Leading US writers Help Midlands Writers in Major US Writing Partnership
http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/?page=wac_calendar.html&promo_id=67
After receiving a $10 million endowment the VirginiaPiperCenter
looked around the world for an international partner - and chose
Warwick. This partnership will bring many unique benefits for
writers and writing in the Midlands - including a series of one on
one sessions for aspiring Midland's writers with US
authors starting with the four writers coming over for the
Festival.
Talking about this partnership, the Director of the Warwick Writing
Programme, the poet David Morley says: 'Major American Universities
can teach us a lot about creative writing and give our teaching and
research here in Warwick an ever sharper edge and lead in Europe.
The benefits to our students will be enormous: access to American
star writers and the opportunity to study with authors in
Arizona. These people are the real world experts, so this is great
news for us.'
ASU faculty members will participate in Warwick's summer writing
program at the National Academy for Gifted and Talented high Youth.
ASU and Warwick will explore "book art" collaborations
between faculty and students. Warwick students will be encouraged
to submit to Piper Center's Hayden's Ferry Review literary journal
and will participate in online writers Chat rooms with students at
Arizona.
The four writers coming to the festival include: Ron Carlson - a
renowned novelist and short-story writer whose fiction has appeared
in the New Yorker, Esquire and Harper's, Jay Boyer is
accomplished writer who also teaches courses in American film and
literature, Jewell Parker Rhodes - who has received a National
Endowment Award for the Arts in fiction among her many honours -
she also directs the Virginia Piper Centre for Creative Writing,
and Melissa Pritchard (who is also is the first Visiting Fellow to
Warwick to arise from this partnership) who has won many awards for
her novels and short story collections. Their readings take place
at Warwick Arts at Centre at 5.00 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.
Midlands writers wanting to try and get one of the one to one slots
with the US authors should contact David Morley at the University
of Warwick on D.J.Morley@warwick.ac.uk
or 024 76 523346.
Press Opportunity: All four authors will be in a drinks reception
in the National Grid room the University's Warwick Arts centre at
6pm on Wednesday 24th of November 2004 . Press are welcome to this
but do please let Keri Wills or David Morley know if you
are coming beforehand.. Press can get complimentary tickets for the
readings by calling Keri Wills (024 765 23804).
Tickets for members of the public can be purcahsed from Warwick Arts Centre Box Office 02476 524524.
For Further Infromation please contact:
David Morley University of Warwick on 024 7652 3346
Peter Dunn, Press and Media Relations Manager
University of Warwick 02476 523708 p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk
PR150 PJD 18th November 2004