IN THIS ISSUE
Guild Announcements:
- Uncle Sam (er, “Auntie Guild”) Needs You
- Schenectady Community of Writers November 24
- HVWG Annual Membership Meeting November 26 (featuring elections & prizes, including cash – yes!)
- Errata (August newsletter)
Member Announcements:
- Misfit Magazine submissions open
- Howard Kogan reads with Trina Porte in New Lebanon November 8
- Pre-sale for Catherine Norr’s new chapbook ends November 13
- Julie Lomoe participates in NaNoWriMo
- M.E. Kemp at Boucheron
- Winifred Elze publishes new work of fiction
Area Announcements:
- Bookmarks theme (“Eat the Past”) Deadline November 6
- Third Thursday to feature poet Alex Sherman-Cross November 21
- “A Door Ajar” Screening Series at EMPAC November 21 & December 5
GUILD ANNOUNCEMENTS
“Uncle Sam Needs You” (A Note from HVWG President Dan Wilcox)
Well, not quite — but, actually, “Auntie Guild” could use some help.
I frequently hear folks say things like, “The Guild should do this; the Guild should do that.” I like to respond that there is no “Guild,” just members who take on projects and tasks that benefit all our members. That’s why we need you — to make things happen.
And perhaps the best way to “make things happen” is by being a member of the executive board of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.
The Guild by-laws stipulate that its board of directors shall consist of “no fewer than seven (7) nor more than eighteen (18) members” who may serve up to 2 consecutive terms of 3 years each.” The board also elects from its members the officers, i.e., president, vice presidents, secretary and treasurer. Most importantly, the board is responsible for the ongoing operations of the Guild. Members of the executive board vote on funding for projects, as well as serve as key figures in planning and coordinating Guild events.
So if you have some good ideas, strong opinions or compelling concepts about how the Guild should be run, why not join the board? The election for board members is conducted at the annual membership meeting, to be held this year on Tuesday, November 26, at the Colonie Town Library, 6-8 p.m. (See the notice below in the newsletter for additional details.) Come to the meeting and nominate yourself for the board.
Auntie Guild Needs You.
— Dan Wilcox
Schenectady Community of Writers 11th Annual Reading November 24
The Schenectady Community of Writers 11th annual reading will be Sunday, November 24, at the Schenectady Public Library, from 2-4 p.m. Among those presenting will be Carl Strock, former columnist for the Daily Gazette; Mary Cuffe Perez; Jan Tramontano and Alan Casline. Carol Graser will serve as moderator. Light refreshments will be served following the reading. The event is free and open to the public.
HVWG Annual Membership Meeting November 26
If you attend the Guild’s annual membership meeting, you could go home with money in your pocket! The meeting will be on Tuesday, November 26, 6-8 p.m. at the William K. Sanford Town Library, 629 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville. Refreshments will be served, and there will be door-prizes, including two $50 prizes and books from local authors. And (of course!) an opportunity to mingle and meet other local writers.
The meeting agenda will include a summary of the year’s activities/events and the election of new members to the board of directors. The terms for some current board members are expiring, and we need Guild members to step up to help run the organization. Nominations (including self-nominations) will be accepted that night. The board will elect the new officers at the first board meeting to be held in January.
Please join us: you may go home a little richer (in more ways than one).
ERRATA
The August newsletter contained an article – “HVWG Membership Back on Track” – that described the activities and accomplishments of the membership work group. It inadvertently omitted reference to a fourth work group member. Dan Wilcox perceived the need, recruited the other members and then led the effort to its successful outcome.
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Call for submissions: Misfit Magazine
The online poetry publication misfitmagazine.net (edited by HVWG member Alan Catlin) will be reading for open issues as of November 1. Please submit 4-6 relatively short poems (no epics, please!) to editor@misfitmagazine.net. Misfit Magazine is open to all kinds of poetry, but please no overtly gratuitous sex, violence or polemical politics. Please check out recent issues at the site to see what Misfit is all about. Note: In addition, Misfit is always open to considering books for brief reviews.
Howard Kogan reads with Trina Porte in New Lebanon November 8
Post-Election Day Reading and People’s Open Mic. Featured Poets Howard Kogan and Trina Porte. Friday, November 8, at 7 p.m., New Lebanon Library, 550 State Route 20, New Lebanon, NY. Free. Everyone is welcome. Light refreshments, too!
Pre-sale for Catherine Norr’s new chapbook ends November 13
Catherine Norr is happy to announce publication of her chapbook Return to Ground by Finishing Line Press, presently in pre-sale period: September 30-November 13. The release date is January 11, 2014. You can place an order as follows: go to www.finishinglinepress.com, click on “forthcoming titles” and type “Catherine Norr” in the search box. If you prefer, you can contact the author to place an order — Catherine Norr, (518) 852-5608 or catherinenorr@msn.com.
