Oregon Authors Visit North Bend and Newport

The Oregon Book Awards Author Tour brings writers to North Bend and Newport, March 15-17.

On Friday, March 15, Katie Kacvinsky will offer a free writing workshop at the North Bend Public Library (1800 Sherman Ave) :
Falling into Young Adult Fiction

4:00 to 5:00 p.m . In this workshop, Katie will discuss how she fell into writing young adult fiction, and how it’s possible for every writer to pursue this amazing genre. She’ll discuss the one crucial element she needed to learn in order to publish YA, as well as the one piece of writing advice it took her ten years to unlearn before she was successful. She’ll also share some of her writing secrets that have made this process a joy every step of the way.

On Saturday, March 16, Kerry Cohen, Aria Minu-Sepehr and Carrie Seitzinger will be at the North Bend Public Library. Three free writing workshops will be offered with the following schedule:

12:00 p.m. Poetry Workshop, taught by Carrie Seitzinger. Practice a new way to find and use poetry writing prompts. Write a poem, learn basic steps to edit and shape your poem, and work on your craft with other writers in this supportive group environment.

1:00 p.m.   The Black Sheep of Nonfiction taught by Aria Minu-Sepehr. Unlike other nonfiction formats, the memoir is guided by its own conventions. In this workshop, participants will review the formal difference between nonfiction and the more “creative” memoir. Then, participants will look at a few central tools available to a memoirist, including “compression” and “rounding the corner,”  to see what possibilities emerge when the writer is liberated from the narrow expectations of typical nonfiction. A brief writing exercise will follow.

2:00 p.m. Writing Memoir, taught by Kerry Cohen. Memoir is the story of your memories. This means that two things matter most in memoir: the story and the recounting of memories. What does this mean in terms of how accurate your memory has to be? And what does this mean in terms of shaping a story from those memories? In this workshop participants will discuss what their memoir might be and how to get at its truth. Participants should come prepared to do a short writing exercise.

Workshops are free but space is limited and participants are asked to register by emailing Susan Denning at susan@literary-arts.org.

The workshops will be followed by a reading at 3:00 p.m. with the writers.

Kerry Cohen, Aria Minu-Sepehr and Carrie Seitzinger  will also appear on Sunday, March 17th at 3:00 p.m. at the Newport Public Library (35 NW Nye) in Newport. They will be joined by poetry finalist Jean Esteve.

About the Authors Appearing in North Bend and Newport

Kerry Cohen has authored six books, including three young adult novels. She is a 2013 Oregon Book Awards finalist for her books Seeing Ezra and Dirty Little Secrets.

Jean Esteve grew up on Long Island, studied art at Cornell University’s School of Architecture, and now writes and paints in Waldport, Oregon. She is a finalist in poetry for her book, Off-Key.

Katie Kacvinsky worked in the entertainment industry and as a high school English teacher before deciding to write full time. She is a finalist in young adult fiction for her novel, First Comes Love.

Aria Minu-Sepehr started a second life in America at ten as a political refugee fleeing fundamentalism in his homeland. Professionally, he has strived to bring a greater understanding of Iran and the Middle East to his new home and to highlight the respect that exists between East and West outside politics. He is a finalist in creative nonfiction for his memoir, We Heard the Heavens Then.

Carrie Seitzinger is a finalist in poetry for her book Fall Ill Medicine. She is also the author of the poetry chapbook The Dots Don’t Connect. She is the cofounder and editor of the arts and culture magazine Nailed.

Local support for this tour comes from the North Bend Public Library and the Newport Public Library

This program was made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH’s grant program.