HVWG newsletter released, April 15

Hudson Valley Writers Guild Newsletter, April 15, 2011

In This Issue

Guild Announcements: Listing of Peer Writing Groups, 2011 Non-fiction Writing Contest, Website Reminder, Item Found at April 2 Reading

Member Announcements: K.A. Laity, Winifred Warlock

Area Announcements: New Writers Group in East Greenbush, Invitation to Join Literary Newsletter, Word Fest in Albany, Favorite Poem Project in Rensselaerville, Blogging Writers Event at Colonie Center, Second Annual Smith’s Tavern Poet Laureate Contest, St. Rose Students at Third Thursday Reading, Writers Institute Programs, Delmar Writers Group Showcase, National Poetry Month Events in Hillsdale, Mystery Writers Event at Tappan Library

Guild Announcements

Listing of peer writing groups
The Hudson Valley Writers Guild maintains a list of peer groups in the Greater Capital Region. HVWG member Therese Broderick has recently completed an overhaul of the list, and we have updated our resources page to reflect her findings. The page also includes information about what a peer group is and provides links for tips about critique. Thanks for your hard work, Therese!

To see the Peer Writing Groups listing now on the Guild’s website, visit the direct link hudsonvalleywritersguild.wordpress.com/resources/peer-writing-groups/ or follow this path:

1. Go to hvwg.org
2. Click on “Resources”
3. Select “Peer Writing Groups” from the drop-down menu

2011 Non-fiction Writing Contest Accepting Submissions
The HVWG annual writing contest rotates genres each year, and our 2011 contest will be for Non-Fiction (humor, personal essay, and memoir). There is a $100 top prize for each of the three categories. Submissions are being accepted through the end of August. The contest is open to residents of any part of New York State. The full guidelines are posted at our website: hvwg.org (under the “about” tab). Here is a direct link: hudsonvalleywritersguild.wordpress.com/about/contests/

Reminder to Check Out hvwg.org
We’ve been updating our website with event reports and additional information, including a report on the Guild’s recent publishing workshop and the bios of the 2011 non-fiction writing contest judges.

Item Found at April 2 Fiction Reading
At the April 2 HVWG short fiction contest winners reading at the East Greenbush library, a black Weathertamer women’s jacket was left in the room. If you are the owner or know who the owner is, please contact Mimi Moriarty at winterview@earthlink.net, who is in possession of the jacket.

Member Announcements

K. A. Laity’s play Lumottu [Finnish for “enchanted”] will receive a full cast reading at the Arts Society of Kingston on May 31. The play can be found in her 2009 collection UNIKIRJA [Dream Book]. See kalaity.com for details.

Winifred Warlock (Elze) has a new book out. It’s called Tilde, and it’s the story of a young artist coming of age during the Great Depression. She is also bipolar at a time when there was little understanding of, and less treatment for, the disease. Tilde is available in Schenectady at Proctors Gift Center and The Open Door bookstore and also on Amazon as a paperback and a Kindle book. You can read sample pages on Amazon at amazon.com/dp/B004SUOWD4

Area announcements

Writer’s Critique Group in East Greenbush
A new writers group is looking for a few writers in any genre to meet once a week to review each others writing and give honest, constructive feedback. Bring 10 pages to read (not necessary to make copies). Every Thursday at 7 p.m., Panera Bread, East Greenbush. If interested, please email Debbie at gaylord1077@yahoo.com.

Invitation to Join Literary Newsletter
Dave King invites you to his newsletter covering the Hudson Valley’s literary events. If you’d like to be on his newsletter, please send a request to:
hudsonriverliterary@gmail.com.

Albany Word Fest, April 16, 7 a.m. (All day event)
A 12-Hour Word Fest Open Mic will be taking place on Saturday, April 16, starting at 7 a.m. at The Linda (339 Central Avenue, Albany). The open mic continues until 7 p.m. and will be followed by a program of additional readings, performances and music into the evening. For more information on the all-day annual celebration of poetry, music, spoken word, go to albanywordfest.com.

Favorite Poem Project in Rensselaerville April 16, 3 p.m.
We invite you to participate in Rensselaerville’s Sixth Annual Favorite Poem Project. As part of a national movement begun by former poet laureate Robert Pinsky, this event brings communities together by inviting citizens to bring their favorite poems to read aloud in a relaxed poetry celebration. This year’s Favorite Poem Project will take place at Conkling Hall on Methodist Hill Road in Rensselaerville on Saturday, April 16, from 3-5 p.m. To provide some “Open Mic” access, participants may read both a favorite poem and an original poem. Refreshments served.

