[Motown Writers Network] DETROITERS REVIVE HISTORIC RESORT TRADITION - Idlewild

Media Release Detroiters & Idlewild Conference Aug. 12-14 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      Contact: Heather Buchanan, 313-515-8122                                      DETROITERS REVIVE HISTORIC RESORT TRADITION (DETROIT)--This August, Detroiters will make history by bringing new life to a lost part of Michigan history. Detroit-based Aquarius Press and Broadside Press will be hosting the first Idlewild Writers and Poets Conference in northwestern Michigan. Idlewild, once known as the "Black Eden" from 1912 through the mid-1960s, was the premier entertainment and leisure resort for America's top black performers, including Della Reese, Jackie Wilson, Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin and Bill Cosby. "We know the great performing arts history of Idlewild, but most people do not know about its great literary tradition," says Heather Buchanan, owner of Aquarius Press and conference co-sponsor. "They will be surprised to know that NAACP co-founder W.E.B. DuBois stayed there and wrote about its beauty, and famous Harlem Renaissance writer Charles W. Chesnutt had a home there that is now a tourist attraction." The writers conference is designed to bring together some of the top African American literary talents from across the country to provide workshops and mentoring for aspiring writers. Guests include Pushcart and American Book Award nominees Dr. Randall Horton and Tara Betts from New York and Quraysh Ali Lansana, Director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center in Chicago. The conference also coincides with Idlewild Week, a week-long community celebration that draws visitors from across the country. The Idlewild Writers & Poets Conference will take place Thursday, August 12-Saturday, August 14, 2010. Regular registration starts at $65 for the entire weekend, and one-day registration is $22 per day. The conference includes public readings and a book fair. For more information, visit www.idlewildconference.homestead.com, email aquariuspress@gmail.com or call 877-979-3639.   Top Instructors and Guest Authors    About Idlewild              Idlewild is a vacation and retirement community in Yates Township located in a small rural northwestern part of Michigan near the southeastern border of Lake County. It was one of only a few resorts in the country where African-Americans were allowed to vacation and purchase property before this discrimination became illegal in 1964. Called the "Black Eden" from 1912 through the mid-1960s, Idlewild was an active year-round community and was visited by well-known entertainers and professionals from throughout the country. Famous Idlewilders include W.E.B. DuBois, Madame C.J. Walker, and Charles W. Chesnutt.     Idlewild Conference Website Willow Books Website Aquarius Press Website