Nita Sweeney

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    WRITE NOW NEWSLETTER – MAY 2013

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    SUMMARY OF EVENTS

    1. Writer’s Workshop & Feast – May 4
    2. Earlene Wandrey Book Signings – May 4 & 6
    3. OPA Spring Writers’ Retreat with Michael Salinger – May 4 & 5
    4. Adult Writing Workshops – begins May 6
    5. The Poetry Forum – May 6
    6. Jonathan Sarna Reading – May 6
    7. Dave Pilkey Book Signing – May 9
    8. Rae Carson Event – May 9
    9. Carla Buckley Reading – May 9
    10. Bob Hunter & Sharon Short Event – May 9
    11. Emilie Richards Talk – May 10
    12. Ellis Avery Reading – May 10
    13. Ohioana Book Festival – May 11
    14. From Journal to Song: A Creative Journey with Sarah Overdier – May 14
    15. Dan Brown Live Streaming Event – May 15
    16. COFW presents Fire Station Tour and Info Session – May 18
    17. SICCO Mini- Workshop with Robin Yocum – May 18
    18. Writers’ Ink featuring Julie Lindsey – May 19
    19. Peripatetic Poets – May 26
    20. Jeff Shaara Reading – June 3
    21. Spoken Word at The Columbus Arts Festival – June 7 thru 9
    22. Writers’ Ink Summer Conference 2013 – June 14 & 15
    23. The Kenyon Review Writers Workshop – begins June 15
    24. Steve Berry Reading – June 17

    EVENTS
     
    1. FIFTH ANNUAL WRITER’S WORKSHOPS & FEAST

    Saturday, May 4 from 10AM
    The Strategy Network
    1349 E Broad St. (downtown)
    For pricing info visit website

    Join this group for a day of casual writing workshops, fan networking, and indoor games, culminating in a multi-course feast to amaze and delight you! The house-elves will be hard at work to please your palate, so do let us know if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.

    Our location for the coming year will be at the office of The Strategy Project in Columbus, Ohio. The location is about two blocks west of The Franklin Park Conservatory. Nearby amenities include extensive shopping, restaurants, hotels and recreational facilities. Festivities will begin at 10:00 am, with a break at about Noon for lunch (on your own or pre-purchase a box-lunch) and a program of workshops and games in the afternoon. The Feast will begin at 5:00 pm and our day will conclude by 9:00 pm.

    More information will be forthcoming: feel free to contact superb-owl-info@celestialprime.org
     
     
    2. EARLENE WANDREY BOOK SIGNINGS

    Saturday, May 4 from 11AM to 3PM
    Grace Lutheran Church
    100 Schrock Road (Westerville)

    and

    Monday, May 6 from 5PM to 9PM
    Westerville Public Library

    Hear Walk in My Shoes
    author Earlene Wandrey at these events. From high heels to pumps, from sandals, to thongs, Earlene Wandrey who celebrated her 75th birthday February 3, 2013, explains how she made a career of 40 plus years selling shoes as one of the first minority businesswomen in Ohio. Earlene Wandrey has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Terminal Cancer. In 2013 the fight continues.
     
     
    3. OHIO POETRY ASSOCIATION SPRING WRITERS’ RETREAT featuring MICHAEL SALINGER

    Saturday, May 4 & Sunday, May 5
    H.I. Malabar Farm Hostel
    3954 Bromfield Road (Lucas)

    OPA members are gathering again this spring at Malabar Farm! This event will feature workshops, led by Cleveland poet, performer, and educator Michael Salinger, and an overnight stay at the Malabar Farm Hostel, which is located in the rural beauty of Malabar Farm State Park in Lucas, Ohio. The workshops will focus on reading and performing one’s poems for an audience and will include a period at the Malabar Farm barn and stage. To learn more about Michael, visit his website.

    The Malabar Farm Hostel offers do-it-yourself dormitory-style accommodations in an historic farmhouse within park grounds. Bed linens and towels are provided. There are three dorm rooms with multiple bunk beds, they will be divided up between men and women. If we end up with nearly equal numbers of men and women, one dorm may be designated co-ed. Guests can bring potluck, snacks, and lunch food to prepare. We will be providing breakfast Sunday morning. Kitchen facilities and a refrigerator are available. The Malabar Farm Restaurant is also nearby.

