20-25 October 2003
with a special return engagement
February 7 and 9, 2004
As some of you may remember, Thisbe Nissen survived most of the rigors of Zale week last October, only to fall ill with the flu near the end. As a result, a couple of much-anticipated events had to be cancelled at the last minute. The good news is that because she enjoyed herself so much and wants to ‘finish what she started,’ Thisbe is coming back ! (See right column for full details about each event and directions/parking info.)
WRITE WITH THISBE NISSEN
At 10:30 am on Saturday 7 February in the Anna E. Many Lounge of Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, Caroline Richardson Hall, Tulane University, Thisbe will convene a half-day writing workshop/workout exploring found texts as portals for fiction and poetry. Come prepared to spend the day writing and playing with texts. Open to the public. Free, but please RSVP to 504 865 5238 before February 6. We reserve the right to cap the workshop should it grow too large, but foresee a pretty big group.
ASK THISBE NISSEN
"Getting It Out There: The nuts & bolts of starting to publish your writing"
6-8:30 pm, Monday 9 February, Anna E. Many Lounge, Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, Caroline Richardson Hall, Tulane University
So you have rewritten that manuscript and you are ready to package it up and send it out into the world. NOW WHAT? Free and open to the public
Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, Newcomb College, Tulane University
Thisbe Nissen is the author of the acclaimed short story collection Out of the Girls' Room and into the Night and the novels The Good People of New York , and Osprey Island (forthcoming in 2004) . With Erin Ergenbright, she is co-author of The Ex-Boyfriend Cookbook, a collection of stories, recipes and art collages. Her work has been published in many journals, magazines and websites, including Story, Seventeen, Glamour, Tin House, Atlantic Unbound, Pindeldyboz, eyeshot.net and The New Orleans Review.
Thisbe has been the recipient of the John Simmons Short Fiction Award and of fellowships from the James Michener-Copernicus Society, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the Vermont Studio Center. She has taught at the Port Townsend Writers' Conference, and is a core faculty member of the Iowa Young Writers' Studio, a summer program for gifted teenage writers. A native New Yorker, and a graduate of Oberlin College and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Thisbe now lives, writes, gardens and pets her cats in Iowa City.
Nissen's books are available for purchase at the Tulane Bookstore. They will also be available at the booksigning following the reading.
THISBE NISSEN ON THE WEB
Download a PDF of the postcard promoting this year's program.
Interview with Nissen @ identitytheory.com (2002)
An excerpt from The Good People of New York
The Beatrice Interview (2001)
"Fundamentals of Communication" (a story), The Atlantic, 1999
Each year since 1986, the Zale Writer-in-Residence Program has brought a renowned or emerging woman writer to the Newcomb /Tulane campus for a week-long residency. The mission of the Program is to afford students an opportunity to become better acquainted with contemporary American women writers, their work, and their ideas about writing, literature, being, and creative practice. We are an interdisciplinary "deep humanities" program dedicated to encouraging members of the university community to value, nurture, and develop their own creative flows and skills in ways that complement and enhance their academic majors, career paths, and life paths. In addition to sitting for a public interview and delivering a reading, the Zale Writer participates in creative writing workshops, guest lectures in literature other liberal arts classes, and meets with students in less formal settings.
Coordinated through the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, and facilitated by a committee composed of Newcomb and Tulane students, staff, and faculty, the Zale Writer-in-Residence program was established by Dana Zale Gerard, N '85, and is made possible by an annual gift from the M. B. and Edna Zale Foundation of Dallas, Texas.
Return to the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women site
AUDIO AND VIDEO FROM THISBE'S ZALE RESIDENCY NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
MP3 of interview:
Quicktime movie of reading
MP3 of conversation with Gina Dorre's Women's Literature class
You may also link to the video/audio and see Zale Week pictures on our new server: http://nccrow.tulane.edu
More photos soon! Thanks to all who helped document Thisbe's residency.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (1:00 pm on10/24/03):
Thisbe Nissen has come down with the flu!
