Thursday, May 29, 2008
Next meeting
Just a reminder that there are five Saturdays in May so our next meeting won't be until 10 a.m. Saturday, June 7th, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library. Dan is the Spotlight Author.
Life Stories Needed
FieldReport is a new web site that awards significant cash prizes for the best in personal writing. This call for submissions is for FieldReport's pre-launch beta period. Submission deadline is June 30, 2008 and there is no entry fee. Prizes are awarded July 1, 2008.
Post 2,500 words or less by going to the web site and typing in the password "truelife." (without the quotes). Award categories include Animals, College Life, Friends and Relations, Home and Garden, Parenting, and many others.
Post 2,500 words or less by going to the web site and typing in the password "truelife." (without the quotes). Award categories include Animals, College Life, Friends and Relations, Home and Garden, Parenting, and many others.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Writing Prompt for June 7
The writing prompt for the June 7 meeting is: "Pick up a few to take with you." The prompt may used any way you want.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Open Mic & Free Magazines
Just a reminder that we're hosting an open mic night at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, under the Library Dome, 106 Washington Ave. You can read old or new stuff, yours or someone else's. Please bring a dish to pass.
Of note: Hope S. is cleaning out the office of the Wisconsin Review and will be bring a box of FREE sample issues of various literary magazines to the open mic. It's commonly suggested to look at sample issues of a magazine before you submit something for publication; Hope is giving us a great opportunity to browse an array of magazine titles where we might want to submit future work.
Of note: Hope S. is cleaning out the office of the Wisconsin Review and will be bring a box of FREE sample issues of various literary magazines to the open mic. It's commonly suggested to look at sample issues of a magazine before you submit something for publication; Hope is giving us a great opportunity to browse an array of magazine titles where we might want to submit future work.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Local Author Jess Riley
Oshkosh native Jess Riley will do a book talk and signing at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Oshkosh Public Library. Her appearance is co-sponsored by the club.
Jess spoke to the Writers Club in June 2006 about her self-published novel, which has now been picked up by Random House and will be available in stores May 20. The book, "Driving Sideways," is about a road trip taken from Fond du lac to L.A. by a young woman with Kidney disease (PKD) and a recent transplant. Lots of twists and turns in the plot and a killer sense of humor. Target has already selected it as one of their breakout books.
Jess's visit will be a great opportunity to ask her about going from self-publishing to working with a major publishing house, and what she has learned along the way.
Jess spoke to the Writers Club in June 2006 about her self-published novel, which has now been picked up by Random House and will be available in stores May 20. The book, "Driving Sideways," is about a road trip taken from Fond du lac to L.A. by a young woman with Kidney disease (PKD) and a recent transplant. Lots of twists and turns in the plot and a killer sense of humor. Target has already selected it as one of their breakout books.
Jess's visit will be a great opportunity to ask her about going from self-publishing to working with a major publishing house, and what she has learned along the way.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Writing prompt for May 17
There are two writing prompts for the Saturday, May 17 meeting; use them in any way that suits you.
1. "Get off me!"
2. Write about your first apartment, dorm room, etc.
1. "Get off me!"
2. Write about your first apartment, dorm room, etc.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
tips for distraction free
Lifehack org has an article on ways to keep yourself from being distracted while writing. It is at least some food for thought. Click on the link below to go to the article.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/tips-and-tricks-for-distraction-free-writing.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/tips-and-tricks-for-distraction-free-writing.html
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Online Word Processor
Do you need a word processing program? Do you work on your writing in different locations or on different computers? The following article describes several online word processing sites:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/write-here-write-now-write-anywhere-13-web-based-word-processors.html
I have tried Inet Word at http://www.inetword.com/. It is a free web-based word processor and seems pretty good. You type documents online and can save it online. These means you can retrieve it from any computer with web access. It seems to have many features- more than most will ever use.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/write-here-write-now-write-anywhere-13-web-based-word-processors.html
I have tried Inet Word at http://www.inetword.com/. It is a free web-based word processor and seems pretty good. You type documents online and can save it online. These means you can retrieve it from any computer with web access. It seems to have many features- more than most will ever use.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Free Comic Book Day
House of Heroes, downtown Oshkosh, will be giving away comic books from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 3, 2008, as part of the national Free Comic Book Day.
Titles include Simpsons, Superman, Iron Man, Transformers, Hellboy, X-Men, Naruto and more!
Titles include Simpsons, Superman, Iron Man, Transformers, Hellboy, X-Men, Naruto and more!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Free online search for publishers
Here is some information from the website Duotrope:
It looks like a good way to find a publisher.
