Attendees of the 25th annual Spring Literary Festival experienced vibrant personalities while they listened to accomplished writers read their work and lecture about how to improve one’s writing.
The festival ran last Wednesday to Friday. The visiting authors were Rosellen Brown, Rita Dove, Debra Marquart, Padgett Powell and Tobias Wolff.
Students, faculty and Athens residents attending the festival filled the Baker Center Theatre to its capacity for a number of events. Some were left without a seat but remained standing to hear what the authors had to say.
It was especially common during the lectures to see attendees with a pen and paper, noting what points and advice the authors had to offer.
“I’m not going to give points because I never took them that way myself,” Wolff said before his lecture. Many were still eager to write down his words.
Wolff, who had spoken at the inaugural literary festival 25 years ago, said he was happy to be invited back.
The authors all shared personal stories and revelations during their lectures, but a common theme throughout was the importance of persevering throughout the struggles of writing.
“You have to be ready: You have to be receptive and open,” Dove said.
Dove was intrigued by and found humor in the title of the 1984 movie, Romancing the Stone. She borrowed the title for her lecture but struggled to decide on a title for another part of her lecture.
“What every artist fears,” is how Dove described her difficulty with the second part. The author used her struggle to discuss the difficulties of titling written work.
“Never think of your audience,” Dove said. “They will find you.”
Wolff discussed the similarities between writing and music.
“Craft in writing is not so much what you do to a story or memoir, but what you do to yourself over time. … All progress is painfully slow and incremental.”
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