Young writers bring talents to campus

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Young writers gather in the Satellite Student Union as Provost Michael Ortiz (center back) enjoys the excitement.

by Tom Uribes

A youthful army of creative talent tapped into the university's creative resources at the 19th Annual Young Writers' Conference hosted by the Department of English and the School of Arts and Humanities on campus March 24.

Awards were presented to 12 high school students and two teachers for poems, fiction or non-fiction prose work they submitted for publication in the conference anthology, Spectrum, which was distributed at the conference.

In addition to hearing Cuban-born author Margarita Engle speak, the 330 students and 28 teachers from 28 Valley schools also attended creative writing workshops conducted by Fresno State faculty and graduate students, mostly from the English Department.

Dr. J. Michael Ortiz, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, lauded the students on their writing endeavors. "The skill you have begun to hone is one of the most important in life - writing," Ortiz told them. "It is the single most important skill to bring to an institution of higher learning."

Connie Hales, English professor here and this year's coordinator, said the university has presented the conference the past 19 years to provide a valuable opportunity for young writers to hear a professional writer read his or her work and answer questions about the creative writing process and the profession in general.

"The conference also allows them to meet and interact with other student writers from across the valley, to get a taste of what a university level writing workshop might be like, and to get feedback on their own writing," she said. "In addition, it provides excellent training and an opportunity for idea exchange among teachers. We believe this conference to be an excellent example of an ongoing collaborative effort between area school districts and the university."

Co-sponsors include Clovis Unified School District, Fresno Unified School District, English Graduate Student Association, San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, California Reading and Literature Project, and Fresno Area Council of English Teachers.