Once upon a time … at a university nestled in the piney woods of South Mississippi, a group of enthusiastic literary buffs congregated to showcase their talents and share experiences in a unique forum called Creative Writing Day.
Such will be the case on Friday, March 22 when The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Center for Writers (C4W) hosts Creative Writing Day from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in Room 201 of the Liberal Arts Building on the Hattiesburg campus. The event is free and open to all members of the USM community, as well as the general public.
Free workshops, led by USM faculty and graduate students, will be held in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction/hybrid. There is no registration required.
Emilee Kinney, an Instructor of Composition at USM and doctoral student in Creative Writing, is helping coordinate the event. She explains that Creative Writing Day is the latest iteration of writing workshop events the Center for Writers has hosted for many years.
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, these workshops were held in the Hattiesburg community. Starting in 2022, the Center for Writers decided to combine the events into a single day, hosted once every semester,” said Kinney.
Kinney describes the opportunity to spend practically an entire day devoted to creative writing, “very exciting.”
“This event allows a chance for English graduate instructors to teach genres they are passionate about,” she said. “Having faculty join us allows even more opportunity for high school and prospective students to experience the college creative writing experience at USM.”
Kinney also nixes any notion that interest and application in creative writing has waned in recent years.
“No, it has far from declined,” she said. “We may be biased since we are creative writers, but the output of new creative voices, the issues being addressed through multiple creative forms, and the variety of platforms now available to elevate and help those voices be heard suggests creative writing is more robust than ever.”
By inviting the general public, Creative Writing Day enables anyone with a penchant for the craft to share in an interactive program designed to foster creativity.
“We know there are creative writers everywhere, not just in universities, so this event is a chance for everyone to come, share, and collaborate in a creative community space,” said Kinney. “Creative writing is really important, therefore making this event accessible and inclusive is really important to us. Our goal is to promote creative writing and provide a space for participants to generate new work. Come be inspired with us!”
For questions about Creative Writing Day, contact Kinney.