Great writers from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives will gather on HACC's Harrisburg Campus to celebrate the art of writing during the college's upcoming annual Wildwood Writers Festival.

The festival, which will run from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, and Friday, April 1, in the C. Ted Lick Wildwood Conference Center, is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required. A celebration of poetry and fiction, the festival features sessions with published poets, award winning writers and local professors.

"The Wildwood Writers Festival celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year," said Geri Gutwein, associate professor of English. "Through the years, many writers' voices have ignited the creative energy of students, faculty and community members in attendance at the Festival. This year's Festival promises to be no exception. The committee has brought together a group of writers whose artistic expression weaves a complex fabric of voices that is a fine complement to 25 years of celebrating writing."

"Its really about exposing people to all these wonderful, different voices," added Jonathan De Young, assistant professor of English, who will present his own non-fiction work during the festival.

Some of the writers involved in the event include:

• Lance Clewitt, who first began to write free verse poetry with the Beats as primary influences while growing up in State College
• Barbara DeCesare, whose poetry and fiction have appeared in Poetry, North American Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and River Styx
• Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, who immigrated with her family to the United States during the Liberian civil war in 1991, settled in Michigan and now teaches creative writing and global literature at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• Jack Veasey, who has written eight books of poetry and currently teaches poetry and creative writing workshops for Central PA libraries and hosts the Van Goghs Ear poetry reading series at Borders in Harrisburg.

In addition to the sessions with writers, those in attendance can anticipate an open reading, as well as the opportunity for questions and answers.

For more information, contact Geri Gutwein, associate professor of English at HACC, telephone 717-780-2433 or Rick Kearns, 717-780-2451.