Writers, Writers, Everywhere: Watershed Literary Festival Starts Thursday Evening

The Watershed Literary Festival of Rye will start its second run this Thursday, September 28th and runs through the weekend.

The festival kicks off with Cocktail Party by the Sea under the pavilions at Rye Town Park on Thursday, featuring Annabel Monaghan.

A tent at the Knapp House (265 Rye Beach Avenue) is the site of the remaining three days of programming, including book talks with authors of newly released fiction such as Jimin Han, (The Apology), Vanessa Cuti, (Tip Line), local sports journalist Ian Rapoport, RHS teacher Roni Sarig in conversation with Alison Relyea, Alex Morrison and Eileen Moskowitz-Palma lead writing workshops, Lisa Belkin of The New York Times in conversation with local journalist Heather Cabot, and the poet laureate of Westchester BK Fischer will attend with a roster of poets.

Beyond the Thursday evening party, the events are free with a suggested donation of $20 for each event. Event profits benefit the Rye Free Reading Room, Rye Arts Center and Rye Historical Society.

The schedule:

Thursday, September 28th

Cocktail Party by the Sea with Annabel Monaghan. 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Rye Town Park Pavilion 94 Dearborn Avenue $40 per person (registration required).

Friday, September 29th

Ebb and Flow:
A Fiction Writing Workshop 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Alex Morrison will explore the sensory language that helps writers build a sense of place and time through setting. Bring your imagination, a notebook, and a pen. You will leave with the beginning of a story.

Water in Motion: Writing for Stage and Screen 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Join screenwriter Stuart Zicherman (The Americans, 2013) and playwright/actor Ari Brand (Scenes from Childhood, 2019) as they discuss their writing careers with television producer, Dan Adler.

Stroke Technique:
The Craft of Essay Writing 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
How does a writer take a reader on a journey, with laughter, tears, and
universal understanding? Join Janine Annett, Andrea Atkins Hessekiel,
and Nicole Graev Lipson as they discuss their process. Moderated by Lee Woodruff.

Dipping your Toe in: First Novels 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Join authors Suki van Dijk, Iman Hariri- Kia and Avery Carpenter Forrey in conversation with Karen Dukess about the thrill of taking an idea and seeing it through to publication.

Time is a River: Working with Fact and Fiction 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Katherine Dykstra and Kate Manning discuss themes of family history, mothers and daughters, and the legacy of silence that is passed from generation to generation.

 

Saturday, September 30th

Murky Waters: for Crime Fiction Lovers 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
T.M. Dunn, author of Her Father’s Daughter, and Vanessa Cuti, author of Tip Line in conversation with Lori Fontanes.

Riding the Wave: Sports Journalism 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Sports journalists today hone their skills across a variety of media in addition to being experts on their game. Join sportswriter and NFL pundit Ian Rapoport in a conversation about sports journalism and his on-screen career.

Making a Splash: Young Writers’ Workshop 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Join Eileen Moskowitz-Palma, author of the School Squad and Camp Clique series, for “You Got a Friend in Me” a writing workshop to help create short stories about two friends resolving their conflict.

The Tide is High: Fiction Writing 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Join us for a conversation with novelists Jimin Han, Kate Brandt, and Marcia Bradley.

A Thousand Words for Water: A Poetry Reading and Craft Discussion 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
B.K. Fisher, Poet Laureate of Westchester County moderates a panel of pure poetry with writers Jared Harel, Tyler Mills and Carey Salerno.

 

Sunday, October 1st

Local Catch: Local Authors and Book Sale 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Published authors local to the Rye/Westchester area will be on hand to chat about – and sell – their books.

Soundwaves: Music and Writing 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Join Roni Sarig in conversation with Alison Cupp Relyea about Alison’s collection of music-inspired essays.

Below the Surface: The Art of Memoir 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Authors Priscilla Gilman and Christine Barker in conversation with Serena Jones

Into the Deep: Investigative Journalism 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Veteran journalist Lisa Belkin in conversation with Heather Cabot discussing Lisa’s new book Genealogy of a Murder. They will talk about why they choose their topics, how they conduct investigations, and the obstacles they have faced.