The Interdisciples--Live!
Dec
17
3:00 PM15:00

The Interdisciples--Live!

The Interdisciples

Saturday, December 17th, 3-5pm

$10-$20 suggested voluntary cover in the tip bucket

The Interdisciples is a newly-formed group which explores the process of interdisciplinary collaboration. Guided by Joy Yang (piano and theremin), the interdisciplinary faculty, student and community members include:

Amy Hassinger (creative writing, voice),
Jason Finkelman (electronics and Afro-Brazilian percussion),
Dr. Armand Beaudoin, Jr. (engineering, electronics and bassetto)
Laura Chiaramonte (dance)
Jake Metz (intermedia and spatial sound design)
Jonah Weisskopf (visual art projections)
Matthew Harsh (visual art projections)
Mark Smart (Aerospace engineering, SalMar software and video art)

IDENTITY

Is

.

.

Be ready to be a part of the performance! We invite audience members to bring an item of significance to them, which will be placed on a table and incorporated into our improvisation. We also want to hear about what IDENTITY means to you! Comment below, DM, or we will be collecting written responses on the night.

We suggest a $10-20 minimum donation to support our creative endeavours and future opportunities. We appreciate it, and look forward to seeing you there!

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Mind Music: Writing the Lyric Essay
Aug
18
1:00 PM13:00

Mind Music: Writing the Lyric Essay

I’ll be leading a webinar, hosted through Creative Nonfiction magazine, that explores the lyric essay as an accessible, protean, and genre-bending form.

In this online event, we will delve into the history of the lyric essay and observe the stylistic and technical conventions of the form. We will then use this study to inspire our own lyric essays, pulling apart the threads of self-meaning to begin our own creative pieces. The webinar will conclude with a Q&A, and all registrants will receive a recording.

To register and see more info, visit the Creative Nonfiction website.

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Talk: What Is Creative Nonfiction, and Why Is It the Next Big Thing in Your Writing Life?
Apr
5
9:30 AM09:30

Talk: What Is Creative Nonfiction, and Why Is It the Next Big Thing in Your Writing Life?

I'll be giving a talk and leading a workshop on this subject as part of Metro Chicago's Off Campus Writers' Workshop series. Description below:

The pairing of the word “creative” with the word “nonfiction” makes some journalists wince, and with good reason. But “creative” doesn’t necessarily mean loose with the facts. It has more to do with how a piece of nonfiction is put together—with an innovative structure, maybe, or a searing attention to its own musicality, or some other unique effect that lifts the piece out of the routine and into the extraordinary. Together we’ll look at some striking examples from this broad genre, and do some creative experimenting of our own. Lecture/discussion/writing exercises. Appropriate for curious writers of any genre.

For more info, visit the OCWW website

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Iowa Summer Writing Festival
Jun
17
to Jun 23

Iowa Summer Writing Festival

I'll be teaching two workshops: "The How of Where: Place as Character in Fiction and Nonfiction," from June 17 - 18 and "Structural Workout for your Novel-in-Progress," from June 18 - 23. To read full class descriptions, go to the Iowa Summer Writing Festival website. (Image courtesy of keeva999, Flickr Creative Commons, October 10, 2011, some rights reserved).

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Prairie Rivers Network Day at Allerton Park
May
21
12:00 PM12:00

Prairie Rivers Network Day at Allerton Park

Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Prairie Rivers Network, Champaign-Urbana's dynamic healthy rivers advocacy organization! There's a full slate of activities all afternoon. I'll be reading selections from AFTER THE DAM as part of the presentation "River of Hope: Save a Place. Change Your Life," starting at 3 p.m. in the Allerton Music Barn. Jane Addams Book Shop will be selling books. 

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Opening Reception for Viktoria Ford's Art Show, Illini Union Art Gallery
Dec
1
5:30 PM17:30

Opening Reception for Viktoria Ford's Art Show, Illini Union Art Gallery

Artist Viktoria Ford will be showing her beautiful work inspired by river systems at the Illini Union Art Gallery. Her paintings will be interspersed with passages from After the Dam. I'll read from the book the night of the opening. Come meet Viktoria, see her work, and listen to writing about rivers, surrounded by art about rivers. 

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