The International Women's Writing Guild in Connecticut

Winter 2012 Creative Writing Workshops Now Registering

2012-01-13T11:52:00.002-05:00

Creative Writing workshops in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Screenwriting, Memoir and Poetry begin next week! However, a few spaces still remain. Find details at http://www.westportwritersworkshop.com/creative-writing-workshops.asp or call (203) 227-3250.

The Westport Writers' Workshop offers friendly, supportive writing workshops designed to encourage, inspire, and spark your imagination. We focus always on the positive to help you discover and develop your own unique writing talent and voice. "Assignments" are always optional, designed to inspire your writing. If you have a project in mind or a work in progress, it always takes precedence over "assignments". You will be guided and encouraged along the way.

While sharing your work with others, and in brief, instructive presentations by workshop leaders, you will learn writing techniques and develop writing skills to make your work interesting and enjoyable. Workshops are limited to 8 or fewer participants to ensure that you receive personal attention and extensive feedback at each session.

Whether your goal is to become a published author or simply to record your life for posterity, you will become part of a community of writers who share a passion for writing and a desire to master the craft.

Invitation to Be a Guest on Karen's Blog

2011-12-21T17:19:00.002-05:00

What stirs your writer's soul? Answer this question in 250 words or less and Karen M. Rider will upload it as a guest post on her blog "Soul of a Writer."
Karen invites writing colleagues of all genres to submit about any of the following topics related to "what stirs the soul of a writer?"
Why did you write your most recent story?
What made you stick with a character that gave you more trouble than fun to write about?
What compelled you to share details of your life in a personal essay or work of creative nonfiction?
What made you want to tackle historical fiction and why did you choose the time period your most recent work is set in?
Why do you write?
How do you feed your muse?
What made you choose the setting for your current work-in-progress or most recent published work?
Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
Write about what the topic "stirs a writer's soul" means to you!
Karen's blog receives 250-600 hits a month, depending on time of year, content and frequency of posts. Her website receives 300 hits per month (since February 2011) with more than 100 return visitors each month. 12% stay on site to read from 2-10min. 5% read for an hour or more. She will post the content that has the best match for her blog audience. Submit your post with a 60 word bio on or before September 25.

Subscribe to Karen's newsletter to find out if your post will be uploaded and the date. You'll also find out when other CAPA member's posts are going up.
Questions? Contact Karen by replying to this email.

All the best,

Karen M. Rider

Discover Metaphysical Fiction
Blog: Soul of a Writer

Journaling Workshop: 5 Ways to Journal Your Best Life

2011-12-08T13:59:00.003-05:00

This is the flyer for the upcoming program at Cromwell Belden Library

Dec 14 2011

6:30 pm

A Westport Writers Workshop

2011-12-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

SPECIAL EVENT

"Where Do You Get Your Ideas?"
Children's Authors Share Invention Strategies

At the Westport Writers' Workshop
3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

TONIGHT!
December 8
7:30-9 pm

Discovery of a mysterious diamond reveals a girls’s connection to Shakespeare...a boy cast out of his Amazon tribe finds new life with an American adoptive family but needs to return to prove himself...a group of kids with wacky but limited powers put their heads together to solve a crime...

Do you ever wonder where best-selling children’s authors get their ideas?

Anyone who writes or loves middle grade fiction will enjoy this evening with successful authors of middle grade fiction. The panel, which includes the surprise guest NY Times tech columnist David Pogue along with authors Elise Broach, Tony Abbott and N.A. Nelson, will address questions such as:

How do you repeatedly come up with fresh, inventive ideas?
How do you know that the idea is right for your target age range – in this case, middle grade fiction?
What strategies are useful when you get stuck working on a story?
How do you decide when it's time to abandon an idea and move on to something else?

Panelists will include:

Tony Abbott: Firegirl (Little, Brown & Co.); Lunchbox Dream (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); Secrets of Droon (Scholastic); Cracked Classics Series (Hyperion); award-winner The Secret (Little, Brown & Co.)

Elise Broach: Missing on Superstition Mountain (Henry Holt & Company); New York Times Bestseller Masterpiece (Henry Holt & Company); Shakespeare's Secret (Henry Holt & Company); Desert Crossing (Henry Holt & Company)

Nina Nelson: Bringing the Boy Home (Harper Collins);

David Pogue: Abby Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power (Roaring Brook Press)

The presentation will include time for Q&A. Copies of the authors’ books will be available for purchase and book signing.

Registration $25, bring a child for free. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.

Karen Rider's News

2011-12-07T19:30:00.002-05:00

I have a feature fiction piece coming out in Om Times digital magazine in the DEC 15 and JAN 1 issues. The story is "The Parade" It is a visionary short story:

"I really enjoyed The Parade. There are spiritual instructions on how to achieve wellbeing, happiness and success. Your writing is very descriptive, it captured my imagination and pulled me into the story. In your writing, you use your metaphysical knowledge in a creative and enlightening way."

Ingride Elguleta, Canada

Visitors to my website who sign-up for my e-newsletter will receive a personal copy of the story and the interpretation of the symbolic imagery— spiritual, angelic and metaphysical— depicted in the story.

Also, recently published in Om Times is an article, "Menopausal Madness". In the Cromwell Chronicle in December 2011 issue: "2012: Beginning of the End or Just the Beginning"

My website: www.karenmrider.com

Using Our CT IWWG BLOG

2011-12-04T16:02:00.003-05:00

From Trish Lapidus, one of your CT reps:

Hello, Writing Sisters of the Connecticut International Women's Writing Guild,

This is our blog and a way to keep connected locally as well as share in IWWG. I invite you to tell us your publications and successes--or ask questions about your writing practice.

I'm just catching on to my new post as a CT IWWG Rep. Let me know how I can help you the most.

My news: I have published a second edition of Sweet Potato Suppers: A Yankee Woman Finds Salvation in a Hippie Village. My essay "A Musical Thanksgiving" was published in an anthology Thanksgiving Tales: True Stories of the Holiday in America, edited by Brian D. Jaffe. My essay on the magic of the elder years was included in Unraveling Mysteries: An Anthology on Woman and Aging, edited by Jyoti Wind, a member of IWWG. Several of my poems have appeared in Off the Coast, along with a review of my book of poems Red Hen's Daughters.

I have enjoyed created a series of video clips and posting them on You Tube to support memoir writers and all writers as well as to discuss the themes of my books. You can also catch these clips on my blogs.

Enjoy your holidays. Blessings, Trish

Announcing the 34th Annual Summer Conference! "Remember the Magic"

2011-03-02T22:38:00.001-05:00

Announcing the 34th Annual Summer Conference!

"Remember the Magic"

June 24 - July 1, 2011

Yale University, New Haven, CT

505 College Street

New Haven, CT

Visit us online for more information!

Learn From Expert Workshop Directors:

Judy Adourian

Lynne Barrett

Susan Baugh

Linda Bergman

Rainelle Burton

Pat Carr

Zita Christian

Rachel de Baere

Marj Hahne

Lisa Dale Norton

Carol Peck

Natalie Reid

Eunice Scarfe

Linda Leedy Schneider

Judith Searle

Myra Shapiro

Susan Tiberghien

Anne Waldradt

Sheila Levine

Melissa Rosati

Carren Strock

Stephanie Alston-Nero

Jacqueline Aupetit

Joanne Hackett Ching

June Gould

Judith Huge

Jan Phillips

Mary Reynolds Thompson

Terry Apicella

Claudia Clemente

Judith Prest

Nina Reimer

Sandra Balint

Erika DeRuth

We are thrilled to invite you to join us for the IWWG's 34th Annual Summer Conference. This year the conference will take place at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

The first conference was held in 1978, long before the day of women's writing conferences, and has provided the best forum for women writers ever since. The conference features expert workshop directors available to help you grow through your writing.

Attend and further your personal growth and publication!

What you will learn...

Workshops at the Summer Conference include sessions on:

The Art and Craft of Writing

Marketing and Publishing

Contracts and Legal Issues

Critique Sessions

Transformation of Self

Non-Linear Knowledge

The Arts, The Body & Health

Who you will meet...

The Summer Conference is attended by women like you! Those who are interested in growing and empowering themselves through their writing. The Summer Conference encourages participation from members and non-members of the IWWG.

Unique Conference Format...

The Summer Conference allows you to build an experience custom fit to your needs. Drive in and stay for one day or make the commitment to spend the week with us and immerse yourself in your writing! Several packages are available to meet your unique needs. For details, visit us online.

Don't miss this unique learning opportunity!

We look forward to seeing you in June.

Sincerely,

Hannelore Hahn and Elizabeth Julia Stoumen

Founder, Executive Director and Associate Director

OPEN MIC NIGHTS at the Westport Writers' Workshop

2011-03-02T22:32:00.000-05:00

Come share your work, and hear what your colleagues have been writing, at this relaxed and convivial evening of coffee, cookies and fellowship.

Fiction/Non-Fiction
Thursday, March 10
7:30 p.m.

Poetry
Thursday, March 24
7:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC NIGHTS at the Westport Writers' Workshop

Let your colleagues applaud and support you as you read a 10-minute selection from your work-in-progress.Or just come to listen, support your fellow writers, and be inspired.

Each reader will be allotted a maximum of 10 minutes. Please sign-up in advance by calling (203) 227-3250 to receive a time slot. Or you may sign up at the event, space permitting (pre-registration highly recommended).

These will be relaxed and social evenings. Admission charge $10, but if you sign up to read your work, bring your friends and supporters at no charge.

Coffee/tea, cookies and camaraderie are on the house.

WHEN: Fiction/Non-fiction: Thursday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m., Poetry: Thursday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Westport Writers' Workshop 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST: $10 to read your work or for walk-ins (space permitting). Free for WWW Members, guests of WWW workshop participants reading their work, or for anyone pre-registered who just comes to listen.

TO REGISTER: email info@westportwritersworkshop.com or call (203) 227-3250.

Turning Points: Changing Lives One Event at a Time

2011-03-02T22:23:00.002-05:00

We are seeking authors for a collaborative inspirational book, Turning Points: Changing Lives One Moment at a Time. Turning Points is a collection of vignettes from everyday people who have experienced extra ordinary results because of decisions they made to change their lives.

If you would like to share an experience and be part of this uplifting book that will inspire others to see their potential, contact us today. For more information, visit

www.pcmccullough.com

Thank you,
PC McCullough

Turning Points: Changing Lives One Event at a Time

Synthesis Classes at Act 11 Counseling, Stratford Center

2011-03-02T22:13:00.003-05:00

Synthesis Classes at Act 11 Counseling, Stratford Center (next to the library)

All are taught by Psychosynthesis- trained counselors

Sat Mar 19; 10:30-3 "YOUR HIGHER SELF, & THE 'I-THOU' CONCEPT"

Sun Mar 20; 10:30-3 MINDFULNESS & OUR PLANET

modest fees & sliding scale

bring a sandwich -we serve coffee and cookies

for details and to reserve your space;

Cynthia Russell PhD (203) 377-2421

psynnie@aol.com

Blocked? How to Get Unstuck

2011-03-02T22:07:00.001-05:00

Blocked? How to Get Unstuckwith Marcelle Soviero, MFA

Do you love to write but hate what happens when you sit down at the screen or page and nothing comes?

Are you ready to be re-energized and inspired?

In this workshop you will learn practical strategies to jumpstart your writing and overcome writer's block. Whether you are just beginning to write or are an experienced author, this relaxed, upbeat, hands-on workshop will help you achieve your writing goals.

Relevant to writers of all genres, we'll discuss specific strategies designed to lift the quantity and quality of your writing, particularly when you are stuck and can't seem to write at all. Some topics included are establishing the "writing habit," generating ideas, using prompts, and managing writing resistance in general. These will be applied to generating new material as well as the revision process.

The workshop is based on the best writing strategies culled from the experts as well as dozens of print and online resources. A comprehensive handout is included. In addition to our discussion, there will be three ten minute exercises.

So bring your notebook and get ready to set yourself on the perfect writer's path for the New Year!

Marcelle Soviero is a published poet and essayist. She has an MFA in creative writing from New York University and a BA in creative studies form Hofstra University. She leads two workshops for the Westport Writers' Workshp: Writing Your Memoir and Poetry of Everyday Life.

WHEN: Saturday, Mar. 5, 9 a.m. to noon

WHERE: Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST: $125 or $110 for WWW members

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 12

About Marcelle Soviero, MFA

Marcelle Soviero is the author of The Body That Wants, an award winning poetry chapbook, and the essay Electronically Yours published in the New York Times. Her poems, and profiles and interviews have been published in dozens of literary magazines. She has published hundreds of nonfiction articles, including several cover stories for Popular Science magazine. Marcelle has a BA in Creative Studies from Hofstra University and an MFA in English/Poetry from New York University. She has lectured and taught at The New School, New York University, and in libraries, bookstores and school districts nationwide.

How To Register
Go directly to the Blocked? How To Get Unstuck link
to register by mail or with a credit card or PayPal.

Westport Writers' Workshop
3 Sylvan Road South
Westport, Connecticut 06880

For questions or more information see www.westportwritersworkshop.com or contact Kathleen at (203) 227-3250 or info@westportwritersworkshop.com

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents The California Conference

2011-02-11T23:10:00.003-05:00

The International Women's Writing Guild

presents

The California Conference:

The Alchemy of Language: Turning Simple Words into Shimmering Works

Friday, March 18 to Sunday, March 20, 2011

Bosch Bahái School, 500 Comstock Lane, Santa Cruz, California

Setting: The California Conference, in its 28th year, takes place at Bosch Bahai School, a 67 acre retreat center situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains among the Redwood Trees.

Program: How do we transform our simple thoughts into works that will transfix the reader? Can we become borrowers, using the information and form the great masters; nature's images, and our own poetic lines? The alchemy of language stems from being open to inspiration wherever we find it. Come join us in finding robust nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to make our writing shimmer.

WORKSHOPS:

Imitation to Originality - Modeling Our Work on the Masters': Richelle McClain

Nature as Thesaurus - Culling Vibrant Images from the Pages of Nature: Mary Reynolds Thompson

Poetry as Springboard - Start with a Poem; Finish with a Flourish: Rachel de Baere

Workshop Directors:

Richelle McClain, Mary Reynolds Thoompson, and Rachel de Baere (see website for bios)

Conference Fees:

Members:

Weekend guests inclusive of entire program, two nights room and all meals: $375

Weekend commuters inclusive of program, exclusive of room and meals: $160

Day attendees - Saturday Only: $125

Day attendees - Sunday Only: $55

Non-Members:

Weekend guests inclusive of entire program, two nights room and all meals: $395

Weekend commuters inclusive of program, exclusive of room and meals: $180

Day attendees - Saturday Only: $150

Day attendees - Sunday Only - $70

Registration Deposit (will be applied to the registration fee): $60

Meals: Breakfast ($9), Lunch ($12), Dinner ($13)

IWWG Annual Membership: $55

Payment: Payment may be made by credit card at www.iwwg.org. Click on Events/Calandar. Or send a check made out to IWWG and mail it to: IWWG, P.O. Box 810, New York, NY 10028.

Regional IWWG Representatives:

Northern California: Rachel de Baere (415) 456-4574, itsmerach@comcast.net

IWWG Headquarters: Hannelore Hahn (212) 737-7536, dirhahn@aol.com

Online Class: Introduction to The Art of Journal Writing

2011-02-11T22:56:00.003-05:00

Teleseminar: Introduction to the Art of Journal Writing
March 2, 9 and 16, 2011 8:30-9:30pm
Host: Gizelle Alexander

This three week online series is designed to introduce individuals to the concept, history, uses and benefits of keeping a journal. We will also explore ways of staying focused after the initial impetus, and I will provide you with useful writing prompts to get your ideas flowing. Whether you have kept a journal in the past and would like to reinvigorate that passion, or the thought of hiding away of secret book intrigues you, this three week series is guaranteed to educate and inspire!

Sign up now. Early Bird pricing applies!

http://gizellealexander.weebly.com/introduction-to-journal-writing.html

Please note, once you have reserved your spot for this unique series, you will be e-mailed materials on what phone number and PIN # you will be using to get in on the call. I'll also provide registered individuals with a link so that you may join us online where you'll have the option of typing questions and comments during the call.

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Biography:

Gizelle Alexander is a distinguished member of Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Communications and Literature from The City College of New York. She has over 20 years writing experience and has been published in the following genres: poetry, fiction, inspirational and creative non-fiction. She is a regional representative of The International Women's Writing Guild, serves as a moderator for a fiction book club in her community and is a board member of Church Street Ministries, an organization that serves at risk youth and their families in The Greater Waterbury Area of Connecticut. Gizelle has served as a substitute teacher for middle school children, and has done motivation coaching and tutoring for that particular demographic. She is expanding her role as facilitator in the areas of creativity and empowerment through her writing projects, workshops and life coaching sessions.

Write From the Start: Workshop and Q&A

2011-02-11T22:28:00.002-05:00

Write From the Start: Workshop and Q&A

Tuesday, March 15, 2011
From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Danbury Public Library

The HVCA Writers Forum presents the Write From the Start interactive workshop with writer and editor Adele Annesi.

