Dalton State College, in partnership with the Chattanooga Writers Guild, will host a free writers’ workshop on Saturday, Aug. 27, on the Dalton State campus. The theme of the workshop will be “ICE: Inspired Creative Energy.”

All aspiring writers are invited to the free workshop, which will be held at the College’s James E. Brown Center.

“Our goal for the day is to help aspiring writers find answers and help about crafting and perfecting their writing, finding venues for readers, and getting published in traditional and new formats such as e-publishing. Writers of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry are encouraged to attend,” said Barbara G. Tucker, Associate Professor of Communication at Dalton State and coordinator for the event.

“Many people write, and write well, but aren’t sure how to find markets and audiences for their work,” she said.

Dalton State faculty members joining Tucker as speakers are Dr. Leslie Harrelson, Associate Professor of English, and Dr. Jenny Crisp, Assistant Professor of English.

Other presenters include Amber Nagle, a freelance writer; Lantz Powell, a literary agent and publisher from Chattanooga; Ray Zimmerman, a poet and naturalist; and Kelle Z. Riley, an award-winning romantic fiction writer. Tony Burton, founder and owner of Wolfmont Press, Denouement Press, and Honey Locust Press of Ranger, GA, will speak at a plenary session.

The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m., with registration and introductions followed by three 45-minute breakout sessions. In the first session, attendees can choose between the topics of enhancing a freelance writing career, writing query letters, and getting started in memoir writing. The second session’s choices include mind-mapping to develop stories, using fan fiction and other venues to find audiences, and polishing the writing style. In the third session, workshops on romance writing, journaling, and copyediting are offered.

A plenary session on publishing will be followed by lunch on your own. Panels with writers of different genres, and opportunities to meet published authors, will follow in the afternoon.

Pre-registration is not required, but is preferred so that presenters can have sufficient handouts ready for the event. For more information or to pre-register, visit http://www.chattanoogawritersguild.com/0/Announcements.aspx or contact Sharon Huey at yazoo1966@comcast.net.