Next Meeting - Jan. 7

There are five Saturday in December so we won't meet again until 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. As always, meetings are free and open to the anyone 17 and older. 

Meetings are held in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.  

Lakefly Writing Contests

The 2017 Lakefly Writing Contests will begin to accept submissions on Jan. 2. No entry fees; cash prizes. Open to Wisconsin residents only. Note: To win, you must be able to attend the awards ceremony Friday evening, May 12, at the Oshkosh Public Library.

Categories are: flash fiction, poetry, essay and for teens, there's a short story contest. One entry per category. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 27.

For complete submission guidelines, please go to: http://lakeflywriters.org/contests

Meeting reminder - Dec. 17

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 in the lower level of  The Oshkosh Public Library. 

Instead of critiques, we'll be doing our annual White Elephant gift exchange. Bring a wrapped gift from your home - something in new/excellent condition that you have no use for. The "gift" will serve as a writing prompt for the person who receives it, so make it interesting!

Donuts will be available but others are welcome to bring food to share as well. If you forget a gift, don't worry - we always have extras!

Open Mic Night

Thanks to Tom Cannon for filming and editing our Open Mic Night held in November as the last event of our Write Now writing class series.  You can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icvR7vE_7cI

Congrats Louis!

Excited to announce member Louis Clark has a February 2017 release date for his latest book, "How to be an Indian in the 21st Century" published by the Wisconsin Historical Society, and he's been invited to appear at the American Booksellers Association conference in Minneapolis next month. 

Meeting reminder - Dec. 3rd

A quick reminder that the Oshkosh Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

We will do a White Elephant gift exchange at our Dec. 17th meeting. Please bring a wrapped gift of a new or slightly used item from around the house. Do NOT go out and buy something. The gift will also serve a writing prompt so feel free to be creative!

Meeting reminder - Nov. 19th

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. A reminder that there is a Grinchmas Celebration downtown that morning so be prepared for traffic/parking congestion.

Later that night, you're welcome to join us for The Night of Writing Dangerously, a National Novel Writing Month event. It will be held 6 to 11 p.m. in the library. Note the library will be closed to the public but there will be a door greeter to let you in. Refreshments will be served.

Meeting reminder: Nov. 5

Just a friendly reminder that the Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older. 

NaNoWriMo Kick-off

About twenty people gathered tonight to kick-off National Novel Writing Month. Which one(s) will get their book published?

Local NaNoWriMo Events

Fox Valley area events for those participating in NaNoWriMo: 

Oshkosh Kick-off and Write-in (Hosted by the Oshkosh Public Library and the Oshkosh Area Writers Club) - Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. First floor reading room of the Oshkosh Public Library. 

Menasha Kick-off and Write-in (Hosted by the Menasha Public Library - ML present) - Wednesday, November 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Elisha D. Smith Public Library. 

Chilton Drop-in Write-in (Sponsored by the Chilton Public Library) - Saturday Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Chilton Public Library. 

Appleton Write-in (hosted by ML) - Saturday Nov. 5 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Appleton Public Library - Meeting Room A 

Upcoming events

Just a reminder there's five Saturdays this month so we don't meet again until Nov. 5. 

In the meantime, you're welcome to join us at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 for our National Novel Writing Month kick-off party. It will be held in the Oshkosh Public Library's First Floor Reading Room; snacks will be provided!

Open Mic and NaNoWriMo

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club is hosting the following events:

Open Mic under the Dome
Monday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. 

Whether it’s something you wrote recently or a piece you dug out of your closet, tonight is all about sharing. Stand-up comic Eric Egan from the Backlot Comedy Club will get us started. Bring a friend! Refreshments will be served. 

NaNoWriMo : What is it?
Thursday, October 27, 2016 - 6:30pm
Lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library

National Novel Writing Month is the largest writing project on the planet!  We’ll give you tips and tricks to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Think you can’t do it? Yes you can!

All programs are free and open to the public.

Upcoming Programs

Not into Thursday night football? Write with us on Oct. 13 at Story Starters - a series 5-minute writing prompts. The program is free; bring a friend!  It starts at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

And be sure to join us at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24 under the library dome for Open Mic Night. Eric from the Backlot Comedy Club will start us off; You can read poetry, fiction, whatever you want (reading time limit is 5 minutes). Have nothing to share? Audience members are important too! 

