Will Weaver, nationally celebrated author of short stories, novels and young adult fiction, will be featured at the next Spoken Word Series event. Please join us to hear Weaver read from his latest memoir, The Last Hunter: An American Family Album, on Friday, October 23. The reception will start at 5:30 p.m., with the reading beginning at 6 p.m. at Watermark Art Center’s new location, 505 Bemidji Avenue North. In addition, Weaver will also lead a writer’s workshop on Saturday, October 24 for those wishing to study with this accomplished author.

Weaver is a graduate of both the University of Minnesota and Stanford University. His debut novel, Red Earth, White Earth, was published by Simon & Schuster, and was produced as a CBS television movie. A Gravestone Made of Wheat & Other Stories won the Minnesota Book Award for fiction. Several of the stories in that collection were produced by National Public Radio, and the title story was adapted into the film Sweet Land, starring actress Elizabeth Reaser.

A versatile writer, Will Weaver’s young adult novels have been highly praised. His YA novel Memory Boy (HarperCollins) was chosen a teen “top ten” book by the American Library Association, and is in the works by the Minnesota Opera for a 2016 production. Weaver also recently began a new project called LitWeaver, an e-reading outreach for schools.

The Friday evening reading and reception is free and open to the public. There will be a Q&A session following the reading and books will be available for purchase and signing.

The Saturday workshop, “Writing for an Audience: How to Hook and Hold a Reader,” will be held at Watermark (505 location) from 2-4 p.m. During this interactive workshop, Weaver will discuss the craft of writing. He will illustrate key techniques of fiction writing, with the goal of producing memorable writing that will keep readers engaged. These readers include agents and editors (if your goal is publication), and also general readers, including family and friends. Please pre-register for the workshop by October 21. Cost is $30 ($15 for students.) Call Watermark at 444-7570 to register.

Interested in learning more about the Spoken Word Series? You can find a brief overview on our Spoken Word Series page, and details of our 2015 lineup here.