West Virginia State University Creators Program Offers Workshops for Writers, Photographers

1/19/2021

---

Contact: Jack Bailey
(304) 766-4109
jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
   
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The spring season of the West Virginia State University Economic Development Center’s (WVSU EDC) Creators Program includes a pair of talks targeting writers, storytellers and photographers. The free sessions will take place virtually January through April, beginning Wednesday, January 27.

“We are pleased to continue offering our Creators Program workshops for media and the arts, now in a fully virtual setting,” said Tiffany Ellis-Williams, director of the WVSU EDC. “In the upcoming workshops, the WVSU EDC would like to foster a creative environment that not only teaches storytelling and photography but spurs an entrepreneurial spirit among participants to tell the story of their communities, business and culture.”

The full schedule of upcoming sessions is as follows.

• Preserving Oral Histories – Wednesday, January 27 at 7 p.m. Presented by Stan Bumgardner. 

Now that you’ve interviewed someone, what’s next? How can you take your interview and translate it into something you can share with family members or maybe even turn it into a magazine article? This session offers tips on how to transcribe your oral history and compose a more readable document that other family members and friends will cherish.

• Finding the Heart of Your Story – Thursday, February 11, at 7 p.m. Presented by Shelia Redling.

Novels are living things, and bringing them to life can vary from wrangling them like dragons to administering CPR and hoping for the best. No matter how lively or inert your story is, it’s always a good idea to know where the heart of your story is and how to keep it pumping life throughout the writing process. We’ll discuss character evaluation, pacing and tone, as well as other tragedies and adventures that can befall your novel as it comes into the world.

• Street Photography – Tuesday, March 16, at 7 p.m. Presented by Steven Rotsch.

What a photographer should look for as they go through each day, the importance of talking to as many people as possible to find new leads, understanding your subject, being able to explain an entire event with one photograph and the variety of situations you may find yourself. 

• “Missed, Overlooked, Upcoming” – Wednesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. Presented by Marc Harshman.

In his return to the Creators Program, Harshman wants to give attention to some of those authors whose book launches have been postponed during this pandemic or whose upcoming titles may likewise be denied their due celebration. This talk will feature selected readings and biographical sketches as well as a discussion with author Eric Douglas about the role of the poet laureate. Some of the featured authors/poets include Ron Houchin, Carrie Conners, Timothy Russell, Anna Smucker, Bill King, Keith Maillard, Meredith Sue Willis, Joel Peckham and Jake Strautmann.  

The Creators Program launched in 2012 as a series of community workshops focusing on skills and knowledge essential to creating for mass media and art. Workshops and talks are designed for people of all skill levels, including students and others interested in expanding their creative endeavors. 
Funding is provided in part by the West Virginia Humanities Council.

Each Creators Program session is free to attend and will take place virtually via Zoom. To register for a workshop, visit wvsuedc.org. Login information will be provided via email following successful registration.

Follow West Virginia State University on Facebook and Twitter @WVStateU.
 
West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi‐generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.
 
West Virginia State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and does not discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, sex/gender, national origin, ancestry, age, blindness, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status or other category that is protected under federal, State, or local anti-discrimination laws as protected characteristics.