Many writers, students and faculty came out to support the third annual Slash Pine Writers Festival that spanned four days of readings at different venues in Tuscaloosa.
Saturday featured four reading locations. The first reading took place in Room 205 of Gorgas Library from 11 to 1:30 p.m.
Nine writers were given 10 to 12 minutes to read their poems, short stories and prose.
“This is my first time to participate in the festival,” said Brian Barker, a participating writer in the festival. “It’s a great mix of readers and styles and aesthetics. I plan to attend more of the readings this afternoon.”
Barker read works from his new book “The Black Ocean,” which will go on sale later this year. One of the works Barker read was a dramatic monologue of Mikhail Gorbachev.
“Since we only had 12 minutes, I chose to read good, voice-driven poems,” Barker said.
Sue Brannon Walker, a professor for undergraduate and graduate poetry and Southern literature at the University of South Alabama, also presented works to the audience in Gorgas. Walker read poems titled “Pursuit,” “Different Views” and “ABCing.” She sang her final poem “Love Song. Love Story. Love Poem.”
The audience erupted with applause after her finish.
“I was here at last year’s festival and I love the mobility of all the different venues,” Walker said. “Slash Pine Press has an enviable job of covering everything poetic on the most gorgeous campus.”
Walker just got back from reading poetry at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and the National Convergence of Poets Laureate conference in Lawrence, Kansas.
Lisa Tallin read a short story “The Red Birds.” After Tallin, was Stephanie Anderson, a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, who read a collection of short poems.
There was a 10-minute intermission where the audience could eat snacks at the refreshment table or purchase chapbooks for sale by Slash Pine Press and the participating writers. The Slash Pine interns were also selling a special edition Slash Pine Writers Festival Anthology for $15.
Brian Oliu, a UA English instructor and partner of Slash Pine Press, said everything’s been “so far, so good.”
“The undergraduate reading yesterday was great,” he said. “Also, the six readers at the Children’s Hands On Museum were really nice. Each of the venues is roughly the same size, and there has been great attendance. I’m sure the 2 p.m. event at the Green Bar will have a lot of people come out because it’s a bar.”
Joey Gamble, a sophomore majoring in English and attendee of the Gorgas Library reading, said he heard about the festival through his friend, who interns at Slash Pine Press.
“This is my first time to attend, and I have enjoyed seeing the different groups of people and how Slash Pine Press recruited voices from different colleges,” Gamble said. “I will hopefully be interning with Slash Pine Press next year.”
Ryan J. Browne read poems titled “Theory of a Translator Traitor” and “Litany at the Gates.” Browne holds an MFA from UA and currently teaches poetry and literature classes in Alabama state prisons.
David Welch, a 2008 UA graduate with an MFA in creative writing, read “The Audience” and “Questioning Manner.”
After Welch, Laura Kochman, currently an MFA candidate at UA, read six sections of prose poem sequences.
Tom Fick, an attendee and father of one of the Slash Pine Press interns, said the festival impressed him.
“In addition to today, I attended yesterday’s readings at the Gorgas House,” he said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to hear professional and student authors share their work.”
The Gorgas Library readings ended with writer Andrew Zawacki reading selected poems from his chapbook “Glassscape.”
“It’s great to be back in Tuscaloosa,” Zawacki said. “Thanks to Slash Pine Press for putting on this massive event together. They make it look so easy.”
