TWC Fall 2012 Workshop & Event Guide by The Writer's Center

The Writer’s Center Workshop & Event Guide

Winter 2012-2013

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS 5 DIRECTOR’S NOTE

6 WORKSHOPS DECODED How does the workshop work? TWC offers nearly 300 a year, designed for both aspiring and experienced writers.

10 FIRST NOVEL PRIZE

8 TWC NEWS: NEW CURRICULUM, FELLOWS Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the Center is implementing a new curriculum that will foster an environment of progression as well as provide more opportunities for advanced and master-level writers.

14 LEESBURG FIRST FRIDAYS 16 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

28 POET LORE: ON LITERATURE AS ACTION A snapshot of the Fall/Winter 2012 issue of Poet Lore, focusing on the struggle for representation, the female journey and exchanges at the margins of experience, from 52 poets. 32 HOW DO YOU WRITE? PRACTICING THE ART OF INSPIRATION In the nude, at a park, sipping Johnny Walker - TWC workshop leader Travis Cebula explores the nuances of writers’ contextual playgrounds.

19 WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS 30 BOOK TALK 34 WORKSHOP LEADERS 38 DONORS 39 REGISTRATION

Executive Editor

Contributors

Mía R. Cortez

Chriss Boylan

4508 Walsh Street

Jehan Mondal

Bethesda, MD 20815

Zachary Fernebok

301-654-8664 (p)

Ad Design Contributors

240-223-0458 (f)

Cover Art

Travis Cebula

Writer.org

Travis Cebula

Angela Swayze

post.master@writer.org

mia.cortez@writer.org

Graphic Design

Virtually Detailed, Inc.

is supported in part by:

The Writer’s Center gratefully acknowledges assistance received from The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation. writer.org

Workshop & Event Guide

ABOUT US

The Writer’s Center

The Writer’s Center cultivates the creation, publication, presen-

Other Locations

tation and dissemination of literary work. We are an independent literary organization with a global reach, rooted in a dynamic community of writers. As one of the premier centers of its kind in the country, we believe the craft of writing is open to people of all backgrounds and ages. Writing is interdisciplinary and unique among the arts for its ability to touch on all aspects of the human experience. It enriches our lives and opens doors to knowledge and understanding. The Writer’s Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. A copy of our current financial statement is available upon request. Contact The Writer’s Center at 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815. Documents and information submitted to the State of Maryland under the Maryland Charitable Solicitations Act are available from the Office of the Secretary of State for the cost of copying and postage.

Annapolis Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts 801 Chase Street Annapolis, MD 21404 marylandhall.org

Arlington Cultural Affairs Building 3700 South Four Mile Run Drive Arlington, VA 22206 arlingtonarts.org

Writer’s Center Staff

Capitol Hill The Hill Center 921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Washington, DC 20003 hillcenterdc.org

Executive Director

Managing Editor of Poet Lore

Stewart Moss

Genevieve DeLeon

Assistant Director

Sunil Freeman

Glen Echo Glen Echo Park 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD 20812 glenechopark.org

Business & Operations

Lindsey Gordon

Associate Executive Director for Development

John Hamilton Kyra Corradin

Jill Leininger

Leesburg

Sarah Allen

Program Manager

Leesburg Town Hall 25 West Market Street Leesburg, VA 20176 leesburgva.com

McLean McLean Community Center 1234 Ingleside Ave McLean, VA 22101 mcleancenter.org

Poet Lore is the oldest continuously published poetry journal in the United States. We publish it semi-annually, and submissions are accepted year-round. Subscription and submission information is available at poetlore.com.

Book Gallery TWC’s book gallery carries an extensive collection of literary magazines and books on craft.

Zachary Fernebok

Interns

Marketing & Publications Manager

Adam Bradley

Mía R. Cortez

Chrissy Boylan

Office Manager

Jehan Mondal

Laura Spencer

Angela Swayze

Board of Directors Chair: Sally Mott Freeman Treasurer: Les Hatley

Vice Chair: Neal P. Gillen Secretary: Ken Ackerman

Margot Backas • Sandra Beasley • Naomi Collins • Mark Cymrot Michael Febrey • Patricia Harris • John M. Hill • James Mathews C.M. Mayo • Jim McAndrew • Ann McLaughlin • E. Ethelbert Miller Joram Piatigorsky • Bill Reynolds Mier Wolf, chair emer.• Wilson W. Wyatt, Jr.

Honorary Board Kate Blackwell • Dana Gioia • Jim Lehrer • Kate Lehrer Alice McDermott • Ellen McLaughlin • Howard Norman

4508 Walsh Street Bethesda, MD 20815

Winter 2012-2013

PHOTO BY: KYLE SEMMEL

writer.org

In a workshop I took years ago at The Writer’s Center with the visiting poet Li-Young Lee, he urged all of us always to write “at the edge of our ability.” It’s only then, he believed, that we’d break through barriers and discover our true capabilities as writers. I’ve never forgotten Lee’s advice to avoid playing it safe in my writing and to explore what another poet, Stanley Kunitz, called “the wilderness.” After a certain age, Kunitz writes, “The poems that remain for you to write will have to come out of your wilderness.” I’ve been thinking about all of this as the Center launches a new curriculum, which you’ll see mapped out in detail on page 8. While this newly sequenced program will provide more opportunities for advanced and master-level writers and should reduce the number of workshops we have to cancel because of low enrollment, its main purpose is to help all of our writers build their skills in a more intentional and progressive way. writer.org

DIRECTOR’S NOTE Rather than choosing from a mostly random selection of workshops (what I’ve occasionally described as a kind of “literary flea market”), you’ll now be able to enroll in workshops that begin where the previous workshops you’ve taken have left off. If you’re a beginning writer, you’ll know what workshops have been specially designed to get you off to a strong start. We’re also retaining a wide selection of single- and doublesession workshops to help you focus on specific areas of craft that can be addressed in a short period of time. Our workshops will continue to be led by wonderful writers who are committed to the workshop process and the growth of participants. Many of these writers have been with The Writer’s Center for years, but we’ve also recruited several new workshop leaders from across the genres who bring with them a rich variety of literary and life experience. The staff at the Center is always ready to assist you in choosing the most appropriate workshops for your needs and, upon your request, will help you devise a customized long-term plan so that you’re writing, as Li-Young Lee says, “at the edge of your ability.”

manship, and the pursuit of excellence that will inspire them in their own writing. I’m excited about this new curriculum and look forward to seeing its positive impact on the thousands of writers who come through our doors each year. ***** By now, I’m sure you’ve read the appeal letter that was sent out a few weeks ago asking you to contribute to the 2013 Annual Fund. While it’s a joy and privilege for me to be the director of the Center, one of my greatest challenges is to help it achieve financial sustainability during a difficult economy. Workshop enrollment, memberships, rentals of the theatre, and other sources of earned revenue are simply not sufficient in themselves to keep the Center going. We also depend on the generosity of our members and others in our community who have benefited from all the Center offers and appreciate the central role it has played in their lives. So, if you haven’t done so already, please give as generously as you can. And if you have given, please know how deeply I appreciate your support. All best wishes for a terrific winter of writing,

In the workshops and readings we hold at The Writer’s Center, we want participants and attendees to discover the beauty and endless flexibility of language, the pleasure of craftsWorkshop & Event Guide

Workshops Decoded

Michael Cortez, Chrissy Boylan, Lindsey Gordon & Michael Kang / Photo by Chelsie Lloyd

How the workshop model encourages growth, progression Chrissy Boylan

t the core of creative writing education since its inception, the workshop model is often touted as the easiest way for writers to hone their craft. “It’s an interdisciplinary writing technique designed to build fluency in writing through continuous, repeated exposure to mini-lessons, independent writing, conferencing and sharing,” says TWC Program Manager Zachary Fernebok. It also serves another fundamental purpose – to transform the solitary pursuit of writing into one of camaraderie and support. “Writers get to come out from the so-called caves of our solitary workrooms, not just to hear responses to our work, but to be a part of something bigger,” says novelist and TWC workshop leader Jenny Moore. 6

The Writer’s Center offers nearly 300 different writing workshops a year, designed for both aspiring and experienced writers. Workshops are facilitated by more than 100 workshop leaders – working, published writers with advanced degrees in creative writing or related fields. Many have won local, national

“It provides a community of people who are trying to do the same thing,” says poetry workshop leader Nan Fry, who likens writers to dancers working on expanding their repertoire. The other invaluable aspect of a workshop is that it encourages writers to give ample time and attention to the revision process. “Writers often become so “Writers get to come out from close to their material that the so-called caves of our it becomes virtually impossolitary workrooms . . . to be sible for them to see what is part of something bigger” working and what isn’t,” says longtime workshop leader and international awards for Barbara Esstman. their work, and in most cases, And while there’s often no they’re constantly publishing shortage of people willing to new material. voice opinions– family/friends, writing groups, even agents It is in this dynamic environ– not all feedback is created ment that participants are able equal. In fact, Esstman says, to study (and hone) specific some feedback may be downwriting skills, and learn more right destructive. about craft, says Moore. Winter 2012-2013

Receiving trusted feedback during the writing process prevents writers ultimately saves time, Esstman says. Working with other writers also helps enhance a writer’s reading and editing skills. “Reading a colleague’s work to give a good critique is a different skill... As you improve at critique, you also improve as a writer,” adds Moore. Often the simplest benefit of participating in a workshop is holding oneself accountable to a group of dedicated readers, especially for those embarking on longer projects. In January 2013, Moore and novelist/workshop leader Amin Ahmad are leading a 15-weeklong Master Novel course. In addition to helping novelists maintain stamina and momen-

writer.org

An evening workshop meets at TWC.

tum, the course will provide longer workshops in which to focus on specific elements of the novel form while maintaining a panoramic view of the larger text. Whether the goal is to write a novel, poem, or anything in between, a workshop can motivate writers to get the work done.

Workshop & Event Guide

Photo by Mía Cortez

“Taking workshops, in my experience frees people up, helps them realize the breadth of points of view, styles and subject matter that are around, so that they’re not feeling constrained or limited,” concludes poetry workshop leader Travis Cebula.

TWC NEWS

The Writer’s Center

For Writers, By Writers TWC to unveil new curriculum in 2013 Zachary Fernebok & Mía Cortez

t The Writer’s Center, we’re cost-efficient – alternative to an These workshops consist primarinvested in helping all types MFA program, because of our ily of out‑of-class writing and of writers become, well, betrich selection of workshops led in-class workshopping, with a ter writers. And effective Jan. by skilled workshop leaders who varying focus depending on the 1, 2013, the Center is workshop leader. As implementing a new “We’re responding to a need expressed opposed to the Craft & curriculum that will by our members to offer more advanced Creation workshops, stufoster an environment dios are generally suited and master-level workshops.” of progression as well for all levels, and have a – Executive Director Stewart Moss as open a direct path for thematic focus. new members. Single & Double are committed to helping their “We’re responding to a need Sessions expressed by our members to of- students achieve excellence in their chosen genre,” says Moss. fer more advanced and masterThese workshops are ideal for level workshops,” says Executive “I also expect that through diving right into a thematic exclusive seminars, TWC will Director Stewart Moss. “We topic or the specific elements of provide valuable advice about plan to provide these classes led the best ways for our members to writing. We have more single by both veteran workshop leadsessions this winter than ever get their writing into print.” ers and talented new workshop before, so take advantage of their leaders whom we’ve worked low costs and high caliber. Craft & Creation hard to recruit.” The new model is based on Craft & Creation workshops past successes and those of TWC @ AWP focus on the craft and creation similar organizations nationof work. They are part instrucwide, such as Grub Street in Visit TWC’s booth tional, part traditional workBoston, The Loft in Minneapolis at AWP’s Confershop format. Craft & Creation and the Lighthouse in Denver. ence & Bookfair, workshops offer opportunity for Now grouped into four general March 6-9, 2013 at the Hynes growth, and more opportunities categories, the new curriculum Convention Center & Sherafor master-level workshops. offers the same variety of highton in Boston. The fair is the quality classes in a more stream- Writing Immersion largest literary conference in lined format. the nation, and is attended by These workshops have a specific Our staff, many with literary TWC staff members each year. backgrounds themselves, is avail- emphasis on producing new The conference typically feaable to help participants find the work, challenging writers to meet tures 450 readings, lectures, most appropriate workshop and deadlines and generate ideas. panel discussions and forums, devise a long-term plan based on as well as hundreds of book Writing Studios upcoming workshops. signings, receptions, dances “The Writer’s Center is a It’s nitty-gritty time when it and informal gatherings. legitimate – and much more comes to the Writing Studios. 8

Winter 2012-2013

writer.org

TWC NEWS

Fall 2012 Fellowship Recipients

he Emerging Writer and Undiscovered Voices fellowships, funded by generous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, have become a popular tradition at The Writer’s Center. The Undiscovered Voices fellow will be provided complimentary writing workshops to make progress toward a completed manuscript of publishable work. The Emerging Writer fellows will be featured as part of special readings at the Center and awarded $500 for their work. “Through the Emerging Writers fellowships we have been able to host readings by writers from across the country,” says Assistant Director Sunil Freeman. “The level of submissions from applicants to both fellowships, has been extraordinary; there is a very high level of writing being produced in the community we’re fortunate to serve at TWC.”

