The Writers Conference at the AJC Decatur Book Festival

The Decatur Book Festival’s Writers Conference offers those wanting to explore the magical and confounding act of writing a unique opportunity to learn from experienced published authors and those who make their living through their creativity. The Writers Conference @AJC DBF, presented by Agnes Scott College, is offering ten workshops on everything from poetry to creating comic books.

In addition to the workshops held at Agnes Scott College, SCAD and the AJC Decatur Book Festival are proud to present a new day-long writing workshop called “Beyond Print — Writing in the Digital Age,” taking place Friday, Sept. 2 at SCAD’s Ivy Hall. To register for this workshop, contact Georgia Lee at Glee@scad.edu or 404-253-3206.

Writers Conference @ AJC DBF presented by Agnes Scott College

We’ll kick the Writers Conference off at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2 with a keynote address by mystery writer Nora McFarland in the Katharine Woltz Reception Room in Rebekah Scott Hall at Agnes Scott College. The writing workshops will follow from 4-6 p.m. in Buttrick Hall, also at Agnes Scott College, given by some of our finest local authors as well as out-of-towners here for the Festival, and we’ll cap off Friday’s events with conversation and cocktails in the courtyard.

On Saturday and Sunday, various authors and presenters will lead discussions on topics of particular interest to writers including WRITE CLUB where you can see writers engage in a high-energy writing competition. Check out the Writers Conference Track for details.

Parking is available in the West Parking deck. Cross the street to Presser Hall which holds McClean Auditorium, where the keynote address will be held.

Registration for the 2011 Friday workshops is now closed. Check out the Writers Conference next year for more exciting events and workshops.

Jump-Start Your Engines Poetry Workshop — Jericho Brown

In the Jump-start Your Engines Poetry Workshop, Jericho Brown helps participants generate new work through a set of unconventional exercises that keep their ears open and their fingers moving. The workshop engenders new ideas about writing, and as there is a profound relationship between reading poetry and writing it, participants will read, discuss, and even recite the work of several poets whose examples might lead them to a further honing of their craft.

Dying to Write — Nora McFarland

Everyone loves a good mystery, but have you ever wanted to write one? In this seminar, author Nora McFarland begins with the importance of plotting and creating a memorable detective, then takes you through pacing, conflict, POV, and everything else that distinguishes the best of the field. Nora is herself a lifelong mystery fan and author of the Lilly Hawkins Mysteries from Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. Join her for this entertaining journey through an always-popular genre.

Extreme Makeover: Poem Edition — Chelsea Rathburn

Every poet has a few drafts of poems that have good bones (say, charged language or an interesting idea) but aren’t quite realized. This workshop will focus on renovating poems that have not managed to take their final shape. Please bring a draft that you feel frustrated by but are nonetheless intrigued by, plus a willingness to overhaul the poem’s content, structure, or both. We’ll discuss strategies for approaching poems in new and surprising ways, and we’ll look at individual poems with an eye for transforming them.

Writing Vivid Characters: Details, Dimension, and Drive — James Lough

Readers want to read about people. They want to care about characters. No matter how fascinating your story’s plot, if the reader doesn’t care about your characters, your story will go as flat as old Coke. In this workshop, we’ll explore how to create characters that live and breathe on the page, characters that shimmer vividly in your mind’s eye and linger long in memory. Whether you’re creating characters from your imagination (for fictional pieces) or drawing them from life (for creative nonfiction) you’ll leave this workshop with a new imaginary friend or two. You may not want to bring them home to Mama, but they won’t let you leave them alone.

Help! For Writers — Roy Peter Clark

In an entertaining and inspiring workshop, influential writing teacher Roy Peter Clark will tackle the 20 most difficult problems every writer faces. Can’t think of anything to write about? Having a hard time getting organized? Stymied by procrastination? Never have time for revision? Clark will offer dozens of practical and inspirational solutions that writers can put into practice that very day.

Self-Publishing in the Digital Era — Ahmad Meradji

As the publishing industry changes, the options for authors who want to self-publish their books are growing rapidly. In this workshop, Ahmad Meradji, President/CEO of BookLogix Publishing Services will discuss the options available to authors in the Digital Era to publish, promote and sell their own work, including: eBooks and interactive books, print on demand, promotional materials, blogging and social media, and more. This workshop will also include an overview of the basic steps of self-publishing, along with estimated costs. Please bring your self-publishing questions!

Ahmad will also be giving away an eBook Publishing Package valued at $2,000! (Package includes: Basic Editing for your manuscript, Cover Design, eBook Conversion, BookLogix eISBN, and Online eBook Selling. Author will be paid royalty from BookLogix for each eBook copy sold.)

The Meat and Bones of Your Writing — Gregg Hurwitz

Gregg Hurwitz will do a workshop focusing on the meat and bones of your writing. He will focus on creating memorable characters, the meat of your story, and plotting, the bones of your story. He will also touch on writing a suspenseful story and give advice about how to write engaging dialogue.

Synchronicity Theatre’s Playmaking Workshop—Discover the Spark!

Using methods developed during our ongoing Playmaking for Girls program with girls in (and out) of the juvenile justice system, Synchronicity’s artists will lead you through a highly-collaborative workshop where you learn how to discover and nurture your own voice. Working from a theatre perspective, we will help you develop a strong sense of ensemble, and how to work well with another writer. This will be a very hands-on workshop and you should expect to leave with a sense of your own power, and at least 5 strong story ideas to take away and develop!

Comic Book Battles — Kyle Puttkammer

Creating a comic book is a unique and rewarding experience. It is also an intricate collaboration between writer and artist. Explore the power, pitfalls, and potential of comic book writing as Kyle Puttkammer — a shop owner with 20 years experience and the creator of Galaxy Man — will explain what it takes to bring an original work to the market place.

Writing with Duct Tape—Using Emotion to Create Characters That Stick With Your Reader — Karen White

Using examples and hands-on exercises, she will help you go deeper to create memorable characters and books that agents and editors will want to read, and your readers will want for their keeper shelf. After publishing 14 novels in 11 years, she’s learned a few things. She’ll share the pitfalls and missteps that not only she’s made, but other authors as well—cautionary tales as well as ways to avoid them. Bring a notebook, a pencil, and plenty of questions!

SCAD Writer’s Workshop

Beyond Print — Writing in the Digital Age

Ivy Hall, SCAD’s cultural arts and writing center, in partnership with the Decatur Book Festival, will present a day-long interactive workshop Friday, Sept. 2. Topics include how today’s writers can fund, publish and promote their work, and how print is successfully migrating to digital formats. Sessions will be conducted by Hollis Gillespie, acclaimed local writer, Josh Jackson, PASTE magazine editor; Catherine Ramsdell, SCAD writing professor; and Darby Sanders. The workshop is free and open to the public, and will be held at Ivy Hall, 179 Ponce de Leon Ave, Atlanta, GA, 30308. Space is limited to 65 people, and registration is required. Contact Georgia Lee at Glee@scad.edu or 404-253-3206.

SCAD Reads

Winners of the 2011 AJC Decatur Book Festival SCAD student writing competition will read original short pieces of fiction and non-fiction at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3 at the ampitheater of the Decatur Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn).