Emerging Writer’s Festival comes to F&M

The Emerging Writers’ Festival kept up its energy through all three days.

Thursday marked the start of the craft talks, with Lydia Peelle and Jericho Brown following up their readings from the night before with a more intimate discussion with groups of both students and faculty looking to hone their craft.

 Brown’s craft talk started the day. He discussed the inspiration for his book cover and then used this theme to create a writing exercise. Students were given pictures and told to use them as the basis for poetry– in essence, reversing the process he discussed previously: instead of finding an image to match words, writing words to match an image.

 Following Brown’s craft talk was the EWF Common Hour, at which all five authors read excerpts of their work to a filled Mayser Gymnasium.

 That afternoon was the second craft talk, this time led by Peelle. She discussed the importance of setting in writing and how understanding the place in which a character finds himself can be critical to writing the character well. She had students write about their childhood home, incorporating as many details as possible, then write about interacting with that setting, and finally had them write about the setting from the perspective of a stranger.

 That night was the second reading, featuring Philipp Meyer, Beth Bachmann, and Elna Baker. Meyer opened the night with two excerpts from his novel, American Rust. He prefaced his reading with a brief discussion of the background for his book, offering insight into the history and setting of the world his characters inhabit.

 Bachmann took the stage following Meyer’s reading and read several of her poems. Between poems, she touched on her inspirations and interests, commenting specifically on a type of elevator that travels in a square rather than just up and down. The circular travel was imitated in her poetry, in which themes were visited and revisited.

 The last author to speak was Baker, who immediately had the audience laughing with her witty storytelling. She first told five short anecdotes, telling the audience she would write whichever they liked best. She then told, in a lively and animated way, the story of her time as a toy demonstrator, which kept the audience chuckling and ended the readings on a light note.

 Friday finished off the festival. It featured three more craft talks by Meyer, Baker, and Bachmann, all of whom offered valuable insight into their craft. 

 These were followed up by a panel discussion, which offered students and faculty one last chance to hear the authors discuss their work and answer questions. This chance was taken and the Writers House was packed with people seeking the authors’ thoughts on everything from the specifics of writing to what makes one a writer to the age-old typed vs. longhand debate.

 At the end of the discussion, F&M writers said goodbye to the authors at a barbeque, which marked the end of the festival.

 For more information, contact Kerry Sherin Wright at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 First-year Cheryl Tourigny is the Campus Life Editor. Her email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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 By Lauren Bejzak

 The Emerging Writers’ Festival began with a bang. Two emerging writers kicked it off for everyone, and if they were nervous, it certainly didn’t show. 

 The Miller Recital Hall in Old Main provided a fitting atmosphere for the event: a little strange, perhaps ironic, but with great acoustics. And it drew a great crowd. Many professors sat right in the front row, excited to cheer on their newfound peers through their creative works. A surprisingly large crop of students also appeared and were adequately wrapped up in the readings. 

 Lydia Peelle was first to take the podium with a section from her debut story collection, Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing. She spoke softly but commanded attention, drawing the audience into her story of a loss of connection to the land told through the eyes of a wallflower circus performer. Human emotions, difficult to quantify, were portrayed beautifully and completely with powerful imagery. 

 “She’s obviously a person who pays a lot of attention to detail, which showed in her calculated yet liberating short story,’ said Andrew Brady ’13. “I felt like I was at that circus.” 

 Peelle currently lives in Tennessee (an “implant,” as she put it). She received an MFA from the University of Virginia, going on to win an O. Henry Prize and two Pushcart Prizes, and making two appearances in Best New American Voices. 

 Next up was Jericho Brown, a smiling, dreadlocked man in an unassuming red shirt. His poetry flowed from the soul, entrancing and inspiring all who were there. He first read autobiographical works, which allowed the audience a view into his past and heart. The show-stopping poem, Lion, began lightly but turned haunting with one line. 

 I wish you saw his daddy
shoot him.

 That line was like a collective gasp in form and response. Such a connection with the audience characterized his whole reading, commanding attention in a pleading, natural way. The audience felt as if he included them in something greater, something deep inside. 

 Brown wrote speeches for the mayor of New Orleans before going on to attain a Ph.D. from the University of Houston in creative writing and literature. He was also an assistant poetry editor at Callaloo, receiving a Whiting Writers Award, a Bunting Fellowship from Harvard, and two travel fellowships to the Krakow Poetry Seminar in Poland. Now he teaches creative writing at the University of San Diego.

 “I thought it was cool how he would mentally prepare himself before each poem, and you could see it,” said Elizabeth Meley ’13. “When he would start reading, it seemed as though you were transported to the realm of his poetry. He was really charming, too, and funny.” 

 This was a fantastic beginning to the 2010 Emerging Writers Festival that set the tone and wowed all who attended.

 First-year Lauren Bejzak is a Layout Assistant. Her email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .