Our mission: to support local writers and promotes their development through education, recognition, and community.
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January 2021 Volume 28 Issue 5 |
"This mark is like a mirror held up in front of the viewer. It reflects where inspiration, thoughts, ideas, and stories originate—in the mind."
Designer, Gordon Smith.
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A Message from the President:
Happy New Year!
Although we'll be interacting on screens for a while longer, the promise of vaccines also makes "foreseeable" the prospect of meeting in person again. That hope already makes 2021 look better than the previous year, but before we kick 2020 to the curb, let's review some of the good things that came out of that really bad year.
- The "Hollywood Squares" of CWC faces Zooming in was (and still is) a bright spot in my life. Thanks to your desire to connect and to learn and to embrace new technology, we carried on in cyberspace.
- We welcomed 42 new writers to our ranks. Celebrated the completion of many projects and learned about our craft from a diverse group of presenters.
- Our virtual workshops, open mic nights and critique groups helped us polish our work and practice those presentations. Tiffany's write ins introduced us to new faces and new characters.
- In a year when too many people lost their lives and their livelihoods, when we asked, you donated. Your generous responses at the beginning of the pandemic and to our Giving Tuesday Appeal last month, allowed us to help fellow members impacted by COVID-19 and to establish a scholarship fund. You gave your time and talent to serve your fellow writers, keep us current and business-as-usual.
And with eyes on the future, we chose a new logo. If we did all that in a pandemic year just imagine what 2021 and beyond might look like. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.
Stay Healthy and Keep Writing!
Caroline
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Honoring Anthony “TONY” S. Abbott’s Life and His Last Book of Poems
A virtual event celebrating the life of Anthony “Tony” S Abbott and the release of his final collection of poems, Dark Side of North, from Press 53, will be held on Thursday, January 7, 2021, at 7 p.m. Family, students, colleagues and friends of Abbott will read a selection of his poetry and there will be an opportunity to purchase his new book. The event is cohosted by Charlotte Writers’ Club North and Main Street Books.
After registering, attendees will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting (including a direct link).
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Calling all Poets
CWC's Poetry Contest is now open. Enter your best poetry of fewer than 50 lines; haiku excluded, until February 16, 2021.
The judge is Ashley Lumpkin. She is a Georgia-raised, Carolina-based writer, editor, actor, and educator and author of five collections of poetry. Learn more about Ashley Lumpkin.
The winners will be announced at our
April 20, 2021 meeting.
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Virtual Writing Salon & Social Time
On Monday, January 11, at 7 pm, take 75 minutes to write and share. We'll start with a little face time and catch-up time, bring your imagination; Tiffany provides the prompts. No pressure, no angst, just writing fun!
January is....
1/18 - Winnie the Pooh Day (A.A. Milne’s Birthday)
1/19 - Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday
1/25 - Burns Supper/Burns Night (to celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns)
1/29 - “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe is first published
1/31 - Inspire Your Heart with the Arts Day
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Curl up with a Good Short Story
Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue by Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Amanda L. Tyler
Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter's Story by Mazie
The Push by Ashley Audrain
One of the Good Ones by Maritza Moulite
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LAST CALL for Your Nonfiction Submissions The CWC Contest ends January 2, 2021. Winners will be recognized during February's meeting.
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Join Us on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 6:30-8:30 pm via Zoom for our next general meeting.
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Kevin Winchester Will Explore
Developing Realistic Main Characters
Kevin Winchester creates novel characters and short story characters that struggle to make their way in a hostile world. His first novel Sunflower Dog: Dancing the Flathead Shuffle was published in (2020), He won the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize in 2013 and
Everybody’s Gotta Eat (2009) is his short story collection.
Winchester's program will provide tools and techniques for creating a new character or fleshing out one you already have. Through a series of guided questions and explorations, attendees will come away with a character they really know, and know intimately, and they’ll also gain techniques to find, identify, and employ conflict that arises naturally from the character to create stories (and characters) readers remember. Learn More about Winchester Online and his presentation at the CWC Calendar of Events page.
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Celebrate those prose and poetry projects you've labored over.
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Meet-a-Member
Anshu Gupta
Bio:
My background is in bioengineering, science and public health, but I’ve always been a voracious reader. I am currently on the board of the Charlotte Writers Club. I write both long and short fiction, personal essays, and have started dabbling in some poetry.
When and where do I write the best?
