SDWG members, submit a free listing on our bulletin board for a reading, workshop, or service you’re offering
REQUESTS
Regine Jackson is soliciting beta readers for “Blackberry D’lite”, her debut novel, in hopes of receiving the necessary comments, critiques, and criticism to get it to the next steps of publication-ready. “Blackberry D’lite” an urban YA horror novel with a length of approximately 330 pages. Please contact Jackson at reginej13@gmail.com for more information. Thank you!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Missed an online SDWG event? Check out our YouTube channel for workshop and event recordings.
New Perk for SDWG Members! Straw Dog Writers Guild is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. If you are a current SDWG member and you have published a book, we can include your book on our members list on our Bookshop.org profile. Important instructions for inclusion: To be included, first, check to see if your book is available at: https://bookshop.org/ THEN, if it is, send your name and book title to admin@strawdogwriters.org. This platform will give greater exposure to your book. “Bookshop.org is an online book marketplace launched in January 2020. Its stated mission is “to financially support local, independent bookstores.” Bookshop, Inc., a privately held company, has been certified as a B Corporation.” NOTE: Some books may not be available on this site.
SDWG member Cheryl J. Fish discusses her poetry, fiction, and non fiction books and the publishing process with indie presses in this podcast.
Listen to this interview with SDWG member Ed Orzechowski on Backyard Oasis “You’ll Like It Here”: A Conversation With Ed Orzechowski.
Jane Mortifee, a Straw Dog member from British Columbia, has just recorded her newest CD, Just Here Just Now Just Enough. It is available through Bandcamp. She is an inductee of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame. Jane is a celebrated singer, actor and author with a distinguished career in the worlds of music, theatre and television. Jane has recorded 4 CDs: Give Me Something Real; Get Ready; Just Here Just Now Just Enough; and her CD, Conversations, was nominated for a Westcoast Music Award. She is about to record a lullaby CD for her shiny new grandson. Jane’s extensive theatre career includes her as a leading actress in such shows as Patsy Cline, Cabaret, Reflections, and Jacques Brel. She was nominated for 3 Jessie Awards. She was a leading studio session singer and voice-over talent on over 1000 commercials and a vocalist on many recording projects: Aerosmith, John Denver, Shari Ulrich to name a few. She sang on TV Specials with Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Paul Anka, Leon Bibb, David Foster, and for Rick Hansen’s Homecoming. She was also a singer for Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood book launch.
SDWB member Jessica B. Sokol shares happy news: I’m a featured writer in The Long Covid Reader, a soon-to-be released anthology amplifying the voices of 45 long haulers. In the book, the first of its kind, writers share raw, powerful stories shedding light on the impact of Long Covid. Conceived last year by Long Hauler Publishing Founding Editor Mary Ladd, it’s a powerful, historically significant document featuring an array of dynamic perspectives. The Long Covid Reader was created to give insight into the millions of people coping with the physical and psychological impact of the pandemic. The book will be published in November 2023 and distributed by Ingram Spark. If you’re interested in supporting and more, you can secure your pre-order HERE.
SDWG member Ellen Evert Hopman shares happy news that her children’s books got a wee mention in Publisher’s Weekly.
MEET UPS
Prose Writing Group
Prose writers: Are you looking for an inspiring and supportive weekly writing group this fall? SDWG member Melenie Freedom Flynn, through Pioneer Valley Writers Workshop is offering Prose Writing Group Thursdays, November 2 – December 28 (6 – 8pm EST on Zoom). Visit PVWW for more information and to register.
Valley Society Black Writing Group
Valley Society, a SDWG committee, is open to new writers for our AWA writing group. We meet Sundays from 2-5 virtually. Visit valleysociety.org/about/writing-group/ to sign up.
Forbes Library Writing Room Wednesdays at 9:00am-12:30pm
This is a free, structured, facilitated drop in community writing group. We check in at 9:30, then write together for two hours, followed by the opportunity to read what you wrote (5 minutes). Follow the link for ZOOM meeting
BOOK LAUNCHES/CONCERTS/CONFERENCES/READINGS
SDWG member Jay Sefton has his solo show “Unreconciled, A priest exploits a young boy’s love of theatre: A true story” at the Blue Room Theatre in Easthampton on November 30 – December 2. Set in the whiskey-soaked Catholic suburbs of Philadelphia in the 1980s, UNRECONCILED is available as a production in your season, or a special event at your theatre. Unreconciled is the true story of an adolescent actor cast as Jesus in a school play directed by a pedophile priest. Unreconciled originated from Jay Sefton’s experience participating in a victims’ compensation fund that was set up by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and a subsequent op-ed written for a newspaper in Harrisburg. This solo play chronicles a survivor’s journey as he confronts his past and discovers the courage to use his voice and redefine what reconciliation means. Click HERE for ticket information.
