The literary dream team of Robert Olen Butler and ElizabethDewberry will wrap up their visit to The University of Memphistonight by reading from their works in the Fogelman ExecutiveCenter.
The married couple was invited to The University for the RiverCity Writers Series that began earlier this month.
Butler, who won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for his novel "A GoodScent from a Strange Mountain," is the author of 10 novels, twocollections of short stories and a handful of screenplays. He beganhis tour of The U of M Tuesday by presenting a fiction workshop toa group of students in Patterson Hall.
"It's terrific for students to get a different perspective ontheir work," said Cary Holladay, director of the River City WritersSeries. "Especially when it comes from major contemporarywriters."
Holladay said writing workshops aid aspiring writers incountless ways.
"They improve all kinds of things," she said, "from matters ofcraft to discipline."
Butler not only assisted students with loose guidelines forsuccess, he also helped them understand the artistic expressionswithin them all.
"Artists are not intellectuals. Artists are sensualists," Butlersaid. "Art doesn't come from the mind, it comes from the placewhere you dream."
After encouraging students with his pleasant and colorfuladvice, Butler critiqued several manuscripts from U of Mstudents.
"I've read thousands of student manuscripts by students whoaspire to create works of art," Butler recalled. "Virtually all ofthe initial efforts lack the first principle ... matters ofprocess."
Dewberry, who has written three full-length plays and threenovels, will teach a Forms of Fiction class this afternoon for theEnglish department.
The couple, who fell for each other after reading one another'sbooks, were married on William Shakespeare's birthday, April 23,1995, and work at Florida State University, where Butler is aprofessor and Dewberry is a playwright-in-residence.
"We are just so delighted to have both of these writers visit,and I hope that everyone will continue to enjoy the River CityWriters Series," said Holladay.
The writers will give an interview today from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45a.m. in Patterson Hall, Room 456; Dewberry will teach a class from12:40 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. in Patterson Hall, Room 217,; and Butlerand Dewberry will read from their work at 8 p.m. in FogelmanExecutive Center, Room 123. A reception and book signing willfollow.
