SC Humanities Council

SPEAKERS BUREAU 

I'm officially on the roster as a presenter for the Speakers Bureau of the SC Humanities Council. It's an honor to be on a list of such diverse and distinguished SC natives. Fellow Columbia II writer Kasie Whitener has also been added to the roster. 

I like to get to know the people attending my events, and to make it easier, I incorporate activities to engage them in the discussion. I've just finished printing copies of three ten-page booklets for "Acting On Poetry." Participants will choose a poem from one of the three booklets (Free Verse, Sonnet, or Blank Verse) to read before the group. 

My cover graphic says something about Free Verse

In researching the poems, I was reminded of what I like about poetry (despite my disappointment with some of the current works being published). Poetry can force us to look beyond the everyday. Or at other times, it reveals the wonder in the everyday. Denise Levertov and Tony Hoagland are two of my favorite poets. 

If you know of a group interested in literature and would like something different for a meeting, think about one of my presentations. In addition to "Acting On Poetry," I'll be tour guide for two other literary adventures:
 
PROSE POEMS, OR IS IT FLASH FICTION?
In these two literary forms, a fine line (which isn’t easily defined) divides prose from poetry. We'll read samples of each and see if we can figure out which camp the publishers put them into. After getting some clarity about what's not clear, we'll put pen to paper and write our own short work and call it either prose or poetry.

A DEMANDING GENRE—HISTORICAL FICTION
This presentation begins with a True-False test with trick questions, tricky because Historical Fiction has become controversial. As a writer of the genre, I can see both sides of the argument (which is too much to discuss here), and I'll find out how others see it. To those writers considering Historical Fiction, I'll remind them of the research involved and will provide examples of my research in writing the Westfall series of antebellum novels.

To schedule my presentations contact the SC Humanities Council. Information is online at http://schumanities.org/projects/speakers/speakers-faq. Most presentations (including mine) charge a fee of $250. The phone number is 803-771-2477. 
 

Cover graphic for my "Blank Verse" booklet