Write From the Start is an interactive workshop for fiction and nonfiction writers of all levels that examines the first paragraphs of a story to reveal the problems most likely to recur throughout. Participants receive constructive feedback, from an editor's perspective, on how to spot and fix difficulties with word order, tone, voice, narrative, structure, dialogue, theme and plot. For optimal results, bring the first two pages of a current writing project. This two-hour workshop includes Q&A, handouts (with bibliography) and a hot-linked list of the latest literary markets and resources. The cost is $10 for HVCA members and $15 for nonmembers.

Space is limited and registration is required. For registration or more information, contact Lisa Scails.

Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance
Writers Forum
Danbury Public Library
170 Main Street, Danbury , CT 06810

HVCA P.203.798.0760

Library P.203-797-4505

Contact Lisa Scails: lscails@hvculturalarts.org

Westport Writers Workshop - upcoming events

2011-02-11T22:19:00.006-05:00

Fortunately, all those snow cancellations left us with plenty of quiet time to get more writing done. Right?

If you're like most of us, your answer is Wrong! Because the simple truth is, most of us need a deadline - a workshop, an editor, a book contract - to get us writing. Not to mention all those school cancellations that practically forced many of us to take up home schooling.

So if you're berating yourself for getting not much done, go easy on yourself. Here's a great quote by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love:

"As for discipline - it's important, but sort of over-rated. The more important virtue for a writer, I believe, is self-forgiveness. Because your writing will always disappoint you. Your laziness will always disappoint you. You will make vows: 'I'm going to write for an hour every day,' and then you won't do it. You will think: 'I suck, I'm such a failure. I'm washed-up.' Continuing to write after that heartache of disappointment doesn't take only discipline, but also self-forgiveness."

If you would like more encouragement - or a boost to to get your writing engine re-started - we invite you to the following:

"Blocked? How To Get Unstuck"
March 5, 9 a.m. to noon in Westport

Registration is limited at both to make sure that there is time for focus on each writer's issues and writing goals.

For more information call (203) 227-3250 or email us at info@westportwritersworkshop.com.

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CALLING ALL WRITERS!

Please sign up to share your work with us at our rescheduled Open Mic Nights. Read a selection of your work to an audience of your peers and other interested listeners. Or just come to listen and be inspired.

Fiction/Nonfiction Open Mic Night:
Thursday, March 10, 7:30 to 9:30 pm

Poetry Open Mic Night:
Thursday, March 24, 7:30 to 9:30 pm

Each reader will be allotted a maximum of 10 minutes. Please sign-up in advance by calling (203) 227-3250 to receive a time slot. Priority will be given to those who registered for our January Open Mic nights that were canceled due to weather. But we must hear from you to re-reserve your spot.

Admission is $10, or free for Westport Writers' Workshop members or those currently registered in an 8-week or 6-week workshop. Or if you register and pay to read your work, bring your friends and supporters at no charge.

This will be a relaxed and social evening. Coffee/tea, cookies and camaraderie are on the house.

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This month, a contribution from WWW Founder/Director Jessica Bram:

I can't tell you how tired I am of hearing that 'all the good memoirs have been written.' Memoirs by celebrities, or tabloid-style writing about dramatic events: Maybe so. But there is always something deliciously new and intimate about being invited into even the most ordinary person's life in a well-written memoir.

I have recently been enjoying J.R. Moehringer's The Tender Bar (Hyperion, 2005), the story of how a fatherless boy found guidance and solace, along with the much-desired company of men, in a corner tavern.

Writers will be particularly interested in this bit of wisdom Moehringer receives from a priest he meets on a train:

"Can I tell you something?" the priest asked. "Do you know why God invented writers? Because He loves a good story. And He doesn't give a damn about words. Words are the curtain we've hung between Him and our true selves. Try not to think about the words. Don't strain for the perfect sentence. There's no such thing. Writing is guesswork. Every sentence is an educated guess, the reader's as much as yours. Think about that the next time you curl a piece of paper into your typewriter."

Do you have a book rave or writing wisdom to share? Send it to: info@westportwritersworkshop.com.

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Writers' Retreat 2011

Registrations will soon begin for our retreat scheduled for May 12-16, 2011 at a gorgeous oceanside location in Watch Hill, RI, when seven writers will gather with retreat leaders Suzanne Hoover and Jessica Bram for four luxurious days of quiet writing and evening workshops

Call (203) 227-3250 to let us know if you would like to be added to a list for priority registration. Or stand by for announcement.

Explore healing to the root ... and free your creativity!

2011-02-11T21:47:00.000-05:00

In honor of Black History Month . . . I am pleased to announce a new post on my blog, PoliPsych, which delves into the roots of prejudice and bigotry in each of us . . . and the vast healing of prejudice that is possible!

To read this article, Why Do We Have To Do This Over And Over? Exploring The Roots of Prejudice, please visit http://polipsych101.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/why-do-we-have-to-do-this-over-and-over-exploring-the-roots-of-prejudice/.

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Recently a bill, redefining rape, was proposed before Congress. As it was proposed, this bill could have an enormous impact on the lives of women.

H.R.3, The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act was, in truth, a war on women's power, a war on women's protection, a war on women's access to help . . . a war against women!

In response I have written a post on my blog, PoliPsych, exploring the roots of this bill in specific, and of any act in the war currently being waged against women in our hearts, our country, and our world.

To read this post, please visit http://polipsych101.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/a-war-against-women/.

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EXPLORE HEALING TO THE ROOT . . . AND FREE YOUR CREATIVITY!

Depth psychotherapist Judith Barr, author of Power Abused, Power Healed invites her sister writers and IWWG members to explore the many ways we can heal to the root!

In private practice for over 30 years, and offering her healing expertise in an array of formats, Judith’s unique and innovative work helps people make a connection between their inner world, their own individual relationships and experiences, and the state of our nation and our world. She works with people in the creative arts on the roots of both what is blocking their creative flow and what is trying to birth itself to be healed through their artistic expression.

In her monthly newsletter, Judith teaches about how healing to the root can help heal not only ourselves . . . but our whole world.

To sign up to receive Judith’s free newsletter and announcements of upcoming events, articles, blog posts and more, please visit http://www.judithbarr.com/PowerAbusedPowerHealed/pages/newsletter-signup.htm.

If you feel called to explore working with Judith, please email her at JudithBarr@PowerAbusedPowerHealed.com

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents its 61st Big Apple Conference

2011-01-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

The International Women's Writing Guild

Presents its 61st

Big Apple Conference

April 16 & 17, 2011

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Memoir and Metaphor:

Illuminating Your Life through Writing

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents

National Arts Club

15 Gramercy Park South

(just East of East 20th St. New York City)

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PROGRAM

Saturday, April 16

9:00-10:00 am: Registration

10:00-10:30 am: Introduction

10:15-12:30 pm: Memoir and Metaphor: Illuminating Your Life through Writing with Susan Tiberghien

With metaphor you bring your stories into clearer focus and discover deeper levels of meaning in your writing and in your lives. In this workshop you will look at how metaphor has been used over the centuries and with examples from contemporary memoirs and exercises, you will work on writing your own memoir.

What is metaphor?

How metaphor has been used over the centuries

Metaphor in Annie Dillard’s Teaching a Stone to Talk

Metaphor in C.G. Jung’s Red Book

12:30 - 1: 45 pm: LUNCH

1:45 – 4:45 pm: Memoir and Metaphor (continues)

Memoir as a window into your life

Memoir and mosaic

Metaphors that shed light on your life

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WORKSHOP DIRECTOR

Susan Tiberghien is an American writer living in Switzerland who has been teaching writing for 20 years. She is the author of three memoirs: Looking for Gold, Circling to the Center, and Footsteps, A European Album, plus numerous essays in journals and anthologies. Her fourth book, One Year to a Writing Life, Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer’s Art and Craft, was published by Perseus Books in 2007. (“Tiberghien’s advice, encouragement, and wisdom make this an invaluable book for writers at all stages of their writing lives.” – Michael Steinberg.) She teaches at graduate programs, at C.G. Jung Centers, at writers’ conferences, and at the monthly Geneva Writers’ Workshops. She has been a workshop director for IWWG since 1990. An active member of International PEN, she directs the Geneva Writers’ Conferences. Susan’s website is www.susantiberghien.com.

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Meet the Authors

Recently published Guild authors will speak about their trials and tribulations: how they got themselves published—through an agent, via self-publishing, or by some other means—and how their books are currently being promoted. Questions are invited from the audience.

Stephanie Alson-Nero, In Wild Violet Shine: New and Selected Poems, Evolutionary Girls Press, 2009

Pat Carr, One Page at a Time: On a Writing Life, Texas University Press, 2010

Harriet Forman, Nursing Leadership for Patient-Centered Care: Authenticity Presence Intuition Expertise, Springer Publishing Company, 2010

Carol Hoenig, The Author's Guide to Planning Book Events: Tips and Tools for Bookselling Success, Star iUniverse, 2007

Terry Laszlo-Gopadze, The Spirit of a Woman: Stories to Empower and Inspire, Santa Monica Press, 2010

Barbara Kent Lawrence, The Hungry i: A Workbook for Partners of Men with Eating Disorders,Greene Bark Press, 2010

D. H. Melhem, Art and Politics/Politics and Art, Syracuse University Press, 2010

Edith Muesing-Ellwood, Selfhood and U.S .Democracy, Plain View Press, 2010

Mary Osborne, Nonna’s Book of Mysteries, Lake Street Press, 2010

Jayne A. Pearl, Kids, Wealth & Consequences: Ensuring a Responsible Future for the Next Generation, Bloomberg Press, 2010

Nadia Sahari, Breakaway: How I Survived Abuse, Pink Butterfly Press, 2009

Mary L. Tabor, Re-Making Love: A Sex After Sixty Story, Kindle, 2010

Mingmei Yip, Song of the Silk Road, Kensington, 2011

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Book Fair of Books by Authors on Panel

Lunch (1:00 - 2:30 pm)

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Meet the Agents

(Sunday, 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm)

The “Meet the Agents” Open House has yielded wonderful matches between authors and agents over the years. The agents introduce themselves at the podium and speak about their "shop,"; trends in the marketplace, hits and misses. Then, members of the audience seek out those agents whom they wish to meet. After you introduce yourself and speak briefly about your work, the agent will let you know if he or she is interested in hearing from and possibly working with you and how to submit your work.

Agents

(partial list)

Kimberley Cameron & Associates (April Eberhardt)

The Croce Agency (Nicholas Croce)

Don Congdon Associates (Katie Kotchman)

Diana Finch Literary Agency (Diana Finch)

Sheila L. Levine (publishing lawyer)

A. Mecke Company (Amanda Mecke)

Rita Rosenkranz Agency (Rita Rosenkranz)

Regina Ryan Publishing Enterprises (Regina Ryan)

Serendipity Literary Agency (Foladé Bell)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REGISTRATION FEES

(Attend all Saturday and Sunday events and save up to $70.00,

or pay for individual sessions)

Special Full Conference Discount (Both days, all events)

Members: $190.00 Non-Members: $220.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included on both days)

Saturday, April 16 (9:00 am – 4:45 pm)

“Memoir and Metaphor”

Members: $125.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, April 17 Full-Day Discount (morning and afternoon sessions)

Members: $125.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, April 17 (10 am - 1:00 pm)

MEET THE AUTHORS Open House & Book Fair

Members: $50.00 Non-Members: $60.00

(buffet lunch on-site may be requested for $25)

Sunday, April 17 (2:30 PM to 6:00 PM)

MEET THE AGENTS Open House

INTRODUCTORY AGENT FORUM & ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH AGENTS

Members: $85.00 Non-Members: $95.00

IWWG MEMBERSHIP: $55.00 (includes online subscription to Network) or $65 (print subscription). Members receive discounts on all IWWG workshop fees.

To join the IWWG online, visit www.iwwg.org and click on the JOIN NOW! button on the right side of the screen.

Online registration for the Big Apple Conference will be available soon on our website, www.iwwg.org

To join IWWG or to register for the Big Apple conference by mail, send a check to: IWWG, PO Box 810, Gracie Station., New York, NY 10028.

Credit cards are not accepted at the door.

Rgistration fees are recorded as they are received. We do not mail out confirmation receipts. For confirmation, call (212) 737-7536. (If you cancel, payments may be applied to a future IWWG event.)

For further information, telephone or email the IWWG at (212) 737-7536 or dirhahn@aol.com.

Sunday, April 17 (10:00 am - 1:00 pm)

Act 11 Counseling & Psychosynthesis

2011-01-31T19:29:00.000-05:00

February 12 & 13, 2011

Act 11 Counseling & Psychosynthesis

" An Empowerment Weekend for all!"

learn what an incredible tool your will can become!

All classes taught by professional counselors

10:30-3 both days. Bring a sandwich, we serve coffee...

RSVP as space is limited

reasonable fees and sliding scale

Cynthia P Russell PhD 203 377-2421 psynnie@aol.com

The Roots of Bullying and Crying: Is it a Game or Is It for Real?

2011-01-31T19:25:00.001-05:00

I have recently felt called to address, in a variety of media venues, the very timely topic of the roots of bullying...in our children, in our world, and in ourselves.

I am delighted to announce a new interview, scheduled for February 9 at 3pm EST on this topic with Sallie Felton of A Fresh Start. I hope this interview inspires you in your own healing journey.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reports are circulating around the globe about a new study out of Israel about the effect of a woman's tears on men. In response to the study and the way it's being discussed, I have written a new blog post: Crying: Is It A Game? Or Is It for Real? To read this post, please visit: http://polipsych101.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/crying-%e2%80%93-is-it-a-game-or-is-it-for-real/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recently, I joined Don Russell on Morning News Weekend with Don Russell to explore hate speech and the mob mentality that exists in every form of media -- radio, TV, online blogs . . .

I am delighted to be able to share with you the audio of this short but powerful, packed interview.
To listen, please visit http://www.judithbarr.com/PowerAbusedPowerHealed/pages/audio1.htm.

Many blessings,
Judith

THE LIGHT IS BORN

2011-01-31T19:16:00.000-05:00

THE LIGHT IS BORN

AND THEN . . .

On winter solstice the light is born.

Maybe you'd like to think we can leap

straight from the darkest dark

to the lightest light.

A leap of light!

Perhaps here's where you'd like that quick fix -

the one that's been promised by

too many who knew better,

or could have known better

if they weren't buried by their own

greed, their own personal agendas,

their own false hopes,

or the ice of their own illusions.

The illusions of how things work

going from darkness to light.

Even in the outer world

there are no harmless, sustainable quick fixes.

We don't go straight from

the winter to the summer solstice.

There are six l-o-n-g months between them.

And freezing or even below-freezing cold.

Feet of snow you have to shovel

or it will turn to ice.

Ack! The hard, back-breaking work of shoveling.

And inches of ice -

hard, hardened, ever so slippery ice -

you have to chip away at or find a way to melt,

or you will slide, fall, crash.

Even though it's getting a little bit lighter

day by day by day,

this can go on for at least two or three of those

six long months.

And beneath the snow and ice

there is hard frozen ground.

Nothing can penetrate it

from the outside in

or the inside out. . .

until it thaws in its own timing.

Meanwhile,

deep in the heart of the earth,

our plants are keeping warm,

nourished by the life energy

that returned down, down, down to them

from blossoms, leaves, and stalks,

right before the light was born.

And there they will stay,

protected,

replenishing

until ice and snow

are dissolved and melted,

hardened ground softens once again,

and they innately know it is safe

to slowly, slowly grow up and out into the world again.

This is all true in our inner worlds, too.

Starting to birth the light from within out into the world,

we'd like to believe there are quick fixes

that aren't harmful and are sustainable.

But it isn't true. . .

and it is harmful to believe it is.

It is harmful to you as an individual person and soul,

and it is harmful to our world.

For deep in your own underground labyrinths

at the heart of your Self,

is life that you have wanted to protect for years,

since your earliest storms in life,

the ones in which you were hurt and scared,

angry and sad, resigned and hopeless.

The ones you buried deep and covered over with

layers and layers of defense . . .

defense that froze - became harder and harder,

more and more brittle,

and eventually broke off and took on a life of its own.

Hardened life, no matter how it appeared on the surface.

You can't just throw salt on a frozen heart.

You can't just chip away at it.

It's too delicate for that.

You have to melt your frozen heart with

Commitment, compassion, purpose, truth, and the fire of feeling safely.

Feeling all that you have frozen that froze your heart, too.

And when your heart is thawed,

the work will not be over.

It will take place in the warm breeze of summertime,

when the light is full and then . . .

As we enter the new year,

May you continue your journey with the growing light

and the snowy, frozen winter . . .

melting whatever is frozen within you

with commitment, compassion, purpose, truth, and the fire of feeling safely.

And if I can be of service to you in the process . . .

Feel free to let me know.

Many blessings,
Judith

© Judith Barr 2010

A WHOLE-HEARTED THANK YOU

A heartful thank you to Betsy Bethel-McFarland for an inspiring interview with me as part of her article in OV Parent on the topic of bullying in holiday specials.