Emerging Writers Caitlin Horrocks (FICTION) Caitlin Horrocks is author of the story collection This Is Not Your City, which was named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” award winner and one of the best books of 2011 by the San Francisco Chronicle. Her stories appear in The New Yorker writer.org

and The Best American Short Stories, among others. Her work has won awards including the Plimpton Prize and fellowships to the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences. She is the fiction editor of The Kenyon Review and teaches at Grand Valley State University. Suzanne Cleary (POETRY) Suzanne Cleary won the 2012 John Ciardi Prize for Poetry for her book manuscript Beauty Mark, to be published in September 2013 by BkMk Press of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Carnegie Mellon published her previous books, Keeping Time (2002) and Trick Pear (2007). Her awards include a Pushcart Prize, the Cecil Hemley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, and the Julia A. Peterkin Award of Converse College. She is a professor of English at SUNY Rockland and a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Laura van den Berg (FICTION) Laura van den Berg’s debut collection of stories, What the Workshop & Event Guide

World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us (Dzanc Books, 2009), was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection and shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor International Award. She is also the author of the chapbook There Will Be No More Good Nights Without Good Nights (Origami Zoo Press, 2012). She currently teaches creative writing at George Washington University and lives in Baltimore.

Undiscovered Voices Nicole Idar (FICTION) Nicole Idar grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her stories have appeared in World Literature Today, Rattapallax, and The New Ohio Review, where she was a finalist for the 2009 Fiction Prize. Her first published essay won a 2012 Bethesda Magazine award. She holds an M.F.A. in fiction from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard University. This fall, with the support of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, she will be in residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. 9

2012 Finalists

he Writer’s Center is pleased to announce the finalists of the McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize, named after renowned local authors Ann McLaughlin, Barbara Esstman and Lynn Stearns. Now in its second year, we accepted submissions of titles published in 2011 from debut novelists across the country. The winner will be announced in our next issue. See writer.org for 2013 submission guidelines. Black Wings

When Tito Loved Clara

Kathleen Toomey Jabs

Jon Michaud

LT Bridget Donovan suspects the worst when her former Naval Academy roommate, Audrey Richards, perishes in a botched take-off from an aircraft carrier. The Navy says it’s an accident, but facts don’t add up. Could it be suicide, or murder? Donovan’s unofficial investigation into what really happened, both during their past Academy days and in Richards’ final hours, forces her to examine the concepts of honor, justice and the role of loyalty in pursuit of those ideals. Author Bio

Kathleen Toomey Jabs is a 1988 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. She served on active duty for six years and is currently a captain in the Navy Reserve. She holds an M.A. from the University of New Hampshire and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from George Mason University. Her stories have been published in a number of literary journals and have received several prizes, including selection in the NPR Selected Shorts program. She lives with her husband and two children in Virginia. 10

Winter 2012-2013

Clara Lugo grew up in a home that would have rattled the most grounded of children. Through brains and determination, she has long since slipped the bonds of her confining Dominican neighborhood in the northern reaches of Manhattan. Now she tries to live a settled professional life with her American husband and son in the suburbs of New Jersey– often thwarted by her constellation of relatives who don’t understand her gringa ways. Her mostly happy life is disrupted, however, when Tito, a former boyfriend from 15 years earlier, reappears. Something has impeded his passage into adulthood. His mother calls him an Unfinished Man. He still carries a torch for Clara, and she harbors a secret from their past. Their reacquaintance sets in motion an unraveling of both of their lives and reveals what the cost of assimilation–or the absence of it–has meant for each of them. Author Bio

Jon Michaud was born in Washington, D.C. in 1967. The son of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, he grew up in Bethesda, Tehran, Bombay and Belfast. Jon was educated at the Methodist College, Belfast and at the University of East Anglia. He holds an M.A. in Creative Writing from

Lancaster University and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Jon is the head librarian at The New Yorker magazine. His writing has been published in North American Review, Denver Quarterly, Fawlt and other periodicals. Jon lives in Maplewood, N.J. with his wife and their two sons. He is at work on his next novel.

All Different Kinds of Free – Jessica McCann And Yet They Were Happy – Helen Phillips Atlanta – Loreen Niewenhuis Crooked Creek – Maximilian Werner End of Summer – Michael Potts Exiles – Cary Groner Green Gospel – L.C. Fiore

Shards

Higher Ground – Melissa Teutsch

Ismet Prcic

In Sheep’s Clothing – Edward Ciesielski

Ismet Prcic’s debut novel features a young Bosnian, also named Ismet Prcic, who has fled his war-torn homeland and is now struggling to reconcile his past with his present life in California. He is advised that in order to make peace with the corrosive guilt he harbors over leaving his family behind, he must “write everything.” The result is a great rattlebag of memories, confessions and fictions: sweetly humorous recollections of Ismet’s childhood in Tuzla appear alongside anguished letters to his mother about the challenges of life in this new world. As Ismet’s foothold in the present falls away, his writings are further complicated by stories from the point of view of another young man named Mustafa, who joined a troop of elite soldiers and stayed in Bosnia to fight. When Mustafa’s story begins to overshadow Ismet’s newworld identity, the reader is charged with piecing together the fragments of a life that has become eerily unrecognizable, even to the one living it. Author Bio

Layla – Celine Keating Letters from Home – Kristina McMorris Merit Badges – Kevin Fenton Miracle Beach – Erin Cwlello Murder is a Matter of Color – Ronald Rich Nazareth, North Dakota – Toomy Zurhellen Never Forget My Soul – Michael Milgraum Open City – Teju Cole Parallel Tracks – Barry Veret Passageway to Womanhood – Sheila Chappel Prayers and Lies – Sherriwood Emmons Slant of Light – Steve Wiegenstein Sleight – Kirsten Kachock The Arriviste – James Wallensten The Bee-Loud Glade – Steve Himmer The Civilized World – Susi Wyss The Color of My Soul – Melanie Hatter The Great Lenore – JM Tohline The Guadalupe Saints – Michael Pacheco The Iron Boys – Thomas Frick The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh The Long Shining Waters – Danielle Sosin The Oracle of Stamboul – David Lukas

Ismet Prcic (ISS-met PER-sick) was born in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in 1977 and immigrated to America in 1996. He holds an MFA from the University of California, Irvine, and was the recipient of a 2010 NEA Award for fiction. He is also a 2011 Sundance Screenwriting Lab fellow. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife. writer.org

2012 Submissions

The Secret to Flying – Teresa Burns Murphy The Snow Whale – John Minichillo The Sojourn – Andrew Krivak The Use of Regret – Greggory Moore These Days Are Ours – Michelle Haimoff This Good Life – Chad Boggan Turn of Mind – Alice LaPlante Uptown – Jack Gardner When the de la Cruz Family Danced – Donna Micolta

Workshop & Event Guide

EVENTS

The Writer’s Center

We host more than 50 events annually, including free Sunday Open-Door readings and theatre productions in our historic black box theatre. For more information about these events, please visit our website www.writer.org/events or our blog, First Person Plural.

open-door readings JANUARY 6 – 2 PM

MARCH 3 – 2 PM

Poetry and prose reading by authors published in The Delmarva Review.

Fiction reading by Edward Belfar, author of Wanderers. He is joined by Mike Maggio, who reads from The Keepers.

JANUARY 27 – 2 PM Poet Merrill Leffler reads from Mark the Music. He is joined by Barbara Goldberg and other poets who will read from Scorched by the Sun, a new collection of Hebrew and English poems by Moshe Dor, translated by Moshe Dor and Barbara Goldberg.

Edward Belfar

Mike Maggio

MARCH 10 – 2 PM Merrill Leffler

FEB. 3 – 2 PM Poets published in the book Before There is Nowhere to Stand: Palestine/Israel: Poets Respond to the Struggle. Poets reading include Judy Kronenfeld, Sam Hamod, Mike Maggio and Bonnie Morris.

Novelist Steven Drachman reads from The Ghosts of Watt O’Hugh. He is joined by poet Dorritt Carroll, author of In Caves. Steven Drachman

MARCH 17 – 2 P.M.

Anya Achtenberg reads from her novel Blue Earth. She is joined by poets Carmen Calatayud, who reads from In the Company of Spirits, and Truth Thomas, who reads from Speak Water.

FEB. 10 – 2 PM Visiting poet Judy Kronenfeld reads from Shimmer. She is joined by Yvette Neisser Moreno, who reads her poems from Grip.

Anya Achtenberg

Truth Thomas

APRIL 7 – 2 P.M. Judy Kronenfeld

Join Poet Lore editors and visiting poets Dennis Nurkse, author of A Night in Brooklyn, and Teri Ellen Cross Davis, in celebration of Poet Lore’s 124th birthday.

Yvette Neisser Moreno

Dennis Nurkse

Winter 2012-2013

writer.org

EVENTS

APRIL 14 – 2 P.M. Poetry reading with Judith Harris, author of Night Garden, and visiting poet Philip Memmer, author of The Storehouses of the Snow: Psalms, Parables, and Dreams.

Judith Harris

Phillip Memmer

Join TWC at the Bethesda Literary Festival April 19-21, 2013

OPEN

MIC

Looking for a place to read your poetry and prose? Come to our monthly Open Mic Sessions. Sundays at The Writer’s Center! JANUARY 13, 2 P.M. Poetry and Prose Open Mic. Sign-up for readers begins at 1:30 p.m.

FEBRUARY 24, 2 P.M.

Check our website & www.bethesda.org for details.

Poetry and Prose Open Mic. Sign-up for readers begins at 1:30 p.m.

MARCH 24, 2 P.M. Poetry and Prose Open Mic. Sign-up for readers begins at 1:30 p.m.

APRIL 20 – 12-3 P.M. TWC Open House: Meet our workshop leaders, staff, board members and learn about upcoming workshops and programs. Free admission.

APRIL 20 – 2 P.M. Reading by Caitlin Horrock, author of This is Not Your City. She is joined by poet Patrick Donnely, author of Nocturnes of the Brothel of Ruin.

The Quotidian Theatre presents The Dead, from Nov. 16 - Dec. 16 & A Walk in the Woods, March 15 through April 14. Visit their website or call 301-816-1023 for details & reservations.

