Writers’ Conference to host many aspiring authors

IU Writers’ Conference faculty member Nicholas Dawidoff said much of his writing inspiration does not come from literary greats but rather from the 1979 movie “Breaking Away.”\nDawidoff, who went to New York City to write afater college, teaches non-fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College and also at The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. \n“It’s hard to tell good stories. (The movie) is so true to the people I knew,” Dawidoff said. “... As a kid from New Haven, to see a movie like that, I thought, ‘It’s almost me.’”\nNext week, Dawidoff will be traveling to Bloomington to teach writing in the weeklong IU Writer’s Conference . \nThe conference, which is in its 67th year, will begin June 10. Eight writers from all over the country who comprise the faculty will teach classes and workshops. Classes bear names like “Reading Like a Writer,” and workshops range in subject matter from fiction to poetry. \nEvery evening, the public is welcome to attend faculty readings for free at the John Waldron Arts Center, starting at 8 p.m. \nNeil Perry, assistant director of the IUWC, said attendance varies but is usually between 45 and 75 people. He believes the conference is a way to bring all attendees together – not just those coming from opposite ends of the country. \n“(The conference) is a way to create an event ... that is in the Bloomington community as well as at IU,” Perry said. “It’s a fun arts week for literature.” \nLee Martin, director of Creative Writing and professor of English in the MFA program at Ohio State University, will also be part of the conference faculty. He mentioned workshops as providing a good setting for people who want to focus solely on their writing. He said the workshops are also a way to get to know other writers. \nThose wanting to participate in the conference must pay a $50 fee. In addition, a manuscript submission is required for involvement in the workshops.\nLike Dawidoff, who is interested to see the setting of “Breaking Away,” Martin has a personal connection with the Bloomington as well. \n“I was a student in a workshop there in ’85 or ’86, and it’s close to where I grew up,” said Martin, who is originally from Vincennes. “It’s sort of like coming back home.” \nMartin said all of his writing teachers have had an impact on him, but he pointed out that it takes some reading for a writer to hone his craft. Martin draws his inspiration from authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Anton Chekhov. \nDawidoff believes that any writer, no matter his or her skill level, can improve. When he teaches, he said he makes sure that he’s always “there for the students.” \n“I try to get them to think about how writers make artistic choices, but any artistic choice can be rethought,” he said. \nBut, for Dawidoff at least, the week won’t be just about writing.\n“I will be bringing my bike,” he said.