SWOCC release – Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College and the Coos History Museum are proud to present the 5th Annual Writers Day, virtually this year, on Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 2 pm. Join us for readings from our writing contest winners, and special guest speakers Peter Nathaniel Malae, Melissa Stephenson, and Nastashia Minto. Peter Nathaniel Malae is the author of the novels, Son of Amity (Oregon State University Press, ’18), Our Frail Blood (Grove/Atlantic, ’13), What we Are (Grove/Atlantic, ’10); the story collection, Teach the Free Man (Swallow/Ohio University Press, ’07); and the play, The Question (’15), each of which won a few awards. He is a former John Steinbeck, Oregon Literary Arts, Arts Silicon Valley and MacDowell Colony Fellow. Melissa Stephenson earned her B.A. in English from The University of Montana and her M.F.A. in Fiction from Texas State University. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, The Rumpus, Ms. Magazine, and Fourth Genre. Her memoir, Driven, was released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2018. She lives in Missoula, Montana with her two kids. Nastashia Minto is the author of Naked: The Rhythm and Groove of It. The Depth and Length to It. An African American woman born in South Georgia and raised there by her grandparents, she grew up in poverty and around drugs, alcohol, and family violence. Her life experiences led her to obtain an associate’s degree in occupational therapy and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Nastashia has been writing since she was nine years old, and has found that her writing offers her a way to help others. Her work has appeared in Gobshite Quarterly, Portland Metrozine, SUSAN The Journal, and the Unchaste Anthology. She is a popular featured reader at Portland reading series including Grief Rites and Incite. The writing contest is still open through September 30, 2020. Please send your submissions to WritersDay@cooshistory.org. You can read the complete contest guidelines at the event website: https://cooshistory.org/writers-day/. Registration for Writers Day is required by October 3, 2020. This event is FREE, but donations will be accepted. Visit https://cooshistory.org/writers-day for event details and to register. For questions, please contact Noelle Ebert at 541-888-7431 or noelle.ebert@socc.edu. Special thanks to Cranberry Sweets & More, Charleston Marine Life Center, and 7 Devils Brewing Co. for sponsoring prizes.
