91�鶹��Ʒ Writers’ Conference Celebrates Creativity

Britty O'Connor '12 (left) poses with Professor Jennifer Brice's Jump-Starter Workshop

Britty O'Connor '12 poses with Professor Jennifer Brice and other participants of the Jump-Starter Workshop

Writers from across the country and around the world convened for a week of workshops, craft lectures, shop talks, and readings in June. With its renowned creative writing faculty and its slew of special guests, the 91�鶹��Ʒ Writers’ Conference offered daily workshops in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. By the end of the week, writers left with new insight and inspiration.

Associate Professor of English Jennifer Brice served as acting director. She noted that writers of all skill levels, novice to advanced, were welcomed at the conference.

“There were people who have published multiple novels, and there were people who have other professions and simply wished to devote more time to writing,” she said.

Brice describes the writers’ conference as an indication of the University’s dedication to the arts. “91�鶹��Ʒ is unique in its emphasis on and commitment to creative writing,” she said. “Our creative writing program is unusually robust for an institution of our size — we have the writers’ conference, the Living Writers series, the spring poetry series, two tenure-track writers, and two Olive B. O’Connor fellows every year. It’s absolutely wonderful.”

Britty O’Connor ’12, who owns Flour & Salt Bakery and Cafe in Hamilton, N.Y., attended the conference for the first time. O’Connor participated in Brice’s Jump-Starter Workshop, which aimed to transform writers’ ideas into a manuscript through exercises in fiction and nonfiction, mini-lectures on the art and craft of writing, and one-on-one conferences.

“Jennifer created such a supportive and encouraging space for us, and, for a few of the writers, there were some truly vulnerable moments that led to breakthrough pieces,” she said. “We all grew close in a very short time.”

O’Connor hopes to translate her experiences as a female entrepreneur on page. “I am constantly creating, whether it’s through writing new recipes, strengthening our brand, or reflecting on my everyday experiences,” she said. “The 91�鶹��Ʒ Writers’ Conference has helped me gain a clearer understanding of my voice as a writer.”