My desk in the bonus room. I write best in the mornings, after coffee, while my head is still clear, and the day hasn’t yet gotten bogged down with all the things that need to get done.
Favorite writing tool?
Scrivener on my MacBook
A favorite writing resource
“The Making of a Story” by Alice Laplante, “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott, “From Where You Dream” by Robert Olen Butler.
Getting words down on a page has always been difficult for me. Butler talks about the psychology of creation and how art comes from our unconscious, but how difficult it is to find our way into it. As writers we have to get out of our heads and the analytic voice there. The only way to create a work of art is to fight the daily battle against our defense mechanisms in order to be able to find our way down to the deep, dark, scary place that is at center of us, the unconscious, the place where we dream.
Best Writing advice you’ve received and actually taken?
Set a timer for ten minutes and start writing. Don’t lift the pen until time’s up. Sometimes I just even start with writing “I don’t know what to write” over and over again. I’ve usually gotten something useful to come out of this exercise, a thread out of the gibberish I have written that I can follow. It helps in moving beyond the resistance.
One thing I would like help with?
Managing the submission process. I have not really focused on submitting work for publication in the past. When is a piece done? I can tinker and obsess on bits of it endlessly. And there are so many, many literary journals. It is bewildering to figure out which ones are the best outlets to submit the pieces I have written. Each one has different submission guidelines and rules and reading periods. Tools like Submittable have made it easier than the SASE days, but it is still a challenge.
To start a conversation with Anshu, send her a message through the Member Directory
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For the CWC Advisory Board: Looking for a Co-Contest Chair |
Overseeing our contests is a shared position and a good way to dip your toe if you are interested in serving on the leadership team. Duties include: setting up and monitoring contests on Submittable; selecting qualified judges and shepherding through the judging process and reporting the results to winners and the club.
You'll have plenty of help from Immediate Past President and tech guru Debra Wallin and Co-chair Darrell Horwitz. You can reach out to president, Caroline Kenna, or to Mack through our Members Directory or contact Anshu Gupta, the Vice President of Nominations. |
Prose Poetry-involves injecting elements of traditional poetry into a prose format. Characteristics may include:
- alliteration
- repetition
- hard and soft rhyming
- metaphors
- figures of speech
Ekphrasis-A vivid description of a scene or more commonly a work of art.
Example: In the Musée de Beaux Arts by WF Auden. It describes Pieter Brueghel's painting Landscape With the Fall of Icarus.
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January 6
Intermediate Poetry Workshop 4:00-6:00 p.m.PST
One Page: Wednesday-6:30-8:00 p.m. PST
January 13
Delve Readers Winter Seminar-The Girl With the Louding Voice. Nigerian Authors: Abi Dare and Akwake Emezi discuss race, class and roles of children as domestics in African culture. For more information go to Literary Arts Events.
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Seats are Going Fast for our January Intensive with Sarah Creech
Building Better Scenes: A Four Session Course with Sarah Creech, 10 am-noon Saturday mornings in January (9, 16, 23, 30) via Zoom.
We have enabled the waiting list for this month long look at a fundamental of creative writing, the scene. If you are registered for this course but find you are unable to participate, please contact Anshu.
If you are on the waiting list you will be contacted automatically if a seat opens up.
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Congratulations Ruth Moose
Flash Contest Winners
3rd place-David Poston for "In Therapy"
2nd place-Paul Kurzeja for "Spring Storm"
And the winner is...
Michael Beadle for "General Binky"
Honorable Mentions
Landis Wade
Patricia Everett
Ann Kissel
Visit the RECAP Page for comments from our judge Luke Whisnant.
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Debra Wallin, Immediate Past President, Webmaster and Tech Guru, asked for help keeping the website current. She will train and supervise those interested in learning the system. Intermediate technical skill is necessary to edit, save, and upload pictures and documents to the website file manager.
If you are interested, send her a message through the Member Directory. Once you have logged in you can select Member Directory, then click on her name and Send Message button can be selected.
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Don't Forget
the Next Open Mic Night!
January 15, 2021, 6:30 to 9 pm,
Come hear fellow members who have registered ahead of time read from their work. If you are a member, you will find the Zoom link in the email that announces this event.
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Enter NCPS Pinesong
2021 Awards Contests
Now through January 9, 2021, the North Carolina Poetry Society is accepting submissions for the 11 contests that comprise the adult portion of the Pinesong Awards for 2021. Contest rules and instructions.
