Literary Festival

Session Moderators:  Matthew Rowe, Sal Castaneda
Proctor:  Shane Maguire
Location: Helm Theater

Poet, performer, and SSES Faculty member Malcolm Friend is the author of mxd kd mixtape and the prize-winning poetry collection, Our Bruises Kept Singing Purple. He has received awards and fellowships from organizations including CantoMundo, Backbone Press, and the Center for African American Poetry & Poetics.  For insights into the creative process, join Mr. Friend’s session.

Session Moderators: Gabby Lassalle, Vivian Chatterjee
Location: Recital Hall

Writer and Community Teaching Artist Leticia Urieta will lead a writing workshop at the Literary Festival.  Ms. Urieta works with a focus on equity in creative writing and serves as Program Manager for Austin Bat Cave writing as well as director of the Barrio Writers workshop.  Here’s your chance to write in a workshop setting with the help of an engaging and experienced professional!

Student moderators:  Liberty Baker, Leo Brainard
Location: Temple 24

S. Kirk Walsh is a novelist, an editor, and a teacher.  Her debut novel, The Elephant of Belfast, is now in its fourth printing and has been published in many languages.  Ms. Walsh’s fiction, essays, and book reviews have been published in New York Times Book Review, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.  For insights into the process of researching and writing a popular novel and about writing as a critic, attend Ms. Walsh’s session.

Session Moderators: Rebecca Cole, Claire Murray
Proctor:  Chris Gunnin
Location: Temple Multipurpose Room (on Lower Level)

Young Adult novelist Marit Weisenberg is the author of This Golden State, which “reveals layers that include a twisting, high-wire crime thriller, a teen romance and, most significantly, a story about finding your place in your family.”  Other YA books by Ms. Weisenberg include Insomniac, and The Select series.  If you’re interested in Young Adult Fiction and the art of plot development, join this interesting session.

Session Moderators: Hephzibah Dominic, Maya Murtuza-Lanier
Proctor:  Jenneken Van Keppel
Location: Temple 25

Jenny Tinghui Zhang is a Chinese-American author of the acclaimed novel Four Treasures of the Sky. Her articles and essays have been published in sources such as Bustle, HuffPost, and The Cut, among many others.  She is currently a Kundiman Fiction Fellow and has won an award for teaching excellence.  To learn more about the work of this talented novelist and about writing in depth for publications, join Ms. Zhang.

Session moderators:  Anna Kavanagh, Sarah Aggarwal
Proctor:  Alison Chang
Location: Temple 26

Jacquetta Nammar Feldman loves writing stories of all kinds. She is the author of two Young Adult novels, Wishing Upon the Same Stars, described as a “powerful and poignant coming of age story,”  and her latest, The Puttermans are in the House. Here’s your chance to learn more from this celebrated writer about developing stories and creating characters.

Session Moderators: Nishka Nayampally, Clementine Swicegood
Proctor: Kerry Patterson
Location: Gunn Science Lab 7

When middle-grade novelist Cathy O’Neill was young, she “opened every wardrobe expecting to find Narnia.” Years later, her own kids brought make-believe games and fairy tales back into her life and, with them, the inspiration for her Unraveled series of Young Adult novels, which includes The Princess Revolt and Tapestry of Tales.  This will be a fun session full of lively discussion about imaginative and magical writing!

Session Moderators: Eloise Casey, Alexa Sterling
Proctor: Rachel Holiman
Location: Gunn Science Lab 6