FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2003

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

DRAKE OFFERS FIRST WRITERS' SEMINARS APRIL 11-12

Writers of all levels and interests will gather at Drake University April 11-12 for the first-ever Drake Writers' Seminar. The seminar, sponsored by the Drake Writers and Critics Series, offers writers the opportunity to work on their stories, memoirs, essays or poems with the help of nationally recognized and award-winning faculty members.

"Our small, personalized seminars offer a convenient option for central Iowans who want to work on their writing right here at home," says Carol Spaulding, associate professor of English and director of the Drake Writers and Critics Series. "Whether you're an experienced writer who seeks interaction with other writers in the community, or a novice with pages of scribbled notes and the desire to craft them into something coherent, we've got a seminar for you. Our talented writing faculty has much to offer interested writers."

Faculty members have published works of fiction, poetry and nonfiction that have won national honors, including Pushcart Prizes and Best American Short Story Awards.

Mary Kay Shanley, author of seven books including the national best-seller "She Taught Me to Eat Artichokes," will give the keynote address at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, in Bulldog Theater at Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue. The speech, titled "Being a Writer - Why Would You Do Such a Thing?" is free and open to the public.

Shanley also will conduct one of the five workshops to be held Saturday, April 12, in Howard Hall, 25th Street and University Avenue. In "Show Me, Don't Tell Me," Shanley will explain how writers can merge the experience of the senses, the basis of fact and the power of emotions into their work, thereby transforming everyday writing into powerful words that resonate with readers.

The other workshops are:

• "Telling Family Stories" with Catherine Taylor, assistant professor of English at Drake and author of "Giving Birth: A Journey into the World of Mothers and Midwives." Prior to moving to Des Moines last fall, Taylor was a producer, writer and researcher on a number of PBS projects in New York City.
• "Idea Factory" with Graham Foust, author of three chapbooks: "Endless Surgery," "Three from Scissors" and "6." He is a recent graduate of the poetics program at the State University of New York at Buffalo and holds an MFA in poetry from George Mason University.
• "Situation, Complication" with John Domini, assistant professor of English at Drake and author of two books of short stories: "Bedlam" and "Highway Trade." His fiction has been described as "cutting-edge innovative and splendidly readable… a flat-out delight" by Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler.
• "It's All in the Details" with Carol Spaulding, associate professor of English at Drake and author of "Bridges of Valencia," a chapbook which won the A.E. Coppard Prize for Long Fiction in 2000. She also has written two short story collections and received numerous honors, including a Pushcart Prize.

The full day of seminars on Saturday, April 12, costs $45 per person and $30 per student. The fee includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Advance registration is required. For more information or to register for the Writers’ Seminar, contact Carol Spaulding at (515) 271-3969 or carol.spaulding@drake.edu.