APRIL 28 – 2 P.M.

Zara Raab will read from Swimming the Eel, and Davi Walders will read from Women Against Tyranny, Poems of Resistance During the Holocaust.

All performances held at The Writer’s Center 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda MD 20815 Zara Raab

writer.org

Davi Walders

quotidiantheatre.org

Workshop & Event Guide

LEESBURG EVENTS WINTER WARM-UP EXERCISES FEB. 1, 7:30 PM

Leesburg Town Hall

LEESBURG FIRST FRIDAYS Leesburg Town Hall (Lower Level Meeting Room) 25 W. Market Street Leesburg, VA 20176 $4 TWC members and residents of Leesburg

Thaw out that winter writer’s block of ice as we explore some creative ways to get started on or move farther along in your writing project.

LAURA OLIVER: SETTING MAY 3, 7:30 PM

MARCH 1, 7:30 PM

Laura Oliver, M.F.A., is the author of The Story Within: New Insights and Inspiration for Writers. Her essays and short stories appear in numerous regional and national periodicals such as The Washington Post, Country Living, and Glimmer Train. See her full bio on page 35.

Details to be determined. Please check our website. BARBARA ESSTMAN: HOW TO WRITE A SCENE Barbara Esstman, M.F.A., is a National Endowment for the Arts,

DO YOU LOVE TO WRITE? The Writer’s Center is looking for contributors for our Workshop & Event Guide, which features literary news, features, profiles, writing insights & more! Email mia.cortez@writer.org

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts fellow and a Redbook fiction award winner, among other distinctions. See her full bio on page 34.

EVENT TBD

APRIL 5, 7:30 PM

$6 General admission

The Writer’s Center

Winter 2012-2013

writer.org WORKSHOP GUIDELINES Learning to write is an ongoing process that requires time and practice. Our writing workshops are for everyone, from novices to seasoned writers looking to improve their skills, to published authors seeking refinement and feedback, to professionals with an eye on the competition. Group settings encourage the writing process by teaching writers to prioritize and to help each other using many skills at once. From our workshops, participants can expect: • Guidance and encouragement from a published, working writer; • Instruction on technical aspects such as structure, diction and form; • Kind, honest, constructive feedback directed at individual work; • Peer readers/editors who act as “spotters” for sections of your writing that need attention, and who become your community of working colleagues even after your workshop is completed; • Tips on how to keep writing and integrate this “habit of being” into your life; • Tactics for getting published; • Time to share work with other writers & read peers’ work; and • Help with addressing trouble areas & incorporating multiple, sometimes conflicting ideas into the revision.

BEGINNER LEVEL We strongly suggest that newcomers start with a beginner level workshop. They are structured to help you

WORKSHOP GUIDELINES discover the fundamentals of creative writing, such as: • Getting your ideas on the page; • Choosing a genre and the shape your material should take; • Learning the elements of poetry, playwriting, fiction, memoir, etc.; • Identifying your writing strengths and areas of opportunity; and • Gaining beginning mastery of the basic tools of all writing, such as concise, accurate language, and learning how to tailor their particular use in your work.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL These workshops will build on skills you developed in the beginner level, and are designed for writers who have: • Read and discuss some published works. • Taken a beginner-level workshop; • Achieved some grace in using the tools of language and form and • Have projects in progress that they want to develop further.

ADVANCED LEVEL Participants should have manuscripts that have been critiqued in workshops at the intermediate level and have been revised substantially. This level offers: • Focus on the final revision and completion of a specific work; • Fast-paced setting with higher expectations of participation; • Deep insight and feedback.

MASTER LEVEL Master classes are designed for writers who have taken several advanced

workshops and have reworked their manuscript into what they believe is its final form. Master classes are unique opportunities to work in smaller groups with distinguished writers on a specific project or manuscript. Workshop leaders select participants from the pool of applicants; selection is competitive. The Writer’s Center recognizes that individual writers of all experience levels need to find their own place in our program. If you’d like advice on which courses will be right for you, please call and speak with a member of our staff.

REGISTRATION Workshop registration is available online at www.writer.org, in person at The Writer’s Center via mail, online or by phone at (301) 654-8664.

REFUND POLICY To receive a credit, you must notify TWC by e-mail (post.master@writer. org) within the drop period. • Full refunds are given when TWC cancels a workshop. Participants who have already signed up and made payment will receive a full refund, or they can use their payment as a credit toward another workshop and/or membership. • Workshop participants who have enrolled in and paid for a workshop and choose to withdraw from it within the drop period (see below) will receive full credit that can be used within one year to pay for another workshop and/or a membership.

Drop Period for Credit 5 or more sessions: 48 hours notice required before the second meeting 4 or fewer sessions: 48 hours notice required before the first meeting writer.org

Workshop & Event Guide

WINTER WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

The Writer’s Center

CREATIVE NONFICTION

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

Creative Nonfiction I

Bethesda

1/8

Evening

B/I

Creative Nonfiction I

Bethesda

1/16

Evening

Creative Nonfiction I

Bethesda

2/5

Evening

Creative Nonfiction III

Bethesda

4/2

Evening

Narrative Nonfiction: History and Biography

Bethesda

1/29

Evening

ALL

FICTION

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

Fiction I

Bethesda

1/9

Evening

Fiction I

Bethesda

1/10

Day

Fiction I

Bethesda

1/26

Day

Beginning Fiction Workshop

Hill Center

2/19

Evening

Short Story I

Bethesda

1/16

Day

Short Story II

Bethesda

1/15

Evening

Fiction II

Bethesda

1/26

Day

Fiction II

Bethesda

2/2

Day

Fiction II

Online

1/5

N/A

Fiction II

Bethesda

3/6

Day

Fiction III

Online

4/13

N/A

Fiction Master Workshop

Bethesda

3/6

Evening

The Extreme Novelist

Bethesda

1/9

Evening

I/A

Fiction Studio: Con Lehane

Bethesda

1/8

Evening

ALL

Fiction Studio: Judith Tabler

Bethesda

2/7

Day

ALL

Fiction Studio: Kathryn Johnson

Bethesda

3/4

Evening

ALL

4 Stories, 4 Weeks

Bethesda

1/14

Day

6 Stories, 6 Weeks

Bethesda

2/6

Day

I/A

Advanced Novel & Memoir

Bethesda

3/20

Evening

Creating Complex Characters

Bethesda

1/26

Day

ALL

Point of View

Bethesda

2/2

Day

ALL

Writing Dialogue

Bethesda

1/12

Day

ALL

Building Tension

Bethesda

2/23

Day

ALL

50 Shades of Romance

Bethesda

1/26

Day

ALL

Writing the Narrator

Bethesda

2/23

Day

ALL

Flash Fiction

Bethesda

2/6

Day

ALL

Creating the Series

Bethesda

2/9

Day

I/A

Growing the Novel

Bethesda

3/23

Day

I/A

Whodunit? Writing the Mystery

Bethesda

1/19

Day

ALL

Writing Conflict

Bethesda

3/2

Day

ALL

Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy

McLean

1/9

Evening

ALL

The Master Novel Workshop

Bethesda

1/15

Evening

The Master Novel Workshop

Bethesda

1/16

Evening

B—beginner

I—intermediate

A—advanced

M—master

Winter 2012-2013

ALL—all levels

writer.org

WINTER WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

MEMOIR/ESSAY

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

Memoir Studio: Lynn Stearns

Bethesda

1/15

Day

ALL

Memoir Studio: Lynn Stearns

Bethesda

2/20

Day

ALL

4 Essays/Memoirs, 4 Weeks

Bethesda

3/5

Evening

B/I

Writing Your Life

McLean

4/11

Day

ALL

My Life, One Story at a Time

Bethesda

1/9

Evening

MIXED GENRE

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

Crafting a Story

McLean

1/17

Day

ALL

Strong Beginnings for Fiction & Memoir

Annapolis

2/9

Day

ALL

Getting Started: Creative Writing

Bethesda

1/9

Evening

Getting Started: Creative Writing

Bethesda

3/30

Day

Getting Started: Creative Writing

Bethesda

2/23

Day

Speechwriting

Bethesda

2/7

Evening

B/I

Narrative Science Writing

Bethesda

3/6

Evening

ALL

How to Write a Lot

Bethesda

3/9

Day

ALL

How to Write a Lot

Bethesda

3/30

Day

ALL

How to Write a Lot

Bethesda

4/13

Day

ALL

Writing Humor: A Versatile Skill

Bethesda

3/2

Day

ALL

Selling Nonfiction Articles

Bethesda

3/7

Evening

ALL

Writing the Documentary Treatment

Bethesda

3/2

Day

ALL

Writing: A New Year’s Resolution

Bethesda

1/5

Day

ALL

The Reading

Bethesda

1/12

Day

ALL

Show, Don’t Tell

Bethesda

3/7

Evening

ALL

Writing Staycation

Bethesda

4/22

M-F

Day

ALL

Writing Your Novel or Memoir

McLean

4/16

Evening

I/A

Developing the Characters in Your Life Stories

Bethesda

2/18

M-F

Day

ALL

PLAYWRITING

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

Playwriting I

Bethesda

2/19

Evening

The 24-Hour Play Project

Bethesda

4/6

S/Su

Day

ALL

6 Poems, 6 Weeks POETRY

Bethesda LOCATION

3/2 START

S DAY

DAY TIME

I/A LEVEL PAGE

Poetry I

Bethesda

1/7

Evening

Poetry II

Bethesda

2/7

Evening

Poetry II

Bethesda

2/9

Day

Poetry III

Bethesda

3/18

Evening

Poetry Master Workshop

Bethesda

3/7

Evening

Poetry Studio

Online

2/4

N/A

ALL

Poetry Studio

Bethesda

1/15

Evening

I/A

6 Poems, 6 Weeks

Bethesda

1/8

Evening

I/A

6 Poems, 6 Weeks

Bethesda

1/14

Evening

I/A

6 Poems, 6 Weeks

Bethesda

2/21

Evening

8 Poems, 8 Weeks

Bethesda

1/12

Day

I/A

8 Poems, 8 Weeks

Bethesda

3/30

Day

I/A

writer.org

Workshop & Event Guide

WINTER WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

The Writer’s Center

POETRY (Continued)

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

The Voice of the Poem

Bethesda

1/19

Day

ALL

Making Metaphor Work

Annapolis

3/9

Day

ALL

The Mystery of Line Breaks

Annapolis

4/13

Day

ALL

A Matter of Time: Verb Tenses in Poetry

Annapolis

5/11

Day

ALL

PROFESSIONAL DEVLOPMENT

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

Intro to Marketing Platforms

Bethesda

1/19

Day

Blogging for Beginners

Bethesda

1/19

Day

Social Networking for Writers

Bethesda

2/9

Day

How to Write a Grant Proposal

Bethesda

3/2

Day

ALL

How to Make a Living as a Copy Editor

Bethesda

2/9

Day

ALL

Blogging Tips and Tricks

Bethesda

2/9

Day

Blogging for Writers

Bethesda

1/14

Day

ALL

STAGE & SCREEN

LOCATION

START

DAY

TIME

LEVEL PAGE

Playwriting I

Bethesda

2/19

Evening

The 24-hr Play Project

Bethesda

4/6

S/Su

Day

ALL

Screenwriting I

Bethesda

1/8

Evening

Screenwriting II

Bethesda

2/7

Evening

I/A

The Art & Craft of Screenwriting

Glen Echo

1/26

Day

B/I

The Art & Craft of Screenwriting

Annapolis

3/9

Day

B/I

The Art & Craft of Screenwriting

Glen Echo

4/13

Day

B/I

The Art & Craft of Screenwriting

Hill Center

5/4

Day

B/I

B—beginner

I—intermediate

A—advanced

M—master

ALL—all levels

Advertise in the Workshop & Event Guide! Reach an eclectic audience of writers, students, teachers & hobbyists. Our guide is published triquarterly & has a distribution of 17,000 throughout the D.C. Metro area.

