2018 Lakefly Writers Conference: Focus on Mystery/Murder

The 2018 Lakefly Writers Conference has some great offerings for mystery/murder writers:



On Friday, May 11, Coroner Corner will feature Winnebago County Coroner Barry Busby and Deputy Conorer Cheryl Brehmer. Busby and Brehmer will talk about body identification, notification of family, and working with the police and the district attorney. Audience questions are welcomed. Please note, the content of this program may include graphic language so this workshop might not be appropriate for everyone.


Mystery writer Lori Rader-Day will kick off Saturday morning with the keynote. Rader-Day is the author of the Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning novel Little Pretty Things, and The Black Hour, winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. Her third novel, The Day I Died, was an Indie Next Pick and is a finalist for the Chicago Writers Association’s Book of the Year. Rader-Day's short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Time Out Chicago, Good Housekeeping, and others. Her next novel, Under a Dark Sky, will be published by Harper Collins in August. Find her at loriraderday.com.

Get a behind-the-scenes view of criminal cases from the defensive side of the courtroom with Writing Defense. This panel discussion will feature private defense attorneys Jerome Buting, Kathleen Stilling and Ryan Ulrich, who will answer your questions related to jury selection, defense strategy, preparing a witness for trial and whatever else you want to know to make your legal thriller come to life!

Back by popular demand, Det. Jeremy Wilson will round out the crime/murder workshops. Wilson is currently assigned to the Investigative Services Bureau of the Oshkosh Police Department, where he works as a Detective. Since joining the Oshkosh Police Department, Jeremy has served as a patrol officer, field training officer, worked undercover and as a forensic phone analyst. Det. Wilson has previously spoken at the conference about blood splatter, crime scene collection and digital forensics – we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us this year!

Lastly, Laura Jean Baker will talk about her collaboration with her lawyer-husband Ryan Ulrich that lead to her memoir, Motherhood Affidavits, and how she interwove her husband's real-life cases into stories of her own.

The Lakefly Writers Conference will be held May 11-12, 2018, at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Cost is $75 and includes lunch on Saturday. For more information or to register, please go to https://www.lakeflywriters.org/

The event is sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

Wisconsin Spring Writing Contests

There are several writing contests this spring for Wisconsin residents. Enter one today!

The deadline for the Lakefly Writing Contests is March 30. Must be a Wisconsin resident or attending the Lakefly Writers Conference, May 11-12, Oshkosh. Four categories, including one contest just for teens. No entry fee; cash prizes. Submission rules at: https://www.lakeflywriters.org/contests

Lake Superior Writers are accepting submissions for their 2018 writing contests. Deadline is April 1. Four categories; the theme is “rescue. For submission rules, visit https://lakesuperiorwriters.org

The Peninsula Pulse and partners are accepting literary and photograph submissions for the Hal Prize. Deadline is May 1. Visit http://thehalprize.com for details.

The Jade Ring Contest is open for contest entries until May 10th. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Writers Association in collaboration with Creative Wisconsin. Four categories. Entry fee WWA members: $15.00; non-members: $20.00. For submission guidelines, visit https://wiwrite.org/contests/

Meeting reminder - March 17

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

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

Also, a reminder that the Lakefly Writing Contest deadline is March 30. No entry fee; cash prizes. Details here > https://www.lakeflywriters.org/contests

Meeting Reminder - March 3

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

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

2018 Lakefly Writing Contests

There is still time to enter the 2018 Lakefly Writing Contests! Categories for adults are flash fiction, short story and poetry. New this is year a short story contest just for teens.

No entry fee; cash prizes. Sorry, Wisconsin residents only! 

For submission rules, visit www.lakeflywriters.org/contests

Meeting Reminder - Feb. 3

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, in the lower level conference room at the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to the public!

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. 

As always, meetings are free and open to the public.

Horror Writers Association - Wisconsin chapter

Do you write horror or dark fiction? Wisconsin writer Dave Rank is interested in forming a Wisconsin Chapter of the Horror Writers Association. He needs a minimum of five members willing to be a paying member of the HWA. If you are interested, please email Dave at davejrank @ ameritech.net (remove the spaces around the @ symbol in the email address). 

Lakefly Writing Contests

The Lakefly Writers Conference is accepting submissions for their annual writing contests. 

The categories are: flash fiction, short story, and poetry. Also, new this year, is a short contest for those 18 years old and younger.

No entry fee and cash prizes! Complete contest rules and submission guidelines are at https://www.lakeflywriters.org/contests.

Meeting reminder - Jan. 6

Just a reminder that 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. For those who attended the white elephant gift exchange, we look forward to your writing about the gift you received!

Meeting reminder - Dec. 16 Holiday Party

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 in the lower level conference room at the Oshkosh Public Library. This is our annual holiday party so we won't be doing writing critiques. 