And on the same topic . . . many thanks to Mary Jacobs, for a wonderful interview with me on United Methodist Portal's website.

I look forward to working with both of you in the future!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP MAKE YOUR WORLD SAFE . . . FROM THE INSIDE OUT

In your outer world . . .

As I have said many times before . . . abuse of power in our world is coming out into the light of day more and more. Within and all around us are opportunities for healing!

Recently, I have felt called to begin to gather a consortium of like-minded and -hearted people, from various professions and walks of life, people who not only believe in doing the depth inner work necessary to heal themselves and our world, but who are also committed to it themselves. Together we would brain- and heartstorm how to bring further out into our world the healing it so needs . . . and to touch people even more . . . in the deep places where they are called to do their own inner healing.

I would love to have someone from each profession and arena of expertise . . . medicine, law, business, financial, mediation, government, politics, different branches of the media, publishing, entertainment, religion, spirituality, the arts . . . can you think of others?

If you know someone who may be interested in this consortium, and if you are open to making a bridge between him or her and me, please forward this newsletter to them, or otherwise take them the message, and please email me to let me know.

****

In your inner world . . .

During this time of longer nights and shorter days, remember that the darkness often holds the clues to the path toward our deepest healing . . .

In this "dark" time, explore your relationship with your own darkness. Use this time as a mirror of your own soul . . . reflecting your own need to go into and through the darkness within to reach the light.

As feelings arise in you while you contemplate the darkness, trace them back to your early experiences with darkness, both literally and metaphorically. Explore how your own experience of the dark has affected how you view the darkness within and the feelings you have about exploring this darkness.

If you are able, explore the dark within . . . finding both hidden strengths ready to be utilized, and hidden weaknesses waiting to be transformed. If you need help, reach out and find the help you need, someone who can help you explore safely and with integrity.

If we can all find the strength to do the inner work in our own dark places . . . imagine what our world would be like!

If this has informed you, intrigued you, inspired you . . . please help it inform, intrigue, inspire others by sharing it via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.

Judith Barr

is a depth psychotherapist and spiritual counselor in private practice in Brookfield, Connecticut. For more than 30 years, she has brought a passion for safety to the healing process and a commitment to help heal the abuse of power in every arena of life. She is one of the first in her profession to seriously and continually focus on the misuse and abuse of power in the healing arts. Her book, Power Abused, Power Healed addresses this theme in both the healing arts and other arenas of life. Power Abused, Power Healed is an invitation to look into the mirror at our own misuse and abuse of power . . . for the greatest, deepest healing possible, individually and globally. Sylvia Brinton Perera says about Judith's book: "Because Judith Barr's parables are deceptively simple, they help to raise consciousness in non-threatening ways. They creep under our defenses to wake us up." And Roger Woolger has called Power Abused, Power Healed "the best book on power and its abuse by therapists and spiritual healers since Guggenbuhl-Craig's trenchant 'Power In The Helping Professions'" and states: "It should be required reading for all therapists and healers in training." Judith offers workshops, including her life-changing "Healing Our Relationship with Power" series, her series "Making The World Safe from The Inside Out," and individual consultations and sessions for people in all walks of life. To learn more about Judith's work and her book, Power Abused, Power Healed, please contact Jenni Calladio-Nuzzo at 860-824-7923 or 203-364-7918, email Judith directly JudithBarr@PowerAbusedPowerHealed.com or go to www.PowerAbusedPowerHealed.com

2010-11-30T12:59:00.000-05:00

Do you ever think about writing for children?

Here's your chance to find out how.

Last Chance To Register!

Writing for Children in Today's Market
with Patricia Hermes
at the Greenwich Arts Council
Thursday, December 2
10 am to 12:30 pm

$55 or $45 for GAC or WWW members

Questions? Email info or call (203)227-3250.

Writing for Children in Today's Market

Today's children's book market is hungry and growing. Publishers are always looking for new voices and new talent. Do you have what it takes to write for children?

If you have ever considered writing for children, or hoping to have your work published in today's vibrant children's market, this two-part workshop with award-winning, full-time professional children's author Patricia Hermes will tell you what it takes to succeed.

First, Patricia will outline the market for children's literature. She will talk about the different ages and genres of children's writing: short stories, picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels and YA or young adult books.

She will also give an overview of how the field has changed in recent years - and it has changed dramatically. Because authors cannot hold on to old notions of writing for children and hope to sell their work in today's market. What was popular - and what sold - twenty years ago - perhaps even just five years ago - is not what sells today.

In the second part of the workshop, Patricia will talk about the writing itself. Because writing for children is very different from writing for adults. In order to write well for children, one must remember what it is to be a child, must remember what the child cares about and fears and hates. One must speak like a child, think like a child, laugh and even cry like a child. Because inside every good writer lives a remembered child -- and the job of a good writer is to unearth that child.

We will make sure to leave plenty of time for Q&A. So bring your questions and your ideas.

Finally, time permitting, there will also be an opportunity for writers to bring your own short piece intended for young readers. These can be read aloud for gentle, encouraging critique. No pressure! No one must read who does not want to read. But the opportunity will be there so that authors can get a feel for how others view their work and how it can be improved.

WHEN:
THIS WEEK!
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich

COST:
$55 ($45 for GAC Members and WWW Members)

About Patricia Hermes

Patricia Hermes is the author of over fifty novels published for young people, from early chapter books to young adults. She has written six historical novels for the Dear America/My America series for Scholastic. Her newest venture is the Emma Dilemma series of chapter books for Marshall Cavendish. Her numerous awards include the New York Library Best Book for Teens award for her nonfiction book, A Time to Listen; C.S. Lewis Honor Book award for her novel, On Winter's Wind; Smithsonian Notable Book award for her picture book, When Snow Lay Soft on the Mountain; and Children's' Choice awards for many other novels. She also won the Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and California state awards for her classic novel, You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye, recently reissued by Source Books. She lectures nationally and internationally, speaking recently for the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India, as well as in Bahrain, and other countries. She has also written two adult nonfiction books and published in national magazines. Her books have been translated into seven languages including French, Chinese, Japanese, and Danish.

To Register
Log on to Westport Writers' Workshop and click on REGISTER NOW for instructions for registering by mail or with PayPal.

Westport Writers' Workshop
3 Sylvan Road South
Westport, Connecticut 06880

For questions or more information see www.westportwritersworkshop.com or call (203) 227-3250 or info@westportwritersworkshop.com

Gideon's River Published for E-readers

2010-11-15T08:52:00.003-05:00

Dear Writing Sisters,

My book, Gideon's River, was published today as a multi-format ebook at Smashwords. As many of you know, this novel is the story of a mother and her tween son who fight about every little thing, playing out a centuries old drama we could call "the bully and the wimp." Gideon insists on action--and gets himself into scrapes trying to get rid of his temper and fit in with his family. Readers have said, "We like Gideon." This book is for anyone who likes a good story and especially for mothers who watch helplessly as a child loses confidence in himself, for anyone who wishes to somehow help a child retrieve the happiness that is her/his birthright. I hope you'll take time to check it out at Smashwords, where you can sample the first 20% of the book for free.

Here's the link to my Smashwords author profile:

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/triciajean
Here's the link to my book page, where you can sample or purchase the book:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/29863

Please help me spread the word. Won't you take a moment to forward this email to everyone you know, and ask them to do the same?

Thank you for your support!
Trish Lapidus

Writing Your Memoir: How To Get Started and Silence Your Inner Critic: Let the Inspiration Flow!

2010-11-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

Writing Your Memoir: How to Get Started

Thursday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. to 12:30 pm

and

Silence Your Inner Critic:

Let the Inspiration Flow!

Saturday, Nov. 6, 9 a.m. to noon

Register Now!

Both of these programs are recommended for beginners.

Questions? Email info or call (203)227-3250 to find out which workshop is right for you - or both!

If you have ever had the urge to finally set down the story of your life - either for a published memoir or simply to leave a legacy to children and grandchildren - this instructional workshop will offer you the inspiration and practical guidance you need to get started.

Westport author Jessica Bram, founder of the Westport Writers' Workshop and an award-winning radio commentator, will offer a 2½-hour workshop for those who would like to venture into the joyful and rewarding experience of memoir writing.

The workshop will be geared to those with no writing experience, and no advance preparation is necessary. Whether you already have a work in progress, have just done some scribbling, or only just thought to yourself, "I've really got to set down my life story," this workshop will encourage and inspire you to begin.

After discussing various approaches to memoir writing, Jessica will guide participants through the techniques that help open the doors to creative expression of one's personal stories. She will outline many of the writing techniques that make the material interesting and enjoyable, and describe common pitfalls.

In this interactive workshop, participants will be given a brief exercise to inspire writers to begin writing their personal histories. After a brief writing time, participants will be invited to share their beginning work in an encouraging environment. Participants will leave with a handout containing a roadmap for how to continue their work.

"Jessica's presentation of the material was terrific. The fundamentals were well described and illustrated with examples. I believe the lack of questions from the attendees were a testament to how well she presented a large amount of information in a relatively short space of time." ~ Anne Davies, Westport

WHEN:
Thursday, November 4
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich

COST:
$55 ($45 for GAC Members and WWW Members)

Silence Your Inner Critic: Let the Inspiration Flow!

with Jessica Bram

· "I've always wanted to be a writer but I don't have the discipline/ I'm not good enough/ I never seem to find the time."

· "You can't make any money as a writer, so why bother?"

· "I would write my story but what if my mother/husband/friends ever read it?"

· "Writing doesn't flow naturally for me ... that must mean I'm not really a writer, right?"

Sound familiar?

Successful writers are plagued by all of these doubts, and more. But what makes them successful is persistence and the willingness to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) nevertheless.

In this three-hour interactive workshop, successful writer, NPR commentator and popular writing teacher Jessica Bram will tackle these doubts and more head-on. In interactive discussions and supportive, inspiring writing exercises, Jessica will guide a small group of aspiring writers through the steps to enable them to silence their inner critics and unlock the floodgates of their creativity.

In this three-hour interactive workshop, successful writer, NPR commentator and popular writing teacher Jessica Bram will tackle these doubts and more head-on. In interactive discussions and supportive, inspiring writing exercises, Jessica will guide a small group of aspiring writers through the steps to enable them to silence their inner critics and unlock the floodgates of their creativity.

As Founder and President of the Westport Writers' Workshop, Jessica Bram's personal mission is to empower people to fulfill their deepest desires to write. She frequently addresses writers' groups and consults with writers to help them break through writer's block, silence their inner critics, and allow them to overcome all those doubts that prevent them from fulfilling their writing talent and potential.

"I attended your recent "Silence Your Inner Critic" workshop at the Fairfield Library. I wanted to let you know how valuable it was for me. Ever since then I've continued to write the first draft of a children's fantasy book using your guidelines. The empowerment you spoke of is happening for me. I thank you so much!"
~ Robyn Boccardi, Fairfield, Conn.

"Jessica, thank you again for your inspirational talk, "Silence Your Inner Critic, Let the Inspiration Flow". I needed to hear the part about writing being hard work! I sat down as scheduled today for two hours to write, and it really helps to have a schedule, as you said. Again, many thanks for your encouragement." ~Maurya C. Keating, Fairfield, Conn.

"Someone is going to be published ... it might as well be you!"

~Jessica Bram

WHEN:

Saturday, November 6
9 a.m. to noon

WHERE:
Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST: $125

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 12

How To Register

Log on to Westport Writers' Workshop and click on REGISTER NOW for instructions for registering by mail or with PayPal.

About Jessica Bram

Westport Writers' Workshop founder Jessica Bram is a writer, radio commentator and author of Happily Ever After Divorce: Notes of a Joyful Journey published by Health Communications, Inc. in 2009. Her commentaries, which have twice earned her first prize in the radio commentary category of the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists' "Excellence in Journalism" competition, are frequently heard on the National Public Radio station WSHU during NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition." Jessica's personal essays have been published and syndicated in national and regional newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, NY Times HERS column, Child Magazine, Country Accents and the Gannett Newspapers. She was formerly special sections editor of the Fairfield County Business Journal and a freelance journalist.

How To Register

Log on to Westport Writers' Workshop and click on REGISTER NOW for instructions for registering by mail or with PayPal.

Westport Writers' Workshop
3 Sylvan Road South
Westport, Connecticut 06880

For questions or more information see www.westportwritersworkshop.com or contact Katy at (203) 227-3250 or info@westportwritersworkshop.com

Act 11 Counseling& Synthesis- Stratford Center

2010-11-02T11:56:00.003-05:00

Act 11 Counseling& Synthesis- Stratford Center

Sat Nov 13 Gaining clarity in the present moment

overcoming codependency & active, receptive, listening skills

Sun Nov 14 Guided Imagery & nondenominational prayer basket; community circle;networking

seminar after lunch on Mindfulness & focusing

Fundraiser for Exceptional Cancer Patients

both days 10:20-3, bring a sandwich, we serve coffee & cookies: bring a journal to write in

Cynthia Russell PhD 203 377-2421 psynnie@aol.com

Call for details and fees; we also offer work swaps & sliding scale when needed

The Legacy Project USA FREE WORKSHOP NOV 4th, 2010 7:30-9:00PM

2010-11-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

FREE WORKSHOP

The Legacy Project USA

presents

How to Create Your Legacy

with Rozanne Gates and Suzanne Sheridan

Thursday, Nov. 4

7:30 to 9 p.m.

REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED

To register call 203-557-0408 or (203) 227-3250 to check for availability
Leave a message to reserve your spot.

The Legacy Project

HOW TO REGISTER

Westport Writers' Workshop

3 Sylvan Road South

Westport, Connecticut 06880

The Legacy Project

Everyone has a story to tell. And the only person who can really tell it right is you.

That is the message being brought to you by The Legacy Project USA at The Westport Writers' Workshop on Thursday Nov. 4 at 7:30 PM.

The Westport Writers' Workshop has invited Rozanne Gates and Suzanne Sheridan, owners of The Legacy Project USA, to its beautiful new location at 3 Sylvan Road South in Westport to explain what is involved with creating a legacy project of your own.

The Legacy Project USA began as a business over one year ago after Gates and Sheridan participated in the well-known national Story Corps program (a program that goes around the country recording people's stories on a limited basis). They wanted to expand on this idea and make it accessible for both entrepreneurs and families to create living legacies to pass to the next generation.

According to Rozanne Gates ... "To tell your story in your own words, to have it documented in photos, and to be able to pass it on is one valuable way to let people you care about know who you really are. Each project, like each person, is different and unique. Your life is your legacy."

Suzanne Sheridan adds, "The technology now exists which allows us to preserve our stories. There has never been a better time to create a legacy project for your family or business."

At a free presentation to take place at the Westport Writers' Workshop, Sheridan and Gates will share how to bring together the threads of your life to tell a compelling story.

WHEN:
Thursday, November 4
7:30 to 9 p.m.

WHERE:
Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST: FREE but registration is required by calling The Legacy Project at 203-557-0408 or the Westport Writers' Workshop at (203) 227-3250.

REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED

How To Register

To register call 203-557-0408 or (203) 227-3250 to check for availability. Leave a message to reserve your spot.

For more information contact The Legacy Project USA at 203-557-0408 or visit WWW.THELEGACYPROJECTUSA.COM.

The essay "After Sunflowers" by Adele Annesi is now available in the anthology Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers

2010-11-02T11:47:00.000-05:00

The essay "After Sunflowers" by Adele Annesi is now available in the anthology Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers.

Adele

Word for Words, LLC
CAPA Authors
Ph (203) 894-1908

See Amazon for Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers

Visit The Art of Editing in Writing and the Word for Words blog

A New Home Study Course by Judith Barr

2010-11-02T11:41:00.000-05:00

A NEW HOME STUDY COURSE, TWO NEW INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE...AND AN INSPIRING NEW TALK IN MILLBROOK, NEW YORK!

UPDATE AS WE GO TO PRESS: With election time here, I feel called more than ever to address again the distortions in our electoral process...and how we can heal them from the inside out! To this end, I have written a more in depth post for my blog PoliPsych called The Election Through The Lens of Powerlessness. To read this post, please visit http://polipsych101.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/the-election-through-the-lens-of-powerlessness/.

I am pleased to announce that a new home study course, based on some of my articles, is now being offered through Professional Development Resources with 2 CE credits available for counselors, social workers, psychologists and other healing arts professionals. To learn more about this course, A Therapist Reflects on the Use and Abuse of Power, Part 1, please visit http://www.judithbarr.com/PowerAbusedPowerHealed/pages/home-study.htm.

I am also happy to be able to share with you the audio of two new interviews . . .

Recently, I joined Alecia Evans and David Bach on Keeping It Real to explore healing our relationship with power, and the impact that healing has on our country and our world.

And . . . on Morning News Weekend with Don Russell, Don and I discussed the roots of the distortions in our electoral process...and how we can heal them.

You can hear the full audio of both of these interviews on my website at http://www.judithbarr.com/PowerAbusedPowerHealed/pages/audio1.htm.

