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Novelist Larry Baker Visits USF Creative Writing Program
[01.30.2015]

TAMPA, Fla. -- Novelist Larry Baker met with both graduate and undergraduate students of USF’s Creative Writing Program as part of the Florida Literary Arts Coalition (FLAC) Writer’s Circuit on Jan. 29, 2015. Baker started off by asking students if they’ve been learning rules for writing and immediately began to emphasize that there are, in his opinion, no rules for writing, except that you “must work” at it. He said it is a great way to live, but it helps if you have “imagination and experience” – experience including the reading of other great writers (e.g. T.S. Eliot, Flannery O’Connor, and Emily Dickinson).

Baker spent 20 minutes reading from his latest novel, The Education of Nancy Adams, but the bulk of his visit was a combination Q&A and candid conversation. Baker gave students insight into his creative process, emphasizing to students the importance of seeking the time and space to write, and that each writer must find what works for him or herself. For Baker, his process includes a six-hour workday in solitude, which begins with writing three to four hours of “new stuff,” followed by an hour or two of slowing down and re-reading his work. His goal is to write at least 1,000 words each day.

While Baker was the final FLAC reader of the school year, please consider joining us during other Humanities Institute and creative writing program-sponsored readings, including:

• Ellen Klages, Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 6 p.m. in the TECO Room (College of Education Building) • Naomi Shihab Nye, Monday, March 30, 2015, 6 p.m. *Location TBA • Naomi Shihab Nye (Discussion Panel), Wednesday, April 1, 2015, 6 p.m. *Location TBA • Sarah Beckwith (Annual Shakespeare Lecture), Monday, April 6, 2015, 6 p.m. *Location TBA • Jacqueline Osherow, Thursday, April 16, 2015, 6 p.m. in the TECO Room (College of Education Building) • Meg Day, Sandra Beasley, and Others (Discussion Panel), Tuesday, April 21, 2015, 6 p.m. in the TECO Room (College of Education Building) • Meg Day & Sandra Beasley, Wednesday, April 22, 2015, 6 p.m. in the TECO Room (College of Education Building)

Filed under:English Arts and Sciences    
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Author:Sarah Duffy
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