Words and Water Guns at Writers’ Day, New Hampshire's Largest Writing Conference
What better way to end a daylong writing conference than at the finals of “Literary Flash: Three Minutes to Fame”? Launched in 2008 by the New Hampshire Writers’ Project at the Press Room in Portsmouth, Literary Flash has developed into an annual regional contest. This year’s final showdown will be held at Writers’ Day on April 6, 2013 at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.
“Literary Flash is like American Idol for writers,” said program director Carla Gericke, “but with a squirt from a water gun for readers who go over their allotted three minutes.” That water gun has already traveled to Berlin, Portsmouth, Keene, and Concord in search of the best original micro-fiction by Granite Staters.
The last of the regionals are being held on March 4, 2013 at Milly’s Tavern in Manchester, and at Martha’s Exchange in Nashua. There is still time to register to read, or just attend as an audience member. Visit www.nhwritersproject.org for more details.
“It’s great fun,” said James Patrick Kelly, NHWP trustee and frequent Flash judge, who originally conceived the idea. “Writers get to showcase their work in front of their peers. They get immediate feedback from the judges. It’s both entertaining and informative. A little competitive, but in the best of spirits.”
To celebrate NHWP’s 25th anniversary, this year’s Writers’ Day features best selling author Andre Dubus III as the keynote speaker. Also returning to talk about various aspects of writing are seven former keynotes, including Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Harding, award winning author Nicholson Baker, and Hugo and Nebula award winner James Patrick Kelly who will be teaching “Get Shorty: Flash Fiction in Focus,” which explores the craft of cramming a complete story into very few words.
Registration for Writers’ Day is now open. Literary Flash Final takes place at 4:30 p.m. in SNHU’s Banquet Hall and is free and open to the public.
Visit www.nhwritersproject.org for full Writers' Day program and to register for the largest writing conference in New Hampshire.
