Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Florida Tech Creative Writing Institute, May 13-17, Melbourne, FL!



Starting this coming weekend and running through the 17 of May, Florida Tech over in Melbourne, FL, will be running its annual weeklong Creative Writing Institute.  See the banner above.  Speaking and holding classes at the institute will be Susan Hubbard, Lynne Barrett, John DuFresne, Michael Lister, and Philip Deaver, your longpinelimited host :-) and in addition special classes will be offered by many of our favorites from the FIT writing faculty.

This will be my third CWI, and Melbourne has always been a great location for the workshop right at the beginning of summer, the Institute's programs are both unique and targeted to the needs of Florida writers, and Marcia Denius, Jason Harris, and the organizing staff are cordial, dedicated, and welcoming.

Prize winning Florida writer Lynne Barrett will be delivering the keynote on Sunday, starting us off and setting the tone for the week.  You can peruse the entire program here (http://411.fit.edu/cwi) and register if you wish at that site as well, but let me just say, if you've never attended and are interested in a productive writerly escape before summer really cranks up, you'd have to look long and hard to find a better venue to get yourself into the writing mood, mode, way, and rhythm.  For writers in the Greater Orlando area, it's just far enough away to be far enough away, and close enough so you're not too far away.  Stop it!  You know what I mean!

If you've never worked with John Dufresne and heard him talk about his writing practice (ironic, witty as hell, and you know it's the truth), this alone is a treat and one major reason why I like to participate at the Institute.  Many of us in our region are familiar with the work and teaching of Susan Hubbard, and being at the Institute to work with her is a guaranteed, no-fail path to inspiring you to the worktable this summer.

You'll note that the dates are coming right up.  Think fast.  Some people like to plan WAY ahead, and this is to those of you who like to act on an impulse, a sudden really good idea.  Look over the materials and come on over after Mother's Day brunch.  Bring your notes, your laptop, buncha Impact 207 Uniball Signos (for the bold dark line and smooth as silk roller ball), your favorite very precious notebook/writing pad, and hang with some writers for a few days.  The link above, and banner above, provide all the contact information (website, phone numbers) you need to decide be there.  It's always fun when representatives from our rockin' Greater Orlando writing community shows up.  Hope to see you there.

NOTE:  Below I've posted the original press release for the Institute, which should give you all the info you need even though it's bad form in a blog!  Have at it.



CREATIVE WRITING INSTITUTE OF FLORIDA TECH 2012
PRESS RELEASE


            Registration is now open for the Fourth Annual Creative Writing Institute of Florida Institute of Technology, to be held on campus May 13 through 17.  This year’s blockbuster line-up of Featured Writers includes Keynote Speaker, Lynne Barrett,  first place winner in  General Fiction for this year’s prestigious Florida Book Award for her recently published book, Magpies.  Barrett has authored three short story collections, is the editor of the Florida Book Review, and teaches Creative Writing at Florida International University.
            Returning Featured Writers, all former Keynote Speakers, are Susan Hubbard (The Season of Risks), John Dufresne (Lousiana Power and Light), and Philip F. Deaver (Silent Retreats). Completing the roster of Featured Writers is award-winning author, Michael Lister, who has published six novels and two short story collections.
            Free, open-to-the-public events will be offered throughout the session, the first of which is the Keynote Speaker’s address, “The Thread of a Story,” on Sunday, May 13 at 2:15 pm in the Denius Student Center on campus.  Prior to the address there will be a reception, registration, and book signing, starting at noon.  Other events to which the public is invited include luncheons and dinners each day with Featured Writers speaking about their works, a Publishing Panel presented by the Featured Writers (May 14 at 4 pm), an Open Mic poetry session (May 17 at 8:45 pm), and a performance of the dramatic works of playwright Troy Jones (May 15 at 5 pm).  A Media Panel will host a discussion on May 16 at 4 pm, followed by Dr. Terry Cronin presenting an Independent Film Screening at 8:45 pm.  All of these free bonus events will be held in the Hartley Room of the Denius Student Center.
            Classes, with a focus on the craft of writing, are being offered mornings, afternoons, and evenings to accommodate registrants’ work and school schedules.  Beginning to advanced writers of all ages have a wide variety of classes from which to choose: Building Strong Fiction; Songwriting; Flash Fiction; Writing Memoirs; Writing Poems; Writing the Novel; Writing Short Stories; Writing for Children; Playwriting; The Literary Thriller; Writers’ Ten Biggest Mistakes; Science Fiction.  Both 3-day and 4-day classes (2 hours/class) are available.  This year, public and private school teachers will receive a 50% discount on enrollment costs.
             Also being offered are one-time lectures: History Writing, Literary Journalism, Publishing in the Internet Age, and Writing for Comics and Film.  For registration and a complete listing of classes, lectures, and bonus events, please visit our website at http://411.fit.edu/cwi. Early registration is advised as class size is limited. 
            The Creative Writing Institute provides a place for writers to feel at home with other writers, a place where they can find and express their own voices, and where in workshops, they can receive valuable feedback and insight; also, area hotels are offering generous discounts for CWI attendees  With its bonus events, which are all free and open to the public, the CWI offers the opportunity for community members to meet some of the best writers writing today, right here on the beautiful Florida Tech campus.