Poetry Workshop

The Caramel Crisp Corner Bookstore is celebrating Poetry Month with a workshop from 5:30 to 7 .m. Monday, April 22.

The event will be hosted by local poets Bill Gillard, an award-winning teacher of creative writing and literature at UW-Oshkosh, and Thomas Cannon, Oshkosh poet laureate.

Participants will fill their poetry toolbox with rhythm, meter, tone, line breaks, fixed forms and other useful writing gear.

Writers are encouraged to bring their poetry to share are asked to RSVP on the event's Facebook page.

Lakefly Writers Conference Preview

Below is a preview of the 2024 schedule of programs at the Lakefly Writers Conference, May 3 and 4, at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Register before March 10 and save $15!

Me Talk Good For Money

Actions speak louder than words, but it’s the great one-liners we all remember. Novel and comic book writer Shaun Harris, will take you through the 10 Ironclad Rules of Dialogue and why they should be broken. Expect some group participation and on the spot work-shopping.

Developing and Revealing Three-Dimensional Characters

To ring true to readers, characters need to be as unique as the people around us. If filling out pages of character interviews to flesh out a hero or heroine sounds daunting, join this session. From using photos to inspire unique physical descriptions to consulting personality types, attendees will come away with a variety of strategies for creating well-thought-out characters readers can root for. We’ll also discuss how to reveal layered characters in a way that intrigues readers into turning pages. Led by Emily Conrad.

 

Self-Publishing on a Shoestring

What are the must-haves of self-publishing? What things aren’t worth your time early on and what are essential? What does it mean to go wide and when do you get paid? Learn the basics and more in this session led by Bailey Hansen about launching your writing career on a shoestring.

Back by popular demand, forensic anthropologist Dr. Jordan Karsten is one of three subject specialists. Co-host of Cold Case: Frozen Tundra, the UW-Oshkosh professor consults on death investigations for law enforcement agencies across Wisconsin, including the FBI and Wisconsin State Crime Lab.

Bram Stoker Award winner Sarah Read will present The Art of Anxiety: How to introduce tension
into your writing and keep the reader turning pages. She will address story structures, character development, dialogue, and sentence-level techniques that contribute to raising the stakes on the page. Each technique includes a mini writing exercise that builds throughout the lesson, so the students have a completed scene written by the end. The desired outcome is that students will have learned techniques that they can intentionally employ in order to make their writing more engaging and exciting.

The Lakefly Writers Conference is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library, in partnership with the Oshkosh Community Foundation, Wisconsin Arts Board, and the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

Meeting reminder: March 2

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

New members welcome!

Lakefly 2024: Keynote Speaker Holly Day

 Holly Day will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 Lakefly Writers Conference, May 3-4 at the Oshkosh Convention Center.

Holly has worked as a freelance writer for over 30 years, with over 7,000 published articles, poems, and short stories and 40 books and chapbooks—most recently, the nonfiction books.

She offers workshops and classes to writing centers all over the country, including the Flatiron Writers’ Center in North Carolina, the Hampton Roads Writers group in Virginia, Hugo House in Seattle, and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

The Lakefly Writers Conference is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library, in partnership with the Oshkosh Community Foundation, Wisconsin Arts Board, and the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

 

Fox Cities Book Festival - Author Patricia Engel, April 5

Open Mic - Feb. 29

Join us at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29 at the New Moon Cafe for open mic. Hosted by member/Oshkosh Poet Laureate Thomas Cannon, the night is sure to be fun!

Member News: Feb 2024

Congratulations to Bailey R. Hansen on the final installment of the A Monster By Any Other Name trilogy, a paranormal romance. Freedom is available on Kindle and paperback. 

 

Joyce Frohn recently had a short horror story accepted for publication in the anthology Leadership Gone Right, a collection of tales intended to transport readers to new realms where leadership shines brilliantly or takes a haunting turn.

 

Cara Salazar recently had a piece published in the anthology Start
with Welcome: The Journey toward a Confident and Compassionate Immigration Conversation by Bri Stensrud. Cara shares the powerful and moving story of her late husband that led to his immigration to America.

Member Roberta Stuemke, who has been absent for the past year or so due to health problems, passed away on Feb. 3. Roberta worked for many years at Polk Library, UW-Oshkosh, and enjoyed writing science fiction. Our heartfelt condolences to her family!

 

Pi Day Open Mic Night

Meeting reminder - Feb. 3

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. 

 

The majority of the meeting will be spent on critiques of submissions to the Oshkosh Public Library's 2024 Young Authors program.

2024 Lakefly Writing Contests

The Lakefly Writers Conference is accepting submissions for the 2024 Lakefly Writing Contests. 

Cash prizes; no entry free. Deadline is March 4. Sorry, open to Wisconsin residents only!

 For details and submission guidelines, please click here.

Author Visit - Tammy Borden

Menasha Public Library is hosting Tammy Borden, author of Waltraud: A True Story of Growing Up in Nazi Germany at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28. 

 

 

Tammy Borden is a professional copywriter turned novelist. Her latest World War II historical fiction novel shares the compelling true story of her mother growing up under Nazi rule. An engaging and evocative novel, Waltraud: A True Story of Growing Up in Nazi Germany, represents a missing piece of World War II history—an average German girl's perspective. 

 

The event is free and open to the public. 

Wisconsin Writers Clubs

Writing is hard work, but you don't have to struggle alone. Joining a writers club is one of the best decisions you can make to hone your craft. A good writers group should provide support/encouragement and give meaningful feedback on your work. 

If you're interested in joining a club but don't live in the Oshkosh area, The Wisconsin Writers Association has a wonderful list of writing clubs through the state.

 Don't see one in your area? Here's ten tips to help you start a writing group.

Meeting reminder - Jan. 20

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20 in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Also, we're sad to announce the passing of member Eric Nienass (Haunted Barracks); his obit can be found at Konrad-Behlman.

Calling Young Oshkosh Authors

Is there a young budding writer in your life?
 
The Oshkosh Public Library is accepting submissions from kids ages kindergarten through high school through Feb. 1 for inclusion in a published anthology as part of their Young Authors program.  Help kids explore their imaginations, develop their writing skills and build self-confidence through the art of storytelling!
 
For details and submission guidelines, please click here.
 

 

 

Oshkosh Area Writers Club FAQs

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

Is there a membership fee?

 
No. But it would be appreciated if you like us on Facebook! 

 

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.

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 (5 minutes or less; time yourself at home if necessary), followed by a group critique. Not everyone reads at every meeting, so it's okay to attend, but not share your writing. If you do plan to read, please bring six copies of your work to share.

We also 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 and in the community - including open mics, author visits and writing workshops. We also co-sponsor the Lakefly Writers Conference each May at the Oshkosh Convention Center.
 
The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. 

 

Join us!