Lakeland University invites community to free Writers’ Festival
By: Addison Johannes, Lakeland University student
On Thursday, Nov. 5, and Friday, Nov. 6, the Great Lakes Writers Festival will bring published authors June Gervais and Chelsea Whitton to Lakeland University for a free event open to the public. The festival invites college students, high school students and community members to celebrate and cultivate the art of writing.
The annual festival includes readings by the featured authors, master classes, book signings, an open mic, a Q&A, a poetry walk, a book fair and a writing contest. Attendees can participate in as few or as many events as they like.
Gervais will read from her novel, “Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair,” and Whitton will read from her poetry collection, “Wonder Wheel.”
June Gervais is an author, activist, graphic designer, editor, arts director and public speaker. She earned her MFA in writing and literature in 2012 from Bennington College in Vermont.
“Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair,” published by Pamela Dorman Books/Viking Penguin, is her debut novel. Her writing has appeared in Lit Hub, Writer’s Digest, The North American Review, RHINO, Sojourners, Cream City Review, The Pinch, The Common, Cordella, Big Fiction, The Missouri Review, the Southampton Review, Image Journal, Consequence Magazine, Alocasia and other publications.
In “Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair,” Gina, a young adult trying to find her place in the world, embarks on a tattoo apprenticeship determined to make her mark, literally. The book follows Gina as she navigates familial and romantic relationships, injustice and finding her way in the world.
Chelsea Whitton, a poet, author and professor, is the author of “Wonder Wheel,” published by LSU Press in 2026. Whitton holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA in poetry from The New School.
Her poetry and prose have appeared in many print and online publications, including Beloit Poetry Journal, Copper Nickel, Cream City Review, Poetry Ireland, The Atlanta Review and Forklift-Ohio. Her work has been a finalist for the Gearhart Prize, the Frost Place and Adrienne Rich awards for poetry. She is the recipient of the 2018 Sandy Crimmins National Poetry Prize.
Raised in the Carolinas, Whitton spent her 20s in New York and now lives in southwestern Ohio, where she teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
“Wonder Wheel” is a poetry collection that focuses on themes of spirituality, millennial identity, adult friendship, desire and family history. The collection features disoriented speakers and narrators who believe they know what life holds for them, only to discover otherwise.
Thursday, Nov. 5
Thursday’s master classes will include fiction in Laun 228, titled “Bewitch Me: Sweeping the Reader Away,” and poetry in Laun 210, titled “Mimesis as a Symptom.”
Friday, Nov. 6
Friday’s master classes will include fiction in Laun 228, titled “Say Less: Micro-Memoir,” and poetry in Laun 210, titled “Let It Linger: Sous rature, palimpsest, and Other ‘Soft Erasure’ Strategies.”
For more information and to register, visit greatlakeswritersfestival.org.
Attendees can participate in two master classes, which provide round-table opportunities to meet with the authors for an interactive writing experience.
On Friday, Nov. 6, high school students and their chaperones can enjoy a private, interactive master class that showcases how the authors get inspired and develop their craft, followed by a writing exercise.
In addition to the master classes and readings at Lakeland University, which is three miles west of Howards Grove, the festival includes a reading and open mic at Jake’s, A Lakeland Community, in downtown Sheboygan. Attendees can read up to three minutes of their own writing.
The festival also offers a writing contest. All attendees are invited to submit one unpublished poem, short story or personal essay of fewer than 5,000 words. There will be a winning submission in both the adult and young adult categories, and both winners will receive a $100 prize. Email submissions to glwf@lakeland.edu by Dec. 1.