The event is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served. 

Meeting reminder - Oct. 15

Just a reminder that the Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. I and a few others will be the Wisconsin Writers Association Fall Conference in Neenah but Linda has agreed to run the club meeting. 

Write Now: Story Starters

Please join us for “Story Starters” on  Thursday, Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Plan for some 5-minute writing sessions based on writing prompts designed to awaken your creativity and imagination.

No experience necessary; all ages welcome. Bring writing supplies/devices.

WWA Fall Conference

There is still time to register for the Wisconsin Writers Association fall conference, Oct. 14 and 15 in Neenah. Speakers include Jill Swenson, Melania Boyung, Lisa Lickel, Barry Wightman, Silvia Acevedo, Tom Davis and keynote speaker Jerry Apps.

For more information or to register, please go to https://wiwrite.org/conference/

Writing Workshop - Writing Haiku

Please join us Monday night, Oct. 3, for Writing Haiku. Learn about this short structured form of poetry and create a haiku of your own. It's only 17 syllables but hey, who's counting?

The program begins at 6:30 in the lower level conference room at the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, our programs are free and open to the public.

Meeting reminder - Oct. 1

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, in the lower level conference of the Oshkosh Public Library. If you plan to read, please bring at least 8 copies to share.

Meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older.

Write Now! Write Your Memoir in One Hour

Write Your Memoir in One Hour 
Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. 

Lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

It’s not a joke; at the end of tonight’s session, you will have written your life story. How is that possible? Attend and see! 

Write Now! is a series of free, fun writing sessions designed to jump start your creative engine. No experience necessary; all ages welcome. Bring writing supplies/devices.

Sponsored by the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

Write Now! Drabbles

Drabbles - Making Every Word Count 
Wednesday, Sept. 21—6:30 p.m
Lower level conference room
Oshkosh Public Library

A drabble is a short work of fiction consisting of one hundred words. Practice making every word count. Prompts will be provided for inspiration, or bring your own ideas and see where they can take you.

Write Now! is a series of free, fun writing sessions designed to jump start your creative engine. No experience necessary; all ages welcome. Bring writing supplies/devices. 

Sponsored by the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

Congrats Joyce!

Club member Joyce Frohn sold a piece titled "A Most Moral War" for inclusion in the anthology Love 'em Shoot 'em by Wolfsinger Publications. Publication is expected in 2017. 

Congrats, Joyce!

Oshkosh Area Writers Club FAQs

Meetings are open to anyone 17 and older. We get a mix of people writing in various genres at different skill levels. 

Is there a membership fee?
No. But it would be appreciated if you like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

When/where does the club meet? 
We meet at 10 a.m. the first and third Saturday of each month in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave.

How many members are there?
There are about 14 core people, others come and go as life allows. Meetings can have as few as 10 and as many as 22 people. Some are beginning writers, others have been published and a few have agents/book contracts.

How do the meetings work?
Meetings start with short introductions and general announcements. Then we begin critiques - a person reads their work aloud (usually 5 pages or less, 8 copies are appreciated but not required) and we critique it. We have a critique form we use so we can be sure the author gets both positive feedback and constructive criticism. Not everyone reads at every meeting; the order of readers is determined by arrival times - first person to come is the first to read. Meetings end at noon, even if there are still waiting people to read.

We do make special arrangements for people with completed manuscripts or compilations - anything that is too long to read during a meeting.

What else does the club do?
During the year, we host free programs at the library - including author visits and National Novel Writing Month write-ins every November. We also co-sponsor the Lakefly Writers Conference each May at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Coming in 2016: a public access television show called Author Showcase created by two of our members.

Still not sure if we're right for you? You best bet is to come to a meeting and see how we fit!

Congrats to Joyce!

Congrats to member Joyce Frohn who sold a piece titled "To Oshkosh and Beyond" to Perihelion Science Fiction; and "Meeting the Neighbors" to Page & Spine. 

