Writers to Converge on UH for Fourth Annual Boldface Conference

Houstonians to Hear Works from Emerging Fiction and Nonfiction Writers, Poets

Emerging writers from across the state soon will descend on the University of Houston for a week devoted to the written word.

UH’s Boldface conference celebrates its fourth anniversary this year and will attract poets, fiction writers and essayists to campus May 21 – 26. These writers will share and develop their works during workshops led by graduate students from the university’s acclaimed Creative Writing Program (CWP). Conference attendees also will engage with professional writers during plenary talks. Leading these discussions will be visiting writers and UH alums: Corey Marks (poetry), Keya Mitra (fiction) and Lacy M. Johnson (nonfiction).

Attendees will spotlight their works during readings May 22 at Kaboom Books (3116 Houston Ave.) and May 24 at Café Brasil (2604 Dunlavy St.). These free, public readings begin at 7:30 p.m.

Conference-goers also will hear from some of CWP’s rising stars during campus readings May 21 - 24.

Plenary talks and campus readings will be conducted in UH’s Rockwell Pavilion (second floor of M.D. Anderson Library). They are free and open to the public A schedule of talks and readings is as follows:

May 21

  • 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. – “From The Ordinary to the Extraordinary: Transgressing Boundaries in Fiction,” a talk led by Keya Mitra
  • 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Readings by UH graduate students Aja Gabel, Liz Countryman, Tyson Morgan

May 22

  • 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. – Plenary talk by Corey Marks
  • 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Readings by UH graduate students Elizabeth Winston and David Tomas Martinez

May 23

  • 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Readings by UH graduate students Allyn West, Michelle Oakes and Jameelah Lang

May 24

  • 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. - “The Art and Escape of Discovery,” a talk by Lacy M. Johnson
  • 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Reading by UH graduate students Rebecca Wadlinger and Eric Howerton

 

The conference complements the university's ongoing efforts to develop undergraduate writers. Among these is the literary journal Glass Mountain, which is devoted to poetry and fiction written by undergraduates. Founded in 2006, the publication is edited by undergraduate students with support from Lynn Voskuil, associate professor of English. For more details on Glass Mountain, visit http://www.glassmountainmag.com/. To learn more about Boldface, visit http://boldfaceconference.com/.

 

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