Advertise in The Workshop & Events Guide!

Ad Rates (4-color included)

To reserve ad space, contact Mia Cortez at mia.cortez@writer.org Members receive an additional 10% discount! 18

Ad Size Full page

1 Issue $475

2 Issues $460

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Half Page

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Quarter Page

$120

$105

$90

Eighth Page

$55

$50

$45

Business Card

$45

Winter 2012-2013

writer.org

WORKSHOPS

FOR MORE DETAILED CLASS DESCRIPTIONS, PLEASE VISIT WRITER.ORG NOTE: TWC will be closed Nov. 22-23 for Thanksgiving Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25 & Jan. 1, 2013.

Creative Nonfiction

Fiction

Creative Nonfiction I

Fiction I

Sara Taber

Sinta Jimenez

Examine published essays and memoirs, and practice aspects of the writer’s craft.

This introduction to the genre will include writing exercsies, workshopping and readings in fiction.

8 Tuesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beg/Int

1/8-2/26 $360

Pamela Toutant This workshop will focus on writing the personal essay. 8 Wednesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beg/Int

1/16-3/6 $360

Timothy Denevi This introduction to the genre will include writing exercises, workshopping and readings in memoir, essay, literary journalism and the hybrid. 8 Tuesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beginner

2/5-3/26 $360

ment, hard work, and practical suggestions. The workshop leader will provide detailed written comments on all manuscripts.

8 Wednesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beginner

1/9-2/27 $360

8 Thursdays 10:30 AM-1 PM Bethesda Beginner

6 Saturdays 1-3:30 PM 1/26-3/9 Bethesda Intermediate $270

1/10-2/28 $360

Note: No meeting on 2/16.

Alan Orloff With emphasis on ramping up conflict and suspense to create a real “page-turner.”

Ann McLaughlin

8 Saturdays 10 AM-12:30 PM Bethesda Beginner

8 Saturdays 10 AM-12:30 PM 2/2-3/30 Bethesda Intermediate $360 Note: No meeting on 2/23.

1/26-3/16 $360

Beginning Fiction Con Lehane

Students will turn in drafts of their own writing each week for workshopping. The goal is to craft and revise a finished product for submission.

This introduction to the genre will include writing exercises, workshopping and readings in fiction.

Narrative NonFiction: History & Biography Ken Ackerman Learn how to structure a story, avoid tangents, enhance theme, shape a “narrative arc,” evoke times, places and personalities, make best use of available sources, and sustain a narrative over the long haul, as well as understand publishing. 6 Tuesdays Bethesda

writer.org

7:30-10 PM All Levels

1/29-3/5 $270

Virginia Hartman

There will be emphasis on plot, characterization and revision.

Susan Land

Timothy Denevi

4/2-5/21 $360

Fiction II Focus on technique: effective beginnings, character and action, dramatic tension, and a structure organic to your subject matter. Please bring 15 copies of a work in progress to the first class.

Creative Nonfiction III

8 Tuesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Advanced

8 Tuesdays 7-9:30 PM 1/15-3/5 Bethesda Intermediate $360

6 Tuesdays Hill Center

7-9:30 PM Beginner

This workshop will focus on detail and revision.

T. Greenwood

2/19-3/26 $270

This online workshop will focus on starting your novel. First chapters will be read and critiqued as well. 8 Saturdays Online

N/A 1/5-2/23 Intermediate $315

Short Story I

Sinta Jimenez

Jim Beane

An intermediate-level fiction workshop that will expand upon the fundamentals learned in Fiction I, with writing exercises, workshopping and critique.

This workshop will focus on the basics of short story writing. 6 Wednesdays 1-3:30 PM Bethesda Beginner

1/16-2/20 $270

Short Story II John Morris The goal for each participant is to finish a successful draft, with emphasis on encourage-

Workshop & Event Guide

8 Wednesdays 10 AM-12 PM 3/6-4/24 Bethesda Intermediate $290

Fiction III T. Greenwood This online workshop will focus on revision strat-

Fall Events

ea len,Joon-HoYu&Chels JasonBittel,NikiVermeu To e, rit tsof“ToThink,ToW Biondolillo,participan and kshopforwriters,science Publish”,amulti-daywor and ng s,editors,creativewriti innovationpolicyscholar Chostedapaneldiscussion museumprofessionals.TW event on Oct. 6. the in connection with

TaylorMali,well-knownslampoetandeducator, performed at the Sept. 14th Poetry Slam.

r, DanielleCadenaBrodeu & authorofTheRiots BrianBrodeur,authorof NaturalCauses,readat TWConSept.29aspart oftheFallfortheBook Festival.

Above: TWC Member Paul Hopper reads at the Poetry Slam on Sept. 14. Left:Aiza&GiannyCruzattheTaylorMaliPoetrySlam onSept.14.GiannywasoneoftheSlamcontestants.

Winter 2012-2013

tsfrom DrawingFromLife:Artis vanced theYellowBarnStudio,Ad ifel,on FigureClassofLidaSt ,2013. displaythroughJan.31

MarketingInternJehanMondaltackles a large stack of First Novel Prize submissions and evaluations.

to back) Sunil TWC Staff (left to right/front inenger, Laura Freeman, Stewart Moss, Jill Le Fernebok & Spencer, Mia Cortez, Zachary Genevieve DeLeon

writer.org

Workshop & Event Guide

WORKSHOPS egies for your novel, with a reading and critique component. 8 Saturdays N/A 4/13-6/1 Online Advanced $315

Fiction Master Workshop Kathryn Johnson Make your scenes more vivid, your characters walk off the page, your dialogue spark…and tune up your voice. A challenging workshop for experienced writers with serious publication goals. 6 Wednesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Master

3/6-4/10 $270

The Extreme Novelist

Advanced Novel & Memoir Barbara Esstman For serious writers with a book-length project and hopes of publication. Learn technical skills: character/scene development, language, dialogue, conflict and plot. Discuss the psychological aspects: how to locate and stay with the emotional core of the story and keep going to the end. We’ll also touch on rewriting and the directions for getting an agent. Each writer will submit up to 35 double-spaced pages. 8 Wednesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Advanced

3/20-5/8 $405

Creating Complex Characters Lynn Schwartz

Kathryn Johnson Kathryn Johnson’s popular course returns to shepherd 15 determined authors, in 8 weeks, through a rough draft of their novel.

What do your characters yearn for? Examine how a character’s wants and desires drive key elements of story, including narrative, dialogue, conflict and plot.

8 Wednesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

1 Saturday Bethesda

1/9-2/27 $360

Fiction Studio: Kathryn Johnson Each student submits five scenes, using intense drama that may include: emotional/physical conflict, dialogue delivering poignant back story or developing characters, the staged flashback or other high-impact drama. Learn how to grab your readers and hold them to the end of the story in this workshop with attitude. 6 Mondays Bethesda

7-9:30 PM All Levels

3/4-4/8 $270

9:30 AM-12 PM All Levels

1/26 $50

Point of View John Morris A one-day class on one writer’s point of view on writing point of view. 1 Saturday Bethesda

10 AM-12:30 PM All Levels

2/2 $50

Writing Dialogue Kathryn Johnson

This workshop will have an emphasis on mystery and suspense fiction.

Join Kathryn for one of her Saturday morning coffee-and-pastry sessions as we demystify dialogue, discover interesting and effective voices for your characters, and explore the many uses of dialogue.

6 Tuesdays Bethesda

1 Saturday Bethesda

Fiction Studio: Con Lehane 7-9:30 PM All Levels

1/8-2/12 $270

2/7-3/14 $270

4 Stories, 4 Weeks Sinta Jimenez Write four short stories in four weeks, with workshopping and critique. 4 Mondays 10 AM-12 PM Bethesda Beginner

1/14-2/4 $195

Whether a short story, screenplay or novel… tension resulting from conflict drives the plot forward and hooks/holds the reader. Kathryn takes her usually relaxed Saturday morning coffee-and-pastry session and turns it on its head to demonstrate how to bump up the tension in your stories. 1 Saturday Bethesda

10 AM-12:30 PM All Levels

2/23 $50

50 Shades of Romance

Write six stories in six weeks, with workshopping and critique. 6 Wednesdays 10 AM-12 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

1 Saturday Bethesda

Sinta Jimenez

2/6-3/13 $215

10 AM-12:30 PM All Levels

Winter 2012-2013

This new course provides a longer-term, intensive, master-level workshop with a specific focus on supporting novelists who are considering publication. Designed for writers who have completed a novel draft or at least 100 pages of a novel, through a combination of in-class workshops, writing prompts and lectures, we will focus on each writer’s work in these areas: • Craft Issues – Investigate beginnings, endings, effective plotting and novel structure. We will also discuss character development, point of view, dialogue and setting. • Novel-Writing Process – Discover a process that works for you to write regularly, power through writer’s block and effectively revise your work. • Critique Skills – Learn to read other students’ work like a writer, identifying what is working well and what needs to be developed further. Develop a cohort of writers who work with and support each other. • Marketplace Education – Scheduled group sessions with a published author and a literary agent will provide insights into the publishing process. Discuss and understand the rules of literary and genre fiction, learn to build credentials, research the marketplace, and pitch an agent. Each participant receives: • The chance to workshop your writing twice, up to 50 pages of work each time. Your instructor will provide detailed written feedback in addition to class feedback. • One-on-one mentoring meeting with your instructor. • A group of trusted readers who will support and help improve your work and expand your writing community.

Prerequisites: Classes limited to 10 students. To be considered, submit a 10-page writing sample of your novel and a brief summary of previous workshop experience and where you are in the novel-writing process. Students will be notified by Dec. 3, 2012. Please apply only if you can attend most classes, read your colleagues’ writing each week, prepare feedback and engage in workshop discussions; and if you have written at least 100 pages of a novel draft.

Amin Ahmad

Kathryn Johnson Romance far outsells any other single genre of fiction. Find out why. Learn possibilities for adapting your writing to this genre, from the sweet to the sweltering. And consider the level of sensuality that might best match your personal writing goals and comfort level.

6 Stories, 6 Weeks

The Master Novel Workshop

• Craft and marketplace questions answered by a visiting published author as well as a literary agent.

Kathryn Johnson

This workshop focuses only on fiction or narrative nonfiction for Middle Grade And Young Adult Readers. 10:30 AM-1 PM All Levels

1/12 $50

Building Tension

Fiction Studio: Judith Tabler

6 Thursdays Bethesda

10 AM-12:30 PM All Levels

The Writer’s Center

1/26 $50

15 Tuesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Master

1/15-4/23 $800

Jenny Moore 15 Wednesdays 7-9:30 PM 1/16-4/24 Bethesda Master $800 Note: In four separate weeks of the course, the two sections will meet jointly for lectures and events. These dates TBD.

writer.org

WORKSHOPS

Writing the Narrator

Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy

Brenda Clough

Learn how to write a strong and unique narrator.

In this workshop, manuscripts will be read and critqued. Special attention will be paid to the tropes and needs of the genre.

