Don t Miss the 2005 Emerging Fiction Writers Festival

“A terrific series of events.” That’s what Michael Griffith calls the English department’s 2005 Emerging Fiction Writers’ Festival that is free and open to the public Oct. 26-28.

Organized and planned primarily by Griffith and Brock Clarke, the festival offers an unusual opportunity: formal and informal meetings with four successful writers willing to share perspectives on their work, contemporary fiction, professional opportunities available to writers, and practical matters of publishing.

Griffith says, “We encourage anyone who’s interested in fiction to attend. We have a remarkable lineup of participants.” Clarke adds, “These are four tremendous young writers who are at the beginning of what will clearly be long, notable careers.” Aimee Bender has attracted attention for her two collections of stories,

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt

(1998) and

Willful Creatures

(2005). Judy Budnitz has won praise for three books: two story collections,

Flying Leap

(1999) and

Nice Big American Baby

(2005), and a novel,

If I Told You Once

(1999). In addition to a story collection,

Venus Divine

, Sam Lipsyte is recognized for his novels,

The Subject Steve

(2001), and

Home Land

(2005). Nicholas Montemarano’s novel,

A Fine Place

(2001), and his story collection,

If The Sky Falls

(2005) are the works for which he is known.

The festival is made possible through the generosity of the Schiff Foundation. A schedule of events is available

online

.