There are still a few sessions left in our Write Now! series of stand-alone writing classes. Whether you're an aspiring or accomplished author or performer, Write Now! experts can help you fire up your creativity and breathe life into your words.
All classes are 1.5 hours and are held at the Oshkosh Public Library. Best of all, they're free!
First Lines
6 p.m. Wed., April 24
Lower Level Conference Room
This workshop looks at some classic first lines and what makes them work. Then we move into a workshop on how to write your first line. This session is for both fiction and non-fiction.
Presenter: Carmen Leal is an Oshkosh resident and the author of ten published non-fiction books including Faces of Huntington’s, You Can Market Your Book, and The Twenty-third Psalm for Caregivers. Carmen’s writings have been featured in Guideposts, Focus on the Family, Decision Magazine, the Orlando Sentinel, and numerous national and local publications. Her personal experience stories have appeared in several Chicken Soup for the Soul collections and dozens of compilation book series. A storyteller with a dramatic testimony, she is a popular presenter at women's retreats, church groups, conventions and writers’ conferences on a wide variety of inspiring and relevant topics. Her wit, humor, and poignant personal observations, coupled with her down-to-earth style and common sense approach to dealing with life, inspire her audiences. Through her transparency, she has the ability to encourage and bring hope to all.
Blackout Poetry
6 p.m. Mon., April 29
Lower Level Conference Room
Blackout Poetry is quickly gaining popularity as a new art form. During this session, you'll experience the creative process of making blackout poetry using text from a newspaper or magazine and a black marker. Most of the words will be blacked out to form an original poem. You can see fresh examples of blackout poetry on Instragram, Snapchat or in poet Austin Kleon's book Newspaper Blackout, available as an eBook on Overdrive. Supplies will be provided.
Presenter: Literacy Teacher & ArtsCore Site Coordinator Angela Larsen
Roadmapping Your Novel in 90 Minutes
6 pm. Thurs., May 2
Lower Level Conference Room
You've got a great idea for a novel. Now what? Whether you are writing a romance or sci fi thriller, learn three different methods for plotting your book: the Snowflake Method, Mind Mapping and 250 Questions.
Presenter: Dixie Jarchow (writes as Daisy Jerico). Dixie is the award-winning author of The Love Thief and Burning Love. Dixie co-hosts Author Showcase on Oshkosh's CATV2 and YouTube.
After Hours Open Mic Night
7 p.m.Fri., May 10
Under the Dome (Enter through the Washington Avenue doors)
It's your turn to take the stage. During Open Mic Night, you'll have five minutes to read your work in front of an audience. Join other writers for a fun night of listening and sharing. Refreshments provided.
Write Now! is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.
The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 6, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.
Meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older.
Calling all writers and creatives! Whether you're an aspiring or accomplished author or performer, Write Now! experts can help you fire up your creativity and breathe life into your words. Get to know others in the local writing community and share your work.
- All classes are held in the lower level Conference Room of the Oshkosh Public Library.
- All classes are 1.5 hours and are free and open to adults and teens.
- You can come to as many sessions as you would like.
- Registration is not required.
- Bring your writing supplies and devices.
- Wi-Fi is available.
Upcoming programs:
Journaling Means Writing (Almost) Every Day
1 p.m. & 6 p.m., Thurs., April 4
Writing every day is a good way to get in the habit and improve your skills. Learn how to self-edit, sharpen your writing and decide what to do with your purposeful prose.
Presenter: Lynn Kuhns, a Wisconsin-based freelancer, has more than four decades of experience as a professional writer and creative-writing instructor spread over a whopping variety of venues and topics.
Stand Up Comedy and Public Speaking Punch Up
2:30 p.m. Sat., April 6
Try out your material in a supportive environment. Use encouraging feedback to turn your work into a fully formed piece.
Presenter: Eric J. Egan is a stand- up comic, improv performer and board member of the Time Community Theater who can be seen all around the Fox Valley.
Anatomy of Humor
6 p.m. Thurs., April 11
Examine how to write humor and satire by identifying the funny components of each and by manipulating word usage, delivery and reader expectations in fiction.
Presenter: Chris Welch is a freelance newspaper and radio reporter and an English instructor at Madison College’s Eastern Region campuses. His works have appeared in various small press and professional publications.
Setting: It's not just background noise
1 p.m. Mon., April 15
Take a deep dive into your work’s setting.
Presenter: Karl Stewart is the author of The Legend of See Bird: The Last Long Drive. Its sequel Devil's Backbone, received an Honorable Mention award at the 2015 Southern California Book Festival. His third novel, The Seventh Cruise, won an Honorable Mention at the 2017 London Book Festival. Up Harvey’s Creek, a boy’s memoir earned an Honorable Mention at the 2018 Great Southeast Book Festival.
Healing Through Storytelling
6 p.m. Mon., Apr. 15
How do you write about subjects too painful to talk about or too personal to publicize? And how do you do it in a manner that’s both entertaining and informative? Learn how to carve a written path through the pain.
Presenter: Karl Stewart is the author of The Legend of See Bird: The Last Long Drive. Its sequel Devil's Backbone, received an Honorable Mention award at the 2015 Southern California Book Festival. His third novel, The Seventh Cruise, won an Honorable Mention at the 2017 London Book Festival. Up Harvey’s Creek, a boy’s memoir earned an Honorable Mention at the 2018 Great Southeast Book Festival.
You Can Live Your Write Life
1 p.m. & 6 p.m. Thurs., Apr. 18
Habits, tools, techniques, knowledge, connections and lifestyle habits that can make your life’s work more joyfully and productively for you - as a real writer.
Presenter: Lynn Kuhns, a Wisconsin-based freelancer, has more than four decades of experience as a professional writer and creative-writing instructor spread over a whopping variety of venues and topics.
First Lines
6 p.m. Wed., April 24
This workshop looks at some classic first lines and what makes them work. Then we move into a workshop on how to write your first line. This session is for both fiction and non-fiction.
Presenter: Carmen Leal is an Oshkosh resident and the author of ten published non-fiction books including Faces of Huntington’s, You Can Market Your Book, and The Twenty-third Psalm for Caregivers. Carmen’s writings have been featured in Guideposts, Focus on the Family, Decision Magazine, the Orlando Sentinel, and numerous national and local publications.
Blackout Poetry
6 p.m. Mon., April 29
Blackout Poetry is quickly gaining popularity as a new art form. During this session, you'll experience the creative process of making blackout poetry using text from a newspaper or magazine and a black marker. Most of the words will be blacked out to form an original poem. You can see fresh examples of blackout poetry on Instragram, Snapchat or in poet Austin Kleon's book Newspaper Blackout, available as an eBook on Overdrive.
Presenter: Literacy Teacher & ArtsCore Site Coordinator Angela Larsen.
Write Now! is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club. For a detailed schedule of programs, go to https://www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/content/write-now-series
Mark your calendar for UntitledTown Book and Author Festival, April 25-28 in Green Bay!
Headliners include Walter Mosley, Nickolas Butler, Michael Perty and Susan Orlean.
Workshops include Christian Fiction, Writing for Retirees, Fantasy and Sci Fi Worldbuilding, Historical Research, How to Break into Freeland Writing, and Writing for Elemetary Grades.
View the festival schedule here for exact times and dates of speakers and programs.
