WSW member Susan Surman leads a class on writing fiction and nonfiction. Barnhill’s Books, 811 Burke St. Winston-Salem. Class only $10, with book $25
Author Archives: Geoff Penney
PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOLS YOU CAN USE
P.R. professional and WSW Board member Dan Coulter will describe how you can use public relations to support clients or make your own business more successful. Reynolda Manor Library, 2839 Fairlawn Dr. Winston-Salem FREE
WSW Annual Meeting
We’ll look back on the accomplishments of the past year, recognize the winners of our second anthology contest, and elect officers for the coming year. Refreshments will be served to celebrate our seventh birthday! Please plan on being there.
Newsletter 5-16-12
Have you cleared your schedule for this special Saturday?
7 p.m.: Writing and performance come together at our celebration of 10-minute plays.
When the written word becomes the spoken word, exciting things can happen. Ideas come to life, and readers reveal shades of meaning and depth of emotion that even the writer may not have expected.
That happened last year at our first celebration of 10-minute plays, an experience that was relished by all in attendance. On Saturday evening, May 19th at 7 p.m. in the Lower Auditorium of Wait Chapel, this year’s winners will be read, and it’s a night you won’t want to miss.
We’re very pleased to have the experienced scriptwriter/ director Nathan Ross Freeman as the night’s M.C. He will introduce the event, and facilitate the discussion that follows each play’s reading. We’ll hear from the scriptwriters, stage directors, and the writers.
This year’s winners are:
Charles “L.C.” Fiore – First Place
The Pit – “A jogger must decide whether to trust the warnings of what lies down the trail from two ne’er-do-wells.”
Richard Krawiec – Second Place
Disabilities – “A comedy of conflicts – age, class, gender – unfolds in a blended family trying to come together for the holidays.”
Ed Robson – Third Place
The Price of Admission – “Two televangelists discover a scandalous shortage of fine print in God’s retirement plan.”
You’ll be fascinated at scriptwriters’ impressions of how their work got transformed, insights they gathered, and what the readers learned about their characters. These questions will be writing related (even though other interesting questions do get asked) and will come spontaneously from the audience.
A reception will conclude the event with lots of finger foods and wine. Admission is $5 for WSW members, $7 for nonmembers. It’s going to be another memorable evening. And an inspirational one.
Please be advised that there is some adult language in one of the plays that may not be suitable for all audiences.
10 a.m.: Pat Schneider teaches us the joys of “writing with others.”
Pat Schneider, one of America’s most inspirational teachers of creative writing, will lead “Writing With Others” from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19th in the Reynolda Manor Library Auditorium in Winston-Salem. Admission is free.
Pat, founder of Amherst Writers and Artists, is the author of 10 books, including Writing Alone and with Others (Oxford University Press), as well as a number of published plays and libretti. She is in the Twin City for a week-long writing workshop sponsored by Winston-Salem Writers. Copies of her books of prose and poetry will be available for purchase.
“The presentation will focus on ways the writing practices pioneered by Pat can be applied effectively in small groups,” explained Geoff Penney, WSW president. “Having the right leadership is crucial, and Pat will emphasize that aspect of her methods.”
Following Pat’s remarks, breakout groups will be led by WSW members Al Perry and Lane Goddard, who have completed training in the Amherst methods.
People come to Winston-Salem from all across the country to attend Pat’s week-long workshop. Don’t miss your opportunity to be motivated by this inspirational speaker right here in your home town!
MEMBER NEWS
Tony R. Lindsay‘s first book, Tattletale Roadhouse and Social Club, has been published by Second Wind Publishing. It’s also available from Amazon, Kindle, Nook and Apple. I love his description: “A collection of vignettes rooted in the Deep South and skewering preachers, salesmen, marriage, big shots and especially the downhome, hard-drinking, overly affectionate folks who are my heroes.”