Duotrope’s Digest is a free, online resource for writers of fiction and poetry.
why duotrope? Search for the perfect market for your fiction and poetry, based on a number of criteria. We list well over a thousand current markets, and we check each listing once a week to ensure everything stays as up-to-date as humanly possible. You can also get nifty reports on markets’ response times and acceptance/rejection ratios. Sign up for a free account and track your submissions in one place. We’ll even remind you when it’s time to query. Explore and see what else we have on tap.
how can I duotrope? Pull up your web browser and head over to duotrope.com. Remember, it’s free!
duotrope.com
It looks like a good way to find a publisher.
Duotrope’s Digest is a free, online resource for writers of fiction and poetry.
why duotrope? Search for the perfect market for your fiction and poetry, based on a number of criteria. We list well over a thousand current markets, and we check each listing once a week to ensure everything stays as up-to-date as humanly possible. You can also get nifty reports on markets’ response times and acceptance/rejection ratios. Sign up for a free account and track your submissions in one place. We’ll even remind you when it’s time to query. Explore and see what else we have on tap.
how can I duotrope? Pull up your web browser and head over to duotrope.com. Remember, it’s free!
duotrope.com
Friday, April 25, 2008
Author Boni Ashburn
Children’s author Boni Ashburn with her adorable book, “Hush Little Dragon,” will give a book talk at 3 p.m. Friday, May 9 at Apple Blossom Books, downtown Oshkosh. The book is a sweet lullaby to a fussy eater of a baby dragon. Never mind the taste of that magician, he’s good nutrition!
Meet Elizabeth Berg
New York author Elizabeth Berg will do a reading from her new book, "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted and Other Small Acts of Liberation," at noon, Tuesday, May 13 at the Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave. This is her only Wisconsin appearance north of Milwaukee.
Her novels of strong women, families, and new beginnings make excellent choices for contemporary fiction including Oprah’s book club choice, “The Art of Mending”, or others like “Open House”, “The Year of Pleasures, “What We Keep”, “Dream When You’re Feeling Blue”, and “The Handmaid and the Carpenter”.
The free event is sponsored by Apple Blossom Books.
Her novels of strong women, families, and new beginnings make excellent choices for contemporary fiction including Oprah’s book club choice, “The Art of Mending”, or others like “Open House”, “The Year of Pleasures, “What We Keep”, “Dream When You’re Feeling Blue”, and “The Handmaid and the Carpenter”.
The free event is sponsored by Apple Blossom Books.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Author Visit - Joseph Amato
Noted author and historian Joseph Amato will speak about his newest book, "Jacob's Well: A Case For Rethinking Family History" published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008. Amato has a long list of publishing credits, including "A Place Called Home: Writings on the Midwestern Small Town" (2003).
Writers interested in genealogy and storytelling will want to attend; this is a great opportunity to get advice on organizing your life stories.
The program will take at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8th, the Dome Area, 2nd Floor, Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave. The author will have books for sale. For more information, call the library at 236-5205.
Writers interested in genealogy and storytelling will want to attend; this is a great opportunity to get advice on organizing your life stories.
The program will take at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8th, the Dome Area, 2nd Floor, Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave. The author will have books for sale. For more information, call the library at 236-5205.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Next Meeting - April 19th
The next meeting of the Oshkosh Area Writers Club will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 19, in the lower level meeting room of the Oshkosh Public Library.
Note: Due to filming, you will need to approach the library from the north, coming on Merritt Avenue and then turning onto Jefferson St. If there are barricades, just tell the person at the barricade you are coming to the library and they will let you in.
Note: Due to filming, you will need to approach the library from the north, coming on Merritt Avenue and then turning onto Jefferson St. If there are barricades, just tell the person at the barricade you are coming to the library and they will let you in.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Discussion Topic - Define "Romantic"
One of our authors wrote in one of his Life Stories of growing up in the early sixties a description of coming home to find his mother sitting up late watching Johnny Carson and smoking her Chesterfields. This image was described by another as romantic and this lead to the question: What is meant by romantic in this context?
We couldn't really come up with a definition, but in reading "All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren, this writer came across the passage, “It is because he is a romantic, and he has a picture of the world in his head, and when the world doesn't conform in any respect to this picture, he wants to throw the world away.” This seems to be the answer.
Do we want people sitting up alone with a vice (or vices if you count TV watching) that isn't good for them? No. But when we think of people in the fifties or sixties, don't we want them watching Johnny Carson on a black and white TV and smoking? That's how we picture that time. Don't we envy this mother in a simpler time when you could indulge in a cigarette and didn't worry about carcinogens and second hand smoke? When you could enjoy late night TV without hearing a commercial for ED or see a young starlet without underwear? Those times probably weren't any simpler than today, yet we yearn for them romantically. ~ TC
We can continue this discussion using the "comment" forum.
