Showing posts with label Member Appreciation Month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Member Appreciation Month. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: New Board Members
As we near the end of Member Appreciation Month, the time seems right to introduce two new board members of The Writer's Center. Our board members are some very dynamic people, and their work in support of our mission is invaluable. Staff wishes to take this moment to thank them for all the work they do for us. But we also would like to take this time to present these two new board members.
TOM BIRCH has served for more than twenty-five years as legislative counsel and lobbyist for nonprofit organizations, developing policy positions and directing advocacy efforts to influence Congressional action, primarily in cultural policy and on issues of child welfare. An attorney by training, Mr. Birch came to this work from Congress, having served as legislative counsel to members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives on issues of domestic policy. He is the author of articles on legislative advocacy and topics of public policy, particularly in his areas of specialization in child welfare, human services, and cultural affairs. Birch received his J.D. degree from George Washington University and his undergraduate B.A. degree in American history from Lehigh University. He was a Peace Corps volunteer for three years in Morocco and has served as a board member for a number of charitable organizations, including the Ellington Fund of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Family Stress Services of the District of Columbia, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the Folger Poetry Board, and the American Humane Association. He is serving a fourth term in elected public office as Georgetown’s neighborhood commissioner in Washington, D.C., where he was recipient of the Belin Award in 2006 for distinguished service to the community. In 2003, Birch received the American Psychological Association’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to Child Advocacy, and in 2006, Casey Family Programs awarded him its Leadership Award.
WILSON W. WYATT, JR., is a writer and communications specialist who leads several initiatives to develop the writing community on the Delmarva Peninsula. He is president of the Eastern Shore Writers’ Association, chairman of the Editorial Board and founder of The Delmarva Review, a new regional literary review, and coordinator of the annual Bay to Ocean Writers Conference, at Chesapeake College. He is on the Talbot County Arts Council. Originally from Louisville, KY, he started his career as a journalist for The Courier-Journal. Later he was a writer and account executive for two advertising agencies. He was elected to public office in Kentucky at 25 years old, as a State Representative. He became head of the public-private planning and development agency for Louisville, overseeing redevelopment of the city’s downtown and riverfront. He left the public position to become vice president of BATUS in London, U.K., heading communications for all the corporation’s U.S. holdings. He then became senior vice president of communications at PNC Financial Corp., in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was chairman of the PNC Bank Foundation. He became senior vice president for communications, marketing, and public affairs at the Travelers Insurance Companies, in Hartford, CT, where he received Fortune Magazine’s Gold Award for the company’s “umbrella” advertising campaign. While in Hartford, he was on the board of the Hartford Stage and the executive committee of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. He was recruited to become CEO and executive director of the American Academy of Actuaries in Washington, D.C. Following his business career, he and his wife moved to Maryland’s Eastern Shore (in 1998), where he returned to writing and photography.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: Thomas Mason
Member Appreciation Month is winding down. Next week we'll have at least one more member post. First Person Plural will resume its regular schedule following The Writer's Center's birthday celebration with Pagan Kennedy and Carolyn Forche (with Catherine Leggett as honorary chair) on January 30th. Here's member Thomas Mason to talk about his forthcoming play:
Thanks to the guidance I received while attending 2 Playwriting workshops at The Writers Center I was able to join the Washington D.C. Playwrights Forum. Then, finally after a long development period I'm happy to announce that the Washington D.C. Playwrights Forum will sponsor a public reading of my new play "The Misfortune of Kings" at St. Mary's Armenian Church in Washington D.C. this February. If not for The Writers Center, I do not think my writing would progress to the point where another organization would have taken such a serious interest in it.
Anyone who is interested in attending feel free to come on down. The contact information is below.
Play: The Misfortune of Kings by Thomas Mason, Jr.
Directed by Catherine Aselford
Synopsis: Johnny Williams a rising young superstar, is forced into a desperate struggle with the President of the Red Hawks baseball team, Charles McDaniels over his fight to obtain better treatment for his long time friend and mentor.
Time: 7:00 PM, Monday February 8
Location: St. Mary's Armenian Church (off of Wisconsin Avenue, several blocks from the Friendship Heights or Tenleytown metro stations) 4125 Fessenden Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20016
$3 Donation Requested at the door
Contact: lovetide@comcast.net
Thanks to the guidance I received while attending 2 Playwriting workshops at The Writers Center I was able to join the Washington D.C. Playwrights Forum. Then, finally after a long development period I'm happy to announce that the Washington D.C. Playwrights Forum will sponsor a public reading of my new play "The Misfortune of Kings" at St. Mary's Armenian Church in Washington D.C. this February. If not for The Writers Center, I do not think my writing would progress to the point where another organization would have taken such a serious interest in it.
Anyone who is interested in attending feel free to come on down. The contact information is below.
Play: The Misfortune of Kings by Thomas Mason, Jr.
Directed by Catherine Aselford
Synopsis: Johnny Williams a rising young superstar, is forced into a desperate struggle with the President of the Red Hawks baseball team, Charles McDaniels over his fight to obtain better treatment for his long time friend and mentor.
Time: 7:00 PM, Monday February 8
Location: St. Mary's Armenian Church (off of Wisconsin Avenue, several blocks from the Friendship Heights or Tenleytown metro stations) 4125 Fessenden Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20016
$3 Donation Requested at the door
Contact: lovetide@comcast.net
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: Heather Davis
Writing at the Edge of the World
by Heather Davis
Last night one of my neighbors trotted over to my six year-old daughter and me while we were cleaning out our mini-van in the warm January sun. In her eager way, speaking very quickly, she apologized for screaming at her dog and then proclaimed that he had very inappropriately eaten cat poop or what she calls “cat crunchies.”
“It’s no problem,” I said. “Sometimes we need to yell at our cat.”
Then she explained how upset she was that Hazel, a 94-year old neighbor, had finally moved out. Hazel had been like a grandmother to her.
“I was so messed up, I did this,” she said, holding up the inside of her right wrist so I could see the young scar running across her translucent skin.
Dumbstruck, I tried to distract my daughter so she wouldn’t notice the scar and ask me later what it meant.
Finally, at a loss, I said, “You really shouldn’t have done that to yourself.”
