UNCA's Great Smokies Writing Program Offers Fall Workshops

The Great Smokies Writing Program, a consortium of the Western North Carolina writers' community and UNCA, will offer fall workshops in nature writing, poetry and fiction. The workshops are open to all interested writers.

Peter Loewer will teach "Beyond the Garden Wall: The Many Ways to Write about Nature" from 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays Sept. 20-Nov. 29 (except Nov. 22), at A-B Tech. The class will explore nonfiction writing about nature through diaries, journals, books, newspapers, magazines and research projects. It will include individual critiques, various assignments, an introduction to conducting research, a review of research tools and reading natural history. Loewer has written 28 books on natural history and gardening, including the award-winning "The Annual Garden" and "The Wild Gardener." He currently writes for several different publications, including egarden.com and Mountain Xpress.

Nancy Dillingham will teach "Writing Toward a Still Moment: An Introduction to Poetry" from 6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays Sept. 21-Nov. 30 (except Nov. 23), at A-B Tech. The course is designed to explore the art of writing poetry, including selection, manipulation and arrangement. Dillingham is the author of "New Ground," a collection of short stories and poetry. She is an instructor at A-B Tech, where she serves on the editorial board of "Victoria Press," the college’s literary magazine for faculty and staff.

A. Van Jordan will teach "Exiles, Rebels and Renegades: Advanced Poetry Workshop" 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays Sept. 20-Nov. 29 (except Nov. 22). The location is to be announced. The class will explore advanced creative writing techniques in poetry. Students will complete 10 poems stemming from a variety of writing exercises. Required prerequisites include successful completion of a college-level creative writing workshop, publishing credits or permission of instructor. Jordan currently teaches at Warren Wilson College, where he was the 1999-2000 Joan Beebe Fellow in Creative Writing. In 1995, he was awarded a D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Literary Fellowship. His work has appeared in various journals and anthologies.

Tommy Hays will teach "Hanging in There: An Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop" 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays Sept. 19-Nov. 28 (except Nov. 21), at A-B Tech. This class is for experienced writers who find themselves in need of structure and criticism. Students will read and discuss each other’s work at length, and the instructor will respond thoroughly to individual work. Hays is the author of two novels: "In the Family Way" and "Sam’s Crossing." He teaches creative writing at UNCA and at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. He is the Director of the Great Smokies Writing Program.

Dale Neal will teach "Something Happens: The Craft of Short Fiction" 6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays Sept. 20-Nov. 30 (except Nov. 23). The location is to be announced. The class will explore the nuts and bolts of literary short stories, with a close reading and discussion of stories by Carver, Cheever, Chekhov, Babel, Salter, and others. Students will write and revise their own stories for workshop critique and discussion. Neal has been awarded a fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and was featured on public TV’s "North Carolina Bookwatch" as a promising new writer. A veteran newspaperman, he reviews books and covers religion for the Asheville Citizen-Times, where is work has won numerous press awards. Neal’s short fiction has appeared in various literary magazines.

Each class is worth two credit hours. Cost is $20 for the visiting student application fee and $59.06 for tuition and fees.

For more information or to request an application, call UNCA’s Special Academic Programs at 828/251-6558.

Media Contacts:

• Tommy Hays, Great Smokies Writing Program director, 828/254-1389
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information assistant, 828/251-6526