Savor Southern Literary Gumbo Songs, stories and characters that flavor Alabama literature May 5-7, 2011 Monroeville, Alabama 14th Annual Alabama Writers Symposium www.writerssymposium.org Fact Sheet Alabama WHAT: Alabama Writers Symposium Schedule includes discussion sessions, lectures, readings, Writers workshops, receptions, luncheons and other events. WHO: Featured Writers and Scholars: Nancy Anderson, Sonny Symposium Brewer, Alan Brown, Mark Childress, William Cobb, Beth Ann Fennelly, Wayne Flynt, Tom Franklin, Frye Gaillard, Anita Miller Garner, Wayne Greenhaw, John Hafner, Roy Hoffman, Jennifer Horne, Joshilyn Jackson, Watt Key, Michael Knight, Jay Lamar, Jim Murphy, Sena Jeter Naslund, Don Noble, Jeanie Thompson and Jacqueline Allen Trimble. Harper Lee Award Winner for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer 2011: Winston Groom Literary Gumbo Songs, stories and Eugene Current-Garcia Award Winner for Alabama’s characters that flavor Distinguished Literary Scholar 2011: David Sauer Alabama literature Featured Songwriter: Kathryn Scheldt Featured Artists: Judy Pimperl, Debbie McMickle, Brenda Anderson, Claire McKenzie, James Neal, Megan Scofield, Jane Sellier, Leslie Spradlin, Kimberly Watson, Patti Wilson, May 5-7, 2011 Jo Vickery and Opal Smith Monroeville, Alabama WHEN: Thursday, May 5 – Saturday, May 7, 2011 WHERE: Monroeville, Alabama Events take place on the campus of Alabama Southern Community College, at the Monroeville Community House, and at the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Monroeville. HOW: Registration forms can be printed from the website, www.writerssymposium.org, or forms may be requested by contacting Donna Reed, (251) 575-8223/[email protected]. Admission to discussion sessions is free to registered partici- pants, but there is a charge for additional events. SUPPORTERS: Alabama Southern Community College • George Landegger • Alabama Humanities Foundation • Alabama State Council on the Arts • BankTrust • Alabama Power Foundation • United Bank • Radley’s Fountain Grille The symposium is a project of the Alabama Center for Literary Arts and is produced in cooperation with the Alabama Writers’ Forum, Association of College English Teachers of Alabama, Auburn University Center for the Arts and Humanities, Monroe County Heritage Museums, and Monroeville/Monroe County Area Chamber of Commerce. MORE INFO: Call Donna Reed at Alabama Southern, (251) 575-8223 or email [email protected] Visit the Alabama Writers Symposium online at www.writerssymposium.org Schedule of Events Events will be held on the campus of Alabama Southern Community College, at Alabama the Monroeville Community House and the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Monroeville. Registration will take place Thursday afternoon and Friday morning at Writers Alabama Southern. In addition to the events listed below, the schedule will include art exhibits, music and booksellers. Symposium Thursday, May 5, 2011 1-5 p.m. Registration & Exhibit of Alabama Artists Location: Nettles Auditorium on the campus of Alabama Southern 1:00 p.m. Golf with President Sykes at Vanity Fair Golf and Tennis Club 1:00 p.m. Historical Downtown Walking Tours 6:30-9:30 p.m. Hospitality Hour and Opening Reception with Mark Childress Location: Monroeville Community House Friday, May 6, 2011 Literary Gumbo 8 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Registration and Literary Coffee House Songs, stories and Location: Nettles Auditorium & Alabama Southern Community College Library 8:30-11:55 a.m. Morning Sessions characters that flavor Location: Nettles Auditorium Alabama literature 8:30-9:00 a.m. Welcome and Opening Convocation 9:00- 9:30 a.m. Tom Franklin with moderator Don Noble 9:35-10:05 a.m. Joshilyn Jackson with moderator Anita Miller Garner 10:10 a.m. Refreshment Break 10:30- 11:00 a.m. Poetry Panel with Jennifer Horne and Beth Ann Fennelly May 5-7, 2011 moderated by Jim Murphy 11:05-11:35 a.m. Watt Key with moderator Nancy Anderson Monroeville, Alabama 12:15-2:00 p.m. Awards Luncheon: Presentation of the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer 2011 and of the Eugene Current-Garcia Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Literary Scholar 2011 Location: Monroeville Community House 2:30-4:30 p.m. Afternoon Sessions Location: Nettles Auditorium 2:30-3:00 p.m. Harper Lee Award Winner Winston Groom with moderator Jeanie Thompson 3:15- 3:45 p.m. Book signing 3:50-4:20 p.m. Bill Cobb with moderator Alan Brown 4:30-5:00 p.m. Wayne Greenhaw with moderator Wayne Flynt 5:00- 5:30 p.m. Frye Gaillard and Kathryn Scheldt with moderator Jacqueline Trimble 5:35-6:50 p.m. Picnic on the Monroeville Courthouse lawn Concurrent Sessions: 7:00-9:00 p.m. Live performance of To Kill A Mockingbird 7:00-8:30 p.m. Reader’s Theatre at the Hole in the Wall art studio 8:30-11:00 p.m. “Light Jazz and Heavy Conversation” at Beehive Coffee and Books Saturday, May 7, 2011 8:30 -10:30 a.m. Light Refreshments and Morning Sessions at the Old Courthouse Museum in Downtown Monroeville 8:45-9:15 a.m. Michael Knight with moderator Jay Lamar 9:30-10:30 a.m. Former Harper Lee Award Winner Sena Jeter Naslund