ROSEMARY BEACH, Florida—Writers in all stages of development are invited to attend a three-day conference in the beautiful beach community of Rosemary Beach, Fla., just east of Seaside, which is just east of Destin, from May 9-11.

Since its beginning as a gathering of aspiring and accomplished authors, this year’s Rosemary Beach Conference for Writers offers morning workshops, craft classes, and flash fiction boot camp;  afternoon lectures and panels;  and nightly receptions and readings. 

Presented by experienced authors and teachers, it provides an opportunity for networking, creativity, and motivation.  The white sandy beach, emerald Gulf waters, and a variety of café and shops are a few steps from the Town Center. Come and be inspired; write your story!

Featured faculty include creative non-fiction/editor, Lynne Barrett; poet, Rick Campbell; and fiction authors,  John Cottle, Miles DeMott, John Dufresne, Leonard Nash and Laura Lee Smith.

Registration fee: $300; student rate, $200. For information, visit www.conferenceforwriters.com .

The featured faculty/authors are:

LYNNE BARRETT is the author of three story collections, The Secret Names of Women, The Land of Go and Magpies, which is the winner of the Gold Medal in General Fiction in the Florida Book Awards. Her recent work has appeared in The Written Wardrobe, Delta Blues, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Night Train, One Year to a Writing Life, and The Southern Women’s Review. She has received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best mystery story from the Mystery Writers of America and fellowships from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.  She teaches at Florida International University and edits The Florida Book Review. www.lynnebarrett.com.

JOHN COTTLE is the author of The Blessings of Hard-Used Angels, a short story collection that was awarded the 2003 George Garrett prize. His short fiction has also appeared in The Texas Review, Amaryllis, Literary Potpourri, Ink Pot, and Gulfstreaming. His stories have been anthologized in Working Hard for the Money: Stories and Poems of America’s Working Poor and Climbing Mt. Cheaha.  John has won numerous literary awards, including three Hackney’s for short fiction, and was a finalist in the short story category of the William Faulkner – Pirates Alley Creative Writing Competition. When not writing fiction, John practices law. He lives in South Walton County, Florida. www.johncottle.net. 

RICK CAMPBELL is the author of Dixmont, The Traveler’s Companion, and Setting the World in Order. His poems and essays have appeared in The Georgia Review, The Missouri Review, The Tampa Review and others. He has won an NEA fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, and two fellowships from the Florida Arts Council. He is the director of Anhinga Press and teaches English at Florida A&M University.

MILES DEMOTT grew up in South Georgia. He always wanted to be a writer and has worked toward that goal for most of his life, including doctoral research on the writing process. Turning from academic prose to literary fiction, he has been able to capitalize on his vivid imagination and knack for storytelling, creating well-developed characters who struggle with compelling and foundational human questions in his debut novel, Family Meeting. He lives and writes in Alabama where he shepherds a small flock of diverse business interests and chases three dreams: his bride, the right words, and the perfect story. www.milesdemott.com.

JOHN DUFRESNE  is the author of the novels Louisiana Power & Light, Love Warps the Mind a Little, Deep in the Shade of Paradise, and Requiem, Mass. He is also the editor of Blue Christmas; Holiday Stories for the Rest of Us. He’s written two collections of stories, The Way That Water Enters Stone and Johnny Too Bad and two guides to writing fiction, The Lie That Tells a Truth and Is Life Like This? He teaches creative writing at Florida International University in Miami. He has received a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship.  www.johndufresne.com.

LEONARD NASH received a Florida Book Award Silver Medal for his debut collection, You Can’t Get There from Here and Other Stories. Nash holds an M.F.A. from Florida International University. His work has appeared in the South Dakota Review, The Seattle Review, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Gulf Stream Magazine, Miami Magazine, and elsewhere. A resident of Hollywood, Florida, Nash is a freelance writing and editing consultant and an active Realtor. He has taught creative writing at Florida International University and the Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College.  www.leonardnash.com.

