Pictured from left to right are Sarah Page, Chattanooga State English instructor; Emily Rogers, Lookout Valley High School; Sarah Emrey, (meme winner), Boyd Buchanan; John Beasley, Boyd Buchanan; Daniel Ortega, Boyd Buchanan; Jada S. Jones, Lookout Valley High School; Reagan McBryar, Boyd Buchanan and Stanley (Buck) Weiss, Chattanooga State English instructor.
Chattanooga State’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division (HFA) welcomed approximately 125 local high school junior and senior students to the main campus on January 15 for the 4th Annual Young Writers Conference. Students enjoyed the opportunity to attend a day of creative writing workshops taught by HFA instructors in a variety of writing genres. Sessions included writing workshops on fantasy, modernizing fairy tales, transformation, blues music, slam poetry, dystopian fiction, rap, meme, and found poetry.
The conference also produced a journal of the high school students’ poetry and short stories.
Awards for excellence were presented to outstanding student writers for the top three short stories and poems during the event. In the short story category, Daniel Ortega, Boyd Buchanan, took first place for “The Fisher’s Son.” In second place was Jada S. Jones, Lookout Valley High School, “The Beginning,” and in third place, Reagan McBryar, Boyd Buchanan, “The Birchwood Haunting.”
In the poetry category, first place went to Emily Rogers, Lookout Valley High School for “Where I’m From.” In second place, John Beasley, Boyd Buchanan, “The Running River,” while third place went to Morgan Holman, North Sand Mountain School, for “I Am.”
Dr. Buck Weiss, Sarah Page, and Shawn Brabham coordinate the Young Writers Conference. Sessions this year featured the faculty talent of Bill Stifler, Josh Tucker, Evans Jarnfeldt, Dr. Jennifer Arbogast, Dr. Keri Lamb, Mollee Shannon, Lori Barton, Kristin Hutton, Julie Barcroft and Monica Brown.
For more information about the Young Writers Conference contact Dr. Buck Weiss at 423.697.5508 or email Stanley.weiss@chattanoogastate.edu.