    AGENDA
    Saturday, May 4
    5:00 p.m. Arrival, registration, load into rooms, socialize
    6:00 p.m. Potluck/prepare your own dinner
    7:00 p.m. Poetry Workshop I with Michael Salinger

    Saturday, May 5
    8:30 a.m. Breakfast prepared by OPA’s Rinda Sansom
    10:00 a.m. Poetry Workshop II with Michael Salinger
    12:00 p.m. Wrap-up and departure

    COST: $35 – Includes two workshops, overnight stay, and Sunday breakfast.
    NOTE: Attendees wishing to make a weekend of it may stay Friday night as well for only $15 more!

    Call (419) 892-2055 to reserve a spot and make payment.
     
     
    4. ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS

    classes begin Monday, May 6 from 6 to 8PM
    Thurber Center
    91 Jefferson Avenue (discovery district)

    The Spring 2013 Adult Writing Workshops will offer a DIFFERENT class each week. Each workshop will run for two hours only as a way for you to sample a genre or two, each taught by a professional in that field. Tuition is $40 per class and is non-refundable.

    May 6: Playwrighting: A New Adventure in Creative Expression: How to structure a play, articulate themes, develop compelling characters, write believable dialogue – and how to recognize the features of good vs. unsuccessful playwrighting. Instructor: Jason Beehler, an attorney whose plays have been produced by CATCO, Madlab, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Playhouse West in California.
    DEADLINE TO REGISTER: May 2

    May 13: Jump Start Your Memoir: A series of tips, hints, suggestions, and motivational steps to take you from the ideas in your mind to the words on the page. Instructor: Cindy Gaillard, Emmy Award winning writer, producer, director, and editor; executive producer for WOSU-TV, and freelance articles contributor.
    DEADLINE TO REGISTER: May 9

    Parking is metered along Jefferson Avenue so bring change or you risk being ticketed. Parking is available for free in the lot behind Thurber Center and the lot at the corner of Jefferson and Long.

    Class size is limited to 20 per course so enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. We must receive payment in full of the non-refundable tuition to confirm registration. You must be over 18 to participate.

    To enroll online, click here.

    To enroll by mail or fax, click here to download the registration form. Forms should be mailed to 77 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215 or faxed to 614-280-3645 along with your payment.
     
     
    5. THE POETRY FORUM

    Mondays from 7 to 9:30PM
    The Rumba Cafe
    2507 Summit Street (Columbus – north University area)

    Each Monday, The Poetry Forum features a reader followed by open mic.

    May 6 ~ Winner of William Redding Memorial competition

    This is the last Poetry Forum event of the season. The Forum will resume in the fall of 2013.

    For more information call 614-268-5006 or like their Facebook page.
     
     
    6. JONATHAN SARNA READING

    Monday, May 6 at 7PM
    Jewish Community Center
    1125 College Avenue (Bexley)

    When General Grant Expelled the Jews is an “excellent study from the gifted and resourceful historian Jonathan D. Sarna” (Washington Post) of General Ulysses S. Grant’s decision, in the middle of the Civil War, to order the expulsion of all Jews from the territory under his command, and the reverberations of that decision on Grant’s political career, on the nascent American Jewish community, and on the American political process.

    Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University. He has written, edited, or co edited more than twenty books and is best known for the acclaimed American Judaism: A History, which received the Jewish Book council’s Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year Award in 2004.
     
     
    7. DAVE PILKEY BOOK SIGNING

    Thursday, May 9th from 4:00 to 6:00PM
    Cover to Cover Childrens Books
    3560 North High Street (Clintonville)
    Free – Tickets required.

    The event you have been waiting for is just around the corner! Dav Pilkey, the creator of Captain Underpants, Ook and Gluk and Ricky Ricotta, will autograph books for his fans and give you an opportunity to say hello, share a joke, or pose for a picture. This is a ticketed event with tickets being distributed beginning on Friday, April 26th at 9:30. Each person going through the autograph line must purchase one of Mr. Pilkey’s books from Cover to Cover to receive a ticket. With this ticket, you may bring one additional book from home.

    Because we have a limited number of tickets to distribute, please mark your calendars and make arrangements to drop in, call or email beginning at 9:30am on Friday, April 26th, to make your purchase and secure your ticket.
     
     
    8. RAE CARSON EVENT

    Thursday, May 9 at 5PM
    Westland Area Library
    4740 West Broad Street

    Join Rae Carson, Ohioana Award-winning writer of fantasy for young adults, for a presentation. For directions go here.
     