with moderator Roy Hoffman 10:45-12:30 p.m. Concluding Brunch featuring Sonny Brewer moderated by John Hafner at the Monroeville Community House Press Release Alabama The Alabama Writers Symposium celebrates its fourteenth anniversary in Monroeville, Alabama Thursday, May 5 through Saturday, May 7, 2011. This year’s Writers symposium explores the theme Literary Gumbo, showcasing a slate of writers, poets, artists, and musicians who produce songs, stories and characters that flavor Symposium Alabama literature. Some of Alabama’s most celebrated writers and scholars will lead discussion sessions, readings and workshops. Writers and scholars participating in the event include Mark Childress, Winston Groom, Sonny Brewer, William Cobb, Beth Ann Fennelly, Tom Franklin, Frye Gaillard, Wayne Greenhaw, Sena Jeter Naslund, Roy Literary Gumbo Hoffman, Jennifer Horne, Joshilyn Jackson, Watt Key, Michael Knight, Kathryn Songs, stories and Scheldt, David Sauer, Nancy Anderson, Alan Brown, Wayne Flynt, Anita Miller characters that flavor Garner, John Hafner, Jay Lamar, Jim Murphy, Don Noble, Jeanie Thompson and Alabama literature Jacqueline Allen Trimble. Registration begins Thursday, May 5 at 1 p.m. in Nettles Auditorium on the campus of Alabama Southern. New events on Thursday’s schedule include Golf with May 5-7, 2011 President Sykes at the Vanity Fair Golf and Tennis Club and Historic Walking Tours in Monroeville, Alabama Downtown Monroeville. Thursday evening’s opening reception at the Monroeville Community House features Monroeville native Mark Childress. Currently promoting his new book Georgia Bottoms, Childress is the author of seven novels and the screenwriter for Crazy in Alabama, the Columbia Pictures’ film based on his best-seller Crazy in Alabama. His novel Tender was selected one of the Ten Best Novels of 1990 and was a national best-seller. Childress has also received a Distinguished Alumni Award and the Thomas Wolfe Award from the University of Alabama. Friday’s events include readings in Nettles Auditorium by Winston Groom, Tom Franklin, Joshilyn Jackson, Jennifer Horne, Beth Ann Fennelly, Watt Key, Bill Cobb, Wayne Greenhaw and Frye Gaillard. Also on Friday participants can attend a picnic on the Old Courthouse Museum lawn; a community theatre production of To Kill A Mockingbird; and an afternoon performance by Alabama singer/songwriter Kathryn Scheldt. The Friday luncheon features the presentation of the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer 2011 to writer Winston Groom and the Eugene Current-Garcia Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Literary Scholar 2011 to David Sauer. The awards are made possible through a generous grant from George F. Landegger. continued on next page Press Release Alabama Saturday morning’s schedule includes readings by Michael Knight and former Harper Lee Award Winner Sena Jeter Naslund. The program will conclude Writers with a brunch featuring Sonny Brewer. All events take place in Monroeville, Alabama. In 1997, the Alabama Symposium legislature designated Monroeville and Monroe County as the Literary Capital of Alabama in recognition of the region’s remarkable literary heritage. Among the writers who at one time or another have called Monroeville and Monroe County home are Truman Capote, author of such classics as In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill A Mock- Literary Gumbo ingbird; Mark Childress, author of seven novels including the bestselling Crazy in Songs, stories and Alabama; and Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker. characters that flavor Admission to discussion sessions is free to all registered participants, but Alabama literature there is a charge for other events. Tickets are limited for the Thursday “Evening with Mark Childress,” the Friday Awards luncheon, the live performance of To Kill A Mockingbird, and the Saturday brunch, so participants are encouraged to register by May 5-7, 2011 April 21. The symposium is a project of the Alabama Center for Literary Arts and Monroeville, Alabama is sponsored by Alabama Southern Community College. Symposium supporters include George Landegger; Alabama Humanities Foundation; Alabama State Coun- cil on the Arts; BankTrust; Alabama Power Foundation; United Bank; and Radley’s Fountain Grille. The symposium is produced in cooperation with Alabama Writers’ Forum; Association of College English Teachers of Alabama; Auburn University Center for the Arts and Humanities; Monroe County Heritage Museums; and the Monroeville/Monroe County Area Chamber of Commerce. Visit the Alabama Writers Symposium website, www.writerssymposium.org, for schedule updates, registration forms and hotel information. For more informa- tion please call Donna Reed, (251) 575-8223 or email [email protected]. Press Release • page 2 Writers & Scholars Alabama Nancy Anderson is an associate professor of English at Auburn University Mont- gomery. She has published numerous articles in scholarly journals, newspapers, and book reviews. She has extensive experience in public programs and serves on the Writers Alabama Humanities Foundation Speakers’ Bureau and its summer workshops, AHF SUPER.