1 Saturday Bethesda

10 AM-2 PM All Levels

2/23 $75

6 Wednesdays McLean

Flash Fiction Sinta Jimenez A one-day class on the basics of flash fiction. This one will go quickly! 1 Wednesday Bethesda

1-3 PM All Levels

2/6 $40

Creating the Series Kathryn Johnson Join Kathryn for another of her Saturday morning coffee-and-pastry sessions as we explore tricks of the trade to developing and selling a series of novels with continuing characters in today’s challenging publishing world. What are the advantages/disadvantages of a series? How do you keep readers coming back? 1 Saturday 10 AM-12 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

2/9 $40

Growing the Novel Kathryn Johnson Kathryn Johnson invites you to a Saturday morning coffee-and-pastries chat for writers who have either a short story or brief concept they’d like to develop into a novel, or who wish to explore the possibilities for expanding a too-short book into a full-length novel. 1 Saturday 10 AM-12:30 PM Bethesda Inter/Adv

3/23 $50

Whodunit? Writing the Mystery Alan Orloff If you’ve always wanted to write a mystery novel but didn’t know where to start, this workshop is for you. Discuss writing fundamentals as they apply to the mystery. Examine characteristics of the many subgenres (thrillers, too!) and learn about mystery-specific conventions and pitfalls such as TSTL (too-stupid-to-live) syndrome, macguffins, red herrings, killer twists, wacky sidekicks and smooth clue dropping, among others. Fun, educational and…mysterious! 1 Saturday Bethesda

1-3 PM All Levels

1/19 $40

7-9:30 PM 1/9-2/13 All Levels See MCC website

Memoir Studio Lynn Stearns The focus will be on making the various components of writing as effective as possible to present a compelling story. Each workshop participant may have up to 15 pages of work critiqued. 10 AM-12:30 PM All Levels

1/15-2/19 $270

The class will focus on making the various components of writing as effective as possible to present a compelling story. Each workshop participant may have up to 15 pages of work critiqued. 8 Wednesdays 10 AM-12:30 PM Bethesda All Levels Note: No meeting on 3/27

2/20-4/17 $360

4 Essays/Memoirs, 4 Weeks Sara Taber Sandwiches, Truth, The day you wanted to kick your brother… Come receive stimulating prompts each week—or come with your own idea. Workshop time will be spent writing, sharing work, and discussing craft. By the end of four weeks, four pieces on their way to completion! 4 Tuesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beg/Int

3/5-3/26 $195

Writing Your Life Hildie Block Writing from your life – essays, blogs, memoirs, even fiction that “borrows” heavily from life -how do you do it? How do you “make it interesting”? We’ll focus on the arc of story telling how to get those “real” details down. 6 Thursdays McLean

10:30 AM-1PM 4/11-5/16 All Levels See MCC site

My Life, One Story at a Time Pat McNees

Writing Conflict Conflict is an invaluable tool in a story – it reveals character, creates obstacles, builds suspense and surprise, and offers an organic path to a satisfying resolution. Learn how to setup believable conflict, inner and outer, for the characters in your story.

The goal in this workshop is to capture your legacy in short personal writing (especially stories) for those who will survive you. Knowing that you are writing not for publication but to set the record straight (in your own mind, if nothing else) may liberate you, allowing you to frankly explore your life choices and experiences, achievements and mistakes, beliefs and convictions.

1 Saturday Bethesda

6 Wednesdays 7:15-9:45 PM 1/9-2/13 Bethesda Intermediate $270

Lynn Schwartz

writer.org

9:30 AM - 12 PM All Levels

3/2 $50

Crafting a Story Hildie Block This workshop will focus on beginnings, middles and endings of writing great stories, including character, dialogue, setting and, of course, plot. 6 Thursdays McLean

Memoir/Essay

6 Tuesdays Bethesda

Mixed Genre

Workshop & Event Guide

10:30 AM - 1 PM 1/17-2/23 All Levels See MCC site

Strong Beginnings for Fiction & Memoir Lynn Schwartz Where should your story open? In the middle? With a bit of dialogue? A character in action? Do your beginning pages introduce characters in conflict? Do they establish tone, point of view, setting and expectation? Let’s explore the components of a strong start, one that is not gimmicky, but an integral part of the text – capturing the reader from the very first page. 1 Saturday Annapolis

9:30 AM-12 PM All Levels

2/9 $50

Getting Started: Creative Writing Liz Rees This supportive class includes weekly exercises in memoir, short fiction and poetry, to help the new writer gain confidence and pleasure in the writing experience. 8 Wednesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beginner Note: no meeting 2/20.

1/9-3/6 $360

8 Saturdays 1-3:30 PM Bethesda Beginner

3/30-5/18 $360

Patricia Gray Participants will be given an assignment to approach using each of the three genres: fiction, poetry and nonfiction. 1 Saturday 1:30-4 PM Bethesda Beginner

2/23-3/2 $50

Speechwriting James Alexander Participants will get hands-on experience, and everyone will complete a speech by the end of the workshop. Also: discussion on social media in speechwriting. 6 Thursdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beg/Int

2/7-3/14 $270

Narrative Science Writing David Taylor Join David Taylor as he teaches you how to make your science writing compelling with narrative techniques. 4 Wednesdays Bethesda

7-9:30 PM All Levels

3/6-3/27 $195

WORKSHOPS

Poetry

How to Write a Lot

The Reading

Kathryn Johnson

Travis Cebula

Learn Kathryn’s innovative techniques that have enabled her students to double, or even triple, their page count while drafting their novels.

Learn how to prepare yourself so that you and your work get the best possible chance at a positive reception. Students should bring a sample of their own work (prose or poem) to work with, as well as a favorite piece of writing by another author.

1 Saturday Bethesda

10 AM-12:30 PM All Levels

3/9 $50

Virginia Hartman This is a very hands-on workshop about how to write a lot when you don’t have a lot of time. 1 Saturday Bethesda

1-4 PM All Levels

3/30 $60

From derriere-to-chair to the Artist’s Way, we will discover how to write more. There will be a lunch break from noon-1:30 PM. 10 AM --3:30 PM All Levels

4/13 $75

An entertaining and useful workshop in which you will acquire the skill to elevate any work with humor. 3/2 $40

Selling Nonfiction Articles Ellen Ryan Focus: matching ideas to available markets, winning assignments, dealing with editors, understanding contracts 6 Thursdays Bethesda

7-9:30 PM All levels

3/7-4/11 $270

David Taylor This workshop focuses on a key to making any documentary: the visual treatment. Come with an idea for a short film. You’ll learn principles of visualizing key scenes, honing in on character, and finding a workable structure, based on discussion of a sample treatment and choices in developing your own. 10 AM-12:30 PM All Levels

1 Thursday Bethesda

6-9 PM All Levels

3/7 $60

3/2 $50

4/22-4/26 $360

Writing Your Novel or Memoir Barbara Esstman For writers with a book-length project. Working from your own manuscripts, we’ll discuss character and scene development, tone, language, point of view and plot, as well as how to focus the main idea and emotional center and to keep going to the end. We’ll also cover rewriting, getting an agent when you finish and other essentials. Each writer will submit up to 20 double-spaced pages, which can include an optional plot synopsis. 6 Tuesdays McLean

7-9:30 PM 4/16-5/21 Int/Adv See MCC website

Developing the Characters in Your Life Stories

Writing: A New Year’s Resolution

Solveig Eggerz

Give your writing practice a boost (or start one from scratch). This workshop is designed to help you establish a fruitful craft.

Discover your stories with a special emphasis on developing characters. Using in-class writing, we will focus on a different aspect of story each day in this week-long class. Each session will connect to the next session, so that by the end of the week, you will have a good start on a longer work.

1 Saturday Bethesda

M-F Bethesda

Jenny Rough

10 AM-3 PM All Levels

1/5 $85

10:30 AM-1:30 PM All Levels

Winter 2012-2013

Melanie Figg Each class will include writing, close readings, weekly assignments, and instructor feedback. 8 Mondays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beginner

1/7-2/25 $360

Poetry II

Tony Mancus 8 Thursdays 7-9:30 PM 2/7-3/28 Bethesda Intermediate $360

Sean Enright 8 Saturdays 10:30 AM-1 PM 2/9-3/30 Bethesda Intermediate $360

Do you dream of participating in a writing retreat, but can’t get out of town? This workshop, a non-residential week-long retreat at The Writer’s Center, is for you. Join us for an intensive, supportive, exhilarating, focused week of writing. Each day begins with a short reading and brief discussion. Then tons of time for working on your own writing–whether it is poetry, a novel or nonfiction work in your brain, or a manuscript that needs some final polish. Optional lunch speakers and one-on-one meetings with local authors. Drinks and healthy snacks are provided, with a booklet of handouts and resources. 10 AM- 5 PM All Levels

Poetry I

An intermediate-level poetry workshop that will expand upon the fundamentals learned in Poetry I, with writing exercises, workshopping and critque.

Master the first rule of writing in this interactive workshop that will use theory, examples and a lot of practice.

M-F Bethesda

Writing the Documentary Treatment

1 Saturday Bethesda

Show, Don’t Tell

Zahara Heckscher

Laura Oliver

1:30-3:30 PM All Levels

1/12 $75

Writing Staycation

Writing Humor: A Versatile Skill

1 Saturday Bethesda

12-4 PM All Levels

Zahara Heckscher

Patricia Gray

1 Saturday Bethesda

The Writer’s Center

2/18-2/22 $225

Poetry III Jessica Garratt A focus on the possibilities and constraints of the long poem, and students will work toward one or two longer pieces. 8 Mondays 7-9 PM Bethesda Advanced

3/18-5/6 $290

Poetry Master Workshop Sean Enright A master-level poetry workshop available to poets who have completed an advanced level poetry workshop, or gained permission of the instructor. Please send a ten-page sample to zach@writer.org by 2/28. 8 Thursdays 7:30-10 PM Bethesda Master

3/7-4/25 $360

Poetry Studio Yvette Neisser Moreno We will strive to bring each poem to the highest level (publication-ready) by seeking the “heart” of the poem and the best form and diction to convey it. 8 weeks All Levels

Online $270

2/4-3/29

Travis Cebula There will be a focus on bringing your poetry into the digital age. 6 Tuesdays 7-9 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

1/15-2/19 $215

6 Poems, 6 Weeks Sean Enright Write six poems in six weeks, with workshopping and critque. 6 Tuesdays 7:30-10 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

1/8-2/26 $270

writer.org Jessica Garratt In this class students will read a number of (primarily) contemporary poets, mining their work for helpful strategies, and writing a new poem each week in response to boundary-pressing assignments. 6 Mondays 6:30-8:30 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

1/14-2/18 $215

Marie Pavlicek-Wehrli There will be an emphasis on works of art as inspiration for poetry. 6 Thursdays 7-9:30 PM 2/21-3/28 Bethesda Intermediate $270

8 Poems, 8 Weeks Focus on in-class writing exeriences to generate new material, and workshopping. 8 Saturdays 10 AM-12:30 PM Bethesda Int/Adv Note: no class on 2/16.

1/12-3/9 $360

8 Saturdays 10 AM-12:30 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

3/30-5/18 $360

Tony Mancus Stengthen the voice of your poem in th is oneday session. 1/19-1/19 $50

Making Metaphor Work Sue Ellen Thompson This class will examine some of the more challenging and unusual metaphors that contemporary poets have used to bring their poems to life. Additionally, participants will learn how to choose between simile and metaphor, how to control and extend an image, and how to avoid making comparisons that are sentimental or clichéd. There will be a writing exercise designed to challenge our image-making powers and time to examine

writer.org

1 Saturday Annapolis

1-4 PM All Levels

3/9 $60

The Mystery of Line Breaks Sue Ellen Thompson A look at how modern poets have dealt with line breaks and their decisions will help students to manage line breaks in their own poems. 1 Saturday Annapolis

1-4 PM All Levels

4/13 $60

A Matter of Time: Verb Tenses in Poetry This workshop will examine approaches that poets have used to manipulate time in their poems, focusing on how choosing the right tense and knowing how and when to shift verb tenses can add immediacy, introduce tension, or bring a poem to life. 1 Saturday Annapolis

1-4PM All Levels

5/11 $60

Professional Development

The Voice of the Poem

1-3:30 PM All Levels

the effectiveness of the similes and metaphors in the poems that participants bring to class.

