Literary Arts Day in Morgantown

Morgantown Writers and the WVU Press are co-sponsoring a Literary Arts Day that combines a Short Story Reading on Friday Oct. 29, at Arts Monongahela Gallery by the rising West Virginia novelist Marie Manilla, with a writing workshop led by the author the next morning Oct. 30 at the Morgantown Public Library.

The two-day Literary Arts program includes:

The reading on Friday Oct. 29 begins with a writers reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by Manilla’s reading at 7:15 p.m., with music entertainment, and a book signing. Arts Mon will host a reception to celebrate the WVU Press release of Manilla’s short story collection, “Still Life With Plums”, a vibrant blend of dark humor and magic realism.

The workshop, “Put the 'Wow!' into Your Short Story” is on Saturday Oct. 30, led by Manilla who teaches creative writing at Marshall University. Hosted by Morgantown Writers, it will emphasize techniques that get the attention of editors and readers.

Featured author Marie Manilla is a West Virginia native and graduate of the famous Iowa Writers Workshop. Her new collection of short stories includes a cast of characters from the southern portion of the United States. “Still Life With Plums” weaves together the outwardly distant lives of several strangers, such as a “Black-Irish” West Virginian, a wise-cracking dog groomer, an emasculated husband, a Guatemalan widow, a Japanese-Latin-American poster child from WWII, and a meticulous predator.”

Manilla’s stories have appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Prairie Schooner, Mississippi Review, Calyx Journal, Kestrel, Portland Review, GSU Review, and other journals. She has written the forthcoming novel “Shrapnel”, which received a Fred Bonnie Award for Best First Novel by a writer.

The Oct. 30 workshop starts at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 11:45 a.m., at the Morgantown Public Library. There is a small fee for materials and registration is required. Seating is limited to 12 writers. To register, write to – Patricia.Patteson@mail.wvu.edu The writers meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the public library.

This Literary Arts program is made possible through collaboration of the WVU Press, Morgantown Writers, and Arts Monongalia. The WVU Press is the official press of West Virginia University, publishing a range of WV book titles. Arts Monongalia is a leader in promoting the arts in Monongalia County. Since 1994, MWG Writers have hosted Literary Arts events and provided resources, workshops, and services for writers in north central West Virginia.