I finally got around to opening my July/Aug Poets & Writers magazine to find a wonderful treat: a lengthy profile of Daniel Goldin and Boswell Books. Here’s a link to the article as well as a slideshow of the photographs that accompany the article. BTW — if you have a copy of the magazine in hand, the article titled Self-Publishing Steve is worth a look, too. And remember — support your local, independent bookstore!
Just uploaded an excerpt of my prose at the I Write Like website to learn that I (supposedly) write like Stephen King (ah, that I could sell/publish like him as well!) It sounds like the King comparison is a common one: according to the Huffington Post Margaret Atwood uploaded some of her own writing to find out that SHE writes like King, too! (Apparently, she doesn’t write like herself — even though she’s among the authors to which her writing was compared.) How ’bout this: upload some of your writing to the IWL site and see if YOU write like Margaret Atwood!
July 1st marks the one-year anniversary of the date that Redbird Studio founder, Judy Bridges, and I signed on the dotted line to make two great organizations from one. Judy would continue to teach Shut Up & Write! (and write her book by the same title), and facilitate writers’ retreats and events, while I took the helm in administrating Roundtable groups and workshop offerings at the studio.
At the time, I was excited (and a little nervous) but had no idea what a great year was in store for RedBird-RedOak and the writers who come through our doors.
In addition to our stellar Roundtable groups led by Robert Vaughan, Jeannee Sacken and myself, we offered a host of new opportunities to support writers:
Write ’til You’re Blue in the Face (my writing exercise group)
Saturday Sessions (an extended Roundtable-style group to accommodate longer pieces, led by Pam Parker)
Roundtable “West” (my facilitated writers’ group for those in Oconomowoc and the far west ‘burbs)
Open Studio Writing (a twice-monthly drop-in)
RedBird-RedOak On the Road (quarterly readings presented by Roundtable participants at Fixx Coffee House)
Special Topics (self- and e-publishing with Karen McQuestion, writing picture books with Katy J Vopal, and a panel on getting published co-hosted with Judy Bridges and Redbird Studio)
Phew!
It has been a pleasure to carry on and expand this special place for writers. I am deeply grateful for Judy’s support and the many dedicated writers, Roundtable leaders and teachers who share their talents with our unique writing community.
With much gratitude and excitement about the year to come,
Kim
It was a delightful group of writers — nearly 20 strong — who welcomed me to the Kenosha Writers’ Guild regular meeting last night We shared a bit of our writing backgrounds (some really exciting projects afoot among those in the group!) and then dropped into a few writing exercises a la “Write ’til You’re Blue in the Face.” I was more than impressed with the energy of this all-volunteer group as well as the wide range of writing interests of its the members. I left (albeit reluctantly) with a copy of Straylight Literary Arts Magazine (Thanks, Jan!) and a strong wish I lived a little closer so I could make it to more of the group’s meetings.
Many thanks to Jen, Lisa and Jenny, and all the other writers for their enthusiastic participation. Kenosha has a rare and wonderful gem in this organization!
With over 40 in the audience, RedBird-RedOak Roundtable Writers lit up the place (Fixx Coffee House, that is!) with flash fiction, humorous fiction, novel excerpts, creative nonfiction and memoir.
It was great to welcome Katy J Vopal’s Creative Writing students as well as some folks who just happened to be in the cafe and got hooked on listening to our writers. Special thanks to the other RedBird-RedOak writers who were not reading but joined us to support their comrades-in-ink. Finally, a giant THANK YOU to Fixx owner, Shari Franz, and her intrepid helper, Julia, for their hospitality.
Join us for some writer-ly camaraderie and to listen to some fabulous writing presented by our current Writers’ Roundtable participants:See you at FIXX!
Writers are among the most discriminating readers there are, and RedBird-RedOak writers are no exception. At the Spring Showcase, Boswell Books had a table of books recommended by some of our Roundtable participants. In case you missed them, here’s a sampling…
Every writer has a stack that looks like this on the bedside table. Something tells me that mine's pretty tame compared to some others'!
Showcase Top Five
Diverse, Compelling Writing — from poetry to fiction to nonfiction, from alien creatures to an airport in Africa to a marsh in Wisconsin — and plenty of places in between
New Faces — how great to welcome new audience members and lovers of strong writing!
Books for Sale — about the craft of writing as well as works recommended by the evening’s readers (Thanks, Boswell Books!)
Roundtablers in the Audience — even though they were not reading their work, they were there to support their brother and sister writers. Now that’s class!
Writing Inspiration — who can listen to writers read their work without being inspired to get to the page themselves?!?
Check out our evening’s readers and our fabulous emcee, Robert Vaughan!
Robert Vaughan kept the evening rolling along with little-known tidbits about our readers. Photo by Dave Blank
Felicity Librie
Eric Hansen
Larry Kresse
Laurel Landis
Dave Thome
Judy Bridges
Jeannee Sacken
Ken Brosky
Sharon Foley
Pam Parker
Doug Jacobson
What makes a picture book magical and memorable? Even though it may seem “simple,” crafting a well-written, interesting, and relevant picture book takes practice and a knowledge of the genre.
To begin this workshop, participants will examine the function of picture books, the crucial relationship between text and illustration, the importance of language use and some techniques writers use for embedding important themes without sounding “preachy.” The main focus of the day will be to give participants an opportunity to workshop projects and discuss ideas.
If you’re just getting started, bring your ideas to the table and develop them in a supportive environment. Writers with current projects will receive feedback on their manuscripts from the instructor and the group. (Please bring copies for everyone.)
Sat. May 1 , 10 am – 2 pm (brown bag lunch)
Enrollment: 3 min; 12 max
$50
Facilitator, Katy J., holds a PhD in Creative Writing with a focus on writing for children. She is currently on faculty at Lakeland College and Ottawa University where she teaches a variety of writing and literature courses. Her short fiction stories (for grown-ups) can be found in numerous publications, including Inscape, Quality Women’s Fiction, Upstreet, and Dan River Anthology. Judy Blume is her hero.
Call 414-881-7276 for availability. Download Registration Form.
Stay updated on opportunities for young writers from our sister organization, Red Oak Young Writers.