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Advice From Writers to Writers
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Neglect Everything-make time to write-David Mitchell
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Keep a Consistent 2-hour Window Sacred-Victor Lavalle
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Beginnings Matter-William Gibson
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Follow the Headlights-throw out plans and assumptions-Andre Dubus
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Sound it Out-strive for rhythm-The Late Jim Harrison
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It's Supposed to be Difficult-take things in stride-Elizabeth Gilbert
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Keep a Totem-something of significance for inspiration-several writers do
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Find the Joy-the joy of being an author is the joy of feeling, "I can do anything."
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BCALA Literary Awards Deadline for Submissions, February 28, 2021
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in partnership with Biblioboard is taking submissions for the 2020 Self-Publishing Literary Award. Each year BCALA honors the best self-published eBooks by an African American author in the United States in the genres of Fiction and Poetry.
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Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts and The African American Playwrights Group (AAPG) have joined forces to host Charlotte's FIRST PLAYWRIGHTS' WRITING FESTIVAL/CONTEST FOR BLACK INDIGENOUS and PEOPLE OF COLOR (BIPOC).
Four plays will be selected from submissions (Due date January 31) which will be performed at a staged reading on April 10, 2021. One winner will be selected from the staged readings by a panel of judges and will be given an opportunity to produce a full-fledged production in the FALL of 2021. Please see Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts website (link below) for submission guidelines and selection criteria.
Ages 18 and up.
Important Dates:
Submissions Due • January 31st
Staged Readings • April 10th
Winning Production • September 10-12
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CWC North: Save these February Dates |
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Thursday, February 4, 2021, 7 to 8:30 pm
In the Key of New York City: A Virtual Event with Rebecca McClanahan (top left) and Gilda Morina Syverson (bottom right)
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Encouragement Quote
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore-Dream-Discover
Mark Twain
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Tips to Writing a Good Poem
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Brainstorm your starting point. Don't force yourself to write your poem in order, from the first line to the last.
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Free-write in prose.
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Choose your poem's form and style.
- Read for inspiration.
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Start writing for an audience of one — you.
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Read your poem out loud.
- Take a break to refresh your mind.
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Revise your poem.
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The Leyla Beban Youth Writing Contest
$1000 for 1000 words (excluding title and name) fiction writing contest is open to students enrolled in grades 6-12. Entry form and guidelines on the website; enter now through February 1.
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Saturday February 27, 2021, 2 to 3:30 pm
Elizabeth Searle will present a workshop hosted by CWC North via Zoom. Registration is now open for ACT ONE: Playwriting Basics for Beginners, learn more and
When you sign up for this workshop, you will receive the Zoom link in your reminder emails.
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North Carolina Writers' Network Prose Contests Now Open
LAST CHANCE to ENTER:
THE JACOBS/JONES AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERARY PRIZE
is January 2, 2021
The Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize, honors the best in short prose by African-American writers whose primary residence is North Carolina. The submission may be fiction or creative nonfiction, but must not have been published before (including on any website, blog, or social media), and must be no more than 3,000 words.
Last year's winner was CWC member Barbara Johnson. The prize is sponsored by NCWN and administered by the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Submissions accepted:
December 1 – January 30, 2021
Short story or self-contained novel excerpt - not to exceed 3,000 words.
The Prize honors internationally celebrated North Carolina novelist, Thomas Wolfe and is administered by the Great Smokies Writing Program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review.
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- Guerilla Poets are offering Free, virtual poetry, music and art workshops. Check out the list Here.
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Resources, grants and places to submit your work at NCArts.org. The Writers Workshop of Asheville TWWOA
- North Carolina Poetry Society emuse at NCPS.
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It’s Winter Reading time at your Rowan County Public Library!
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Did You Know
- In September, 2017, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased the printer’s manuscript of The Book of Mormon. The book is a handwritten copy of the original dictated manuscript, and reportedly sold for a record-setting $35 million.
- Beatrix Potter’s most famous work Peter Rabbit was rejected a whopping six times by publishers. Potter ended up printing 250 copies herself and distributing them to family and friends. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was among that group, and bought one for his children. When those sold out, she printed 200 more. In 1902, she was finally able to get it published with a traditional publisher, and since then Peter Rabbit has sold 45 million copies and been translated into 36 languages.
