The 25th Annual English Festival For High School Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors

Author Karen Joy FowlerApril 7, 2009

The English Festival at Bluffton University, now celebrating its twenty-fifth year, offers high school students an intensive day of literary and writing activities based on various literary sources, with a particular emphasis on festival readings. This year’s special guest author is Karen Joy Fowler, a novelist who is perhaps best known for The Jane Austen Book Club, which was made into a movie. Additionally, she has published three other novels, four volumes of stories, and a collection of poetry.  She will speak on “The Life and Times of a Novelist in the 21st Century” during the Forum presentation and participate in a Q&A session.

2009 Festival Resource List

Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler

The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter

Festival Workshops & Events
The day's events will feature an invigorating mix of impromptu writing, college-level discussions, and sessions with the guest authors.

Festival Workshops

  1. Workshop I: How Do You Keep the Pages Turning?
    Using Fowler's and Richter's books as examples, explore how to write fiction that engages your reader. Led by Bluffton University fiction writing professor Susan Carpenter.
  2. Workshop II: Journeys in Sarah Canary
    Explore the multiple journeys in the novel with Bluffton University literature professor Cynthia Bandish.
  3. Workshop III: Poetry
    Jeff Gundy, Bluffton University English professor and poet, will lead discussion of poems submitted for the poetry contest and ways of progressing as a poet.

Other Festival Events

  • Forum: All Festival registrants will join Bluffton University students and faculty for the weekly Forum program, featuring guest author Karen Joy Fowler.
  • Oral Interpretation of Literature: Bluffton University students will present oral interpretations of literature.
  • Q & A with Karen Joy Fowler: A chance for informal interchange with the guest author.

Festival Contests
Poetry contest
Participants may submit 1-3 of their poems for this contest. Poems should be typed, one to a page and include your name, address and school. Entries should be postmarked by March 15, 2009.  Entries should be sent to Dr. Jeff Gundy, Bluffton University, Bluffton, OH 45817.

Prose contest
The prose contest includes three categories:

  • Critical analysis
  • Personal response
  • Narrative

Prose entries should be postmarked by April 1, 2009

Entries for the prose contests should be sent to:
Lamar Nisly
Bluffton University
1 University Drive
Bluffton, OH 45817

How to register
If you are a high school sophomore, junior or senior interested in stretching your imagination and skills through encounters with literature and writing experiences, fill out a student registration form (available from the festival coordinator at your school) and return it to him/her with the $5 registration fee. This fee entitles you to a cafeteria lunch and all festival events.

You will be notified of your registration status through your coordinator. Meanwhile, begin to get acquainted with the festival resources.

Winners of the poetry contest may be asked to present their poems to the festival audience in the final session; selected poems and essays will be published in a booklet distributed to all participating schools.

For more information, contact Lamar Nisly at nislyl@bluffton.edu