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The Normandale Writing Center presents
NORMANDALE
WRITING FESTIVAL
APRIL 7, 2015
ORGANIZED BY NORMANDALE’S WRITING CENTER ACTION COMMITTEE
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ABOUT OUR FESTIVAL: This festival, our sixth annual, is organized by the Writing Center Action Committee to expand the Writing Center’s mission to help students with all facets of their writing. Today, we celebrate the many ways students and the broader Normandale community use and enjoy writing. The interdisciplinary Writing Center Action Committee includes chair Lynette Reini-‐Grandell and members Kris Bigalk (Writing Center Director), Brad Brothen, Amy Fladeboe, Robert Frame, Dee Larson, Kate Lucas, Sadie Pendaz, Kim Socha, and Linda Tetzlaff. We thank everyone—presenters, helpers, Writing Center tutors, support staff, administrators, and the Normandale Foundation—who helped make this sixth annual festival possible. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW: Our sessi0n tracks reflect six key ways we welcome writing into our academic, professional, and personal lives: Developmental Writing (Emerging), Writing for Composition (Composing), Interdisciplinary Writing (Crossing), the Study of Literature (Reading), Professional Applications (Working), and Creative Writing (Creating).
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: At 11:o0 and 12:00 today, join us for the two keynote presentations of the festival.
Location: Kopp Center Garden Room (K0462) FOOD & REFRESHMENTS: Both keynote presentations in the Kopp Center adjoin the cafeteria.
Guests may bring food into the Garden Room during the presentation.
11:00: SEAN HILL 12:00: BARRIE JEAN BORICH
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES Sean Hill was born and raised in Milledgeville, Georgia and is author of Dangerous Goods (Milkweed Editions, 2014) and Blood Ties & Brown Liquor (UGA Press, 2008). He has received numerous awards including fellowships from Cave Canem, the Region 2 Arts Council, the Bush Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, The Jerome Foundation, The MacDowell Colony, the University of Wisconsin, and a Stenger Fellowship from Stanford University. He’s currently a visiting professor in the creative writing program at UA-‐Fairbanks.
Barrie Jean Borich is the author of Body Geographic (University of Nebraska Press/American Lives Series), winner of Lambda Literary Award in Memoir and an IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Award) Gold Medal in Essay/Creative Nonfiction. Her previous book, My Lesbian Husband (Graywolf), won the ALA Stonewall Book Award. Borich was the first creative nonfiction editor of Hamline University’s Water~Stone Review and is currently a member of the creative writing faculty of the English Department/MA in Writing & Publishing Program at Chicago’s DePaul University.
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SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
10:00 A.M. ! WRITING CENTER OPEN HOUSE ! " ! ROOM: C2120 (TUTORING CENTER) " OVERCOMING FEARS ANXIETIES ABOUT WRITING ! " ! ROOM: P0806B ! BREAKING INTO PRINT WITH THE KITCHEN PANTRY SCIENTIST ! " ! ROOM: P0808A " (ALMOST) EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT (ACADEMIC) WRITING I LEARNED FROM STEPHEN KING ! " ! ROOM: P0808B ! TWITTER AS A PROFESSIONAL TOOL ! " ! ROOM: P0842 " LIFE AFTER MAJORING IN WRITING AT NORMANDALE PANEL ! " ! ROOM: P1838
11:00 A.M. ! KEYNOTE ADDRESS ONE: SEAN HILL " ! " ROOM: GARDEN ROOM (KO462) 12:00 P.M. " KEYNOTE ADDRESS TWO: BARRIE JEAN BORICH " ! " ROOM: GARDEN ROOM
(KO462)
1:00 P.M. ! GRAMMAR GAMES ! " ! ROOM: P0840 " UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF WRITING ASSIGNMENTS ! " ! ROOM: P0808A ! READING SHAKESPEARE: THE TEMPEST ! " ! ROOM: P0808B " NUMINOUS GUITARS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF IRISH ROCK MUSIC ! " ! ROOM: P0844 ! RESUME WRITING ! " ! ROOM: P1840 " THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS POETRY ! " ! ROOM: P2844
