Eleven valley high school writers and two area teachers are being honored today (March 28) at the Young Writers’ Conference at California State University, Fresno.

The teachers honored with the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project Awards for Excellence in Teaching Creative Writing are Linda Jacobsen of Bullard High School and Erin Cook of Central High School, East.

The 2001 Young Writers Conference Award recipients are:

• Fresno Poets Association: Evan Klavon, Edison High School, “Shadow.”

• Fresno Area Council of Teachers: Patricia Olson, Central High School, East, “Picture Poem” (poem); Preston Easter, Hoover High School, “The Toaster” (fiction); Tina Torrance, Hoover High School, “There’s No Place Like Home” (creative nonfiction); Daniel Fitzpatrick, Bullard High School, “English” (poem).

• Valley Writers Network: Angelica Velasquez, Monache High School, “Listen” (poem); Nazia Khan, Bullard High School, “Pure Home” (poem); Ryan Seals, Sunnyside High School, “Draw Me Twice” (poem).

• William Saroyan Awards for Short Fiction: Adriana Eisner, Bullard High School, “A Found Monologue” (fiction); Patricia Olson, Central High School, “Back Against the Wall” (fiction).

• English Graduate Student Association: Linda Do, Clovis West High School, “Winter’s Well” (poem); Karly Kaufman, Bullard High School, “Oval” (creative nonfiction).

They are among 400 participants on campus for writing workshops and to meet professional writers and graduate college student writers.

Also being released today is Spectrum, the conference anthology that includes the works of the participating students submitted for today’s judging. More than 200 manuscripts were submitted for the anthology.

The conference workshops run until 2 p.m. For details, contact Fresno State English professors Connie Hales at 278-2359 or Liza Weiland Weiland at 278-2660.

———————–earlier release for background———————–

400 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EXPECTED FOR YOUNG WRITERS CONFERENCE MARCH 28

About 400 valley high school students are expected for the Young Writers’ Conference on Wednesday, March 28, from 9:15 to 2 p.m. at California State University, Fresno.

Poet Ruth Schwartz, author of two prize-winning books of poems and the newest member of Fresno State’s creative writing faculty, will be the keynote speaker in the Satellite Student Union at 10 a.m. following an awards presentation to 11 students for their writing.

The conference features workshops as well as Spectrum, an anthology of work submitted by students in advance for judging. More than 200 manuscripts have been submitted for the anthology said Connie Hales, who is co-coordinator along with fellow Fresno State English professor Liza Weiland.

From noon to 2 p.m., the students will break out into small workshop groups taught by Fresno State graduate students in the Masters of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing or the Masters of Arts in Nonfiction Prose Option.

The university has presented the conference the past 20 years to provide an opportunity for young writers to hear a professional writer read his or her work and answer questions about the creative writing process and the profession in general, Hales said.

“The conference allows students to meet and interact with other student writers from across the valley, to get a taste of what a university level writing workshop might be like and to get expert feedback on their own writing,” Hales said. “It is also an excellent opportunity for idea exchange among teachers who come and participate.”

Co-sponsors include Clovis Unified School District, Fresno Unified School District, English Graduate Student Association, San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, California Reading and Literature Project, the Fresno Area Council of English Teachers, the Fig Garden Bookstore in Fresno and University Relations Office at Fresno State.

For details, contact Hales at 278-2359 or Weiland at 278-2660.