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All day book sale in the childrens room courtesy of Gibson’s Bookstore
Meet and Greet and book signings will immediately follow each session.
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10:00-10:05
Welcome
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10:05-10:50
Keynote
Writing from the In Between: Navigating Identity as a Writer Between Worlds
with Ann Dávila Cardinal
So much of our identity as people bleeds through to our identity as writers. We’re told, “write what you know,” and we want to honor the own voices movement, but what if you don’t feel you belong to any particular group? Ann will examine her own experiences of identity and writing as someone of mixed ethnicity. She’ll explore how these issues appear in her work as well as examine a selection of other writers’ books, including Randy Ribay’s Patron Saint of Nothing, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s When We Were Birds, and Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime.
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11:10-11:55
Genre: To Blend or Not to Blend?
with Erin Bowman
Join Edgar Award-nominated author Erin Bowman for a crash course in genre. Learn why publishers insist on defining stories by genre, what each genre strives to teach readers about humanity and life, and how writers can benefit from playing with genre expectations. Using examples from popular fiction and some of her own novels, Erin will showcase the perks and joys of genre blending while also highlighting the unique challenges that come with writing stories that don’t fit neatly into one box.
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12:15-12:55
Lunch Break
Bring your favorite lunch and sit at a themed table to make some new friends – or grab a pack of friends and head to a local eatery! We also welcome attendees to sit on our patio if the weather is nice.
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12:55-1:40
Stories Out Loud
with Rebecca Rule, JerriAnne Boggis and Anne Jennison
Moderated by Adi Rule
Join three seasoned public speakers to talk about the fine craft of oral storytelling. Want to dive into that Ted Talk you’ve been thinking about? Ready to craft a story to pitch to The Moth, the local library or a community group? Not sure where to get started? This is the panel for you. We’ll discuss the craft of oral storytelling, delve into skills for public speaking and mull how to best find and build an audience.
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2:00-2:45
Saying More With Less: Description and Setting in Verse
with Kip Wilson
Novels in verse are more popular than ever these days, but how is it possible to create such rich atmospheres with the much lower word count often found in verse novels? In this session, verse novelist Kip Wilson will share some tips and tricks poets use to capture setting and description without using up too much real estate.
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3:05-3:50
Publishing This Way Or That Way
with Julie Bliven, Jason D. McIntosh, E. Pryblyski
Moderated by Adi Rule
The landscape of publishing is constantly changing. It’s difficult to know where or how to begin. Join us for a publishing panel and get insight into traditional, indie and self publishing from three people who know the biz.
All day book sale in the childrens room, courtesy of Gibson’s Bookstore.
Meet and Greet and book signings will immediately follow each session.
Derry Author Fest 