Poet Laureate leads Writers Conference April 18

'Make Belief' the theme of 6th annual conference              

Keynote Speaker KAY RYAN

Kay Ryan, America's poet laureate, will headline Columbus State's 6th Annual Writers Conference on April 18. The daylong event allows writers to hone their craft, meet their peers, and learn from some real masters.

 

This year's theme is Make Belief. As writers, we play make-believe all the time.  We imagine characters, conjure up plots, invent settings.  But we also play with belief—contemplating ideas, pondering perspectives, constructing meanings.  When we share the products of our make-believe with others, something happens:  a thought flickers, a conversation sparks, a world lights up.

 

Helping light that world up will be Ryan, a California-born poet. The author of six acclaimed books of poetry, Ryan will present a reading of her work with commentary and a conversation with the audience. Her keynote address will begin at 1:15 p.m. in Columbus State’s downtown Workforce Development Center, 315 N. Cleveland Ave.

 

Additional featured speakers include poet Steve Abbott, screenwriter Eric Williams, children’s author Will Hillenbrand, journalist Todd Jones, graphic novelist Abdul Rashid, playwright Vivian Lermond, literary agent Jennifer DiChiara, novelist Diane Kinser, and other professional writers.