Finally...coming up on Friday, November 19 at 6pm: I will be giving a talk, There's A Bully in All of Us, at The Mental Health Seminar for Relative Caregivers sponsored by The Cornell Cooperative Extension Duchess County Relatives As Parents Program, in Millbrook, NY. I hope those in attendance will find my talk inspiring and informative!

Blessings,

Judith

************************************************************************************

If this has informed you, intrigued you, inspired you . . . please help it inform, intrigue, inspire others by sharing it via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.

**************************************************************************

Judith Barr is a depth psychotherapist and spiritual counselor in private practice in Brookfield, Connecticut. For more than 30 years, she has brought a passion for safety to the healing process and a commitment to help heal the abuse of power in every arena of life. She is one of the first in her profession to seriously and continually focus on the misuse and abuse of power in the healing arts. Her book, Power Abused, Power Healed, addresses this theme in both the healing arts and other arenas of life, and is an invitation to look into the mirror at our own misuse and abuse of power . . . for the greatest, deepest healing possible, individually and globally.

Judith offers workshops, including her life-changing "Healing Our Relationship with Power" series, her series "Making The World Safe from The Inside Out," and individual consultations and sessions for people in all walks of life. To learn more, please contact Jenni Calladio-Nuzzo at 860-824-7923 or 203-364-7918, email Judith directly at JudithBarr@PowerAbusedPowerHealed.com or go to www.PowerAbusedPowerHealed.com .

Swamp Walking Woman video clip

2010-10-19T09:10:00.005-05:00

Dear Writing Sisters,

I hope you enjoy this short video clip about my mythic fairy tale Swamp Walking Woman.

The book is for our green earth and to encourage women to be strong in these hard times.

It's also fun. There are darning needle (dragon fly) helpers, frog helpers, a mean gatoress to fight, and little fireflies to light because a chemical in the swamp has taken their light.

Love, Trish Lapidus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk2vAW5KzyA

2010-10-01T17:47:00.000-05:00

Oct.16 & 17 Stratford Center (next to the public library)

Act 11 Counseling & Synthesis

Are you ready? You'll never be the same again;Life Coaching classes.

Saturday: Meet your Self and your empowerment

Sunday a.m. circle, networking, meditation and guided imagery. (no charge)

After Lunch: What is a sub personality and how does it move you? with Brad Roth, trainer & counselor

Fees for classes with sliding scale as needed. Work swaps. Bring a sandwich & join us for lunch breaks.

All classes are taught by counselors.

For reservation & details: Cynthia P Russell PhD - psynnie@aol.com

203 377-2421

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents its 60th Big Apple Conference

2010-09-29T12:35:00.001-05:00

The International Women's Writing Guild

Presents its 60th

Big Apple Conference

October 16 & 17, 2010

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Making Meaning from Myth and Memoir

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Open House: Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents

National Arts Club

(15 Gramercy Park South at East 20th St.

near Park Ave., New York City)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PROGRAM

Saturday, October 16

9:00-9:30 am: Registration

9:30-10:00 am: Introduction

10:15-12:30 pm: Making Meaning from Myth and Memoir with Maureen Murdock

A one-day workshop exploring the mythic themes used by contemporary memoirists — myths that inform your life as you write:

The elements of memoir writing

Mythic themes

12:30 - 1: 45 pm: LUNCH

1:45 – 5:00 pm: Myth and Memoir (continues)

Readings from contemporary memoirists

Come prepared to look at the myths that inform your life as you write to make meaning from memory

The afternoon will also include a short presentation by Sheila J. Levine on Defamation and related Legal Issues of interest to writers of memoir.

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WORKSHOP DIRECTORS

Maureen Murdock, M.A., M.F.T., is a depth psychotherapist and past Chair of the MA Counseling Psychology Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. She has taught creative writing in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program for the past 20 years, where she received the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1995. She has written a memoir about her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's — Unreliable Truth: On Memoir and Memory — which is also a reflection on the nature of memoir writing. She is the author of three internationally published books: The Heroine’s Journey, Fathers' Daughter: Breaking the Ties that Bind, and Spinning Inward, and is the editor of Monday Morning Memoirs: Women in the Second Half of Life. She teaches memoir writing internationally and her books have been translated into 12 languages.

Sheila J. Levine is a publishing lawyer in New York City. She began her career in Subsidiary Rights at Doubleday and became Contracts and Copyright Manager and Managing Editor at Popular Library, a paperback imprint owned by CBS. She has had her own practice in publishing and intellectual property law for over twenty years, representing authors, agents, and publishers. Her goal is to help clients protect their rights and grow in today’s complex, fascinating, and challenging print and electronic publishing environments.

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Sunday, October 17

Meet the Authors (Sunday, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm)

Eleven recently-published Guild authors will speak about their trials and tribulations: How they got themselves published—through an agent, via self-publishing, or by some other means—and how their books are currently being promoted. Questions are invited from the audience

BARBARA BARNUM, Spirituality in Nursing: From Traditional to New Age, Springer Publishing, 2010

JULIE GENOVESE, Nothing Short of Joy, Behler Publications, 2010

RUTH LEHRER, My Book of Ruth: Reflections of a Jewish Girl, AuthorHouse,2010

MAUREEN HOGAN LUTZ, Diamonds in the Snow: Rescuing the Senses in the Aftermath of Breast Cancer, Pendulum Publications, 2010

ROSARY O’NEILL, The Awakening of Kate Chopin and Blackjack: The Thief of Possession, Samuel French, 2010

JAYNE A. PEARL, Kids, Wealth and Consequences: Ensuring a Responsible Financial Future for the Next Generation, Bloomberg Press, 2010

HOPE PLAYER, Find the Numbers for Your Business Plan, Full Court Press, 2010

LYNNE ROGERS, How to Be a Working Actor: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film, and Television, Back Stage Books, 2008

CARREN STROCK, A Writer's Journey: What to Know Before, During and After Writing a Book, Gray Rabbit Publishing, 2010

BARBARA M. TRAYNOR, Second Career Volunteer: A Passionate, Pennywise Approach to Retirement, The Troy Book Makers, 2009

Book Fair of Books by Author Panel

Lunch

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Meet the Agents (Sunday, 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm)

Agents (plus occasional publishers and editors): Serendipity Literary Agency (Foladé Bell), The Croce Agency (Nicholas Croce), Kimberley Cameron & Associates (April Eberhardt), Diana Finch Literary Agency (Diana Finch), Don Congdon & Associates (Katie Grimm), Sheila J. Levine (Publishing Lawyer), A. Mecke Company (Amanda Mecke), Anderson Literary Management (Christine Mervart), Rita Rosenkranz Agency (Rita Rosenkranz), Regina Ryan Publishing Enterprises (Regina Ryan), and others.

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REGISTRATION FEES

(Attend all Saturday and Sunday events and save up to $70.00, or pay for individual sessions)

Special Full Conference Discount (Both days, all events)

Members: $180.00 Non-Members: $205.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included on both days)

Saturday, October 16 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)

“Making Meaning from Myth and Memoir”

Members: $125.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, October 17 Full-Day Discount (morning and afternoon sessions)

Members: $125.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, October 18 (10 am - 1:00 pm)

MEET THE AUTHORS Open House & Book Fair

Members: $50.00 Non-Members: $60.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch on-site may be requested for $25)

MEET THE AGENTS Open House (2:30 PM to 6:00 PM)

INTRODUCTORY AGENT FORUM & ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH AGENTS

Members: $75.00 Non-Members: $85.00

IWWG MEMBERSHIP: $55.00 (online subscription to Network) or $65 (print subscription).

(Members receive discounts on all IWWG workshop fees.)

To join the IWWG online, visit www.iwwg.org and click on the JOIN NOW! button on the right side of the screen.

To register online for the Big Apple Conference and pay with a credit card, visit www.iwwg.org and click on the EVENTS tab and then on the REGISTER ONLINE VIA PAYPAL link underneath the Big Apple Workshop listing.

To register by Mail, send a check to: IWWG, PO Box 810, Gracie Station., New York, NY 10028.

Credit cards are not accepted at the door. Cash and personal checks are accepted.

Registration fees are recorded as they are received. We do not mail out confirmation receipts. For confirmation, call (212) 737-7536. (In the event of your cancellation, payments may be applied to a future IWWG event.)

For further information, telephone or email the IWWG at (212) 737-7536 or dirhahn@aol.com

New Dreamwatch® Blog … the paranormal experiences of ordinary people

2010-09-29T12:15:00.000-05:00

Dreamwatch.com has been online for nearly 15 years with stories submitted from at least 11 countries and 26 U.S. states. (Some stories are submitted anonymously so the totals are likely higher.) Dreamwatch stories rotate out with recent submissions at the page top; the oldest are removed. Most writers simply want to share their experience and know that someone believes them. Some are terrified and want the experiences to stop, but all want answers. Read what everyday people—like you and me—are writing about their psychic dreams, premonitions, ghost sightings, and more.

Dreamwatch Blog Launched July 29 2010. Over time (before blogs were invented), site visitors frequently asked for comments about their strange and sometimes frightening experiences. The new Dreamwatch blog opens that dialog. I’ll also be posting thoughts about supernatural subjects and about my fiction writing inspired by those interests. I’m currently revising a paranormal thriller. I intend to post weekly, maybe more often because people are writing about stunning supernatural experiences that I think you’ll want to read about.

I’ve been decluttering and cleaning up the pages of the Dreamwatch site while I work on a structural overhaul and redesign. As a graphic designer in my day job, the site design and web graphics come easy to me but mastering the new software technology for site construction and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been a frustrating trial of my patience. I hope to upload the new site by October 1.

More great news. I received the official certificate this month. Dreamwatch® is now a Registered Trademark.

Write about your paranormal experience, comment on a story, or just wish me luck.

Visit the Dreamwatch Site at:

http://www.dreamwatch.com/

and

The Dreamwatch Blog at:

http://www.dreamwatch.com/blog1/

Thank you all for your interest and support!

Kathryn Rose Orzech

Judith Barr - Power Abused Power Healed

2010-09-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

This Fall . . . I am delighted to share with you two innovative workshops that will inform, intrigue, inspire, help you heal, and give you a taste of my pioneering work.

WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS OVER AND OVER?

Exploring The Roots of Prejudice

Recently I watched two movies in a day. One I was reviewing to possibly share with others. The other came to me on the heels of the first. They were both about prejudice in our world. They both moved me deeply. On the same day I saw several news stories about prejudice today. I walked through my day with my heart feeling the pain of the prejudice in our world and with the question running through my mind, heart, and body . . . Why do we have to do this over and over? From that day and that question, this workshop was birthed into being.

Whether we know it or not . . . whether we want to know it or not . . . we all have currents of prejudice within our psyches. The roots of prejudice, our own and that of others, are based not only in how we were educated and what was modeled for us…but also in more primal experiences from our childhood.

Where does our fear of those who are different from ourselves come from? How can we explore and heal our fear of “the other” and in doing so, heal prejudice in ourselves and our world?

In this unique and innovative workshop, participants will learn about the real roots of prejudice…and about the vast healing that is possible, individually and globally. The workshop will be part conceptual and part experiential – mostly experiential. Some participants will have the opportunity to actively explore the roots of their own prejudices in a piece of work with me. Others will have the chance to explore more receptively through witnessing others, sharing, and working within.

DATE: Saturday, October 23th, 2010, 1pm to 5pm

REGISTER BY: October 2

PLACE: Judith Barr’s Office, minutes from Route 25 and Brookfield Center.

FEE: $65

For more information or to register, please visit:

http://www.judithbarr.com/PowerAbusedPowerHealed/pages/roots-prejudice.htm

AGING WITH GRACE FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Aging is a challenging journey for most people. And now, as the baby boomers are beginning to “come of age” we are seeing just how challenging it is. Women aging but trying so to look younger and younger. Men aging but using Viagra and Cialis to try and stay “virile.” Men and women choosing much younger “trophy spouses” in order to appear younger themselves. Having plastic surgeries to erase the signs of aging. People lying about their ages. People buying endless, expensive products to do away with wrinkles and grey hair in an effort to appear more “youthful.” Many feeling "it's too late to . . ." do something or finish something they've always felt called to do. People, young and old, buying into ageist stereotypes: “old people drive slow, walk slow, are slow;” “old people eat tapioca, sleep a lot, are technologically backwards, and are closed minded about anything new;” “old people can’t hear, see, think.”

Many of my clients work with me about what aging brings up in them. Each one finds there are numerous roots . . . some individual and some cultural. But the central root for each of us is deeply related to the primal experiences we had early on in our lives.

Where does your fear of aging come from? How can we explore and heal our fear of “growing old” and in doing so, help to heal that fear not only in ourselves but also in our world?

In this ground-breaking workshop, participants will begin to explore their own fears about aging and contribute to healing their “aging issues,” both individually and on a global scale. The workshop will be mostly experiential and part conceptual. As time allows, participants who volunteer will have the opportunity to actively explore the roots of their own fears of aging in a piece of work with me, or to explore through witnessing others, sharing, and working within.

DATE: Sunday, November 14th, 2010, 1pm to 5pm

REGISTER BY: October 24

PLACE: Judith Barr’s Office, minutes from Route 25 and Brookfield Center.

FEE: $65

For more information or to register, please visit

http://www.judithbarr.com/PowerAbusedPowerHealed/pages/aging-grace.htm

Also . . . I am delighted to be able to share with you an interview I did with Bob Johnson for his show Authors on Deck, on both Blog Talk Radio and WPKN. You can hear this interview, on the subject of the real roots of tragedies like the recent shooting in Manchester, CT, at http://www.judithbarr.com/PowerAbusedPowerHealed/pages/audio1.htm.

Many blessings in your healing journey.

Judith Barr

Exerpt from The Tale Tales Newsletter by Patricia Lapidus

2010-09-28T10:24:00.000-05:00

The Tall Tales Newsletter

from Trish Lapidus

Tall folks can be any size. They walk tall.

This newsletter is for and about us. You are my family, my friends, my fellow readers, writers, and adventurers in living lightly on our fragile planet. You have touched me with your stories and inspired me with your deeds. Together we can ensure that the future belongs to us, the people.

The Bread and Puppet Theater calls us "the pursuit of happiness crowd." It is a basic premise of this newsletter that it's possible to be happy, that we can help one another, and that, working together, we can enjoy solving our problems. What else is happiness?

A theme of this newsletter will we be that delicate balance between believing and being fooled. Children and all innocents are particularly vulnerable to being taken in. In Swamp Walking Woman some alligators disguised to look like men offer gifts of video games and movies and snacks to three children. The children reach out for the gifts. Since the alligators intend the children no good, their offer is a betrayal. In many cultures, from that of the American slaves who told the Brer Rabbit stories to the scenes of cowboys around campfires in the West, people are tested and measured according to their credulity. See more about that in the featured article below.

Book News. Responses to Swamp Walking Woman are strong. Readers find the story compelling, a book they don't put down. Some have thanked me for the environmental thread, how a determined woman rallies a group of desperate families to throw off their oppressors and take back their green world.

Red Hen's Daughters, poems about farm life in the 1950s, is finding appreciative readers. This book is like sourdough starter ready to swell the heart of farm communities and sustainable living.

Watch for:

Gideon's River, a novel about a troubled boy who insists on life.

Simple Web Tech for Writers, the eBook

Sweet Potato Suppers: A Yankee Woman Finds Salvation in a Hippie Village, second edition

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Patricia's books are available through Amazon. Click the title of this blog to go directly to her listing on that site.
If you'd like to follow this lovely lady's career and keep updated on the books she offers, the workshops
she hosts and to get a full copy of this newsletter, please contact her at patricialapidus@sbcglobal.net.

ACT 11 Counseling & Synthesis

2010-09-18T21:13:00.000-05:00

Act 11 Counseling & Synthesis

Oct.16 & 17 Stratford Center (next to the public library)

Are you ready? You'll never be the same again - Life Coaching classes.

Saturday: Meet your Self and your empowerment

Sunday a.m: circle, networking, meditation and guided imagery. (no charge)

After lunch: What is a sub personality and how does it move you?

Fees for classes with sliding scale as needed. Work swaps.

Bring a sandwich & join us for lunch breaks.

All classes are taught by counselors.

For reservation & details: Cynthia P Russell PhD psynnie@aol.com
203 377-2421

Westport Writers' Workshop Fall 2010 Writing Workshop Schedule

2010-09-16T21:37:00.001-05:00

WESTPORT WRITERS' WORKSHOP

FALL 2010 CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS

REGISTER AT WWW.WESTPORTWRITERSWORKSHOP.COM

Or

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call (203)227-3250 or email info@westportwritersworkshop.com

FICTION WRITING: CRAFTING YOUR NOVEL

with Suzanne Hoover, Ph.D.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

You are writing a novel ... or finally ready to make that long-held goal come true. If you are ready to start the journey, to plunge courageously into the writer's world of inventing and problem-solving, this workshop is for you. And be assured, you will be helped and guided at every step along the way.

This workshop will go deeply into the art and craft of fiction, including: structuring the story, characterization, point of view, plotting and sub-plotting, scene construction, dialogue, dramatic tension, pacing, and narrative voice. As these issues arise in the class readings and discussions, they will be explored for everyone's benefit.