Sue Ellen Thompson

Liz Rees

1 Saturday Bethesda

WORKSHOPS

Intro to Marketing Platforms Angela Render Getting published is hard, especially for a firsttime author. Publishers want you to come with a platform, and this workshop will discuss what a platform is and when to start building it. It will also give a brief overview of the tools available to writers for building a platform on the web, and discuss Internet privacy, copyright and media. 1 Saturday 12-2 PM Bethesda Beginner

1/19 $40

Blogging for Beginners Angela Render This introductory class explains what a blog is and what it can do for a writer. It will cover

Workshop & Event Guide

several blogging software options, the basics on how to set up a blog and choose a domain name, how to post, and how to insert images. Participants will get a feel for what sort of content should be included in a post, how to organize their content, how to invite comment, and how to promote themselves on other people’s blogs. Participants will brainstorm topic ideas for their own blogs. 1 Saturday 3-5 PM Bethesda Beginner

1/19 $40

Social Networking for Writers Angela Render Does the world of social media make you want to head for a cave? Do you think the world’s all gone to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks? Learn to navigate the social surf online and in person as you learn how to approach social networking online and off. Recommended, but not mandatory: Familiarity with blogging or having taken Introduction to Blogging. 1 Saturday 3-5 PM 2/9 Bethesda Intermediate $40

How to Write a Grant Proposal Cara Seitchek Part in-person and part online, this class offers practical training for writers to expand their skill base. 2 Saturdays Bethesda

1:30-4 PM All Levels

3/2-3/16 $100

How to Make a Living as a Copy Editor Bernadette Geyer This workshop will cover what you need to know to pursue a career as a copy editor. You will learn how a copy editor differs from a proofreader, how to build experience now to make a career switch later, key tips every copy editor should know, and the steps you’ll need to take if you want to work on a freelance basis. 1 Saturday Bethesda

1:30-4 PM All Levels

2/9 $50

WORKSHOPS Blogging Tips and Tricks

The Art & Craft of Screenwriting

Angela Render

Khris Baxter

An intermediate level workshop that is best suited for people who are already blogging and want to take their blogs to the next level. Students will learn techniques to improve their posts and their exposure. Basic graphics editing, search engine optimization (SEO), and ways to come up with sustainable topics to write about will be discussed.

This intensive one-day workshop will guide you through the entire screenwriting process. Participants should arrive with a short synopsis (no more than a page) of their screenplay idea. (1-hr. lunch break.)

1 Saturday 12-2 PM 2/9 Bethesda Intermediate $40

Blogging for Writers Sinta Jimenez Dive into TWC’s first multi-session blogging workshop with writer and blogger Sinta Jimenez. 6 Mondays Bethesda

1-3 PM All Levels

1/14-2/18 $290

Stage & Screen

1 Saturday Glen Echo

10 AM-4 PM Beg/Int

Jeffrey Rubin

1 Saturday 9:30 AM-4:30PM Annapolis Beg/Int

3/9 $100

1 Saturday Glen Echo

10 AM-4 PM Beg/Int

4/13 $100

1 Saturday Hill Center

10 AM-4 PM Beg/Int

5/4 $100

Playwriting I Randy Baker

Jeffrey Rubin will focus on screenplay structure, writing scenes and character development.

8 Tuesdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Beginner

8 Tuesdays 7-9:30PM Bethesda Beginner

The 24-Hour Play Project

1/8-2/26 $360

2/19-4/9 $360

Randy Baker

Screenwriting II A concentration on the art of rewriting your screenplay. A completed or near completed script is required.

This course is modeled on the very popular 24hour play projects that exist all over the country in which a play is written overnight, rehearsed the next day and produced within 24 hours of the first meeting.

8 Thursdays 7-9:30 PM Bethesda Int/Adv

Sat & Sun Bethesda

Lyn Vaus

2/7-3/28 $360

11 AM-2 PM All Levels

TWC Holiday Book Fair

1/26 $100

This course will develop the writer’s individual theatrical style through the writing of scenes and discussion of literary examples. Each student will end the class with a completed one-act play.

Screenwriting I

The Writer’s Center

4/6-4/7 $100

Saturday, Dec. 1 12-5 PM Join us for refreshments, readings, books, gift certificates and holiday cheer! TWC members, workshop leaders, board members & other local authors will offer books for sale. For more information, call 301-654-8664.

TWC like we do? Support our Annual Fund. We greatly appreciated your generous support during the past fiscal year. You helped us keep our doors open and serve you better with a wide array of excellent workshops and exciting readings and events.

How about helping us again in the new fiscal year? We could brighten the restrooms with a fresh coat of paint … even offer you better coffee!

As a literary community, we’re in this together. Please give to the annual fund and support the place that means so much to all of us. The Center thanks you.

www.writer.org/support • 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815 • 26

Winter 2012-2013

(301) 654-8664

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RECENT TITLES

How to Successfully Date a Married Man: Understanding and Abiding by the Rules by Gloria Bonds Dog Ear Publishing $15.96 paper

Christmas in My Mind A Collection of Prose and Poems by The Walsh Street Writers Available on Amazon

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Workshop & Event Guide

POET LORE

The Writer’s Center

Poet Lore: On Literature as Action Jehan Mondal I know you are reading this poem as you pace beside the stove warming milk, a crying child on your shoulder, a book in your hand because life is short and you too are thirsty. The Fall/Winter 2012 issue of Poet Lore opens with the above passage by late poet and feminist Adrienne Rich, whose words preface the work of the 52 poets featured in the current issue. Bearing the image of women in a 1912 suffrage parade, the issue’s cover reminds us of the long travail women underwent for a voice and vote. The struggle for representation encompasses something of a theme for the issue—some poems aim focus on the female experience and journey, others give attention to exchanges at the margins of experience—realities too often sidelined from deeper reflection. As the oldest continuously published poetry journal in the United States, Poet Lore has included translation of the works of Nobel Prize-winning poets and playwrights since its inception in 1889. Poet Lore executive editors Jody Bolz and E. Ethelbert Miller are uniquely inspired to capture and champion the best work of our time. As part of the selection process, Bolz and Miller read 28

1,000 poetry submissions each month, discovering the works of both established and progressive new authors. Only 15-20 poems make the cut at each editorial meeting. “The poems we choose for publication are the ones we want to reread as soon as we’ve read them—the ones that won’t let us alone,” Bolz said. In an election year, this collection of work establishes an exciting authority on gender and a variety of topics and occupies particularly dazzling mental and sensory moments while mining for truths. The issue’s introductory poem, “Spill,” by Aimee R. Cervenka, delves into intimate female histories, relaying the unseen wins and losses of househeld lives: I washed the gloves as if there were still fingers inside, working my thumbs over each knuckle with small circular motions. Winter 2012-2013

Even then, it seemed silly, my wish to mount them on the wall, palms cupped, fingers unfolding outward as if you might have offered to catch the sunlight leaking to the floor. Gardner McFall’s “Veterans Day” memorializes her father through gifts of observed forgiveness in her ongoing loss:

writer.org I forgive my anger and my grief, still quick, my wanting you back— a child, still, as I live my life without you. McFall has written many poems about her father, a Navy pilot lost at sea in 1966 between his two deployments to Vietnam. “I also wanted to express the conflict I had felt as the child of a service man who’d died in Vietnam and my generation that defined itself in opposition to that war, along with civil rights,” McFall says. “Wearing My Brother’s Boxers” by Brittney Scott came

POET LORE from a place of desperation and grief after her brother’s passing: When I was small, my head barely to his chest, heartbeat closer than his voice or his breath, he used to trap me under the hamper, a little laundry prison. He would offer his hands through the basket’s holes for me to hold until I stopped crying, as if he wanted to apologize, but he wasn’t about to let me go. “It [Poet Lore] has a long, rich history of being a significant force in not just the literary landscape, but in a society that

needs art to sustain it. Being part of something that important feels gratifying and surreal. I am honored to contribute,” she says. Scott worked on the poem for many years. “My brother, his death, has become such a looming force in my life that I carry him in me as much as I carry myself,” she says. “Writing about his story, our story, quiets that furnace.” “Just the idea that one of my poems could someday make their way into the hands of someone that needs them, or help someone through something terrible and isolating, is miraculous.”

Author’s Coach/ Writing Mentor Writing your first novel or in need of professional support to further your writing career? Kathryn Johnson, popular author of over 40 published books (with HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Silhouette, Avon, Macmillan and others), developer of The Extreme Novelist course for The Writer’s Center, is now accepting new clients. Services designed to fit the individual author’s needs. Including: • • • • • •

Partial or Full Content Editing Critical Reads and Brainstorming Sessions Publish-ready Analysis and Tips Help with Queries/Synopses/Pitches Private Consultation and Instruction at all levels Specializing in all fiction genres & the creative memoir

Reasonable rates, no contracts/retainers, privacy guaranteed. Free 20-minute phone consultation: 301-439-7567 For more information, check out: www.WriteByYou.com or email Kathryn@WriteByYou.com writer.org

Workshop & Event Guide

BOOK TALK

The Writer’s Center

1954 Adventures in New York

Piggies in Pajamas

Ice

by Neil Gillen

by Michelle Meadows

by Harley Mazuk

ISBN: 978-1416949824

ISBN: 978-1479268351

Neal Gillen, local author and vice chair on TWC’s Board of Directors, recently published a memoir, 1954 Adventures in New York. The book tells his story and that of his zany friends finding their way in a time of social political change in “New York City when it was New York City.” 1954 Adventures in New York, 310 pages, is available for $12 at amazon.com. Friendly Casualties by Tom Glenn

Local writer and book reviewer for The Washington Independent Review of Books, Tom Glenn, has published Friendly Casualties, a novel told in stories, for Kindle. The book tells the individual stories of the McIntyre family and those connected with them to show the damage of a brutal war gone wrong. The e-book is available for download at amazon.com. tom-tells-tales.org

Children’s picture book author and TWC workshop leader, Michelle Meadows, will publish her eighth book, Piggies In Pajamas in March 2013. It’s predecessor, Piggies in the Kitchen, was selected last spring for the Read Across Maryland program, while her 2010 book, Hibernation Station, is a current nominee for the 2012-2013 South Carolina Picture Book Award. www.michellemeadows.com Ginseng, The Divine Root

Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds

by David Taylor

by Ann McCallum

TWC workshop leader David Taylor released his book Ginseng, the Divine Root from Algonquin Books as an e-book. The book tracks the path of this fascinating herb from the forests east of the Mississippi to the streets of Hong Kong and the remote corners of China. It is available for download at amazon.com. davidataylor.org

Discretion

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

by Allison Leotta

by C.M. Mayo

ISBN: 978-1451644845

ISBN: 978-1936071616

Former TWC member & sex-crimes prosecutor Allison Leotta published her second legal thriller, Discretion, this July. After a high-end escort is killed in the U.S. Capitol, one prosecutor must risk everything to find the truth. Discretion has been featured on Fox-5 News, in The Washington Post, and on WAMU. www.allisonleotta.com

Harley Mazuk’s second story, Ice, which developed from a prompt in a Writer’s Center workshop, is now available in the September/October 2012 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. He has also self-published the third story in The Girls from Nanking, his private eye series available for Amazon Kindle. www.harleymazuk.com

C.M. Mayo’s novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, has been introduced in Kindle and iBook editions. In addition, she published her translation – the first into English – of the secret book of 1911 by the leader of Mexico’s 1910 Revolution and president from 1911-1913, Don Francisco Madero, as Spiritist Manual, in a Kindle edition. www.cmmayo.com www.dancingchiva.com Winter 2012-2013