     
    9. CARLA BUCKLEY READING

    Thursday, May 9: Meet & Greet at 7PM; Reading at 7:30PM
    McConnell Arts Center
    777 Evening Street (Worthington)
    Main Gallery
    Free

    In conjunction with the Ohioana Book Festival, the MAC will host a free meet & greet and book reading with Ohio author Carla Buckley who is the subject of a feature article in May’s issue of Ohio Magazine. Carla Buckley was born in Washington, D.C. She has worked as an assistant press secretary for a U.S. senator, an analyst with the Smithsonian Institution, and a technical writer for a defense contractor. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, an environmental scientist, and their three children. She is the author of Invisible (Ohioana Book Festival) and The Things That Keep Us Here, which was nominated for a Thriller Award as a Best First novel and the Ohioana Book Award for fiction. Carla serves on the Board of the International Thriller Writers as Vice President of Awards, and is currently at work on her next novel, which Bantam will publish.

    For more information on the author visit the author’s website.

    More information is available on the Ohioana Book Festival website.
     
     
    10. BOB HUNTER and SHARON SHORT EVENT

    Thursday, May 9 at 7PM
    Lennox Town Center Barnes & Noble
    1739 Olentangy River Road

    Journalists and authors Bob Hunter and Sharon Short will meet fans in a joint appearance and book signing. For directions go here.
     
     
    11. EMILIE RICHARDS TALK

    Friday, May 10 from 2:00 to 3:30PM
    Martin De Porres Center
    2330 Airport Drive
    RSVP requested

    Mystery and women’s fiction writer Emilie Richards will speak and a reception with the author will follow the presentation. Please RSVP your attendance for this program by May 9 to David Weaver: dweaver@ohioana.org. The Center is located at 2330 Airport Drive in Columbus. For directions go here. (Please use parking lot B as shown on the map.)
     
     
    12. ELLIS AVERY READING

    Friday, May 10 from 4:00 to 6:00PM
    Stonewall Union
    1160 N. High St. (OSU Campus Area)

    Ohioana Award-winning novelist, Ellis Avery, was named The Best Writer You’ve Never Heard of But Should Go Read Right Now by New York Press and one of 100 Women We Love by GO magazine, is the author of two novels and a memoir. Avery’s second novel, The Last Nude, inspired by the Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, came out in January, 2012 from Riverhead Books in hardcover and from Highbridge on audiobook. E-reader editions are also available.
    For directions, visit the Stonewall website.
     
     
    13. 2013 OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL

    Saturday, May 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center
    546 Jack Gibbs Blvd. (Short North)
    No tickets or fee required

    More than 100 authors, live music, award-winning food trucks, writers, fun-loving crowds and…books—lots and lots of books! Ohioana’s goal, as it prepares to present the 7th annual Ohioana Book Festival, is to bring readers, writers, and books together for a day filled with inspiration, learning, and fun. Over 100 authors, including ten designated as “featured,” will be at the Festival with books they have published within the past sixteen months. As our bookseller, Barnes & Noble will have books by all of the participating authors for sale at the Festival.

    During the week prior to the Festival, the ten featured authors along with many other select festival authors will take part in more that fifteen outreach program in central Ohio and around the state. Some of the programs will be held in public venues while others will be provided for specific populations such as schools and classrooms.

    Festival Programs- will include than thirty panel and roundtable discussions on a variety of topics. Festival authors will take part in conversations about their own literary influences, the writing life, and the creative process. The featured authors will participate in the following panels.

    • Real People, Real Stories – Ellis Avery, Bob Hunter
    • Mentors & Muses: Literary & Artistic Influences – Robert Olmstead, P. Craig Russell
    • How We Write, What We Write – Carla Buckley, Raul Ramos y Sanchez
    • The Writing Life – Emilie Richards, Sharon Short
    • The Creative Life – Rae Carson, Daniel Kirk

    Other panels and roundtables will cover specific genres, publishing, and other writing and reading related topics. We will present two panels built around the Choose to Read Ohio titles, and a roundtable on Ohioana’s new “On the Road” program. Additional panels will explore children’s literature and poetry, along with several “behind-the-scenes” opportunities for new
    writers to find out more about how to get published. The program schedule is available online.

    Additional festival activities will include a special children’s room with programs designed to entertain young readers. Many of the featured and festival authors will make personal appearances in the children’s area.

    Several of Columbus’ award-winning food trucks will be onsite: Ajumama, Green Meanie, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, and Short North Bagel Deli.

    The most recent books published by the festival authors will be available at the on-site Barnes and Noble Bookstore.

    Other live and media appearances are being added to the schedule daily. For the latest information, check the Ohioana Book Festival website.
     