The workshop is geared to writers whose stories are already on the way, or at least have already been conceived. We will take turns lighting the way for each other.

WHEN:

8 Mondays, 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$495 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 7

THE ART AND CRAFT OF STORY: FICTION AND MEMOIR

with Suzanne Hoover, Ph.D.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

The basic techniques of storytelling are similar for all the varieties of stories we tell, including fiction, memoir, nonfictional narrative, drama and film. Despite differences of approach among those modes, there is one issue at the core of all great storytelling: how to create powerful, meaningful dramatic movement.

This workshop welcomes those who are working on a novel, short story, or nonfictional narrative--at any stage of the process, from initial planning to revision of an existing manuscript. We will explore all aspects of craft as they arise, ranging from structure and development to scene construction and dialogue. Participants will have the opportunity to read some of their work at each meeting. They will get honest, deeply supportive feedback from everyone present, answers to their questions, and a clear sense of direction for revisions.

WHEN:

8 Tuesdays, 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 21, 28, Oct. 5, 12, 26 Nov. 2, 9, 16

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$495 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 7

WRITING ABOUT YOUR LIFE: A MEMOIR AND PERSONAL ESSAY WORKSHOP (Section 1)

with Jessica Bram

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Have you ever wished you could communicate your thoughts in a compelling, well-written personal essay? Or do you wish to get started writing your memoirs, but don’t know how to begin? Join us for this friendly, supportive workshop in which to learn how to explore the fascinating material generated by our own lives, in either the personal essay or memoir form.

Emphasis will be on writing craft. Participants will develop and practice the various narrative techniques to make the work more engaging, interesting, and effective.

All writing will be done prior to each workshop meeting. Participants may either work on material they already have in mind to write, or write optional written “assignments” designed to spark your imagination and inspire your creativity. Each participant’s material will be shared each week in a constructive and supportive atmosphere designed to develop participants’ critiquing skills while elevating the quality of the work.

WHEN:

8 Tuesdays, 2 to 4 p.m.

Sept. 21, 28, Oct. 5, 12, 26 Nov. 2, 9,16

WHERE:

32 Webb Road, Westport

COST:

$445 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 6

POETRY OF EVERYDAY LIFE: A WORKSHOP ON CRAFT

Marcelle Soviero, MFA

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Are you ready to write poetry? Or perhaps you were inspired after attending our A TASTE OF POETRY WORKSHOP October 14 (see below) and want to learn more? Join us for this 4-week workshop as we continue to look at new ways to craft poems from life experiences.]

The goal of this workshop is to fire up the creative process and get writing. Participants of all writing levels will write and revise poems with an aim to achieve fine-tuned, well-crafted pieces suitable for publication -- or sheer satisfaction. In addition participants will learn to use idea journals over the four weeks as a way to develop the practice of poetry.

Emphasis will be on the writing craft. We’ll cover a specific writing technique each week, followed by a short poetry prompt -- all designed to stimulate creativity and elevate the quality of writing.

Craft topics include imagery, musicality, structure and voice. These concepts will be brought to life using examples from contemporary poets. The majority time will be spent discussing student work in a lively and supportive atmosphere. Participants may work on new poems, poems-in-progress and/or longer poems.

Marcelle Soviero has an MFA in poetry and BA in creative studies from New York University. She has lectured at The New School, New York University, Montclair State College and in various school districts nationwide. She is the author of The Body That Wants, an award winning poetry chapbook.

WHEN:

4 Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon

Oct. 26, Nov. 2, 16, 30

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$195 for 4-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 12

BRINGING CHARACTERS TO LIFE

with Matt Debenham, MFA

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

“The writer begins by breathing life into his characters. But if you are lucky, they breathe life into you.”

~ Caryl Phillips

In this eight-week workshop, writers will learn how to create and develop living, breathing characters who will stay with the reader long after the final page has been turned. All the traditional elements of fiction will be covered (plot, scene, dialogue, description, etc.), along with deeper questions of how to identify your characters’ deepest wants, needs, and fears – and how to turn those characters into fascinating, unforgettable people.

Matt Debenham's short story collection, The Book of Right and Wrong, has been singled out by critics and readers for its compelling, all-too-human characters, including people "who love each other so much and so badly they would do anything for each other, including lie, maim, and kill." (Pam Houston, author of Cowboys Are My Weakness) As noted in the Huffington Post's summer reading roundup, "Debenham exposes specific turning points in lives so real and so engaging that my own life felt transformed -- illuminated -- by the changes wrought in the lives of the characters." .

This workshop is appropriate for those writing all forms of fiction, including both novels or short stories.

Matt Debenham’s collection of short stories, The Book of Right and Wrong, won the 2009 Ohio State University Press Prize for Fiction. Published by the Ohio State University Press in May, 2010, it immediately became that publisher's all-time fastest-selling fiction title. The Book of Right and Wrong has been endorsed by Slate.com and called a "brilliant debut collection" by the Huffington Post's Books section. Matt’s stories have also appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly, North Atlantic Review, Dogwood, Weston Magazine, The Pinch, and Roanoke Review. He was Peter Taylor Scholar at the 2007 Sewanee Writers' Conference, and has been the recipient of a fiction fellowship from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. He holds an MFA in Fiction Writing and Literature from the Bennington Writing Seminars and has worked one-on-one and in workshop with such writers as Amy Hempen, Richard Bausch, Susan Cheever, and Mary-Beth Hughes.

WHEN:

8 Tuesdays, 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Sept. 21, 28, Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov. 2, 9

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$445 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 7

WRITING FOR CHILDREN: A PROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

with Patricia Hermes

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Writing for children is very different from writing for adults. And in many ways, harder. In order to write well for children, one must remember what it is to be a child, must remember what the child cares about and fears and hates. One must speak like a child, think like a child, laugh and even cry like a child. Because inside every good writer lives a remembered child -- and the job of a good writer is to unearth that child.

In this workshop, participants will learn the craft of writing, as well as how that craft manifests itself in the different genres in children's literature: short stories, picture books, middle grade novels, young adult writing and chapter books. Over the course of the six weeks participants will be guided as they develop their own writing projects. All work will be prepared prior to the meetings, and shared each week in a comfortable and supportive atmosphere.

Patricia Hermes is the author of over fifty novels for young people, from early chapter books to young adults. She has written six historical novels for the Dear America/My America series for Scholastic. Her newest venture is the Emma Dilemma series of chapter books for Marshall Cavendish. Her numerous awards include the New York Library Best Book for Teens award for her nonfiction book, A Time to Listen; C.S. Lewis Honor Book award for her novel, On Winter's Wind; Smithsonian Notable Book award for her picture book, When Snow Lay Soft on the Mountain; and Children’s' Choice awards for many other novels. She also won the Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and California state awards for her classic novel, You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye, recently reissued by Source Books. She lectures nationally and internationally, speaking recently for the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India, as well as in Bahrain, and other countries. She has also written two adult nonfiction books and published in national magazines. Her books have been translated into seven languages including French, Chinese, Japanese, and Danish.

WHEN:

6 Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon

Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 Nov. 3

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$425 for 6-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 7

THE CRAFT OF CREATIVE NONFICTION

with Jessica Bram

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Everyday life offers us unlimited opportunities for reflection and for making sense of the world around us. But how do you structure your thoughts into a compelling, well-written personal essay? How do you assemble the jumble of events in your life into a coherent memoir? What steps does one undertake for a nonfiction writing project, such as an informational book, profile, or feature article?

Answers to these questions do exist, and they all fall within the realm of writing craft. This craft-focused workshop is aimed at equipping participants with the techniques of narrative nonfiction.

In organized presentations at the outset of each meeting, we will focus on the various narrative techniques of creative nonfiction, including structure, use of scene versus summary, dialogue, pacing, reflection, back story and flashback, and tone of voice, to bring their nonfiction projects to life. In weekly assignments written prior to each workshop meeting, participants will practice and develop these critical techniques. Writing assignment may be either material that participants already have in mind to write or optional assignments designed to spark the imagination.

Each participant’s material will be shared each week in a constructive and supportive atmosphere designed to develop participants’ critiquing skills while elevating the quality of the work.

WHEN:

8 Wednesdays, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 27 Nov. 3, 10, 17

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$445 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 6

REGISTER NOW

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Please contact Jessica Bram at (203)227-3250 or info@westportwritersworkshop.com.

WRITING ABOUT YOUR LIFE: A MEMOIR AND PERSONAL ESSAY WORKSHOP (Section 2)

with Joe Freitas

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Have you ever wished you could communicate your thoughts in a compelling, well-written personal essay? Or do you wish to get started writing your memoirs, but don’t know how to begin? Join us for this friendly, supportive workshop in which to learn how to explore the fascinating material generated by our own lives, in either the personal essay or memoir form.

Emphasis will be on writing craft. Participants will develop and practice the various narrative techniques to make the work more engaging, interesting, and effective.

All writing will be done prior to each workshop meeting. Participants may either work on material they already have in mind to write, or write optional written “assignments” designed to spark your imagination and inspire your creativity. Each participant’s material will be shared each week in a constructive and supportive atmosphere designed to develop participants’ critiquing skills while elevating the quality of the work.

Joe Freitas has recently completed the first draft of his memoir, An All American Dad.

WHEN:

8 Wednesdays, 7 to 9 p.m.

Sept. 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 27 Nov. 3, 10, 17

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$445 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 6

FICTION WRITING: THE FUNDAMENTALS

with Matt Debenham, MFA

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Whether you are a novice or a natural-born storyteller who is ready to turn your ideas into stories that people want to read, this creative writing workshop will guide you surely and safely into the fiction writing life.

This workshop will cover the basic elements of fiction writing craft, including: plot, description, point of view, dialogue, setting, pacing and narrative voice. Using a series of prompts and exercises that will be prepared prior to the meeting, you will learn to use these techniques to make your stories come alive. By sharing your work in a safe and supportive atmosphere, you will be inspired, gain confidence, and gain a sense of where to move forward with your writing.

Matt Debenham’s collection of short stories, The Book of Right and Wrong, won the 2009 Ohio State University Press Prize for Fiction and was published by the Ohio State University Press in May, 2010. Matt’s stories have also appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly, North Atlantic Review, Dogwood, Weston Magazine, The Pinch, and Roanoke Review. He was Peter Taylor Scholar at the 2007 Sewanee Writers' Conference, and has been the recipient of a fiction fellowship from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. He holds an MFA in Fiction Writing and Literature from the Bennington Writing Seminars and has worked one-on-one and in workshop with such writers as Amy Hempel, Richard Bausch, Susan Cheever, and Mary-Beth Hughes.

WHEN:

8 Thursdays 1 to 3 p.m.

Sept. 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$445 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 7

THE EXAMINED LIFE (Advanced)

with Jessica Bram

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

This is a craft-focused workshop geared to the more advanced writer developing material intended for publication. The workshop time is spent wholly in sharing and critiquing participants’ material in a constructive atmosphere intended to elevate the caliber of the work. It is appropriate for all genres of nonfiction including personal essays, memoir, and opinion writing. Pre-approval by instructor is required.

WHEN:

8 Thursdays, 2 to 4 p.m.

Sept. 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 28 Nov. 4, 11, 18

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$445 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 6

MEMOIR WRITING: TELLING OUR STORIES

with Jessica Bram

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

What better reason is there to write one's memoirs than to pass down a wealth of material and wisdom to the next generations?

This is a friendly, supportive workshop in which to write your memoirs, share your memoirs with others, and learn good writing techniques to make your work interesting and enjoyable. This workshop is ideal for beginners who wish to get started writing their memoirs for the first time. It is also geared to those who have already done some memoir writing and are ready to share and further shape their work.

Participants will read from their work each week, with the objective of receiving feedback in a constructive and supportive atmosphere. Emphasis will be on developing narrative techniques including: use of scene and summary, internal and external dialogue, character development, sensory experience, and descriptive elements, to make the memoir interesting, informative, and compelling.

WHEN:

8 Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon

Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 29 Nov. 5, 12, 19

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$445 for 8-week session.

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 6

HOW TO WRITE AN IRRESISTIBLE NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL

with Lucy Hedrick

“This workshop gave each individual an opportunity to speak about her/his book idea and receive feedback from Lucy as well as the other group participants. The workshop had a great group dynamic …. Overall it was a successful workshop and much was accomplished. I thought Lucy was an articulate and organized moderator - she was informative, enlightening, constructive and approachable.”

~Meredith Gray, Norwalk, Conn.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

To secure an agent and publish a nonfiction book, an author must first submit a well-written, compelling, and polished book proposal. Learn the industry standards for a professional book proposal – the sections, the contents, the page length -- plus the art of the query letter and how to find an agent. Each section will be discussed in detail, and participants will leave with a proposal outline, a sample agent submission log, and online resources every writer must know. Space is limited so that each writer’s book concept can be discussed in detail.

Lucy Hedrick is the author of Five Days to an Organized Life (Dell, 1990), 365 Ways to Save Time, (William Morrow, 1992), 365 Ways to Save Time With Kids (William Morrow, 1993), 365 Ways to Save Money (William Morrow, 1994), and Get Organized in the Digital Age (NAL, 2002). These five titles sold more than 200,000 copies and were translated in to eight languages.

As Founder and President of Hedrick Communications, www.lucyhedrick.com, Lucy coaches authors on how to write non-fiction book proposals.

WHEN:

Saturday, Sept 25

9 a.m. to 12 noon

WHERE:

3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$150

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 12

BUSINESS WRITING FOR RESULTS:

CRAFTING CLEAR, CONCISE, AND PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATIONS

with Jane K. Cleland

“Over the years I've had the good fortune to create and participate in many dozens of meetings with hundreds of speakers. She is right up there with the best, and often better because she engages with her audience. That engagement allowed each participant to both learn, and to feel valued for input. She has affected a superb marriage of business experience and that of the writing experience.”

– Judy Schalick, Fairfield

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

No matter how skilled one may be in other areas, good writing skills are essential to succeed in the business world. From simple emails to reports, presentations, web sites, or complex proposals, how you communicate in writing is a vital component of how you are seen and judged by others.

This intensive workshop, which includes lunch, will provide the tools and tactics you need to write better business communications more quickly than you thought possible.

Topics presented will include the following:

Organizing Your Thoughts: Define objectives that make your writing more focused; analyze readers’ information needs and preferences; and select an appropriate organizational structure.

Writing First Drafts: Adapt the journalist’s “Five-W” strategy to your business writing; and use Jane’s Hub & Spokes model to quickly get your thoughts on paper.

Revising for Clarity: Determine the correct level of editing (e.g. high-level, word choice, or detailed proofreading); revise to a second draft with the Empathy Index; and ensure readability by using the Gunning Fog Index and by maintaining norms and proper standards for sentence and paragraph length.

Proofreading for Perfection: Adhere to the Rule of Five—when you proof early and often, you save your organization money; and catch even the hardest-to-find mistakes.

This workshop, which will include several in-class writing, grammar, and proofreading exercises, is appropriate for writers of all levels. You’ll leave this highly interactive and hands-on session with polished skills and new confidence.

Jane Cleland currently teaches at LIM College in Manhattan and has been a corporate trainer for more than twenty years. Her clients have included Pfizer, American Express, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, the State of Ohio, and Clemson University among scores of other small and large businesses, governmental agencies, and universities. She is also author of the Independent Mystery Bookseller Association best-selling and multiple award-nominated Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series (St. Martin’s Minotaur). Her books have been translated into Russian and Hungarian. She is a past president and current board member of the Mystery Writers of America/New York Chapter.

WHEN:

Friday Oct. 1, 2010

9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$295, which includes lunch and handouts

GET PUBLISHED NOW!

A Boot Camp for Getting Your Short Work Published

with Marcelle Soviero, MFA

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

You’ve worked hard to develop your craft. You know your essays, short stories or poems are good, and you get great feedback from readers. Isn’t it time you had your work published? Are you ready to begin building your portfolio of publishing credits?

Becoming a good writer is just the first step. Finding markets for your work takes research. Breaking into those markets requires a focused plan and dedicated follow-through. But where to begin?

The objective of this workshop is to show you how to develop a focused action plan for selling your short stories, essay, and poems to magazines, literary journals, respected online publications, and other reputable press venues.

Please note that the emphasis is on short pieces rather than novels or nonfiction books.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

Research small and large markets for individual works;

Define markets for your genre;

Evaluate dozens of publishing outlets including magazines, literary journals, anthologies, etc.;

Locate the correct contact person at target publications (without the contact, your piece will go unread);

Find out about writing contests by genre (if you don't submit, you can't win);

Build a submission tracker / submission binder;

Craft a simple cover letter;

Define the best membership sites for writers;

Evaluate top networking sites for building publishing connections;

Participants will receive a handout of resources, including websites, resources and other tools to enable you to take those next steps.

Marcelle Soviero has an MFA in Creative Writing/Poetry from New York University and a BA in Creative Studies from Hofstra University. She has published hundreds of poems, profiles, and nonfiction articles in literary journals, magazines, newspapers and newsletters, including her essay Electronically Yours published in the New York Times. She is the author of The Body That Wants, an award winning poetry chapbook, and regularly submits her essays to new markets. She has lectured at The New School, New York University, and in libraries, bookstores and schools.