Please bring a wrapped White Elephant gift (something in new/good condition that you already own but never use). The White Elephant gift will be used as a writing prompt for the receiver, if that helps you decide what to bring.

Donuts will be provided but others are welcome to bring a snack to share are well. We'll also like to taking a group photo on the second floor where there are Christmas trees for a back-drop.

Meeting reminder - Dec. 2

Yikes! My email contact list has disappeared. This would have been my email, had I been able to send it:

Just a reminder that the Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Our annual holiday party will be held at the following meeting, Dec. 16. Please bring a wrapped gift (something you already own but never use) for our white elephant gift exchange. The person who receives your gift will use it as the basis of a writing prompt, if that helps you decide what to bring.

Lastly, the Thank Goodness NaNoWriMo is Over party will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30 in the First Floor Reading Room of the Oshkosh Public Library. Finished or not, enjoy some snacks and share your stories.

Congrats Joyce!

Club member Joyce Frohn has been busy! She recently had several pieces published in Page and Spine, including the nonfiction articles  “You Have a Press Pass, Now What,” “How I Fight the Imposter Syndrome,” and “Headliner Writers Headline.”

She also published “Orange Table in the Corner” in Spaceport and Spidersilk, and a short story, “A Most Moral War” in the anthology Love ‘em, Shoot ‘em.

Night of Writing Dangerously - Nov. 18

As part of our NaNoWriMo events, The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will host The Night of Writing Dangerously, Saturday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Oshkosh Public Library. 

The library will be closed to the public but someone will meet you at the door. Refreshments will be provided. 

An excellent opportunity to catch up on your word count and commiserate with other writers!

Meeting reminder - Nov. 18

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. The downtown businesses will be hosting a Grinchmas event so you may want to leave early to allow time for traffic, parking.

Congrats to Louis!

Thrilled to announce member Louis Clark has won the 2017 Midwest Booksellers Association Prize for Poetry, for his book, "How to be an Indian in the 21st Century," published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. 

Upcoming events

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

For those participating in the long-form fiction writing group, the next meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, Nov.  6, in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Lastly, for those brave enough to take on National Novel Writing Month, we have an event at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 in the first floor Reading Room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

All events are free and open to the public.

NaNoWriMo Kick-off Party

Join members of the Oshkosh Area Writers Club for our annual NaNoWriMo Kick-off Party, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1 in the first floor Reading Room of the Oshkosh Public Library. 

Come with paper or laptop and be ready to write! Refreshments will be served.

Click here for the full schedule of NaNoWriMo events.

Call for Pitches - UntitledTown Book and Author Festival

The second annual UntitledTown Book and Author Festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin, will be held April 20-22, 2018. They are currently seeking pitches from writers of all genres, agents, editors, arts advocates, illustrators, and book-making folks of all sorts. 

The form is available here: Click here.

They will accept individual pitches as well as suggested panels via this form until November 15, 2017. 

Oct. 26 Program: What is NaNoWriMo?

New to National Novel Writing Month? Join us at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 to learn all about it! We’ll help you register, and provide tips and tricks to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Think you can’t do it? Yes you can!

Meeting will be held in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library. Hope to see you there!

Click here for a full schedule of NaNoWriMo events.

Meeting reminder - Oct. 21

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

National Novel Writing Month Events

National Novel Writing Month is the largest writing project on the planet!  The idea is to write a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. It's all about quantity, not quality! The Oshkosh Area Writers club is hosting these events to help you along; all ages are welcome to participate. Bring writing supplies/devices; free Wi-Fi available.

What is NaNoWriMo? 
Thursday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m.
Oshkosh Public Library, lower level conference room
We’ll help you register for NaNoWriMo, and give you tips and tricks to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Think you can’t do it? Yes you can!

Kick-off Party
Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.
Oshkosh Public Library, first floor reading room

You’ve committed to writing a novel this month – get off to a great start. Come with paper or laptop and be ready to write! Refreshments will be served.

Thousand Word Thursday
Thursday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m.
Oshkosh Public Library, first floor reading room

Tonight’s goal is to write 1,000 words. Maybe you’ll only write 200. The point is, you don’t have to write alone.  Join us for light snacks and heavy whining – then it’s time to start writing!

Night of Writing Dangerously
Saturday, Nov. 18 from 6 to 11 p.m.
Oshkosh Public Library

At a loss for words? Let us help you with plot ninjas, word sprints and other support.  Hang on tight – it’s a race to the finish during this wild night of writing!  Refreshments will be served.

Note: Library will be closed to the general public.  Use entrance adjacent to the parking lot.

Thank Goodness It’s Over Party
Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m.
Oshkosh Public Library, first floor reading room

Join your fellow authors in a celebration of your effort, win or lose. Prizes and refreshments.

