For one week last June, a handful of the world’s leading writers and novices flocked to campus for the 52nd Wesleyan Writers Conference. Over 100 people took part in lectures, workshops, readings and one-on-one manuscript consultations throughout the prestigious gathering, exploring the worlds of fiction, poetry, autobiography, memoir, non-fiction, literary journalism and publishing.

“The longevity and excellence of the conference—the notoriety of the participant faculty, breadth of genres addressed, depth of experience of the participants—all enhance Wesleyan’s reputation as one of the best of those institutions providing this creative experience,” said Steven L. Ossad ’70 P’05.

This year’s faculty included such notables as Roxana Robinson, Katha Pollitt, Ravi Shankar, Andre Aciman, Honor Moore and Alexandra Peers, who taught students with a wide variety of interests and experience. Some participants attended the conference to perfect a pre-existing piece of work. Others entered the program to work within one type of writing style and left ready to immerse themselves in another.

“It was an invaluable experience for someone like me who is trying to shift from one form of writing—narrative historical non-fiction—to a very different genre—the novel,” Ossad said. “The close review of sample work by the faculty was one of the hallmarks of the entire program.”

This year’s conference hosted an array of University faculty, alumni, relatives of graduates, and prospective students. Paul LaFarge, a former visiting writer on campus, and Assistant Professor of English Lisa Cohen presented on the graphic novel and the biography. Teaching Faculty Member Alexander Chee ’89 taught a course on “the novel” and Junior Teaching Fellow Sadia Shepard ’97 read from her recently released novel, “The Girl from Foreign.”

Director of the Wesleyan Writers Conference Anne Greene noted that the conference has become influential in bringing both new and former students to the University.

“Surprisingly, a number of adults who have come to the conference have then decided to send their children to Wesleyan,” Greene said. “It’s become a recruiting tool. It has also turned into an important program to bring alumni back to campus. Increasing numbers of alumni participate in the conference.”

The conference attracts a geographically diverse group of participants, ranging in age, writing experience, and literary focus. A selection of scholarships and fellowships are offered to promising new writers, and several participants who received a nomination from the conference have been published in the “Best New American Voices” anthology series.

“Not having done a lot of writing myself, I was skeptical about how I would be able to engage in the conference, especially as a scholarship winner,” said Kumar Sarkar ’09. “My worries quickly disappeared after I had met the other participants and started taking the classes. It was a very eclectic group: seasoned writers, reporters, amateur writers, Wesleyan students, and high school students. It rejuvenated my interest in writing and I’m looking forward to applying the techniques I learned during the workshop.”

The conference complements the University’s continual focus on writing. In addition to academic courses and the Writing Workshop, which provides student-to-student assistance with papers, the Distinguished Writers Series brings world-renowned novelists, poets, art critics, science writers, and public intellectuals to campus throughout the semester.

“One of the things that is distinctive about Wesleyan is the writers who attend our visitor’s series,” Greene said. “The series is the perfect bridge between the classroom experience and the writing world.”

While they were here, conference participants also explored the campus. Some settled in Olin library while others ventured to Foss Hill to write and reflect on their experiences.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a beautiful campus and to have Wesleyan’s commitment to the program,” Greene said. “The fact that participants can be on a campus like this and, for example, use the library as visitors, is one of the reasons that participants come to Wesleyan rather than another program.”

Whether they reconnected with favorite genres, established relationships with fellow writers and peer editors, or produced new pieces, participants at this year’s conference seemed to agree that the gathering was a great success.

“Being surrounded by creative and successful people was probably the best part of the conference,” said Conference Intern Catherine Kast ’09. “There were talented high school students and grandparents writing their memoirs. I made some life-long friends.”