Hudson Valley Writers Guild Newsletter, June 2012
In This Issue
Guild Announcements: Manuscript Prep Class in East Greenbush, 2012 Poetry Contest Details
Member Announcements: Jim LaBate
Area Announcements: Caffe Lena to Feature Naton Leslie and Pam Clements, Short Story Reading in Troy, Romance Writers Conference in East Greenbush, Poetry and Prose Open Mic in Troy, Benefit for Poet Robert Milby in New Paltz, Open Mic at Pine Hollow Arboretum Features Gary Lawless, Fiction and Non-fiction Reading at Roe Jan Library in Copake, Anna Eyre to Read at Social Justice Center in Albany, Getting Published Workshop in Copake, New Open Mic in Troy on Last Friday, Berkshire Writing Workshop in Great Barrington
Guild Announcements
Workshop: How to Professionally Prepare your Manuscript for Self-publication, June 2, 1 p.m.
At the East Greenbush Library, Saturday, June 2 – 1:00-3:00 PM, presented by Barbara M Traynor, author of Second Career Volunteer, a passionate, pennywise approach to retirement, and Jan Tramontano, author of debut novel, Standing on the Corner of Lost and Found. This workshop is sponsored by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.
2012 Poetry Contest Guidelines
The HVWG writing contest alternates genres annually. This year’s contest is in poetry. Winners will be awarded cash prizes and invited to read their winning poem at a special Guild program in the fall of 2012.
First Prize – $100
Second Prize – $75
Third Prize – $50
Eligibility: All contestants must be residents of New York State. Current members of the HVWG Board of Directors and their families are not eligible. Current or past students as well as family of the judges are also not eligible. Judges this year are: Cecele Kraus, Dawn Marar, Thom Francis, and Phillip Levine.
Entries must be postmarked between April 2 and August 31, 2012. Identification/ contact information must not appear anywhere on the submission. Cover letter should include the following: name, address, phone number, email address, title of poems. Submission: 3-5 poems per submission.
All submissions must be typed, 12-pt. type, 50-line limit. Please include title and stanza breaks in your line count. Send three hard copies by mail, no e-mail submissions. Poems must be previously unpublished. Quality of the poem is the most important consideration. We are looking for poems that are well crafted, have an excellent lyric quality and contain a strong emotional core. Any style is considered, including prose poems. Results: Submissions will not be returned, but if you would like hardcopy results of the contest, please send an SASE. All entrants will be notified of winners by email and/or SASE. Results will also be posted on our website at http://hvwg.org.
For more information, please contact Mimi Moriarty at winterview@earthlink.net.
Mail submissions and entry fee to: The HVWG Poetry Contest, c/o Mimi Moriarty, 3180 New Scotland Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186.
Entry Fee: $15 for non-members of HVWG, $10 for members. Make checks payable to HVWG and send with submission.
Member Announcements
Jim LaBate will be in Amsterdam on Saturday June 9 to sell and sign copies of his new novel, “My Teacher’s Password.” LaBate, who is originally from Amsterdam, will appear at the Open House for the Sanford Stud Farm on Route 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
In LaBate’s new novel, Tom Sullivan is a 21-year-old college student, who is in love with his creative writing professor – as well he should be. Margaret Cavellari is hot! She looks like a cross between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Penelope Cruz. Okay, so no one is really that hot, but Margaret is close. In addition, she’s kind. She’s funny. She’s interesting. And she’s a great teacher.
So when Tom accidentally discovers her computer password, what will he do? Will he read her e-mail? Will he look at her pictures and her word processing files? Will he go into her gradebook? Naturally, Tom Sullivan is curious. But is he also stupid? Of course he is. Read all about Tom’s computer adventures in this contemporary novel published by Mohawk River Press.
Area announcements
Caffe Lena Reading, June 6, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 6, Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic, featuring Naton Leslie and Pam Clements.
Doors open for sign-ups at 7pm and the readings will start at 7:30.
Hosted by Carol Graser, $3
Caffè Lena, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-0022, www.caffelena.org
Naton Leslie has been writing and publishing poetry for well over 30 years and is the author of a book of narrative nonfiction, and seven volumes of poetry. His newest book, Small Cathedrals (Wordtech Press, 2011) is a collection blank verse sonnets on the theme of mothers and children as it is expressed in art, literature, religion, and has been a powerful factor in the lives of people he has known.
