March Third Thursday: “Dedicated: Who We Write For and Why”
March 21, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CDT
Free
- This event has passed.
This Event is for Members only.
Click here to learn more about benefits of membership
For our March Third Thursday, we’ll be back in-person at BookPeople. If you’re in the Austin area, we hope you’ll join us on March 21.
For this special event, we’ll be in conversation with three authors we admire – Roger Reeves, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Sasha West – all about who we write for and why. From the dedication page in a published book, to the ideal reader in our heads as we begin a new project, to the future market for a story or essay or poem, this discussion will examine the relationship between writer and audience. Our panelists bring their own unique perspectives – as poets, writers of personal essay, kid lit authors – and we can’t wait to hear their thoughts on this topic.
This conversation will be moderated by WLT Program Director Sarah Renee Beach. Come out and say hello to your friendly WLT staff, meet other writers, and soak up the awesomeness that is our literary community.
TAKE NOTE! A portion of ALL sales on March 21, 2024 (in-person or online!) will go to the WLT, part of BookPeople’s Day of Sales program. Whether or not you can make it out to BookPeople, we hope you’ll buy some books to support the Writers’ League of Texas!
No need to RSVP for this in-person event (you can just show up), but if you’d like us to send you a reminder in the days leading up, register above and we’ll be sure to!
And if you’re not in the area, don’t worry! We’ll be livestreaming on our WLT YouTube Channel.
Buy our panelists books and support indie bookstores! You can find our March Third Thursday booklist here.
Featured Presenter(s)
-
Roger Reeves is the author of Dark Days: Fugitive Essays (Graywolf, 2023) and Best Barbarian (W.W. Norton & Co., 2022), a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Tracy K. Smith called it “a revelation and a form of reparation.” His debut collection is King Me (Copper Canyon Press, 2013), a Library Journal Best Poetry Book of the year, and winner of the Larry Levis Reading Prize, the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award, and a John C. Zacharis First Book Award. His essays have appeared in Granta, the Yale Review, and elsewhere. His poems have appeared in journals such as Poetry, Ploughshares, American Poetry Review, Boston Review, and Tin House, among others. He was awarded a 2013 NEA Fellowship, Ruth Lilly Fellowship by the Poetry Foundation in 2008, a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, two Bread Loaf Scholarships, an Alberta H. Walker Scholarship from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, two Cave Canem Fellowships and a Whiting Award.
He earned a B.A. in English from Morehouse College, an M.A. in English from Texas A & M University, an MFA from the James A. Michener Center for Creative Writing at the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently a fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute and an associate professor of English and creative writing at the University of Texas at Austin. -
Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous beloved books for young people, including picture books Frances in the Country; Kate, Who Tamed the Wind; One Dark Bird; the Caldecott honored All the World, and many others, illustrated by some of the very best artists in the business. She's also co-authored several books with her pal Audrey Vernick, including the hilarious Bob, Not Bob, and the brand new World’s Best Class Plant. Scanlon’s middle grade novels are The Great Good Summer and Lolo's Light, and her chapter book series debuts in 2024. Liz has taught at Austin Community College, the Writing Barn, the Writers’ League of Texas, and at countless schools and conferences. She currently serves on the faculty of the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and lives in Austin, Texas. Find more at www.LizGartonScanlon.com -
Sasha West is the author of How to Abandon Ship, finalist for the 2025 Kingsley Tufts and winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Burdine C. Johnson Best Book of Poetry Award. Her first book, Failure and I Bury the Body, was a National Poetry Series selection and received a Texas Institute of Letters First Book of Poetry Award. Her work has appeared in journals and anthologies, including: American Poetry Review, Ecotone, Georgia Review, The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood, and Out of Time: Poetry from the Climate Emergency. As eco-arts collaborative Hammonds + West, her multi-media shows with visual artist Hollis Hammonds have been exhibited at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Texas A&M, ArtPrize Michigan, and elsewhere. She is an Associate Professor at St. Edward’s University in Austin, where she founded the Environmental Humanities program.
Before purchasing, please read all policies as noted below and on our Accessibility and Policies page.
If your browser has difficulty with our website store, or if you prefer to mail in a check, click here for a class registration form. The document provides instructions on where to mail it. If you prefer this option, please email wlt@writersleague.org with a copy of the form as well to ensure we add you to the class roster as soon as possible.
Expecting to see the member price, but it’s not appearing?
Confirm you are logged into your account first and foremost. The member price will only appear when you are logged into your account and have an active membership on file. If you are having trouble accessing your account, please email wlt@writersleague.org and explain the situation.
Class & Event Registration Policy
Once a purchase has been made, registrations are not refundable and cannot be transferred to a different class or event. No exceptions will be made. If you purchase a registration and then find you cannot attend the class or event, someone else can attend in your stead. Simply contact us at wlt@writersleague.org and let us know the name and contact information for the person who will be using the registration so that we can update the class or event roster.
Newsletter Opt In
By registering for this event, you opt in to receiving marketing communications from WLT. Your email will not be shared with any unrelated organizations or marketing groups. If you wish to unsubscribe from these communications, you may do so by hitting the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the emails.
Anti-Harassment Policy
The Writers’ League of Texas is dedicated to providing harassment-free spaces for everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Violating these rules may result in expulsion from WLT programs without a refund at the discretion of the WLT staff.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Comments that reinforce social structures of domination (related to gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion);
- Sexual images not appropriate for the specific subject of the public discussion;
- Deliberate intimidation or stalking;
- Harassing photography or recording;
- Sustained disruption of discussions or other events;
- Unwelcome sexual attention;
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
Enforcement
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund. Event organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules during all events and event-related social activities.
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Reports can also be made via email at wlt@writersleague.org. We’ll handle any and all reports as respectfully as possible. You won’t be asked to confront anyone, and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Accessibility Policy
Closed captioning is available for all online classes and special events.
The WLT is committed to making its programs & services accessible to all writers. Please contact us at wlt@writersleague.org or at 512-499-8914 for more information or to discuss accommodations you may need.
Credit Card Transaction Handling Fee Policy
All credit card transactions will incur a 4% handling fee. If you’d prefer to pay by check for membership, a class, or an event, you can use the provided forms on the membership or event pages and mail to: WLT, P.O. Box 14355, Austin, TX, 78704.
Writers’ League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts – Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to www.arts.texas.gov.