Kennedy Honored with Fitzgerald Award

This weekend, at the 12th annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Conference at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, critically-acclaimed author William Joseph Kennedy will be presented with the Fitzgerald Literary Award.


Kennedy’s in good company. No, not because I’ll be there for his cocktail reception, award presentation, and craft lecture — because past winners include the likes of John Updike, Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, Edward Albee, E.L. Doctorow, Ernest J. Gaines, Pat Conroy, William Styron, Grace Paley, John Barth, and Jane Smiley.


William J. Kennedy is best known for his Albany cycle, including the Pulitzer Prize winning Ironweed, for which he also wrote the Academy Award nominated movie.


Kennedy’s acceptance, reading, and comments on his distinguished career as a writer may be the highlight of the conference. But there are so many other reasons to attend the day-long event.


The conference spans from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. this Saturday, October 13. It offers craft lectures and workshops with a number of accomplished writers and practical advice on honing your craft, beating writers block, getting published, and more. There’s even reading of Fitzgerald’s work and a tour of Fitzgerald literary haunts.


Don’t listen to R.E.M.’s advice — DO go back to Rockville for this day-long literary event. Get all the details on the conference website.


http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/potomacreview/fscott/index.htm



And watch William talk about writing with Charlie Rose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7N69ZrrZlE