“Oh,” she replied, “I didn’t mean to do this. I had to break into my own house a while back. I locked myself out and couldn’t wake anyone up. Sliced some major arteries. Lost about half my blood.”
At moments like these, I say a little prayer to The Writer’s Center: “Help me!”
It’s comforting knowing that I can turn to the Center to learn how other local writers process all kinds of experiences. Although I live 70 miles from Bethesda, in Front Royal, Virginia, I can access the Center online through classes, the website, or the blog.
Living out here, my husband José Padua and I often feel like we are writing from the edge of the world. Both poets, we are hard-core city people who transplanted to the hinterlands to make ends meet. The farther away I am from town, the more I appreciate institutions like The Writer’s Center.
After earning my M.A. in poetry and becoming a working stiff in the early 90s, the Writer’s Center helped me stay connected to my creative work. I took poetry and fiction courses there. José and I also completed an HTML course that helped us land jobs as website managers.
Six years after those classes, my first book of poems, The Lost Tribe of Us, won the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award and was published in fall 2007, just as we moved to Front Royal.
We’ve learned that to live here is to step through the looking glass, only our guide is not a rabbit but a shirtless, pot-bellied man holding a menthol cigarette in one hand and a Bud in the other. The Shenandoah Valley may be the land of wineries and Skyline Drive but it is also home to Confederate flags, the Stonewall Jackson Restaurant, and Xtreme religion.
Happily, there are as many stories here as there are “Gut Deer?” bumper stickers. The Writer’s Center helps us keep one foot in the city while we focus on our blog about rural small town America. Without this blog, called Shenandoah Breakdown, we would be mad as hatters.
In the coming year, we hope to take even more advantage of the resources at The Writer’s Center and to coordinate some writing events in the Shenandoah Valley. Maybe we’ll see you down at the Knotty Pine or at Stoke’s General Store. Just make sure you have a notebook and a pen in hand.
Visit Shenandoah Breakdown at http://shenandoahbreakdown.wordpress.com.
For more information about The Lost Tribe of Us.
To read work by Jose Padua, visit http://paduakings.blogspot.com/.
Heather holds an M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and her first book of poems, The Lost Tribe of Us, was published by Main Street Rag in 2007. When not working as a communications manager or being mommy, she can be found holed up at various cafes in the greater metro area trying to write.
by Heather Davis
“It’s no problem,” I said. “Sometimes we need to yell at our cat.”
Then she explained how upset she was that Hazel, a 94-year old neighbor, had finally moved out. Hazel had been like a grandmother to her.
“I was so messed up, I did this,” she said, holding up the inside of her right wrist so I could see the young scar running across her translucent skin.
Dumbstruck, I tried to distract my daughter so she wouldn’t notice the scar and ask me later what it meant.
Finally, at a loss, I said, “You really shouldn’t have done that to yourself.”
“Oh,” she replied, “I didn’t mean to do this. I had to break into my own house a while back. I locked myself out and couldn’t wake anyone up. Sliced some major arteries. Lost about half my blood.”
At moments like these, I say a little prayer to The Writer’s Center: “Help me!”
It’s comforting knowing that I can turn to the Center to learn how other local writers process all kinds of experiences. Although I live 70 miles from Bethesda, in Front Royal, Virginia, I can access the Center online through classes, the website, or the blog.
Living out here, my husband José Padua and I often feel like we are writing from the edge of the world. Both poets, we are hard-core city people who transplanted to the hinterlands to make ends meet. The farther away I am from town, the more I appreciate institutions like The Writer’s Center.
After earning my M.A. in poetry and becoming a working stiff in the early 90s, the Writer’s Center helped me stay connected to my creative work. I took poetry and fiction courses there. José and I also completed an HTML course that helped us land jobs as website managers.
Six years after those classes, my first book of poems, The Lost Tribe of Us, won the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award and was published in fall 2007, just as we moved to Front Royal.
We’ve learned that to live here is to step through the looking glass, only our guide is not a rabbit but a shirtless, pot-bellied man holding a menthol cigarette in one hand and a Bud in the other. The Shenandoah Valley may be the land of wineries and Skyline Drive but it is also home to Confederate flags, the Stonewall Jackson Restaurant, and Xtreme religion.
Happily, there are as many stories here as there are “Gut Deer?” bumper stickers. The Writer’s Center helps us keep one foot in the city while we focus on our blog about rural small town America. Without this blog, called Shenandoah Breakdown, we would be mad as hatters.
In the coming year, we hope to take even more advantage of the resources at The Writer’s Center and to coordinate some writing events in the Shenandoah Valley. Maybe we’ll see you down at the Knotty Pine or at Stoke’s General Store. Just make sure you have a notebook and a pen in hand.
Visit Shenandoah Breakdown at http://shenandoahbreakdown.wordpress.com.
For more information about The Lost Tribe of Us.
To read work by Jose Padua, visit http://paduakings.blogspot.com/.
Heather holds an M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and her first book of poems, The Lost Tribe of Us, was published by Main Street Rag in 2007. When not working as a communications manager or being mommy, she can be found holed up at various cafes in the greater metro area trying to write.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: Molly Mahoney Matthews
I was not the kid who read under the covers with a flashlight. The pink plastic journal with My Diary embossed in gold that I got for my 13th birthday had a total of three entrees.
I suffered through English essays in high school, barely showed up for term papers in college, and the first memo I ever wrote was returned to me folded in half and stapled. When I ripped it open my hands shook. The note, scribbled by my boss across the top of the paper, said, “Molly this is terrible writing – it’s disorganized and makes no sense – please rewrite.”
Fast-forward several decades. I become a voracious reader. I can’t stop because I am so drawn by the power the author has over me. I envy these writers. I want what they have. They don’t even know me, yet they are changing me, challenging me, connecting with me.
I sign up for a class called The Writer’s Toolbox at the Writer’s Center. I have no idea how terrible I am. If I had known I would not have read my first few submissions out loud.
The class doesn’t point out that my writing is full of clichés or that I include absolutely no dialogue, nor do they note that I use 5 words when one or two would do. They do respond to the heart of my story and especially the scene I’ve written about my father’s teasing me when I gain the freshman 10 pounds in college. I had some capacity for dialogue by then and quoted Dad saying, “Molly, another few pounds and a permanent wave in your hair and you’ll look exactly like your grandmother.”
