Southern Literary Festival CSU Brings in ‘Big Name Writers’ by Candace Lawrence Columbus State University’s
Creative Writing program is only three years old; yet, it’s already bring- ing to Columbus both the National Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-win- ner in addition to a National Book Award winner. “We’ve got a very spe- cial thing going here,” says Nick Norwood, a CSU professor responsi- ble for forming the department. On March 29-30, CSU’s Creative
Writing department will host the Southern Literary Festival with the CarsonMcCullers Center forWriters and Musicians. Among this year’s list of featured writers are poet Natasha Trethewey and fiction writer Tim O’Brien. The festival began in 1937, and is
one of the oldest andmost prestigious undergraduate conferences in the
nation.The list of past featuredwriters includes Eudora Welty, Katherine Ann Porter and Flannery O’Connor, who was a past winner of the festival’s undergraduate fiction contest and later spoke at the festival as a nation- ally known writer. “The SLF has a long and rich tra-
dition,” says Aaron Sanders, a CSU professor and fiction writer. “CSU’s Creative Writing program is now a part of that and because the readings are open to the public, it gives the community an opportunity to see some of the country’s most important writers.” Since being booked for the festival,
the Library of Congress named Trethewey U.S. Poet Laureate, the most acclaimed national award and position received in poetry. O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, is this year’s Big Read book for our area, sparkingmany events initself. It is also this year’s FreshmanCommon Reader atCSU. “It’s sort of like the thing has taken
on a life of its own,” say Norwood. “I say ‘sort of like,’ because it is very much what we hoped would hap- pen—we would create a buzz about the doings of the Creative Writing program and the Carson McCullers Center—but it has been very gratify-
ing to see it actually happen.” When Norwood first came to
Columbus 10 years ago to interview for a job as a CSU professor, he stopped at the childhood home of CarsonMcCullers. Itwas then that he realized the community’s literary sig- nificance. But there was no real link between the area’s rich literary tradi- tion andCSUstudents. So Norwood began building an
undergraduate creative writing pro-
gram.The schoolhired a fictionwriter in 2008 and a creative nonfiction writer in 2011. The program now has 42 majors, and, in conjunction with the McCullers Center, is building a strong
literary community.
Throughout the year, the center hosts faculty/student readings, writing fel- lowships and Georgia Poetry Circuit readings for both CSU students and the public. “The Southern Literary Festival
really showcases how our Creative Writing department and the Carson McCullers Center work to promote the literary arts,” says Courtney George, a CSU professor and director
Schedule March 28
7:30 p.m. – KevinWilson and
MadgeMcKeithen Reading, Stu- dio Theatre of CSU Riverside Complex
March 29
7:30 - 9 p.m. – Tim O’Brien read- ing and book-signing, Springer Opera House
March 30
10-11a.m. – Q&A with Natasha Trethewey and Dan Albergotti, Studio Theatre
11 a.m.-noon – Natasha
Trethewey and Dan Albergotti Reading, Studio Theatre
For more information contact
norwood_nick@columbusstate.ed u or call 706.569.2507.
of the Carson McCullers Center. “It will be a magnification of the smaller events.” The festival will celebrate the
arrival of the Creative Writing pro- gram at CSU. It will also be the biggest event to date. “We’re doing it on a grand scale,”
says Norwood “with big name writ- ers.”
At least 200 students are expected
to attend, including students from Columbus, Northside, Hardaway and Carver high schools. “We encourage students from all
area high schools to attend,” says Norwood. Students and professors are looking
forward to the readings. “It’s not every day an opportunity
like this arises,” says Sarah Harden, a Professional Writing major at CSU. Harden believes the festival will bring a cultural awareness to students and the community. “I’m probably most excited about
U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey,” says George, “I saw her speak and fell a little bit in love.” Fiction writer Kevin Wilson, poet
Daniel Albergotti and nonfiction writer Madge McKeithen will also give readings at the festival.Wilson is the author of award-winning novel Tunneling to theCenter of theEarth, and New York Times bestseller The Family Fang. Albergotti’s The Boatlands was the 2007 A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize winner. And, McKeithen’s essay, “What Really Happens” was featured in BestAmerican Essays. All five of the festival’s readings
will be free and open to the public in addition to the Q&A session with Trethewey andAlbergotti. “Anytime you get to listen to Tim
O’Brien or Natasha Trethewey in the same weekend, it’s a good thing,” shares Sanders. “Plus there will be opportunities to have personal inter- actions with them. I think this will be something CSU creative writing stu- dents and all of Columbus will remember.”
Wilson McKeithen O’Brien Trethewey
Albergotti
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