1.
Monday, September 17, 7:30 PM
Reading/conversation with Carl Phillips & Eduardo C. Corral
Folger Shakespeare Library
$15
The Yale Series of Younger Poets champions the most promising new American poets. Awarded since 1919, past winners include Muriel Rukeyser, Adrienne Rich, William Meredith, W.S. Merwin, John Ashbery, John Hollander, James Tate, and Carolyn Forché. In April 2010, Carl Phillips was named as the new judge of the Yale Series of Younger Poets, replacing Louise Glück. Phillips has chosen Eduardo C. Corral’s Slow Lightning as the 2011 competition winner. Both Phillips and Corral read from their works. Reception and book signing to follow.
(I met Eduardo several years ago at VCCA and heard him read from his work there in a stunning, memorable reading. I wasn’t the least surprised when I learned he won this prestigious award.)
2.
Tuesday, September 18, 7 PM
Reading with Meghan O’Rourke
The Arts Club of Washington
Free
Poet Meghan O’Rourke will be featured at a Literary Evening on Tuesday, September 18, at 7 pm. She is the author of the poetry collections Once (2011) and Halflife (2007), as well as a memoir, The Long Goodbye (2011). Formerly the poetry editor of the Paris Review and the literary editor of Slate Magazine, O’Rourke is also a widely published critic and has contributed to the New York Times Book Review and the New Yorker.
(This would be a can’t-miss for me under normal circumstances, as the event is organized by the always-fabulously-organized Sandra Beasley and because I loved the excerpts of O’Rourke’s The Long Goodbye in Slate…but, alas, I absolutely must attend #3, below.)
3.
Tuesday, September 18, 7 PM
The First Pages: What Makes a Good Beginning?
1-night class at the Writer’s Center, taught by yours truly!
$50
Most writers know that they have to "hook" their reader from the start of the story or novel, but how exactly do we do this? What are the elements that make a great beginning to a story or novel? You'll find out in this workshop, as we explore ways to strengthen your opening pages. Everyone is invited to bring 15 copies of the first two pages of one of their stories/novels/essays/memoirs for some hands-on advice.
(I’ve taught this class before, and it’s always an eye-opener…highly recommended, if I do say so!)