After class a woman follows me to the parking lot. She is in her 80s, and I know she was a refugee after WWII. “Molly,” she said, “I have to tell you I really related to what you wrote. Do you know that I weighed 90 pounds at the end of the war? My Dad made fun of me too when I put some of the pounds back on -- and it was humiliating. I just wanted you to know.”
OK, not the Pulitzer or the Booker prize, but I had written something that evoked a response in another person. Wayne Dyer on PBS says you’ll see it when you believe it. That night in the parking lot on Leland Street, I became a believer or at least considered the possibility that I could be an author.
Since then, I’ve joined a writer’s group (we came about thanks to another class at The Writer’s Center and are all sharing our experience on this site during member appreciation month). You can learn more about our experience at http://www.sixgreatbooks.com/ Thanks to The Writer’s Center and my writing group for keeping the faith.
I suffered through English essays in high school, barely showed up for term papers in college, and the first memo I ever wrote was returned to me folded in half and stapled. When I ripped it open my hands shook. The note, scribbled by my boss across the top of the paper, said, “Molly this is terrible writing – it’s disorganized and makes no sense – please rewrite.”
Fast-forward several decades. I become a voracious reader. I can’t stop because I am so drawn by the power the author has over me. I envy these writers. I want what they have. They don’t even know me, yet they are changing me, challenging me, connecting with me.
I sign up for a class called The Writer’s Toolbox at the Writer’s Center. I have no idea how terrible I am. If I had known I would not have read my first few submissions out loud.
The class doesn’t point out that my writing is full of clichés or that I include absolutely no dialogue, nor do they note that I use 5 words when one or two would do. They do respond to the heart of my story and especially the scene I’ve written about my father’s teasing me when I gain the freshman 10 pounds in college. I had some capacity for dialogue by then and quoted Dad saying, “Molly, another few pounds and a permanent wave in your hair and you’ll look exactly like your grandmother.”
After class a woman follows me to the parking lot. She is in her 80s, and I know she was a refugee after WWII. “Molly,” she said, “I have to tell you I really related to what you wrote. Do you know that I weighed 90 pounds at the end of the war? My Dad made fun of me too when I put some of the pounds back on -- and it was humiliating. I just wanted you to know.”
OK, not the Pulitzer or the Booker prize, but I had written something that evoked a response in another person. Wayne Dyer on PBS says you’ll see it when you believe it. That night in the parking lot on Leland Street, I became a believer or at least considered the possibility that I could be an author.
Since then, I’ve joined a writer’s group (we came about thanks to another class at The Writer’s Center and are all sharing our experience on this site during member appreciation month). You can learn more about our experience at http://www.sixgreatbooks.com/ Thanks to The Writer’s Center and my writing group for keeping the faith.
Member Appreciation Month: Jenni Hesterman
Musings of a Novice Blogger
By Jenni Hesterman
A few years ago, I retired from a rewarding, yet hectic military career. Juggling motherhood and increasing work responsibilities, chaos encompassed my life like a thick fog, never allowing for quiet moments of reflection or the psychological “space” I needed to write.
All of that changed dramatically when, suddenly, I was alone all day, my family at work and school. Living in rural England at the time, I was also suffering through a long, dark winter season. With hours of deafening silence at my disposal and a clean slate, I was faced with a new crisis and riddled with questions. Writing what? Writing how? Writing for whom? I found it quite overwhelming, and had no support like I do now with The Writer’s Center, so I shelved my projects and started down a new path. To scratch my “academic itch” and fill my days with a productive (and paying) venture, I started teaching college classes online. This really got the creative juices flowing! Boxes of free text books and journals graced my doorstep, and my mind was occupied with more than just the fruitless search for the perfect antique sideboard.
As I settled into the new role of professor, I found myself writing some fairly long classroom discourses on emerging homeland security issues. Unsure whether my thoughts were being read (or appreciated), I frankly didn’t much care: I was writing again and it felt good! One appreciative student/reader suggested that I blog and share these musings with a wider audience. By this time, I’d started writing for a homeland security magazine, but was frustrated with the 2 month lag time from submission to publication. So perhaps my brilliant student was on to something!
My blogging adventure started as a guest writer for another site. Naturally, writing online is a different style, so I considered blogs I regularly perused. What aspects did I enjoy? What turned me off? Why did I come back (or run away)? I kept writing and honing my skills. Months went by and soon I had a growing readership, as well as a portfolio of published material. I fostered healthy debate. I was praised. I was hooked!
I recently took the plunge and started my own blog. The online tools are so easy to use that even a computer novice like me could set up a very professional looking site--for less than $30! Using a free online analytics tool, you can track your readership and gather data that helps hone your efforts and attract more viewers. Since I post daily, my personal “writing laboratory” has improved my skills and boosted my confidence across the board. Emboldened with my newfound success, I’ve tackled a much larger project--a book I am co-authoring with a federal agent about undercover operations.
Yes, the blog is well underway, but I still have one loose end to tie up--I never did find the elusive antique sideboard!
(For the curious, please visit http://www.counterterrorforum.com/)
Jenni Hesterman was the very first receipient of an Ann Darr Scholarship for female veterans. To learn more about this scholarship, click here.
By Jenni Hesterman
A few years ago, I retired from a rewarding, yet hectic military career. Juggling motherhood and increasing work responsibilities, chaos encompassed my life like a thick fog, never allowing for quiet moments of reflection or the psychological “space” I needed to write.
All of that changed dramatically when, suddenly, I was alone all day, my family at work and school. Living in rural England at the time, I was also suffering through a long, dark winter season. With hours of deafening silence at my disposal and a clean slate, I was faced with a new crisis and riddled with questions. Writing what? Writing how? Writing for whom? I found it quite overwhelming, and had no support like I do now with The Writer’s Center, so I shelved my projects and started down a new path. To scratch my “academic itch” and fill my days with a productive (and paying) venture, I started teaching college classes online. This really got the creative juices flowing! Boxes of free text books and journals graced my doorstep, and my mind was occupied with more than just the fruitless search for the perfect antique sideboard.