We couldn't really come up with a definition, but in reading "All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren, this writer came across the passage, “It is because he is a romantic, and he has a picture of the world in his head, and when the world doesn't conform in any respect to this picture, he wants to throw the world away.” This seems to be the answer.
Do we want people sitting up alone with a vice (or vices if you count TV watching) that isn't good for them? No. But when we think of people in the fifties or sixties, don't we want them watching Johnny Carson on a black and white TV and smoking? That's how we picture that time. Don't we envy this mother in a simpler time when you could indulge in a cigarette and didn't worry about carcinogens and second hand smoke? When you could enjoy late night TV without hearing a commercial for ED or see a young starlet without underwear? Those times probably weren't any simpler than today, yet we yearn for them romantically. ~ TC
We can continue this discussion using the "comment" forum.
First Annual Fox Cities Book Festival
Celebrate the pure joy of reading and make plans today to attend the inaugural Fox Cities Book Festival, which will be held April 16-20, 2008.
The festival will connect readers and writers and offer an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the literary arts. It will also reach across all generations and genres with activities spanning the entire Fox Cities. A book fair featuring numerous publishers will be held at City Center Plaza in Downtown Appleton on April 19.
The Fox Cities Book Festival will feature many national, state and local authors. Among the national writers coming to the Fox Cities:
Charles Baxter
As one of America's best-selling poets, Collins is known for his witty writing style. He was appointed as Poet Laureate in 2001 by Congress and served two terms. Collins has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Foundation and was also the recipient of the Poetry Foundation's original Mark Twain Award for humorous poetry. Some of his most popular books of poetry include "Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems," "Picnic, Lightning" and "The Art of Drowning." Collins is an English professor and lives in New York
Speaking with Dean Bakopoulos Friday, April 18 at 2:30 p.m. about finding your writing mentor, UW-Fox Valley Aaron Bohrod Gallery; Speaking Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m., Stansbury Hall, Lawrence Univ.; Panel discussion Saturday, April 19 at 10 a.m. on turning fiction books into movies, Appleton Public Library
Alex Flinn
Alex Flinn is one of the country's best-selling authors of books for young adults. She was born on Long Island, moved to Miami as a teen and still calls Florida home. Although Flinn went to law school and was a practicing attorney, she always loved writing and started work on her first novel, "Breathing Underwater," while completing her college studies. Flinn now has five published novels to her name with "Fade to Black" and "Diva" as two reader favorites.
Speaking Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m., Harmony Café, Appleton. Her topic is Dating 101: Finding Your Way.
Alice Hoffman
Hoffman is one of America's most distinguished novelists. She has published a total of 18 novels, two stories of short fiction and eight books for children and young adults. Her novel, "Here on Earth," was an Oprah Book Club choice and several of her books, including "Practical Magic" and the New York Times Bestseller, "The River King," have been made into movies. She currently splits her time between Boston and New York. Alice will be speaking about her popular novels Blackbird House and Green Angel.
Speaking Thursday, April 17 at 1:30 p.m., Kaukauna Public Library
Speaking Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m., Appleton Public Library
Speaking Friday, April 18 at 10 a.m., Neenah Public Library
Naomi Shihab Nye
Naomi Shihab Nye has traveled the world and is known for evoking a humanitarian spirit and drawing upon her cultural experiences in her poetry. She received the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award for "You and Yours" and is credited for several books of poetry including "19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East" and "Different Ways to Pray." Nye has also written for young readers and received several honors including two Jane Addams Children's Book Awards and four Pushcart Prizes. Nye resides in Texas with her family.
Speaking Saturday, April 19 at 3 p.m., Harmony Café, Appleton
Speaking Saturday, April 19 at 7 p.m., Kaukauna High School
Conversations with Nye and FCBF Committee Member Ellen Kort, Sunday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m., Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. Please note this is a ticketed event.
In addition, there more than a dozen state/local authors appearing throughout the area. For a complete schedule of events, click here.
The festival will connect readers and writers and offer an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the literary arts. It will also reach across all generations and genres with activities spanning the entire Fox Cities. A book fair featuring numerous publishers will be held at City Center Plaza in Downtown Appleton on April 19.