LAURA LEE SMITH’s first novel, Hearts of Palm, will be released in 2013. Her short fiction was selected by guest editor Amy Hempel for inclusion in New Stories from the South: The Year’s Best, 2010. Her work has also appeared in The Florida Review, Natural Bridge, Bayou and other journals. She teaches creative writing at Flagler College and works as an advertising copywriter.  www.lauraleesmith.com.

2012 Schedule

Rosemary Beach Foundation Conference for Writers : May 9-11, 2012

Wednesday, May 9:

8:00 – 8:30: Registration, Orientation, Coffee and Pastries, Town Hall

8:30 – 9:30: Morning Writing Exercises, John Dufresne, Town Hall

9:45 – 11:00: Classes I:

Flash Fiction Boot Camp (2 days, 2 stories [or more]): John Dufresne, Town Hall

Creative Nonfiction, Lynne Barrett, Onano Neighborhood Cafe (78 Main and West Water Street)11:15 – 12:30: Classes II:

Writing the Story: Laura Lee Smith, Town Hall

Poetry, “The Three  Minute Drill: Good Beginnings for Poems,” Rick Campbell, Onano Neighborhood Café

12:30 – 2:00: Lunch on your own

2:00 – 3:30: Publishing Panel: all faculty. The Writing Business.

3:45 – 4:45: Pre-Reading Reception Location; Edward’s (66 Main Street)

5:00 – 6:30: Faculty Reading: Lynne Barrett, Rick Campbell, Miles DeMott, Laura Lee Smith

Thursday, May 10:

8:00 – 8:30: Late Registration, Coffee and Pastries, Town Hall

8:30 – 9:30: Morning Writing Exercises, John Dufresne, Town Hall

9:45 – 11:00: Classes I:

Flash Fiction Boot Camp (2 days, 2 stories [or more]):John Dufresne, Town Hall

Creative Nonfiction, Lynne Barrett, Onano Neighborhood Café

11:15 – 12:30: Classes II:

Writing the Short Story: Laura Lee Smith, Town Hall

Poetry, Rick Campbell (11:30 – 12:45 Thursday Only), “Getting Outside Yourself; Varieties of Persona,” Onano Neighborhood Café

12:30 – 2:00: Lunch on your own/ Lunch in Town Hall

2:30– 4:30: Writing Your Life, Leonard Nash, Town Hall

4:30 – 5:30: Open Mike, Town Hall

5:45 – 6:45: Book Signing and Reception, Faculty and Attendees, Hidden Lantern Bookstore

7 p.m. Sip and Say Coffee, Wine Tasting, Open Mic (OPEN TO THE PUBLIC), Amavida Coffee

Friday, May 11

8:00 – 8:30: Late Registration, Orientation, Coffee and Pastries, Town Hall

8:30 – 9:30: Morning Writing Exercises, John Dufresne, Town Hall

9:45 – 11:00: Classes I:

Writing the Novel, John Dufresne, Town Hall

Creative Nonfiction, Lynne Barrett, Onano Neighborhood Café

11:15 – 12:30: Classes II:

One-page Fiction Workshop: Leonard Nash & John Dufresne, Town Hall

Poetry: Rick Campbell, “Rules of Engagement: An Omnibus of What I’ve Heard One Should Do or Not Do in a Poem,” Onano Neighborhood Café

12:30 – 2:00: Lunch on your own

2:00 – 3:00: Panel: “Everything You’ve Wanted To Know about Writing But Were Afraid To Ask About Writing,” All Faculty

3:15 – 5:00: Open Mike, Town Hall

5:30-6:30: Faculty Reading: John Cottle, John Dufresne, Leonard Nash, Town Hall.

Editor’s note: The Fairhope Courier brings notice of this conference to its readers via Writers’ Workshop: An occasional series about writing and the writing arts in Fairhope and beyond.