38th annual Writer’s Workshop to feature Haki R. Madhubuti

About a decade ago, Assistant Professor Furaha Henry-Jones in the English Department attended one of Sinclair’s Annual Writer’s Workshops.
“I really enjoyed the atmosphere… [I] very much was a novice writer and I felt really comfortable being with some people who were novices like I was, along with people who were very accomplished,” she said.
Henry-Jones will be directing the 38th Annual Writer’s Workshop for the first time this year.
Having attended the event in the past, she said that she is excited to be part of shaping the nature of the program.
The workshop is scheduled for May 4 from 12 to 5 p.m. in Building 12.
It’s free for Sinclair students, faculty, staff and senior citizens, whether they are part of Sinclair or not. Members of the community can also attend, but will pay a $25 fee.
“We always have quite a few people from the whole community,” she said. “We have people from all over in addition to our Sinclair family.”
Those interested can register in advance for the event online, but they can register the morning of the event as well, she said. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. in front of Smith Auditorium.
Those who decide to register in advance will not be registering for specific breakout sessions or paying in advance, she said. Participants will choose which breakout sessions they want to attend at the actual event.
“When you register in advance it’s just giving us a sense of how many people will be there,” she said.
She said that she didn’t want anyone to feel pressured to register in advance for the event.
“We want to be as accessible as is possible to the community,” she said.
The workshop this year will feature Haki R. Madhubuti as the keynote speaker. There will also be five other speakers, all hosting different breakout sessions for participants to choose from, she said.
Henry-Jones chose Madhubati because of his experience in writing and publishing along with his work in advancing the Black Arts Movement.
“He was really instrumental in directing that movement and in giving it form and shape and that to me is really impressive… I wanted our students to benefit from meeting someone with such a wide background.”
Speakers for the five breakout sessions include: Mindee Arnett, Angela Jackson, Gary Mitchner, Valerie J. Lewis Coleman and students from the Sinclair Writing Club, according to Henry-Jones.
She said that she and Professor Tim Waggoner, creative writing coordinator in the English Department, chose the speakers for the breakout sessions. Waggoner directed the workshop for a few years, she said.
Topics include novel writing, young adult contemporary fantasy fiction, poetry and writing in general.
The students from the Sinclair Writing Club will conduct the writing session. This year will be the first time that students have led a breakout session at the workshop.
Anyone who would like more information can contact the English Department at 512-3078 or Henry-Jones at 512-3887 or by email at furaha.henry-jones@sinclair.edu.