The 2023 NC Writers’ Network Fall Conference starts this Friday, November 3, thanks in great part to its many co-sponsors:
The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the state’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, launched its work in 1967 as awareness of the importance of arts to all citizens was becoming a national movement. Since then, the arts in North Carolina have come to be valued as one of our state’s most durable and productive assets.
Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others. PEN America considers its strength its Membership—a nationwide community of more than 7,500 novelists, journalists, nonfiction writers, editors, poets, essayists, playwrights, publishers, translators, agents, and other writing professionals, as well as devoted readers and supporters who join with them to carry out PEN America’s mission. PEN America, a registered 501(c)(3) organization, is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. and chapters in 10 regions, including Piedmont North Carolina.
North Carolina Humanities connects North Carolinians with cultural experiences that spur dialogue, deepen human connections, and inspire community.
Charlotte Lit is a literary and writing nonprofit founded in 2015. Their mission is to celebrate the literary arts by educating and engaging writers and readers through classes, free events and conversations, and community.
Charlotte Readers Podcast was originally produced and recorded in a studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, and featured primarily Charlotte-area authors, but as the podcast grew, the podcast shifted to virtual recordings and the first 300 episodes feature authors in thirty states and four countries.
The Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, the former estate of author James Boyd and his wife, Katharine Lamont Boyd, links us to their rich history of conservation, literature, music, and equestrian sport, and provides a place where the creative spirit is nurtured and celebrated. NC-published writers and poets are welcomed here all during the year for a maximum of two weeks through their Writers-in-Residence program. They find at Weymouth, the comfort, beauty, and serenity that helps to encourage their creativity.
Regal House Publishing’s mandate is to seek, support, encourage, and disseminate literary talent that might otherwise remain unread for lack of publishing opportunity. Foreword Reviews named them the 2021 Independent Publisher of the Year.
Blair is a nonprofit press based Durham, NC, which publishes ten to twelve books per year: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They strive to publish quality writing, focusing on authors and subjects historically neglected by mainstream publishers, including authors of color, authors with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ authors. True to their roots in North Carolina, they look to the many voices of the South—and beyond—as sources of work and inspiration.
UNC Charlotte Department of English offers a variety of courses in creative writing, linguistics, literature, pedagogy, rhetoric, and technical communication. These courses foster students’ abilities to think critically, to read analytically, and to communicate effectively in oral and written form. Because these advanced literary skills are in high demand, their former students have found careers in fields such as teaching, technical/professional writing, editing, publishing, advertising, public relations, and nonprofits, as well as in business, financial services, and banking. Others have pursued advanced degrees in literature, law, medicine, teaching, and business administration.
The Charlotte Writers Club was born on June 6, 1922, with Adelia Kimball as its founder and first president. Although much has changed in Charlotte over the subsequent 100 years, the mission of the Charlotte Writers Club remains intact and pertinent.