F&M Stories

Scribes of every stripe will gather this week at Franklin & Marshall College for the annual Emerging Writers Festival.

The three-day event features a diverse range of craft talks and readings, slated from April 13 to 15.

Started in 2002, the festival has grown into a hallmark literary tradition on campus. The collaborative effort between students and faculty brings some of the country's most exciting new authors to F&M.

Visiting writers include poets Marianne Chan and Melissa Crowe, nonfiction writers Krys Malcolm Belc and Larissa Pham, and fiction writer Julián Delgado Lopera. The festival commences with an April 13 reading with Crowe, Lopera and Pham at 7:30 p.m. in Roschel Performing Arts Center.

Several alums have been featured in the lineup over the years, including Indrapramit (Indra) Das '08, author of "The Devourers," Elizabeth Byrne '07, author of "The Grave Keepers," and Mandy Berman '09, author of "Perennials" and "The Learning Curve."

Current students have a prominent role in bringing the festival to life.

"It's a great experience for students to see how to run a literary event and to get to know the writers," said Nick Montemarano, alumni professor of creative writing and a member of the festival's planning committee.

Two students are assigned as "shadows" for each writer. These students coordinate scheduling with visiting writers and introduce them to audiences prior to readings.

Among the shadows is senior Tristan Steffe, an English major (creative writing) and chemistry minor.

"I wanted to be on this committee not only to learn under such talented and dedicated writers, but also to help celebrate this wonderful department," Steffe said. "Without my peers and professors, I never would have found the spark nor the courage to write. I hope to inspire others to do the same with EWF."