April Presenter: F.I. Goldhaber

What Prose Writers Can Learn from Poetry

Poetry does not require rhyme, complicated structure, or esoteric language and imagery. At its best, poetry distills narrative and imagery down to the fewest, strongest words possible. By embracing poetry, prose writers can learn how to find the core essence of their stories, allowing them to condense their narration into fewer, more powerful words.

F.I. Goldhaber's second poetry collection, Pairs of Poems, was ranked number three in the Preditors & Editors readers poll for poems published in 2008. She has shared her poetry at spoken word events in Salem and Portland and has appeared at venues such as Wordstock, Oregon Literary Review, Barnes & Noble Lloyd Center Reading Series, Chemeketa Community College, etc. She also has given presentations on subjects as diverse as marketing, writing erotica, and organization building. In addition to two collections of poetry, more than 40 of her poems have been published in magazines, journals, e-zines, and newspapers. She has sold 16 short stories and had three erotica novels published under another name.

Monday, August 11, 2008

"Words with Wings" Writing Retreat

Date: Saturday, August 16
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Wings of Wonder Butterfly House, 5978 Willamette Ferry Street, Independence, OR 97351 (www.wingsofwonder.us)
Cost: $55 (paypal accepted)

*The retreat has a maximum of 10 participants so please register in advance. A $15 deposit is required to hold your place.

Other: Bring a bag lunch to enjoy in the Wings of Wonder garden area. Wings of Wonder also has a small cafe with coffee, soda and other drinks as well as snacks. They also have a wonderful gift shop and you can even adopt a butterfly!

For more information, contact Joanne Scharer at 503-409-9910 or joanne@allwritingmatters.com www.allwritingmatters.com

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Fiction Writing Class: Become Your Own Story Doctor

If you’ve ever received comments from a peer and found yourself scratching your head over how to make use of the information, this class is for you. If you’re frustrated by your crit group and can’t quite put your finger on the problem, this class will help. If you have to provide critiques and you want to be able to offer more useful revision advice, this class will teach you how.

Award-winning writer Eric M. Witchey will lead this 8 week seminar course on how to train yourself to compose, analyze, and revise your fiction more effectively.

Students will learn techniques to allow them to generate new ideas, compose efficiently, analyze draft material, analyze published material, and turn their analysis into useful advice for revision for themselves and others.

The seminar is open to writers of all stages of development, but it will be most useful to writers who have written enough short stories or novels to become frustrated by the trial-and-error nature of learning to write salable material.

The class will run for 8 weeks every Sunday from noon to 4. It will meet at the Blue Pepper on Commercial Street in Salem, Oregon. Cost per student will be $300.00. The first class will be on the 7th of September. Registration is limited to 15 people, and class will only be offered if 10 or more pre-register before September 1st. Pre-registration is $100.00. Refunds will only be given in the event another student picks up the cancelled slot. The balance is due before the first class begins. No places will be held without payment.

For additional information about the instructor, go to http://www.ericwitchey.com/. To pre-register, contact Kimberly Gadette at gadettek@yahoo.com

Eric M. Witchey has sold over 50 short stories and a novel into national and international markets. His stories have appeared in multiple genres under several names. His How-to articles have appeared in The Writer Magazine, Writer's Digest Magazine, and other print and on-line magazines. He has won awards and recognition from a number of organizations, including Writers of the Future, Writer's Digest, New Century Writers, and ralan.com. When not writing or teaching, he restores antique, model locomotives or tosses small bits of feather and pointy wire at laughing trout.

Mr. Witchey’s Recent Publications:
· "Dreams and Bones." Nowa Fantastyka. Dec. 2007.
· The Writer Magazine: How To -- "Putting the Emotion in Your Fiction." September, 2007.
· "The Hero of Kill Devil Butte." 2nd Place Writer's Digest Inspirational Category. Oct. 2007
· "Men Are From Mars; Women Are Intravenous" Space Squid. Spring. 2008.
· Teaching: Willamette Writers. “Five Minutes on Fiction.” June, 2008 on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzJlg2tQf3M

Mr. Witchey’s Upcoming Publications and Events:
· The Writer Magazine: How To -- "Exploit the Power of Your Clichés." September, 2008.
· "Mirages." Polyphony 7. November, 2008.
· "Can You See Me Now?" Clarkesworld. Fall, 2008.
· Teaching: Three classes at Willamette Writers Conference. Aug. 1-3, 2008.
· Teaching: 8 week course. Become Your Own Story Doctor. Sept. – Oct., 2008.

Take the Journey…Write Your Children's Book!

In this high energy workshop, you'll learn how to make your characters believable, how to build a great plot kids will love, and how to deal with things like copyright, illustrations, and submitting to publishers. For beginning writers and seasoned authors, this lively interactive session will energize you and help you write your story.

Saturday August 9th, 2008-10am to 1pm
at Accolades, 448 NE 3rd St, McMinnville
$25 per person
Reserve your space by calling
503 472 9400

Questions about the class?
Call Gwynne Spencer at (503) 606-2696