WHEN:

Saturday, October 2

- OR -

Tuesday, November 9

9 a.m. to 12 noon

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$150, which includes lunch and handouts

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 15

A TASTE OF POETRY WORKSHOP

with Marcelle Soviero, MFA

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Are you ready to write poetry? Ready to let your imagination take well-needed leaps? Join us for an evening seminar designed to fire up the creative process and get writing. We’ll look at new ways to find ideas and create poems from our life experiences. Using contemporary examples, we’ll learn how to employ the basic elements of the poet’s toolbox, such as imagery, voice, and structure. The ten steps for revising poems will also be covered.

The seminar will be divided between discussing craft and writing using poetry prompts; bring your notebook and get ready to enjoy, discuss and write poetry in a supportive and lively atmosphere!

Marcelle Soviero has an MFA in poetry and BA in creative studies from New York University. She has lectured at The New School, New York University and in various school districts nationwide. She is the author of The Body That Wants, an award winning poetry chapbook. She has published hundreds of poems, profiles, and nonfiction articles in literary journals, magazines, newspapers and newsletters, including her essay Electronically Yours published in the New York Times.

WHEN:

Thursday, Oct. 14, 7 to 9 pm

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$35

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 15

INSTANT FICTION: WRITING THE “SHORT SHORT”

with Tessa Smith McGovern

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Do you have ideas for stories in your head but don’t know where to begin? Or are you just rusty? Would you like to write for the exploding new market of short fiction on mobile phones?

Here’s a great way to get your storytelling juices flowing: try your hand at the increasingly popular literary form known as the “short short.”

Short shorts are works of fiction typically from 50 to 2,500 words in length. Quick to write and easy to revise, they are the perfect entry point for novice writers, and stimulating for those with more experience. Trying your hand at the short short is a gentle, fun way to begin writing, or to try something new.

Short short stories are often easier to get published than longer pieces. Literary journals (print and online) can more easily fit a short piece into their pages, and there are literally hundreds of journals looking for work.

Plus, there is an exciting new market for these works: On mobile phones, readers are now buying short stories to read. By the end of 2010, there will be an estimated one billion mobile phones worldwide with internet access. Writers are now, truly, co-creators of the developing literary landscape.

In this interactive three-hour workshop led by Tessa Smith McGovern, a successful English writer who has created her own short story app for the iPhone, iPad and Android, we will refer to classic short shorts by writers such as Jamaica Kincaid, Virginia Woolf, and Raymond Carver. Using prompts and a series of timed exercises, participants will write two to three short pieces which they will be invited (but not required) to share with the group.

Tessa Smith McGovern is an award-winning English short story writer published in the US and the UK. Since her first publication in 1996, she's been waiting patiently for the rebirth of the paid short story and, thanks the meteoric rise of mobile publishing, her wish has finally been granted. Her short story collection, an app called 'London Road: Linked Stories' is available on the iPhone, iPad and Android. She is also the founder of eChook Digital Publishing LLC, which publishes single and multi-author short story apps. More information is available at www.tessasmithmcgovern.com.

WHEN:

Saturday, October 16

9 a.m. to 12 noon

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$125

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 12

ESSENTIALS FOR THE FICTION WRITER:

IRONY: Twists, Turns, and Reversals

with Suzanne Hoover, Ph.D.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Stories need irony: twists, turns and reversals that have the power to alter the way our characters see themselves and their world. We can fulfill this need with large, dramatic surprises--or we can do it more subtly, baking different kinds and degrees of irony into the substance of our fictional world.

This workshop will offer a rare, close look at how irony works, its fundamental importance to narrative, and how to use it in your own novel or short story.

This is a valuable opportunity to learn advanced techniques from a master teacher of fiction writing craft. Suzanne Hoover holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature. The author of two novels, Suzanne was for 25 years, until her recent retirement, a full-time member of the Literature faculty of Sarah Lawrence College. She currently teaches in the Sarah Lawrence Graduate Writing Program.

WHEN:

Saturday, Oct 30

2 to 4:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$55, or $45 for Westport Writers' Workshop members or participants currently registered in an 8-week Westport Writers' Workshop.

Essentials for the Fiction Writer is a series of high level, craft-oriented workshops for fiction writers. Each delves deeply into critical elements of writing the novel.

Previous Essentials for the Fiction Writer workshops:

1. Structuring Your Story

2. Developing Your Story

3. The Short Story

4. Character-Creation: Giving the Kiss of Life

CD’s of previous Essentials for the Fiction Writer presentations are available for sale by mail or at the event.

SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC: LET THE INSPIRATION FLOW!

with Jessica Bram

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

“I’ve always wanted to be a writer but I don’t have the discipline/ I’m not good enough/ I never seem to find the time.”

“You can’t make any money as a writer, so why bother?”

“I would write my story but what if my mother/husband/friends ever read it?”

“Writing doesn’t flow naturally for me … that must mean I’m not really a writer, right?”

Sound familiar?

Successful writers are plagued by all of these doubts, and more. But what makes them successful is persistence and the willingness to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) nevertheless.

In this three-hour interactive workshop, successful writer, NPR commentator and popular writing teacher Jessica Bram will tackle these doubts and more head-on. In interactive discussions and supportive, inspiring writing exercises, Jessica will guide a small group of aspiring writers through the steps to enable them to silence their inner critics and unlock the floodgates of their creativity.

As Founder and President of the Westport Writers' Workshop, Jessica Bram’s personal mission is to empower people to fulfill their deepest desires to write. She frequently addresses writers’ groups and consults with writers to help them break through writer’s block, silence their inner critics, and allow them to overcome all those doubts that prevent them from fulfilling their writing talent and potential.

“I attended your recent “Silence Your Inner Critic” workshop at the Fairfield Library. I wanted to let you know how valuable it was for me. Ever since then I've continued to write the first draft of a children's fantasy book using your guidelines. The empowerment you spoke of is happening for me. I thank you so much!”

~Robyn Boccardi, Fairfield, Conn.

“Jessica, thank you again for your inspirational talk, “Silence Your Inner Critic, Let the Inspiration Flow”. I needed to hear the part about writing being hard work! I sat down as scheduled today for two hours to write, and it really helps to have a schedule, as you said. Again, many thanks for your encouragement.”

~Maurya C. Keating, Fairfield, Conn.

“Someone is going to be published … it might as well be you!”

~Jessica Bram

WHEN:

Saturday, November 6

9 a.m. to 12 noon

WHERE:

Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:

$125

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 12

REGISTER AT WWW.WESTPORTWRITERSWORKSHOP.COM

Or

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call (203)227-3250 or email info@westportwritersworkshop.com

ALSO PLEASE NOTE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ON THE WESTPORT WRITERS' WORKSHOP e-mail list, contact them by phone or email. Jessica Bram really works hard at her newsletters. She also has author appearances in Westport regularly.

The IWWG presents its 60th Big Apple Conference

2010-09-16T21:08:00.000-05:00

The International Women's Writing Guild

Presents its 60th

Big Apple Conference

October 16 & 17, 2010

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Saturday, October 16, 2010

Making Meaning from Myth and Memoir

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Open House: Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents

National Arts Club

(overlooking Gramercy Park South at East 20th St.

near Park Ave., New York City)

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PROGRAM

Saturday, October 16

9:00-9:30 am: Registration

9:30-10:00 am: Introduction

10:15-12:30 pm: Making Meaning from Myth and Memoir with Maureen Murdock

A one-day workshop exploring the mythic themes used by contemporary memoirists — myths that inform your life as you write:

The elements of memoir writing

Mythic themes

12:30 - 1: 45 pm: LUNCH

1:45 – 5:00 pm: Myth and Memoir (continues)

Readings from contemporary memoirists

Come prepared to look at the myths that inform your life as you write to make meaning from memory

The afternoon will also include a short presentation by Sheila J. Levine on Defamation and related Legal Issues of interest to writers of memoir.

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WORKSHOP DIRECTORS

Maureen Murdock, M.A., M.F.T., is a depth psychotherapist and past Chair of the MA Counseling Psychology Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. She has taught creative writing in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program for the past 20 years, where she received the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1995. She has written a memoir about her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's — Unreliable Truth: On Memoir and Memory — which is also a reflection on the nature of memoir writing. She is the author of three internationally published books: The Heroine’s Journey, Fathers' Daughter: Breaking the Ties that Bind, and Spinning Inward, and is the editor of Monday Morning Memoirs: Women in the Second Half of Life. She teaches memoir writing internationally and her books have been translated into 12 languages.

Sheila J. Levine is a publishing lawyer in New York City. She began her career in Subsidiary Rights at Doubleday and became Contracts and Copyright Manager and Managing Editor at Popular Library, a paperback imprint owned by CBS. She has had her own practice in publishing and intellectual property law for over twenty years, representing authors, agents, and publishers. Her goal is to help clients protect their rights and grow in today’s complex, fascinating, and challenging print and electronic publishing environments.

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Sunday, October 17

Meet the Authors (Sunday, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm)

Eleven recently-published Guild authors will speak about their trials and tribulations: How they got themselves published—through an agent, via self-publishing, or by some other means—and how their books are currently being promoted. Questions are invited from the audience

BARBARA BARNUM, Spirituality in Nursing: From Traditional to New Age, Springer Publishing, 2010

JULIE GENOVESE, Nothing Short of Joy, Behler Publications, 2010

RUTH LEHRER, My Book of Ruth: Reflections of a Jewish Girl, AuthorHouse,2010

MAUREEN HOGAN LUTZ, Diamonds in the Snow: Rescuing the Senses in the Aftermath of Breast Cancer, Pendulum Publications, 2010

D. H. MELHEM, Art & Politics/Politics and Art, Syracuse University Press, 2010

EDITH MUESING-ELLWOOD, Selfhood and U.S .Democracy, Plain View Press, Fall, 2010

ROSARY O’NEILL, The Awakening of Kate Chopin and Blackjack: The Thief of Possession, Samuel French, 2010

JAYNE A. PEARL, Kids, Wealth and Consequences: Ensuring a Responsible Financial Future for the Next Generation, Bloomberg Press, 2010

HOPE PLAYER, Find the Numbers for Your Business Plan, Full Court Press, 2010

KATHLEEN SPIVACK, A History of Yearning, The Sow's Ear Poetry Review, 2010

BARBARA M. TRAYNOR, Second Career Volunteer: A Passionate, Pennywise Approach to Retirement, The Troy Book Makers, 2009

Book Fair of Books by Author Panel

Lunch

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Meet the Agents (Sunday, 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm)

The “Meet the Agents” Open House has yielded wonderful matches between authors and agents over the years. The agents introduce themselves at the podium and speak about their "shop,"; trends in the marketplace, hits and misses. Then, members of the audience seek out those agents whom they wish to meet. After you introduce yourself and speak briefly about your work, the agent will let you know if he or she is interested in hearing from and possibly working with you and how to submit your work.

Agents (plus occasional publishers and editors): Serendipity Literary Agency (Foladé Bell), The Croce Agency (Nicholas Croce), Kimberley Cameron & Associates (April Eberhardt), Diana Finch Literary Agency (Diana Finch), Don Congdon & Associates (Katie Grimm), A. Mecke Company (Amanda Mecke), Anderson Literary Management (Christine Mervart), Rita Rosenkranz Agency (Rita Rosenkranz), Regina Ryan Publishing Enterprises (Regina Ryan), and others.

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REGISTRATION FEES

(Attend all Saturday and Sunday events and save up to $70.00, or pay for individual sessions)

Special Full Conference Discount (Both days, all events)

Members: $180.00 Non-Members: $205.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included on both days)

Saturday, October 16 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)

“Making Meaning from Myth and Memoir”

Members: $125.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, October 17 Full-Day Discount (morning and afternoon sessions)

Members: $125.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, October 18 (10 am - 1:00 pm)

MEET THE AUTHORS Open House & Book Fair

Members: $50.00 Non-Members: $60.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch on-site may be requested for $25)

MEET THE AGENTS Open House (2:30 PM to 6:00 PM)

INTRODUCTORY AGENT FORUM & ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH AGENTS

Members: $75.00 Non-Members: $85.00

IWWG MEMBERSHIP: $55.00 (online subscription to Network) or $65 (print subscription).

(Members receive discounts on all IWWG workshop fees.) To join the IWWG online, visit www.iwwg.org and click on the JOIN NOW! button on the right side of the screen.

To register online for the Big Apple Conference and pay with a credit card, visit www.iwwg.org and click on the EVENTS tab and then on the REGISTER ONLINE VIA PAYPAL link underneath the Big Apple Workshop listing.

To register by Mail, send a check to: IWWG, PO Box 810, Gracie Station., New York, NY 10028.

Credit cards are not accepted at the door. Cash and personal checks are accepted.

Registration fees are recorded as they are received. We do not mail out confirmation receipts. For confirmation, call (212) 737-7536. (In the event of your cancellation, payments may be applied to a future IWWG event.)

For further information, telephone or email the IWWG at (212) 737-7536 or dirhahn@aol.com

Remember the Magic Writing Conference at Brown University!

2010-06-29T22:59:00.000-05:00

"Remember the Magic"

June Gould, an IWWG member living in Fairfield, CT, will be teaching at the IWWG summer conference at Brown Univerity in Providence, RI, July 30th to August 6th. See press release below:
Women's Summer Writing Conference at Brown University

For the first time, Brown University will be hosting "Remember the Magic," the International Women's Writing Guild's 34th Annual Summer Conference, July 30-August 6, 2010. The conference, which offers 50 workshops each day (no portfolio necessary), is open to all women. June Gould, Ph.D. who is from Fairfield, Connecticut and the author of The Writer in All of Us: Improving your Writing Through Childhood Memories will be leading the 25th year of her workshop: "Writing In the 21st Century: A workshop for poets, fiction writers, essayists, novelists, creative non-fiction writers and aspiring writers."

Of the 50 workshops offered, 12 workshops express IWWG's original reason for being - the Transformation of Self through Writing - which it has fostered long before publishers accepted memoirs and autobiographies from persons who were not celebrities.

The remaining 38 daily writing workshops fall into six major headings: The Art & Craft of Writing, Marketing and Publishing, Transformation of Self, Non-Linear Knowledge, and The Arts, the Body & Health, plus daily Critique Sessions where the work of the conferees is read out loud and helpfully critiqued.

Stay for a week, five days, weekend, or commute on a daily basis.

Please key in www.iwwg.org for further particulars.

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For those of you who have never attended a "Remember the Magic" Conference, or for those who have not attended for some time, I'd like to share a story about my own experience at the first conference I attended at Skidmore College in 1995.

I learned about IWWG through a facilitator while attending a Writers' Retreat at Mohonk Mountain House in NY state. I had just begun a bachelor's degree program in liberal arts a year or two before.

At the conference I found myself without a traveling partner. I hadn't done much solo traveling and was so nervous about the possibility of bunking with a stranger that I arranged for my own room even thought it was much more affordable to share.

During the four days I was at Skidmore I got lost many times trying to get from my room to the college buildings for my workshops. I was introverted then and younger than many of the beautifiul women dressed in what I've come to term affectionately goddesswear: sophisticated and colorful tunics, handmade and exotic jewelry, embroidered scarves.

I had a map, a list of classes I wanted to attend, a notebook and a look on my face that said 'please be my friend'.

During those workshops I met the most extraordinary teachers and students from all over the world. Women who were eager to share their loving spirits with each other and with me. For them, the written word wasn't a catch-phrase but rather a way of life.

I left there a new person. I left with more confidence and with a better sense of who I was in the world. I saw in others my own potential. I was listened to as a woman and as a writer. I was seen.

To this day I still have ties with Dorothy Randall Grey and Jan Phillips, now two of the IWWG board members. They inspire me, they hold me in their hearts, they help me to remember how important it is for me to tell my story.

I'm convinced that I would not be the person I am today without all of the workshops and unions I've made with women since that conference both through IWWG and beyond. It was at that first conference that I found the courage to see myself as a writer. It was there that I learned how to form alliances with women who are creators, who are interested in teaching themselves and each other about how to live more powerfully in this world.

Whether you desire connection with other women writers or you just need to remember yourself, whether you want to get away from the routine of your day-to-day or you've made yourself a promise too long ago that you would take yourself more seriously as a writer, you owe it to yourself to join the women of IWWG and "Remember the Magic."

Essentials for the Fiction Writer

2010-04-13T17:43:00.000-05:00

ESSENTIALS FOR THE FICTION WRITER:

POINT OF VIEW: WHO LIVES THE STORY AND WHO TELLS IT
with Suzanne Hoover, Ph.D.

Essentials for the Fiction Writer is a series of high level, craft-oriented workshops for fiction writers. Each delves deeply into critical elements of writing the novel.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

You have a character whose story you want to tell. But as soon as you begin to write, you find that you must make some critical and momentous choices:

Through whose lens or filter will the reader receive your narrative? First person or third person? Will you use just one point of view, or more than one? Will your story have an identifiable narrator? If so, will that narrator be an active participant? Will the narrator be reliable?

