March 23, 2015
Hello, writers,
We had a wonderful writing
workshop on Tuesday, March 17. Members’ writing ranged from realistic to serious.
This entry has new
information on community events, publication opportunities and weekly prompts.
If you weren’t able to make
it on Tuesday, please come on out this week. We hope to see you on March 24 at
6:15 p.m.
Spoken Word Festival – Tuesday, April 28
On April 28 at 6:00 p.m., the
Callahan Branch Library will host its second annual Spoken Word Festival. Since
April is National Poetry Month, the library is hoping beat the poetic drum here
in the Callahan community.
If you’d like to participate
in the Festival by reading a piece (it doesn’t have to be poetry), please sign
up with Callahan Branch Librarian, Alison M., or call her at 904-879-3434.
This year, the Library is
planning to produce a booklet chock full of local writers’ pieces. Sales of the
booklet will benefit the Friends of the Callahan Library. If you’d like to help
put the booklet together, please let Michele, Lisa or Nancy know.
Please consider submitting a
piece or two for the booklet. Please watch this space for more details on word
count, font size, formatting, etc.
The event is free and open to
the community.
Piece of the Week
Here is Cameron S.’s poem
from the March 17 session:
Run on your little hamster wheel.
Go ahead.
Just keep running in the same continuous loop day after day, I mean, why not?
You know it’s safe.
There's no debris or danger on your little hamster wheel, oh no.
You could keep running forever and be perfectly safe, and why wouldn't you?
Stick to what you know. Excellent plan.
Yeah, maybe there are bigger and better things out there.
Go ahead.
Just keep running in the same continuous loop day after day, I mean, why not?
You know it’s safe.
There's no debris or danger on your little hamster wheel, oh no.
You could keep running forever and be perfectly safe, and why wouldn't you?
Stick to what you know. Excellent plan.
Yeah, maybe there are bigger and better things out there.
Adventures
to find. Sights to see. People to meet.
A world of excitement.
But then you'd have to leave your hamster wheel. That could be dangerous.
You don't live for danger.
So, no. Don't go explore. Why would you?
Keep running on your hamster wheel.
A world of excitement.
But then you'd have to leave your hamster wheel. That could be dangerous.
You don't live for danger.
So, no. Don't go explore. Why would you?
Keep running on your hamster wheel.
It’s much
better this way anyway.
Community Happenings
Callahan Area Show Theater
(CAST) is now accepting acts for
their upcoming talent show. Two shows are planned. The first will be Friday,
April 17 at 7pm. The second will be Saturday, April 18, at around 2pm (time
still to be determined). The group is also planning a two-week summer camp in
June. Contact Brenda M. at cast2012@aol.com
for more information.
Family Game Night - Tuesday, April 14, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. -
Gamers of all ages are invited to play card and board games at the Callahan
Branch Library! Some games will be provided by the library, but please bring a
favorite game to share if you would like.
Critique overview from March 17 CCWW
We started with warm-ups. I’ll
list them here in case you want to do them at home:
1. Ghostbuster for hire
2. The wedding pawn
3. The note left on your car…
4. A freewrite about anything
[Added on March 25, 2015.]
Lori L., Michele N., Matt Y., Connie W. and Lisa C. shared
their warm-ups with the group.
Richard N. shared
information on Splickety Publishing (http://splicketypubgroup.com/).
The publisher supports three imprints and hosts a variety of contests.
Matt Y. began
the critique session by reading “The Muddle Mess of Jimmy Franks,” the second
piece in his modern romance trilogy. CCWW members complimented Matt’s flowing
dialogue and the realistic characters presented in his piece. Richard N. then read the latest chapter
of his second Dodge novel. Richard’s storyline and continuing characterization
of John and Vicki worked, according to members. Michele N. then shared a piece written from the perspective of a professional
woman. Members loved the way she built suspense and showed the stealthy nature
of modern electronic communications.
Lisa C. continued
the session reading, “Grounded,” a prompt-based (gravity) poem. Members complimented
Lisa’s excellent rhymes (such as “shenanigans/mannequins”) and the humor of her
poem. Cameron S. then shared a poem
about a hamster running on a wheel. Many members connected to the truth presented
in her piece. (Her poem is posted elsewhere on this entry). Ines R. then shared a continuation of
the third chapter of her WIP, “Caught.” She did an excellent job of including
vivid descriptions (such as the mother drying her hands on her apron),
according to members.
I, Nancy B., then shared a chapter of my WIP. Members said my piece
reminded them of a show called Kid Genius on Lifetime Network. Ashley T. then shared a continuation of
her WIP. Members loved her descriptions of fencing class and the school where
the piece is set. Connie W. then
shared a prompt-based piece (“I’ll kill you. Darling, I’m already dead.”) Members
complimented the power of Connie’s palpable descriptions and the way in which
she showed the effects of alcohol on families. Danielle T. then read “First Bicycle Ride of the New Year,”
featuring her pink bicycle, Lulu. Members enjoyed the humorous details she
included, such as her “angry posterior” and the “memory foam tractor seat.”
Excellent work, everyone!
The Master’s Review Emerging Writers Contest
This publication seeks short
stories up to 7000 words. Prize money and publication awarded. Deadline is
March 31.
More here: https://mastersreview.com/submissions/
++++++++++
Like to write essays? (I’ll keep this one up one more
week as several members asked about it).
Ninja Essays is sponsoring
another essay contest with prize money (Yay!) and no entry fee (Double Yay!).
Topics and formatting instructions are listed on the site below.
++++++++++
ArtAscent issues call for artists and writers
“ArtAscent” is currently
seeking art and writing submissions on the theme, “Unknown.” Written
submissions can be fiction, poetry and short stories of 900 words or less are
accepted. Deadline is April 31, 2015.
Quote of the week:
“Writing is like giving
yourself homework, really hard homework, every day, for the rest of your life.
You want glamorous? Throw glitter at your computer screen.”
~Ketrina Monroe
Prompts for Tuesday, March 24
The first prompt is “What do I do? He’s been there all day….” The
second prompt is “The dragon who rescued
the princess from the knight….” You’re free to write in any genre you like
(fiction, drama, non-fiction, poetry, etc.). If you’d like to bring a WIP
(work-in-progress), please do.
Please keep pieces to 1500
words or less and bring copies if you can.
Have a great week!
~Nancy B.
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