The Austin Writers’ League (AWL) has a busy fall coming up for members and
aspiring authors:
* The AWL is now accepting entries for the Sixth Annual Violet Crown Book
Awards — named after an O. Henry reference to Austin as “the City of the
Violet Crown” — to honor three outstanding published books written by league
members. Three $1,000 prizes will be awarded in the categories of fiction,
nonfiction, and literary (poetry, essays, short stories). Only AWL members are
eligible, but authors may join when submitting an entry. Entered books must
have been published between Sept. 1, 1995 and August 31, 1996, and entries are
due August 31.
* The AWL is also taking registrations for their fall workshops. The lineup
includes: Billy (Diddy Wah Diddy) Porterfield offering the “Lowdown on
Nonfiction” Sept. 14, the same day Susan Wade (Walking Rain) presents
“Fiction Proposal and Outline”; Sept. 21 will feature “Mysterious Characters”
by Purple Sage series author Barbara Burnett Smith and “Travel Writing” by Lin
Sutherland; publicist Leann Phenix presents “Book Promotion/Marketing” and
Channel 36 morning news anchor Larry Brill does “Handling the Interview” on
Sept. 28; “Book Proposals and Beyond” by Tom Ferguson and “Writing for the
World-Wide Web” by Donn LeVie come on Oct. 5; and former Michener Fellow
Dorothy Barnett teaches a two-day advanced writing intensive on “Writing Our
Stories as Memoir and/or Fiction”
Sept. 14 and 28.
* Informal classes offered by the AWL this fall include Joan Neubauer, author
of From Memories to Manuscript: The Five-Step Method of Writing Your Life
Story, who will teach a class on that subject for four Tuesdays, beginning
Sept. 10; Western writer Frederic Bean will teach “Advanced Techniques in
Fiction” beginning Sept. 9; Creative writing instructor Laurie Drummond will
teach “The Short Story: Conception to Publication” Wednesdays beginning Sept.
11, with a second session to begin in October; and Sharon Kahn, author of
Kacy and the Space Shuttle, will teach “Writing Children’s Books” on
Sept. 5 and 12.
For information on registration or any of these events, call the AWL at
499-8914…
— Lee Nichols
This article appears in August 23 • 1996 and August 23 • 1996 (Cover).