Writer's festival a success

According to all accounts, last weekend's Eugene Walter Writer's Festival was a smashing success, and organizers are looking forward to making it an annual event. The festival, which is sponsored by the University of South Alabama's Arts and Science Department, honors the literary contributions of the late Eugene Walter, a native Mobile scribe who gained fame for his 1953 novel "The Untidy Pilgrim," a book that won the author a Lippincott Prize.

The three-day conference was open to anyone interested in literature, writing and publishing and offered a number of seminars hosted by industry insiders that shed light on the business. Rebecca Barrett, the conference coordinator, said that she had tried to get the festival off the ground a few years ago. However it didn't come together until a few "kind souls" joined her in devoting time and resources. Now, in addition to the workshops, the EWWF committee also sponsors a writing contest. Those winners, some thirty or more, were acknowledged and awarded at a banquet Sunday.

"The contest gives a voice to talented writers in a very competitive industry." Barrett said. "That was a goal of Eugene's, and it has been one that we have received very well. Eugene was always a champion of the struggling artist."

The seminars focused on topics from screenwriting to book reviews, and also included sessions regarding fiction and non-fiction writing, historical perspectives on the novel, and poetry in the "New South." The poetry panel included Alabama's Poet Laureate Sue Walker and USA faculty members Tom West and Bruce Alford. The three outlined the South's role in contemporary poetry and the characterizations of southern poets. They all seemed to agree that genuine southern poetry is culturally influenced and has one foot in the future and another in the past. Walker also cautioned against ruining a poem with fear.

"Being afraid of who will read your poetry and what they will think of it kills the spontaneity and freedom of the form." Walker said. Alford added that, "focusing too much on rhyme or meter is a mistake that many writers make."

A room in the Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel was packed for an editor's panel called "We're looking for ???? and How to Make Us Want Yours," which focused on the steps necessary to get attention from publishers. Representatives from Bantam books, River City Publishing, Poisoned Pen Press, and NAL busted myths about the enigma of the national publishing and promotion.

Derrick Pohler, an amateur writer who has never attempted to publish any material, said that the conference answered a lot of his questions. "I came here knowing next to nothing about agents and the industry, but now I feel like I can pursue writing as something more than just a hobby."

Barrett said that next year's festival is already in the planning stages. "We're extremely satisfied with the community's response." Barrett said. "I think we have the ability to capitalize on the interest and really solidify this festival as an annual event."