Bay Path University Writer’s Day Slated for April 14

EAST LONGMEADOW — Aspiring writers and published authors will assemble at Bay Path University’s East Longmeadow campus on Sunday, April 14 for Bay Path’s 18th Writers’ Day. Guest speakers this year include Jane Yolen, Shahnaz Habib, and C. Flanagan Flynn, and workshop topics include writing and publishing in literary magazines and journals, writing about home, and writing for young readers.

The first hour-long workshop of the day, scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m., will focus on being published in literary magazines and journals. Flynn, former managing editor of Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers and Brain, Teen: The Magazine for Thinking Parents, will teach how to hone query letters, personal essays, and memoir excerpts to catch an editor’s eye and answer the question: what’s the unique angle I can bring to readers? Learning how to use Submittable and Duotrope and other writing venues will also be covered.

The second workshop, scheduled to begin at 1:50 p.m., will focus on how culture, language, and heritage can shape a writer’s identity. Habib, who grew up in India, lives in the U.S., and translates from the south Indian language of Malayalam, will read from one of her recent essays, “A Kerala Native” (published in AFAR) and discuss the challenges and revelations in the act of writing and rewriting about home.

The third and final workshop, scheduled to begin at 3:10 p.m., is a primer on writing and publishing children’s and young adult books. Yolen, called both the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the 20th century, and a multiple-award-winning Pioneer Valley resident, will share some of what she’s learned while penning more than 365 books of prose and poetry for children and adults. Yolen will speak about the breadth and width of children’s book publishing from the 19th century to today, specifically about ever-popular picture books, so easy to read but so challenging to write well. The hows and whys of reaching a variety of young readers will also be discussed.

Check-in begins at noon, and refreshments will be served. Workshops can be purchased individually, or purchased as two- or three-workshop packages with special pricing. The event is open to the public and will be held at the Ryan Center, 1 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow. For more information and to register, visit www.baypath.edu/writersday.