2020 DAVID R. COLLINS VIRTUAL
WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – June 25-27
An Update on the David R. Collins Writers’ Conference
After making every effort to hold some kind of hybrid in-person/virtual Conference, MWC has decided to hold the Conference entirely in a virtual space. After consulting with the faculty, our plan to hold classes at their scheduled times on June 25-27. Class meetings will be held via private Zoom meetings, and MWC staff will work with students and faculty to utilize Google applications for file sharing, posting assignments, group discussion, etc.
The free public events will also be held at their regularly scheduled times, and will be available via livestream. We are also planning a “virtual book fair” on June 27, and Book Pitches and 1-on-1 Critiques will be scheduled between students and instructors in advance.
We understand that this move will be more challenging for some students than others. We are working on ways we can help Conference participants get access and familiarity with this new format in advance of the first day. If you are new to video conferencing, if internet access is an issue, please contact us and let us know—we will do whatever we can to help make participation as easy and as comfortable as possible.
We will continue to offer scholarships to students, veterans, and those with financial need.
2020 DAVID R. COLLINS VIRTUAL
WRITERS’ CONFERENCE – June 25-27
David R. Collins Writers’ Conference – Virtual Edition
June 25, 26, and 27, 2020 (all times CST)
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE | Workshops & Classes via Zoom,
Public Events via Livestream
**Login info for the private workshops and master class will be sent to all registrants the week of the Conference**
Please RSVP for passwords to the Keynote Address and Faculty Readings to sarah.elgatian@mwcqc.org
Online registration for the David R. Collins Writers’ Conference now available!
For more information please email MWC, or to register via phone,
please call MWC at 309-732-7330.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: LYZ LENZ
Thursday, June 25
Livestream starts at 7:00 p.m. CST
Please RSVP for password
to sarah.elgatian@mwcqc.org
MWC is thrilled to welcome award-winner author and Quad City native Lyz Lenz to be the keynote speaker for our 2020 Writers’ Conference. Lenz will appear at a special livestream event on Thursday, June 25, and will lead a virtual master class on Friday, June 26.
Lyz Lenz’s writing has appeared in the Huffington Post, The Washington Post, the Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, Pacific Standard, and others.
Her book God Land was published in 2019, through Indiana University Press. Her second book Belabored is due out from Bold Type Books on August 11, 2020. Lyz’s essay “All the Angry Women” was also included in the anthology Not that Bad edited by Roxane Gay. Lyz received her MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. She lives in Iowa with her two kids and two cats and is a columnist for the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Schedule for Conference Keynote Events with Lyz Lenz
Thursday, June 25, 7:00-8:00 p.m. CST – Virtual Keynote Address and Q & A
Friday, June 26, 12:00-1:00 p.m. CST – Virtual Master Class (included with registration fee; $30 without registration fee)
The 2020 David R. Collins Writers’ Conference is made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and grantors: Modern Woodmen of America, Founding Sponsor; the Regional Development Authority; Illinois Humanities; the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts; the St. Ambrose University English Department; the Figge Art Museum; and Rozz-Tox.
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