Tempe’s Arizona State University to Host Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference

Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau has Announced that Arizona State University will Host the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference this February

Tempe, AZ – January 24, 2008 – For the 6th year, Arizona State University (ASU) will host the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference February 20-23, 2008.

The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing is sponsoring this annual writer’s conference which includes classes, readings and workshops in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and playwriting. Attendees can also take advantage of an “agent pitch session,” where they can meet individually with a literary agent for 30 minutes to discuss one of their projects. Attendees will also have a chance to meet and learn from a distinguished group of writers including Rick Moody, Louise Glück, Orson Scott Card, Dinty W. Moore, Denise Duhamel and more.

General conference registration is $275. Registration will close on February 13, 2008. For more information about the writer’s conference, call (480) 965-6018, email pipercenter.info@asu.edu or visit www.asu.edu/piper.

The staff members at the Piper Center for Creative Writing are a large part of the event’s success. T. R. Hummer, Director of Creative Writing and Piper Center Domestic Initiatives, is the author of seven books of poetry and has edited The Kenyon Review, New England Review and The Georgia Review.

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes, Director of Global Engagement, is the author of four novels. Her literary awards include the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Fiction, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Outstanding Writing.

Charles Jensen, Assistant Director, received his MFA for Poetry from the ASU MFA in Creative Writing Program. He is the author of three chapbooks and his poems have appeared in Bloom, FIELD, The Journal, New England Review, Washington Square and West Branch.

Tempe’s Arizona State University is located adjacent to the Mill Avenue District, a gathering place for students and professionals alike. This vibrant community is also known for its love of the arts, with a full calendar of performances on campus, an emphasis on public art and the new Tempe Center for the Arts.

For more information about Tempe, Arizona and other events near Arizona State University, visit www.tempecvb.com.

Contact Information

Toni Smith

Communications Manager

Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau

Contact via E-mail