Julie Lomoe to participate in National Novel Writing Month
Julie Lomoe plans to participate in this year’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and encourages other HVWG members to join her. She’s done it for the past two years, and it’s a great way to motivate yourself to complete an unfinished novel or start a new one. Thousands of people throughout the world share the goal of writing 50,000 words during the month of November, tracking their word count at an online site and earning a jazzy downloadable certificate if the site verifies their word count. No one ever reads or judges what you write: the site only the word count.There’s a local Albany group, and many real-life writing get-togethers are scheduled at local coffee houses and libraries. To learn more, visit www.nanowrimo.org. And please let Julie know if you plan to participate by emailing her at julielomoe@nycap.rr.com or commenting on her blog at www.julielomoe.wordpress.com.
M.E. Kemp at Boucheron, Albany
M. E. Kemp took part on a panel at the recent Bouchercon convention in Albany. Bouchercon is the largest mystery fan conference in the nation. Kemp spoke on writing historical mysteries. She also gave a recent talk on the Salem Witch Trials at the library in Tewksbury, MA. Look for her mystery writing workshop at the Troy Arts Center in the near future.
Winifred Elze publishes new work of fiction
Winifred Elze has published a new work of fiction, Ghosts of Proctor’s Theatre. Rooted in the history of Proctor’s Theatre, it features ghosts who have reportedly been seen there. It is available for purchase at Proctors Gift Center in Schenectady.
AREA ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bookmarks reading series: “Eat the Past” deadline November 6
The Memoir Project, a program of The Arts Center of the Capital Region, invites submissions for Bookmarks, a series of group readings featuring writing that is grounded in personal experience. Running annually from October through May, Bookmarks is a thematically differentiated group reading. Each event is curated by a different individual, hand-selected from our region’s richly diverse community to host. Each individual reading category has a separate submission date, approximately three weeks prior to the event. Works will be evaluated on literary excellence and relevance to the broader Memoir Project theme (i.e. does the work mine the personal to express the universal?), as well as the individual themes set by each curator.
Upcoming theme/opportunity: “Eat the Past” curated by Steve Barnes of Table Hopping. “Taste and smell are rooted in some of the most primitive parts of our brain, and so food-related moments provide some of our most powerful memories. Let’s share stories about meals we remember and, perhaps, the perils of trying to recreate them.” Submission Deadline: Wednesday, November 6, by 5 p.m. Reading: Monday, January 6, 7 p.m. Please visit the Bookmarks page on the Arts Center website for specific guidelines for this theme and upcoming themes.
Third Thursday to feature poet Alex Sherman-Cross November 21
Poet Alex Sherman-Cross will read from her work at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Avenue, Albany, on Thursday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. Alex Sherman-Cross is a student at the College of Saint Rose, where she is studying English Adolescent Education and Religious Studies. She has been writing poetry for as long as she can remember and has been slamming poetry for two years.
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. 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, (518) 482-0262; e-mail: dwlcx@earthlink.net.
“A Door Ajar” Screening Series Continues at EMPAC November 21 & December 5
“A Door Ajar” film series launched in October and continues this month. A film series about endings, “A Door Ajar” presents enigmatic films that refuse clichéd cinematic endings. Instead, these films revel in openness, leaving the door ajar for interpretation after the film ends. The series looks at perception and the desire to create meaning.
The series continues with Wong Kar-wai’s hauntingly beautiful film, In the Mood for Love (2000) on Thursday, November 21. In the Mood for Love tells a story of unfulfilled relationships, the fallibility of memory and endings without resolution. Starring Tony Leung (Mr. Chow) and Maggie Cheung (Mrs. Chen), In the Mood for Love is the story of two couples that move into adjoining apartments on the same day.
Finally on Thursday, December 5, David Lynch’s Mullholland Drive will be screened as part of “A Door Ajar.” David Lynch’s last work on real celluloid film, 2001’s Mulholland Drive is a surrealist neo-noir thriller that scrutinizes the collective dream that is Los Angeles through a famously disjointed narrative.
For the full calendar of events and directions, visit empac.rpi.edu. Tickets are available online or by calling EMPAC’s box office at (518) 276.3921.
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Editor’s Note
I enjoy putting together this newsletter for the HVWG. As a member of the Guild and a working writer in our community, I recognize its incredible value and hope it is a terrific resource for you, as well. Please let me know if there’s anything we can do to improve it.
Here are some housekeeping notes:
- Want your news item published in a future newsletter? Submit it to me at hvwgnews@gmail.com. The deadline each month is the 25th, and the newsletter publishes on (or around) the 1st. Please note: All announcements are subject to editing.
- Got issues with the newsletter formatting? other feedback? Please email that same address: hvwgnews@gmail.com.
- 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.
~Carolee