ISBN: 978-1570917806

Ann McCallum, local author and former TWC member released her latest children’s book, Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds, a collection of recipes and math facts that leave readers hungry for more. For more information, visit www.annmccallumbooks.com Unrest by Chloe Yelena Miller

Local writer and teacher, Chloe Yelena Miller has a new poetry chapbook, Unrest, forthcoming in January 2013 from Finishing Line Press. Unrest illustrates the experience of loss through food, foreign language, travel, visual art, and more. To pre-order a copy of this limited edition chapbook, visit Finishing Line Press’s website. chloeyelenamiller.blogspot.com/www. finishinglinepress.com

writer.org Journey to Myrtos: Vietnam to Crete – Healing the Wounds of War by Robert Mitchell ISBN: 978-1466313033

Former US Army helicopter pilot, teacher and writer in the DC area, Robert Mitchell, has published a twovolume memoir of his 12-year odyssey of hearing, personal transformation and reintegration after the Vietnam War. The first book, Journey to Myrtos: Vietnam to Crete – Healing the Wounds of War is available at amazon.com and Politics and Prose. Tamam Shud: Poems by Dr. Kshittij by Meenakski Mohan ISBN: 978-9380188089

Meenakshi Mohan has edited a collection of poetry written by her late husband, Dr. Kshittij Mohan. The collection, entitled Tamam Shud, reflects the life, passions and philosophy of Kshitij Mohan, including the restlessness of youth, a father’s hopes for his children, and apprehensions about life’s illusory and transient nature. It is available from Promilla & Co/New Asia Books and amazon.com. REBEL STREETS: A Novel of the Irish Troubles by Tom Molloy ISBN: 978-0984835911

Nortia Press recently published REBEL STREETS: A Novel of the Irish Troubles by Tom Molloy. Set in Northern Ireland, Rebel Streets looks at what happens when ordinary people are thrust into writer.org

BOOK TALK a world of violence, extremism and betrayal. Molloy pulls from his experience as a freelance journalist covering the time of religious violence known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland. nortiapress.com/Rebel_Streets.html The Story Within: New Insights and Inspiration for Writers by Laura Oliver ISBN: 978-1615641147

TWC’s own Laura Oliver has garnered additional distinction for her book, The Story Within: New Insights and Inspiration for Writers over its ten months in print. The book was chosen by Poets and Writers and The Writer magazine as one of the best writing books of all time. www.thestorywithin.net Immersion by Michele Wolf ISBN: 978-0915380800

Michele Wolf, longtime poetry workshop leader and contributing editor of Poet Lore, received a glowing review for her latest collection of poems, Immersion (2011), by Laura Orem, a featured writer for the Best American Poetry Blog. The review is available in the Fall issue of Innisfree Poetry Journal. Immersion is available at Word Works and amazon.com. michelewolf.com Grip

from Amazon.com and BN.com. Sarah Browning writes, “These are poems of great humanity. Read them for their crystalline truths.” Moreno teaches at TWC and coordinates the DCArea Literary Translators Network (DC-ALT). www.yneissermoreno.com Of Mouse and Magic Allan R. Gall ISBN: 978-1-936401-78-9

Of Mouse and Magic is a literary yarn about the adventures of Manny, the smallest of six mice siblings, who lives among predators but stays alive by building partnerships. Every child understands being small and vulnerable and dreams, as Manny does, of being powerful and feared. Sky Never Sleeps Jill Leininger ISBN: 978-0-9837611-4-3

TWC associate executive director of development Jill Leininger will welcome the publication of her second collection of poems, Sky Never Sleeps, which won the 2011 BLOOM chapbook competition. Judge Mark Doty observed, “This fresh, livewire collection introduces a distinctive new voice, a deeply ingratiating speaker who’s flirtatious, tender, knowing, tough enough to get by but not too tough to avoid getting her heart broken… ”

Yvette Neisser Moreno ISBN: 978-1-928589-76-1

Advertise Your Book in Book Talk!

Yvette Neisser Moreno’s first book of poetry, Grip, winner of the Gival Press Poetry Award, was published in October. Available in paperback and e-book Workshop & Event Guide

Mia.Cortez@Writer.org

How do you write? The art of inspiration Travis Cebula

orkshop participants frequently pose questions about the nature of writing practice. It can be a fun game to play, taking turns asking each other, “How do you write?” The standard (and, coincidentally, true) answer is this: everyone’s writing practice is necessarily different. Common responses include first thing in the morning, last thing before bed, with a big cup of coffee, in a park with a No.2 pencil, completely naked other than a pair of combat boots, listening to The Beatles’ White Album over and over, etc.

Winter 2012-2013

The conversation could, and often does, end with the quirkiest anecdote – one of the players manages to convincingly combine several of the available options. “I like to write naked in the park with a sippycup of Johnny Walker, a Sharpie, and a Big Chief notepad. It really gets the creative juices flowing.” There’s just no way to compete with that or, for that matter, reasonably emulate it. It’s just not a valuable prescription for aspiring writers. So instructors fall back on the “go your own way” platitude. On the other hand, I’m a poet, and if the person asking me is earnest and also writes poetry, I usually attempt to offer a more nuanced answer. It’s important to remember that being a disciplined writer and writing on a regular basis is not the same thing. I have found this to be doubly true if you’re a poet. Poetry and discipline are often tenuous bedfellows, even under ideal circumstances. When an author or outside agent applies force, coercion or discipline to the creation of poetry, the result is almost invariably bad poems. Which is to say, poetry doesn’t respond well to demands or deadlines.

If you find subjects that instill a desire in you to write about them, you will write on a regular basis. One way to achieve this is to practice being attentive. Wherever you go, pay attention to your surroundings. Identify the flowers. Listen to the birds. Read the newspaper. Eavesdrop on conversations (subtly, of course). Watch the light. Be mindful of absolutely everything you can without getting run down in traffic. Make lists of whatever you hear, smell, touch and see. Inevitably, pieces of that list will get your attention. Write about them. Cultivate your attention to the point where you no longer have to write lists… and then you’ll just be writing poems. All the time. ---Travis Cebula is a writer, teacher, editor, photographer and graphic designer. He recently moved to Bethesda from Colorado, and is currently teaching workshops at TWC. He intends to teach classes on Performance as well as Poetry in the Digital Age in the coming months. He will also be helping lead the Left Bank Writer’s Retreat in Paris next summer.

Picture the cliché situation: someone comes up and puts a gun to your head, “Write a poem. Now.” Sure, you could probably write something. Score a point for discipline. But it’s very likely the resulting poem would be awful, even if the gun is imaginary and it’s your own hand holding it. The flow of poetry responds best to seduction and enticement. Poets are drawn by the muse, by angels, by Duende, by passion and inspiration. The bottom line is, poets dip their material from the well of desire – be it light or dark – and not a place of extortion. Because, as poets, we need not only to want to write (which can be generated forcefully, more or less); we need to want to write something, and the nature of that something is key, and can’t be forced any more than desire can. Wanting could flow from a subject, a turn of language, a form or just about anything we come across. But whatever it is, it needs to seduce us to pull us in. My answer to the earlier question, the one that matters, is this: open yourself up to being seduced. writer.org

Workshop & Event Guide

WORKSHOP LEADERS KEN ACKERMAN, a writer and attorney in Washington, D.C., has written dozens of articles and has authored four published books: The Gold Ring: Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, and Black Friday, 1869; Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield; Boss Tweed: The Rise and Fall of the Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York; and Young J. Edgar: Hoover, the Red Scare, and the Assault on Civil Liberties. For more details, visit his Web page at www.kennethackerman.com. AMIN AHMAD was raised in India. Educated at Vassar College and M.I.T., he has studied creative writing at The New School and New York University. His work has been published in The Missouri Review, Harvard Review, New England Review, Narrative and others. He’s been a finalist for Glimmertrain’s Short Story Award and has been listed in Best American Essays. Ahmad’s first novel, The Caretaker, will be published by St. Martin’s Press in 2013, followed by Bollywood Taxi in 2014. He is particularly interested in genre fiction and novel structure. JAMES ALEXANDER has been writing professionally for over 30 years, including several as a speechwriter. After earning a B.A. in Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he worked as a bylined newspaper reporter for The Charlotte Observer and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and also as an intern for The Washington Post. Alexander went on to serve in the House and Senate as a U.S. Congressional Fellow before working on Capitol Hill as a press secretary and op-ed writer. As an op-ed ghostwriter, he has published more than 50 op-eds for key government and political figures on a variety of topics in various newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. JIM BEANE is a native Washingtonian who resides in Hyattsville, Maryland with his wife of 33 years. Jim’s stories have appeared in a number of journals, and his story, “Jeanette,” was included in the anthology, DC Noir. In 2010, he was selected as a finalist for the Cappon Fiction Award given by New Letters Literary Magazine. The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts has twice awarded him fellowships to work on his fiction. Currently, he is working on his second collection of short stories and putting the final touches on his first novel.

MARY CARPENTER holds an MS in journalism with 25 years as a published journalist specializing in medical topics for Time, the International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, and women’s magazines. She has written two middle-grade children’s books and is working on literary/ memoir essays from her mother’s life, of which one is published and one accepted for publication in Gargoyle, Fall 2012. TRAVIS CEBULA previously wrote, edited and taught in Colorado, but he recently relocated to Bethesda. He graduated from the MFA program at Naropa University in 2009, the same year he founded Shadow Mountain Press, a small press focusing on handmade editions of poetry chapbooks. Thus far, he has authored one full-length collection of poetry and six chapbooks, the most recent of which, But for a Brief Interlude at Versailles, was released in Fall of 2011 by Highway 101 Press. Also in 2011, Western Michigan University awarded him the Pavel Srut Fellowship for Poetry. BRENDA W. CLOUGH is a novelist, shortstory and nonfiction writer. Her recent e-books are Revise the World and Speak to Our Desires. Her novels include How Like a God, The Doors of Death and Life, and Revise the World. She has been a finalist for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards. She has been teaching science fiction and fantasy workshops at The Writer’s Center for over 10 years. TIM DENEVI has recently published creative nonfiction in Arts & Letters, Hawai’i Review and Hobart. He currently teaches in the Professional Writing Program at the University of Maryland. He received his M.F.A. from the non-fiction workshop at the University of Iowa. PAMELA EHRENBERG is the author of two novels for young people, Tillmon County Fire (2009) and Ethan, Suspended (2007). A former junior high teacher and an AmeriCorps alumna, she is currently a higher education consultant and mom to two small children, as well as a member of the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C., and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. SEAN ENRIGHT has taught writing workshops at the University of Maryland and The Writer’s Center. His poems have appeared in TriQuarterly, The Threepenny Review, Sewanee Review, and The Kenyon Review, among others. In 2001, he pubWinter 2012-2013

The Writer’s Center lished a novel, Goof and Other Stories. In 2007, his play about the day of the Lincoln assassination, The Third Walking Gentleman, was a semifinalist in the National Playwright’s Contest at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. BARBARA ESSTMAN, M.F.A., is a National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and Virginia Commission for the Arts fellow, and a Redbook fiction award winner, among other distinctions. Her two novels, The Other Anna and Night Ride Home, are in numerous foreign editions; both were adapted for television by Hallmark Productions. She co-edited an anthology, A More Perfect Union: Poems and Stories About the Modern Wedding, and has taught extensively in universities. MELANIE FIGG has been teaching creative writing for over 20 years. She’s taught children, male prisoners, university students and adult learners. She has won many awards and fellowships for her poetry, and has been published in The Iowa Review, LIT, MARGIE, Colorado Review and other journals. Her first manuscript was a finalist for the Walt Whitman Award, the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize, the Tupelo Prize, and three other national competitions. She curates Literary Art Tours in local galleries and manages Cross-Pollinate, a monthly multi-genre artist workshop that develops new work based on Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Method. JESSICA GARRATT holds a Ph.D. (University of Missouri), an MFA (University of Texas at Austin), and is the author of Fire Pond, winner of the Agha Shahid Prize in Poetry and published by the University of Utah Press in 2009. She is working on her second collection, poems from which appear or are forthcoming in the Southwest Review, Colorado Review, Western Humanities Review and Literary Imagination. BERNADETTE GEYER is a freelance writer and copy editor with more than 15 years of experience in business marketing and public relations. Her articles, book reviews, and poems have appeared in WRITER’S Journal, Freelance Writer’s Report, World Energy Review, The Montserrat Review, The Los Angeles Review, and elsewhere. She received a 2010 Strauss Fellowship from the Arts Council of Fairfax County and published a chapbook of poetry, What Remains.

