This Year's Theme: Sun

ANNE MCCRADY - WORKSHOPS

Email Submission to
wacowordfest@yahoo.com

CONGRATULATIONS!!

The following poets have been selected to be published in the 2024 WordFest Anthology: Waco Cultural Arts Fest!!!!
Julio César Aguilar, Beth Ayers, Alicia S. Azahar, Andre' Bilal, Chris Billings, Viola K. Blocker, Christine H. Boldt, Brian Bowles, Erika N Broadbent, Doris Brogan, Claire Vogel Camargo, Vanessa Caraveo, Paul Causey, Karen Cline-Tardiff, Bridget Cooley, David E. Cowen, Austin Crisman, Brian Cummings, Charles Darnell, Manuel L. English, Joseph A. Farina, Nancy Fierstien, Elisa A. Garza, Barbara T. Goerdel, Dwight A. Gray, Gwendolyn Gray, John Grey, Michael Guinn, Lori Hawk, Sandi Horton, Ann Howells, Lisa Hubley-King, Cade Huie, Christine Irving, Mark Jodon, Melanie M. Johnson, Laurie Kolp, Ailana Larson, Laraine Kentridge Lasdon, Catherine L'Herisson, Susan Mardele, Anne McCrady, Sylvia S. Medel , Nicole Metts, Marcine M. Moore, Antonia Salinas Murguia, Susan Musch, Ann C.K. Nickell, Alice Parker, Juan M. Perez, DaRelle Pittman. Gerald Plant, Betty Roberts, Irene Cayong Robertson, Susan J. Rogers, Barry Rynk, Sandi Stromberg, Sunshine Thom, Carol Thompson, Janet R. Tyner, Sterling Warner, Shiny Wu

Submission guidelines for 2024 WordFest Anthology
Send one poem between
June 1 - July 15, 2024
Poets may submit one poem using the theme of Sun. The poem should include a
title and be 24 lines or less in Times New Roman 12 point font with no line longer
than 50 characters. In order to be considered, poems may NOT be previously
published. Please send your poem in the body of one email to
wacowordfest@yahoo.com with your contact information including: mailing
address (country if outside of US), phone number at the bottom and your name
as the subject of the email. If the submitting poet is under the age of 18, please
include school and age beside the name. A special youth section may be included
in the anthology. Do not send more than one email. You will receive a
confirmation when your poem has been received.

Deadline for submissions is July 15, 2024 by midnight. Selected poets for the 2024 Waco Cultural Arts Fest WordFest Anthology will be notified by August 15, 2024 of their acceptance.

All final poets published will receive a complimentary copy of the 2024 WordFest Anthology at the Festival in Waco on November 16, 2024. If you are published and are unable to pick up your complimentary copy, you many arrange to have someone else come pick it up for you at the festival.

WordFest Feature Poet for 2024 WordFest is Anne McCrady!!!

Anne McCrady is a poet, speaker, storyteller, and peace advocate. In addition to her poetry collections, Along Greathouse Road and Letting Myself In, and her chapbook Under a Blameless Moon.

Anne’s award-winning writing appears internationally in many literary journals and dozens of anthologies, as well as online. She also has editorial, review, fiction, and creative nonfiction publication credits, and she is a frequent poetry contest judge, workshop presenter, and motivational speaker In partnership with UT Tyler professor and performance music department chair Dr. Kyle Gullings.

Anne's work has been performed as operatic art song and as libretto, including song lyrics for the contemporary opera Departure, written by Anne and Dr. Gullings.
Anne’s writing has also been used as liturgy in churches and in Unitarian Universalist fellowships where she is a frequent worship speaker. Over the years, her poems have also been read at weddings, memorial services, and community events.

Anne’s honors include being a two-time Pushcart nominee, a longtime councilor for the Poetry
Society of Texas, and the 2018-19 Austin International Poetry Festival Poet Laureate. In addition, two of her collections were state and national prize winners. Anne has served as a Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Artist, a Young Audiences school presenter, and producer of the Texas Poets Podcast which featured Texas Poets Laureate. Anne was the cofounder and codirector of the annual arts-based Art of Peace Festival in Tyler, Texas, a week-long celebration of the U.N. International Day of Peace, which for ten years included an annual international poetry anthology that Anne edited and published.

