Guest Speaker Dave Rank

At our Dec. 3 meeting, Dave Rank of the Wisconsin Writers Association was the guest speaker. Dave congratulated us on becoming the organization's 14 Charter Club and explained the benefits of membership, including reduced fees on attending the WWA's fall conference and contest entry fees.

Dave also announced the organization has started their own book imprint. Upon acceptance, WWA will publish your book at no cost to the author, instead recouping their costs through a percentage of sales which reduce in proportion to increased sales. In addition, they publish a literary magazine, Creative Wisconsin.

Guest Author - Jim Zitzelsberger

Jim Zitzelsberger, local author, has graciously agreed to read from his latest book, Clancy's Christmas Stampede and Other Christmas Story-Poems, from 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm in the Library Dome on December 7th. At 7:00 pm the Oshkosh Youth Choir will be performing.

Mr. Zitselsberger is a retired teacher/librarian and is currently writing and farming in Wisconsin. He has a quiet sense of humor and a gift for finding beauty in every Christmas.

Contest for nonfiction

Deadline is Dec. 31, 2011. No Entry Fee. $1000 for first place. Submit a short original previously unpublished written response for this topic: create a list of your 10 favorite books and what they have taught you. Must not exceed 250 words. See Firstwriter.com for details.

New blog to check out

Club member Bill Ramsey has just started a new blog: ConnectTheDots2011.wordpress.com

His blog features present-day analytical and historical political opinion. Check it out!

Louis Clark III at Apple Blossom in Oshkosh

January 24, 2012, our own Louis V. Clark III will be reading his awesome Native American poetry 6:30 to 7 pm at Apple Blossom Books in Oshkosh.

Meeting Reminder

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 in the lower level of the Oshkosh Public Library. I will be out of town that day so the first person to arrive gets to run the meeting. Woot woot!

Judi is the Spotlight Author.

Upcoming Spotlights include Dixie on Dec. 3 and Janet on Dec. 17.

Free Query Letter Help

Need help with that query letter? Continuing Studies at UW-Madison will comment for free on one-page query letters and answer questions. Contact Christine DeSmet at cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu or 608-262-3447

Nov 15 deadline for contest

12th annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition. Prize $3000 and a trip to the WRtier's Digest Conference. 1500 words or less. Enter online at writersdigest.com/short

NaNoWriMo Month!

This is a Write A Novel In a Month contest. November is the month. You must submit 60,000 words to complete your novel. Any genre is acceptable. You may prepare mentally, but do not begin writing until November 1st. Several of OAWC members have entered and won personal fame and glory. Speak to one of us and give it a try!

Meeting Reminder

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in the lower level of the Oshkosh Public Library. Louis is the Spotlight Author.

Important! This is the last day I will be collecting NEW memberships for the Wisconsin Writers Association; join for $20. The price will be $35 in 2012 so take advantage of this opportunity!

Open Mic

We had a wonderful open mic on Tuesday, Oct 25, with over 20 people in attendance. There was a nice mix of personal essays, short stories and poetry. Afterward, we enjoyed coffee from the New Moon, a cheese and sausage tray, and other snacks.

It was great to meet members of the newly formed Oshkosh poetry club and future collaborations are likely!

Meeting Reminder

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 in the lower level of the Oshkosh Public Library. Kristen is the Author Spotlight; her piece is titled "Dark Avenger."

Note: I will be sending in a group membership for the Wisconsin Writers Association (the word 'regional' has been dropped). If you want to join or renew on Saturday, you will get a $5 discount. If interested, please bring a check for $20 payable to the Wisconsin Writers Association.

A weekend with your Novel

Continuing Studies at UW Madison is hosting a Weekend with your Novel on Nov. 11-13, 2011. This includes workshops and critique groups as well as guest speakers. Get more information online at 222.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/writing/weekend.htm.

Are You a Real Writer?

A provocative essay: "Are you a real writer or a pretend writer?" by Corey Mandell http://bit.ly/RealWriter

Why You Should Join WRWA

A great article on the benefits of joining the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association by Greg Peck that appeared in the Green Bay Press Gazette. Click here to read it.

Sheboygan Book Festival

2nd Annual Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival

http://sheboyganchildrensbookfestival.org

October 14-16, 2011. The theme for this year’s Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival is Memory. Our memories are an intrinsic part of who we are and how we view the world. Ever wonder how a writer or artist uses the rich universe of memory? Be a part of the Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival and listen to authors and illustrators talk about their work and the role memory plays in their craft.

2011 Authors and Illustrators:

• Jerry Pinkney

• Candace Fleming

• M.T. Anderson

• Liz Garton Scanlon

• Tom Lichtenheld

• Catherine Gilbert Murdock

• Francisco X. Mora

• Stacey Williams-Ng

Meeting Reminder

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 in the lower level of the Oshkosh Public Library. Chuck and Joyce are sharing the Author Spotlight.

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

New Poetry Club!

Apple Blossom Books, downtown Oshkosh, has started a local a Poetry Club. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. the fourth Monday of every month. For more information, call the store at 230-3396 or visit their website at http://www.appleblossombooks.com

Meeting Reminder

The Oshkosh Area Writers Club will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 in the lower level of the Oshkosh Public Library. Janet is the Author Spotlight.

In honor of our 9th anniversary this month, everyone is invited to bring a snack to share!

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

Spotlight Schedule

Upcoming Author Spotlights:

Oct. 1 - Chuck
Oct. 15 - Kristen
Nov. 5 - Louis
Nov. 19 - Judi
Dec. 3 - Dixie
Dec. 17 - Janet