Topic: David James Poissant

David Poissant – From the Ground Up: Building a Short Story, Beginning to End

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | July 30, 2011 |

Author David Poissant

In a room full of writers, many of whom could be described as seniors, one gentleman quipped, “Are we sure this guy is old enough to be teaching a class?” when David James Poissant took over the microphone at the Clarksville Writers’ Conference.

No matter how young he looks, Poissant has a history of publication that any writer would prize. His stories are published or will soon be appearing in places like The Atlantic, Playboy, The Southern Review, Mississippi Review, The Chicago Tribune, The Greensboro Review, and One Story. He has won the Playboy College Fiction Contest, The George Garrett Fiction Award, the AWP Quickie Contest, and second and third prizes in the Atlantic Monthly Student Writing Contest. His stories appear in New Stories from the South 2008 and Best New American Voices 2008 and 2010.

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Seventh Annual Clarksville Writers’ Conference Draws World-class Literary Talents

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | July 17, 2011 |

This is the first of a series of articles about the Seventh Annual Writers’ Conference held at Austin Peay University on July 14th-15th, 2011. 

Clarksville, TN – Presented by Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council with a grant from Tennessee Arts Commission, the Clarksville Writer’s Conference was held in last week in Austin Peay State University’s Morgan University Center. The Conference drew people from all over the United States for a wonderful banquet, along with two days of book readings and writing workshops.

Writing is not a job or a hobby or a profession. Writing is a compulsion. People who are writers write because they must. It is usually the way they process the world around them and if they don’t write, they feel like they are not living, only existing.

Dr. Howard Winn introduces William Farris, the keynote speaker at the 2011 Clarksville Writer's Conference Banquet

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Time to Sign Up for the 2011 Clarksville Writers’ Conference

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | May 23, 2011 |

Clarksville, TN – It’s hard to believe that almost a year has gone by since I was hearing Rheta Grimsley Johnson, William Gay, Chuck Sambuchino, Tom Franklin and other writers who spoke at last year’s fantastic Clarksville Writers’ Conference at Austin Peay State University. Yet here it is—time again to sign up for this year’s conference which will be held on July 14th – 15th

One of the best things for many of us is that the conference is being held in the middle of July this year rather than near the end as it was in former years. (At least for me, that will give me more time to write up what I heard there so that I can share it with you.) The timing will also allow you have to schedule other activities (like writing your book!) before summer ends. «Read the rest of this article»

David James Poissant on writing the short-short story

By Beth Britton | August 1, 2010 |

David James Poissant

During a Friday morning workshop at the 2010 Clarksville Writers Conference, David James Poissant used a short amount of time to get across to attendees the ins and outs of the Short-short story.

A Short- Short is the new minimalistic approach to the Short story. In today’s media driven culture a new way of writing is approaching. It’s quick, to the point, and packs a big emotional punch. Its called “flash pieces”. Fiction that takes risks. It gets in and gets out. It’s brave, bold, and takes chances. For aspiring writers it’s a quick way of getting out a story as well as testing their writing skills in description and dialog.

David James Poissant drawing a normal story's plot line before showing the Short-short story's plot line

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Architectural Heritage Bus Tour Kicks Off 2010 Clarksville Writer’s Conference

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | July 29, 2010 |

Josh Wright

Where can you overhear a discussion of the war in ’62 and learn that it’s not Viet Nam being discussed but the War Between the States? Where can you find out a ghost may be lurking right down town in Clarksville? Where can you see tobacco leaves highlighted in the stained glass windows of an exquisite historic church?

The answer to all these questions is the Architectural Heritage Tour that is the first episode in the Sixth Annual Clarksville Writers’ Conference.

Here’s what you missed if you weren’t on the tour conducted by Josh Wright. He co-chaired with Micki Daugherty this year’s tour. Architect Wright gave a brief overview of each location to be visited during a presentation at the Riverview Inn where the group of 30 writers and history buffs met at 9:00am on Wednesday. «Read the rest of this article»

Don’t Miss the Sixth Annual Clarksville Writer’s Conference

By Sue Freeman Culverhouse | June 21, 2010 |

Writing is a lonely profession. Oh, sure, you have lots of company when you’re researching your project (unless all your research in on the Internet), but when you sit down and face that blank page, you’re on your own, my friend.

When an opportunity like the Sixth Annual Clarksville Writer’s Conference comes along, no writer can afford to miss it. Just rubbing shoulders with these highly successful people will give you impetus to keep on creating those masterpieces of your own.

Keep in mind, however, that you don’t have to be a writer to attend. You can be an avid reader and get a wealth of experiences from it too.

Here’s what’s available that you don’t want to miss. On July 28th and 29th the Architectural Heritage Tour takes you to all those lovely old houses you’ve always wanted to see the inside of. You’ll hear stories of Clarksville beginning in the late 1700’s when the river was the impetus for its growth, the trying times during the War Between the States, and what led Clarksville to become a world center for the dark fired tobacco industry. Lunch is provided during the tour. Pre-registration for one day is $50.00 and is only $75.00 for both days. If you register late, you’ll have to pay an additional $5.00 for either schedule. «Read the rest of this article»

Two APSU Professors to Present at Annual Clarksville Writers Conference

June 4, 2010 |

Two members of the Austin Peay State University community will be featured presenters at this year’s Sixth Annual Clarksville Writers Conference, to be held July 28th-31st on the University campus.

Dr. Blas Falconer, associate professor of English, and Dr. Howard Winn, professor emeritus of history, will speak with attendees, offering encouragement and insights into the field of writing. «Read the rest of this article»

Alice Randall to Keynote Sixth Annual Clarksville Writers Conference

May 20, 2010 |

The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council is pleased to announce the Sixth Annual Clarksville Writers Conference, being held July 28th – 31st, 2010, on the campus of Austin Peay State University.

This year’s conference opens with a new two-day tour centered around Clarksville’s rich architectural heritage. Participants will tour structures which tell stories of a community that began in the late 1700’s as a river city, weathered the Civil War, and later became a world center for the dark-fired tobacco trade.

We are very honored to have as this year’s keynote speaker ALICE RANDALL, award-winning songwriter and author of Rebel Yell, Pushkin and the Queen of Spades, and The Wind Done Gone, the New York Times bestselling parody of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind. Randall, a Harvard graduate and current Writer-In-Residence at Vanderbilt University, will speak at the conference banquet at the Clarksville Country Club on the evening of Friday, July 30th. «Read the rest of this article»

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