Here is a list of the panels, discussions, and readings at the More Than Writing Conference.

First Year Reading
Friday, 12:30pm-1:30pm

A tradition in the creative writing MFA program at Minnesota State is the first year readings, where the first year students read their work as an introduction to the local writing community.

Writing and the Visual Arts
Friday, 1:45pm-2:45pm

This panel will discuss how writers and visual artists work together. Making Images, Making Meaning (Art 494/594 & English 449/549) is a creative writing/visual art hybrid course. We'll explore images, both written and visual. We'll explore what an image communicates. We'll explore how our responses to images tell us who we are, how we process the world, what we value, what stirs our emotions. We'll explore how we represent ourselves as individuals with unique perspectives when creating images. We'll explore the synergy of combining words with images. We'll make stuff. We'll write stuff. We’ll talk about it.

Inspired by the immediacy, tangibility, and ephemerality of postcards, the Postcard Press matches original designs with short poetry and prose in monthly installments. Caitlin O'Sullivan (editor) and David Johnson (artist) will discuss how they choose work and develop designs, and the pleasures and perils of marrying text and art.

Brian Frink, Diana Joseph, Caitlyn O’Sullivan, David Johnson

Step by Step Dialogue
Friday, 3:00pm-4:00pm

Nate Le Boutillier, Roger Sheffer

Keynote by Dennis Cass Friday, 7:30pm-8:30pm Dennis Cass, author of the book Head Case: How I Almost Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain (HarperCollins), will present the 2012 More Than Writing Conference keynote address. Cass's work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Mother Jones and the online journal Slate. He has also worked as a literary agent, a copywriter, and adjunct professor at Carleton College, where he teaches creative nonfiction. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and son and wouldn't have it any other way. This event is free and open to the public.

What Editors Want
Saturday, 9:00am-10:00am

This panel will present the views of editors on the submission process: What makes a manuscript stand out in the slush pile and how to avoid the most common mistakes on your submissions. Brief introduction talks by Caitlin O'Sullivan of The Postcard Press and Lindsy O’Brien of Red Step Press will be followed by a Q&A from the audience--come armed!

Lindsy O’Brien, Caitlyn O’Sullivan

Writing Humor: Creating humor in poetry, short stories, and novels
Saturday, 10:15am-11:15am

Editors often say they would like to see more humor in the submissions they read, so let’s make them laugh, or at least smile, and see what happens. Panel members will discuss the development and use of humor in their works and in the works of popular authors. We will explore ways experiences and observations can be transformed into humorous fiction and poetry.

Rebecca Fjelland Davis, Gwen Hart, Roger Hart

First Year Readings
Saturday, 12:30pm-1:30pm

A tradition in the creative writing MFA program at Minnesota State is the first year readings, where the first year students read their work as an introduction to the local writing community.

Academic Writing: Process and Publication
Saturday, 1:45pm-2:45pm

Graduate students everywhere recognize the feeling of relief that comes with finishing a lengthy research paper. The hours in the library have finally paid off and the computer headaches are beginning to subside. It can now be turned in, and the relaxation can begin. Of course, in the wake of such relief, it can be difficult to think about the research prospects beyond the immediate class in which the student is enrolled. After spending a semester crafting a top-notch paper, the idea of doing even more research and redrafting can seem daunting if not impossible. This panel will spend some time talking about tips and tricks for staying motivated and for navigating the process of submitting research to journals and conferences. It will also discuss the ways in which students can use coursework as a basis for building a strong CV and deal with the difficult transition from creative to academic writing.

Brett Biebel, Aruni Kashyap, Steve Linstrom

Screenwriting
Saturday, 3:00pm-4:00pm

Benjamin Allocco, Linton Lewis, Sam Ten Eyck