Tuesday, August 29, 2006

"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.

Advance registation is required and authors must bring ten copies of their work prior to their turn in the “Spotlight.” Those who accept a copy of the author’s work must commit to reading it and showing for the review.


Upcoming featured writers are:

Saturday, Sept. 2 - Jim S.

Saturday, Sept. 16 - Tom C.

Saturday, Oct. 7 - Rachel C.

Saturday, Oct. 21 - Stacey P.

Saturday, Nov. 4 - Bethany W.

New Books

Listed below are new releases related to creative writing as listed on amazon.com. Feel free to submit a review on any of the new titles!

If you prefer to save your money and have the Oshkosh Public Library purchase a book, please click here.

Beginner's Guide to Writing a Novel: How to Prepare Your First Book for Publication
Marina Oliver
Aug. 2006

Creative Writing: How to Unlock Your Imagination, Develop Your Writing Skills And Get Published
Adele Ramet
Aug. 2006

See Jane Write: A Girl's Guide to Writing Chick Lit
Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs
Aug. 2006

How to Write a Blockbuster (Teach Yourself Creative Writing)
Helen Corner and Lee Weatherly
Aug. 2006

Late Bloomer: On Writing Later in Life
Naomi Wakan
Sept. 2006

Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel
Cathy Yardley
Sept. 2006

Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
Gail Carson Levine
Sept. 2006

Self-Publishing For Dummies
Jason R. Rich
Sept. 2006

Now Write!: Fiction Writing Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers
Sherry Ellis
Sept. 2006

The Pocket Muse Endless Inspiration: New Ideas for Writing
Monica Wood
Oct. 2006

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing for Young Adults (Complete Idiot's Guide to)
Deborah Perlberg
Oct. 2006

Inspired Creative Writing (52 Brilliant Ideas)
Alexander Gordon Smith
Oct. 2006

Creative Writing: A Glossary and Guide to Fiction Writing
Colin Bulman
Nov. 2006

On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association
Horror Writers Association and Mort Castle
Nov. 2006

The Renegade Writer's Query Letters That Rock: The Freelance Writer's Guide to Selling More Work Faster (The Renegade Writer's Freelance Writing series)
Diana Burrell and Linda Formichelli
Nov. 2006

The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier by Bonni Trenga

Title: The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier
Author: Bonni Trenga
Genre: Non-Fiction
Summary: A detective reviews seven cases of bad writing.
The Take-Away: A sweet and easy way to learn about passive voice, run-on sentences and other newbie writing mistakes.
Recommendation: Great title for a beginner or refresher course.

July Titles

The Master List

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Sunday, August 27, 2006

Third Anniversary

The OAWC will celebrate its third anniversary with coffee and donuts at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Also on tap is a critique of "The Vanity of Vayn." If you have not received a copy of the manuscript, you may download it by clicking here.

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

Friday, August 25, 2006

Family Circle Fiction Contest

Have you ever dreamed of being a writer? Family Circle wants to help make that dream come true with our fiction contest, running from July 1 - September 15. Read below to find out how to submit your story!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN
Contest ends September 15, 2006 . Entries must be postmarked on or before September 15, 2006 and received by September 22, 2006 . Entries become the property of Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust St. , Des Moines , Iowa (“Sponsor”) and will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for illegible, lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or stolen entries or mail.

ENTRY: Submit an original, fiction short story of no more than 2,500 words, typed on 8-1/2x11 paper. Include your name, address, daytime telephone number and e-mail address (optional) on each page and send to: Family Circle Fiction Story Contest, c/o Family Circle Magazine, 375 Lexington Avenue, Ninth Floor, New York, NY 10017. Entries must be original, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award.

PRIZING: One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive $750 and possible publication in Family Circle Magazine. Two runners-up will each receive $250 and stories may appear on familycircle.com. One (1) prize per Household.

For complete contest rules, click here.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Mitch Albom booksigning

Mitch Albom will speak on his newest book, "For One More Day," at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the Park Plaze Hotel Ballroom, Oshkosh.

Tickets are $25 and include an autographed copy of his new book and a limited edition art piece inspired by the book. A ticket is required to attend.

Albom is the author of “Tuesdays with Morrie” & “The Five People You Meet in Heaven." His latest book, "For One More Day," is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

Contact Apple Blossom Books, downtown Oshkosh, to reserve your ticket at 230-3395. This event is co-sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Critique Guidelines

New and prospective members might be interested to know the guidelines we use for our Saturday critique sessions. You can find the guidelines at Persistent Ambivalence. In addition, we ask readers to keep their pieces to 6 or fewer pages, and to bring 8 copies to pass out.

Critque sessions are held at 10 a.m. on the first and third Saturday of each month in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. Meetings are free and open to anyone age 17 and older.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Northwest Wisconsin Children's Book Conference

The 4th annual Northwest Wisconsin Children's Book Conference will be held Sept. 21-22 at Telemark Resort and Convention Center in Cable, Wisconsin.

Presenters will include Kathleen Baxter, Sue Benson, Kathleen Horning, Megan Schliesman, Lise Lunge-Larsen, Chris Lane, Susan Pagnucci, Tom Pease, Janie Schomberg and Vicki Palmquistt.

