Florida Institute of Technology's Creative Writing Institute will take place June 6-13, 2010. The program starts
Sunday June 6 with Keynote Speaker (John Dufresne) followed by a variety of class schedules and lectures to choose from taught by
Visiting Authors and local Writers:
MTW; MWF; WTh.; WFSu(6/13); TThSa; FSaSu(6/13); SaSu(6/13)
We have morning, afternoon, and evening classes as well as single lectures: M, Th, Sa, Su (6/13).
And don't forget our bonus events are free with your initial
registration!
Mark your calendars now! Program is open to all. You do not have to be part of the FIT community to enroll. Coming from out of town? Consider staying over in the dorms!
This year features Visiting Authors such as Keynote Speaker John Dufresne, who has the short story collections Johnny Too Bad and The Way That Water Enters Stone; four novels, Louisiana Power & Light, Love Warps the Mind a Little, Deep in the Shade of Paradise, and Requiem, Mass; and two writing guides, Is Life Like This? and The Lie That Tells a Truth: a Guide to Writing Fiction. His short story "The Timing of Unfelt Smiles" was in Best American Mystery Stories 2007. His full-length play, Trailerville, was produced at the Blue Heron Theatre in New York in 2005. He wrote the screenplay for the award-winning short filmThe Freezer Jesus and collaborated with Don Papy on the screenplay To Live and Die in Dixie (released this last June).
An excerpt of an NPR review of John Dufresne's novel Love Warps the Mind a Little:
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*Rarely have I laughed so often while reading a book or, coming to the end,
cried so hard. Love Warps the Mind a Little is a masterpiece of the genre
that writers call the "funny-sad novel," where humor both defies and gives
shape to grief. It is rich entertainment, sheer lunacy, moonshine for the
wounded heart.
The best novels are about one thing: how we go on. The characters must
survive the fallout of their own cowardice, folly, denial or misguided
passion. They squander what matters most, and still they pick up the pieces.
I've been there and, clearly, so has John Dufresne.*
--
Other "Visiting Authors" include novelist and short-story writer Philip K. Deaver (last year's keynote speaker, O'Henry Award winner, poet and writer of Silent Retreats--Flannery O'Connor Award winning short-story collection--), Poet Liz Robbins ( poetry collection--Hope, As the Worldis a Scorpion Fish), novelist Carl Horner (A Hole in the Wind), short-story writer James Wilson, and mystery writer Martha Powers (Conspiracy of Silence, Death Angel).
Each Visiting Author will conduct a writing workshop to focus on the craft of writing with students, which is also the main focus of the classes taught by our local Writers in Residence such as military adventure novelist Michael Salazar, (Dropzone, War Zone, etc.); fantasy and children's novelist Vince Courtney (Virtual Fred, Die Laughing, etc.); journalists Annette and Tom Clifford & Betty Porter, and playwrights Troy Jones and 2009 Edward Albee Fellow Lindsey Ferrentino (Exile, Once Removed, Reality Solidified, etc.)
There will be updates as the program continues its development. Please examine the course schedule, classes, the lectures, the bonus events, and the bios to get a sense of the program.
The Institute hosts a staff of published authors and professors who will provide a place for writers where they can feel at home and where they can find and express their own voices.
The Institute includes a variety of classes and one-time lectures for almost any interest and ability: beginning and advanced fiction; novel-writing; poetry; creative nonfiction, journalism; screenwriting; playwriting; science fiction; writing for children and adolescents; mystery writing; historical fiction; writing for independent film; fantasy and horror writing; and writing for comic books. Please take a closer look at our classes and lectures.
Included in the registration fee are bonus events: lunchtime and coffee hour lectures by several noted speakers. In addition, a publishing panel, media panel, open mic night, and independent film showing are offered.