HOUGHTON COLLEGE ANNOUNCES SPRING WRITING FESTIVAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 2, 2007
CONTACT: Sarah Lingenfelter, Media Relations 585.567.9559

HOUGHTON COLLEGE ANNOUNCES SPRING WRITING FESTIVAL

HOUGHTON, N.Y.—Houghton College announces its Spring Writing Festival “For Such a Time as This,” with authors Leslie Leyland-Fields, Jean Janzen, Susanna Childress and Lawrence Wilson on April 18-20.

Leslie Leyland-Fields is a professor of creative nonfiction in Seattle Pacific University’s MFA program. She has written five books including “Surprise Child” and “Surviving the Island of Grace.” She also runs The Northern Pen, a multi-faceted professional writing service.

Jean Janzen has taught poetry at Fresno Pacific University in California and at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. She has six collections of poetry, the latest entitled “Piano in the Vineyard,” and a book of essays “Elements of Faithful Writing.” Janzen also has written hymn texts which have been published in various hymnals in the last decade.

Susanna Childress teaches at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Her first volume of poetry, “Jagged with Love,” was selected by Billy Collins for the Brittingham Poetry Prize as well as by the University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale for their Devil’s Kitchen Literary Award.

Lawrence Wilson is the editorial director for Wesleyan Publishing House. In this role he has overseen the development of innovative Christian resources including the popular “Lectio Divina” Bible studies and the “Wesleyan Bible Commentary Series.” He is the author of “When Life Doesn’t Turn Out the Way You Expect” and “Why Me? Straight Talk About Suffering.”

Following is the complete festival schedule:

Wednesday, April 18

3:15 p.m. Talking Over Poems with Jean Janzen Chamberlain Center 103

8:00 p.m. Jean Janzen—Poetry Reading Library 323

Thursday, April 19

9:30 a.m. Larry Wilson—Publishing Workshop I Library Study Room

1:15 p.m. Leslie Leyland-Fields—Apologia Library Study Room

2:30 p.m. A Conversation with Jean Janzen Library Study Room

Laurie Dashnau, interviewer

3:30 p.m. Senior Readings Library Study Room

James Zoller, moderator

7:30 p.m. Susanna Childress—Poetry Reading Library 323

8:30 p.m. A Conversation with Susanna Library 323 Childress

Linda Mills Woolsey, interviewer

Friday, April 20

9:00 a.m. Larry Wilson—Publishing Workshop II Library Study Room

11:00 a.m. Leslie Leyland Fields—Reading Chapel

1:15 p.m. A Conversation with Leslie Leyland Library Study Room

Fields

Jayne Maugans, interviewer

3:15 p.m. Panel Discussion: CFA Recital Hall

“For Such a Time as This: Women

Writers in the 21st Century” Fields,

Childress, Janzen

Lori Huth, moderator

4:15 p.m. Reception/book signing CFA Atrium

The writing festival, sponsored by the Houghton College writing department, is free and open to the public. For more information call 585.567.9670.