As I settled into the new role of professor, I found myself writing some fairly long classroom discourses on emerging homeland security issues. Unsure whether my thoughts were being read (or appreciated), I frankly didn’t much care: I was writing again and it felt good! One appreciative student/reader suggested that I blog and share these musings with a wider audience. By this time, I’d started writing for a homeland security magazine, but was frustrated with the 2 month lag time from submission to publication. So perhaps my brilliant student was on to something!
My blogging adventure started as a guest writer for another site. Naturally, writing online is a different style, so I considered blogs I regularly perused. What aspects did I enjoy? What turned me off? Why did I come back (or run away)? I kept writing and honing my skills. Months went by and soon I had a growing readership, as well as a portfolio of published material. I fostered healthy debate. I was praised. I was hooked!
I recently took the plunge and started my own blog. The online tools are so easy to use that even a computer novice like me could set up a very professional looking site--for less than $30! Using a free online analytics tool, you can track your readership and gather data that helps hone your efforts and attract more viewers. Since I post daily, my personal “writing laboratory” has improved my skills and boosted my confidence across the board. Emboldened with my newfound success, I’ve tackled a much larger project--a book I am co-authoring with a federal agent about undercover operations.
Yes, the blog is well underway, but I still have one loose end to tie up--I never did find the elusive antique sideboard!
(For the curious, please visit http://www.counterterrorforum.com/)
Jenni Hesterman was the very first receipient of an Ann Darr Scholarship for female veterans. To learn more about this scholarship, click here.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: Arlene Stanton
Why I Write
by Arlene Stanton
There I was, 4 years old, toes embedded at the edge of the sea surrounding Taiwan, wearing a huge- brimmed sunhat that was its own umbrella. Blue sky met blue water and stretched on into infinity, and I stretched out my arms to embrace that beauty, the vastness and the ache of it. The sand shifted under my feet and, being human, I fell back flat on my butt, arms still outstretched, terrified and outraged at a loss I didn’t understand. Mother Ocean serenely gobbled at my toes.
Years later, terrified of water, I ask a friend who teaches children to swim, to teach me. He is a hardy and patient man, a good thing because it takes five lessons before I can tolerate putting my face under the surface of the pool. Weeks later, I spend 45 minutes a day swimming back and forth, pulling against the water, unable to see where I’m going but plowing ahead with joy and strength. I stretch, I pull, feel strong and timeless, and emerge to find the middle-aged men who sit out in the sun cheering me on, clinking their beers.
But years later, I find myself flat on my butt again, this time facing the computer screen, alone and lost, longing and afraid, and repulsed by my fear—but of what? Finding what I’m looking for? I begin to organize my ideas. Mostly they are scribbles of ideas, and I realize how many times my working titles are about finding the way home. Ah ha. Is this about me finding my way home, through my writing? Each time I commence, I feel like Gretel without Hansel, starting off into the forest and trying to remember if there’s a wolf in ‘my’ story. I read books, articles, ponder the concept of writer’s block but don’t give up the idea that this is something I must do.
But each time I go seeking, it is a new journey. I stumble about, rattle at my interior cabinets wondering if this one will get me to Narnia. Sometimes, I end up bumbling around in the wrong place, like a drunk pounding on the wrong door. You have to earn admission, again and again, but how to do that, lacking magic or a password?
Yet more years later, I spend quite some time with the man at Sherwin Williams to find the right color for my office walls—not a mere off-white or blunt turquoise, but the color of a swimming pool, or more precisely, the color of getting into a pool, feeling the world fall away, the limbs loosening, the arms stretching out to pull back the weight of nothingness and move on. I paint my walls.
And sometimes…suddenly, there I am, where I have not been before, standing squarely on both feet. A moment as I look around, alone. But no, there are voices in another room, firelight and shadows. Dropping my keys in a familiar place, I move forward, into darkness, into light.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: Jamie White
Whenever I get frustrated and want to say to heck with writing, I’ll try to find some good writing to keep me company. One of my favorite screenplays is Edward Scissorhands; I especially like the scene where Kim (Wynona Ryder) dances as Edward (Johnny Depp) creates a kind of music as he carves Christmas ice sculptures. The writing is beautiful and reminds me what I’m striving for.
Yet here I am again, putting my all into it this time because I refuse to live this double-minded existence anymore.
Edward concentrates, his attention rapt, a kind of glow upon him. His hands work with more certainty than ever, without an instant’s hesitation. Then, she begins to dance. Her dance is shy at first, a little awkward, gangly. She gropes after a rhythm. On and on she dances.This is how writing felt when I first decided I’d like to try my hand at it. There was a kind of magic about it all. Yet the nervous excitement, goose bumps, and fevered thoughts were soon swallowed up by blank pages. Frustration gave way to despair when the road got rocky and writing my novel or screenplay wasn’t so easy. I believed I could just call it quits, apply to grad school and abandon the writing life.
Corporeal again, earthbound, Kim clumsily scrapes her arm along one of Edward’s blades, then impales her finger on one of the points. She recoils, gasps. She pales at the sight of blood trickling down her hand. She has stood too abruptly. The blood drains from her face. She crumples, fainting, landing on the ground at her mother’s feet.Writing wouldn’t let me go. My head was persistently swimming with scenes and dialogue and plot twists. So I went back to the blank page to write (so the voices would be quiet and the cursor would stop blinking). But my divided heart has often kept me from being fully devoted to the craft. For instance, I want so much to believe that this yearning to write is a calling, or a gift – not a delusional fancy. Then there’s the part of me that sees writing as a selfish practice. Wouldn’t it be better for the world if I were a public school teacher in the trenches 60 hours a week working to make a difference in the lives of children? Or I could focus all my energy on social work and caring for the forgotten. Wouldn’t my free time be better spent volunteering for a cause than revising a piece of writing that perhaps no one will ever read?
Yet here I am again, putting my all into it this time because I refuse to live this double-minded existence anymore.
Edward watches. He helps her. Kim dances with abandon beneath the thick flurry of ice. Unabashed glee and a kind of majestic gracefulness have been set free – bursting from depths we could barely have suspected were there.Either I’m a writer or I’m not. I’ve come to the conclusion that no words that flow from my divided mind will have the power to stir the hearts of men. God help me, I’m in this for the long haul!