….. And so on.

This workshop will explore these options and their variants—some of them little used, and yet surprisingly powerful. And most important, it will try to articulate the deeper thematic consequences of each point of view choice: what it implies about the scope and limits of our knowledge.

This is a valuable opportunity to learn advanced techniques from a master teacher of fiction writing craft. Suzanne Hoover holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature. The author of two novels, Suzanne was for 25 years, until her recent retirement, a full-time member of the Literature faculty of Sarah Lawrence College. She currently teaches in the Sarah Lawrence Graduate Writing Program.

WHEN:
Saturday, April 17
2 to 4:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport

COST:
$55, or $45 for participants currently registered in an 8-week Westport Writers' Workshop.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Register at www.westportwritersworkshop.com or call (203)227-3250 or email info@westportwritersworkshop.com.

CD’s of previous Essentials for the Fiction Writer presentations are available for sale by mail or at the event.

These include:

· Structuring Your Story

· Developing Your Story

· The Short Story

· Character-Creation: Giving the Kiss of Life

Jessica Bram
Author of Happily Ever After Divorce:
Notes of a Joyful Journey

(Health Communications, Inc. 2009)

Web site www.jbram.com

Book site www.happilyeverafterdivorce.com

Blog http://jessicabram.wordpress.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Jessica_Bram

Westport Writers' Workshop
32 Webb Road
Westport, CT 06880
(203) 227-3250
(203) 247-3081 cell

jessica@jbram.com

www.westportwritersworkshop.com

Remember the Magic Summer Conference 2010 at Brown University

2010-04-13T14:17:00.001-05:00

IWWG SUMMER CONFERENCE at BROWN UNIVERSITY

Early Registration Offer

If you register and pay in full by April 15 for a weekend, five-day or seven-day residential attendance at the summer Conference at Brown, you will receive a free one-year IWWG membership ($55 value).

In addition, you will be entered into a Special Drawing which will be held on May 1. The winner will be reimbursed for the full cost of her conference attendance (room, board and program)!

View the Summer Conference Program

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!
download the brochure

You may also register by sending in your payment via the post to
IWWG, P.O. Box 810, Gracie Station, New York, NY 10028

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SPREAD THE WORD!
NOW is the time to tell everyone about our "Remember the Magic Summer Conference" at Brown. Our greatest asset is our members and friends!

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BIG APPLE WORKSHOP & OPEN HOUSE

MEET THE AUTHORS/MEET THE AGENTS) APRIL 17-18The 59th semi-annual Big Apple Workshop & Open House at the National Arts Club will take place this coming weekend.

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

If you do not wish to register online, please telephone the IWWG office (212) 737-7536 for assistance.

View the Big Apple Conference program

IWWG - The International Women's Writing Guild
P.O. Box 810, Gracie Station
New York, NY 10028-0082
Tel.: (212) 737-7536 / Fax: (212) 737-9469
The International Women's Writing Guild

IWWG Member Mary Carroll Moore Interviewed on WNPR about Her New Novel

2010-04-13T12:48:00.001-05:00

IWWG Member Mary Carroll Moore Interviewed on WNPR about Her New Novel

Good news! The Guild was represented on WNPR on March 23 on the Faith Middleton Show. Author Mary Carroll Moore was interviewed for her new book, Qualities of Light. The show has won two Peabody Awards and is very popular in the CT/NYC listening area.

WNPR Interview Featuring Mary Carroll Moore!!!

Secrets of Successful Interviewing For Writers and Journalists

2010-03-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

Secrets of Successful Interviewing For Writers and Journalists

Thursday, April 22, 2010

7 pm - 8:30 pm

Fairfield Public Library

1080 Old Post Road,

Fairfield, CT

Interviewing skills are invaluable for obtaining the kind of stories and information that adds color to fiction, non-fiction and news articles. Getting the most interesting and provocative stories and comments from interview subjects is an art. During this skill based program, you will learn how to get subjects to meet with you, whether that person is a celebrity or the woman on the street, how to put both yourself and your interview subject at ease, how to prepare and ask the right questions to elicit information that hasn’t been told to others, as well as other successful interviewing techniques. You will have the opportunity to practice interviewing skills.

BIO

Penny Pearlman, author of the triple award winning Pretty Smart: Lessons from our Miss Americas, tracked down and seduced twenty-two former Miss Americas into agreeing to meet with her and tell her their riveting stories for Pretty Smart. In the rest of her life Penny is an accomplished motivational speaker, business consultant and seminar leader who helps individuals and organizations develop strategies for success. During her professional career, she has interviewed hundreds of both willing and reluctant people successfully. She brings to audiences and clients alike the wisdom gained from a lifetime of pursuing her own dreams. Her personal journey has included executive positions in the health care industry, management consulting and nonprofit leadership. Her left and right brain work equally well as she has an MBA from The Wharton School and B.A. in fine art. She lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and two cats. For more information go to www.pennypearlman.com.

Penny Pearlman

Author of triple award winning Pretty Smart: Lessons from our Miss Americas

www.pennypearlman.com

office: 203-454-5581

cell: 203-895-3725

16 Maplewood Avenue * Westport, CT 06880

Westport Writers' Workshop, Spring 2010 - Workshops begin April 12th!

2010-03-22T18:27:00.000-05:00

Fiction Writing: Crafting Your Novel, with Suzanne Hoover, PhD
(Westport and Greenwich location)

Cost: $495 for an 8 week session

Short Story Workshop with Matt Debenham, MFA
(Westport only)

Cost: $445 for an 8 week session

The Art and Craft of Story: Fiction and Memoir, with Suzanne Hoover, PhD
(Westport only)

Cost: $495 for an 8 week session

Writing About Your Life: A Memoir and Personal Essay Workshop (Sections One, Two and Three), with Jessica Bram
(Westport only)

Cost: $445 for an 8 week session

The Poetry of Everyday Life: A Workshop on Craft, with Marcelle Soveriero, MFA
(New Wilton location)

Cost: $275 for a six week session)

Writing for Children: A Professional Approach, with Patricia Hermes
(Westport location)

Cost: $425 for a six week session

The Craft of Creative Non-Fiction, with Jessica Bram
(Westport location)

Cost: $445 for an 8 week session

Introduction to Creative Writing, with Matt Debenham, MFA
(NEW CLASS - Westport location)

Cost: $445 for an eight week session

The Examined Life (Advanced), with Jessica Bram
(Westport only)

Cost: $445 for an eight week session

Memoir Writing: Telling Our Stories, with Valerie Seiling Jacobs
(Westport)

Cost: $445 for 8 week session

ESSENTIAL FOR THE FICTION WRITER, Point of View: Who Lives the Story and Who Tells It,
with Suzanne Hoover, PhD
(Westport location)

Cost: $55, or $45 for a participant already enrolled in a Westport Writers' Workshop,
Note: This is a 2 1/2 hour, one session class

Business Writing For Results: Crafting Clear, Concise and Persuasive Communication,
with Jane K. Cleland
(Westport)

Cost: $295 for a one day session which includes lunch and hand outs

Fundamentals of Creative Nonfiction, with Jessica Bram
(Westport)

Cost: $150 for a three hour one day session

Niche Writing: Writing as the Expert, with Harry L. Rinkler, MFA
(Westport)

Cost: $125 for a one day session (call to inquire about details)

PLEASE NOTE: Because these classes come to me through a format which I cannot cut and paste,
I did not include all details. Click on the title of this blog to take you to The Westport Writers' Workshop
website. Also, if you live within a reasonable distance of these locations, I recommend you add your
electronic address to join their list so that you may receive future workshop dates and other announcements
directly.

WIN A FREE WEEK, 5-DAY, or WEEKEND to The International Women's Writing Guild's

2010-03-22T17:49:00.002-05:00

WIN A FREE WEEK, 5-DAY, or WEEKEND to The International Women's Writing Guild's

33rd Annual Summer Conference Remember The Magic

July 30 - August 6, 2010

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

Pay in full by April 15 for your weekend, five-day or seven-day residential attendence,

and you will be entered into a special drawing held on May1.

(Commuters are not eligible for this special drawing.)

The lucky winner will be reimbursed for the full cost of her conference attendance (room, board and program)!

(This offer will be null and void if less than 25 registrations are received by April 15.)

In addition, a free one-year IWWG membership ($55 value) will be awarded to all

who pay in full for their weekend, 5-day or 7-day residential attendance by April 15.

Be sure to refer to this special offer when registering.

www.iwwg.org has a new look.

View the program for the 2010 Remember the Magic Conference at:

http://www.iwwg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151&Itemid=158

You can register online for the Remember The Magic Conference at:

http://www.iwwg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=186&Itemid=158

Or you can mail in your registration to the IWWG:

International Women's Writing Guild

PO Box 810, Gracie Station

New York, NY 10028

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Registration Fees

(Includes Room & Board and Program)

7-day Conference Week: July 30-August 6, 2010

Members: $1,399 / Non-Members: $1,419

5-day Conference Week: July 30-August 4 (or any consecutive 5 days)

Members: $1,175 / Non-Members: $1,205

Weekend Conference: Friday, July 30-Sunday, August 1

Members: $510 / Non-Members: $540

Commuter Registration

Member 7-Days - $429

Non-Member 7-Days - $449

Member One Day Weekend - $80

Non-Member One Day - $85

Member Single Day Weekday - $70

Non-Member Single Day Weekday - $75

REVISION TO THE 59th BIG APPLE CONFERENCE AGENDA

2010-03-22T17:41:00.002-05:00

The International Women's Writing Guild

Presents

The 59th Big Apple Conference

April 17 & 18, 2010

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday April 17, 2010

MEMOIR: Writing and Publishing Your Life Stories

Sunday April 18, 2010

Open House: Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Arts Club

(overlooking Gramercy Park at East 20th Street near Park Ave.)

New York City

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Writing Workshop (Saturday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm)

MEMOIR: Writing and Publishing Your Life Stories

9:00-9:30 am: Registration

9:30-10:00 am: Introduction

10:15-12:30 pm: Writing Your Memoir with Susan Tiberghien

"...memoir is not an autobiography, but a window into your life. You choose the window."

•A window into your life

•The frame of the window

•Parts to include, parts to exclude

•The pattern

•The whole as a mosaic

12:30 - 1: 45 pm: LUNCH

1:45 - 4:45 pm: Publishing Your Memoir: Susan Tiberghien with Hope Player, Sheila Levine and Melissa Rosati

SHEILA J. LEVINE is a publishing lawyer in New York City. She began her career in Subsidiary Rights at Doubleday and then worked as Contracts and Copyright Manager and Managing Editor at Popular Library, a paperback imprint owned by CBS. She has had her own practice in publishing and related law for 20 years, representing authors, agents, and publishers. Her goal is to help clients protect their rights and grow in today's complex, fascinating, and challenging publishing environment.

HOPE PLAYER is an award-winning Certified Public Accountant and author of Find the Numbers for Your Business Plan. She is managing member of The Arcadian Group, LLC, CPAs, and Micro Business Press, LLC. Hope is a contributor to the "Ask the Expert" column in The Bergen Record and authors a newsletter, The Hope Chest. She has taught seminars and workshops for more than 20 years helping prospective business owners achieve success. Her dedication to the small business community is recognized by the Small Business Administration and Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Hope also teaches financial literacy courses to give women the tools to control their finances.

MELISSA ROSATI, CPCC, is a creativity coach, writer, and speaker. Throughout her executive career in the publishing industry, she has nurtured hundreds of authors on their path to success. She is a professor of publishing at Pace University in New York City. Melissa's forthcoming book is The Wisdom of Your Inner Marketer: How to Create Publishing Plans that Work for You. Her website is www.melissascoachingstudio.com.

SUSAN TIBERGHIEN is an American writer living in Switzerland who has been teaching writing for 20 years. She is the author of three memoirs: Looking for Gold, Circling to the Center, and Footsteps, A European Album, plus numerous essays in journals and anthologies. Her fourth book, One Year to a Writing Life, Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft, was published by Perseus Books in 2007. ("Tiberghien's advice, encouragement, and wisdom make this an invaluable book for writers at all stages of their writing lives." -Michael Steinberg.) She teaches at graduate programs, at C.G. Jung Centers, at writers' conferences and at the monthly Geneva Writers' Workshops. She has been a workshop director for IWWG since 1990. An active member of International PEN, she directs the Geneva Writers' Conferences. Susan's website is www.susantiberghien.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet the Authors (Sunday, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm)

Thirteen recently-published Guild authors will speak about their trials and tribulations: How they got themselves published—through an agent, via self-publishing, or by some other means—and how their books are currently being promoted.

Questions are invited from the audience.

MARIANNE BAHMANN, Coping With the Limelight: A Manual on Stage Fright, BookSurge Publishing, 2009

SHERRY ELLIS, Now Write!: Fiction Writing Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers, Tarcher, 2009; Illuminating Fiction, Red Hen Press, 2009

HELEN FOGARASSY, The Midas Maze, PageFree Publishing Int’l, 2007

BARBARA HALL, Sadie's Secret, Author House, 2007

JODY LAGRECA, Afternoon Tea, Xlibris 2008, Suburban Weird, Xlibris, 2008

PATRICIA JEAN LAPIDUS, Red Hen's Daughters, CreateSpace, 2009 (CT)

DAHLMA LLANOS-FIGUEROA, Daughters of the Stone: A Novel, Thomas Dunne Books, 2009

JONNA-LYNN MANDELBAUM, Unpredictable Crossing, Outskirts Press, 2009

GRACE ZOLLA PROTANO, As Long As You Can See the Clock, You're Okay: South Brooklyn in the '50s, Outskirts Press, 2009

PEGGY SAPPHIRE, In the End A Circle, Antrim House, 2009; A Possible Explanation, Partisan Press, 2006

CARREN STROCK, A Writer's Journey: What to Know Before, During and After Writing a Book, Gray Rabbit Publishing, January 2010

SUSAN TIBERGHIEN, One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft, Da Capo Press, 2007; Looking for Gold: A Year in Jungian Analysis, Daiman Verlag, 2008

MINGMEI YIP, Petals From the Sky, Kensington, March 2010

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Book Fair of Books by Author Panel

LUNCH: 1:00 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet the Agents (Sunday, 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm)

The “Meet the Agents” Open House has yielded wonderful matches between authors and agents over the years. The agents introduce themselves at the podium and speak about their "shop,"; trends in the marketplace, hits and misses. Then, members of the audience seek out those agents whom they wish to meet. After you introduce yourself and speak briefly about your work, the agent will let you know if he or she is interested in hearing from and possibly working with you and how to submit your work.

Agents (plus occasional publishers and editors): Sheree Bykofsky Associates (Janet Rosen), Dunham Literary (Blair Hewes), FinePrint Literary Management (Stephany Evans), Diana Finch Literary Agency (Diana Finch), Rita Rosenkranz Agency (Rita Rosenkranz), A. Mecke Company (Amanda Mecke), Katharine Sands Literary Agency (Katharine Sands), Kimberley Cameron & Associates (April Eberhardt), Diana Finch Literary Agency (Diana Finch) and others.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REGISTRATION FEES

(Attend all Saturday and Sunday events and save up to $45.00, or pay for individual sessions)

Special Full Conference Discount (Both days, all events)

Members: $180.00 Non-Members: $220.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included on both days)

Saturday, April 17 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)

"Writing and Publishing Your Life Stories"

Members: $115.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a buffet lunch is included)

Sunday Full-Day - Discount (morning and afternoon sessions)

Members: $105.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, April 18 (10 am - 1:00 pm)

MEET THE AUTHORS Open House & Book Fair

Members: $50.00 Non-Members: $60.00

(a buffet lunch can be requested for $25)

MEET THE AGENTS Open House (2:30 PM to 6:00 PM)

INTRODUCTORY AGENT FORUM & ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH AGENTS

Members: $75.00 Non-Members: $85.00

IWWG MEMBERSHIP: $55.00/$65.00 (online/print copy of Network Journal)(Members receive discounts on all IWWG workshop fees.)

To join the IWWG online, click on the following link: http://www.iwwg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132&Itemid=172

To register online for the Big Apple Conference and pay with a credit card, click on the following link: http://www.iwwg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=186&Itemid=158

To register by Mail, send a check to: IWWG, PO Box 810, Gracie Sta., New York, NY 10028

For a list of suggested hotels for an overnight stay in New York City, contact the IWWG office: (212) 737-7536 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (212) 737-7536 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Registration fees are recorded as they are received. We do not mail out confirmation receipts. For confirmation, call (212) 737-7536 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (212) 737-7536 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. (In the event of your cancellation, payments may be applied to a future IWWG event.)

Credit cards are not accepted at the door.

Contact: IWWG, telephone: 212-737-7536 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 212-737-7536 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or Email: dirhahn@aol.org

The Newtown Library -- Come meet fellow IWWG members!!!

2010-03-22T17:29:00.003-05:00

We will be meeting on Sunday, March 28 at 1:00 PM at the Newtown Library. Please RSVP to me and copy all the folks above. If you can do this ASAP please do, since this notice is coming late. (If you see that I missed anyone, please advise). Everyone is welcome to bring a friend or fellow writer as we would love to expand our ranks.