New TV Show Features Wisconsin Writers

Congrats to Oshkosh Area Writers Club members Dixie Jarchow and Tom Cannon for launching their television show, “Author Showcase." The show debuted last month on the Oshkosh public access channel, and airs three times a week.

Tom and Dixie hope to use the show as a vehicle to showcase regional authors. Each episode is as unique as the guest author: Omro poet/historian Louis Clark talks about the discrimination he encountered growing up as a Native America -- to Fond du Lac writer/editor Susan Baganz discussing her faith in God, and the role it played in her writing career.

The show’s origins began in 2014, when Tom and Dixie received an Oshkosh Public Library trust fund grant to train on the equipment as then required by Oshkosh Community Media (OCM). Once training was completed, they were allowed to check out the camera equipment and use the in-house editing studio.

In addition to technology training, there were major decisions to make.  The show needed a name, and there was discussion about the show’s format and setting. The easiest part was finding guests, and once they had six episodes taped, they let OCM know the show was ready to air. Not long after, a spot opened up and the show premiered in July. 

Tom and Dixie are both published writers, and understand the writing process as well the challenges of editing, publishing and marketing. They’re comfortable in front of the camera, and neither take themselves too seriously, making for some fun interactions. 

You can find the show on Oshkosh’s public access channel (for Time Warner Cable customers, it will air on Channel 2). Episodes air at 1 p.m. Tuesdays, 11 p.m. Fridays, and 11 a.m Saturdays. Be sure to offer your encouragement by friending the show on Facebook and following on twitter (@Author_Showcase). And don't forget to watch!

Author Visit - Jerry Apps

Wisconsin author/historian Jerry Apps will speak at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday,  Aug. 9th at the Oshkosh Public Library. The program is free and open to the public.

Apps has written over 35 books and has won numerous awards for his writing from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Library Association (the 2007 Notable Authors Award), American Library Association, Foreword Magazine, Midwest Independent Publishers Association, Robert E. Gard Foundation, The Wisconsin Council for Writers and Upper Midwest Booksellers.

Meeting reminder - Aug. 6

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older.

Michael Perry - Back in Oshkosh!

"Tent Show Radio Live" with Michael Perry and the Blue Canvas Orchestra at the Oshkosh Grand Opera House, Saturday, Jan. 14th.

Just a few years ago, in celebration of their 20th anniversary year of broadcasting on Wisconsin Public Radio, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua began to take its act "on the road" to select venues around the Midwest. Their popular radio variety show is performed live and in person! Tent Show Radio LIVE concerts feature music and monologues by New York Times best-selling author, humorist, pig farmer and radio show host, Michael Perry, along with music by Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua's Blue Canvas Orchestra and other special musical guests!

Tickets available now through the Grand Opera House Box Office.

Author Showcase

Club members Tom and Dixie finally have their show, Author Showcase, on the air! For Time Warner Cable customers in Oshkosh, you can catch it on Channel 2. A TV schedule is at http://www.oshkoshcommunitymedia.org/schedules.aspx

For others, you can watch episodes on the Author Showcase youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC25t2sKcVs9ca_qAKlHkL8g

Episodes include interview with Pat Kilday, Billie Jean Dierson, Louis Clark, KW Penndorf and others. 

Meeting reminder - July 16th

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 16, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older.

Interview with Juliet Rosetti

Club member/Oshkosh author Juliet Rosetti interview on Author Showcase:

https://t.co/2P47hLc44z

Now playing: Author Showcase

Congrats to Dixie and Tom for getting their television show, Author Showcase, on the air! The show debuts this week with guest/local author Billie Jean Diersen. You can find the show on Oshkosh’s public access channel (for Time Warner Cable customers, it  will air on Channel 2). Episodes air at 1 p.m. Tuesdays, 11 p.m. Fridays, and 11 a.m Saturdays. Be sure to offer your encouragement by friending the show on Facebook! 

Meeting reminder - July 2

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 2 in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. For those with other plans, have a great holiday!

As always, meetings are free and open to anyone age 17 and older.

Meet Local Author Beth Ann Ziarnik

Local author Beth Ann Ziarnik will talk about her first novel, Her Deadly Inheritance at 6:30 p.m. Wed., June 22, at the Oshkosh Public Library.