Black Writers Read is hosting a virtual book discussion on January 28, 2 p.m. ET, featuring Natasha Gordon-Chipembere, author of Finding La Negrita. $10 per person. Register HERE. Natasha Gordon-Chipembere’s Finding La Negrita is a captivating retelling of the Black Madonna narrative, which has driven Costa Rica’s national and spiritual identity since the 1700s. In powerful prose, Natasha Gordon-Chipembere delivers a vivid and intimate living portrait of slavery in this nation, which was radically different from plantation bondage in other parts of the Americas. The first three to register will receive a complimentary copy of the book! You can watch or listen to an interview with Natasha Gordon-Chipembere. Black Writers Read’s Virtual Book Discussions are opportunities to engage past guests about the books featured on the podcast. Each session will last 90 minutes and groups will be kept small to allow each attendee to pose specific questions about the text to the author.
WORKSHOPS
Creative Writing for Fun with Sue Blauner
Mondays, Jan 8, 15, 22, 29, Feb 5, 12, 19, from 3 to 4:30 pm EST on Zoom. Join published author, Susan Blauner, for a fun, engaging, and supportive writing class designed to expand inner and outer horizons. Increase self-confidence, laugh, be brave, build community, take a chance. Sue provides written, audio, and visual prompts to spark imagination and insight. Folks who share their work receive 100% positive feedback. Eight participants max. Cost: $150 for six-week series. For more information, contact Sue at 413-522-4020 or visit www.susanblauner.com/classes
Stay (Cozy) at Home and Write: A Virtual Retreat, Jan. 19-21 with Tzivia Gover
In this Write-at-Home retreat, you’ll write at home—or close to home—in your pajamas if you please, at your desk in your comfiest chair, in a local cafe, park, local library, café, or beside the fireplace—it’s up to you. Work on a big project or get in the flow with daily writing prompts and virtual check-ins with a community of other writers. Our days will include: Lots of time to write, Intention-setting and mutual, gentle, and supportive accountability, Morning and lunchtime check-ins by Zoom and chat, Evening read-aloud circle to share what we’ve written, 2-3 optional prompts per day. Begins at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19 through 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21. With author Tzivia Gover $55 regular price, with Sliding scale options from $25-$75. To learn more or register CLICK HERE.
Dreaming on the Page Writing Circle with Tzivia Gover, Author and Certified Dreamwork Professional
First Tuesday of each month, 11 am-2 pm US Eastern Time, on Zoom.
Combining dreams and writing helps to increase self-awareness, reinvigorate your creativity, and supercharge your writing. Each workshop includes information and inspiration for combining dreams and the imagination, plus writing prompts and time to write and share your work.
$55 with accessible pay-what-you-can options for those with low/limited incomes. Learn more and register at: thirdhousemoon.com/event/dreaming-on-the-page-writing-circle/
Miss T’s No Bull Writing Workshops
Miss T here and I’m developing a series of two-hour $10 workshops on various writing topics. Cool, right? The first will be backstory. I call it “Don’t Put the Backstory in the Front.” Future topics include dialogue, show don’t tell, an editing cheat sheet, personal essay, cutting down on adverbs, using power verbs, etc. And, of course, I am open to your suggestions. For the workshop, I’d like you to bring a doubled-space page 12 pt font – about 250 words. It would be best if you could bring in the beginning of your story, or somewhere where you think you may be having an issue with backstory.
To indicate your interest in this or future $10 workshops, click on the link DON’T PUT THE BACKSTORY IN THE FRONT!
Pioneer Valley Writers Workshop
Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop is a Northampton MA-based literary arts organization, now completely online for the foreseeable future, offering a wide array of one-day and multi-week writing workshops for experienced and aspiring writers of all levels, genres, and backgrounds. Founded by Joy Baglio in 2016, PVWW has a team of over 30 professional writers, authors and editors and a constantly changing lineup of workshops and events. All our workshops are limited to a small number of writers (8, 10, or 12, depending on the particular class) and are held live on Zoom. In addition to seasonal workshops, PVWW runs a Year-Long Manuscript Group Program for writers working on book-length projects, open for applications every year October – January. In addition to our classes and workshops, we host a FREE twice-a-month generative Community Writing gathering open to writers everywhere and frequent virtual author readings. For writers looking for more direct hands-on help with their projects, we offer professional one-on-one manuscript consulting and editing services. Our focus is on a rigorous understanding of craft and technique, while also creating a supportive and fun environment for writers of all levels. As Ursula K. Le Guin says: “Skill in writing frees you to write what you want to write. Craft enables art.”
