Northwest Children's Book Conference

The Northwest Children’s Book Conference will be held Sept. 27-28, 2007, at the Telemark Resort and Conference Center in Cable, WI.

The conference offers 16 workshops and includes subjects such as writing for children and teens, storytelling techniques, and illustrating for children. Author Faith Sullivan, author of "Cape Ann" and "Gardenias" will be the keynote speaker.

For registration information call Deb Malesevich at 715-798-3999 Ext. #547, email deb@telemarkeducation.com or go to www.telemarkeducation.com and download a registration form.

Women's Writing Retreat

Judy Bridges, founder of Redbird Studio writing center in Milwaukee, will host a Women's Writing Retreat September 9- 15 at The Clearing in Door County, WI. Mornings will be spent writing, afternoons will be devoted to writing critiques and discussions, and evenings are open to spend as you wish.

The program is open to writers of all levels. Fees start at $425; meals and lodging are extra.

Writer's Dictionary

Kid-jep, headhopping, skipstream - these are just some of the terms defined here. Compiled by Predators and Editors, the online dictionary of writing and publishing terms includes legal language, publishing abbreviations and literary terms.

Author Spotlight Schedule

Author Spotlight allows writers to bring in pieces of work that are eight or more pages, or a compilation of pieces that are best read/reviewed together. The last hour of each Saturday meeting is devoted to discussing the works of the featured author; authors must registration in advance.

Upcoming Author Spotlights:

Saturday, July 7 - Dixie J.

Saturday, July 21 - Hope S.

Saturday, Aug 4 - Tom C.

Haunted Wisconsin

Chad Lewis will present "Haunted Wisconsin," at 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 13, 2007, at Ripon Public Library.

Paranormal researcher and author Chad Lewis will take the audience on a ghostly journey to some of the most haunted places in Wisconsin - from the wandering highway ghosts of the North Woods to haunted B&B's in Milwaukee. From phantom creatures prowling the forests to graveyard apparitions located in your own backyard, no place in Wisconsin is without its own haunting. Complete with photos, case history, eyewitness accounts, ghost lore, and directions, this presentation encourages you to visit these places for your own ghost story.

Lewis holds a Master's of Science degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and has trekked across the world in search of the paranormal. He is also the co-author of "The Road Guide to Haunted Locations" series.

The event is free and open to the public.

Another Name Generator

What would your name be if you were monkey? Find out here.

Free Writing Contests

Writers often are deterred from entering contests because of a required entry fee or reading fee. However, writer-online-line.com nows offers a list of nearly 50 writing contests that don't require an entry fee; many award cash prizes. To view the list, click here.

Club Anthology, Party

The club's anthology, "Hearts We Know By Stories: The Collected Works of the Oshkosh Area Writers Club," is now available for purchase from lulu.com.

In celebration, we're holding a reading/booksigning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, at the Oshkosh Public Library, under the 2nd floor Library Dome. Limited copies will be available for purchase ($9) and members are asked to bring a snack to share.

Note: Jim Stevens is creating a documentary about the writers club to be aired on OCAT and may be filming the night of the event.

Shawano Area Writers' 2007 Fiction Contest

The Shawano Area Writers Club is sponsoring a fiction contest that is open to Wisconsin writers only. Cash prize awards: $400 for 1st Place; $200 for 2nd Place; $100 for 3rd Place; two Honorable Mentions will be awarded.

There is a $10 entry free; deadline is June 30. For complete rules, click here.