Young author knows how to talk to girls ... and writers

Writing is usually a solitary endeavor, requiring just a person and a pen — or, more likely today, a computer. But in order to nurture literature and help the aspiring become published, Author Fest of the Rockies pries writers away from their desks and gathers them in Manitou Springs for a two-day event with more than 50 published authors, editors, illustrators, poets and publishers from throughout Colorado.

“One part of the mission of Manitou Springs as a city is to nurture the arts, and in those arts, we talk about not just the visual or performing arts, but the literary arts, too,” says Laura Ettinger, chair of the event and vice president of the Friends of the Manitou Springs Library, the organization now hosting Author Fest for its fourth and largest year Friday and Saturday at The Cliff House. 

“For aspiring writers and poets and illustrators, anyone interested in the written and spoken word, it’s great to see there are other people out there doing what they are doing, for one,” she says. “It’s extremely useful in helping them take their work to the next level and providing information they might not have access to, showing them where the resources are to further their work.”

More than 40 workshops cover a variety of topics of interest to aspiring writers including creative nonfiction, attracting publishers, memoirs, freelance writing, manuscript editing and character development. Author Fest also has broadened its scope with interesting courses on promotion through social networking, how to read aloud for the public, reading critically, how to start a book club and more.

Four keynote speakers, one each day at breakfast and one each day at lunch, provide the entertainment highlight, and the most unique keynote has to be 10-year-old Alec Greven, Castle Rock resident and bestselling author of “How to Talk to Girls.”

 His manuscript was a school project, which was noticed by local news, then “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and then publisher Harper Collins. “A huge chain reaction happened,” Greven says during a phone interview. “And, as they say, ‘The rest is history.’ That is what they say, right?”

Greven hopes to inspire conference attendees to just sit down and write. “I’m not really sure that I should be giving the advice, because they are kind of like more experienced writers than me,” he says. “My favorite line (from “How to Talk to Girls”) is, ‘Life is hard, move on.’ It doesn’t just apply to girls. It applies to everything. You need that tip in your everyday life.”

Other keynote speakers include illustrator Mark Ludy, social network expert Michelle Vandepas and writer Nancy Atherton, the local author of 15 books in her Aunt Dimity series, whose speech is titled “How to Write a Long-lived and Much-loved Mystery Series by Doing Everything Wrong.”

“I’ve been around for quite a while, much to my own amazement. I didn’t do many of the things that writers are urged to do. In fact, probably not anything except sit down and write,” says Atherton, who believes writers must follow their own path.

“Conferences are incredibly valuable. You can learn how to find an agent, how to get your book read by an editor, then when your book is purchased, what do they do with it,” she says. “But especially at writers conferences, there’s a lot of advice being thrown around, and I want to reassure those few writers out there, that its OK to use your creative energy in ways that work for you.”

At this year’s Author Fest, organizers ensured that participants — and the community — could have a lot of casual fun with a week of public events leading up to the conference. DeVine Wine offered a kick-off party, Black Cat Books hosted a “Banned Book and Poetry Reading,” and Kinfolks will offer an open mic night from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. Through the Arts-in-Education component, authors visited schools in Manitou Springs and Woodland Park, and high school seniors and college students received scholarships for full festival passes.

“We wrap up the whole thing on Saturday at the Cliff House with an author showcase, where you can come in and talk to the authors and buy their books and get them to sign them for you,” says organizer Ettinger, who notes that interested conference goers can still register as late as the day of the event in person at The Cliff House.

She reiterates that all funds raised funnel back into next year’s Author Fest or into the restoration and expansion of the Manitou Springs Public Library. “Our little Carnegie Library is going to be 100 years old this year. It’s so charming and so tiny, and it’s an important community resource.”

Author Fest of the Rockies

What: A two-day conference for aspiring writers, illustrators, poets and editors with more than 40 workshops and keynote speakers Alec Grevens, Nancy Atherton, Michelle Vandepas and Mark Ludy.

When: Friday and Saturday

Where: The Cliff House at Pikes Peak, 306 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs

Admission: $30 for each one-day pass, $50 for a two-day pass, with $20 tickets for each keynote speaker.

For more information or to register: call 231-7202 or visit authorfestoftherockies.org.