Two creative writing instructors/authors will make presentations to aspiring writers as part of the JPL Saturday Writers’ Clinic, June 17, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

Each presentation is free of charge and open to the public. There is no registration.

9:30 a.m., Saturday, June 17
Clayton Delery – “Creating a Sense of Place”

The best writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, creates a vivid sense of place. This is true whether you’re writing about a suburban shopping mall or creating an entirely fictional universe. Clayton Delery’s own relies heavily on recreating a sense of New Orleans in years past. In this workshop, he will suggest techniques for making a place come alive.

Clayton Delery holds bachelor of arts and master’s degrees from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, and a doctoral degree from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. For 26 years, he was a member of the faculty at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches, one of the nation's premier high schools for academically gifted students. Clayton Delery is the author of two nonfiction books: The Up Stairs Lounge Arson was named Humanitarian Book of the Year by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and Out For Queer Blood was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

11 a.m., Saturday, June 17
Matthew Griffin – “Revising Your Initial Draft”

According to Griffin, “To rewrite your draft, you must now question each sentence; find plot holes, assess the character’s arcs, analyze subtexts, include or move backstories. There is still a lot to be done until you look to your manuscript and say: ‘It’s finished’, but knowing what’s to come and be prepared for it makes the task of revising easier.”

Matthew Griffin holds a bachelor of arts degree in English and Religion from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem. He also holds a master’s degree in Creative Writing with a specialty in Fiction, from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His debut novel "Hide" was the winner of the 2017 Crook's Corner Book Prize, an ALA Stonewall Honor Book, and an Amazon Best Book of the Month. It was longlisted for the PEN/Bingham Prize for debut fiction, a semifinalist for the VCU/Cabell First Novelist Award, and a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and a Publishing Triangle Award.

For more information regarding this event, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.