     
    14. FROM JOURNAL TO SONG: A CREATIVE JOURNEY with SARAH OVERDIER

    Tuesday, May 14 through May 28 (three sessions) from 6 to 8PM
    Groove U
    1300 Forsythe Ave (Columbus)
    $45 R | $54 NR; Class #442203 A

    Ever write something and say “that would make a great song title?” Do you have journals and notebooks filled with snippets of writing, poems or jotted-down phrases? Or are you just interested in the songwriting process? Join local songwriter and Salty Carmels band member, Sarah Overdier, for an interactive overview of the process of creating song lyrics. In a collaborative format, discuss the creative process, explore how to recognize ideas that work well with music, and then convert your journal entries into a finished song. This is how Taylor Swift got started! Bring your journals. No musical experience necessary. High school students may enroll.

    To register, call 614-583-5300 or view the Activity Guide for registration details.
     
     
    15. DAN BROWN LIVE STREAMING EVENT

    Wednesday, May 15 from 7:30 to 9:30 PM
    Westerville Library
    126 South State St. Westerville
    Combined Meeting Room
    Registration is required. Registration Ends: 5/14/2013 at 12:00 AM

    Watch on the big screen as author Dan Brown speaks via live stream from the Lincoln Center about his upcoming novel Inferno, science, religion, codes, movie making and a few surprise topics.

    This will be Dan Brown’s only public appearance for his new novel.

    For more information click here.
     
     

    16. COFW: FIRE STATION TOUR and INFO SESSION

    Saturday, May 18
    Networking: 12:00 to 12:30
    Business meeting: 12:30 to 1:30
    Speaker: 1:30 to 3:30

    The Norwich Township Services Building
    5181 Northwest Parkway (Hilliard)

    This month’s Central Ohio Fiction Writers meeting features a tour of the Norwich Township Fire Department. Members will get an up close and personal tour of the fire station and have the opportunity to ask questions about the firefighting profession.

    Afterward, brainstorming sessions will be available where members form small groups by genre to assist each other in brainstorming their current works in progress.
     
     
    17. SICCO MINI-WORKSHOP with ROBIN YOCUM

    Saturday, May 18 from 12:30 – 2:30PM
    Old Worthington Library
    820 High Street

    A former award-winning crime and investigative reporter with the Columbus Dispatch and the author of two novels and two nonfiction books, Robin’s Mini Workshop on Characterization is not to be missed. For more information visit the SICCO website.
     
     
    18. WRITERS’ INK presents JULIE LINDSEY

    Sunday, May 19 from 5PM to 7:30PM
    Columbus State Community College
    315 Cleveland Avenue
    Work Task Force Building, fourth floor

    The guest speaker will be Mystery Novelist, Julie Lindsey, author of Death by Chocolate. After there will be time for pitches practice for the Pitchapalooza! and open mic. Refreshments.

    For more information contact noraholt1@aol.com, or call 614-493-3298
     
     
    19. PERIPATETIC POETS

    Sunday, May 26 at 7PM
    The Whetstone Gardens
    3700 Olentangy River Road

    Featured reader will be Robert Miltner. The Peripatetic Poets meet the 4th Sunday of each month. For information call 614-769-4851 or 614-915-3139.
     
     
    20. JEFF SHAARA READING

    Monday, June 3 at 7:30PM
    Columbus Museum of Art
    480 E. Broad Street (Discovery District)
    Tickets are $20 general admission in advance, with discounts for students and seniors

    A Chain of Thunder author, Jeff Shaara, is known for his Civil War novels Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, the prequel and sequel to The Killer Angels, written by his father Michael Shaara. He recently began a new Civil War series; the first book, A Blaze of Glory, focused on the Battle of Shiloh. The second book, A Chain of Thunder, will be released May 21, and tells the story of the campaign and siege of Vicksburg.

    A book signing and an informal coffee and cookie reception will follow the reading. All tickets at the door are $20. Tickets are available on our website, or by calling 614-464-1032 x11.

    CLICK HERE for more information and to purchase tickets!
     
     
    21. SPOKEN WORD at COLUMBUS ARTS FESTIVAL

    Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9
    Word is Art Stage
    Intersection of Town Street and Civic Center Drive

    For the schedule of spoken word artists performing at the Columbus Arts Festival, visit the website.
     