Blogging Event at Colonie Center, April 16, 6 p.m.
Tech Valley Bloggers are invited to attend a Tech Valley Blogger Tweetup on April 16, 6-7 p.m., at Colonie Center, when the group will announce the winners of the Tech Valley Blog Contest. This is the inaugural event in a series of opportunities to network and share best practices in social media. For more information and to find out how you can win an Apple iPad 2 and ticket to Blog World 2011 in New York City, see Tech Valley Blog Celebration Giveaway.

Smith’s Tavern Second Annual Poet Laureate Contest, April 17, noon
Sunday, April 17, at noon sharp at Smith’s Tavern, 112 Maple Avenue, Voorheesville. Prizes are Poet Laureate – $100; Second Place – $50; Honorable Mention – $25.

St. Rose Students at Third Thursday Reading, April 21, 7:30 p.m.
“The Wreckless Rhymers” will perform their work at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Avenue, Albany, on Thursday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. “The Wreckless Rhymers” are the students in a class at the College of St. Rose under the tutelage of poet and Professor Daniel Nester.

A reading by a local or regional poet is held each Third Thursday at the Social Justice Center. The event includes an open mic for audience members to read. Sign-up starts at 7 p.m., with the reading beginning at 7:30 p.m. The host of the readings is Albany poet and photographer Dan Wilcox. The suggested donation is $3, which helps support this and other poetry programs of the Poetry Motel Foundation and the work of the Social Justice Center. For more information about this event contact Dan Wilcox at (518) 482-0262 or via e-mail: dwlcx@earthlink.net.

Writers Institute Programs, April 26 & May 5
The State Writers Institute will host sociologist and author Elijah Anderson at the Albany Public Library, Tuesday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, May 5, poet, journalist and musician Ed Sanders will be reading in the Assembly Hall in Campus Center of the Uptown Campus at 8 p.m. These events are free and open to the public. For additional details check the website at albany.edu/writers-inst.

Delmar Writers Group Showcase, April 29, 7 p.m.
Delmar Writers Group members will be showcasing their work at the Pine Hollow Arboretum on Friday, April 29, at 7 p.m. Among those who will be sharing their work are Mimi Moriarty, Marion Menna, Alan Casline and a host of others. The arboretum is located at 16 Maple Avenue, Slingerlands. The grounds will be open earlier in the day with many flowering trees in bloom. All are welcome to come by.

National Poetry Month at the Roeliff Jan Community Library, April 30, 2 p.m.
The Roeliff Jan Community Library invites the community to celebrate National Poetry Month in April at one final event. The Library is located at 9091 Rte. 22, approximately 1/2 mile south of the traffic light in Hillsdale. (Hillsdale is in Columbia County east of Hudson near the Massachusetts line.) J. Daniel Beaudry, will present a reading and poetry writing workshop: A Way of Poetry? It is hard to tell if the world is just naturally more luminous to poets or if it is made so through their engagement in the process of writing. One thing is certain, however: vibrant experiencing and poetry are intertwined. During this workshop, elements of the Buddhist and Imagist poetic traditions will inform participants’ personal explorations of the possibility that the process—the practice—of writing poetry can lead to a fuller and truer way of being alive. The reading is open to all. However, registration for the workshop will be limited to 12 participants. To register, contact Cecele Kraus at (518) 329-3056 or cecelekraus@gmail.com.

Mystery Writers Event at the Tappan Library May 3, 7 p.m.
Tappan Library has teamed up with the Mystery Writers of America – New York Chapter to present a special A-List Author Event on Tuesday, May 3, at the Manse Barn, 32 Old Tappan Road, Tappan, NY, 7-8:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Meet the authors and learn how they draw their inspiration from true crime investigations that touch us to those that keep us awake at night to create page-turning fiction sparked by actual events. Our panel moderated by Robert Knightly, The Cold Room, May 2011; will feature Andrew Gross, Reckless; Sharon Linnea, These Violent Delights, May 2011; M.J. Rose, The Reincarnationist, and Jessica Speart, Winged Obsession.

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The Hudson Valley Writers Guild offers space in its newsletter for submission and program opportunities but does not endorse any programs or publications that are not offered through the Guild. Two notes from the newsletter editors:

* Within each section, announcements/events are arranged, when possible, by relevant dates.
* We are always curious to know if the formatting “works” (appears neat and tidy) in your email or if it causes issues (is difficult to read). Send feedback and suggestions regarding any formatting issues to hvwginfo@gmail.com.
* News items should go to Bob Sharkey at riverrun@nycap.rr.com. Please use Times New Roman size 12 font whenever possible.

Thank you!
–Carolee Sherwood
Newsletter Co-Editor
-Bob Sharkey
Newsletter Co-Editor