Friday, February 22, 2008

Open House

The Connecticut Institute for Psychosynthesis is offering an Open Sunday on March 9th. Starting at 10:30, there will be a connecting circle, guided imagery & writing, and networking. Bring a sandwich and join us around the table at noon. We serve coffee and dessert.

The afternoon class is "Creativity & Play." The suggested contribution is $20. (We also have a sliding scale for those in need.) We continue to raise money for wounded vets.

For more information, contact CT IWWG member Cynthia Pincus Russell, Ph.D. at psynnie@aol.com, or call 203-377-2421.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Cape Cod Writers' Retreat

From Jessica Bram:

Have you been wishing for some quiet time to yourself ... to write? Then treat yourself to a peaceful and productive

CAPE COD WRITERS' RETREAT
@ the Inn at Cook Street

WHAT: Four days and peace and quiet at the luxurious Inn at Cook Street in Provincetown, Mass., on the eastern tip of Cape Cod. Along with workshop leaders Jessica Bram and Suzanne Hoover, and a small, exclusive group of writers, you will spend the days at your leisure writing in your private room at the Inn, the Inn garden, the beach, or any of the other beautiful locales in Provincetown.

Every evening the group will meet for a 3-hour workshop to share and critique each others' work. Late afternoon optional activities will include poetry readings, writing skills workshops, and informal conversations about writing.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Choose from among 6 beautiful rooms with private bath at the Inn at Cook Street (www.InnatCookStreet).

WHEN: 5 pm Sunday, April 20 through 12 noon Thursday, April 24, 2008

COST:$1,145 per person. This includes:
  • 4 nights accommodation, including all taxes.
  • Continental breakfast daily.
  • Dinner at the Inn at Cook Street Sunday, April 22.
  • All workshops and retreat activities.

HOW TO REGISTER: Registration is limited to 6 participants, and reservations will be accepted first come, first served.

(Only 2 spots remain in our Spring 2008 Retreat.)

To reserve your space mail a $450 deposit to Jessica Bram, 32 Webb Road, Westport, CT 06880. Balance due by April 1.

For information contact Jessica Bram at (203) 227-3250 or jessica@jessicabram.com.

ABOUT JESSICA BRAM

Jessica Bram is a writer whose commentaries are regularly heard on the National Public Radio station WSHU during NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition." Her personal essays have been published and syndicated in national and regional newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Child Magazine Women's Journal, Country Accents and the Gannett Newspapers. Jessica Bram has taught courses in memoir, essay, and creative nonfiction writing at the Lifetime Learners Institute, Norwalk Community College's Extended Studies and Workforce Education program, and Westport Continuing Education.

ABOUT SUZANNE HOOVER, Ph.D.

Suzanne Hoover holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature. The author of two novels and a highly experienced teacher of fiction and essay writing, Suzanne was for 25 years, until her recent retirement, a full-time member of the Literature faculty of Sarah Lawrence College. Among the courses she taught at Sarah Lawrence was a very popular course for students in the prestigious Graduate Writing Program, in narrative craft and story structure. Prior to teaching at Sarah Lawrence, Suzanne taught literature at Wellesley College. In 1977 she delivered the Shakespeare lectures at SUNY, Purchase. In addition to her full time teaching, for over 20 years Suzanne taught evening courses in writing at the non-credit Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Upcoming IWWG Conferences

Note: If you'd like to carpool to any of the following, e-mail Prill (prill@prillboyle.com) with your contact information, including the town where you live, and she'll put you on the ride-share list.

BIG APPLE CONFERENCE

Workshop + Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents
Weekend of April 12-13
Scandinavia House
58 Park Avenue (@ 38th Street)
New York City

Saturday: Workshop with Liz Alshire and Zita Christian: Fiction and Nonfiction: Writing and Selling on Both Sides of the Aisle
Sunday: Open House: Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents
To download a brochure, click here.

CONFERENCE AT SMITH COLLEGE
Saturday, April 26
Seelye Hall, Room 207
Northampton, MA

Finding the Me in Memory: Tools for Women in Transition
with Judy Huge
To download a brochure, click here.

31st ANNUAL "REMEMBER THE MAGIC" WRITING CONFERENCE
June 13-20 (Full Week)
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, New York

For the workshop calendar and more information, click here.

SKIDMORE CONFERENCE RETREAT
June 21-22 (weekend)
Clausen Farms
Sharon Springs, New York

For more information on all of the above programs and to register via Pay Pal, visit www.iwwg.org.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

New Class: Column Writing & Blogging

From CT IWWG member Jessica Bram:

Column Writing & Blogging: Speak Your Mind!
(starts March 8th)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Have you ever read a column in the local newspaper, or maybe on the last page of your favorite magazine, or a blog that really caught your attention, and said to yourself, "I could do that!" ? When something outrageous/thought-provoking/ infuriating/ hysterically funny happens to you, do you automatically think to yourself, "Now that would be great material for a column!"? Does the reflective nature - and short length - of the column or blog format appeal to you?