- Stephen King was once taken for a vandal in an Australian bookshop where he was secretly signing copies of his books. A customer in the shop noticed a man walk in off the street and start signing books, and unaware that it was King, she notified the store staff. The misunderstanding was eventually cleared up, and 5 of the 6 books were given to community groups for fundraisers. The other book was purchased by the customer.
Just thought you'd like to know.
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Literary Sites to Visit in NC |
Carl Sandburg's Home,
Flat Rock
Thomas Wolfe Homewood Residence, Asheville
Pauli Murray, Durham
Cool Spring Tavern, Fayetteville
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- First published in 1842, "The Masque of the Red Death" is a short story by which American writer?
- Seen as a masterpiece of the Modernist Movement, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a poem by which late American-British poet?
- What Danish author is considered by many to be the mist prolific fairy tale writer?
- In L. Frank Baum's original 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, what color were Dorothy's shoes?
Look for answers in the lower right column
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January
The days are short. The sun a spark, hung thin between the dark and dark.
Fat snowy footsteps track the floor, and parkas pile up near the door.
The river is a frozen place, held still beneath the trees' black lace. The sky is low; the wind is gray, the radiator purrs all day.
John Updike
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Barnes and Noble
Morrison
Virtual Events
Wednesday, January 6th at 7PM ET
Thursday, January 14th at 7PM ET **Ticketed Event**
Live on Zoom Webinar
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Let's Blog
A few blogging sites to follow.
- Amazon Book Review
- From First Page to Last
- John Pistelli
- Bustle Books
- Vilma Harris
- New Yorker'sPage-Turner
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Sign Up for on-going events in cyberspace like these:
The 1st Tuesday of the month at 12pm is WBL Book Club! In January we will discuss ????
Write Like You Mean It, Thursdays 10:00 – 11:30 am Join from the comfort of your space to write and share our work. Contact Pam Turner
Poetry In Pajamas, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 pm
Every other Wednesday of the month. Poets of all experience levels are welcome. For more information please contact
Prolific Pens Writing Group 11:00 am– 1:00 pm
The first and third Saturdays of the month with the exception of holidays to learn more contact Sally Deason
North County Regional Wordsmiths, Thursdays, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Writers of poetry and prose, all experience and skill levels are invited to meet every three weeks for Thursday Group contact Darcey Mesaris
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Trivia Answers:
- Edgar Allen Poe
- T.S. Eliot
- Hans Christian Andersen
- Silver
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Book and Dessert Pairings
Everyone loves a good snack or drink while reading their favorite book, but have you ever thought about trying a recipe from one of the foods mentioned in a book you read? Well here is a book and dessert pairing for you to consider. Simple and oh so delicious!
From the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith it mentions, there were "red candied cherries on their whipped cream tops for those who were rich enough to buy." The dessert is called The Charlotte Russe a symbolic treat in Brooklyn bakeries.
Recipe
2 cups of pitted cherries (makes about 1-1/4 cups)
half lemon (squeezed) almond extract to taste
Simmer on low/medium low for 75 minutes stirring occasionally to keep from burning; be sure to stir near the end as this is when burning will occur as liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and let cool. Enjoy! If you have leftovers seal in a canning jar or a jar with a tight lid; they'll last for up to a year in the fridge if stored properly.
Happy reading and eating!
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Support CWC Members & Community Partners
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FEATURED LIT EVENT: PEN TO PAPER. |
Join on Tuesdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for a mini-lesson, writing prompt, writing time, and sharing. Free
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Seven seasons,150 episodes and counting! Check out what's new HERE along with host and podcast producer Landis Wade you may be surprised at how many other CWC members voices you recognize.
And don't forget this Special Episode celebrating our Spring 2019 contests winners. Becky Aijala and Lucinda Trew, for the Poetry Contest and for the Elizabeth Simpson Smith Short Story Contest, Janet Ford and Gary Powell.
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Save Your Seat for Write to Fight, with Journalist Tessie Castillo |
Seats are limited Write to Fight for this nonfiction class on Tuesday January 12, 2021 at 7 pm. Castillo is an author, journalist and public speaker. She co-wrote her first book, Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row, with four men serving death sentences in North Carolina, whom she met while volunteering at North Carolina’s Central Prison in 2014. |
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MEMBERSHIP
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 all 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.
To Join or Renew click this Membership Link and follow the instructions.
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Charlotte Writers' Club PO Box 220954, Charlotte NC 28222
Please "LIKE" our Facebook page to encourage discussion among fellow
writers and keep up with the club offerings.
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