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March 1st, 2020 VOLUME 27, ISSUE 7
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Tuesday, March 17th, 2020, 6:30 p.m.
Providence United Methodist Church (Room 214)
2810 Providence Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28211
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A Panel Discussion and a Podcast
Three experienced publicists (left to right in the picture above) Hannah Turner, Dawn Michelle Hardy and Lynda Bouchard will share their wisdom on author publicity and marketing. There will be Q&A following their presentation. Landis Wade will moderate this program and it will be recorded live for an episode of Charlotte Readers Podcast.
There will be a raffle for books written by authors our panelists represent. Drawings will be held at the end the meeting. You must be present to win. For more about our panelists click on
Panel & Podcast and on
CRP to learn more about Charlotte Readers Podcast.
Since this is a special meeting, we will be upstairs in room 214.
Please be sure to RSVP when you get your meeting announcement. And on March 17th, Come at 6:30 pm to socialize and to get a good seat for our program.
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Congratulations to our 2020 Nonfiction Contest Winners
First Place: "Queen of Birthdays," written by Nikki Campo
Second Place: "The Spots are Runn'n," Charles Canaday
Third Place: "Loss of Contact," Lori Johnson
Nikki and Lori were present at the February meeting to read portions of their works and receive their awards. Visit the
February 18th Recap Page for pictures and comments
from our judge Charles Israel Jr.
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Meet-a-Member - Dave Collins
Dave is an essayist, interviewer, anthology editor, and author of
Accidental Activists: Mark Phariss, Vic Holmes, and Their Fight for  Marriage Equality in Texas. (
University of Texas Press, 1977.)
L
ike most writers,
I
'm
a huge and ever-growing bundle of idiosyncrasies.
That's okay, right?
When and where do I write the best? Marcel
Proust
supposedly
wrote in a cork-lined room where sepulchral quiet
allowed him
to concentrate. I don't have such a room
(and in any case the quiet would probably drive me crazy),
but I am lucky enough to have
dedicated space,
a book-lined study with a
n
L-shaped desk.
Lots of room to spread out books and notes.
And I need that space.
I write on a computer, but depend on endless notes, some handwritten, some printed from
pre-writing
research
.
I
write
surrounded by
yellow
pads outlining the next
sequence/scene/chapter
.
I use my pads to "try out" sentences that
force their way
into my head.
Work them in later, you know?
Favorite writing tool?
Not my computer, but o
ld-fashioned wooden pencils I can
(and do)
sharpen
frequently
.
Or mayb
e a pen, but not just any pen. H
as to
be a
Papermate
Ink Joy in my favorite off-blue color. Feels comfortable in my hand
;
moves smoothly across the page.
For annotating sources, Japanese pens from
Muji
are a must. Fine-line tips at
.5 or .7 mm.
Compulsive enough?
Favorite advice about writing?
Hemingway
:
"The
best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next.
" Resources?
I'm
a classicist, always looking to models. For the big picture in fiction I like a simplified version of Joseph Campbell, Christopher Vogler's
The Writer's Journey
. For the little stuff nothing beats Benjamin Dreyer's
Dreyer's English
. Nothing.
One thing I would like help with? I love stories, but I love people more. Tend to get caught up in my characters and fret endlessly about moving the story along. Help!
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Hello CWC! We love to
Meet-a-Member!
for the format and questions.
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Barbara Johnson-Davis Wins the Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize
CWC member Barbara Johnson-Davis, has won this year's Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize for her new story
The Last Straw. Her story
May Day Miracle was runner up for last year's prize. According to the North Carolina Writers' Network spokesman Charles Fiore, Johnson-Davis will receive $1,000, and The Carolina Quarterly will consider "The Last Straw" for publication.
Final judge Bridgette A. Lacy selected "The Last Straw" from nine other finalists for the prize."'The Last Straw' is a moving story about a young girl choosing a formal education over the family business of farming," Lacy said. "The stakes are high, taking her final senior exams or planting tobacco. This story feels so authentic and rooted in rural North Carolina, where low-wealth families are often forced to make that choice. The heartfelt dialogue between the father and daughter really resonated with me."
Johnson-Davis was born to a sharecropping family in Leasburg, NC and graduated from Bennett College. Her work has been performed at the Matthews Playhouse, Queens University of Charlotte, and the Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius.
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The Elizabeth Simpson Smith Short Story Contest Closes on March 17th
There's still time to submit those 1,500 to 4,000 word fiction pieces for CWC most prestigious contest. Click ESS Short Story Contest and submit your work. Winners will be announced
at the May meeting.
