Marymount Conference Attracts The Write Stuff
By Dr. Pola Rosen
What do Stuart Woods, Jamie Malanowski, Tama Janowitz, Carol Higgins Clark, Meg Wolitzer, Bruce Jay Friedman, Sir Harold Evans, Lawrence Block, Patty Marx, Richard Peck and Carol Gilligan all have in common? Along with other top agents, editors and writers, they were all panelists at Writer’s Conference 2008 which was held at Marymount Manhattan College Thursday recently. “The crème de la crème of the literary world converged on New York City that day to provide one of the great learning experiences for anyone who has ever dreamed of putting pen to paper,” said Lewis Burke Frumkes, the Director of the Marymount Writing Center, who put the conference together and who is himself a noted author and host of the Lewis Burke Frumkes Show on WPAT-AM in New York.
Frumkes explained that it is the purpose of a conference like this to provide encouragement as well as marketing tips from professionals in the field. “We even have a networking reception,” said Frumkes, “for writers to meet agents and editors as well as each other, and exchange cards and reflections.” At the Grand Luncheon just before keynote Stuart Woods spoke, Frumkes introduced Grace Chang who had been a student at the Marymount Writing Center and had just published her first children’s book, “Jin Jin The Dragon.” Chang came up to the podium and charmed the audience for a few minutes with magic and a life-sized hand puppet of Jin Jin. “Year after year” continued Frumkes, “people tell me that they have formed lasting friendships at the conference or received invaluable advice from top agents and editors which have led to them getting published. I always tell students that you need three things to get successfully published, a modicum of talent, some marketing skills and perseverance. Here at the conference they get the marketing skills and learn perseverance from fellow writers in the game.” “Best of all,” said Frumkes, “Everyone has a grand time.” At the humor panel Dan Greenburg said that a thrice married friend of his had told him that he would never marry again…he would just find a woman he doesn’t like and buy her a house. At the Ghost’s panel, five of the best ghostwriters around told writers who may need someone to write their stories how that option works. These “invisible” writers always stay in the background. I can’t even mention their names here. It would violate a trust. Whether you were a writer who writes looking to get published, or a writer looking for a “hired pen” to help him get published, a wonderful day was had by all.#
