UT Martin to Host Annual Young Writers Conference Nov. 7

The University of Tennessee at Martin will host the 2024 Young Writers Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Boling University Center.

Begun in 2006, the conference is designed primarily for students in grades 9 through 12 and offers a series of writing workshops taught by UT Martin faculty and visiting writers.

Students can attend hands-on workshops in writing poetry, fiction and nonfiction as well as songwriting and literary analysis.

This year’s guest writer is Kelly Kazek (pronounced “KAY-zick”), an award-winning journalist and humor columnist. She writes stories about odd roadside attractions and quirky history for AL.com, Alabama’s largest media presence.

Kazek has authored 25 books, including “The Southern Thesaurus,” and has won more than 150 state and national press awards, including two Alabama Associated Press Sweepstakes Awards for best story of the year and national honors for Best Humorous Commentary and Feature Writer of the Year.

Workshops will be held from 9 to 10:15 a.m. and from 12:45 to 2 p.m. Each session has seven workshops. Kazek will speak from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., and lunch will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Skyhawk Dining Hall. An open mic featuring student reading will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. in Room 111 of the Boling University Center.

Workshop leaders include 11 members of the UT Martin faculty and Simon Van Booy, an award-winning bestselling author of more than a dozen books for adults and children, including “The Illusion of Separateness” and “The Presence of Absence.”

UTM faculty members participating as workshop leaders include Dr. Kelle Alden, associate professor of English and the director of the Hortense Parrish Writing Center; Dr. Kassie Baron, assistant professor of English; Sally Brannen, lecturer of English; Dr. Trisha Capansky, associate professor of English; Dr. David Carithers, associate professor of English; Dr. Maari Carter, assistant professor of English; Dr. Kailyn Hall, assistant professor of English; Dr. Kyoko Hammond, lecturer of Japanese; Dr. Chris Hill, professor of English; Dr. Jeffrey Longacre, professor of English; Dr. Logan Musser, adjunct professor of English; Dr. Dan Pigg, professor of English; and David Williams, lecturer of English.

The conference fee is $10 for students and free for teachers, which includes all workshops, readings and lunch.

The conference is open to outstanding students recommended by their teachers on the basis of academic achievement and artistic promise.

Teachers may attend the student workshops, along with their students. Recommending teachers are asked to follow their school’s policies in arranging for parent or guardian permissions for students who will be attending the conference.

Registration forms must be received by Friday, Oct. 25, along with payment for the conference registration fee.

Participants can register online. Individuals should register at www.utm.edu/ywc, while groups should register at www.utm.edu/ywcgroups.