writer.org T. GREENWOOD is the author of seven novels. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and, most recently, the Maryland State Arts Council. Two Rivers was named Best General Fiction Book at the San Diego Book Awards in 2009. Five of her novels have been BookSense76/ IndieBound picks – This Glittering World ( January 2011) and Grace (April 2012). She teaches creative writing in San Diego. She and her husband, Patrick, live in San Diego, CA with their two daughters. She is also an aspiring photographer. PATRICIA GRAY is the former director of the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. She designed and directed the Poetry at Noon reading series there and, for the past three years, she has served as a judge for the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Poetry Out Loud” national semi-finals competition. She has received several D.C. Artist Fellowships, the most recent in 2006. She is author of Rupture and a limited edition chapbook, Rich with Desire. VIRGINIA HARTMAN is the editor, with Barbara Esstman, of A More Perfect Union: Poems and Stories About the Modern Wedding. Her stories have appeared in The Hudson Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and Iowa Woman. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from American University and has taught writing at American University, The George Washington University, and the Smithsonian Institution. SINTA JIMENEZ is a writer, fine artist and fashion journalist. Her short stories, paintings and poetry have been published in several literary magazines including Underground Voices, Otis Nebula and The Black Boot. She contributes regularly to national and international fashion and lifestyle magazines and is currently a managing editor for Meets Obsession magazine. In 2000, she was a recipient of a National Association for the Advancement of the Arts Award in Short Story. Born in Manila, raised in Washington, D.C., she received her M.F.A. from Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles. KATHRYN JOHNSON, founder of Write by You, an author’s mentoring service, writes under her own name as well as Mary Hart Perry. Over 40 of her novels have sold to major U.S. and foreign publishers. Her writer.org

WORKSHOP LEADERS first in a series of Victorian thrillers, The Wild Princess, launched in August. The Gentleman Poet (2010 for HarperCollins) has received critical acclaim. An inspiring conference speaker, she also has served as judge on the Edgar Awards Committee for the Mystery Writers of America. SUSAN LAND has all kinds of experience teaching writing, from Bethesda Elementary to the FBI. She has an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Her fiction has won three Maryland Council for the Arts awards, and her work has recently or will soon appear in Bethesda Magazine, Potomac Review, Roanoke Review, Niche Lit Magazine, Enhanced Gravity: Fiction by Washington Area Women and the anthology He Said, She Wrote. CON LEHANE has published three crime novels featuring New York City bartender Brian McNulty. You can read reviews at www.conlehane.com/reviews.html. His latest effort features librarian Raymond Ambler (a friend of the aforementioned McNulty) and will appear in 2013. Over the years, he (Lehane, that is) has worked as a college professor, union organizer, labor journalist, and bartender. He holds an M.F.A. in fiction writing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. DIANA M. MARTIN has an M.F.A. in creative nonfiction and is currently an adjunct professor at Montgomery College. Martin also has an extensive background in association, nonprofit and corporation marketing. As a freelance writer for over 20 years, she has contributed to national and international publications. She and her son share a new business, Alex’s Art Loft, with her son which promotes creativity, independence and support for people with disabilities. ANN MCLAUGHLIN, PH.D., has given workshops in the novel, short story and journal writing at The Writer’s Center for the past 25 years and is on the Board. She has published six novels: Lightning in July, The Balancing Pole, Sunset at Rosalie, Maiden Voyage, The House on Q Street and Leaving Bayberry House. She has had 11 fellowships at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, one at Yaddo and one at Laverny, Switzerland. PAT MCNEES was an editor in book publishing (Harper & Row, Fawcett) and a freelance journalist before she began writWorkshop & Event Guide

ing other people’s life stories and organizational histories and helping others write their memoirs. She is president of the Association of Personal Historians; editor of the anthologies My Words Are Gonna Linger: The Art of Personal History, Contemporary Latin American Short Stories and Dying: A Book of Comfort; as well as several nonfiction books. JENNY MOORE is a novelist whose writing has appeared in literary journals, online, and in Boston City Hall. She’s working on her second novel and was recently awarded an artist residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation. Jenny has provided thoughtful, constructive critiques to writers for more than a decade and has taught writing and provided manuscript consulting at Grub Street Inc., as well as other venues. She works as an editor for literary, cultural and financial publications, and has an M.F.A. in fiction writing from the New School. YVETTE NEISSER MORENO’s first book of poetry, Grip, won the 2011 Gival Press Poetry Award and was released in October. She is co-translator of South Pole/Polo Sur by María Teresa Ogliastri and editor of Difficult Beauty: Selected Poems by Luis Alberto Ambroggio. She has recently taught at The George Washington University, Catholic University, and University of Maryland University College. Yvette is the founder of the DC-Area Literary Translators Network (DC-ALT) and serves on the programming committee of Split This Rock Poetry Festival. Her website is www.yneissermoreno.com. JOHN MORRIS has taught at The Writer’s Center since 1995. He has published fiction and poetry in more than 80 literary magazines in the U.S. and Great Britain, including The Southern Review, Missouri Review, Five Points, Subtropics, Prairie Schooner and Fulcrum. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and reprinted in Twentieth Century Literary Criticism and the newly released Anatomy of a Short Story from Continuum Press. A chapbook, The Musician, Approaching Sleep, appeared in 2006 from Dos Madres Press. His musical project, Mulberry Coach, a collaboration with singer and lyricist Katie Fisher, released its sixth CD in 2012. LAURA OLIVER, M.F.A., is the awardwinning author of The Story Within: New Insights and Inspiration for Writers (Penguin Books.) She is a creative writing

WORKSHOP LEADERS instructor at St. John’s College and taught writing at the University of Maryland. Oliver’s work is published in national newspapers, magazines and top-tier literary reviews. She is the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She also facilitates writing workshops at Annapolis Wellness House and the Life Center of Chesapeake Hospice. www. thestorywithin.com ALAN ORLOFF is the author of Diamonds for the Dead (2010), an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel. He also writes the Last Laff Mystery series (Killer Routine, 2011 and Deadly Campaign, 2012). He has served as treasurer for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Mystery Writers of America (M.W.A.) and is a member of International Thriller Writers (I.T.W.). www.alanorloff. com. ELIZABETH REES, M.A., has taught at several leading colleges, including Harvard University, the U.S. Naval Academy, Howard University and in The Johns Hopkins University’s graduate program. She works as a “poet in the schools” for the Maryland State Arts Council. She has published over 250 poems in journals such as Partisan Review, The Kenyon Review, AGNI and North American Review. She has four award-winning chapbooks, most recently, Tilting Gravity, winner of Codhill Press’ 2009 contest. ANGELA RENDER is the owner of Thunderpaw Business Intelligence & Network Systems Management, a rare combination of business intelligence, writing, analysis, Internet marketing, design, cybersecurity, consulting, training and programming. The second edition of her workbook, Marketing for Writers, is now available. Angela has helped hundreds of authors learn how to use the Internet in self-promotion, most recently at the Self-Publishing Success Intensive. Visit her work at angelarender.com and thunderpaw.com ELLEN RYAN has been an editor in Washington for two decades, including nearly 13 years as managing editor of The Washingtonian. Her freelance articles have appeared in Good Housekeeping, Outside, AARP Magazine, The Washington Post, Forbes Life Executive Woman, and dozens more. Ryan is author of Innkeeping Unlimited: Practical, Low-Cost Ways to Improve Your B&B and Win Repeat Business.

JEFFREY RUBIN, M.A., is a Virginiabased screenwriter/producer whose scripts and films have won top prizes at Worldfest Houston, the Vail Film Festival, and elsewhere. His children’s/family script The Soccer Momster is currently in preproduction with Glory Road Productions in Los Angeles. LYNN SCHWARTZ’S plays have been performed in Atlanta and New York City, including the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center. Her stories have appeared in literary journals, and she has authored numerous lifestyle features. She founded the Temple Bar Literary Reading Series in NYC and received an Individual Artist Award in Fiction from the Maryland State Arts Council. She is a graduate of The City College of New York, Columbia University and The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. She teaches fiction at St. John’s College. CARA SEITCHEK has written grant proposals for local, state, and national nonprofit organizations. In addition, she evaluates proposals for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the American Association of Museums and the Maryland State Arts Council. She has an M.A. in writing from The Johns Hopkins University. LYNN STEARNS’ short fiction, memoirs, poetry and personal essays have appeared in The Baltimore Review, The Bitter Oleander, FlashPoint, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal and other literary magazines, and several anthologies, including Gravity Dancers: Even More Fiction by Washington Area Women, In Good Company and Not What I Expected: The Unpredictable Road from Womanhood to Motherhood. She serves as an associate fiction editor for Potomac Review and has enjoyed leading fiction and memoir workshops at The Writer’s Center for more than 10 years. SARA MANSFIELD TABER was a William B. Sloane Fellow in Nonfiction at the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference. She is the author of Born Under an Assumed Name: The Memoir of a Cold War Spy’s Daughter; Bread of Three Rivers: The Story of a French Loaf; Dusk on the Campo: A Journey in Patagonia; and Of Many Lands: Journal of a Traveling Childhood. Her short pieces have appeared in The Washington Post, literary magazines and on public radio. JUDITH TABLER writes books on animals and has received awards from the Winter 2012-2013

The Writer’s Center Dog Writer’s Association of America. She has written for DOG FANCY, Bark, Kennel Review, AKC Gazette, Middleburg Life and the National Geographic Society’s education department. Judith holds an M.F.A. in creative writing and teaches at Marymount University. DAVID TAYLOR is an award-winning author and filmmaker. His book about the Federal Writers’ Project, titled Soul of a People: The WPA Writers’ Project Uncovers Depression America, was named among the Best Books of 2009. He wrote and co-produced the companion Smithsonian documentary Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story, which received a CINE Golden Eagle, Best of D.C. Peer awards, and a Writer’s Guild Award nomination. SUSAN TIBERGHIEN, an American-born writer living in Switzerland, has published three memoirs, Looking for Gold, Circling to the Center and Footsteps, A European Album, and most recently the best-selling One Year to a Writing Life, along with numerous narrative essays in journals and anthologies on both sides of the Atlantic. She teaches and lectures at graduate programs, C.G. Jung Centers and writers’ conferences both in the United States and in Europe, where she directs the Geneva Writers’ Group and Conferences. Her website is www.susantiberghien.com. PAMELA TOUTANT is a personal essayist and occasional feature writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, Redbook, Ms. Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Washingtonian Magazine, Applause Magazine, and Bethesda Magazine, among others. She was selected as a 2004 finalist for the Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction Award, was a 2006 Pushcart Prize nominee, and is a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellow. LYN VAUS, a longtime screenwriter and industry professional, is best known for his award-winning Miramax romantic comedy, Next Stop Wonderland. Vaus began his career as a story editor for a production company in Hollywood, where he oversaw the script for New Line’s hit science fiction film, The Lawnmower Man. He has had numerous screenplays of his own optioned, and in some cases produced by, among others, Imax, Fine Line, Sen Art and Miramax.

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