COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University is hosting a series of three writing seminars to be held on campus during spring quarter. Each Writers’ Weekend, a daylong course that is worth one credit hour of study from Ohio State, will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Columbus Dispatch’s syndicated columnist Mike Harden will instruct the first seminar on Saturday, March 31. Additionally, Bill Roorbach, associate professor of English and creative writing at Ohio State and author of five books, including the instructional text Writing Life Stories, and Tracey Dils, award-winning author of more than 20 books for young readers and current publisher of McGraw-Hill Children’s Publishing, will instruct the other two seminars.

Carol Ventresca, associate director of credit programs for the Office of Continuing Education, said the Writers’ Weekend seminars are designed to reach out to the community to offer beneficial resources and expertise.

“With these seminars, we try to cut across different writing genres,” Ventresca said. “We wanted to offer our participants as much of a varied experience as possible.”

Sponsored by the Office of Continuing Education and The Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing, the cost of each seminar is $190, and a one-time $30 application fee may apply for anyone without a bachelor’s degree or previous enrollment at Ohio State. Fee and tuition waivers cannot be accepted.

These seminars are open to the public and advanced registration is required. For registration information, contact Richard Shafer at 292-1664 or by e-mail at shafer.5@osu.edu.

The schedule for the Spring 2001 Writers’ Weekends is as follows:

• Saturday, March 31, “Laughing Matters: A Guide to Humor Writing,” from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Mount Hall, 1050 Carmack Road, on West Campus. Sign-in begins at 9 a.m. Author and nationally syndicated “In Essence” columnist Mike Harden, of the Columbus Dispatch, will explore the techniques of humor writing and examine the differences between written and performance comedy.
• Saturday, April 28, “Writing Life Stories: Memoir, Autobiography, and Personal Essays,” from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Mount Hall. Sign-in begins at 9 a.m. Author Bill Roorbach, associate professor of English and creative writing at Ohio State and author of five books, including the instructional text Writing Life Stories, will show students “how to make memories into memoirs, ideas into essays and life into literature.”
• Saturday, May 19, “Primary Elements: Writing a Children’s Book,” from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Mount Hall. Sign-in begins at 9 a.m. Tracey Dils, award-winning author of more than 20 books for young readers and current publisher of McGraw-Hill Children’s Publishing, will discuss the conventions of children’s book categories, writing style and technique, and the publishing marketplace.

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