Member Appreciation Month: Kristin Battista-Frazee
Believing It’s Possible
Kristin Battista-Frazee
I know “believing it’s possible” sounds a bit corny, but that’s really how I feel about my experience at The Writer’s Center. I wanted to be a better writer and The Writer’s Center helped make that possible. It started with a business writing class with Rick Walter. Rick was a fabulous teacher who gave me the tools to improve my writing, but most importantly, he believed in my writing potential.
I always wanted to write a book but thought it was ridiculous to think I could get published. I remember on a break from class wandering into the bookstore and, on an impulse, buying the Guide to Literary Agents book. I thought, “Maybe one day I might use it.” Rick helped me gain the confidence to begin writing my family memoir about my father’s involvement distributing the pornographic movie Deep Throat.
After the class was over, Rick and I would meet once a month to critique my writing pieces. I brought him a draft of the first 17 pages of my book. When he said, “I think this may be sellable with some work,” I was shocked.
Upon his recommendation I took Barbara Esstman’s Advance Novel and Memoir workshop. She taught me to love the art of writing and the importance of honing my craft. She said, “Don’t’ worry about selling the book, just make sure you write a good book and the rest will follow” and also, “Just because something is published doesn’t it make good.” So true!
In Barbara’s class I met David, who has become a good friend and writing partner. He brought me into a wonderful writing group with other talented writers (Janet, Donna, Molly, and Kelly) that have become great friends. Together we have built an environment that supports a strong creative process and continues to make me believe it is possible my book will get published.
In our lives we only encounter a handful of people who turn out to be our true champions. I am grateful to The Writer’s Center for helping me meet Rick, Barbara, and the members of my writing group. Thanks!
Today I am represented by the Ralph Vicinanza, Ltd literary agency and my agent Matthew is doing a great job guiding me through the process of obtaining a publisher for my family memoir Daughter of Pornography.
If you want to follow our writing group as we work to perfect and publish our books, visit our blog at http://www.sixgreatbooks.com/. And check out my blog Daughter of Pornography at http://kbfrazee.wordpress.com/
Kristin Battista-Frazee
I know “believing it’s possible” sounds a bit corny, but that’s really how I feel about my experience at The Writer’s Center. I wanted to be a better writer and The Writer’s Center helped make that possible. It started with a business writing class with Rick Walter. Rick was a fabulous teacher who gave me the tools to improve my writing, but most importantly, he believed in my writing potential.
I always wanted to write a book but thought it was ridiculous to think I could get published. I remember on a break from class wandering into the bookstore and, on an impulse, buying the Guide to Literary Agents book. I thought, “Maybe one day I might use it.” Rick helped me gain the confidence to begin writing my family memoir about my father’s involvement distributing the pornographic movie Deep Throat.
After the class was over, Rick and I would meet once a month to critique my writing pieces. I brought him a draft of the first 17 pages of my book. When he said, “I think this may be sellable with some work,” I was shocked.
Upon his recommendation I took Barbara Esstman’s Advance Novel and Memoir workshop. She taught me to love the art of writing and the importance of honing my craft. She said, “Don’t’ worry about selling the book, just make sure you write a good book and the rest will follow” and also, “Just because something is published doesn’t it make good.” So true!
In Barbara’s class I met David, who has become a good friend and writing partner. He brought me into a wonderful writing group with other talented writers (Janet, Donna, Molly, and Kelly) that have become great friends. Together we have built an environment that supports a strong creative process and continues to make me believe it is possible my book will get published.
In our lives we only encounter a handful of people who turn out to be our true champions. I am grateful to The Writer’s Center for helping me meet Rick, Barbara, and the members of my writing group. Thanks!
Today I am represented by the Ralph Vicinanza, Ltd literary agency and my agent Matthew is doing a great job guiding me through the process of obtaining a publisher for my family memoir Daughter of Pornography.
If you want to follow our writing group as we work to perfect and publish our books, visit our blog at http://www.sixgreatbooks.com/. And check out my blog Daughter of Pornography at http://kbfrazee.wordpress.com/
Monday, January 11, 2010
Methods and Models of New Play Development
A brief interlude from our Member Appreciation Month (writers: I'm looking forward to getting and posting your pieces!)
Especially for Playwrights: Methods and Models of New Play Development
Following the Saturday, January 16th, 2 p.m. performance of Patrick Gabridge's new play, Constant State of Panic, Patrick will be joined on stage with artistic directors and literary managers from six DC-area theatres--artistic director Kathleen Akerley (Longacre Lea), artistic director Paul- Douglas Michnewicz (Theater Alliance), artistic director Christopher Snipe (Madcap Players), executive director JoAnn M. Williams (African Continuum Theatre Company), artistic director Richard Henrich (Spooky Action Theater), and artistic director Patrick Torres (Young Playwrights Theater). They'll discuss Constant State of Panic and the processes they each use in developing new plays.
This is an opportunity for writers to get the inside scoop on how these local directors go about choosing new scripts and bring them to life on stage. "Though it'll be tempting to tell horror stories of what can go wrong when trying to get a new play up, the focus will really be on what works. We'll look at who uses readings and workshops and how they structure the process. Everyone approaches it differently, and as a playwright, its valuable to understand the different points of view, and also figure out who might be the best match for the way you like to work," Gabridge says. Patrick is co-founder of the Rhombus playwrights group in Boston and has been involved in helping writers create and market new plays for more than 20 years. In 1993, he started the publication, Market InSight for Playwrights, which offers monthly submission information to playwrights, and in 2002 he started the online Playwright Submission Binge, an online group that now has more than 500 members from around the world.
Constant State of Panic is a darkly comic love story about a man afraid of everything and a woman afraid of nothing other than losing her husband. This highly theatrical show takes a twisted look at a couple struggling to survive in a culture that thrives on fear. Lines between reality and fantasy blur the characters tumble through the looking glass of this paranoid Bush-era Wonderland. The play was developed in an ongoing in-house reading series with Rhombus in Boston, and then with another workshop with Madcap in Washington, before it headed into rehearsal.