2:00 P.M. " WHAT ARE THESE AMERICANS SAYING? A GUIDE FOR NON-‐NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS ! " ! ROOM: P0808A
! WRITING FAMILY STORIES ! " ! ROOM: P0808B " WILD ABOUT WILD ! " ! ROOM: P1838
! WRITING JOBS IN SOCIAL MEDIA ! " ! ROOM: P0844 " PLUMS IN THE ICEBOX: EXPLICATING THE VERNACULAR ! " ! ROOM: P0840
3:00 P.M. " COMMAS MADE EASY—THROUGH POETRY! " ! " ROOM: P0840
! PROFILE WRITING ! " ! ROOM: P0808A " A SHINING EXAMPLE ! " ! ROOM: P0808B ! ONE EPIC TO RULE THEM ALL: READING TOLKIEN ! " ! ROOM: P0844 " WRITING CAREER SPOTLIGHT: GRANT WRITER ! " ! ROOM: P1838 ! TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL: HOW TO TAP INTO THE TWIN CITIES LITERARY COMMUNITY ! " ! ROOM: P2844
4:30 P.M. " PATSY LEA CORE LIVING MEMORIAL AWARD IN CREATIVE WRITING ! " ! ROOM: GARDEN ROOM (KO462)
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10:00 A.M. SESSIONS WRITING CENTER OPEN HOUSE PRESENTER: ERIC GRANT ! " ! ROOM: C2120 Do you like free stuff? Have you been meaning to use Normandale's free writing tutor services but have hesitated to visit the Writing Center? If you answered "yes" to either of those questions, this is the session for you! Stop by for a crash course in all things Writing Center… along with free goodies! OVERCOMING FEARS AND ANXIETIES ABOUT WRITING PRESENTERS: BRAD BROTHEN AND DEANNA LARSON ! " ! ROOM: P0806B When faced with a writing task, some of us sit paralyzed before a blank page and blinking cursor. In this session, we will discuss some tried and true—and new and creative—ways to overcome our fears. We’ll also discuss techniques to maintain our momentum once we’ve started. BREAKING INTO PRINT WITH THE KITCHEN PANTRY SCIENTIST PRESENTER: LIZ LEE HEINECKE ! " ! ROOM: P0808A Kitchen Science Lab for Kids author Liz Lee Heinecke will talk about how her creative relationship with science has taken her from cloning DNA in laboratories to a new career penning experiments for publication, and the importance of persistence and outreach when working to move your work from blog to book. (ALMOST) EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT (ACADEMIC) WRITING I LEARNED FROM STEPHEN KING PRESENTER: PATRICK MCALEER ! " ! ROOM: P0808B This interactive PowerPoint presentation will help students learn about aspects of writing beyond just placing words onto a page. Stemming from the nonfiction text On Writing by Stephen King, this presentation examines King’s (creative) writing tips that can be applied to the world of academic writing. TWITTER AS A PROFESSIONAL TOOL PRESENTER: JACK NORTON ! " ! ROOM: P0842 This session will focus on how to write tweets that are relevant to your work, engage others in your field, reference relevant links, and appropriately represent yourself as a professional.
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10:00 A.M. SESSIONS (CONTINUED) LIFE AFTER MAJORING IN WRITING AT NORMANDALE PANEL PRESENTERS: KYLE ADAMSON, PATTI LINDABERRY, MARINA KUKSENKO, AND ISAAC FALESCHINI ! " ! ROOM: P1838 Learn how graduates from Normandale’s AFA in Creative Writing program have taken different paths since completing the AFA, what happened to them after Normandale: their path to continuing education, their career pursuits, how they continue to improve their craft as writers. Discover highlights of resources that are available to writers in the Twin Cities while learning that creative writing degrees aren’t an obstacle to gainful employment. In fact, the world needs humanities majors. AFA students who opt to pursue non-‐writing undergraduate degrees, or no undergrad at all, should be aware that they’re surrounded by a wide variety of local resources to help improve their craft and find their place in the Twin Cities literary community and beyond.
