m., attendees can choose from the following seminars:
– “The Importance of Indirection and Characterization,” by David Walton on fiction.
– Kelly Boyer Sagert on nonfiction, “Making the Sale: Successful Freelance Writing” by Kelly Boger Sagert on nonfiction.
– “Fundamentals: Word, Line and Stanza by Jim Daniels on poetry.
From 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., they can choose one of the following:
– “The Art of Revision” by Eberle on fiction.
– “Writing Home: The Geographic as Personal” by Kristin Kovacic on nonfiction.
– “Singing and Place: Image and Shaping” by Judith Vollmer on poetry.
Lunch will be served at the Casa Chapala, and faculty members will sign their work at Drummer Boy Books during the break. All afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m., seminars and workshops taught by all the faculty members will run concurrently. There will be something for everyone, in terms of both genre and degree of difficulty.
Dinner will be served the Ramada Inn will be followed by the Thoburn Lecture, with author Gary Eberle speaking on “The Future of the Book in the Electronic Age.” The conference will wrap up with a publishing roundtable discussion from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. Saturday.
Those attending will have the opportunity to submit their manuscripts for review by faculty members. The deadline is the same as the “early bird” registration deadline on June 15. For a detailed conference brochure and registration form, call Sally Shirey at 724-537-3341 during the day or email her at sarshi.wpa.net.
The Ligonier Valley Writers is committed to providing practical tools and creative inspiration for writers. The new format and schedule were designed to streamline the conference.
The Ligonier Valley Writers has more then 100 members who join in developing and sustaining the writing community. It offers other programs throughout the year, including the annual hot-dog fest, children’s poetry contests, all-day workshops in special areas of writing, and Sunday afternoon programs on various literary topics. It also publishes a literary magazine, “The Loyalhanna Review.”