Speaker encourages writers

Writers get to sleep late in the morning and they can wear jeans to the office. These are just two motivating advantages of becoming a writer, according to Carlin Romano, the keynote speaker at the fifth annual Young Writers at Penn Conference, a program sponsored by the University's Discovery Program. The conference, which was held on Saturday in the Nursing Education Building, attracted more than 200 high school students from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware who enjoy writing. Romano is a journalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, who teaches a writing class at the University. He is also a reviewer and an author. Romano told the students that writing is an expression of personality. He said that the writer must use his or her personality to rivet the reader's attention in today's chaotic society. "A writer must translate the fire of personality through the page," Romano said. "Although some talent is necessary, this process can be taught." Romano advised students constantly to write pieces for publication. He added that the degree of discouragement in this process can be especially frustrating. "You have to want it very badly," Romano said. "There's nothing institutional pushing you." After Romano's speech, the students attended two workshops of their choice. The workshops covered different aspects and styles of writing, such as journalism, poetry and playwriting. The workshops were led by authors and media specialists. Greg Frost, program coordinator of the College of General Studies, organized the conference. "The program is for students without writing programs in their schools," said Frost. "It shows them the truth about how things work, from real writers."