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11:00 A.M. KEYNOTE ADDRESS
LOCATION: KOPP CENTER GARDEN ROOM (K0462)
A CONVERSATION WITH AWARD-‐WINNING POET SEAN HILL ON HIS NEW
BOOK DANGEROUS GOODS
Join Normandale students, faculty, and friends to hear award-‐winning writer Sean Hill read and speak on writing. From the poet whose stunning debut was praised as “transcendent” (Kevin Young) and “steadily confident" (Carl Phillips), Dangerous Goods tracks its speaker throughout North America and abroad. From the Bahamas, London, and Cairo, to Bemidji, Minnesota, and Milledgeville, Georgia, Sean Hill explores the relationship between travel, migration, alienation, and home. Here, playful “postcard” poems addressed to “Nostalgia” and “My Third Crush Today” sit alongside powerful reflections on the immigration of African Americans to Liberia during and after the era of slavery. Part shadowbox, part migration map, part travelogue-‐in-‐verse, Dangerous Goods is poignant, elegant, and deeply moving. “Measuring the ‘distance between desires’ and the fear and possibilities of displacement, Sean Hill’s brilliant new book will make your heart skip ‘like those flat stones that kiss the skin / of the pond and fly off again.’ Where Hill’s first book was an evocation of his Georgia homeplace, Dangerous Goods travels widely and well, from nineteenth-‐century Liberia to present day Minnesota, from ‘Blacks on Boats’ to postcards written to nostalgia and regret. Channeling Richard Hugo and Jay Wright, Hill’s poignant, pointed poetry is a divining rod, knowing well that the dark is ‘an ocean for us all.’” —Kevin Young, author of Book of Hours
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12:00 P.M. KEYNOTE ADDRESS
LOCATION: KOPP CENTER GARDEN ROOM (K0462)
A CONVERSATION WITH BARRIE JEAN BORICH, winner of the
Lambda Literary Award in Memoir and an IPPY Gold Medal in Essay/Creative Nonfiction for Body Geographic
Join Normandale students, faculty, and friends to hear award-‐winning author Barrie Jean Borich read and speak on writing. A memoir from the award-‐winning author of My Lesbian Husband, Barrie Jean Borich’s Body Geographic turns personal history into an inspired reflection on the points where place and person intersect, where running away meets running toward, and where dislocation means finding oneself. One coordinate of Borich’s story is Chicago, the prototypical Great Lakes port city built by immigrants like her great-‐grandfather Big Petar, and the other is her own port of immigration, Minneapolis, the combined skylines of these
two cities tattooed on Borich’s own back. Between Chicago and Minneapolis Borich maps her own Midwest, a true heartland in which she measures the distance between the dreams and realities of her own life, her family’s, and her fellow travelers’ in the endless American migration.
“Body Geographic is as astonishingly original as it is profoundly humane. Barrie Jean Borich writes of the body, the psyche, the land, and real life with a reach so grand and a mastery so definitive it clutches the heart. This is a beautiful, bold, blow-‐your-‐mind book.” —Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild
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1:00 P.M. SESSIONS GRAMMAR GAMES PRESENTER: JOHAN CHRISTOPHERSON ! " ! ROOM: P0840 Grammar Games will involve learning—painlessly—about grammar. Participants will play in teams, and teams will be asked questions pertaining to grammar. May your subjects and verbs all agree! Prizes include glory, honor, and chocolate. UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF WRITING ASSIGNMENTS PRESENTERS: DAN DARLING AND JENNIFER MILLER ! " ! ROOM: P0808A In this session, two seasoned writing teachers will provide tips for writing essays that fulfill professors’ expectations. After we present some general examples and strategies, it’s your turn! Bring in a current writing assignment, and we’ll help you figure out how to craft an essay that meets your professor’s requirements. READING SHAKESPEARE: THE TEMPEST PRESENTER: KATHLEEN COATE " ! " ROOM: P0808B The Tempest, considered to be the last play Shakespeare wrote alone, will be performed at Normandale in late April. Come and experience the text of Shakespeare, from page to performance, with some of the actors and the director of Normandale's production. NUMINOUS GUITARS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF IRISH ROCK MUSIC PRESENTER: PATRICK O’DONNELL ! " ! ROOM: P0844 Irish rock music has uniquely wedded Ireland’s rich poetic heritage to the innovative driving energy of guitar-‐propelled music. This session will offer an in-‐a-‐nutshell overview of Irish rock – Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy, U2, Sinead O’Connor, and Glen Hansard – with an eye to explaining its debts to Ireland’s literary heritage. RESUME WRITING PRESENTERS: KRISTEN COOPER AND VALERIE DEAN ! " ! ROOM: P1840 Resumes, cover letters, and other job search materials can predict whether you'll get an interview, and ultimately a job. Come to this workshop for tips and ideas on how to find job opportunities, and how to write materials that will get you in the door and on your way to the job of your dreams.
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1:00 P.M. SESSIONS (CONTINUED) THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS POETRY PRESENTER: MATT MAUCH ! " ! ROOM: P2844 Once he discovered writing, noted neurosurgeon Oliver Sacks says he no longer needed drugs to have otherworldly, out-‐of-‐body-‐ish experiences. Language philosopher George Steiner says that poets keep being poets because they get addicted to the sense of what it is like to be a god, making something out of nothing. This presentation will look at the secret that poets can no longer keep to themselves: that language, when you let it guide you and take over your intentions, can make poem-‐making feel shamanistic, opening doors of perception you didn’t even know were there.
