Hudson Valley Writers Guild Newsletter, November 15, 2011

In This Issue

Guild Announcements: Schenectady Community of Writers Event

Member Announcements: Mary Kathryn Jablonski, Mimi Moriarty, Melinda Morris Perrin, Lisa M. Ross, Barbara M. Traynor, Dan Wilcox

Area Announcements: Writers Institute Readings at UAlbany, Third Thursday Reading in Albany, East Line Books November Workshops, Sunday Four Reading in Voorheesville, NYFA is Taking Online Grant Applications, Call for Entries for East Line Books Anthology, Amazing Little Warriors Call for Submissions

Guild Announcements

Schenectady Community of Writers, November 20, 2-4 p.m.
The Schenectady Community of Writers is November 20 at the Schenectady Public Library from 2-4 p.m. Readers will be available before and after the program for signing and selling their books. Refreshments will be served. The program includes the following participants: Virginia Bach Folger, Sara Foss, Carol Graser, D. Alexander Holiday, M.E. Kemp, Bob Sharkey, Steven Swartz, Barbara Louise Ungar and David Weiss. Alan Catlin will serve as moderator.

Member Announcements

Visual artist and poet Mary Kathryn Jablonski will present two poetry readings in November and December. On November 16 she will read at 7 p.m. at the Old Forge Library, 220 Crosby Blvd., Old Forge. On December 10 she will read at 2 p.m. at the Woodstock Poetry Society & Festival, which meets at the Colony Cafe, 22 Rock City Road. Both readings are free, open to the public, and include an open mike.

Jablonski is the author of the chapbook To the Husband I Have Not Yet Met (APD Press, 2008), and her poems have appeared in numerous literary journals including the Beloit Poetry Journal, Salmagundi, Chronogram and Blueline, among others. She recently completed her first book-length collection of poems and two additional chapbook manuscripts. Her artwork has been widely exhibited throughout the Northeast, is held in private and public collections and can be viewed in group exhibitions in November and December at the Riverfront Studios in Schuylerville and at the Arts Center Gallery in Saratoga Springs.

HVWG member Mimi Moriarty and her brother, Frank Desiderio, have a new book of poetry due out in February titled Sibling Reverie. This slim volume contains companion poems, poems written on the same topic or theme with a particular spin by Mimi or Frank. The poems are about family and relationships, spirituality and the Mummers parade. You may have heard Mimi and Frank read their companion poems at several local venues, such as Caffé Lena and Poets in the Park.

Finishing Line Press is the publisher of Sibling Reverie. Currently they are taking pre-orders. In order for them to publish the book they need to see interest, at least 55 preordered copies, so if you would like a copy, please pre-order your book now. You can do that by going to the publisher’s website: www.finishinglinepress.com, then clicking on “new releases.”

They appreciate your support and believe you will enjoy the work of siblings who share a unique relationship as poets.

Poet Melinda Morris Perrin will be reading from her latest volume, Winterberries: Poems of Hope, at the Open Door Book Store on Friday, December 16, as part of Schenectady’s Arts Night. Winterberries is published by Ice Cube Press, North Liberty, Iowa.

Lisa M. Ross, who was a literary agent for 20 years offers individual client coaching on book projects or ongoing work. Her website is lisamross.com.

Barbara M. Traynor, author of Second Career Volunteer … would like to have you join her at any one of the dates and times of author book presentations listed below (details and directions on calendar at secondcareervolunteer.com):

New York –Tuesday, December 13, at 6:30 p.m., Saratoga Springs Public Library, Saratoga Springs.

Connecticut –Thursday, November 17, at 6:30 p.m., Southington Public Library, Southington; Saturday, Nov 19 at 2:00 p.m. Bethel Library, Bethel, CT (rescheduled due to snow); Tuesday, November 22, Noon – “Lunch & Learn,” Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Newtown; Tuesday, May 29, 2012, at 7 p.m., DUAL author presentation with Prill Boyle and Barbara Traynor, Ridgefield Public Library, Ridgefield. (Rescheduled from December.)

Upcoming 2012 events include readings in Charleston, SC; Augusta, GA; Chattanooga, TN; and Richmond, VA.

Poet and Peace Activist Dan Wilcox, currently president of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild and a publisher of other poets will speak on December 3 after a luncheon in his honor. Main Auditorium, Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Avenue, Albany, 1:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Preceded by a luncheon buffet: University Club, 141 Washington Avenue, Noon, Good Food for $20. Checks payable to the Friends of Albany Public Library may be sent to the Friends, 161 Washington Avenue, Albany, 12210. Reservations by Tuesday, November 29. F or more information, please contact Gene Damm, gdamm@nycap.rr.com