Pam Clements lives in Albany and teaches medieval literature, among other things, at Siena College. Her poetry and essays have appeared in the Palo Alto Review, The Baltimore Review, The Pacific Review, Kalliope, Earth’s Daughters, and other journals. She has a chapbook manuscript, Earth Science, in circulation this spring.
Short Story Reading in Troy, June 7, 6 p.m.
“Literally Speaking – An Evening with the Short Story will hold an encore performance on Thursday June 7 at the Fulton Street Gallery in downtown Troy. Local writers Richard Hartshorn, Sarah Jane Shaw and Dave Sylvester will read their original works of short fiction. The reading will begin at 6PM. The Fulton Street Gallery is located at 408 Fulton Street in Troy. Refreshments will be available. Visit literallyspeaking.org or fsgtroy.org for more information.”
Romance Writers Min-Conference, June 9, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The Capital Region chapter of Romance Writers of America (CR-RWA) will hold a special ALL DAY mini-conference on June 9, 2012 at the East Greenbush Community Library from 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Harlequin authors Geri Krotow and Linda Cardillo will present “Resistance and Resilience: Understanding and Overcoming Challenges to Creativity and Career.”
In a profession and an industry filled with upheaval and transition, Ms. Krotow and Ms. Cardillo, take the long view on their careers, using the tools of discipline and rigor they learned at Annapolis and Harvard Business School to share with other authors how not only to survive the uncertainty and challenges in a writing career, but also to thrive – by being passionate about one’s work, committed to one’s success and strategic about the road ahead. For more information on these authors, please visit their websites www.gerikrotow.com and www.lindacardillo.com.
Please bring lunch with you for the break. RSVP is required for this event (including members). Please send your registration to kris.mcconville@gmail.com by June 7, 2012. This event is free for members. A non-member fee of $25 is payable at the door via cash or check. If you join CR-RWA after attending the event, $15 of this fee will go toward membership dues.
The CR-RWA is open to people 18 years and over, seriously pursing a writing career in romantic fiction and to certain related professionals, all of whom are members in good standing with the national Romance Writers of America. Our members live in Western Massachusetts, Central and Northern New York, and the mid-Hudson Valley. The chapter holds monthly meetings at the East Greenbush Community Library. For directions to the East Greenbush Library, please visit http://www.eastgreenbushlibrary.org/ or call (518) 477-7476.
For more information on CR-RWA, visit www.cr-rwa.org.
Poetry and Prose Open Mic, June 10, 2 p.m.
An open mic for writers of poetry & prose on Sunday June 10, at the Arts Center of the Capital District, 265 River St., Troy, NY, 2PM. Free! This is a rare chance to read that bit of memoir, story, novel, obituary, epistle, etc that you are working on. Poems are also read. Readers get five minutes. Hosted by Dan Wilcox and Nancy Klepsch.
Arts To The Rescue: Read For Robert Milby Benefit, June 10, 1-6 p.m.
Sunday, June 10 1-6pm
Cafeteria Coffee Shop
Main Street, New Paltz
Who in the Hudson Valley has not benefited from Robert Milby’s poetry and passion?
Robert has been diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease & heavy metal poisoning.
He has no health insurance. We are trying to help him in many through this horribly difficult time.
On Sunday, June 10, please join Marina Mati, Jim Eve, Glenn Werner Adrianna Delgado, Christopher Wheeling, & other poets along with musicians Judith Tulloch, Bob Torsello, & Jim Coyle to raise money for his medical treatments. $5 donation. We will be reading many of the classic poets dear to Robert’s heart. Please attend & spread the word.
The Writers Open Mic held at Pine Hollow Arboretum, June 15, 6:30 pm
Gary Lawless is coming to read at Pine Hollow Arboretum on Friday June 15 with a workshop the next day. The reading will be held at the Pine Hollow Arboretum Visitors Center building at 16 Maple Ave. in Slingerlands, New York on Friday June 15, 2012 starting at 6:30 PM. In the Open Mic format, others poets can read three short poems or two longer poems. Also two pages of prose will be acceptable.
Funding to support this Reading Series comes from Hudson Valley Writers Guild and Rootdrinker Institute. The grounds at Pine Hollow Arboretum are open dawn to dusk on the day of the reading so come early and visit the collection.