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2:00 P.M. SESSIONS WHAT ARE THESE AMERICANS SAYING?: A GUIDE FOR NON-‐NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS PRESENTERS: NINA ROSENFELD AND KIM SOCHA ! " ! ROOM: P0808A This session is designed for non-‐native English speakers who are confused by American expressions like “take charge” and “work around the clock.” The session will include a short presentation, interactive games, information about building a vocabulary of expressions, and chances to ask questions. Attendees will leave the session with a better understanding of how American-‐isms differ from standard English and more confidence in asking native English speakers, “What are you talking about?” WRITING FAMILY STORIES PRESENTER: KATHRYN KYSAR ! " ! ROOM: P0808B Do you want to write about your childhood memories or a funny family story but don't know where to start? In this workshop, we will review the basics of writing life stories and how to make your writing vivid and true for a reader. You’ll learn some simple tricks for getting started as well as some concrete advice on how to make your writing come alive by using clear, descriptive language and concrete images. At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with ideas for writing projects, a piece or two of prose started, and, hopefully, some enthusiasm for writing. WILD ABOUT WILD PRESENTERS: KRIS BIGALK, LYNETTE REINI-‐GRANDELL, AND BRIANNA PAGELS ! " ! ROOM: P1838 Our Common Book for this year, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, has been read by millions of fans, won several awards, and was made into a major motion picture starring Reese Witherspoon. What makes it so special? Students and faculty members share their experiences reading the book, some of the writing projects inspired by it, and what they have taken away from the experience. WRITING JOBS IN SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENTERS: KATE LUCAS (MODERATOR), COURTNEY ALGEO, TRENT GILLIS, PHYLLIS MMA, AND JAY D. PETERSON ! " ! ROOM: P0844 In this session, a panel of four writing professionals with social media-‐related jobs will give insight into this career path. Panel members will also share tips and strategies for building a strong, professional social media presence—and the related social media skills—well before college graduation. PLUMS IN THE ICEBOX: EXCAVATING THE VERNACULAR PRESENTER: JANET MICHELE RED FEATHER ! " ! ROOM: P0840 This interactive session invites participants to appreciate compendiousness of poetry and the beauty in everyday language. We’ll move from the Zenlike simplicity of the Haiku of our traditional masters to contemporary Haiku and Found Poetry. Activities include exercises in diction, denotation and connotation, and the creation of Found Poetry.
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3:00 P.M. SESSIONS COMMAS MADE EASY—THROUGH POETRY! PRESENTER: LYNETTE REINI-‐GRANDELL ! " ! ROOM: P0840 The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) lists at least 15 separate rules for using commas. Too many to remember? Let poetry save you from comma madness! Participants will learn to develop an organic sense of punctuation by seeing how poetry puts phrases into logical groups. PROFILE WRITING PRESENTER: GREGG AAMOT ! " ! ROOM: P0808A Have you ever wondered how professional writers approach the craft of profile writing – how they go about telling stories through the experiences and passions of their subjects? Learn more at this workshop. A SHINING EXAMPLE PRESENTERS: BRAD BROTHEN AND PATRICK O’DONNELL ! " ! ROOM: P0808B This session will explore how books and their film adaptations, while often inexplicably interchangeable, are actually two separate and distinct art forms that differ in purpose, scope, and execution. More specifically, we will look at how Stephen King’s The Shining and Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation may tell the same “story” but are unique masterpieces in their own right. ONE EPIC TO RULE THEM ALL: READING TOLKIEN PRESENTERS: ERIC MEIN (CHAIR), JOHN REIMRINGER, AND JENNIFER MILLER ! " ! ROOM: P0844 Discover how Greek mythology and Catholic theology inspired J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy classics The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and how Tolkien’s Middle-‐Earth in turn inspired later fantasy epics, such as Stephen King’s The Dark Tower. WRITING CAREER SPOTLIGHT: GRANT WRITER PRESENTER: ANGIE ARNOLD ! " ! ROOM: P1838 A career in grant writing can be fun and fulfilling, especially if you're writing grants to fund causes and organizations that benefit the community. Come to this session to hear more about how Normandale's own grant writing specialist, Angela Arnold, began and sustained this interesting career, and find out more about how you can get involved in writing grants for organizations—and/or yourself! TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL: HOW TO TAP INTO THE TWIN CITIES LITERARY COMMUNITY PRESENTERS: AMY FLADEBOE (MODERATOR), SHERRIE FERNANDEZ-‐WILLIAMS, PAULA CISEWSKI, BETH
MAYER, JAY D. PETERSON, AND STEPHANIE WILBUR-‐ASH ! " ! ROOM: P2844 This panel will feature movers and shakers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul literary scene. They will discuss how emerging writers can get involved, navigate, and use the rich resources here in the metro.