The Friday afternoon publishing workshop the Saturday writing workshop with Thisbe have been CANCELLED! However, we do plan to reschedule both events at a later date as web-based happenings. Stay tuned for details!
SCHEDULE OF PUBLIC ZALE WRITER WEEK EVENTS
The following events are free and open to all members of the Newcomb/Tulane and Greater New Orleans communities. Some events require RSVPs. Please phone 504 865 5238 or e-mail nccrow@tulane.edu if you have questions about any of the following events.
Download a one-page schedule of the week' events (PDF).
THE THISBE NISSEN EXPERIENCE
Thisbe will read from her work at 7:30 p.m on Tuesday 21 October in the
Myra Clare Rogers Chapel, Newcomb College, Tulane University.
A reception and booksigning will follow in the atrium of Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, Caroline Richardson Hall. The public is invited. Free.
MEET THISBE NISSEN
Thisbe will sit for a an "Inside the Actor's Studio"-style public interview conducted by Newcomb Dean and Associate Professor of English Cynthia Lowenthal at 7:30 pm on Thursday 23 October in the Anna E. Many Lounge of Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, Caroline Richardson Hall.
A reception and booksigning will follow. The public is invited. Free.
ASK THISBE NISSEN
"Getting It Out There: The nuts and bolts of starting to publish your writing"
2-4 pm, Friday 24 October, Anna E. Many Lounge, Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, 2nd Floor Caroline Richardson Hall, Tulane University
So you have rewritten that manuscript and you are ready to package it up and send it out into the world. NOW WHAT? This informal, practical workshop and question and answer session will lay bare the bones of the literary industry. Thisbe Nissen will address topics ranging from what to put in a cover letter, to dealing gracefully with rejection and acceptance, to the value of perseverance, to the experience of publishing your first book. Come learn about the nitty gritty of the writing life, MFA programs, and the publishing world from the inside. Bring your questions about this stuff. All emerging writers are welcome. Creative writing students from all area colleges and universities are especially invited to participate. This event is free.
The "Getting It Out There" workshop is presented in cooperation with the Tulane Literary Society.
WRITE WITH THISBE NISSEN
At 10:30 am on Saturday 25 October in the Anna E. Many Lounge of Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, Thisbe will convene a half-day writing workshop/workout exploring found texts as portals for fiction and poetry. Following a conceptual introduction and comments from Thisbe, participants will roam the city (or campus) on individual writing missions, then re-convene to share, contemplate, and possibly combine their findings. Participants who choose to do so may hand their work over to Thisbe to take home to Iowa and cut up/juxtapose/divine/ reassemble through the lens of her time here in New Orleans and whatever else she has going on, then send back down river to us. There is great possibility of an experimental group publication flowing out of this workshop! All area writers are welcome, but please phone 504 865 5238 or e-mail nccrow@tulane.edu no later than 23 October to RSVP. We reserve the right to place a cap on the number of workshop participants, but envision a pretty big workshop. Free.
HOW TO FIND PROGRAM VENUES + PARKING INFORMATION
Newcomb College Center for Research on Women is located in Caroline Richardson Hall on Newcomb Place between the Woldenberg Art Center and the Student Health Services Building just inside the Willow Street entrance to Newcomb College (Willow Street between Broadway and Calhoun Street) on the Tulane University Uptown campus.
The Myra Clare Rogers Chapel is located just inside the Broadway gates to Newcomb College, directly across from Newcomb Hall.
If you are not familiar with the Tulane campus, you may with to consult this campus map: http://www2.tulane.edu/about_campus.cfm
Parking at the Center: On weekends, visitors to the Center may park in front Caroline Richardson Hall in the parking area along Newcomb Place. On weekdays between the hours of 8 AM - 7 PM, you must have a permit to park on campus. Street parking is available on Broadway, on the streets intersecting Broadway, and on Audubon Boulevard. Parking is usually readily available on Audubon Boulevard, and it is just a short walk directly down Audubon Boulevard and across Willow Street onto the campus.
Please phone 504 865 5238 if you wish additional information about the Zale Writer in Residence Program or other Center activities. To find out what else is going on at the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, you may visit http://www.tulane.edu/~wc