Steve Mitchell‘s debut short story collection, The Naming of Ghosts, is now available from Press 53. You can order it from Amazon here. Frances Badgett, of Contrary Magazine: “Steve Mitchell’s lyrical prose and beautifully crafted stories haunt the reader long after the final pages. His characters are so full and fascinating, and the urgency of their need to connect is so strong.”
Cindy Holby will be signing her new release, Angel’s End, from Berkley Publishing on Thursday May 17th from 7-9 p.m. at Barnes and Noble.
Newsletter 5-10-12
What a day May 19th will be!
In the morning: Motivation. We’re hosting a free workshop by Pat Schneider, and possibilities will be unlimited.
Pat Schneider
Pat Schneider, one of America’s most inspirational teachers of creative writing, will lead “Writing With Others” from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19 in the Reynolda Manor Library Auditorium in Winston-Salem. Admission is free.
Pat, founder of Amherst Writers and Artists, is the author of 10 books, including Writing Alone And With Others (Oxford University Press), as well as a number of published plays and libretti. She is in the Twin City for a week-long writing workshop sponsored by Winston-Salem Writers. Copies of her books of prose and poetry will be available for purchase.
“The presentation will focus on ways the writing practices pioneered by Pat can be applied effectively in small groups,” explained Geoff Penney, WSW president. “Having the right leadership is crucial, and Pat will emphasize that aspect of her methods.”
Following Pat’s remarks, breakout groups will be led by WSW members Al Perry and Lane Goddard, who have completed training in the Amherst methods.
People come to Winston-Salem from all across the country to attend Pat’s week-long workshop. Don’t miss your opportunity to be motivated by this inspirational speaker right here in your home town!
In the evening: Inspiration. The winning entries of our 10-minute play competition will be read, and bonhomie will ensue.
When the written word becomes the spoken word, exciting things can happen. Ideas come to life, and readers reveal shades of meaning and depth of emotion that even the writer may not have expected.
That happened last year at our first celebration of 10-minute plays, an experience that was relished by all in attendance. On Saturday evening, May 19 at 7 p.m. in the Lower Auditorium of Wait Chapel (enter thru Wingate Hall), this year’s winners will be read, and it’s a night you won’t want to miss.
We’re very pleased to have the experienced scriptwriter/ director Nathan Ross Freeman as the night’s M.C. He will introduce the event, and facilitate the discussion that follows each play’s reading. We’ll hear from the scriptwriters, stage directors, and the writers.
This year’s winners were Charles “L.C.” Fiore (First Place, The Pit – “A jogger must decide whether to trust the warnings of what lies down the trail from two ne’er-do-wells.”), Richard Krawiec (Second Place, Disabilities – “A comedy of conflicts – age, class, gender – unfolds in a blended family trying to come together for the holidays.”), and Ed Robson (Third Place, The Price of Admission – “Two televangelists discover a scandalous shortage of fine print in God’s retirement plan.”)
You’ll be fascinated at the playwrights’ impressions of how their work got transformed, insights they gathered, and what the readers learned about their characters. These questions will be writing related (even though other interesting questions do get asked) and will come spontaneously from the audience.
A reception will conclude the event with lots of finger foods and wine. Admission is $5 for WSW members, $7 for nonmembers. It’s going to be another memorable evening. And an inspirational one.
Please be advised that there is some adult language in one of the plays that may not be suitable for all audiences.
MEMBER NEWS
In honor of Older Americans Month, Carol Roan will be reading from When Last on the Mountain: The View from Writers over 50 at 2 p.m., Saturday May 12th, at Barnhill’s, 811 Burke Street.
Cindy Holby will be signing her new release, Angel’s End, from Berkley Publishing on Thursday May 17th from 7-9 p.m. at Barnes and Noble.
WRITERS NIGHT OUT
Members (only) talk about writing, literature and life while enjoying potluck food and drink. 2nd Friday in Winston-Salem, 4th Friday in Lewisville. For reservations: croan@triad.rr.com. FREE
OPEN MIC NIGHT
Come share your writing with a live audience at our popular Open Mic Night. For complete rules, visit our Open Mic page under the PROGRAMS tab. Upstairs at the Encore Restaurant, 411 W. Fourth St., Downtown Winston-Salem. FREE
FREE PAT SCHNEIDER WORKSHOP
Pat Schneider will lead a free workshop on Writing With Others – how to lead writing groups the Amherst Writers and Artists way.