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Short Story Workshop on March 21, 2020 1:00 to 3:30 pm
2810 Providence United Methodist Church
Room 104
Body and Soul: Studies in Character Development led by Abigail DeWitt
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Seeking Refuge: How Stories Can Save Us
CWC is sponsoring this panel discussion on Monday, March 30, 2020
at 2:30 pm in Tate Hall, on the main campus of Central Piedmont Community College.
Seeking Refuge: How Stories Can Save Us,
delves into the power of story in the lives of refugees and
immigrants.
Panelists will share their own stories and reflect on insights gained from those experiences. We invite you to tell us your story during a talk back following the presentation. Panelists include Diya Abdo, Banu Valladares, Joseph Bathanti, a CPCC writing student and moderator Gilda Morina Syverson.
This year the Sensoria Festival, CPCC's annual celebration of literature and the arts runs from March 27th to April 5th.
See the
Sensoria website for more about this timely discussion and other free events including the Irene Blair Honeycutt Distinguished Lecturer Joy Harjo, the United States Poet Laureate.
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Meet the Authors at Park Road Books
The Charlotte Chapter of the Women's National Book Association spring event is on Monday, March 9th from 7 to 9 pm. Abigail DeWitt, Donna Everhart and Susan Zurenda are the featured authors. Check the WNBA Facebook page for more information or
Meet the Authors at Park Road Books
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**Volunteers Needed**
CWC Needs Your Talent for Our Leadership Team, interested in serving the club, please contact our Vice President of Nominating
Anshu Gupta to learn more about what we need and how your skills might fit. All positions are one year terms.
VP of Membership position OPEN!
- Monitor membership software for new, renewal and lapsed memberships. Send periodic email notifications to members lapsed more than 60 days, then archive member info. Maintain communication with treasurer and/or other board members, and update membership status for payments received offline (i.e. check or cash).
- Communicate with members to resolve any questions, concerns or problems regarding aspects of membership.
- Use system templates to set up electronic events notices for regular monthly meetings and social events, as well as for other events (i.e. workshops, etc.) on an as needed basis.
- Maintain member name tags between events. Print attendance lists and prepare name tags for each meeting, as well as for other events as needed. Attend and/or coordinate help with event check-in. Collect name tags at the end of each event
- Present periodic membership reports at board and/or regular general meetings.
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Event Reminder!
Social time, 6:30 to 7 pm, is your opportunity to mix and mingle before each monthly meeting. Come early, greet someone new and/or start conversations to get better acquainted with fellow CWC members.
Business begins at 7 pm
Club and members announcements follow the speaker's presentation. Everyone has 45-seconds each to talk, from club leaders with news/information for the membership to each member celebrating a piece of good news.
Please practice those pitches!
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Open Mic Nights!
Mugs Coffee
5126 Park Rd #1d, Charlotte, NC 28209
to register
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Please "LIKE" our Facebook page to encourage discussion among fellow writers and keep up with the club offerings.
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Opens: January 21st, 2020
Closes: March 17, 2020
Announce Winners: May 19th, 2020
A short story between 1500-4000 words.
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Stay Tuned for Results!
CWC's Poetry Contest is Closed. Judge Catherine Carter is reviewing the entries. We will celebrate the winning voices and National Poetry Month at our April meeting.
Beyond Poems and Paintings: An Ekphrastic Exhibit submission period has ended. Readers are now assessing poems that will be chosen for interpretation by an artist. CWC North and Mooresville Arts are co-sponsoring this event which culminates in an exhibit of art and poems that inspired the work at the Mooresville Art Galley. On September 11, 2020 there will be a reception in Mooresville where artists and poets will meet and discuss their work.
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Landis is looking for an unpaid assistant. The volunteer would have a presence with the podcast and be able to help shape the course and growth of the podcast. Some knowledge of Mailchimp and newsletter design would be helpful but not a requirement. Wand to know more, email
Landis Wade.
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Charlotte Lit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary arts center, engaging and educating writers and readers, and building a stronger Charlotte through literature.
Click
HERE for events hosted by Charlotte Lit.
Charlotte Lit promotes a deeper understanding of self, community, and world by inspiring and educating readers, developing and supporting writers, and promoting creative, arts-focused conversations that strengthen and transform our community.
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Membership in the Charlotte Writers' Club entitles you to participate in workshops, critique groups, contests, and guest speaker programs. The cost is a modest $35 per year for individuals
and $20 for students.
We welcome writers in all genres and forms to join our Charlotte-area literary community. Your membership in the Charlotte Writers' Club helps support writers, readers, and literacy at a critical time in our nation's and our city's history. Join here.
To Join or Renew click this
Membership Link and follow the instructions.
Charlotte Writers' Club
P.O. Box 220954
Charlotte, NC 28222
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Copyright © 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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