Northwest Children's Book Conference

The Northwest Children’s Book Conference will be held Sept. 27-28, 2007, at the Telemark Resort and Conference Center in Cable, WI.

The conference offers 16 workshops and includes subjects such as writing for children and teens, storytelling techniques, and illustrating for children. Author Faith Sullivan, author of "Cape Ann" and "Gardenias" will be the keynote speaker.

For registration information call Deb Malesevich at 715-798-3999 Ext. #547, email deb@telemarkeducation.com or go to www.telemarkeducation.com and download a registration form.

Women's Writing Retreat

Judy Bridges, founder of Redbird Studio writing center in Milwaukee, will host a Women's Writing Retreat September 9- 15 at The Clearing in Door County, WI. Mornings will be spent writing, afternoons will be devoted to writing critiques and discussions, and evenings are open to spend as you wish.

The program is open to writers of all levels. Fees start at $425; meals and lodging are extra.

Writer's Dictionary

Kid-jep, headhopping, skipstream - these are just some of the terms defined here. Compiled by Predators and Editors, the online dictionary of writing and publishing terms includes legal language, publishing abbreviations and literary terms.

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; authors must registration in advance.

Upcoming Author Spotlights:

Saturday, July 7 - Dixie J.

Saturday, July 21 - Hope S.

Saturday, Aug 4 - Tom C.

Haunted Wisconsin

Chad Lewis will present "Haunted Wisconsin," at 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 13, 2007, at Ripon Public Library.

Paranormal researcher and author Chad Lewis will take the audience on a ghostly journey to some of the most haunted places in Wisconsin - from the wandering highway ghosts of the North Woods to haunted B&B's in Milwaukee. From phantom creatures prowling the forests to graveyard apparitions located in your own backyard, no place in Wisconsin is without its own haunting. Complete with photos, case history, eyewitness accounts, ghost lore, and directions, this presentation encourages you to visit these places for your own ghost story.

Lewis holds a Master's of Science degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and has trekked across the world in search of the paranormal. He is also the co-author of "The Road Guide to Haunted Locations" series.

The event is free and open to the public.

Another Name Generator

What would your name be if you were monkey? Find out here.

Free Writing Contests

Writers often are deterred from entering contests because of a required entry fee or reading fee. However, writer-online-line.com nows offers a list of nearly 50 writing contests that don't require an entry fee; many award cash prizes. To view the list, click here.

Club Anthology, Party

The club's anthology, "Hearts We Know By Stories: The Collected Works of the Oshkosh Area Writers Club," is now available for purchase from lulu.com.

In celebration, we're holding a reading/booksigning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, at the Oshkosh Public Library, under the 2nd floor Library Dome. Limited copies will be available for purchase ($9) and members are asked to bring a snack to share.

Note: Jim Stevens is creating a documentary about the writers club to be aired on OCAT and may be filming the night of the event.

Shawano Area Writers' 2007 Fiction Contest

The Shawano Area Writers Club is sponsoring a fiction contest that is open to Wisconsin writers only. Cash prize awards: $400 for 1st Place; $200 for 2nd Place; $100 for 3rd Place; two Honorable Mentions will be awarded.

There is a $10 entry free; deadline is June 30. For complete rules, click here.

Writers Place Anthology Contest

The Writers Place announces a new literary contest focusing on poetry, fiction and non-fiction about women in mid-life. They are seeking short fiction (up to 7,500 words), non-fiction (up to 7,500 words) and poetry (up to 5 pages) about menopause, women in mid-life, female mid-life crises, and families, businesses, partners and children dealing with women in mid-life. Novel excerpts are acceptable. Authors can be male or female, any age, nationality or sexual orientation. Our aim is to present various views of women in mid-life through the lens of our 21st century writers.

Winners and finalists, in addition to awards and prizes, will be published as a TWP Book Selection, online and in hardcover. Deadline is July 15; For more information and submission form, click here.

Random name of subdivisions

This may be more cute than useful, but if you are trying to come up with a fictional name of a subdivision, or nursing home, try the A random subdivision/housing development/rest home name generator at:

http://adrian.gimp.org/cgi-bin/sub.cgi

Michael Perry

Wisconsin author Michael Perry will do an author visit and booksigning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 20, at the 1910 Sausage Company, 204 E. College Ave. His appearance is sponsored by Conkey's Bookstore.

"Hearts We Know By Stories"

It's official! Members have chosen the title "Hearts We Know By Stories: Collected Works of the Oshkosh Area Writer’s Club," for the club’s self-published anthology that features over 15 members’ works and includes non-fiction, fiction and poetry.

A galley of the manuscript will be available for viewing at the next meeting, 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

In anticipation of a June publication date, the club will host a celebratory party at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, under the 2nd floor Dome of the Oshkosh Public Library. Books will be available for purchase (price to be determined) and refreshments will be served.

Ruth would like to thank club members for the numerous proofreading sessions, with a special thanks to Tom Cannon for serving as co-project coordinator and to Nicky Lee Hoffman and Nichole Smith for assisting with editing, design and layout.

Booksigning - Jerry Apps

Wisconsin Author Jerry Apps will speak about his upcoming book, “Living a Country Year: Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days.”