I do have some news regarding a possible outing for this spring/summer. I hope many of you will plan to join in the fun. More information will be forthcoming at the meeting, so don't miss it!

Happy Spring to all,

Love, Peace and Joy,

Therese Haberman,
Watertown, CT

WOWWG Leader

e-mail address: thehaber@gmail.com
--

FEATURE WRITER for Suite 101 Magazine ~

http://www.suite101.com/writer_articles.cfm/mstherese

Act 11 Counseling March 21st event

2010-03-11T00:28:00.000-05:00

Act 11 counseling

Open Sunday March 21st

10:30 Community circle; nondenominational prayer basket, networking

NOON bring a sandwich and join us around the table ( we serve coffee and dessert)

no charge-contributions for food pantries

12:30-2:30 "Coaching & Counseling- How to start a holistic private practice and some ethical considerations" with Kim Nagle & Carol Ann Lucia

suggested fee $20.

Stratford Center; next to the library

RSAVP;Cynthia Russell PhD, psynnie@aol.com 203 377-2421

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents The 59th Big Apple Conference!

2010-03-11T00:26:00.001-05:00

The International Women's Writing Guild

presents The 59th Big Apple Conference

April 17 & 18, 2010

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday April 17, 2010

MEMOIR: Writing and Publishing Your Life Stories

Sunday April 18, 2010

Open House: Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Arts Club

(overlooking Gramercy Park at East 20th Street near Park Ave.)

New York City

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Writing Workshop (Saturday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm)

MEMOIR: Writing and Publishing Your Life Stories

9:00-9:30 am: Registration

9:30-10:00 am: Introduction

10:15-12:30 pm: Writing Your Memoir with Susan Tiberghien

"...memoir is not an autobiography, but a window into your life. You choose the window."

A window into your life

The frame of the window

Parts to include, parts to exclude

The pattern

The whole as a mosaic

12:30 - 1: 45 pm: LUNCH

1:45 - 4:45 pm: Publishing Your Memoir: Susan Tiberghien with Hope Player, Sheila Levine and Melissa Rosati

SHEILA J. LEVINE is a publishing lawyer in New York City. She began her career in Subsidiary Rights at Doubleday and then worked as Contracts and Copyright Manager and Managing Editor at Popular Library, a paperback imprint owned by CBS. She has had her own practice in publishing and related law for 20 years, representing authors, agents, and publishers. Her goal is to help clients protect their rights and grow in today's complex, fascinating, and challenging publishing environment.

HOPE PLAYER is an award-winning Certified Public Accountant and author of Find the Numbers for Your Business Plan. She is managing member of The Arcadian Group, LLC, CPAs, and Micro Business Press, LLC. Hope is a contributor to the "Ask the Expert" column in The Bergen Record and authors a newsletter, The Hope Chest. She has taught seminars and workshops for more than 20 years helping prospective business owners achieve success. Her dedication to the small business community is recognized by the Small Business Administration and Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Hope also teaches financial literacy courses to give women the tools to control their finances.

MELISSA ROSATI, CPCC, is a creativity coach, writer, and speaker. Throughout her executive career in the publishing industry, she has nurtured hundreds of authors on their path to success. She is a professor of publishing at Pace University in New York City. Melissa's forthcoming book is The Wisdom of Your Inner Marketer: How to Create Publishing Plans that Work for You. Her website is www.melissascoachingstudio.com.

SUSAN TIBERGHIEN is an American writer living in Switzerland who has been teaching writing for 20 years. She is the author of three memoirs: Looking for Gold, Circling to the Center, and Footsteps, A European Album, plus numerous essays in journals and anthologies. Her fourth book, One Year to a Writing Life, Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft, was published by Perseus Books in 2007. ("Tiberghien's advice, encouragement, and wisdom make this an invaluable book for writers at all stages of their writing lives." -Michael Steinberg.) She teaches at graduate programs, at C.G. Jung Centers, at writers' conferences and at the monthly Geneva Writers' Workshops. She has been a workshop director for IWWG since 1990. An active member of International PEN, she directs the Geneva Writers' Conferences. Susan's website is www.susantiberghien.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet the Authors (Sunday, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm)

Thirteen recently-published Guild authors will speak about their trials and tribulations: How they got themselves published—through an agent, via self-publishing, or by some other means—and how their books are currently being promoted.

Questions are invited from the audience.

MARIANNE BAHMANN, Coping With the Limelight: A Manual on Stage Fright, BookSurge Publishing, 2009

SHERRY ELLIS, Now Write!: Fiction Writing Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers, Tarcher, 2009; Illuminating Fiction, Red Hen Press, 2009

HELEN FOGARASSY, The Midas Maze, PageFree Publishing Int’l, 2007

BARBARA HALL, Sadie's Secret, Author House, 2007

JODY LAGRECA, Afternoon Tea, Xlibris 2008, Suburban Weird, Xlibris, 2008

PATRICIA JEAN LAPIDUS, Red Hen's Daughters, CreateSpace, 2009

DAHLMA LLANOS-FIGUEROA, Daughters of the Stone: A Novel, Thomas Dunne Books, 2009

JONNA-LYNN MANDELBAUM, Unpredictable Crossing, Outskirts Press, 2009

GRACE ZOLLA PROTANO, As Long As You Can See the Clock, You're Okay: South Brooklyn in the '50s, Outskirts Press, 2009

PEGGY SAPPHIRE, In the End A Circle, Antrim House, 2009; A Possible Explanation, Partisan Press, 2006

CARREN STROCK, A Writer's Journey: What to Know Before, During and After Writing a Book, Gray Rabbit Publishing, January 2010

SUSAN TIBERGHIEN, One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft, Da Capo Press, 2007; Looking for Gold: A Year in Jungian Analysis, Daiman Verlag, 2008

MINGMEI YIP, Petals From the Sky, Kensington, March 2010

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Book Fair of Books by Author Panel

LUNCH: 1:00 pm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet the Agents (Sunday, 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm)

The “Meet the Agents” Open House has yielded wonderful matches between authors and agents over the years. The agents introduce themselves at the podium and speak about their "shop,"; trends in the marketplace, hits and misses. Then, members of the audience seek out those agents whom they wish to meet. After you introduce yourself and speak briefly about your work, the agent will let you know if he or she is interested in hearing from and possibly working with you and how to submit your work.

Agents (plus occasional publishers and editors): Sheree Bykofsky Associates (Janet Rosen), Dunham Literary (Blair Hewes), FinePrint Literary Management (Stephany Evans), Diana Finch Literary Agency (Diana Finch), Rita Rosenkranz Agency (Rita Rosenkranz), A. Mecke Company (Amanda Mecke), Katharine Sands Literary Agency (Katharine Sands), and others.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REGISTRATION FEES

(Attend all Saturday and Sunday events and save up to $45.00, or pay for individual sessions)

Special Full Conference Discount (Both days, all events)

Members: $180.00 Non-Members: $220.00

(a sumptuous buffet lunch is included on both days)

Saturday, April 17 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)

"Writing and Publishing Your Life Stories"

Members: $115.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a buffet lunch is included)

Sunday Full-Day - Discount (morning and afternoon sessions)

Members: $105.00 Non-Members: $135.00

(a buffet lunch is included)

Sunday, April 18 (10 am - 1:00 pm)

MEET THE AUTHORS Open House & Book Fair

Members: $50.00 Non-Members: $60.00

(a buffet lunch can be requested for $25)

MEET THE AGENTS Open House (2:30 PM to 6:00 PM)

INTRODUCTORY AGENT FORUM & ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH AGENTS

Members: $75.00 Non-Members: $85.00

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IWWG MEMBERSHIP: $55.00/$65.00 (online/print copy of Network Journal)(Members receive discounts on all IWWG workshop fees.)

To join the IWWG online, click on the following link: http://www.iwwg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132&Itemid=172

To register online for the Big Apple Conference and pay with a credit card, click on the following link: http://www.iwwg.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=186&Itemid=158

To register by Mail, send a check to: IWWG, PO Box 810, Gracie Sta., New York, NY 10028

For a list of suggested hotels for an overnight stay in New York City, contact the IWWG office: (212) 737-7536

Registration fees are recorded as they are received. We do not mail out confirmation receipts. For confirmation, call (212) 737-7536. (In the event of your cancellation, payments may be applied to a future IWWG event.)

Credit cards are not accepted at the door.

Contact: IWWG, telephone: 212-737-7536 or Email: dirhahn@aol.org

Act 11 Counseling Service

2010-02-17T03:25:00.000-05:00

Open Sunday; Feb. 21st ; Act 11 Counseling Service

Stratford Center next to the library

10:30 Circle; nondenominational prayer basket; guided imagery, fundraising for Haiti

networking --no charge

12; bring a bag lunch & join us around the table; we serve coffee and cookies

12:30-2:30 What is the Higher Self and how do I know when I am using it" $20.; suggested fee

RSVP to reserve to Cynthia P Russell PhD

203 377-2421

psynnie@aol.com

National Events

2010-01-14T21:28:00.003-05:00

National Workshops
------------------------------------------

April 17-18, 2010 (Weekend)

Big Apple Conference

Workshop (Saturday)

Morning: Memoir: Writing and Publishing Your Life Stories

with Susan Tiberghien

Afternoon: Publishing Your Memoirs with Susan Tiberghien

and guest speakers: Sheila Levine, Hope Player, and Melissa Rosati

Open House: Meet the Authors/Meet the Agents (Sunday)

The National Arts Club

15 Gramercy Park South (near East 20th St.)

New York City

Register online via PayPal

-------------------------------------------

March 12-14, 2010 (Weekend)

Early Spring in California Conference

Entering the Writer's Sacred Playground

The Craft: Playing with Language and Structure (with Rachel de Baere)

The Form: When One Genre Meets Another (with Mary Reynolds Thompson and Richelle McClain)

The Power of the Collaborative Process: Creating in Community (with Mary, Richelle and Rachel)

Bosch Bahai Retreat Center

Santa Cruz, CA

Register online via PayPal

-------------------------------------------

May 1, 2010

Workshop/Retreat in Illinois

Preparing to Bloom

with Rainelle Burton and Margaret Dubay Mikus

St. Francis Woods Campus, The Port

Frankfort, IL (30 minutes from Chicago)

-------------------------------------------

May 16 (Sunday) (9:30 am-4:00 pm)

Michigan Open House

Members and interested women from Michigan and Ohio will get together for the second year.

Michigan League, 911 N. University

Ann Arbor, MI

The event is free of charge. Bring your own lunch.

Call Rainelle Burton: (248) 796-1461

-------------------------------------------

July 30-August 6, 2010 (Full Week)

Remember the Magic

(IWWG's 33rd conference year)

Brown University

Providence, RI

For more information please visit our website at:

http://www.iwwg.com/ and click on events/calendar!

Two local events

2010-01-14T21:00:00.004-05:00

Fiction Writing

a seminar with author Patricia Lapidus

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 6-7:30pm

Seminar agenda

• Why write fiction?

• Before you write...

[writing period]

• character, place, and time

• Creating surprise

[writing period]

• Inspiration and resources

No charge / free parking

or call 203-946-8835

Patricia Lapidus is a writing consultant and author of Sweet Potato Suppers

and Swamp Walking Woman (http://swampwalkingwoman.blogspot.com).

This is her third workshop here at the New Haven Public Library.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Act 11 Counseling & Synthesis at Stratford Center

Classes Saturday, Jan 23 & Sunday, Jan 24
Professional and Personal Development
Beginners and Graduates Welcomed!

Learn to center and find your way in these challenging times!

Saturday: 10:30am to 3:00pm.
Classes: Inner Child; workshop on Using Your Process Journal
Brown Bag Lunch: 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Sunday: 10:30am-2:30pm. Program includes: connecting circle, meditation, networking, non-denominational prayer basket, and workshop.
Brown Bag Lunch: 12:30pm to 1pm

Workshop: 1:00 to 2:30pm. Ã‚Â“The Anger to P-O-W-E-R Process as a Listening Tool for People in Conflict" with Walter Polt, M.A.

Fees:
Saturday classes: each $35*
Sunday workshop: $20*

*We always provide sliding scale and work swaps (we're all in this economy together!)

Please RSVP for Res., and for any questions:

Cynthia Russell, PhD
2225 Main Street
Stratford, CT
203-377-2421
psynnie@aol.com

We provide coffee/tea & cookies
bring lunch & dress warmly

We continue to raise funds for:
Sterling House Community Center Food Pantry

Classes at Act 11 Counseling & Synthesis

2009-11-24T21:09:00.000-05:00

Classes at Act 11 Counseling & Synthesis Dec. 5 & 6
Stratford Center, right next to the library

When: Saturday, Dec 5th, 2009 10:30am - 3:00pm
Class name/theme: "Using observation to chart your path in life";
"the mysteries of the Will to empower you"

When: Sunday, Dec 6th, 2009 10:30am - 3:00pm
Class name/theme: "De-stressing the Holidays"
Community Circle, meditation & guided imagery,
nondenominational prayer basket, networking

Grab bag for those who wish to participate (bring a wrapped gift)

Bring a sandwich & join us around the table - we serve coffee
& dessert (Noon)

Class fees cut in half plus sliding scale!!!

Fundraiser for food pantries

RSVP to Cybnthia P Russell PhD 203 377-2421; psynnie @ aol.com

2009-10-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

Date: Nov 7 & 8, 2009
Psychosynthesis at Act 11 Counseling, Stratford Center (next to the library)
Time: 10:30-3 p.m.
Bring a sandwich. We serve coffee, tea & dessert

Saturday -- Get to know your subpersonalities,
Strengthen your Will for mission and purpose
journaling, & sharing
with Rosalind Till, M.S.

Guided Imagery workshop with Cynthia Russell PhD.
$35 a class

work.swap/sliding scale

Sunday -- nondenominational prayer basket, networking for life & career
NO CHARGE -- Any proceeds for this event are gifting Sterling House Community Center Food Pantry

2:30 to 2:30 "Focusingl: an incredible way to move quickly to clarity"
with Carol Ann Lucia, Reiki master;
Polarity;psychosynthesist
trademarked Eugene Gendlin PhD
$20. suggested contribution

For reservation or details contact Cynthia Russell PhD
203 377-2421
or email her at the following address: psynnie@aol.com

The International Women's Writing Guild in Connecticut

Winter 2012 Creative Writing Workshops Now Registering

Invitation to Be a Guest on Karen's Blog

Journaling Workshop: 5 Ways to Journal Your Best Life

A Westport Writers Workshop

"Where Do You Get Your Ideas?"Children's Authors Share Invention Strategies

Karen Rider's News

Using Our CT IWWG BLOG

Announcing the 34th Annual Summer Conference! "Remember the Magic"

OPEN MIC NIGHTS at the Westport Writers' Workshop

Turning Points: Changing Lives One Event at a Time

Synthesis Classes at Act 11 Counseling, Stratford Center

Blocked? How to Get Unstuck

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents The California Conference

Online Class: Introduction to The Art of Journal Writing

Write From the Start: Workshop and Q&A

Westport Writers Workshop - upcoming events

Explore healing to the root ... and free your creativity!

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents its 61st Big Apple Conference

Act 11 Counseling & Psychosynthesis

The Roots of Bullying and Crying: Is it a Game or Is It for Real?

THE LIGHT IS BORN

Gideon's River Published for E-readers

Writing Your Memoir: How To Get Started and Silence Your Inner Critic: Let the Inspiration Flow!

Act 11 Counseling& Synthesis- Stratford Center

The Legacy Project USA FREE WORKSHOP NOV 4th, 2010 7:30-9:00PM

The essay "After Sunflowers" by Adele Annesi is now available in the anthology Press Pause Moments: Essays About Life Transitions by Women Writers

A New Home Study Course by Judith Barr

Swamp Walking Woman video clip

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents its 60th Big Apple Conference

New Dreamwatch® Blog … the paranormal experiences of ordinary people

Judith Barr - Power Abused Power Healed

Exerpt from The Tale Tales Newsletter by Patricia Lapidus

ACT 11 Counseling & Synthesis

Westport Writers' Workshop Fall 2010 Writing Workshop Schedule

The IWWG presents its 60th Big Apple Conference

Remember the Magic Writing Conference at Brown University!

Essentials for the Fiction Writer

Remember the Magic Summer Conference 2010 at Brown University

IWWG Member Mary Carroll Moore Interviewed on WNPR about Her New Novel

Secrets of Successful Interviewing For Writers and Journalists

Westport Writers' Workshop, Spring 2010 - Workshops begin April 12th!

WIN A FREE WEEK, 5-DAY, or WEEKEND to The International Women's Writing Guild's

REVISION TO THE 59th BIG APPLE CONFERENCE AGENDA

The Newtown Library -- Come meet fellow IWWG members!!!

Act 11 Counseling March 21st event

The International Women's Writing Guild Presents The 59th Big Apple Conference!

Act 11 Counseling Service

National Events

Two local events

Classes at Act 11 Counseling & Synthesis

"Where Do You Get Your Ideas?"
Children's Authors Share Invention Strategies