Margaret Maron Keynote for New CCCC Creative Writing Program

Central Carolina Community College will introduce a new Creative Writing program during a public event Sunday, April 26, from 1pm to 4pm. The keynote speaker will be national best-selling mystery writer Margaret Maron. The audience will have the opportunity to break into small discussion groups to provide feedback on topics for the new program. Sponsored by McIntyre’s Fine Books at Fearrington, the kickoff event will be held in the Multipurpose Room, Building 2, at the CCCC Pittsboro Campus.

Scheduled to begin in Fall 2009, the new Creative Writing program will offer courses in various genres of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Several weekly courses and one-day workshops will be offered each fall and spring semester. “We are very pleased to offer a Creative Writing Program here at our Chatham County Campus,” said Carl Thompson, Director of Continuing Education for the Chatham County campuses of CCCC. “Our goal is to provide programming that enhances the skills of our citizens, while bringing a level of enjoyment as well. This particular endeavor should satisfy both requirements. We anticipate that this program will be one of the first in this region, and we look forward to serving not only the needs of Chatham County citizens but those of the region.”

Ms. Maron’s keynote topic for the Creative Writing Program kickoff event will be, “My Writing Life”. She is the author of twenty-four novels and two collections of short stories. Winner of the 2008 North Carolina Award for Literature and several major awards for mystery writing, Ms. Maron’s works have been translated into 15 languages. A native Tar Heel, she still lives on her family’s century-old farm a few miles southeast of Raleigh. The farm served as the setting for Bootlegger’s Daughter, which is in the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century as selected by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. McIntyre’s will have Ms. Maron’s books available for sale during the April kickoff event at CCCC.

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If you would like more information on these courses, please call Maggie Zwilling at 919.542.6594, ext. 228 or Carl Thompson, ext. 224.