Registration Still Open for 5th Annual Washington Island Literary Festival

The Washington Island Literary Festival (WILF), often described as being among the best small literary festivals in the country, has announced it is still accepting registrations for its fifth annual event, “Exploring Frontiers Real and Imagined,” to be held Sept. 22–24 at the Trueblood Performing Arts Center and other Washington Island Island locations.

This year’s Festival Program features Dan Egan, the New York Times-reviewed author of THE DEATH AND LIFE OF THE GREAT LAKES; Rachel DeWoskin, author of BLIND, a young-adult novel; Amy Hassinger, author of AFTER THE DAM; David Stuart MacLean, author of THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE IS ME: A Memoir of Amnesia; and Kao Kalia Yang, author of THE SONG POET.

Optional workshops for writers and readers will be presented on Friday, September 22. On Friday morning, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, Karla Huston, the Wisconsin Poet Laureate, will present “Reading Poetry for Pleasure; Reading Like a Writer.” Also on Friday morning, poet James McCormick, who teaches at State University of New York-Buffalo, will present “Formalism: Poetry with the Net Up.”

Friday afternoon from 2:30 to 4:30 pm, four workshops will be presented: Amy Hassinger will present “The How of Where: Writing Place”; David Stuart MacLean will present “Memoir While Falling Down Stairs”; Rachel DeWoskin will present “The Present Tense Drama of Young Adult Writing,” and Kao Kalia Yang will present “Poetry in Prose.”

Individual workshop registrations are open to interested readers and writers, separately from overall Festival registration. The cost is $75 for the first workshop registration, and $65 for additional workshops.

There are several different registration options available for this year’s Festival program:

• Standard Program Registration includes the Friday evening reception at the Farm Museum Barn, hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and introductions; continental breakfast at the TPAC from 8-9 am Saturday, all presentations on Saturday, the Backstage Book Store and author signings, and dinner at Historic Island Dairy Saturday evening, along with presentation of the 2017 Norbert Blei Award for Poetry. Cost for the Standard Program Registration is $125.
• Single Day Registration includes continental breakfast at the TPAC and all presentations on Saturday, Backstage Bookstore and author signing. The cost is $90.
• Optional Sunday Brunch is a separate event. Registration includes brunch at the Hotel Washington with the authors, WILF Committee members and other guests. There will be a lively discussion of what authors and guests are reading now and why. Cost to register for the brunch is $30.

For Registration forms and additional information, visit www.truebloodpac.com;  washingtonislandliteraryfestival.com; or stop by Fair Isle Books at 1885 Detroit Harbor Road, next to the Red Cup Coffeehouse.