Need Help? Write Here! Discover the Creative Writing Institute at FIT
By Dr. Natalie Dorfeld, Assistant Professor
“Creative writing at a technical school? Why, that’s just crazy talk.” To the outside observer, it is a common oversight. Engineering pursuits and haikus rarely go hand in hand, but the good folks in the Humanities and Communication Department are here to shake things up a bit. To the naysayers, we proudly boast, “The Creative Writing Institute is the hottest ticket on campus this summer.”
Kicking off its fifth year at FIT, the Creative Writing Institute will be held June 5th-June 9th. The keynote speaker, Dr. Philip Deaver of Rollins College, is the 13th winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for short fiction, and his recent work has been featured in Southern Review, Kenyon Review, The Reaper, Poetry Miscellany, Florida Review, and many others. The two other featured writers, Gennifer Albin and Dustin Michael, are well on their way to setting the literary world on fire (figuratively, of course) with their respective novels Crewel and Triptych: Passengers and Baggage.
Interested but unsure of what genre you might want to pursue? Fear not, budding writers, we have you covered. This year’s writers in residence line up offers a plethora of talent and literary diversity from across this great nation. They include:
- Greg Byrd – Poetry
- Michael Rizza – Novel
- Nessha Navare – Memoirs
- Terry Cronin – Graphic Novels
- Bill Boggs – Beginning Short Story
- Kim Miller – Writing for the Movies
Each class will meet for two hours a day. The writers, who are well published in their fields, will offer useful tips and/or publishing advice, followed by a workshop centered around the participants’ writing.
This one-on-one access is highly beneficial for beginning writers to seasoned pros. According to Dr. Robert Taylor, founding father of the Creative Writing Institute and chair of the Humanities and Communication Department, “The CWI is an amazing opportunity that brings award-winning writers in many genres together with the Space Coast community and students. Here, they will sharpen their writing skills and enjoy the fellowship of fellow wordsmiths.”
So, what are you waiting for, promising compositionists? Sign up today! Remember, if you are FIT faculty or staff, there is a whopping 50% discount. There are also free lunch time and dinner speaking events open to the public. For more information, visit our web site at http://411.fit.edu/cwi/. We can also be found on Facebook at the Humanities and Communication Department under the events tab. Act now, as space (and light refreshments) is limited.