A long-time fan of romantic suspense, Ziarnik offers her first novel, with all the twists and turns, cliffhangers and romantic tension readers of this genre have come to love. Beth will talk about her transition from reader to writer and how she crafted the story that brings together her back-from-the-dead heroine, Jill Shepherd, and Special Forces handyman Clay Merrick.

Beth is co-founder of Word & Pen Christian Writers in Northeast Wisconsin and author of the devotional column, Love With Shoes On.

Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

New Glarus Book Expo - June 11th, 2016

To learn more or to register, please visit http://newglarusbookexpo.blogspot.com

Meeting Reminder - June 4th

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club meets at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 4, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older.

Just a reminder that the downtown farmer's market begins that day so you may want to leave home a little early in case of traffic/parking issues.

Lakefly Writers Conference

It's been a week since the 2016 Lakefly Writers Conference held in Oshkosh June 13-14. The Oshkosh Area Writers Club was well-represented, some as volunteers and others as regular participants. Here are some nice write-ups about the event:

My Post-Conference High by SMMNYSTORIAK
The Lakefly Writers Conference by Samantha Kolb

Writing Retreat, June 24-27

Congrats to Joyce!

Club member Joyce Frohn recently had four short story submissions accepted! The short story “Home Sweet Lobby” by Wilson Souvenir Book, “When Is the Future Coming?” by Perihelion “Cabin” by Pages & Spine, and “Dust of Truth” by Cirsova Magazine. 

In addition, Joyce received EAA press credentials for Air Adventure 2016. This will not be the first time Joyce has attended EAA. She wrote "Where’s My Flying Car? The Future of Personal Aviation." based on her 2009 visit to EAA.

Meeting reminder: May 21

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older. Hope to see you there!

Meeting Reminder - May 7th

A quick reminder that the Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 7, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to the public.

Also, Friday, May 6, is the last day to pre-register for the Lakefly Writers Conference. It's possibility the most affordable conference in Wisconsin and it's right here in Oshkosh. To check out the schedule of events and/or register, please go to: http://lakeflywriters.org

Free Pitch Sessions - Lakefly Writers Conference

Attending the Lakefly Writers Conference, May 13-14, in Oshkosh? Have an idea for a book you're ready to pitch? Attend Friday's workshop on how to deliver a successful pitch and then sign-up to pitch your book on Saturday to the following publishing reps:

Ashley Ruggirello, representing REUTS, a unique boutique YA/NA publisher based in Milwaukee that offers an unconventional, yet advantageous and author-friendly approach to traditional publishing. Publishes 12-24 titles each year.

Philip Martin, representing small but good quality indie press, Crickhollow Books. Publishes a range of regional-rooted fiction and some genre fiction (mysteries, always am looking for good fantasy but it's hard to find) for adults, and also historical fiction for middle-grade readers.

Jill Swenson (morning only), representing Swenson Book Development LLC, a boutique agency which represents a broad range of authors writing memoir, narrative nonfiction, children’s picture books, middle-grade fiction, art/photography, poetry, and YA.

Write Touch Reader’s Choice Award Contest

The 2016 Write Touch Reader’s Choice Award Contest is now open. This is a Wisconsin Romance Writers of America-sponsored contest for books published in 2015.

All submissions go through an electronic portal at http://writetouch.submittable.com and books are entered either as PDF or MOBI files. There is a free entry portal for WisRWA members to use to enter their free title; all additional entries from WisRWA members and from non-members should be made via the paid entry portal. The entry fee is $25.00 per title.

Fox Cities Book Festival

The Fox Cities Book Festival is in full swing this week! Upcoming speakers include Michael Perry, Abby Frucht and others. Check out the full schedule of events here.

Mailbag: Kazabo Publishing

From our in-box:

Kazabo Publishing is something entirely new. At Kazabo, established authors are the publishers. In effect we give them an "imprint" and allow them to choose new authors to publish.

It works like this. New and emerging authors submit their books to Kazabo and agree to review five books by other new authors. Based on the reviews their book receives, we put it into out editing process. At the end of that process, our established authors choose the books they believe will appeal to their loyal readers. Once the book is published, the established author uses their marketing platform to help promote the new author. For new authors, our royalty rates begin at 50% while the established author earns 15%. Initially, the new author is published to e-book and then moved into other media and languages as their sales progress.