Writers in Progress
Writers in Progress, the Valley’s Literary Arts Studio, is excited to re-open our gorgeous physical space this September, launching our Fall Session with a huge variety of weekly, half day and one-day generative and craft workshops. We will also continue to offer many workshops online. Some of our many offerings this fall include: Morning Jumpstarts, with Dori Ostermiller, Writing From Life with Emily Lackey, the Craft of Memoir with Cathy Luna, the Blueprint Your Book Series, with Susanne Dunlap, Fiction Essentials with Jacqueline Sheehan, Poetry Workshop with Sarah Browning, Word for Writers, Tarot for Writers, and many more. We also host a monthly community writing workshop, the first Sunday of each month, open to all. Founded in 1992 by author Dori Ostermiller, WIP has been supporting writers and creating community for three decades and has ‘midwifed’ dozens of published books. Our workshops are limited to 8 participants and emphasize writing time, community and craft development, nurturing voice, giving and receiving constructive, encouraging feedback. We believe that the writing process calls for both rigor and playfulness, both craft and inspiration. We also offer our legendary year-long manuscript intensive for writers working on book-length manuscripts, a six month revision intensive, as well as one-on-one coaching, editing and consulting. Our published alums include Ellen Meeropol, Steve Bernstein, JoAnne Jones, Dusty Miller, Ruth Lehrer, Dinah Mack, Kris Holloway, David Lovelace and many, many more. We host a seasonal Live Literature reading series in our studio and online. Check out our amazing lineup of fall workshops and events at www.writersinprogress.com. Hope to see you soon!
SERVICES
Manuscript Consultations and Editing Services with Jan Freeman
With 40 years of editorial experience, I am available to review works of prose and poetry, including full-length manuscripts, chapbooks, and selected collections. Through multiple readings, I evaluate literal and emotional narratives and a manuscript’s organization, texture, shape, tension, and emotional flow. I am author of 3 books of poetry and co-editor of Sisters: An Anthology; from 1995–2018, I directed Paris Press (now an imprint of Wesleyan University Press), which published critically acclaimed books by Emily Dickinson, NBCC award winning Ruth Stone, Virginia Woolf, and many others. Jan Freeman, janfreemanpoetry@gmail.com
Terianne Falcone
Terianne’s specialty is comedy. She can help you inject laughs, humor, or just a dash of levity into your comic or more serious pieces. Bringing readers a smile in the middle of a heavier work can deepen the power of your writing. Promise! She recently held a successful “Writing Funny” workshop for Straw Dogs Writing Guild. Here are two of her stories, the first rather somber and the second decidedly comic. You’ll see how some lightness works in that first piece. misst@teriannefalcone.com.
Mentoring and Editing Services with
Michael Favala Goldman
I know how difficult it is to be objective about one’s own writing. Having skilled readers and mentors helped me gain the skills to publish16 books of prose translations, poetry translations and original poetry. I have been leading poetry critique groups since 2018. I give direct, compassionate feedback, to help clarify and magnify the author’s voice. I am happy to look at a few short pieces or an entire manuscript. hammerandhorn@gmail.com.
Dreaming on the Page Writing Consultations with Tzivia Gover
This one-on-one consultation is appropriate for writers at all stages of the journey, from journalers to published authors and anyone in between.
More of a coaching session than a critique, our time together will be spent setting goals and intentions for your writing in general, or specific projects. Sessions may include:
* Reviewing your goals, habits, and rituals as a writer, and exploring ways to tap into dreams, imagination, and the subconscious to support and sustain your creativity.
* Identifying the big dream for your project and setting intentions and next steps to help you get there.
* Implementing Dreaming on the Page techniques, tips, and prompts as appropriate.
* Receiving guidance on up to 500 words of your writing or a project summary submitted in advance of the session.
Mentoring Services with Lesléa Newman
Lesléa Newman has created 75 books for readers of all ages and mentored hundreds of writers including Newbery Award-winner Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), novelist, Leah Henderson (One Shadow on the Wall) and poet Floyd Cheung (Jazz at Manzanar). If you are working on a manuscript, I’d love to take a peek and see how I can help you make your book the best it can be. Whether you write for kids, teens or adults, whether you write poetry or prose, whether you write fiction or non-fiction, you name it, I can critique it. I will mark up your manuscript in purple ink, write you a long, editorial letter, read one revision, and if appropriate, offer publishing suggestions.
Consultation w/ Gail Thomas
I am available for individual consultation on your poetry submissions, manuscripts and residency applications. With more than 40 years of publishing and teaching experience, I offer feedback that not only focuses on your writing goals, but also strengthens your craft. If you are assembling a chapbook or full-length manuscript, I will work with you to organize and present your best work for publication. Gail Thomas, gailthomaspoet@gmail.com
Straw Dog Writers Guild YouTube Channel
Having your events and other writing notes on this Bulletin Board is one of the many benefits of SDWG membership.
- We ask that events be in or within driving distance of the Western MA area.
- Text of up to 100 words
- Link to website or email where further information is available.
- Please send at least six weeks before the event to be placed in our newsletter.
Click here to Submit to the Bulletin Board