In his signature warm-hearted style, Jerry Apps traces the wisdom gained in living a country year, chronicling each month with a tale about growing up on a Midwestern dairy farm in the 1940s. Wearing his hard-earned wisdom lightly, Apps accompanies each month’s tale with farm country aphorisms and the occasional recipe for good measure.

Apple Blossom Books is hosting the signing from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 23, at the Oshkosh Public Museum, in honor of the new Pioneer Living exhibit.

Booksigning - P.C. Hodgell

Oskhosh author P.C. Hodgell, one of the finest fantasy writers to ever grace the streets of Oshkosh, will be at Apple Blossom Books, downtown Main Street, to sign her latest release, “To Ride a Rathorn”, as well as the re-release of “Dark of the Gods” and “Godstalk”. The event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 19. For more information, visit Apple Blossom Books.

Attn: Shakespeare Fans

Dr. Heather Dubrow, a distinguished scholar and professor at UW-Madison, will deliver a lecture about William Shakespeare and the popularity of his works. The event will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, May 21, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Dubrow's appearance is one of many events taking place as part of Shakespeare on the Fox, a unique partnership linking the cities and towns of the Fox River Valley in northeast Wisconsin, with the goal to enrich and enliven the communities of the Fox River Valley through experiencing Shakespeare.

Click here for a schedule of other events celebrating the life and works of William Shakespeare.

Author Visit - Greg Pahl

Author Greg Pahl will do a book talk/booksigning at 2 p.m., Friday, June 15, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Pahl's newest book is "The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: Community Solutions to a Global Crisis." [Chelsea Green Pub. Co., 2007, 347 p.]

In the late 1970s, Pahl began writing on a part-time basis for a wide range of publications, and eventually became a full-time freelance writer and journalist. Over the years, he has written hundreds of articles and commentaries on the arts, business, finance, farming, and environmental issues.

Whether you're interested in energy/environmental issues or how to break into magazine writing, Pahl is an engaging, knowledgeable speaker.

Author Visit - Lesley Kagen

Top Milwaukee restauranteur and debut author Lesley Kagen will do an author visit/booksigning from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 9th, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.

Kagen will be promoting her novel, "Whistling in the Dark," which was selected as a BookSense Pick for the month of May, as well as a Featured Alternate by Double Day Book Club, The Mystery Guild and The Literary Guild

The event is co-sponsored by The Oshkosh Public Library and Apple Blossom Books. Support Wisconsin authors!

Power of the Pen Summary

Summary of The Power of the Pen Writers Conference, April 20-21, 2007, at FVTC
submitted by Jessica Collins


The Fire Within-An Evening with Ellen Kort

Elen Kort used the image of fire as a basis of her talk on Friday night, April 20th. She explained her own ritual for burning a candle throughout her writing time. This unique habit creates a start/stop ritual for the practice of writing. In her writing, Ellen also practices “spilling,” or free association writing where the fire burns hot. She expressed the necessity of using the fire while it’s hot and getting these ideas into form before the ideas dissipate. The practice of consistent “spilling” is also important to keep the coals burning.

Developing and Presenting Powerful Poetry-John Lehman

John Lehman spoke about the importance of the basic elements of poetry. As I listened, I became aware that these simple ideas can somehow be forgotten when writing, and returning to them made me aware of how I could be more deliberate with them. The tools are movement (rhythm, structure, flow), drama (heightened reality, tension), and meaning (leave something to interpretation).

Be Published More Quickly-John Lehman

The keynotes for this discussion were the importance of networking and persistence. It really makes a difference if you attend groups such as the writer’s club, go to book signings, and sign up for conferences to build new relationships and skills. You never know what sort of connections you can make with those around you. Persistence is also key. There’s no need to beat yourself up when you receive rejection notices. Simply slip your manuscripts in a new envelope and send them off to another publisher.

Writing the Breakout Novel

"Writing the Breakout Novel" summary
submitted by Tom Cannon

Donald Maass of the Donald Maass Literary Agency taught a workshop this weekend at the 18th Annual Writer’s Institute in Madison. His goal was to teach attendees how to write a breakout novel--a novel that propels an author to be a leader in the industry. His presentation was interactive, entertaining, and powerful. He described how nothing is more important to selling books than word-of-mouth and that this comes from providing a powerful story. As he autographed in his books, “Tension on every page.”

But how do you do this? Mr. Maass put the audience through exercises that taught strategies such as: add heroic qualities right away, build inner conflict, add quirks, and raise the stakes for the characters. All of these and many more skills are explored further in his book "Writing the Breakout Novel," and his workbook of the same name.

Mr. Mass leads weeklong workshops on writing and is leading one the third week of June Nashville, Indiana (information can be found at http://www.free-expressions.com/). If you are looking for a weeklong workshop, this writer would recommend one of Mr. Maas’. It sounds like a lot of work with workshops, 1:1 meetings, evening programs, and homework, but it also sounds like a tool to take your writing to the next level.

However, you may want to be prepared that Mr. Maass will be honest. He was polite and positive, but did not shy away from being honest. One of his suggestions to improve writers groups was to ask the people to critique your work and identify any passages where they did not feel tension. That would be hard to listen to, but it is tension that makes people turn the page.