Writing and Linguistics cosponsors third ‘Statesboro: The Write Place’ festival
On Thursday, November 14, at 7 p.m. in the Emma Kelly Theater, members of the community will once again have the opportunity to experience the diversity and richness of the literary arts in Statesboro. Collaborating with the Averitt Center, the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Statesboro Magazine, and Friends of the Library, the Department of Writing and Linguistics continues its commitment to promote regional writers through sponsorship of the third annual Statesboro: The Write Place literary festival.
During Thursday’s reading, the main event of the festival, six writers will read from their works. Among the authors are faculty from the Department of Writing and Linguistics: Zach Bush (poetry), Sarah Domet (fiction), and Christina Olson (poetry). Other readers include Jordan Fennell, a graduate of Georgia Southern who is working on his first novel, and Maya Van Wagenen, a local 15-year-old whose first book is coming out in 2014: Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek. Maya’s talent was recognized last year when she was a winner in the high school creative writing contest that Write Place sponsors.
The headliner for Statesboro: The Write Place is Tony Arata, an award-winning songwriter and alumnus of Georgia Southern. Arata’s song “The Dance,” performed by Garth Brooks, won the 1990 Song of the Year Award from the Country Music Association. His songs have also been performed by Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Clay Walker and Randy Travis.
The weeklong festival includes events at the Statesboro Regional Library, where children’s authors will read from their works and the Friends of the Library will host writers’ workshops. All events are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the Department of Writing and Linguistics at 912-478-0141.
The Department of Writing and Linguistics is housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. CLASS, the University’s College of the Creative Mind, prepares students to achieve academic excellence, develop their analytical skills, enhance their creativity, and embrace their responsibilities as citizens of their communities, their nations, and the world.