Early bird registration extended for writers festival

The second annual Orcas Island Writers Festival will be take place Sept. 17 to 20 in Eastsound.

Early Bird registration has been extended until June 13. Local and visiting talent will collaborate to encourage writers and readers with morning and afternoon workshops and classes and a variety of evening events. Critique workshops will be offered in poetry, creative non-fiction, fiction, and play writing by an award-wining faculty affiliated with the Vermont College MFA program in writing. Locals can also choose to register for morning and afternoon classes geared to increase the knowledge and love of the written word that do not involve critiques. Deb Lund will teach a pre-festival picture book writing class on Thursday. Participants can register for only one day or for all events. Tickets to individual events on Center Stage will be sold at the Orcas Center box office.

All evening events will be held at Orcas Center. Thursday the Olga Symphony will partner with local authors to present Welcome to Orcas! On Friday night, visiting authors Ellen Lesser, Diane Lefer, Matthew Goodman, Jody Gladding, and Washington native Nance Van Winckel, will read selections from their published works. Saturday the 2005 Poet Laureate of California Al Young will collaborate with local musician Martin Lund to bring the island a special evening of poetry and jazz. In the Madrona Room on Sunday night a gourmet dinner by local chef Bill Patterson will be followed by a presentation from local poet Dustin Fox and local musician Carolyn Cruso.

For more information, visit www.orcasislandwritersfestival.com, or contact festivalgurus@orcasislandwritersfestival.com.