Fiction& Non-fiction Reading at the Roe Jan Library, June 16, 4 p.m.
The Roe Jan Writers’ Group will host a public reading of fiction and nonfiction at 4 p.m., Saturday, June 16 in the Roe Jan Library’s Community Room.
The event will feature readings by members of the Group, after which the public will be invited to read from their work. There will be a strict time limit of 5-7 minutes per person.
Group members will read as follows:
- · Howard Blue, author of *Words of War* (Scarecrow Press, 2002) and publisher of the online Memoir Bookshop (memoirreviews.com) will read from his nonfiction manuscript, *The Forgotten Kidnapping*: *The 1956 Abduction of Peter Weinberger.*
- · Regina Colangelo, who serves as the Writers’ Group facilitator, will read a short fictional piece about a waitress with a special gift.
- · Robert Dodd, a retired geology professor, has published short stories and essays on topics from travel to fear of flying to lost socks.
He will read *Cluny Corner*, a souvenir of Paris, circa 1975.
- · Molly Pomerance will read a short piece, *The Color of Cars. *She is currently working on a book that began as a short piece about a favorite relative but which has morphed into an autobiography.
- · Bobbie Slonevsky, a life-long writer of marketing and advertising materials, will read an excerpt from *The Last Videotape *a short story, about a lonely widow who volunteers at a local library and finds a friend.
The Roeliff Jansen Community Library, which is chartered to serve Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale, is located at 9091 Rt. 22 in Copake, approximately one mile south of the light at the intersection of Routes 22 and 23. For information on hours and events, call 518-325-4101, or visit the library’s website at www.roejanlibrary.org
Third Thursday to Feature Anna Eyre, June 21, 7:30 p.m.
Local poet Anna Elena Eyre will read from her work at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany on Thursday, June 21, at 7:30PM. An open mic for poetry will take place before and after her reading. Ms. Eyre is a doctoral candidate in 20th Century poetry and poetics at the University at Albany and is the author of the poetry chapbook “Are Me” from Dancing Girl Press, and the recently published collection of poems “Faceless Names: Two Books of Letters,” BlazeVOX Press.
“Getting Published” Seminar at Roe-Jan Library, June 23, 1:00 p.m.
The library has recruited a wonderful panel for the upcoming publishing seminar (June 23, 1:00–3:00) at the Roe-Jan Library in Copake. The participants are:
- Literary agent Farley Chase on traditional book publishing, fiction and non-fiction
- Barbara Traynor on self-publishing
- Brent Robison on publishing short fiction
- Marcia DeSanctis on publishing short non-fiction
The Roeliff Jansen Community Library, which is chartered to serve Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale, is located at 9091 Rt. 22 in Copake, approximately one mile south of the light at the intersection of Routes 22 and 23. For information on hours and events, call 518-325-4101, or visit the library’s website at www.roejanlibrary.org
Between the Lines Open Mic Poetry, Troy Friday, June 29, 7 p.m.
This is a new open mic series that will take place at Francesca’s, 461 Broadway in Troy each last Friday of the month.
start time 7:00
people can start getting there by 6:45 to sign up for the open mic
there will be $5 donation
host D. Colin
The format: poets on the list will be able to share 1-2 poems. Every
poet’s name will be placed in a container. One name will be pulled
out. That poet gets to talk about their poem and answer questions from
the audience about the poem, the process of writing, the poet’s
relationship to art, whatever question pertaining to poetry and the
selected poet essentially getting “between the lines.”
Berkshire Writing Workshop, July
Aimed at aspiring and established adult writers, the BWW is an intensive week-long residential workshop in Great Barrington, MA. This summer, our inaugural session will run from July 8-July 13, with classes in Fiction and Memoir. Writers will live and write on the campus of Bard College at Simon’s Rock.
It should be a great program for any writer who has limited free time and wants to make the most of it – both as far as getting a lot of writing done (and getting a lot of useful feedback) and enjoying a week in the Berkshires at the height of summer season. Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow, Shakespeare & Co., etc. will all be in full swing by July. It’s primarily residential, but we are offering a discount for day students.
Berkshire Writing Workshop
www.simons-rock.edu/berkshire-writing-workshop
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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.
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Thank you!
–Faith Green, Newsletter Co-Editor
-Bob Sharkey, Newsletter Co-Editor
Visit our website: hvwg.org
