NCWN

Writing in Our Time is the conference theme. The Saturday conference keynote speaker will be Bland Simpson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of English and Creative Writing at UNC-Chapel Hill. An author and playwright/composer/lyricist, he is a longtime member of the Tony Award-winning Red Clay Ramblers and is a recipient of the North Carolina Award in Fine Arts (2005), the state's highest civilian honor. The conference will start with a panel discussion on Publishing in our Time. Three morning and three afternoon writing workshops/lectures will follow, each with timely writing themes. Leading local and area writers will participate in the discussion and host the working sessions. A box lunch will be served before the keynote speech. A Pamlico Writers Competition awards ceremony and reception will be held at 6:30 pm following the conference.