Events are sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library and the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

Local Toastmasters Club Forming

Public speaking is painful, but authors are expected to perform book readings and other speaking engagements. 

If you’re intimidated by speaking to a group, or just want to be a better speaker, Toastmasters is here to help!

An Oshkosh chapter of Toastmasters is forming. An organization meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at the UW-Oshkosh Alumni Center.

Open Mic Night - Tuesday, Oct. 24

Join us for Open Mic at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, under the Dome of the Oshkosh Public Library. 

Whether it’s something you wrote at one of our Write Now! writing sessions or a piece you wrote independently, tonight is all about sharing. Not a writer? That's okay! Enjoy the musings our talented area writers.

Free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Oshkosh Public Library, in partnership with the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

M is for Memoir: Free writing series

Explore the art and variations of memoir writing with Deb Martin during a three-session series on Monday mornings. Discussion topics include journal writing, writing styles, the importance of family history, and what to do with what you’ve written.


Mondays, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 6: All sessions start at 9 a.m. in the lower level Conference Room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

All ages and skill levels welcome. Attend one session or all three! There will be time to write/share what you’ve written. Please bring your current journal or start fresh with a new one. 

Deb Martin has been journaling for decades and is the author of Daycare Advice from Haley. She works as a private consultant in Oshkosh.

New Group Forming: Novel and Screening Writing

Interested in writing a novel or screen play? Let's talk about getting a group together and set up a meeting schedule. 

We're hosting an organizational meeting for  Novel & Screenwriting writers, at 10 a.m. Sat., Oct. 14, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

The emphasis will be on creating characterization, and plot and narrative structure. Meetings will focus on individual story and character treatments first, and then later on critiques of members' narrative writing.

Note: The library parking lot is closed for repair but parking is available in the lot on the side of Jefferson Street, and on weekends, in the Human Services lot on the other side of Mount Vernon Street.

Free workshop: Redacted Poetry

Join us for Redacted Poetry at 6 p.m. Wed., Oct. 11 in the lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Redacted or Black Out Poetry, is a fun way to create a poem or story. Using a page from a newspaper, book or magazine, "black out" all of the words that you don't need, and leave only the words that tell your story. All ages and skill levels welcome. Pages and markers will be provided.

Note: The Library parking lot is closed due to resurfacing and widening of the stalls. Parking is available in the lot across Jefferson Street, and, after business hours, in the Human Services lot, on the other side of Mount Vernon St.

Meeting reminder - Oct. 7

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 in the lower level conference room at the Oshkosh Public Library. As always, meetings are free and open to anyone 17 and older.

Need something to do in the next week or two? Check out these club-sponsored events. All are free and take place in the lower level of the Oshkosh Public Library; all ages and skill levels welcome!

Drabbles - Make Every Word Count
Thurs., Oct. 5; 3 p.m.
Practice making every word count by condensing the essence of a story down to a 100-word work of fiction. Prompts provided for inspiration.

Redacted Poetry
Wed., Oct. 11; 6 p.m.
Redacted or Black Out Poetry, is a fun way to create a poem or story. Using a page from a newspaper, book or magazine, "black out" all of the words that you don't need, and leave only the words that tell your story. Pages and markers will be provided.

Novel & Screenwriting (Organizational meeting)
Sat., Oct. 14; 10 a.m.
Interested in writing a novel or screen play? Let's talk about getting a group together and set up a meeting schedule. The emphasis will be on creating characterization, and plot and narrative structure. Meetings will focus on individual story and character treatments first, and then later on critiques of members' narrative writing.

M is for Memoir Writing Series

Explore the art and variations of memoir writing with Deb Martin during a three-session series on Monday mornings. Discussion topics include journal writing, writing styles, the importance of family history, and what to do with what you’ve written.

Session will be held on Mondays, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, and start at 9 a.m. in the lower level Conference Room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

All ages and skill levels welcome. Attend one session or all three! There will be time to write/share what you’ve written. Please bring your current journal or start fresh with a new one.  

Deb Martin has been journaling for decades and is the author of Daycare Advice from Haley. She works as a private consultant in Oshkosh. You can learn more about her at DeborahAnnMartinWriting.com

Sponsored by the Oshkosh Area Writers Club.

New Oshkosh area writing group for novelists, screenwriters

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club is looking at adding a subgroup of the writers club for long fiction writers (novelists, screen play writers). Description is below:

Novel and Screenwriting: Organizational Meeting
10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14
Lower level conference room of the Oshkosh Public Library

An organizational meeting for those interested in writing a novel or screen play. The main purpose of this meeting is to see if there is interest, and if so, set up a meeting schedule. The emphasis of meetings will be on creating characterization, and plot and narrative structure. Meetings will focus on individual story and character treatments first, and then later on critiques of members' narrative writing.