September 11 kickoff at Green Lantern
By Sunny Montgomery
The summer may be winding down but do not fret, my friends. We still have plenty to anticipate. The 32nd annual Kentucky’s Women Writers Conference (KWWC) officially kicks off on Sunday, September 11at the Green Lantern with the Wild Women of Poetry, featuring raucous women writers from across Kentucky, music by Karly Dawn Higgins and, of course, bourbon. The ensuing week long literary celebration will be comprised of a multitude of free events leading up to the weekend conference hosted at the Carnegie Center of Literacy & Learning.
One of my favorite events, free and open to the public, is the always unruly Gypsy Poetry Slam at the Downtown Arts Center where both local and national slam poets compete for cash prizes. This year I am also particularly looking forward to the debut of local poet Bianca Spriggs’ short film, Waterbody, at the Kentucky Theater on Thursday, September 15. Spriggs’ film will be followed by a screening of The Poetry of Resilience—A Work in Progress, a film by NYC film-maker, Katja Esson, which chronicles a group of individual poets who have survived unimaginable atrocities. Esson, who has been Academy Award-nominated for her documentaries, is among the line-up of renowned women artists leading workshops, readings and seminars during this year’s conference.
Also presenting this year at the KWWC is visual artist and poet, Krista Franklin, best-selling author Danzy Senna, Kentucky-native Lynnell Edwards and several others. But the most acclaimed guest of all is keynote speaker, Brooklyn-born Francine Prose, author of 13 novels as well as a bevy of best-selling nonfiction, children’s books, novellas and a couple collections of short fiction. If you must miss her at the conference, Prose will be leading a keynote presentation Saturday evening, September 17 at Memorial Hall alongside Danzy Senna.
The 2011 KWWC will conclude Sunday evening at the Carnegie Center with Stars with Accents (also free and open to the public) hosted by Katernina Stoykover Klemer and featuring celebrated southern writers Jane Gentry Vance, Honoree Fannone Jeffers and Jan Isenhour.
Whether you are a writer, a reader or a lover of smart women, mark your calendars. Summer days may be dwindling but the creative spirit in our city thrives.
For a full schedule of events or to learn more about this year’s presenters, visit the official KWWC website at http://www.uky.edu/WWK/events.html
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