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4:30 P.M. SESSION THE PATSY LEA CORE LIVING MEMORIAL AWARD IN CREATIVE WRITING 2015
LOCATION: GARDEN ROOM (KO462)
This award was created as a living memorial for Patsy Lea Core, a student at Normandale in 1976. She was interested in fostering imaginative talent in all endeavors, especially creative writing. To continue Patsy's enthusiasm for the arts, we invite Normandale students to enter the competition for cash scholarships. The competition aims to recognize the efforts of promising Normandale writers and is open to all Normandale students, regardless of major or experience.
2015 Fiction Judge: Stephan Eirik Clark
Stephan Eirik Clark is the author of Sweetness #9 (Little, Brown & Company), and the short story collection Vladimir’s Mustache, a finalist for the 2013 Minnesota Book Award.
Born in West Germany to a Norwegian mother and a Texan father, Clark split much of his childhood between England and the United States, and has lived in five states and five countries, including Ukraine, where he
served a Fulbright Fellowship, and Russia.
He holds an M.A. in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from the University of California, Davis and a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California. A former print and radio journalist and one-‐time member of USC Film School’s filmic writing division, he currently lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and teaches at Augsburg College.
Clark’s short stories have been published in numerous magazines, including Ninth Letter, Cincinnati Review, Witness, and LA Weekly; twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize; short-‐listed for the Fish Publishing Historical Fiction Prize; and given special mention in Drunken Boat’s inaugural Pan Literary Awards contest, among other honors. His novella, The Castrato of St. Petersburg, was named a finalist in the Ruth Anne Wiley Novella Contest, judged by Josip Novakovich, and later published by Salt Hill.
Clark’s essays have appeared in Swink, Ninth Letter, Salt Hill and elsewhere, and been recognized as notable works in Best of the Web 2009 and Best American Essays 2009 and 2010.
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2015 Poetry judge: Sun Yung Shin
Sun Yung Shin is the author of two poetry collections: Rough, and Savage, finalist for The Believer Poetry Award, and Skirt Full of Black, winner of an Asian American Literary Award for Poetry, both published by Coffee House Press. She is co-‐editor of the anthology Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption and the author of Cooper's Lesson, a bilingual (Korean/English) children's book. Her essays, stories, poems, and reviews have been published widely in anthologies, journals, newspapers, and in other venues such as art museums, a light rail transit station, a mayor's inaugural bash, community events, etc. She has performed and presented at numerous events across the U.S and in Korea, curated many readings, and taught creative writing to students of all ages. She lives in Minneapolis.
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ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
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GREGG AAMOT is a former reporter for The Associated Press and the author of The New Minnesotans: Stories of Immigrants and Refugees. His work has appeared in the Star Tribune, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Washington Post, USA Today and other publications. Aamot currently teaches at Normandale Community College and Ridgewater College and is a contributing writer at MinnPost. KYLE ADAMSON is an MFA student at Bennington College and earned a BFA from Hamline University. He is the winner of the 2010 AWP Intro to Journals Award in poetry and a Pushcart nominee. His poems have appeared in the Artful Dodge, Revolver, Alaska Quarterly Review, Water~Stone Review, Midway Journal, Specter, and r.kv.r.y. Kyle served in the Marine Corps infantry and deployed twice to Iraq. Kyle lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. COURTNEY ALGEO is the Brand Communications Specialist at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, where she helps tell compelling stories about art and the dire need for practitioners of creative wonder. Previously, she worked as the marketing coordinator at The Loft Literary Center and served as the editorial director at Paper Darts. Interested in saying “yes” to as many experiences as possible has led to Courtney winning a boxing match, covering the Oscars in L.A., divulging her embarrassing history of boyfriends on stage, and working as the social media manager for an heirloom lentil company. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and son. ANGIE ARNOLD has been a full-‐time grant writer for more than a dozen years, but has played a role in grant writing activities for more than 20. She has been responsible for securing more than $20 million in grants and donations from federal, state, local, and private sources. A graduate of Grinnell College, she credits her degree in anthropology combined with Grinnell’s emphasis on writing with her choice of a career path. KRIS BIGALK serves as Director of Creative Writing and Writing Center Director at Normandale Community College. She is the author of the poetry collection Repeat the Flesh in Numbers (NYQ Books, 2012), and her poetry has recently appeared on the website of The Good Men Project, and in the anthology The Liberal Media Made Me Do It. BRAD BROTHEN has a background in both English and Counseling. He has worked with students of every ability, age, and level. He is a life-‐long learner and firmly believes John Dewey’s words—“Education is not a preparation for life but life itself.” JOHAN CHRISTOPHERSON has been teaching grammar (among other things) in the English Department at Normandale since 2003. When he’s not un-‐splitting infinitives, he also teaches composition and literature courses.
