Hollihock Writers Conference: three days of inspiration

By Laura LaTour
Posted 8/19/16

In high school, Dominic Perri couldn’t book a gig for his band anywhere. Frustrated by the lack of available venues, Perri created his own music festival in the Franklin Town Common. Problem …

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Hollihock Writers Conference: three days of inspiration

Posted

In high school, Dominic Perri couldn’t book a gig for his band anywhere. Frustrated by the lack of available venues, Perri created his own music festival in the Franklin Town Common. Problem solved. Not only was his own band able to perform in front of a live audience, but other musicians could also reap the benefits.

It is this same DIY attitude and communal spirit which led Perri, an ad hoc professor and writer of speculative fiction, to create The Hollihock Writer’s Conference last year in New Bedford. After graduating from Goddard College in 2014, Perri realized he missed the inspiration and community of fellow writers and decided he “wanted to condense [the experience] into a smaller, more manageable program.”

Now in its second year, the three-day conference welcomes all writers, from beginners intimidated by the blank page, to published professionals looking for a network of fellow creative thinkers. Aspiring writers can attend panels, get their hands dirty in workshops and master classes, and hear professional writers and authors share their work.

Mary Johnson is an author and the Director at Room of Her Own, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women writers. She will deliver the keynote address Saturday on how to overcome fear in writing. Johnson, author of the memoir Unquenchable Thirst, endured many moments of doubt and fear while writing about her experiences as a nun in Mother Teresa’s order.

“Writing the book was very scary for me...people have a specific idea of Mother Teresa and some of the things I had to say contradict what people think.” Johnson says she “needed to be very honest about the growing realization of myself as a sexual person and what it was like trying to live a celibate life.” Johnson confesses that there were times when she was so overcome by emotion while writing that she fainted. “People don’t normally think of writing as a terrifying process...but it can be.”

Young adult author Kristy Acevedo, whose sci-fi thriller "Consider" won the PEN New England Award, will be teaching the class, “Authenticity in Young Adult.” As a high school English teacher at New Bedford Voc-Tech, Acevedo is uniquely positioned to observe teenagers in their natural habitat. Acevedo explains, “I want to help make sure we’re not writing in an ‘adult voice’ by creating honest characters who speak and act like real teens.”

Poet Laureate of New Bedford, Patricia Gomes attended last year’s conference and fully endorses the event. “Just to have the opportunity to meet and trade tips and writer’s hacks with others of your creative ilk [is] empowering,” she says. This year, Gomes will attend as a panelist with fellow Boston Poet Laureate, Danielle Georges, moderated by former Poet Laureate of New Bedford Everett Hoagland. Gomes encourages others to attend Hollihock with these words of wisdom: “Separately we are a candle...together we are a bonfire. Come and write!”

The Hollihock Writers Conference will take place at the CVPA Star Store (715 Purchase Street) in downtown New Bedford, beginning Friday, August 26 through Sunday, August 28. Tickets range from $29 for a one-day pass to $69 for all three days. Student tickets cost $39. You may browse the course offerings and purchase tickets online at hollihock.org.

Laura LaTour is an avid reader, a former bookseller and author-events coordinator, and is currently working as a freelance writer and publicist. Drop her a line, and tell her what you are reading: Laura@LaTourCreations.com.

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