Poynter to Host Public Writing Workshop in Seattle

Authors Jess Walter, Jim Lynch and Ken Armstrong are featured among all-star lineup

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute, one of the country's top journalism training centers, will travel to Seattle to present a one-day writing workshop designed to help writers of all experience levels improve their skills. Featuring some of the Northwest's most successful authors and led by Poynter senior scholar and longtime writing coach, Roy Peter Clark, "Write Your Heart Out, Seattle" will be held at the Seattle Public Library on Saturday, November 17, from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.  The event will be co-hosted by The Seattle Times.

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"This is a workshop designed to benefit all writers," said Clark. "Good writing is not magic; it's a craft, a set of steps. Those steps can be perfected by new writers or veterans, by amateurs or professionals, by a journalist writing a first book or a grandmother working on a family history. Some of the Northwest's best authors are sharing their secrets in support of a community of writers."

"Write Your Heart Out, Seattle" will feature a series of presentations with many opportunities for audience members to ask questions. The lineup features:

Roy Peter Clark, Poynter Senior Scholar, has written or edited 15 books on writing and journalism, the most influential being "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer."

Jess Walter is the author of one non-fiction book and six novels, most recently the New York Times bestseller, "Beautiful Ruins." He is a winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award and a National Book Award finalist.

Nancy Rawles is a writer and teacher. Her books deal with issues of race, gender and class in American culture, including her latest book, "Miz Sparks Is On Fire And This Ain't No Drill."

Jim Lynch is the author of three acclaimed novels set in the Northwest. "The Highest Tide" won the 2006 Pacific Northwest Bookseller Award and was an international bestseller.

Jacqui Banaszynski, Knight Chair Professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor. Most recently, she was a managing editor with The Seattle Times.

Ken Armstrong, a Seattle Times reporter, won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting and the 2011 Edgar Award for non-fiction. He has co-authored two books, including "Scoreboard, Baby."

The presenters will address a list of topics, to include Steps in the Writing Process; Reliable Tools and Strategies; Plot and Sequence of Scenes; Quotes and Dialogue; Story Forms and Genres; Editing and Revising Your Own Work; Writing Quickly; and Finding Your Voice, among many others.

This is the first time Poynter will offer the "Write Your Heart Out" program in Seattle. Workshops hosted in Washington D.C. with The Washington Post garnered positive reviews:

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for the variety of presenters – and such a high caliber! They were engaging, knowledgeable and informative. This seminar was excellent."

"Great event! Thank you for providing access to some of the country's finest writers and reporters."

"Outstanding forum. Well worth the investment of time and cost. Sparked much thought and creative energy."

Tickets for "Write Your Heart Out, Seattle" are $195, which includes lunch. The workshop will be held in the Microsoft Auditorium at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue. Seating is limited. For more information or to register, please visit www.poynter.org/WriteYourHeartOutNov, or call 888-769-6837.

About The Poynter Institute
Founded in 1975 in St. Petersburg, Fla., The Poynter Institute is one of the nation's top schools for professional journalists and news media leaders, as well as future journalists and journalism teachers. Poynter offers training throughout the year in the areas of online and multimedia, leadership and management, reporting, writing and editing, TV and radio, ethics and diversity, journalism education and visual journalism. Poynter's News University (www.newsu.org) offers journalism training to the public through more than 200 interactive modules and other forms of e-learning. It has more than 200,000 registered users in 225 countries. Poynter's website, (www.poynter.org) is the dominant provider of journalism news, with a focus on business analysis and the opportunities and implications of technology.

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SOURCE The Poynter Institute