William Paterson University To Hold Annual Writer’s Conference

Brian Henry and Andrew Zawacki, co-editors of Verse, a magazine known for its eclectic approach and international scope, will appear as special guests at William Paterson University’s annual Spring Writer’s Conference on Saturday, April 17.

The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Atrium and Hunziker Wing on campus. It is co-sponsored by the University’s English Department and the Alumni Association.

Exploring the theme “Emerging Writers,” the conference will feature morning and afternoon workshops. The sessions will be led by William Paterson faculty members and distinguished writers and editors of verse and prose who are all under the age of 40, and have developed into important new voices on the literary landscape. Concurrent panels will address topics such as writing across genres, submission etiquette for magazines, agents, booklength publishers, poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. The conference fee is $40 for a full day of participation, which includes lunch.

Brian Henry’s poems have been published in The New Republic, American Poetry Review and the Paris Review. In 2000, his first book of poetry, Astronaut, was favored to win the Forward Prize, the United Kingdom’s most valuable annual poetry competition. His other books of poems are American Incident and Graft. He has been editing Verse since 1995 and founded Verse Press in 2000. He currently directs the creative writing program at the University of Georgia.

Andrew Zawacki is the author of a book of poems, By Reason of Breakings, and Masquerade, which received the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award from the Poetry Society of America. His latest book, Anabranch, is due out this year. As co-editor of Verse, Zawacki’s criticisms have also appeared in publications including TLS, Boston Review, and Kenyon Review. He is a fellow of the Slovenian Writers’ Association, an organization dedicated to promoting Slovenian literature abroad. Zawacki also edited the anthology Afterwards: Slovenian Writing 1945-1995. He is a former Rhodes and Fulbright scholar and serves on the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago.

The conference offers professional development hours for New Jersey educators. Timothy Liu, a William Paterson professor of English, is the coordinator of the conference. For additional information, contact Liu at 973-720-3567 or check the conference Web site at www.wpunj.edu/cohss/english/.
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For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966

3/12/04