The Fox Cities Book Festival will feature many national, state and local authors. Among the national writers coming to the Fox Cities:
Charles Baxter
As one of America's best-selling poets, Collins is known for his witty writing style. He was appointed as Poet Laureate in 2001 by Congress and served two terms. Collins has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Foundation and was also the recipient of the Poetry Foundation's original Mark Twain Award for humorous poetry. Some of his most popular books of poetry include "Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems," "Picnic, Lightning" and "The Art of Drowning." Collins is an English professor and lives in New York
Speaking with Dean Bakopoulos Friday, April 18 at 2:30 p.m. about finding your writing mentor, UW-Fox Valley Aaron Bohrod Gallery; Speaking Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m., Stansbury Hall, Lawrence Univ.; Panel discussion Saturday, April 19 at 10 a.m. on turning fiction books into movies, Appleton Public Library
Alex Flinn
Alex Flinn is one of the country's best-selling authors of books for young adults. She was born on Long Island, moved to Miami as a teen and still calls Florida home. Although Flinn went to law school and was a practicing attorney, she always loved writing and started work on her first novel, "Breathing Underwater," while completing her college studies. Flinn now has five published novels to her name with "Fade to Black" and "Diva" as two reader favorites.
Speaking Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m., Harmony Café, Appleton. Her topic is Dating 101: Finding Your Way.
Alice Hoffman
Hoffman is one of America's most distinguished novelists. She has published a total of 18 novels, two stories of short fiction and eight books for children and young adults. Her novel, "Here on Earth," was an Oprah Book Club choice and several of her books, including "Practical Magic" and the New York Times Bestseller, "The River King," have been made into movies. She currently splits her time between Boston and New York. Alice will be speaking about her popular novels Blackbird House and Green Angel.
Speaking Thursday, April 17 at 1:30 p.m., Kaukauna Public Library
Speaking Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m., Appleton Public Library
Speaking Friday, April 18 at 10 a.m., Neenah Public Library
Naomi Shihab Nye
Naomi Shihab Nye has traveled the world and is known for evoking a humanitarian spirit and drawing upon her cultural experiences in her poetry. She received the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award for "You and Yours" and is credited for several books of poetry including "19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East" and "Different Ways to Pray." Nye has also written for young readers and received several honors including two Jane Addams Children's Book Awards and four Pushcart Prizes. Nye resides in Texas with her family.
Speaking Saturday, April 19 at 3 p.m., Harmony Café, Appleton
Speaking Saturday, April 19 at 7 p.m., Kaukauna High School
Conversations with Nye and FCBF Committee Member Ellen Kort, Sunday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m., Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. Please note this is a ticketed event.
In addition, there more than a dozen state/local authors appearing throughout the area. For a complete schedule of events, click here.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Free Print Cartridge - April 2nd
Thanks to Dixie for alerting us to this gem:
For one day only, April 2, Walgreens is giving away free ink cartridges (not available for Canon or Epson printers); when you present the free coupon at http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/inkrefill/default.html?ec=hn522p_trouble.
For one day only, April 2, Walgreens is giving away free ink cartridges (not available for Canon or Epson printers); when you present the free coupon at http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/inkrefill/default.html?ec=hn522p_trouble.
Author Spotlight Schedule
Just a reminder of upcoming Spotlight Authors:
April 19 - Tom
May 3 - Ron
May 17 - Dixie
June 7 - Dan
June 21 - Mike
April 19 - Tom
May 3 - Ron
May 17 - Dixie
June 7 - Dan
June 21 - Mike
"Read Across America" Authors Celebration
We've been invited to "Read Across America" Authors Celebration 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 20, under the Oshkosh Public Library Dome. Winners will read their short stories and refreshments will be served. It would be nice if a few of the judges can attend!
Please RSVP by calling 233-5955 by April 14th and leave your name and the number of people attending.
Also, the organization wishes to thank Ruth, Jessica, Bob, Joyce, Jane, Mike, Hope and Dorothy for being the final judges in the create-a-book contest.
Please RSVP by calling 233-5955 by April 14th and leave your name and the number of people attending.
Also, the organization wishes to thank Ruth, Jessica, Bob, Joyce, Jane, Mike, Hope and Dorothy for being the final judges in the create-a-book contest.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Arthur C. Clarke
We're sad to note the passing of science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke.
I'm sure we would not have had men on the Moon if it had not been for Wells and Verne and the people who write about this and made people think about it. I'm rather proud of the fact that I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books.
~ Arthur C. Clarke, Address to US Congress, 1975
I'm sure we would not have had men on the Moon if it had not been for Wells and Verne and the people who write about this and made people think about it. I'm rather proud of the fact that I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books.
~ Arthur C. Clarke, Address to US Congress, 1975
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