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WRITER'S SUPPORT
Sponsored by the South Dakota Arts Council
Ron Carlson: The Art of Short Stories
Few writers' work has received Stephen King’s stamp of approval, but King endorsed Ron Carlson’s 2007 book, Ron Carlson Writes a Story: “Do yourself a favor and read Ron Carlson.” Booklist agreed, calling Carlson “a master of the short story.” Festival attendees will discover why Carlson has received such high praise when he shares his insights in the Writer’s Support track.
Carlson knows how to help writers. He’s the director of the M.F.A. in fiction at the University of California, Irvine. He’s penned five novels, four collections of short stories and received the O. Henry prize, a National Endowment for the Arts Fiction Fellowship and a National Society of Arts and Letters Literature Award. His 2007 novel, Five Skies, was Rhode Island’s 2009 One Book Selection. Publishers Weekly called Five Skies “stunning” and “a tour de force of grief, atonement and the cost of loyalty.” Washington Post writer Michael Dirda says that Carlson “can turn even a shopping list into a poem.”
Carlson describes Ron Carlson Writes a Story as “the story of a story.” Readers accompany Carlson from inspiration to finished product as he writes a short story, “The Governor’s Ball.” The Bloomsbury Review says, “His clear focus on the problem at hand and his often simple but effective solutions are inspirational.”
Carlson’s latest book, The Signal: A Novel, is a tale of love and peril involving Mack and Vonnie, a husband and wife taking one last backpacking trip before they part for good. Unbeknownst to Vonnie, Mack has another reason for the trip: he is looking for something that has fallen from the sky.
Track Preview
Other publishing professionals bringing advice and encouragement include children’s authors Jill Esbaum, Elaine Alphin, Gary Schmidt, Obert Skye, and illustrator/writer Carolyn Conahan. The breadth of their knowledge spans from laugh-out-loud picture books to young adult books both serious and comic. Elizabeth Cook-Lynn and Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve will provide insight on tribal authorship. John Miller and Kevin Adams will discuss peer review and an editor’s role in writing history. Craig Johnson and Lori Armstrong will offer clues to crafting successful mystery and suspense fiction. Publisher Joe Mierau from Pine Hill Press and poet Gary Westgaard will discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing.
Dakota Photography
One of the best days of Greg Latza’s life was resigning from the Argus Leader. “It was thrilling,” he says. “I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my camera bag.” The next day, Latza launched his freelancing career.
In 1999, Latza and his wife self-published Back on the Farm: Celebrating South Dakota Farm and Ranch Families, a pictorial study of South Dakota’s agriculture. Four thousand copies arrived on their doorstep in October. The book nearly sold out by Christmas.
Latza’s latest book is Sioux Falls: A Photographic Journal. Others include South Dakota Spirit, Hometown S.D.: Life in Our Small Towns, Blue Stars (a look at 44 World War II veterans) and The Missouri (with essays by Kevin Woster).
Latza and Dr. Judith Peterson will share their photography expertise. Peterson has written for television, magazines, and books.