Bar is set high for writing festival
The Story Catcher Writing Festival sponsored by the Mari Sandoz Heritage Society and hosted by Chadron State College late last week was “a good start,” the director, Dr. Matt Evertson, believes. But he also knows “the bar was set pretty high,” as he puts it.
He noted that Saturday morning as the festival was concluding, the tables where the workshop leaders were autographing their works were filled with their books.
“It may be hard to duplicate that,” Evertson said. “These are people who are making a splash. They are ‘in the game.’ It got the festival off to a good start. We hope we can continue to build on what took place this year.”
Previous workshops that the Sandoz Society sponsored were designed primarily for young writers. The new format drew 21 individuals ranging from high school juniors to senior citizens.
“We changed things by design because we wanted to include those who are finally finding the time to write that novel or the story of their life while also encouraging young writers,” Evertson said.
The three authors who headlined the instruction were Poe Ballentine of Chadron, Linda Hasselstrom of Hermosa, S.D., and Sean Doolittle of Council Bluffs, Iowa.
During a panel discussion Saturday morning they told of some of the trials and tribulations they have gone through to get their work into print. Their advice included finding numerous friends who will critically proof their manuscripts.
They also noted that in this the digital and electronic age, it is easier to get their work into print because self-publishing has become a readily-available alternative. While this is not usually profitable, it is often fulfilling, they agreed.
The festival concluded with a presentation by Tom McNeal, author of two award-winning novels that are set in Hay Springs and Chadron. His wife, Laura, also spoke Friday afternoon on the books she has written in collaboration with her husband and a solo work, “Dark Water,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2010.
CSC English professor Robert McEwen opened the festival Wednesday evening by reading some of his widely-acclaimed poetry.
Category: Campus News, English