Alan Gratz Gives Workshop: Writing for Alan GratzMiddle Grades and Young Adults, May 31

Join us for a one-day, nuts-and-bolts workshop on how to write novels for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) and young adults (ages 12 and up). Through a series of mini-lessons, writing exercises, and facilitated group critiques, you'll learn how to write stories that entertain the "young" half of young adults while still respecting the "adult" side of the equation. We'll talk about the unique challenges of MG and YA pacing, voice, perspective, plotting, audience, and more. Bring a work-in-progress to workshop, or come with an empty notebook and a burning desire to begin writing for kids--all levels are welcome.

Instructor Alan Gratz is the author of the young adult historical novel Samurai Shortstop (an ALA 2007 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults), and the young adult murder mystery Something Rotten (an ALA 2008 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers) and its sequel Something Wicked, due out later this fall. For more information about Alan Gratz, visit http://www.alangratz.com/

Sponsored by the Knoxville Writers’ Guild, this workshop will meet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, at a scenic rural setting near Lenoir City. Cost (which includes a catered lunch) is $115 for Guild members and $135 for nonmembers. Registration is limited to 12. The deadline for registering is May 15, but the workshop may fill earlier. Please register promptly to assure getting a seat. Guild membership is $25 and for students, just $10. Click here for more information.

David HunterNovelist and Columnist David Hunter Receives Career Achievement Award Read Contest winning entries--click here!

The Knoxville Writers' Guild has named novelist, columnist and memoir writer David Hunter winner of its 2008 Career Achievement Award, one of its highest accolades. See photos.

The Career Achievement Award is a salute to the full body of a writer’s work which spans a career. Past recipients include: Carson Brewer, George Scarbrough, Wilma Dykeman, Jon Manchip White and Jeff Daniel Marion.

Hunter’s work of the past 30 years includes 15 published books, numerous magazine and newspaper articles and a weekly opinion column that appears in the Knoxville News-Sentinel on Mondays. Columnist Ina Hughs recently wrote about Hunter and his writing career: Writer’s consistent style earns him Knoxville’s Career Achievement Award (Knoxville News-Sentinel, April 13, 2008). Read more...

KWG selection committee members cited Hunter’s creative style and consistent output as a writer. “He influenced a lot of writers with his early books at a time when lots of people hereabouts--outside of academia--didn't know anyone else personally who'd ever had a book published. He sort of invented a genre—the short-short creative nonfiction cop confessional,” said Don Williams, essayist, publisher and, like Hunter, a founding KWG member, who presented the award to Hunter at the April 26 gala.

For more information about David Hunter and the winners of the 2008 Guild Contests, click here.

We have fun! Jane, Jim, and Gene at the Holiday Extravaganza selling books!--Speakers' Bureau: Are you looking for a speaker for your club, community group, or school program? Search the list of 16 speakers or select a particular category such as Poetry, Nonfiction, Songwriting, Publishing, Grammar for Grownups, or Regional Writing and choose a writer with expertise in that category. Speakers selected to represent the Knoxville Writers Guild are not paid by the Guild, but have agreed to donate 10% of all honoraria, compensation and book sales to the KWG. Click here for more information...

Note: The Peter Taylor Prize competition is on a one-year hiatus. Please check back in January of 2009 for details about our next competition, and watch for our latest prize-winning book, to be released in the fall of 2008. John McLaughlin's winning novel Run in the Fam'ly wins again: Texas Institute of Letters, for Best First Novel, and Best Novel overall of 2007.

-- 2008 Guild Contest winners are announced! Click here.

--Career Achievement Awards and Guild Contest winners:

2002: Carson Brewer
2003: George Scarbrough
2004: Wilma Dykeman
2005: Jon Manchip White
2006: Jeff Daniel Marion
2008: David Hunter

--Members Write and Shine! News of activities, awards, honors, and kudos!

--Writers in the University of Tennessee Library schedule.

Listen to an audio file from the July 2007 Open Mic program. Thanks to Gene Brennan for his efforts to deliver and to Guild members reading from their own writings! Right-click here to download to your desktop.

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