OCTC Announces Spring 2025 Common Reading Writing Workshop Series

Four writing workshops will take place in-person on OCTC's Main Campus on Jan. 31, Feb. 14, Mar. 21, and Apr. 4

by Katie Powers

Owensboro, KY (01/23/2025) — Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) is pleased to announce an exciting lineup of events and opportunities for students, faculty, and community members as part of this semester's Common Reading program. This spring, the focus will center on the inspiring anthology This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. You are invited to participate in one or more monthly writing workshops and an essay writing contest!

Monthly Writing Workshop Series

OCTC will host a series of free, interactive writing workshops featuring acclaimed authors with ties to the Common Reading program. These workshops are open to students, faculty, and community members, with no prior writing experience required. Seating is limited to 25 participants per session, and pre-registration is required. Register for one (or more) workshops at https://forms.office.com/r/KvV5M4DUQf.

Workshop Schedule:

  1. Friday, January 31: Amy Bellamy (Waverly) - Topic: "Choosing the Write Path"Amy Bellamy is an Owensboro native and author of the Spring 2020 Common Reading selection, the novel Waverly. Learn more about Amy Bellamy and the books she's written by visiting her website.
    • Amy Bellamy is an Owensboro native and author of the Spring 2020 Common Reading selection, the novel Waverly. Learn more about Amy Bellamy and the books she's written by visiting her website.
  2. Friday, February 14: Greta McDonough (Her Troublesome Boys) - Topic: "Your Life in Snapshots: Writing Your Memoir"Greta McDonough is a former OCTC Professor, columnist for The Messenger-Inquirer, and author of Her Troublesome Boys: The Lucy Furman Story. Learn more about Greta McDonough and read from her website.
    • Greta McDonough is a former OCTC Professor, columnist for The Messenger-Inquirer, and author of Her Troublesome Boys: The Lucy Furman Story. Learn more about Greta McDonough and read from her website.
  3. Friday, March 21: George Ella Lyon (Catalpa) - Topic: "First Day of Spring: Finding Your Writing Seeds"George Ella Lyon is a former Kentucky Poet Laureate and author of the Spring 2011 Common Reading selection, the poetry collection Catalpa. Learn more about George Ella Lyon and all she has to offer on her website.
    • George Ella Lyon is a former Kentucky Poet Laureate and author of the Spring 2011 Common Reading selection, the poetry collection Catalpa. Learn more about George Ella Lyon and all she has to offer on her website.
  4. Friday, April 4: Frank X Walker (This I Believe and Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York) - Topic: "Mining Family Stories and History"Frank X Walker is the author of one of the essays in this semester's Common Reading, This I Believe, "Creative Solutions to Life's Challenges." He is a former Kentucky Poet Laureate and author of the Fall 2007 Common Reading selection, the poetry collection Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York. Learn more about Frank X Walker on his website.
    • Frank X Walker is the author of one of the essays in this semester's Common Reading, This I Believe, "Creative Solutions to Life's Challenges." He is a former Kentucky Poet Laureate and author of the Fall 2007 Common Reading selection, the poetry collection Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York. Learn more about Frank X Walker on his website.

Workshop Details:

For more information about the workshops, contact Kaye Brown, OCTC Professor of English, Common Reading Committee Co-Chair by emailing kaye.brown@kctcs.edu. You can also visit our website to learn more about the authors; please visit https://owensboro.kctcs.edu/about/student-life/common-reading/index.aspx.

These events are sponsored by the OCTC Common Reading program and the OCTC Foundation. For more about the OCTC Common Reading, please visit https://owensboro.kctcs.edu/about/student-life/common-reading/index.aspx.

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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC

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