Designed to engage and inspire writers and readers alike, the day-long festival will
take place at six venues across First Ward between 11 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. The first-time festival is the brainchild of the Charlotte Writers' Club, which partnered
with like-minded organizations from around the region.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - Uptown Charlotte's First Ward will be awash in writers
on Oct. 15. Poets, novelists, screenwriters, playwrights, comedy writers, lyricists
and storytellers all will be in Charlotte as part of Carolinas WordFest.
Designed to engage and inspire writers and readers alike, the day-long festival will
take place at six venues across First Ward between 11 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Carolinas WordFest features more than 20 writers who are North or South Carolina natives or current
residents.
The first-time festival is the brainchild of the Charlotte Writers' Club, which partnered with like-minded organizations from around the region.
"The Carolinas have so many talented writers, and we want to share that wealth with
the entire community," said Gina Carroll Howard, WordFest coordinating committee chair. "The festival will offer a smorgasbord of
events for all ages and literary tastes. We hope that people will go to hear the writers
they love and stay to sample others new to them. And maybe they'll be inspired to
write themselves."
Carolinas WordFest has events for different ages.
Children's and young adult activities, which take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in
First Ward Park and at ImaginOn, include a pumpkin patch, storytelling, children's bookmaking and a panel of writers
for young adults who will explain how they capture teens' imaginations.
In "Voices of the New South: the Latino Experience" at the Levine Museum of the New South, three writers will give voice to women, children and teens in the Carolinas who
are caught between two worlds.
The Main Library's and Spirit Square's Knight Gallery are the locations for 10 morning and afternoon sessions on screenwriting; storytelling;
poetry, fiction and nonfiction workshops; improve; musical storytelling and drama.
And audience members can help one playwright rework one of his plays.
Additionally, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Park Road Books will operate a book market at the Main Library that will feature the participating writers' works, and food trucks will be in First Ward Park on 8th Street.
The festival closes with improv, spoken word poetry and readings from selected plays
for more mature audiences. The evening program at Spirit Square's Knight Gallery begins at 7 p.m..
Carolinas WordFest sponsors are the Charlotte Writers' Club, Kiser, Charlotte Mecklenburg
Library, Gallery Books, Baker & Taylor, Kensington Publishing Corp., Mecklenburg County
Park and Recreation, Workman, Winthrop University, WFAE 90.7fm.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at 803/323-2404 or longshawj@winthrop.edu.