In 2021, Anne’s poetry was presented at the 2021 Houston REEL poetry Short Poetry Film Festival and was an Honorable Mention in the Reuben Rose Poetry Contest in Israel.

Anne’s educational background was as a Select Student and chemistry and biology graduate at
Stephen F. Austin State University. Anne’s personal interests include the environment, wildlife,
gardening, education, gender equality, peace initiatives, science advancements, progressive politics, social justice initiatives, and arts organizations.

The mother of three adult children and the grandmother of eight kind and creative grandchildren, Anne lives in Tyler, with her husband, Dr. Mike McCrady, who is a family medicine hospitalist. Their daughter, Dr. Kate Hawkins, is a Tyler pediatrician. Sons, Andy in Nacogdoches and Patrick in Virginia, have degrees in Forest Wildlife and Mining Engineering.

Anne is currently working on several poetry and picture book projects. Her work is presented online at InSpiritry.com, her personal website, and at PoetwithaPressPass.com, where she posts timely poems related to news and current topics. She also posts on Substack and Face.

Waco Cultural Arts Fest 20th Anniversary
2024 WordFest Schedule

 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2024

Homecoming Welcome
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Hosts: Carol Thompson & Janet Tyner

Open Mic Poetry (open to the public)
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Host: Michael Guinn

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023
Panel Discussion with poets Anne McCrady, Michael Guinn, and Charles Darnell
10:30am - 11:30am
Host: Sandi Horton

Feature Workshops:  Anne McCrady (breaks will be given as needed)
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Part 1: Interactive Workshop: How Great Poems Sing

We all have favorite poems by beloved poets, collections and anthologies of unforgettable images, remembered metaphors that are astounding, and deeply meaningful insights in poetic forms that have been perfected. In Part One of Poems that Sing, Anne McCrady invites participants to rediscover what makes great poetry sing (and sometimes Zing!) and how we can use those ideas in our own poems. Participants are invited to bring a favorite poem.

Part 2: Interactive Workshop: Writing Poems That Sing

The second half of Poems that Sing will be dedicated to writing and sharing new poems, using aspects of the previous session’s poets, poems, and poetics as inspirational prompts. Discussion and affirmation will be encouraged, as we all seek to sing the human condition in new and beautiful ways. Poets are asked to bring materials for writing.


Distinguished Writers’ Reception (by invitation) .
Authors’ Book Exchange, Light bites and drinks

5:30pm - 7:00pm

Anthology Reading (open to the public)
7:00pm - 9:00pm

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2024
Feature Workshop:  Anne McCrady
Submitting your Poetry: Revisions for Readers

10:30am - 12:00pm

Public Open Mic
1:00pm - 4:00pm

WordFest Featured Poet by year
2015 Sarah Cortez
2016 Thom Woodruff
2017 Kayla K Morton
2018 Nathan Brown
2019 Loretta Diane Walker
2020 Michael Guinn
2021 Kathleen Hudson
2022 d ellis phelps
2023 Seema Gill

Featured Artist on WordFest Anthology Cover:
2016 June Zaner
2017 Mark Kieran
2018 Susan Sistrunk
2019 Julie Milstead
2020 Charles Wallis
2021 Carrie Stout
2022 Cory Lind
2023 Richard Heley

Previous Poets who have presented workshops or facilitated readings at WordFest:
Mike Baldwin, Kay Bell, Jan Benson, Chris Boldt, Nathan Brown, Cassy Burleson, Sarah Cortez, Rae Denton, Susan Duty, Jennifer Evans, Mary Evans, Michael Guinn, Joyce Gullickson, Mike Gullickson, Michelle Hartman, Gary Heck. Sandi Horton. Ann Howells. Kathleen Hudson, Anne McCrady,Karla K.  Morton, D. Ellis Phelps, Steve Sanders, Edwin B. Staples, Susan Summers, Loretta Diane Walker, Allyson Whipple, Thom Woodruff