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PAULA CISEWSKI is the author of Ghost Fargo, selected by Franz Wright for the Nightboat Poetry Prize, and of Upon Arrival from Black Ocean, as well as three poetry chapbooks and the forthcoming lyric prose chapbook Misplaced Sinister. She has been awarded fellowships from Minnesota State Arts Board and the Jerome Foundation, and a residency from the Banfill-‐Locke Center for the Arts, among other honors. She teaches, both academically and privately, and curates artful literary events in the Twin Cities. KATHLEEN COATE is a theatre director and teacher of performance and theory classes at Normandale College. She has worked for various theatre companies in Vermont, New York, New Jersey, and Nebraska, where she served as Production Manager and Director of Education for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival. She has designed Shakespeare education programs for children of all ages, including directing and performing in the touring ensemble Shakespeare Unbound. She has directed full productions of Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, and a devised performance called The Othello Project. She is currently in rehearsals for The Tempest at Normandale. KRISTEN COOPER enjoys helping students navigate the sometimes overwhelming road of college and career planning, helping students see their options and choices, and helping them understand that they have more strength than they may think. Particular personal counseling topics of interest are anxiety, depression, grief, and procrastination. She has a BA in mathematics and an MS in professional school counseling. She’s been a full-‐time counselor at Normandale since 2008. DAN DARLING earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico. His philosophy of writing is to embrace the messiness of the writing process while having faith that following each step will lead to an outstanding final product. He teaches creative writing, expository writing, and literature courses. Dan’s an avid bowler, an ex-‐circus performer, and a student of many foreign languages. VALERIE DEAN has an M.A. in Counseling & Student Personnel Psychology and has served on the counseling faculty at Normandale for almost 17 years. She currently teaches Paths to College Success. However, her primary responsibility is to provide academic, career and personal counseling to Normandale students. She enjoys the challenge of helping students map out a plan for success; she strives to empower students, helping them to recognize and utilize their strengths to achieve their goals. ISAAC FALESCHINI graduated from Normandale Community College with an AFA in creative writing (2013). He is currently enrolled in Hamline University’s BFA in creative writing program, on track to graduate spring 2015. Meanwhile, he is eagerly awaiting the guillotine of MFA applications rejections to be processed and sent to his inbox so that, at night, he may sleep more soundly. His three children keep him busy, if not honest. Don’t believe a word he says.
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SHERRIE FERNANDEZ-‐WILLIAMS is the program manager at The Loft Literary Center. She’s dedicated much of her career to advising, administrating, and teaching in higher education. She is author of Soft: A Memoir. AMY FLADEBOE is a recipient of the 2015 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. She writes poetry and creative non-‐fiction but is most dedicated to fiction. Her current project is a novel that takes place in Albania, where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2008-‐2010. She received her M.F.A. in creative writing from MSU-‐Mankato and now lives in Minneapolis and teaches English at Normandale and Century Colleges. TRENT GILLISS is the Chief Content Officer & Executive Editor of On Being. He is hiring the next generation of digital thinkers who will grow the content and expand the reach of On Being as a social enterprise and international media project. During the past decade, Trent has received a Peabody Award and multiple Webby Awards for his journalism and digital work. He has reported and produced stories from Turkey to rural Alabama, from Israel and the West Bank to Cambridge, England. He studied English Language & Literature at the University of Mary, followed by a wide-‐ranging career including positions at the MN State Legislature, Internet start-‐ups, and Fortune 500 companies. ERIC GRANT is an MFA in Creative Writing student at Hamline University, majoring in fiction. A former Normandale student, he is currently a supplemental instruction intern in composition at Normandale, and volunteers as a Writing Center Tutor. LIZ LEE HEINECKE is a former researcher