Friday, July 08, 2005

2005 Aestival Festival

Last year, about a dozen club members attended the Aestival Festival at Menasha Public Library. The event is sponsored by the Menasha Senior Center and Menasha Public Library, and is open to any high school student or adult interested in the craft of writing.

Everyone agreed the event was worth a whole Saturday. The workshop choices were varied and interesting, the catered lunch was delicious, and one of our members won first place in the fiction contest.

For those who are interested in attending this year, the 2005 Aestival Festival will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Menasha Public Library.

Keynote speaker is James Campbell, author of “The Final Frontiersman: Heimo Korth and His Family, Alone in Alaska’s Arctic Wilderness.” Other speakers include Fred Gaines, Director of Theater at Lawrence University, Appleton; Grace Lim, a professional journalist (and member of the OAWC); Mike Cowling, associate professor in journalism at UW-Oshkosh; Randy Hanson, a Six Traits of Writing Trainer; Eden Foord, author of spiritual books for young adults; Karla Huston, published poet; and R.L Edinger, mystery writer and winner of the Independent Publisher’s Association award of merit.

Through August 17, the registration fee is $30 per participant and $20 for senior citizens; after August 17, the fees increase to $35 and $25 respectively. The fee includes conference, continental breakfast, lunch, and afternoon refreshments. Door prizes will be awarded as well as the announcement of contest winners. No walk-ins will be admitted.

There is no extra fee to enter the writing contest, which has three categories, nonfiction, fiction and poetry, and two divisions: high school student and adult. The deadline to submit contest entries is July 30.

To register for the conference and/or get contest rules, please call Joanne Flemming at (920) 427-2241 or Sylvia Bull, phone (920) 967-5173; or e-mail Sylvia Bull.

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