Before you ask, no, this does not cost the author anything. This is not vanity publishing. The only money we collect is from readers when they buy the author's books! 

Nor is it, by any stretch of the imagination, self-publishing. Kazabo is very selective and no established author will back one of our new authors with their name and reputation unless they are genuinely impressed. Every book published by Kazabo will be a very good book indeed.

So the vast majority of new authors who submit to Kazabo will not make the cut. But there is something in it for them, too. If your book is not selected for publication, you will still receive the five reviews that were done of your book. You will know that five of your fellow authors read your book, thought about your book and provided you detailed, written feedback about your book.

There is a lot more to this program so I encourage you to visit our website, kazabo.com, for more information or to contact me with any questions you might have.

The reason I am writing this to you is that Kazabo is actively seeking submissions from new authors. If you think that this program might be of interest to your members, could you please let them know about us? We are very proud of this as we think this is something that could make a very real difference in the lives of a lot of authors. We would very much like your members to be a part of it!

If you have any questions, of course, please let me know.

Best Regards,

Chiara Giacobbe
Director, New Authors Division
Kazabo.com
(619) 401-3459

Meeting reminder - April 16th

Just a reminder that at our Saturday, April 17 meeting we will be judging contest entries for the city-wide Create-a-Book children's writing contest. Entries are judged using a scoresheet provided to us so it's really easy - and lots of fun! Snacks will be provided.

Lakefly Writers Conference

Don't be an April fool! Take advantage of the early-bird registration fee for the Lakefly Writers Conference, May 13-14, at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Only $45 if you register before April 1st!

Workshops include memoir writing, handling rejection with humor, world building, writing for middle readers, promoting your novel, writing a realistic crime scene and more! Also this year - three agents will be taking pitches on Saturday, May 14...and the Wisconsin Writers Association is sponsoring a book store and writers service market!

For details and registration information, please visit http://lakeflywriters.org

Meeting Reminder - April 2

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 2, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to the public. 

Oshkosh Area Writers Club FAQs

Meetings are open to anyone 17 and older. We get a mix of people writing in various genres at different skill levels. 

Is there a membership fee?
No. But it would be appreciated if you like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

When/where does the club meet? 
We meet at 10 a.m. the first and third Saturday of each month in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave.

How many members are there?
There are about 12 core people, others come and go as life allows. Meetings can have as few as 10 and as many as 22 people. Some are beginning writers, others have been published and a few have agents/book contracts.

How do the meetings work?
Meetings start with short introductions and general announcements. Then we begin critiques - a person reads their work aloud (usually 5 pages or less, 8 copies are appreciated but not required) and we critique it. We have a critique form we use so we can be sure the author gets both positive feedback and constructive criticism. Not everyone reads at every meeting; the order of readers is determined by arrival times - first person to come is the first to read. Meetings end at noon, even if there are still waiting people to read.

We do make special arrangements for people with completed manuscripts or compilations - anything that is too long to read during a meeting.

What else does the club do?
During the year, we host free programs at the library - including author visits and National Novel Writing Month write-ins every November. We also co-sponsor the Lakefly Writers Conference each May at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Coming in 2016: a public access television show called Author Showcase created by two of our members.

Still not sure if we're right for you? You best bet is to come to a meeting and see how we fit!

Meeting reminder: March 19

Just a reminder that the Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19 in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to the public.

Also, the early-bird registration fee of $45 for the Lakefly Writers Conference expires on March 31.  The conference is May 13-14 at the Oshkosh Convention Center. For more info or to register, please visit http://lakeflywriters.org

WWA Literary Journal

The deadline for submitting entries for the first-ever Wisconsin Writers Association's Literary Journal is March 31. 

WWA’s literary journal will be a professionally bound soft-cover, 60- to 80-page book, featuring new works written exclusively by WWA members.

WWA’s new literary journal will feature original works by WWA members only.  

They are looking for short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.  Submission details (as well as how to become a member!) are available on WWA’s website, http://wiwrite.org