Programs of interest include:

Stories From My Backyard - Rick Chrustowski. This presentation will cover the entire life cycle of a book, from the first moment you get the idea, to the day the box of completed books arrives on the doorstep. Visual aids will be used including sketches, dummy books, bookplates, printed sheets and actual illustrations from Rick’s books.

Why Folktales Still Matter – Lisa Lunge-Larsen. In this session Lise will look at the folktale as a literary genre and examine in detail why readers remain spellbound by these stories. She will examine the value these old tales have for us today and specifically their value as teaching tools and carriers of a common human ethic. Throughout the session you will be entertained as she tells stories and relates to us the reactions her audiences have had to them, thus illustrating the point that folktales still matter.

Telemark Educational Foundation Inc. (TFI) and Redbery Books are continuing the vision of the Spooner Public Library in sponsoring this conference which is focused on quality children's literature and programming. Librarian, teachers, childcare workers, and writers will be given opportunities to hear authors, illustrators, storytellers, and experts in their fields.

Third Anniversary

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will celebrate its third anniversary at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Enjoy refreshments while we get reacquainted and share ideas for the upcoming year. We will also discuss details of the anthology we're putting together.

As always, meetings are free and open to anyone age 17 and older. For more information, please call 231-6182.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

2006 Wisconsin Book Festival

The fifth annual Wisconsin Book Festival will be held in downtown Madison, from October 18-22, 2006. Designed to delight booklovers of all walks, tastes, and ages, the Festival features readings, lectures, book discussions, writing workshops, live interviews, children's events, and more.

The Festival is not a sales fair or "book expo;" rather, it is a series of dynamic interactive programs that celebrate the written word, writers, reading, and books. Drawing total annual attendance around 10,000, Festival events are designed to reach diverse audiences of all ages.

Joining the festival this year will be noted authors Ted Kooser, Michael Chabon, Marjane Satrapi, Robert Sapolsky, Marilyn Nelson, Lois Lowry, Ann Bausum, Kevin Henkes, Amy Timberlake, Kashmira Sheth and many others.

Headliners include:

Jane Hamilton lives, works, and writes in an orchard farmhouse in Rochester, Wisconsin. Her first novel, The Book of Ruth, won the PEN/Ernest Hemingway Award for best first novel and was a selection of the Oprah Book Club. Her second novel, A Map of the World, was also a selection of the Oprah Book Club and an international bestseller. Her most recent novel, The Short History of a Prince, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998.

Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001 for his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. His two prior novels, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and Wonder Boys were also bestsellers, and the latter was made into a critically-acclaimed film featuring actors Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire. Chabon's newest novel, entitled The Yiddish Policeman's Union (due in April 2006), is a thriller set in an imaginary world inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt's short-lived plan during WWII to create a Jewish homeland in Alaska, rather than the Middle East.

"Chris Ware is the Emily Dickinson of comics," says the distinguished poet J. D. McClatchy, one of the artist's many fans. As one of today's most renowned cartoonists, Ware is widely considered an artist of genius. Combining innovative comic book art, hand lettering, and graphic design, Ware's uniquely appealing work is characterized by ceaseless experimentation with narrative and graphic forms. The publication of his graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan: the Smartest Kid on Earth in 2000 inspired a near avalanche of praise from critics and readers alike. Ware's unique art form extends beyond the world of graphic novels into the broader worlds of literature, graphic art, and popular culture, and challenges traditional definitions of all three. Ware is the first cartoonist to be serialized in The New York Times Magazine's "Funny Pages," which debuted in 2005.

For a complete schedule of events, click here.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Volunteers Needed!

This is my annual plea for volunteers to work at Waterfest at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, on behalf of the Oshkosh Memorabilia Club. You can choose from: checking IDs, taking admission fees, putting wrist bands on people, pouring beverages, waiting on customers, running a cash drawer, and directing cars in the parking lot. As always, I'd be very appreciative if you can help out and even more grateful if you can bring a friend!

Due to PMI's requirements, I have to hand in a list of names by Aug. 8 so please respond quickly. And if you have any questions, give me a call evenings at 231-6182.

Thanks in advance for your consideration!

- Ruth P.

OAWC Anthology

In celebration of our third anniversary, the Oshkosh Area Writers Club is putting together an anthology which we'd like to have by Christmas.

There is no cost to be included in the anthology but there are a few basic rules:

To be included in the anthology, you must have attended a minimum of three meetings since the club's inception.

There is no theme and we will accept all genres; essay, poetry, short story, non-fiction, etc.

Word limit is 3000 words or 10 pages (can be one long piece or several shorter pieces of writing).

In addition to your submission, please write a bio about yourself in 100 words or less.

Authors who want to be in the anthology are asked to bring their work to a club meeting for a group critique/edit process. The meeting times are 10 a.m. the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month; and 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month.

Once your work has been critiqued and proofread at a meeting, you will be given further instructions on how to submit your work for publication.

The deadline for submissions is Oct. 31.

We reserve the right to decline a submission and/or change the guidelines as needed.