2024 Douglas Anderson
Writers' Festival
Saturday, April 6, 2024
The 2024 Douglas Anderson Writers’ Festival is Saturday, April 6, 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Douglas Anderson school campus. This world-class literary event features a full day of hands-on writing workshops conducted by nationally and internationally acclaimed authors. Workshops will be offered in fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, playwriting, and publication.
The morning will begin with readings from visiting authors, followed by breakout sessions and an on-stage interview and Q & A with festival headliners.
The day’s events will culminate with a 7 p.m. evening reading by two of our featured authors, New York Times bestselling fiction writer and Jacksonville native, Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, and award-winning poet Nicole Sealey, author of The Ferguson Report, an erasure and Ordinary Beasts.
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Festival History | Meet the Writers | Mission and Goals | Purchase Tickets | Location | Contact Us
Festival History
Since 1994, the Douglas Anderson Writers’ Festival has been funded by the Douglas Anderson Writers’ Guild, a not-for-profit group of parent boosters for the Douglas Anderson Creative Writing Department.
The mission of the Douglas Anderson Writers’ Festival is to provide hands-on, craft-oriented workshops with professional writers and scholars, furnishing an invaluable creative opportunity for the emerging writers of our community. The overarching purpose of the festival is to provide exposure to the diversity of writing in the literary professional world and to provide students with time, space and encouragement to contemplate and practice the art of creative writing.
In the past, featured presenters have included novelists Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, and George Saunders, as well as poets Billy Collins, Tracy K. Smith, and Richard Blanco, to name a few.
Meet the Writers
Click on each author to read their bio and learn about the workshops they will be providing during the festival.
Tickets
The writing workshops and the evening reading are open to the public as a package or as separate ticketed events.
Use the buttons below to purchase your tickets in advance:
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$50 – Standard Ticket (includes workshop attendance during the day and admittance into the evening reading)
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$35 – Student, Educator (and Senior) Ticket: Must show school ID at check-in to retain this price (includes workshop attendance during the day and admittance into the evening reading)​​
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$15 – 7:00 p.m. Evening Reading: featuring headlining authors Nicole Sealey and Deesha Philyaw (separate ticket for evening reading only)
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Click on the buttons below to purchase your ticket:
Douglas Anderson students: A separate link will be provided for you to purchase tickets.
Mission and Goals
Festival Goals:
The festival seeks to bring together writing students of all ages and stages. Working with scholars and professional authors is the hallmark of Douglas Anderson Writers’ Festival, but there are additional goals as well. The integration of “student” writers from all parts of our community makes the project exciting and far-reaching.​
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Our Mission:
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To open a writing dialogue in a supportive environment that is stimulating and enlightening for all attendees.
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Allow participants to learn more about literary writing, not just what sells.
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Inspire festival goers to be critical consumers of the writing that is on the market.
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Inspire festival goers to write and read with a heightened awareness of what makes good writing – writing that survives the test of time.
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Allow attendees the opportunity to participate in workshops with internationally renowned writers.
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All proceeds for the festival go to support educational programming and guest artist experiences for the Creative Writing Department of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.
Location
The 2024 Douglas Anderson Writers’ Festival will take place on the campus of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Parking is in the gated lot off of White Avenue next to the DuBow Theatre.
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Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Address:
2445 San Diego Rd.
Jacksonville, Florida 32207
Contact Information
For information regarding the event including ticket sales, contact our event sponsors,
The Writers’ Guild Boosters, Inc. at dawritersguild@gmail.com.