68th annual event draws in writers

Aspiring and current writers will gather in Bloomington next week for the 68th annual IU Writers’ Conference. \nThe conference offers a chance for writers hoping to gain more knowledge and experience by offering a wide range of workshops, classes, panel discussions and readings by faculty. Writing workshops will be held throughout the week in Ballantine Hall, Swain Hall West and the Indiana Memorial Union.\n“We see all kinds of people,” said Amy Bloom, an author who taught at the conference two years ago. “It’s normally a very mixed group; some have been published, and some are just beginning to write.”\nA faculty composed of published authors and poets will teach the classes offered. This year’s staff includes many famous and award-winning writers. \n“We are really amazed by the authors that have been here,” said Writers’ Conference Director Bob Bledsoe. “In the past we’ve had a lot of famous authors, including Kurt Vonnegut and Leonard Michaels.”\nClasses are broken up into four different sections: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and how to read like a writer.\n“‘Reading Like a Writer’ encourages readers to read differently than they do when they read for pleasure,” said previous conference faculty member Nicholas Dawidoff, an author who teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College. “You look for deeper themes like, ‘What is the book really about?’ and ‘What is the writer really saying?’”\nBledsoe said the classes are varied to appeal to a wide range of writers and their interests.\n“We try to make the classes available to anyone who is interested in writing,” he said. \nBefore attending workshops, conference attendees are required to submit a manuscript of their work. The manuscripts are then read and discussed by faculty as well as other participants to facilitate the learning experience.\n“The workshops offer a traditional workshop experience,” Bledsoe said. “Everyone exchanges manuscripts of their work, and their work is discussed.”\nThe conference’s faculty members will also treat those who are not attending the conference. Each night of the week at 8 p.m., a different faculty member will read selections of his or her work. The readings, which will be held June 8 in the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union and June 9-12 at the John Waldron Arts Center, are free for the public to attend.\nBloom said the purpose of the conference is to encourage creative writing not just in Indiana, but all over the country.\n“The conference is open to as many people as possible, from as many different backgrounds as possible, with as many different voices as possible,” she said.\nAs writers prepare to attend the conference, the faculty is getting ready to dispense as much helpful advice as possible.\n“You never really know if someone is going to be published, but you do see a lot of great writers, and some who will definitely continue to write,” Bloom said. \nBut, she continued, “The reason we go to these things is to help people who are trying to get started.”