who has gone from working at a lab bench to mixing up experiments at the kitchen table. With her book Kitchen Science Lab for Kids, her website KitchenPantryScientist.com, the iPhone app KidScience, and frequent television appearances, Liz demonstrates how fun and easy it is for families to dive into science together at home. MARINA KUKSENKO is a graduate of the AFA in Creative Writing program from Normandale Community College, Bloomington, and the BFA in Creative Writing program from Hamline University, St. Paul. She works at Normandale Community College and lives in Eden Prairie, MN. KATHRYN KYSAR is the author of two books of poetry, Dark Lake and Pretend the World, and she edited the anthology Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers. She has received fellowships and residencies from Banfill-‐Locke Center for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, and she recently served on the board of directors for the Association of Writers. She has a B.A. from Hamline University and an M.F.A. from Wichita State University. She chairs the creative writing program at Anoka-‐Ramsey Community College in Minneapolis and lives with her family in Saint Paul. DEANNA LARSON, in addition to teaching composition, creative writing, and literature at Normandale Community College, also co-‐teaches creative writing in a federal prison. Before receiving an MFA from Minnesota State University, Mankato, she taught Spanish is several Twin Cities elementary schools and preschools. Her poetry and artwork have appeared in
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PANK, Neon, Anti-‐, The Blood Orange Review, Mixed Fruit, and elsewhere; two of her poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and she is a two-‐time finalist in Button Poetry’s Exploding Pinecone Chapbook Contest. PATTI LINDABERRY graduated from Normandale with an AFA in Creative Writing, in 2013. Her play, Rumbeck's Code, was performed at the Play On Writing Festival at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Il, 2013. She is currently working on obtaining a BFA in Creative Writing from Augsburg College. KATE LUCAS earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University and teaches composition and literature courses at Normandale. Prior to this, she worked as a writer for Common Hope, a nonprofit that supports impoverished families in Guatemala. Over her eight years at Common Hope, Kate increasingly used social media to tell the nonprofit’s story and connect its supporters with the people and programs in Guatemala. Kate enjoys camping, square dancing, and watching movies in her free time. MATT MAUCH is the author of If You¹re Lucky Is a Theory of Mine, Prayer Book, and the chapbook The Brilliance of the Sparrow. He founded the annual Great Twin Cities Poetry Read, and edits Poetry City, USA, an annual collection of poetry and prose on poetry, and lives in Minneapolis. BETH MAYER’S fiction has appeared in The Threepenny Review and The Sun Magazine, and has been anthologized by both New Rivers and Ohio University Press. Her work was named among “Other Distinguished Stories” by Best American Mystery Stories 2010, and was a finalist for the 2013 American Fiction Prize. The Loft Mentor Series 2014-‐15 selected Beth as a finalist in fiction, and gave her work further Honorable Mention distinction. Beth teaches English and directs the Creative Writing Certificate at Century Community College. She holds an MFA from Hamline University, and lives with her family in Lakeville, Minnesota. PATRICK MCALEER is a professor of English at Inver Hills Community College. He teaches various classes in writing and literature, and his specialty is the writing of Stephen King. ERIC MEIN is an English instructor at Normandale Community College. A published fiction writer and literary critic, he earned his B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park, and his M.F.A. in Writing from Hamline University. He has been a cyborg since 2004, when a tragic hiking accident in the caldera of Vesuvius consumed the left half of his body, and enjoys putting ridiculous lies in his bios for the amusement of those who read them. JENNIFER L. MILLER received her BA from Valparaiso University, and then moved on to the University of Minnesota, where she received her Ph.D. in English. She is currently an instructor at Normandale Community, where she teaches freshman composition, developmental writing, and a variety of literature courses. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including the work of Stephen King, religion and Doctor Who, and the morality of Scandal. She and her husband are also beekeepers, and they enjoy camping and exploring Minnesota with their two children.