Especially for Playwrights: Methods and Models of New Play Development
Following the Saturday, January 16th, 2 p.m. performance of Patrick Gabridge's new play, Constant State of Panic, Patrick will be joined on stage with artistic directors and literary managers from six DC-area theatres--artistic director Kathleen Akerley (Longacre Lea), artistic director Paul- Douglas Michnewicz (Theater Alliance), artistic director Christopher Snipe (Madcap Players), executive director JoAnn M. Williams (African Continuum Theatre Company), artistic director Richard Henrich (Spooky Action Theater), and artistic director Patrick Torres (Young Playwrights Theater). They'll discuss Constant State of Panic and the processes they each use in developing new plays.
This is an opportunity for writers to get the inside scoop on how these local directors go about choosing new scripts and bring them to life on stage. "Though it'll be tempting to tell horror stories of what can go wrong when trying to get a new play up, the focus will really be on what works. We'll look at who uses readings and workshops and how they structure the process. Everyone approaches it differently, and as a playwright, its valuable to understand the different points of view, and also figure out who might be the best match for the way you like to work," Gabridge says. Patrick is co-founder of the Rhombus playwrights group in Boston and has been involved in helping writers create and market new plays for more than 20 years. In 1993, he started the publication, Market InSight for Playwrights, which offers monthly submission information to playwrights, and in 2002 he started the online Playwright Submission Binge, an online group that now has more than 500 members from around the world.
Constant State of Panic is a darkly comic love story about a man afraid of everything and a woman afraid of nothing other than losing her husband. This highly theatrical show takes a twisted look at a couple struggling to survive in a culture that thrives on fear. Lines between reality and fantasy blur the characters tumble through the looking glass of this paranoid Bush-era Wonderland. The play was developed in an ongoing in-house reading series with Rhombus in Boston, and then with another workshop with Madcap in Washington, before it headed into rehearsal.
LOCATION: H Street Playhouse, 1365 H Street NE, Washington, DC
TICKETS (for the play, there's no extra charge for the panel): $20; $15 for groups of 10 or more. PWYC tickets are $5 or $10 online and are available at the H Street Playhouse, one hour before curtain.
Call 800.494.TIXS (800.494.8497) or visit BoxOfficeTickets.com to reserve tickets.
Member Appreciation Month: Amani Elkassabani
Writing as Collaboration
I count myself among those who believe that writing is done in isolation. When I write, I sit alone, putting fingers to keyboard or holding pen to paper, attempting to express the thoughts, stories, or images in my head. I also believe that the hardest work of writing—the revising—is not done alone. Quite the opposite. The process of revision begins with collaboration.
To do the hard work or revision, I need an expanded perspective. Since I am often too close my writing, I must rely on those who read my work to convey that perspective to me. This new perspective, expressed though constructive feedback, enables me to make critical changes to my writing, ones that can help me deepen a character, tighten a plot, or sharpen the dialogue in a story.
While giving constructive feedback requires thoughtful attention to what the writer is trying to accomplish, using this feedback requires a willingness to let go. It means letting go of the words, of the time and effort that I have poured into the work. Mostly, it means giving up control—if only temporarily. When I share my writing with others and invite their critiques, I am giving up something, but am gaining something more valuable: access to a reader’s response to my writing. This response, when given honestly, critically, and carefully, has always led me to examine my writing and reflect on it. Often, the response has helped me to make marked improvements. Occasionally, it has catapulted me forward in new and exciting directions.
This kind of collaborative exchange requires mutual respect and trust. Anyone who writes knows how hard writing is: carving out the time, making it a daily practice, telling a story or capturing a moment in just the right words. We’ve all experienced the challenges of being a writer. And we all have enormous respect for those who attempt to write. Our respect fosters trust, which continues to develop not only when we support each other’s work and ambitions, but mostly when we come to rely on other writers to give us honest and useful critiques of our writing.
Taking an active part in a writing community, whether it be in a workshop or writing group, builds relationships that are rooted in appreciation for one another’s yearning to express something true and profound and to share that with others. Sharing oneself can be a risky endeavor, one that makes us vulnerable. But it is also an act of hope, one that can ultimately lead to increased insight and to greater connectedness with others. For me, achieving this connectedness is one of the greatest joys writing brings me. It is also something I would not be able to achieve alone.
To my fellow writers—many of whom I have met through workshops taken at The Writer’s Center—who have been careful readers, honest critics, trusted peers, I am grateful for the critical feedback you have given me. You have helped make me a better writer than I could ever have become on my own.
I count myself among those who believe that writing is done in isolation. When I write, I sit alone, putting fingers to keyboard or holding pen to paper, attempting to express the thoughts, stories, or images in my head. I also believe that the hardest work of writing—the revising—is not done alone. Quite the opposite. The process of revision begins with collaboration.
To do the hard work or revision, I need an expanded perspective. Since I am often too close my writing, I must rely on those who read my work to convey that perspective to me. This new perspective, expressed though constructive feedback, enables me to make critical changes to my writing, ones that can help me deepen a character, tighten a plot, or sharpen the dialogue in a story.
While giving constructive feedback requires thoughtful attention to what the writer is trying to accomplish, using this feedback requires a willingness to let go. It means letting go of the words, of the time and effort that I have poured into the work. Mostly, it means giving up control—if only temporarily. When I share my writing with others and invite their critiques, I am giving up something, but am gaining something more valuable: access to a reader’s response to my writing. This response, when given honestly, critically, and carefully, has always led me to examine my writing and reflect on it. Often, the response has helped me to make marked improvements. Occasionally, it has catapulted me forward in new and exciting directions.
This kind of collaborative exchange requires mutual respect and trust. Anyone who writes knows how hard writing is: carving out the time, making it a daily practice, telling a story or capturing a moment in just the right words. We’ve all experienced the challenges of being a writer. And we all have enormous respect for those who attempt to write. Our respect fosters trust, which continues to develop not only when we support each other’s work and ambitions, but mostly when we come to rely on other writers to give us honest and useful critiques of our writing.
Taking an active part in a writing community, whether it be in a workshop or writing group, builds relationships that are rooted in appreciation for one another’s yearning to express something true and profound and to share that with others. Sharing oneself can be a risky endeavor, one that makes us vulnerable. But it is also an act of hope, one that can ultimately lead to increased insight and to greater connectedness with others. For me, achieving this connectedness is one of the greatest joys writing brings me. It is also something I would not be able to achieve alone.
