Small Group Workshops, Fascinating Lectures and a Panel Start November 3
Just haven’t found time to reserve for the workshops and lectures you want to attend at The Nature of Words literary festival? The time has come today! The festival is just one week away and workshops and lectures are filling up. Avoid disappointment—visit www.thenatureofwords.org to reserve right away.
Special Lectures for Writers From an Acclaimed Novelist
Writers alert! A special lecture about the craft of writing by novelist, memoirist and screenwriter Mark Spragg, titled The Necessity of Beginner’s Mind, takes place on Friday morning, November 4th. On Saturday, November 5th, Spragg offers a second lecture titled The Final Edit. Attend one or both lectures to learn how to give your writing the professional polish that makes it stand out from the crowd. All four of Mark Spragg’s novels were top ten Book Sense selections and his work has been translated into 15 languages. He and his wife Virginia wrote the screenplay for his novel, “An Unfinished Life,” starring Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman, and released in 2005.
Find Out the Real Truth Behind the Vaccine Controversy
Like a little controversy with your weekend? On Saturday, November 5th, Seth Mnookin’s lecture will explore the debate surrounding childhood vaccines and their purported link to developmental disorders, such as autism, based on the groundbreaking research for his book “The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science and Fear.” Mnookin will explore a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? Mnookin is an award-winning author, journalist and MIT lecturer who has written for some of the nation’s most prestigious publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Newsweek.
In addition to the lectures, a panel discussion titled The Mixed Experience, featuring Heidi Durrow and Aimẻe Nezhukumatathil, starts at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 3rd. Durrow and Nezhukumatathil will share their insights, experiences and perspectives as writers who are children of mixed race parentage.
Guest Author Workshops Offer Rare, Small Group Interaction
The guest author workshops provide an opportunity for up-close interaction with renowned authors and poets in a small group setting. Each workshop is limited to 20 participants, so early sign-up is a priority. Visit www.thenatureofwords.org for the complete schedule of lectures and workshops.
The workshops kick into high gear on Friday and Saturday with two full days of options and topics. Kevin Young, noted as a leading poet of his generation, offers Black Cat Blues, in which writers will find, in the blues, fresh metaphors for the process of writing. Keith Scribner, author of three novels and numerous fiction pieces, will discuss Is that Fiction or Nonfiction? Writing Both Genres From the Same Work and, in a second workshop, Writing Short-Short Stories from a Prompt.
In Buddy Wakefield Unplugged, spoken word poet Buddy Wakefield will offer a presentation workshop on Friday, November 4th, in which participants will learn about the art of performance poetry from a two-time Individual World Poetry Slam Champion who has performed on stages all over the world.
In her workshop, Nancy Mairs, a highly respected personal essayist, will discuss Points of Departure for the Personal Essay, with ample time for practice and idea sharing.
Poet Aimẻe Nezhukumatathil will conduct two sessions that explore the nature poem form, perhaps even incorporating a walk outside to capture and write about observations, in Landscapes & Light: Poetry and the Natural World. The workshop will provide the tools for writing more nature poetry well after the workshop ends.
The complete schedule of festival events, which take place November 2-6 – including guest author readings, workshops, lectures, a panel discussion, gala dinner, Rising Star awards and open mic—is available at www.thenatureofwords.org/Festival. For questions and more information, call NOW at 541.647.2233 or email info@thenatureofwords.org.
About Our Sponsors and Donors
The Nature of Words is grateful for the support of the following 2011 sponsors and donors:
Co Sponsors: OSU-Cascades, Central Oregon Community College. Laureate: M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Meyer Memorial Trust, The Starview Foundation in Support of the Deschutes Land Trust, Anonymous Donor. Ex Libris: The Bulletin, Julia Kennedy Cochran, The Collins Foundation, The J.G. Edwards Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation, St. Charles Health System, Visit Bend. Best Seller: Dr. Stephen Archer, Bella Moda, Bryant Lovlien & Jarvis PC, Dan Wieden on behalf of Caldera, Cascade Publications, Charlotte Martin Foundation, Combined Communications, Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, Ron and Molly Foerster, Margaret Heater, Herbert A. Templeton Foundation, Mike and Sue Hollern, Kinsman Foundation, Les Schwab Tires, The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation, Umpqua Bank, University of Oregon. Page Turner: Autzen Foundation, Bend Radio Group, The Bend Foundation, Brooks Resources, Central Oregon Radiology Associates, Devore’s Good Food Store, Facebook Prineville Data Center, Steve and Sandra Miller, Craig and Linda Moore, The Old Mill District, Oxford Hotel, PacificSource Health Plans, Beth Patterson, Pepsi-Cola Company of Bend, Phoenix Inn and Suites, Robberson Ford, Jeff and Margie Robberson, Sally Russell, Samuel S. Johnson Foundation, The Source Weekly, Matt and Diana Tomseth, Jan and Jody Ward, Margaret and Jim Wood.
The Nature of Words is supported in part by an award from the Oregon Arts Commission.
The Nature of Words is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust: Oregonians investing in Oregon’s arts, heritage and humanities.
The Nature of Words is made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities, a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds Oregon Humanities’ grant program.
About The Nature of Words
The mission of The Nature of Words is to foster an appreciation of the literary arts and humanities in the high desert region of the Northwest through community interaction with acclaimed authors, and through creative writing programs for students and adults. For more information about the Nature of Words, visit www.thenatureofwords.org, call 541.647.2233 or email info@thenatureofwords.org,. In Bend, visit NOW’s literary arts center at 224 NW Oregon Avenue.
