AJC Decatur Book Festival announces launch of Decatur Writers Studio
March 22, 2016 (Atlanta) — The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival (AJC DBF), the
nation’s largest independent book festival, is launching the Decatur
Writers Studio, a dynamic new player in Decatur’s thriving literary
community whose goal is to serve both established and aspiring writers.
As
the AJC DBF enters its 11th year in September, it seeks to expand upon
the work it has performed in carving out a larger slice for Decatur on
the Southern literary scene. AJC DBF Founding Executive Director Daren
Wang, who also is the founder of the Decatur Writers Studio, said the
new organization’s mission is to provide writers a place to work and
grow. DWS will launch on April 1.
“The
Decatur Writers Studio is a natural extension of what we’ve been doing
for the past decade with the Decatur Book Festival,” Wang said. “I’m
excited to be able to forge new tools for local writers to learn from
and support each other.”
The Decatur Writers
Studio (DWS) will offer workshop-style creative writing classes led by
instructors, including some of the area’s most accomplished authors.
Classes will be limited to 12 participants, unless otherwise noted. The
first slate of courses will include a workshop, titled “Fiction 101: How
Making Up Stories Reveals Deeper Truths,” taught by Susan Rebecca
White. White is an Atlanta native and the author of three critically
acclaimed novels: Bound South, A Soft Place to Land, and A Place at the Table.
Jessica Handler, whose memoir Invisible Sisters was
named by the Georgia Center for the Book one of the “Twenty Five Books
All Georgians Should Read,” will teach a class titled “More Than Me in
Memoir.” Laurel Snyder, author of children’s novels and picture books,
including Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova, which was an
Amazon “Best Book of the Month,” a Junior Library Guild Selection, and
an ABA “Best Book for Young Readers,” will teach “The Wild Rumpus:
Writing the Perfect Picture Book.”
DWS has
plans to include classes in the future on poetry, narrative non-fiction
and specific genres, such as romance and fantasy. It also plans to
feature intensive, boot-camp-style courses on weekends. Classes will be
held at Decatur CoWorks, located in downtown Decatur with easy access to
MARTA.
“With the annual Decatur Book Festival
bringing so many writers to town — and the presence of so many local
writers — Decatur is a haven for me,” said Natasha Trethewey, the 19th
Poet Laureate of the United States and the Robert W. Woodruff Professor
of English and Creative Writing at Emory University. “I love living in a
community where the power of writing to enlighten, entertain, and
transform us is deeply valued.”
In partnership
with Decatur CoWorks, Decatur Writers Studio will also provide a limited
number of memberships to writers who seek space for their endeavors.
Writers can purchase a DWS membership, which includes quiet
workstations, access to printing, scanning, and copying, lightning-fast
wireless internet, conference rooms with audio/video capacity,
kitchenette and break area.
Kate Tuttle, a
longtime member of the Decatur Book Festival programming committee and a
book critic for The Boston Globe, will serve as DWS director.
“It’s
a great new addition to a town that already has more writers per square
mile than nearly anywhere else,” Tuttle said. “We fully expect that DWS
will help connect Decatur continue to grow as a hub of literary culture
in the South.”
For information about
schedules, a calendar of courses, pricing and other benefits of
membership, visit DecaturWritersStudio.com.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical (AJC DBF) is
the largest independent book festival in the country. Over Labor Day
weekend tens of thousands from metro Atlanta and beyond will share the
historic Decatur Square with world-class authors, illustrators, editors,
publishers and booksellers for a weekend filled with literature, music,
food and fun. For more information, visit www.decaturbookfestival.
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_____________________________________________________
Decatur Writers Studio Fact
Sheet
The Decatur Writers Studio is a
project of the AJC Decatur Book Festival
Class schedule, spring term 2016
All
classes will be limited to 12 participants, unless otherwise noted.
Instructor: Jessica
Handler
Class: More than Me in Memoir
Day/Time: Saturday,
4 to 5:30 p.m.
Meets: April 9, 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14
*Cost: $300
Instructor: Laurel
Snyder
Class: The Wild Rumpus: Writing the
Perfect Picture Book
Day/Time: Tuesday,
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Meets: April 12, 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17
*Cost: $300
Instructor: Susan
Rebecca White
Class: Fiction 101: How Making Up
Stories Reveals Deeper Truths
Day/Time: Wednesday,
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Meets: April 13, 20, 27; May 4, 11, 18
*Cost: $300
*Note:
In future terms, some classes will follow different formats. For example, some
might comprise eight sessions and cost $400.
Memberships
In
addition to offering classes, which are open to the public, DWS will provide a
limited number of memberships to writers who seek space for their endeavors.
Writers can purchase a DWS membership, which includes quiet workstations,
access to printing, scanning, and copying, lightning-fast wireless internet,
conference rooms with audio/video capacity, kitchenette and break area.
Benefits:
·
Access to a private working space at Decatur
CoWorks, 24 hours per day, seven days per week
·
20 percent discount on classes
·
VIP status at the AJC Decatur Book Festival
Cost: $175 per month
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