Winter Park Writing Festival of the Arts
Winter Park has a growing community for the Arts, as well as a rich history. Valencia College contributes to the arts community of Winter Park. Each October, Valencia’s Winter Park campus holds the Writing Festival. A day of workshops and readings by diverse authors from around Central Florida. Past Writing Festivals have featured presentations from Richard Blanco, acclaimed presidential inaugural poet. Shawn Welcome, founder of the longest-running open mic in Orlando. Even author Brian Turner, husband of the festival’s beloved founder and poet Ilyse Kusnetz. Ilyse Kusnetz was an English professor at Valencia College. Ilyse has released several works, including her book “Small Hours” and “Angel Bones.” Her husband Brian Turner is a poet and memoirist who was deployed in Bosnia-Herzegovina and an infantry leader in Iraq. Turner’s first book “Here, Bullet” details his time spent in Iraq.
This Year’s Writing Festival
When Ilyse passed in 2016, she left us her beautiful poetry (we suggest her new posthumous collection “Angel Bones”) and this event is a way for us to reflect on how our words could enrich our communities. In that spirit, this year’s Writing Festival will feature a letter exchange, a curated open mic with special guests, and delicious snacks. Past workshops have focused on publishing resources, how to get involved in the writing communities of Orlando, and where to find inspiration for your own work. Last year’s festival also featured the talents of musical guest “The Interplanetary Acoustic Team”. There’s a little fun for everyone!
English professor and director of the writing center Chris Brown will host the event, as he has for the past two years. If you would like to have your writing featured at the festival, please email Chris at cbrown214@valenciacollege.edu to be considered for the reading on the evening of October 17, 2019. The Valencia College Writing Festival is a free event and open to the community. We encourage everyone to attend: local writers, students, and anyone with a passion for writing.