Reynolda Manor Library Auditorium
2839 Fairlawn Dr.
Winston-Salem
FREE
10-MINUTE PLAY WINNERS READING
Hear our contest winners read and discussed. (Note: one play includes explicit language.) Refreshments provided. Members $5, Non-members $7. Wait Chapel/Wingate Hall, Lower Auditorium (enter Wingate Hall at rear of Wait Chapel, turn left inside and go downstairs to the Auditorium)
Newsletter 4-30-12
Does writing seem like one choice after another?
Come hear Marjorie Hudson discuss making the right decisions. She has a fascinating approach to telling stories that she developed almost by accident. She thought she was writing a history book when she took on the subject of Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony in her 2002 book Searching for Virginia Dare: A Fool’s Errand. Instead, the haunting subject, full of missing children, grieving fathers, lost nations of Native Americans, and 400 years of legends, inspired her to draw on her fiction, poetry, and memoir writing skills to tell the story.
In addition to her book on Virginia Dare, Marjorie is author of Accidental Birds of the Carolinas (short stories), an Honorable Mention winner in the PEN/Hemingway Awarda and a Novello Literary Finalist. Her work is published in many journals and anthologies. Her many awards and honors include a Blumenthal Readers and Writers Award, two North Carolina Arts Council Emerging Artist Grants, the Sarah Belk Gambrell Artist Educator of the Year, and Residency Fellowships at Hedgebrook (Whidbey Island, WA) and Headlands Center for the Arts (Sausalito, CA). Her stories “The Clearing” and “Self-Portrait in Camouflage” were Pushcart Special Mentions.
Marjorie lectures on American history topics and creative writing, teaches creative writing classes at universities and privately, and her MFA in Creative Writing is from Warren Wilson College.
At our program Tuesday night, Marjorie will read from her book and talk about her decision-making process as a writer and researcher. She’ll also discuss how to use text fragments and voice as tile and grout to make a mosaic that creates a satisfying whole picture. While all writers will appreciate this technique, it’s of particular benefit to those writing creative nonfiction.
This presentation is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council. The North Carolina Humanities Council is a nonprofit foundation and a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Chapter nine of our serial autobiography is now online.
I just read the latest chapter of Ozzie’s life, and my monitor is still smoking. Dan O’Sullivan brings us up to date with Ozzie’s life, and this character has really had some interesting experiences, believe me. Head to our website and catch up, the story is nearing its conclusion!
Call for Entries: Ashe County Literary Festival.
Ashe County’s On the Same Page Literary Festival is announcing the opening of its second writer’s competition. The Festival theme for 2012 is “journeys.” Check out all relevant information here.
2012 Porter Fleming Literary Competition now open.
The 2012 Porter Fleming Literary Competition, now in its nineteenth year, recognizes outstanding fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays. Writers age 18 and older who reside in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina are invited to enter. The deadline for submissions is July 13, 2012. The competition awards cash prizes totaling $7,000. Entry forms and guidelines can be found here.
MEMBER NEWS
Theresa Crater has a new short story out? “White Moon” in the anthology Ride the Moon, published by Tyche Books Ltd. “Three couples, two human and one not, reconsider their relationship in the midst of a conference on Mayan crystal skulls.” You can order it here.
The Huffington Post has declared Cindy Holby‘s new Young Adult series, Ashes Of Twilight (written under the pen name of Kassy Tayler) one of ten series that could follow up Hunger Games in success. You can read the article here. Cindy will also be signing her new release, Angel’s End, from Berkley Publishing on Thur. May 3 from 5-7 p.m. at Barnhills and on Thur. May 17 from 7-9 p.m. at Barnes and Noble.
