‘Passion and Persistence’ theme of 39th Annual CC Literary Conference
“Passion and Persistence” is the theme for the 39th Annual Casper College Literary Conference, Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 17-19. All conference activities will occur in the Goodstein Foundation Library, Rooms 215a and 215b.There is no charge to attend any conference events.
Focused on the theme of “Passion and Persistence,” the conference will explore what it takes to write a book and why some projects fail while others succeed. This year’s three guest writers — David Wright Faladé, Kai Carlson-Wee, and Casey Day Rislov — will help attendees understand the grit and hard work required to see a writing project through from initial idea to publication date. According to Dave Zoby, literary conference director and English instructor, these authors faced headwinds and somehow overcame the odds.
“This conference is open to students, Casper College employees, and folks from the community,” Zoby said. “We have a great lineup, which includes nationally known authors and some high-powered local talent. All of the workshops take place in the Goodstein Foundation Library, and we will have fresh coffee and snacks,” he added.
The conference will begin on Wednesday at 10 a.m. with two concurrent workshops. Casey Day Rislov will lead “Children’s Picture Book Writing,” encouraging writers to be excited about what they want to share and to step outside their comfort zones. The workshop will explore how newfound knowledge from reading, shared experiences, and time in nature can shape writing work.
Running simultaneously will be “Slice of Life: Writing Narrative Poetry,” which will examine how poetry fits into daily life and how to transform personal experiences from rough draft to finished form.
According to her biography, Rislov grew up in Wyoming, where she rode horses and heard tales of the Old West. She has eight award-winning children’s books and has been in the children’s book business for more than 14 years. Rislov holds a master’s degree in elementary education from Montana State University and is endorsed in early childhood and special needs. Her debut book was “Time Together, Time Well Spent!” “Love is Forever” has gained international attention for its beautiful way to talk about loss. The “Rowdy Randy” books are a Wild West adventure series. Her newest Western picture book is about Wyoming’s Steamboat logo. “My passion has always been centered around child education,” Rislov said.
The afternoon workshop on Wednesday at 2 p.m. will feature David Wright Faladé presenting “Murdering Some Darlings,” focusing on rewriting. According to Faladé, rewriting is the central act of writing itself, helping writers better understand their subject matter and resee where to expand, cut, and better shape their story ideas.
Faladé is the author of the novel “Black Cloud Rising,” a New York Times Critics’ Pick and one of the New Yorker’s Best Books of 2022. His first book, the narrative history “Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers,” was one of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Best Books of 2001. His new novel, “The New Internationals,” tells the story of an unlikely love triangle set in post-WWII Paris between a Holocaust survivor, a Sorbonne student from colonial West Africa, and a Black GI — a 17-year project complete with rewrites and overhauls. “’ The New Internationals’ was a 17-year project complete with rewrites and overhauls,” said Zoby.
Thursday’s activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. with two concurrent workshops. Faladé will present “How to Sell Your Work,” discussing the challenges of submission and rejection that sometimes last for years before work begins to land. The workshop will cover writing pitch and query letters to magazine editors and literary agents, as well as the broader world of publishing.
At the same time, Rislov will discuss her journey toward becoming a published author, including how she partnered with illustrator Zach Pullen to create a brand and how she markets that brand using social media and in-person events.
The late morning workshop at 11 a.m. will feature Kai Carlson-Wee presenting “The Journey Within: Travel and Transformation.” The workshop will explore the structure of journeys and examine how travel can inform writing, offering strategies for artmaking as well as a vehicle for personal growth and transformation.
Carlson-Wee is the author of “RAIL,” published by BOA Editions. He has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. His work has appeared in Ploughshares, Best New Poets, TriQuarterly, Blackbird, Crazyhorse, and The Missouri Review, which selected his poems for their 2013 Editor’s Prize. A former Wallace Stegner Fellow, he lives in San Francisco and teaches poetry at Stanford University. Before his success, Carlson-Wei spent his youth riding the railroads, sending his poems in to contests, and waiting and waiting.
“All of these authors faced headwinds and somehow overcame the odds,” said Zoby. The annual Literary Conference is a great opportunity to meet authors who have worked extremely hard to get their books over the finish line.”
Friday’s schedule was unavailable at press time.
For more information or to register, contact Zoby at 307-268-2387 or david.zoby@caspercollege.edu. The Goodstein Foundation Library is on the Casper College campus.