I am looking forward to moderating Writing Across Genres, a panel co-sponsored by the WNBA and NYU’s Creative Writing Program. It will take place on March 15, from 5-7 P.M., at NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House.
The world is changing and so is creative writing. Today, there are genre-bending and genre-blending mash-ups of all sorts. To name just a few we enjoy, there are graphic novels, thrillers that are also romances, YA for adult readers, novels in poetry, literary detective stories, and the co-mingling of literature and art. In fact, in thinking about this phenomenon, I realize that my novel, which is currently being considered by a publisher, might be characterized as a hostage-terrorism-coming-of-age-story.
The new graphic novel adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, is an amazing example of an iconic work transcending its original genre. The task of recreating it in a new form would seem insurmountable, but Ari Folman and David Polonsky have done just that. These developments have led us to choose cross-genre writing as the topic for our spring joint program.
In our exploration of cross-genre writing, Mira Jacob will talk about her switch from writing a novel to writing her forthcoming graphic memoir, Good Talk. Hannah Tinti will give us insight into the difference between writing short stories and a novel. The publisher of Siglio Press, Lisa Pearson, will explain how her press is dedicated to seeing the world anew in provocative and unfamiliar ways. And Alexandra Machinist, a partner and agent at ICM, will share how she represents works across all genres.
Whatever the genre mix, it is the deeper intention — what a work reveals about our being human — that is most significant. At the panel, we will explore how that relates to our topic. We will also delve into the benefits and difficulties of crossing writing boundaries.
Our panel will discuss these issues next week, on March 15, 5-7 P.M. WNBA and NYU have been sponsoring provocative panels for more than five years now, to a standing-room-only audience. Grab your coat and join us at Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House on West 10th Street for a stimulating presentation followed by an opportunity to ask questions and mingle at a wine reception.
You can register for the event here! Have ideas for future panels? Share them below!
A Professor Emerita at City University of New York, Harriet Shenkman has won the Women’s National Book Association 2013 Writing Contest in Poetry and the Women Who Write 2013 International Poetry and Short Prose Contest. Her poetry has appeared in Jewish Currents Anthology, Evening Street Review, Third Wednesday, Jewish Magazine, Jewish Quarterly, VerseWrights, When Women Awaken, Oyez Review, Westchester Review, Calliope Anthology, BoomerCafe.com, The Transition Network, and The Pink Panther Magazine. Her chapbook Teetering was published by Finishing Line Press. She has studied with Laura Kasischke, David Rigsbee and Jennifer Franklin. She was born in Brooklyn and lives in New York City.