To my fellow writers—many of whom I have met through workshops taken at The Writer’s Center—who have been careful readers, honest critics, trusted peers, I am grateful for the critical feedback you have given me. You have helped make me a better writer than I could ever have become on my own.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: Kelly Hand
The Revision Revelation
by Kelly Hand
I finally “got religion” about the importance of revision when I took Barbara Esstman’s Advanced Novel and Memoir class, and subsequently formed a writing group with several of my classmates. The workshop model taught me that what matters most is not the opinion of a single authoritative reader, but the reading experience of a peer group of critical readers.
As a graduate student instructor years ago, I preached the gospel of revision in introductory composition classes and held conferences with students to discuss their essays and recommend revisions. Invariably, the second drafts of those essays came back with only superficial changes. It was annoying that my advice went unheeded, yet I clung to the notion that there are good and bad writers—and that good ones “get it right” the first time around. When I wrote a dissertation and made changes my committee recommended, the revision process felt like yet another disciplinary initiation rite.
Before coming to The Writer’s Center, I had completed a draft of a novel, Blind Girl’s Bluff, and sent it out to several agents. Some asked to read the manuscript, but did not offer to represent me. I concluded that the novel was “not marketable enough” and started a new novel with a clearer target audience. When my Writer’s Center classmates commented on the first chapter of this second novel, I was disappointed that while many readers enjoyed the story, most advised substantial changes. This felt like a verdict—that I was a “good writer” technically, but only a mediocre storyteller. Fortunately, some classmates encouraged me to keep writing and to join the writing group they were forming.
On a whim, I presented an excerpt of my first novel to the group, and their feedback helped me realize that it was premature to abandon it in favor of the second. With the help of the five other writers in our group, I have spent the last year revising Blind Girl’s Bluff. It has a new beginning, a new ending, and a multitude of changes in between. It surprises me how much I enjoy restructuring my plot, refining my characters, and reining in my sometimes flamboyant prose—all for an audience of supportive peers.
I believe in the hard-won miracles of revision because my book is better now—and so are the books of my writing group friends. We have faith in our ability to make our books “work” for readers like us. This revision revelation has changed my life, and it is turning me into the writer I always wanted to be. Maybe I am preaching now to the converted about revision, but if you find yourself doubting, then find yourself a community of like-minded writer/readers who can help you “see the light.” The Writer’s Center is a place where miracles begin.
If you wish to follow our writing group as we work to perfect and publish our books, visit our blog at sixgreatbooks.com.
by Kelly Hand
I finally “got religion” about the importance of revision when I took Barbara Esstman’s Advanced Novel and Memoir class, and subsequently formed a writing group with several of my classmates. The workshop model taught me that what matters most is not the opinion of a single authoritative reader, but the reading experience of a peer group of critical readers.
As a graduate student instructor years ago, I preached the gospel of revision in introductory composition classes and held conferences with students to discuss their essays and recommend revisions. Invariably, the second drafts of those essays came back with only superficial changes. It was annoying that my advice went unheeded, yet I clung to the notion that there are good and bad writers—and that good ones “get it right” the first time around. When I wrote a dissertation and made changes my committee recommended, the revision process felt like yet another disciplinary initiation rite.
Before coming to The Writer’s Center, I had completed a draft of a novel, Blind Girl’s Bluff, and sent it out to several agents. Some asked to read the manuscript, but did not offer to represent me. I concluded that the novel was “not marketable enough” and started a new novel with a clearer target audience. When my Writer’s Center classmates commented on the first chapter of this second novel, I was disappointed that while many readers enjoyed the story, most advised substantial changes. This felt like a verdict—that I was a “good writer” technically, but only a mediocre storyteller. Fortunately, some classmates encouraged me to keep writing and to join the writing group they were forming.
On a whim, I presented an excerpt of my first novel to the group, and their feedback helped me realize that it was premature to abandon it in favor of the second. With the help of the five other writers in our group, I have spent the last year revising Blind Girl’s Bluff. It has a new beginning, a new ending, and a multitude of changes in between. It surprises me how much I enjoy restructuring my plot, refining my characters, and reining in my sometimes flamboyant prose—all for an audience of supportive peers.
I believe in the hard-won miracles of revision because my book is better now—and so are the books of my writing group friends. We have faith in our ability to make our books “work” for readers like us. This revision revelation has changed my life, and it is turning me into the writer I always wanted to be. Maybe I am preaching now to the converted about revision, but if you find yourself doubting, then find yourself a community of like-minded writer/readers who can help you “see the light.” The Writer’s Center is a place where miracles begin.
If you wish to follow our writing group as we work to perfect and publish our books, visit our blog at sixgreatbooks.com.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Member Appreciation Month: Cindy Nessen
This is how I was like the bamboo that bends but does not break. This is my fairy tale story with many twists.
Born in Korea during the Japanese occupation, I supported my widowed mother and brothers during World War II by scavenging rice from the paddies. After learning American songs from the radio, I entertained the US troops stationed at Pusan during the Korean War, which launched my career as a professional singer. For several years I toured Southeast Asia with my group, The Apples, and became famous as Cindy Song.
While performing in Saigon, I met and fell in love with NBC correspondent, Ron Nessen. We married, and I followed him to posts in Mexico, London and New York, though not knowing the languages of those countries isolated me. When Ron was appointed President Ford’s press secretary, we moved to DC, where among other highlights, I danced with the president at the White House, sang with the Marine Corps band, and met dignitaries such as Emperor Hirohito and Anwar Sadat. After I divorced Ron, I raised my son alone, started a successful international company and survived cancer.
I wanted to write my story with the idea that it could inspire others to endure whatever life sent them. But there was no way I could do this alone. When I asked an author friend to write it for me, she told me to go to TWC. There I met with Al Lefcowitz, the director at the time, and asked if he could introduce me to someone who could write my story for me.
“Mrs. Nessen,” he said, “anyone can fix your English, but no one can write what you have in your heart.”
That was the best advice anyone could have given to me, but I was still unsure. Reluctantly, I registered and took a class. The first assignment was to write 15 pages about anything. I didn’t know where to start, but I settled on the story that my mother had told me about the tragic death of her sister and how years later her son brought her remains home to be buried with her ancestors. The teacher exclaimed what a wonder of story I had written. The class kept asking, “But what about her English?”
