Chattanoogans have a unique opportunity to meet and speak with national and local authors at the Arts & Education Council’s premiere event, the Chattanooga Festival of Writers, taking place at the Sheraton Read House on March 31 and April 1.
The festival was conceived as an off-year celebration for readers and writers who would normally attend the biennial Conference on Southern Literature. But the festival’s nine different workshops will be a more intimate setting, allowing both aspiring writers and literature fans unparalleled access to some exceptional authors who have found success. And because no one finds success without first experiencing a certain amount of rejection and failure, the festival audience will get to hear the featured author’s stories of persistence and inspiration.
The festival is in conjunction with other AEC initiatives that serve as an outreach to the Hamilton County School community, including Classroom Residencies, Professional Development Creative Writing Workshops for educators, and the Young Southern Student Writers contest. Not only do these programs foster literacy and creativity in our community, they establish valuable partnerships that cement the idea that Chattanooga cares about our children’s future.
Elizabeth Kostova, whose suspenseful debut novel, “The Historian” follows a young woman as she traces family secrets and mysterious connections into a dark world of medieval history, will open the festival at the keynote dinner on Friday evening (3/31, 6:30 p.m.). I recommend you pick up the audio book format of “The Historian” (Time Warner Audiobooks, 10 cds, $39.98) if you don’t have time to read the book before the event.
The Saturday workshops begin at 8:30 a.m. and run till noon, followed by the Jefferson Press Luncheon featuring Clyde Edgerton and Philip Gerard. As a local, independent publisher, Jefferson Press has announced the formation of a new prize ($5,000 and a publishing contract) that recognizes one work of outstanding fiction. For details on the prize and to view recent titles published, visit www.jeffersonpress.com
For more info on the Guest Writers and their workshop titles, go to the AEC web site, www.ArtsEdCouncil.org or call them at 423 267-1218 (or 1 800 267-4232). General admission is $100 per person which includes the Friday night keynote dinner, Saturday workshops and Saturday lunch. One day admission is $55 per person, per day. Full time students get a reduced rate of $85 for both days or $35 for Saturday only. The AEC staff suggests that you make your reservations by Tuesday, March 28, because the limited seating for the workshops are first come, first served. This also allows them to plan the number of meals required for each day.
See you there. Let’s hope that this will turn into a biennial event like the Conference on Southern Literature which has become a noted Chattanooga staple for 25 years.
(Bambi Evans is a freelance writer in Chattanooga. She returned to her birth town after decades in the Washington, D.C. area. Bambi covers the book, film, music and art world in addition to her editorial column, Engines On Run-Up. Watch for her upcoming series “Adventures in Spring Reading.”)