Literary Agent James Fitzgerald Joins Acclaimed Faculty for Three Days of Fiction, Poetry and Nonfiction Workshops
Newswise — Wilmington, NC (May 21, 2013) - Literary agent James Fitzgerald will be joining the Department of Creative Writing, Randall Library and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)’s inaugural Creative Writers Conference taking place June 28-30, the University of North Carolina Wilmington announced today.
Fitzgerald’s special roundtable discussion will focus on the basics of book proposals and how writers can find book agents. An agent himself, Fitzgerald is based in New York and has been working in the industry since 2000. Authors he’s published include recognizable names like Dennis Hopper, David Carradine and Ed Sanders.
The Randall Library will be providing creative and institutional support to the conference in its first year. In addition, the library is expanding its creative writing, creative nonfiction, and poetry collections to support the conference. Coupled with a beachside location and an environment rich in arts and culture, UNCW’s Creative Writers Conference offers artistic inspiration, insights from those who’ve succeeded in the field and a candid look at the business of writing. Participants will join nationally recognized faculty authors and publishing experts on campus for three days of workshops, roundtable discussions and readings. Best-selling author and UNCW faculty member Clyde Edgerton will provide the keynote speech on Saturday, June 29 at 8 p.m.
“Working with Randall Library and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to create this conference has allowed us to develop a unique program that will attract non-traditional students who may not otherwise come to the UNCW campus,” said keynote speaker Clyde Edgerton. "It will be especially rewarding for attendees to work with members of our talented faculty. Such an opportunity outside our BFA and MFA degree programs is relatively rare."
A professor at UNCW since 1998, Edgerton is the author of ten novels, a memoir, and numerous short stories, and essays. A past Guggenheim Fellow, five of his novels have been New York Times Notable books. His latest book “Papadaddy’s Book for New Fathers: Advice to Dads of All Ages,” was released on May 7th by Little, Brown and Company.
Created for writers of all genres, breakout sessions will focus on creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry writing. These will be led by UNCW Department of Creative Writing faculty members poet Lavonne J. Adams, fiction writers Wendy Brenner and Nina de Gramont, and creative nonfiction author Virginia Holman. UNCW’s nationally recognized and award-winning Publishing Lab will also be open for tours.
The UNCW Department of Creative Writing offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts and a Certificate in Publishing program. In 2012, Poets & Writers named the MFA program one of the nation’s top 50 writing programs, making it third in the creative nonfiction category.
In addition to scheduled workshops and roundtables, the conference will offer outings to Wilmington’s historic Fort Fisher and the Airlie Gardens.
For those interested in attending Clyde Edgerton’s keynote and dinner Saturday evening, tickets can be purchased for $35. Educators, students and seniors will be able to receive a twenty percent discount. To register for the discounted rate, please call (910) 962-3195. Registration, pricing, lodging and schedule details are available on the Summer Writers Conference website. Registration is open until June 7th.
RSS