Area announcements

Writers Institute Fall Reading Series
Among the upcoming events are Pulitzer Prize winning non-fiction author Tony Horwitz reading at the Clark Auditorium, NYS Museum in Albany on November 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and non-fiction writer Kirstin Downey leading a discussion in the Recital Hall of the Performing Arts Center of the Uptown Campus on November 18 at 4 p.m.; and novelist Tom Perrotta reading at Assembly Hall, Campus Center, Uptown Campus on November 29 at 8 p.m. For additional information, including about seminars conducted by these writers and about several more events during this stretch, visit the website at albany.edu/writers-inst.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, November 17, 7:30 p.m.
This month’s edition of the series will feature the poet Illiptical. There will be an open mic before and after the feature. At the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave. in Albany. Readings start at 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays in November: Writing Workshop Series for Adults at East Line Books
Each Saturday in November. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Four two-and-a-half hour classes for adults on specific aspects of the creative writing process. Great for amateurs and professionals alike. Perfect for easing back into writing, spicing up your successful writing life, or just for fun! Come to all sessions or just a few. $45 per session. Call 371-4151 to sign up!

• November 19: How to read to write / Each participant should bring a short passage from a favorite book that they find especially resonant. In this class, participants will demystify the greats by exploring specific techniques their favorite authors are using. We will also learn how to incorporate these techniques in our own writing.

• November 26: Turning memoir into fiction / In this class we will discuss the thin line between memoir and fiction. You will learn how to lift people, places, and events from your own experiences and place them gracefully (and anonymously!) into your fiction.

About the Instructor: Lily Ringler graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in June with a degree in English and creative writing. She has been teaching creative writing classes since she was sixteen. Her writing has been featured on NPR and in Multicultural Review among many other venues. She is the recipient of the Erksine Caldwell Prize for excellence in the short story.

East Line Books, 1714 Route 9, Clifton Park, One block north of Route 146, (518) 371-4151, eastlinebooks.com, RLDSR12@aol.com

Sunday Four Reading in Voorheesville, November 27, 3:00 p.m.
Please make your calendars for Sunday NOVEMBER 27 at 3 pm for Sunday Four Poetry Open Mic. Our featured poet this month just happens to be one of the co-hosts of Sunday Four, EDIE ABRAMS. Edie has been experimenting with new verse in New Scotland and with Bernadette Mayer in East Nassau. She will amuse and delight with her way with words.

Bring your latest work to read. Three short poems, two medium, or one of longer length. And make yourself at home in our fine venue. We are located, of course, at Old Songs situated across from Stewart’s in Voorheesville.

NYFA’s Online Application is now Open
Please go to nyfa.org/afp to apply and to review application guidelines. The following categories will be reviewed during the 2011 – 2012 cycle:

Painting
Painting applicants also have the option to apply for the Basil H. Alkazzi Award for Excellence in Painting, awarding two painters with an award of $20,000 each.
Fiction
Interdisciplinary Work
Folk/Traditional Arts
Video/Film

DEADLINES
December 15, 2011, at 11:59 p.m.
Painting
Fiction

December 16, 2011, at 11:59 p.m.
Interdisciplinary Work
Folk/Traditional Arts
Video/Film

Call for Entries for New Anthology
Every Moment, Lightly Shaken: The East Line Anthology of Short Contemporary Literature. Edited by Robyn Ringler. In 2012, East Line Books will publish an anthology of writing by the students who have studied in classes at East Line Books. The book will be of the highest quality both in content and in format. I am now looking for submissions from current and former students of any adult class or tutoring at East Line Books.

Please send entries in any genre: memoir, article, essay, blog entry, fiction such as short story, book chapter, or any format. Entries should be, above all, POWERFUL. Entries should be between 500 and 2500 words and should be sent to Robyn Ringler. Competition to get your pieces published in this anthology will be tough–I am only selecting pieces that are excellently written, well-edited, and powerful. That being said, I hope every student I have ever had will send in a piece, because so many of you are truly outstanding writers and you do have powerful pieces.

Deadline for submissions is January 15, 2012. Please send entries by email to RLDSR12@aol.com or drop them off at East Line Books. Include your name address and all contact information and whether your piece has been published previously (which will not normally be a problem).

Thank you for supporting this project with your work! If your piece is chosen, you will be paid with a copy of the anthology (I’m sorry it’s not more–we have a strained budget.) And you will be in a prestigious book, prestigious because it will be in a book of outstanding literature. Great for the resume and also something to be very proud of. Looking forward to your entries!

Amazing Little Warriors: Call for Submissions
Kara Skelly, who founded amazinglittlewarriors.com, is compiling essays about children diagnosed with debilitating medical conditions, birth defects, or illnesses. Essays should be upbeat in nature, emphasizing the strength and courage of the child and family. Accepted essays will be published in a Chicken-Soup-for-the-Soul-style anthology. Kara’s son Jack was born with bladder exstrophy, a rare and devastating congenital deformity in which part of the bladder is present outside the body. After several years of researching the disease, she began to meet other families dealing with the same condition, as well as many other childhood diseases and serious illnesses. Realizing that sharing stories helped her begin to heal, she has decided to compile these and other stories into an anthology to help heal and inspire others. Her goal is for parents to be able to read stories of hope, faith, strength, success, love and the positives of these children’s lives. For more information or to submit your story, go to amazinglittlewarriors.com.

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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