Charlotte Writers Club , December 14, 2021
Meeting Recap:
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We're back!
On Tuesday evening we christened our new meeting space. The room buzzed with the energy of 29 voices, poets and prose writers, old friends and new ones too, talking butterflies, life and peer review. We celebrated the holidays with candy canes and and each other's successes with hardy rounds of applause before getting down to the business of finding critique groups for our next projects.
Mary Struble Deery (AKA Prompt Mobile) and Darrell Horwitz filled their Flash fiction group with a pitch that featured costumes, a Magic 8 ball and prompts. A new novel group was formed and women writing fiction attached a crowd.
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President Caroline Kane Kenna opened the first in person meeting of the program year by welcoming everyone to the new space and recognizing the new members.
She introduced the executive board and thanked them for their service to the club.
Axel Dahlberg, VP of Membership,
David Collins, President-Elect,
John McGillicuddy, Treasurer,
Tiffany Grantham, Secretary,
Debra S. Wallin, Immediate Past President, Webmaster, Tech Guru
"By the end of the program year, Debra, John and Tiffany will step down. "We are looking for the next treasurer, webmaster and secretary as well as a president/elect. Think about how you might serve the club—Talk to Debra for webmaster, John for treasurer, me for secretary and for president elect you can talk to Dave, or me or Debra."
Opportunities to serve on the advisory board are coming in January.
Debra pointed out job descriptions for the Executive Board and the Advisory Board in our Policies and Procedures on the CWC Homepage.
Caroline announced the poets selected to interpret the work of Mooresville artists for Beyond Poems and Paintings: Ekphrastic Art Exhibit 2,
CWC North & Mooresville Arts partner project.
David Collins—"Ars Poetica”
David Radavich—"The Seed Doesn’t Die”
Emily Halpern—"To Protect and Serve”
Richard Allen Taylor— “La Chambre d’e’coute”
Linda Phillips— “Vincent”
Kenneth Chamlee—"Wreck of the “Ancon” in Loring Bay, Alaska”
Kat Bodrie— “Resist”
Christine Arvidson— “Unbroken”
The works of art will be featured along with the poets’ interpretations in an exhibit at Mooresville Arts on June 10, 2022.
During Member Announcements:
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Curtis Crockett announced that his book Leaving Gettysburg will be published this spring
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Kathy Thorson Gruhn showed off her newest edition: Fighting Naked
Caroline congratulated everyone and encouraged all with good publishing news to share it at Members Kudos--like Mary Alice Dixon and Judy Hovis have recently done.
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Critique group forming followed Program Chair Dave Collins,who presented an overview of the importance of peer review and what to look for in a critique group.
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Groups are being formed now, and if you want to be in one, a please contact CWC President.
Visit this RECAP page, for more pictures and context from our lively critique groups information session.
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On January 18th,
We Kick Off Our Centennial Year with Suspense!
Look for the Logo and Meet us at 2225 Tyvola Road, Charlotte in the Tyvola Senior Center. Click the image to get directions and join us! The first half-an-hour is social time Meeting convenes 7pm.
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Finding the Right Way to Tell Your Story
Megan Miranda author of New York Times best selling suspense will have the first word in 2022--see more on the CWC Calendar of Events page
Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Contest! Darrell Horwitz, co-contest chair, will reveal the winners. The top finishers have been invited to come to the meeting to share their stories and to collect their prizes.
For the safety of everyone, we ask you to wear a face covering over your mouth and nose while in the Tyvola Senior Center and to provide proof of Covid-vaccination to attend. When you RSVP for the meeting you will be prompted to take a photo of your vaccination card and email it to MembershipCWC@yahoo.com. Then you'll be the VIP list. To facilitate sign in, we'd prefer this in advance and will continue to ask in the reminders. If you forget, you can bring your proof to the meeting but this is not our preference.
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Club News & Announcements |
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Flash Fiction 101:
Essential Elements of Very Short Stories:
Resolve to start 2022 with a craft class
This is a Five session intensive in January/ February with Annie Frazier Crandell that Workshop Coordinator Anshu Gupta has put together to keep the creative juices flowing this winter.
Visit the CWC Workshops Page to learn more about the course and our presenter and reserve your seat. Space is limited, sign up now.
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Tis the season of CWC Contests
The Poetry Contest opens on Tuesday, December 21st and closes on February 15, 2022. Visit the CWC Contests page to see who is this year's judge and get ready to submit those verses fewer than 50 lines; haiku excluded.
Patrice Gopo is this year's judge for your articles and essays on any subject, and any informational piece that is not a fictional story, novel, play or poem, 750-2,000 words. For guidelines & more about Patrice visit our Nonfiction Contest page.
The Social Write In will be back in February 2022:
Watch your inbox for more on the return of this monthly virtual write-in after the first of the year.
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Of Note for December/January
December's Open Mic Night
is on Wednesday the 22nd. Drop in at Mugs Coffee from 7-9 pm to support members as they practice reading their work.
Virtual Office Hours for grades 5-12: Wednesday January 5, 4-6 pm.
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In Huntersville: Waterbean Poetry Night at the Mic
Wednesday, December 29th, featured readers are:
CWC member Joyce Compton Brown & Michael Gaspeny. An open mic follows. Find Out More on Facebook.
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And more about what the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library offers for writers at CMLibrary.org.
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Support Our Members & Community Partners
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Charlotte Lit:
Co-founders are CWC members Kathie Collins & Paul Reali. Click the image to visit the website.
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250+ Episodes and Counting
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Click on the image to see what host and creator of CRP and CWC member Landis Wade is unwrapping in the waning days of December and get ready to read in 2022. Visit Community Voices for "readerly and writerly content" and maybe to submit your own.
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The Personal Story Project & Six-minute Story Podcast |
The submission period for sixth anthology of true stories, Curious Stuff is closed. That collection will be will be released this spring--
Click on the image to learn more about member Randell Jones, his personal stories anthologies, including Trouble, which was published in the fall of 2021, feature a number of CWC voices.
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JACOBS/JONES AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERARY PRIZE
Deadline to enter is January 2, 2022. For Guidelines & More
The Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize honors Harriet Jacobs and Thomas Jones, two pioneering African-American writers from North Carolina, and seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.
“The Last Straw” written by CWC member Barbara Johnson-Davis won the prize in 2019.
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Enter the Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition |
The Deadline to submit your piece of unconventional journalism, not to exceed 2,000 words, is January 15, 2022.Subjects for essays submitted to the Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism
Last year's third place winner was CWC Member Lucinda Trew, “The Lessons We Learn in Dressing Rooms.
The Thomas Wolf Fiction Prize
The submission period is now open. The deadline for entry is January 30 for a piece of fiction under 3,000 words. Learn more & Submit at NCWN-Wolf
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In January
Our Open Mic Night Returns
to the usual 4th Friday
LIVE & In Person
at Mugs Coffee, Charlotte
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Join the fun! You don't have to register to spend an evening listening to fellow members reading their work. Our mic is covered, please wear your mask.
Mugs Coffee, 5126 Park Road, Charlotte is in the Park Selwyn Terrace Shopping Center. Charlotte, NC
Check who is reading at our
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Wherever you are celebrating this year, I hope you have a safe & joyful holiday season & the time to write!
See You in 2022!
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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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