     
    22. WRITERS’ INK SUMMER CONFERENCE 2013

    Friday, June 14 (speaker dinner at 6:30PM) and Saturday, June 15 (conference)
    Columbus State Community College
    Work Task Force Building, fourth floor
    315 Cleveland Avenue
    Admission $10 or $20 at the door or join Writers’ Ink and go for free

    Join Writers’ Ink for their summer conference which will include workshops by all guest speakers, lunch with guest speaker, potchapalooza, poetry slam and door prizes. Guest Speakers Arielle Eckstud and David Sterry. Judges will be Arielle Eckstud and David Sterry.

    To enter the pitchapalooza! Buy a copy of Eckstud and Sterry book, The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How To Write It, Sell It, and Market It Successfully (Workman, 2010)*

    Buy their book and get a free 20 minute one on one with the authors! Give a one minute pitch of your book to win! An interview with an agent! They accept all fiction and non-fiction, and children’s and ya books, Any genre, except Poetry and text books.

    Nora Holt has copies of their book which she’ll sell for $7.00. Normally they sell for $10.98. Contact noraholt1@aol.com or 614-493-3298

    Poetry Slam Info: Directors of the Poetry Slam are Louise Robertson and Scott Woods

    Sign up for the poetry slam present your poem, get into top 6 and then 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes will be announced. There will be money prizes and a magazine subscription to all winners

    Poetry slam judges will be members of the audience.

    For more information contact noraholt1@aol.com or call 614-493-3298
     
     
    23. THE KENYON REVIEW WRITERS WORKSHOP

    Saturday, June 15 through Saturday, June 22
    Kenyon College (Gambier)
    Cost: $1,995

    It’s a bit like boot camp (without the yelling and obstacle courses) for serious writers. Workshops are held for three hours each morning, focusing on writing exercises, reading and critiquing work, and talking about writing technique. The afternoons allow private time for reading and writing. Evenings are spent with public readings from instructors, visiting writers, and workshop participants.

    Whether you’ve been writing for years, recently graduated from an MFA program, or have just now decided to take the leap out of your private notebooks and into a classroom, you’ll find a workshop here to help you accomplish your literary goals.

    The Kenyon Review Writers Workshop focuses on the generation and revision of new work. Instructors employ challenging exercises and lead the groups in close readings and discussions of participants’ work. In addition, the instructors schedule personal meetings to discuss workshop assignments and other projects.

    The Poetry Workshop (led by David Baker and Carl Phillips) will challenge you to write a poem a day! In class, we will explore the fine art of reading poetry as well as writing it. We will think together about poetry’s forms, shapes, and methods; and we will experiment with a wide variety of subject matter and materials.

    The Literary Nonfiction Workshop (led by Rebecca McClanahan and Dinty W. Moore) will also focus on the generation and revision of new work. Literary Nonfiction—whether memoir, reportage, nature or travel writing—organizes the elements of the world into coherent prose. The writer’s challenge is often finding the right form in which to tell the story.

    In the Fiction Workshop (led by Lee K. Abbot, Geeta Kothari, and Nancy Zafris) you will write a piece of fiction every day, based on prompts to spark your imagination. Along the way we will be asking the question, What is a story? The week should provide us with some answers, or at least clues. The supportive and energetic atmosphere will send you home with a lot of surprising new work.

    The Literary Hybrid/Book Arts Workshop (led by Gretchen E. Henderson and Ellen Sheffield) blends techniques of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual arts to generate creative writings through the art of the book. Using a range of exercises and materials, we will create new work through textual and visual explorations during our week together. Whether you are a writer curious to write in more genres, or an artist wishing to deepen your engagement with text, this workshop promises to open up a variety of creative practices to generate new content and form.

    For complete information visit the website.
     
     
    24. STEVE BERRY READING

    Monday, June 17 at 7:30PM
    Columbus Museum of Art
    480 E. Broad Street (Discovery District)
    Tickets are $20 general admission in advance, with discounts for students and seniors

    Steve Berry is a former attorney turned novelist who has found success with his popular series featuring adventurer Cotton Malone. Malone’s latest tale will be told in The King’s Deception, which will be released on June 11. In the book, Malone and his 15-year-old son find themselves mixed up in a complex plot involving a Libyan terrorist, ancient secrets about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a secret society, spies, and traitors!

    A book signing and an informal coffee and cookie reception will follow the reading. Tickets are $20 general admission in advance, with discounts for students and seniors. All tickets at the door are $20. Tickets are available on our website, or by calling 614-464-1032 x11.

    CLICK HERE for more information and to purchase tickets!
     
     

    Last modified: May 2, 2013 @ 4:17 pm