A Look Back at the 2011 Conference

The 2011 Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference was an enormous success, bringing together nearly 300 writers for four days of classes, lectures, panels and readings. Participants included ASU graduate and undergraduate students, community college students and faculty, over two dozen high school students and their teachers, and writers from across the Valley, from Tucson and Prescott, from Texas, New Mexico, California and Oregon, from Massachusetts and Connecticut, even from Winnipeg and Wales.

Conference highlights included keynote lectures by Alberto Rios and Robert Boswell, the opening night banquet featuring readings by Andrea Barrett, Tony Hoagland, and Jem Poster, intimate classes from master teachers, and opportunities to actually put words on the page in "Write Here" sessions.

"It invigorated my mind, woke me up from a observational slumber, and connected me with people who love writing," said one participant.

Sales of Jake Early's conference print and Piper Center broadsides were brisk; a few signed, numbered prints are still available. For information, contact the Piper Center at 480-965-6018.

All of us at the Piper Center are especially grateful to the volunteers who helped things to run so smoothly, including ASU undergraduates and MFA students.

Over 60-percent of this year's participants were at their first Desert Nights, Rising Stars conference, and we were delighted to hear so many people say, "I loved this conference. It was well worth it and I can't wait until next year."

See you in 2012!

Click HERE to watch videos of conference readings

Click HERE to view the 2011 conference photo gallery

Photo by Kevin S. Moul