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PHYLLIS MMA is the head Social Media Strategist for 3M. An avid lover of bacon, donuts and social media, Phyllis was in the legal field after graduation. Taking a random leap of faith, she spent a summer interning at a start-‐up doing social media, when Facebook was a toddler and Twitter was just taking off. That summer in Santa Monica changed her life, leading to a quest for jobs that incorporated social media and law. She spent four years helping managing a blog team at Thomson Reuters, while consulting for non-‐profits in Minnesota. A desire for a more strategic position led her to her current role at 3M, where she leads social strategy for the 3M Newsroom. JACK NORTON teaches history at Normandale Community College and has never been published in Cat Fancy or Foyers of Appalachia Quarterly. He tweets @historyjack on education and history. PATRICK O’DONNELL, originally from Dublin, has happily called Minnesota home for more than twenty years. He is a literary historian with research interests in the Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare, Brian Friel, Liam O’Flaherty, Frank O’Connor, James Joyce, Modernism, and Irish rock music. He is also the Artistic Director of the Celtic Collaborative, a literary and performing arts nonprofit group. His most recent show was a production looking at Irish gangsters and cops in Prohibition era St. Paul. BRIANA PAGELS left a job that more than paid the bills to become a broke college student but is happy to have made that choice. She hopes to encourage fellow students by showing it’s never too late to take charge of your future, and she tutors in the Writing Center. JAY D. PETERSON wears a number of hats, and social media plays a strong role for all of them. During the day, he works in Corporate and Foundation Relations at Augsburg College, but he also serves as Program Manager at Coffee House Press, where he coordinates a library residency program for writers. In addition, Jay is a Board Member at the Mid-‐Continent Oceanographic Institute, a tutoring nonprofit modeled after 826 National, founded by author Dave Eggers. Jay is a voracious reader and was an English major at Minnesota State Moorhead. JANET MICHELE RED FEATHER has taught composition and literature for almost 20 years at the university, state, tribal and community college levels. She is a tenured English Faculty member at Normandale. A Ceremonial Singer, she has learned over 60 songs in Mandan and Lakota. Formerly a defense litigator, her life changed significantly after she traveled to North Dakota in 1993 to fast and pray for a way of life. Janet has a regular column in Edge Magazine and articles in Psychic Guidepost, FATE and Species Link. Her new book, Song of the Wind, chronicles her metaphysical and spiritual experiences. JOHN REIMRINGER’S first novel, Vestments, was named a best book of 2010 by Publishers Weekly, was featured on MPR’s Midmorning, and won the 2011 Minnesota Book Award for fiction. Reimringer teaches at Normandale Community College and lives in Saint Paul’s
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Hamline-‐Midway neighborhood with his wife, the poet Katrina Vandenberg, and their daughter, Anna. John’s website is <www.johnreimringer.com>. LYNETTE REINI-‐GRANDELL has been an English professor at Normandale since 2003. She holds a B.A. from Carleton College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota. A member of the Normandale Writing Center Action Committee, she teaches developmental and honors classes at Normandale and is also the faculty advisor of the Creative Writing Club. She is a frequent participant in poetry readings around the Twin Cities area, performing regularly with the Bosso Poetry Company, a beat-‐inspired group of writers and musicians and is the author of Approaching the Gate. NINA ROSENFELD teaches English for Academic Purposes and English Composition at Normandale. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language. Besides teaching, Nina participates in weekly meetings of the Screenwriters Workshop in Minneapolis. KIM SOCHA holds a Ph.D. in English Literature and has taught writing and composition for eleven years, with six of those years at Normandale. She is the author of two books and contributing editor of two volumes of collected essays. Starting in Summer 2015, Kim will start a Graduate Certificate in TESL at MSU, Mankato. STEPHANIE WILBUR-‐ASH is the senior editor of special sections at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine with a writing focus on health and families. She is the managing and literary editor of the Rural America Contemporary Art Collective. She also writes, produces, and performs music and comedy sometimes under the name, Goth Mom—a visual art project (medium: Facebook), guerrilla theater persona, and all-‐woman band (the a cappella goth-‐rock cover band "Goth Mother").
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A FEW OTHER THINGS…
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If you want to donate to ensure future Writing Festivals— The Writing Festival, offered to students, faculty, staff and the greater community without charge, requires a certain amount of money to put on. If you are interested in helping with the cost of future festivals:
1) You will find a donation box at the keynote address. 2) You can make tax-‐deductible donations directly to the Normandale Foundation:
a) Mail a check to Normandale Foundation, 9700 France Avenue South, Bloomington, MN, 55431 (be sure to put “Writing Center/Writing Festival” in the memo line!) or
b) Through their website: http://www.normandale.edu/foundation/giving-‐opportunities; click on the “Give Now” button. (On the first screen of the donation form, type “Writing Center/Writing Festival” in the box for “other.”)
Thank you for attending today’s festival and helping ensure future festivals!
Our thanks to— The Writing Center Action Committee gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following for their help in putting on this year’s festival: Creative Writing Club, English Department, Normandale Writing Center, Normandale Foundation, Normandale Reading Series, and Phi Theta Kappa.
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MAPS AND FINDING ROOMS ! " !
Normandale Community College Campus
For Room Identifiers:
A = Activities Building C = College Services Building (main entrance) F = Fine Arts Building K = Kopp Student Center L = Library Building P= Partnership Building S = Jodsaas Science Center
[Signs throughout the campus guide you to finding rooms; the letters given here correspond to those signs. Once you are inside, these signs are very helpful.]