14 March 2007/Contact: Melissa Witt, Public Relations Associate Tele.: 860.255.3777 Fax: 255.3417 E-mail: mwitt@txcc.commnet.edu

PHOTOS OF WRITERS ATTACHED

4th Annual !Writers’ Festival !of Tunxis Community College National and International Best-selling Authors, a Writer for The Simpsons, Among Those to Speak

Tunxis Community College invites the community to a “Writers’ Festival” on April 18, 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Whit’s Place café (cafeteria). Nationally recognized poets and writers of fiction and non-fiction will speak about their works and the writing process. All events are free, and refreshments will be served. Tunxis is located at the junction of Routes 6 and 177 in Farmington: !860.255.3500; tunxis.commnet.edu.

8:15-8:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast and Book Display 8:45-9 a.m. Welcoming Remarks 9-10 a.m.—Cartoonist Abby Denson will read from and discuss her latest works, which include graphic novel Tough Love: High School Confidential (Manic D Press, San Francisco, CA, 2006), originally a comic series that appeared in XY Magazine. She has also written for Powerpuff Girls Comics, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Simpsons Comics, Josie and the Pussycats, Disney Adventures, and comics for Nickelodeon Magazine. Her other comic strips include Deadsy Cat & Kissy Kitty, Jamie Starr Teen Drag Queen and two self-published works, Dolltopia and Night Club. 10:15-11:15 a.m.—Christopher Whitcomb, national counterterrorism expert, will speak on his books, which include the international best-selling memoir Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (Warner Books, Inc., New York, NY, 2001), and fiction thrillers White (Little, Brown, New York, NY, 2005) and Black (Little, Brown, New York, NY, 2004). Whitcomb is a 15-year veteran of the FBI, and an internationally recognized authority in the fields of terrorism, operational security, interrogation and behavioral analysis. Prior to leaving the FBI as a supervisory special agent in 2001, Whitcomb worked many of the FBI’s highest profile investigations, including the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas; war crimes in Kosovo; and the USS Cole bombing in Aden, Yemen. He speaks around the world on security and crisis-resolution matters. Since the release of Cold Zero, Whitcomb has appeared on dozens of national television and radio programs. He also writes on a freelance basis for several national publications and works as an on-air analyst for CBS News. 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.—Tryfon Tolides, winner of the prestigious 2005 National Poetry Series Award and former Tunxis student, will read from his debut collection, An Almost Pure Empty Walking (Penguin Books, New York, NY), an 80-page book of 63 of his poems, published in May 2006 as part of the National Poetry Series Award. Some of Tolides’ poetry reflects his experiences with the cultural differences that span his native Greece, where he lived as a young child and still visits, and his life in America. Tolides has also received a Reynolds Scholarship and the 2004 Foley Poetry Prize.

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1:15-2:30 p.m.— Poetry Circuit Five Connecticut college students who are published and award-winning poets will share their works: Loren Davis, Rebecca Dinerstein, Molly Mellinger, Jeff Schultz and Kelly Whinnem. 2:45-3:45 p.m.—Hollis Gillespie, a syndicated columnist, author and commentator, will read from and discuss her books, Confessions of a Recovering Slut: And Other Love Stories (HarperCollins Publishers Inc., New York, NY, 2005) and Bleachy-Haired Honky Bitch: Tales from a Bad Neighborhood (HarperColllins Publishers Inc., New York, NY, 2004). She is also the award-winning creator and writer of “Mood Swing,” a syndicated humor column based in Creative Loafing, an alternative Atlanta weekly. Among her other works, she is creator and writer of the travel column “The Ugly American” published in Paste magazine, as well as a commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered. Gillespie was named Breakout Author of the Year by Writer’s Digest in 2004. 4-5 p.m.—Tunxis Poetry Slam The audience is invited to share their poetry during this series of readings. Refreshments will be served.

5:30-6:45 p.m.—Participants are invited to enjoy Tunxis Jazz Ensemble music and student artwork on display. 7-8:30 p.m.—Mike Reiss, a writer for The Simpsons who is originally from Bristol, CT, has won four Emmys and a Peabody Award during his 15 years writing for the TV show. In 2006, Reiss received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Animation Writers Caucus. Reiss co-created the animated series The Critic and created Showtimes’ hit cartoon Queer Duck (about a gay duck). Queer Duck was recently named one of “The 100 Greatest Cartoons of All Time” by the BBC. Queer Duck: the Movie was released in July 2006. Reiss’s other TV credits include It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, The PJs, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Reiss’ original dramatic screenplay, Fat Man is in production. He was also a contributing writer to Ice Age, Ice Age 2, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and The Simpsons Movie (2007). His caveman detective story Cro-Magnon P.I. won an Edgar Award as Best First Mystery. He also wrote the best-selling children’s book How Murray Saved Christmas, soon to be a feature film from Nickelodeon. Other children’s books include The Boy Who Looked Like Lincoln, Santa Claustrophobia, and the award-winning Late for School. Reiss is also a frequent contributor to Esquire and Games Magazine. He is a former president of humor magazine The Harvard Lampoon and editor of The National Lampoon.

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Abby Denson

Hollis Gillespie

Tryfon Tolides

Christopher Whitcomb

Mike Reiss