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            Last week we told you about the Emerald Island 2012 Writer's Conference, sponsored by the Kodiak Arts Council. The conference, which will be hosted over the course of five days, will provide workshops in various genres of writing, with a primary focus each day. On August 10, author and scholar Nate Leboutillier will lead the prose workshop. KMXT recently caught up with Leboutillier and asked him what he hopes residents will gain from the experience.

            "Well I don't want to give away to much because I want people to come, but I will say that there should be ample opportunity for discovering some writing secrets, for collaborating on ideas for writing, you know what works and what doesn't and most of all to find some inspiration. Hopefully they can look for someone that will inspire them, but I'm also looking to be inspired, whether people know it or not."

             Registration for the conference is $25 per day, and those interested have until the conference begins to sign up. There is a class size limit of 30 participants. You can register online, as well as view the complete schedule at the Kodiak Arts Council's home page. Beyond prose workshops, attendees can register for courses in poetry and screen writing. There is also a two day workshop for kids.

            In addition to the conference, the arts council is hosting a writing contest for poetry and short stories. The deadline for submitting is August 1. You can find more information about that on the arts council's website.