The 2025 Story Catcher Festival: Day Two

The English Department at WCU is hosting a major event in April affiliated with the English Program, the Graduate Program in Creative Writing, and presented by their primary sponsor, the Mari Sandoz Society.

• 9 to 11 a.m. Taylor Hall Studio Theater
Workshop/Discussion with Pamela Uschuk & Special Guest William Pitt Root – SHOUT OUT! Poetry Of Witness and of Truth Tellers–A Poetry Writing Intensive
Joy Harjo has said, “Poets are truth tellers. We must turn slaughter into food.” In the spirit of these truths about poetry, we will lead a generative poetry workshop using model poems from the anthologies Truth to Power: Writers Respond To The Rhetoric Of Hate And Fear and Taking Liberties: Writers Respond To Supreme Court Decisions, The 2024 Election And War & Its Consequences. As experienced poets and editors, we will talk about what makes an e ective poem of witness and/or political poem, how to avoid being didactic, and how to empower by use of metaphor, rhythm and language. We will provide a prompt for participants to write a poem during the session.

• 11:30 to 12:30
Young Lance Luncheon: Young Lance Recipients and other minority-serving groups across campus: Amigos (LatinX), Asian Pacific Islander Club (APIC), BSA (Black Student Alliance), Native American Student Council (NASC), Queer Collective (LGBTQA+)—and the DEI committee and the Multicultural Center.

• 1 to 4 p.m. Taylor Hall Studio Theater
Events focused on Indigenous Outreach
– Young Lance Fellowship Recipients Reading and Discussion (Moderated by Haesong Kwon)
– Connections with local Indigenous Groups/Talks

• 4 to 5 p.m. Taylor Hall Studio Theater
OPEN MIC EVENT

• 7 to 9 p.m. An Evening with Joy Harjo – Quigley/Kincaid Concert Hall
– Introduction by Pam Uschuk
– Moderated discussion with CMarie Fuhrman
– Book signing to follow