Dennis Etzel, Jr is a Senior Lecturer of English at Washburn University, where he has been teaching since 2007. He is a neuroqueer poet and Topeka native, where he lives with his wife and sons. Poetry and inclusion are near and dear to Dennis’s heart, as you can see in his poetic memoir My Secret Wars of 1984 which was selected by The Kansas City Star as Best Poetry Book in 2015. His collection of poetry, Fast-Food Sonnets, was a 2017 Kansas Notable Book.
Dennis has been described as an encouraging and enthusiastic teacher who intentionally provides a safe space for all, no matter if someone is an undergrad student or a veteran workshop attendee. His understanding of the important relationship between creativity and connection is another reason we are so excited to have Dennis at the conference this year. In past interviews he has said that he hopes his writing sparks conversation, and that is exactly what we hope to do at the Writers Conference: provide a space for inspiration and conversation for local writers.
You can catch up with Dennis on his website here.
You can register for the Writers Conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, November 3rd and 4th. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, November 2nd.
Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Dennis a few questions to get to know him better:
1. What's in your TBR pile?
Top three on my stack: Valkyrie Poetics by Swanee Astrid, Valley of the Many-Colored Grasses by Ronald Johnson, and A Sand Book by Ariana Reines
2. What are you reading right now?
I am currently reading The Book of Stolen Images by Laura Lee Washburn
3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend?
So many favorite books, but AMANDA PARADISE: Resurrect Extinct Vibration by CA Conrad is one I recommend this year.
4. Do you have a favorite bookstore?
My favorite bookstore is Round Table Bookstore which can be found in the NOTO Arts District in Topeka. A family of four run the store and they sell new and used books. It is so amazing--a visit as part of a perfect evening spent in NOTO
5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.
I am currently writing a hybrid non-fiction book titled At the Movies for health and Healing which collages memoir, research on film theory, and mythology as those stories that represent reality--that films give us a contemporary mythos to inform our lives and heal through experiencing.