Let Westport News columnist Hank Herman ("The Home Team") help you turn your inclination into action - and turn those inspirations into finished pieces. He'll show you how to brainstorm for material; how to overcome your fear of the blank page or screen; how to edit yourself - in other words, how to get from a rough idea to a polished piece. Whether your goal is publication, writing your own blog, or simply personal satisfaction, he'll show you how to achieve it.

This workshop is for writers, or would-be writers, who have columns or blogs in them and are looking for a way to bring them out.

WHEN:
8 Wednesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.:
March 12, 19, 26, Apr. 2, 23, 30, May 7, 14

WHERE:
32 Webb Road, Westport

COST:
$390 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 8

How To Register:

Your check for the full registration amount will reserve your spot. Please enclose name and contact information, including email address, to receive confirmation of your registration.

Mail a check payable to the Westport Writers' Workshop for the full registration amount to 32 Webb Road, Westport, CT 06880.

About Hank Herman:

Hank Herman Hank Herman is an award-winning columnist who writes the bi-weekly Home Team column for the Westport News. He is also the author of Super Hoops (Bantam Doubleday Dell), a prize-winning series of sports novels for children. His latest book, Accept My Kid, Please! A Dad's Descent into College Application Hell (Da Capo Press, 2005) is a humorous memoir about the college admissions process. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Outside, Men's Health, Family Fun, Parenting, Ladies' Home Journal, and McCall's. He also teaches writing courses and seminars at Trinity College's Academy of Lifelong Learning, the University of Pennsylvania's Kelly Writers House, and Westport Continuing Education. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he majored in English.

For questions or more information, visit www.westportwritersworkshop.com or contact Jessica Bram at (203) 227-3250 or jessica@jbram.com

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Feb/March: One-Day Writing Workshops

One-day writing workshops in February and March, with award-winning author Mary Carroll Moore. For all levels of writers, to help you jump-start your creativity and your writing. At the Hudson Valley Writers' Center in Westchester County--an easy commute from CT. Please join us!

THE WHEEL OF TEN: Essential Tools to Make Memoir and Fiction Come Alive
Friday, February 29, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Fee: $120 Returning Moore students deduct $5
Spend a lively day exploring the ins and outs of ten essential writing tools that professional writers never leave home without. Even one, well used, will bring new vibrancy to a not-quite-there-yet memoir, short story, or novel. Fun writing exercises, short readings, discussion will help us see new levels of these basic tools—how to use them, how they influence a writer’s voice and the success of a piece of writing, and why they must be considered for any good storytelling (true tales, faction, or fiction): action, dialogue, pacing, point of view, backstory, chronology, setting, motive, closeness/distance, and change. Bring a bag lunch and short piece of writing in progress to use during the exercises or start something new in class. For all skill levels.

What past attendees said:
"Enlightening. Totally changed the way I think."
"Amazing. Mary was very attentive and gave each student feedback applicable to what meant something to them. I'd recommend this workshop to anyone. My writing now makes sense to me in a different light."
"Best writing instruction I've ever had."

TELLING OUR STORIES: Exploring the Personal Essay
Friday, March 28, 2008, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Fee: $120 Returning Moore students deduct $5

A good essay opens a window and invites the reader into a writer’s beliefs about the world. But it also takes the reader on a journey of discovery—as the writer finds out more about these beliefs. So good essays start with strong feeling, thoughtful questions--and this desire to explore uncharted territory. Within this “risk on paper,” your essay can take multiple forms (linear, snapshot, collage, narrative) and endless subjects (from illness, loss, or trauma to nature to a neighborhood’s disappearing culture). In this one-day workshop we’ll learn the steps to explore, craft, and develop a personal or opinion essay. Using short pieces by well-known essayists, we’ll practice writing exercises to discover what our own essay really is about—what's the theme? the seed idea that will speak most clearly to the reader and deliver our point? Be prepared to explore deeply, write a lot, and go home with an essay to finish. Bring an essay-in-progress or an idea for one, as well as a bag lunch. For all levels of writers.

What past attendees said:
"Her classes always get me going. She turns problems into possibilities and opportunities."
"We need more classes like this. Very interactive. Most writers learn more this way."
"In an interactive environment, Mary breaks down the writing process--and the process of the writer. Just what I needed."

For more information or to register, please call the Hudson Valley Writers' Center at 914-332-5953, email info@writerscenter.org, or visit www.writerscenter.org. Mary Carroll Moore's web site is www.marycarrollmoore.com.