Tallgrass Workshop showcases Kansas writers
The 23rd Annual Tallgrass Writing Workshop, to be held June 28-29 on the Emporia State University campus, features award-winning writers, timely topics on the publishing industry, a networking reception and individual critiques.
The keynote speakers are Richard Uhlig, a Kansas native whose acclaimed first novel, Last Dance at the Frosty Queen, was inspired by his high school years in Herington, and Phillip Finch, a veteran author and journalist whose forthcoming book is Raising the Dead, a true story about a cave diving tragedy.
Other faculty members include New York Times bestselling author Antonia Felix, who has written biographies of Condoleezza Rice and Wesley Clark; travel writer Julianne Couch, whose latest work is Jukeboxes & Jackalopes: A Wyoming Bar Journey; Max McCoy, who wrote four original Indiana Jones adventures and whose Hellfire Canyon was named Best Original Paperback by the Western Writers of America; and Don Coldsmith, the Spur Award-winning author of the Spanish Bit saga.
Richard Uhlig attended Emporia State University, before transferring to New York University’s Film School. While at NYU, he interned for film director Martin Scorsese. After NYU, he was a screenwriting fellow at the American Film Institute. His original screenplay, Viva Las Nowhere, a dark comedy set in Kansas, was produced by Franchise Pictures and stars James Caan, Daniel Stern, and Patricia Richardson. The film won Critic’s Choice Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. His next film, Kept, a thriller, stars Ice-T and has played widely on cable television. His first novel was Last Dance at the Frosty Queen, was inspired by his boyhood in Herington. Boy Minus Girl, his second novel, will be published by Random House in spring of 2009. Richard lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
Phillip Finch is a journalist, novelist, and occasional screenwriter; author of 14 published books, the latest of which is the non-fiction Raising the Dead. His work has been published in more than a dozen languages around the world. He entered the newspaper business at the age of 19 as a reporter in Washington, D.C. and published his first novel seven years later.
The Tallgrass Writing Workshop has a long history of excellence in serving writers at all stages of their career. In fact, the diversity of participants, including teachers, technical writers, novelists, poets, journalists, historians, and hobbyists, is what gives the workshop attendees such a rich and well-rounded experience.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, June 28, in the fourth floor lobby of Plumb Hall. While pre-registration is encouraged, walk-ins are welcomed. Participants who would like their work critiqued by workshop faculty may submit up to 10 typed pages by June 13.
A booksigning for faculty authors and guests will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Emporia Arts Council, 618 Mechanic St. Sponsored by the Town Crier Bookstore, the event is open to the public. A reception and open microphone, hosted by poet Kevin Rabas and sponsored by the Emporia Arts Council, will follow.
The workshop is offered by Emporia State University’s Center for Great Plains Studies, the Division of English, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It is sanctioned by the Western Writers of America.
For more information about the workshop, contact Max McCoy, (620) 249-6499.
Last Updated April 8, 2008>