The teacher’s response was the same as the director’s.
“Someone can fix her English, but her description is what counts.”
I took two more courses, and over the next twenty years I wrote more than 500 pages and hired various editors along the way to help. But they didn’t know what they were doing and wasted my money. In 2008, after recovering from gastric cancer, I picked up where I’d left off before my illness. I knew all those pages had to be cleaned up and tons cut but didn’t know where to start. Out of desperation, I went to TWC again in hopes of finding someone who could do what the previous editors failed to accomplish.
Whatever Ms Barbra Esstman was teaching was way over my head, but I sat in her workshop and convinced her to edit my ms. She shaped my story, fixed my English and cut enough material that I have a good start on a second book of family history. If I hadn’t gone to TWC I wouldn’t have written the draft or gotten the right editor. Now I tell anyone who wants to write to come to TWC.
***
Cindy Nessen currently resides near Washington, DC. She owns and manages her own company, Nessen International Inc. This very successful company arranges events, interviews and contacts between Korean and American sports, business and political figures. She travels to Korea often. Visit her Web site.
While performing in Saigon, I met and fell in love with NBC correspondent, Ron Nessen. We married, and I followed him to posts in Mexico, London and New York, though not knowing the languages of those countries isolated me. When Ron was appointed President Ford’s press secretary, we moved to DC, where among other highlights, I danced with the president at the White House, sang with the Marine Corps band, and met dignitaries such as Emperor Hirohito and Anwar Sadat. After I divorced Ron, I raised my son alone, started a successful international company and survived cancer.
I wanted to write my story with the idea that it could inspire others to endure whatever life sent them. But there was no way I could do this alone. When I asked an author friend to write it for me, she told me to go to TWC. There I met with Al Lefcowitz, the director at the time, and asked if he could introduce me to someone who could write my story for me.
“Mrs. Nessen,” he said, “anyone can fix your English, but no one can write what you have in your heart.”
That was the best advice anyone could have given to me, but I was still unsure. Reluctantly, I registered and took a class. The first assignment was to write 15 pages about anything. I didn’t know where to start, but I settled on the story that my mother had told me about the tragic death of her sister and how years later her son brought her remains home to be buried with her ancestors. The teacher exclaimed what a wonder of story I had written. The class kept asking, “But what about her English?”
The teacher’s response was the same as the director’s.
“Someone can fix her English, but her description is what counts.”
I took two more courses, and over the next twenty years I wrote more than 500 pages and hired various editors along the way to help. But they didn’t know what they were doing and wasted my money. In 2008, after recovering from gastric cancer, I picked up where I’d left off before my illness. I knew all those pages had to be cleaned up and tons cut but didn’t know where to start. Out of desperation, I went to TWC again in hopes of finding someone who could do what the previous editors failed to accomplish.
Whatever Ms Barbra Esstman was teaching was way over my head, but I sat in her workshop and convinced her to edit my ms. She shaped my story, fixed my English and cut enough material that I have a good start on a second book of family history. If I hadn’t gone to TWC I wouldn’t have written the draft or gotten the right editor. Now I tell anyone who wants to write to come to TWC.
***
Cindy Nessen currently resides near Washington, DC. She owns and manages her own company, Nessen International Inc. This very successful company arranges events, interviews and contacts between Korean and American sports, business and political figures. She travels to Korea often. Visit her Web site.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Member Appreciation Month Discounts
A day off from posting member stories for this:
January marks The Writer's Center's Member Appreciation Month. It's a time for us to honor those who really make this place a special place: members. To give a special thanks, we're offering our members a $50 coupon off ANY 4 to 8-session workshop. To take advantage of this offer, you must have a current membership. Restrictions: Coupon is valid for 6 months from today. Cannot be combined with other offers.
Want to read some member stories? Check out First Person Plural all this month as we post entries written by our members.
Membership Drive
As part of this special month, we're running a membership drive. 2010 will be a very exciting year for us. Within the next few months, we'll have a new Web site; we'll host Writing the Future, an event featuring Lee Gutkind and Creative Nonfiction Magazine; and we'll host the first ever LitArtlantic--The Writer's Center's new premier event for literature, music, theatre, and film. Look for details in the coming months about these and many other happenings here.
With so much happening, now's a great time to become join our writers' community.
Birthday Membership Discount
If you buy 2 tickets to our birthday celebration on January 30th featuring Carolyn Forche and Pagan Kennedy, we'll give you one FREE membership. You can keep it for yourself or give it to a friend.
But why stop there? Here are some other discounts for members and nonmembers alike.
New Year's Resolution Discount
During January only, register for a 6-8 session workshop and get one FREE single-session workshop of your choice.
Restrictions: These discounts are valid only during the month of January, 2010. Cannot be combined with other offers.
January marks The Writer's Center's Member Appreciation Month. It's a time for us to honor those who really make this place a special place: members. To give a special thanks, we're offering our members a $50 coupon off ANY 4 to 8-session workshop. To take advantage of this offer, you must have a current membership. Restrictions: Coupon is valid for 6 months from today. Cannot be combined with other offers.
Want to read some member stories? Check out First Person Plural all this month as we post entries written by our members.
Membership Drive
As part of this special month, we're running a membership drive. 2010 will be a very exciting year for us. Within the next few months, we'll have a new Web site; we'll host Writing the Future, an event featuring Lee Gutkind and Creative Nonfiction Magazine; and we'll host the first ever LitArtlantic--The Writer's Center's new premier event for literature, music, theatre, and film. Look for details in the coming months about these and many other happenings here.
With so much happening, now's a great time to become join our writers' community.
Birthday Membership Discount
If you buy 2 tickets to our birthday celebration on January 30th featuring Carolyn Forche and Pagan Kennedy, we'll give you one FREE membership. You can keep it for yourself or give it to a friend.
But why stop there? Here are some other discounts for members and nonmembers alike.
New Year's Resolution Discount
During January only, register for a 6-8 session workshop and get one FREE single-session workshop of your choice.
Restrictions: These discounts are valid only during the month of January, 2010. Cannot be combined with other offers.
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