Friday, May 18, 2012, 7 PM–FREE EVENT: Learning How to Laugh with author Jim Minick

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• March and May seminars at WriterHouse (cvillewords.com)

There are still spaces available in this coming Saturday’s seminar “Say What? Writing Better Dialogue by Thinking Dramatically” with play

wright Enrique Urueta. This seminar is for fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, playwrights, screenwriters, anybody whose dialogue could use improvement.

Whether you write fiction or drama, your ability to capture a reader’s attention and drive your story forward depends heavily on dialogue. But what makes good dialogue? How does dialogue drive a narrative? And how will thinking dramatically improve your writing? We’ll discuss what makes good dialogue work and practice a variety of exercises that will hone your ability to craft believable and effective dialogue. 9am-1pm, $55 members, $60 non-members. Register online or come by during open hours. See our website for details: http://writerhouse.org

The seminar will be followed at 2pm by a FREE discussion with Enrique Urueta: “Does This Play Make my Brown Look Gay? Writing at the Intersection of Race and Sexuality” Playwright Enrique Urueta discusses his experience writing in the context of race and sexuality. His award-winning plays Learn to Be Latina, The Danger of Bleeding Brown, and Forever Never Comes have been presented across the country. Free and open to the public.

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• March and May seminars at WriterHouse (cvillewords.com)

» On Friday, March 23, 9:30am-Noon, join us for Erika Dreifus’s seminar on freelance writing. This session will provide an overview of the varied opportunities that exist for writers to transform their own knowledge and interests into freelance bylines. Although we’ll use a shared pursuit–writing itself–as a starting-point, we’ll also discuss how to incorporate participants’ own professional and avocational expertise into a freelance writing practice. We’ll cover basic freelancing how-tos with plenty of time for your questions. For details and to reserve your space, see the WriterHouse Class site.

» On Friday, March 23, 9:30am-Noon, join us for Bella Stander’s seminar, Book Publishing 101. Topics covered in this seminar: setting realistic goals; making a marketing plan; pitching your book; dealing with publicists, booksellers and media; bookstore events and readings. Attendees must have a forthcoming or recently published book from a commercial trade publisher, a publishing contract with a commercial trade publisher, or a literary agent. This seminar is not suitable for self-published authors or those whose books are produced by subsidy publishers. For details and to reserve your space, see the WriterHouse Class site.

» New seminar just added for May. Saturday, May 5, 2012,  1:00pm-5:00pm  Setting the Stage in Fantasy Writing, Instructor: Leona Wisoker. Even if your world is fantastic, it needs to feel real. Learn how to work with real-world elements such as food, clothing, and the natural environment to draw your readers into your imaginary universe. Through writing exercises and discussion, you’ll see what kinds of details make your fantasy writing three-dimensional.

This seminar will be followed at 6:30 by a potluck dinner and discussion of food in fantasy writing, with author Leona Wisoker. Register for the seminar now.

» Friday February 3, First Fridays Art Opening for Robert Boucheron’s “The Imaginary City,” a series of pen and ink drawings of buildings, streets, and towns.  The scenes recall European and American cities of the nineteenth century and earlier, drawn freehand and to scale.

» Thursday, February 9, 7pm, “Making a Graphic Novel” with Caroline Preston, author of The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures. Author Caroline Preston will discuss how she created a graphic novel The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt and marketed it through social media and bloggers. This novel was on the list of best historical novels of 2011 by Kirkus reviews and the Boston Globe said “… its vintage graphics and sweet, sincere storytelling make it a pure pleasure.” Preston is the author of three previous novels: Jackie by Josie, Gatsby’s Girl , and Lucy Crocker 2.0

» Saturday, February 11, 9am-1pm, Seminar: Honest Writing–Finding Your Voice. How do we define honest writing in fictional narratives? How do we get to that place where we write honestly and truly? How useful are the labels we apply to different prose styles, and must we ultimately choose between Hemingway’s minimalism and Faulkner’s stream of consciousness? Short readings and in-class writing exercises will help us think more critically about these kinds of questions. We’ll also discuss when and how we should imitate other voices we love.

» Thursday, February 16, 7pm, Sci Fi/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction group reading. Come hear readings from the group that meets the first Tuesday of each month (see member events above). Great stories, fine (if strange) company, food & beverage — how can you go wrong? Come join us for a journey to other worlds and experiences.

» Saturday, March 10, 2-5pm, Writing From Home with author Meg Medina. In partnership with the Jefferson-Madison Regional Libraries, WriterHouse presents Latina children’s book author Meg Medina. Come to an afternoon of hands-on writing experiences to help you tap into your family roots for stories that bind readers together across generations and cultures. Register at bigread@jmrl.org. Free and open to the public.

From WriterHouse:

During 2011, WriterHouse completed its third year of operation. Hard to believe it’s been such a short time, considering all we’ve accomplished. Here’s a very brief bulleted list of 2011′s highlights:

• WriterHouse won the inaugural Emyl Jenkins Award for a “…Virginia individual or organization that…makes Virginia a better place for writers”
• A record number of our members and students, many with the direct encouragment of our instructors and other members, and many for the first time, had their poems, short stories, and essays published in magazines, nationally-respected literary journals, on the radio, and on the bus
• 27 multi-week workshops and 17 shorter seminars refined the craft of more than 200 beginning and experienced writers
• 14 authors came to Charlottesville from all over the US to share their writing experiences with audiences in free literary salons
• Our volunteers shared their writing expertise with kids at the Southwood trailer community and clients of the AIDS Services Group

We have just as much in store for 2012: more authors coming from around the country, more classes, more seminars, more outreach to underserved populations, more members being published, more chances for writers to meet and support each other in creating new works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

In order to keep all this going, we need to raise money to pay our rent and utilities. That’s right. We have no paid staff and no other major expenses. The physical space that is a home away from home for Central Virginia’s writing community is our major expense. Keeping the doors open so we can provide all these resources depends on the generosity of donors like you. Even a small amount helps: $25 will pay utilities for a week, $83 the rent for one day, $175 a scholarship for one student for an eight-week class.

{donaterequest} Give by Mail:Mail checks or money orders made payable to WriterHouse, Inc. to:

P O Box 222

Charlottesville, VA 22902

Tuesday, November 29, 7:00pm–Charles J. Shields (Mockingbird; I Am Scout) has written what Publishers Weekly calls an “engrossing, definitive” biography of cultural icon Kurt Vonnegut. , And So It Goes has just been named a New York Times Notable Book for 2011. Join us at WriterHouse as Charles discusses his new book and the biographer’s art. Free and open to the public. Copies of And So It Goes will be available for purchase and signing.

Wednesday, November 30, 9:00pm–End of members’ early registration deadline for the winter writing class session that begins January 23.

Friday, December 2, 6:00-8:00pm–First Fridays Art Opening/Reception–Artist, Polly Lazaron, “Wind Dances Fire: Energy Drawings 2000-2010″–the art will be on display until January 14, 2012.

Online holiday shopping–if you do a lot of shopping online over the holidays, you can help WriterHouse by using our links to Amazon.com and GoodShop. Hundreds of your favorite online retailers participate in GoodShop. There is a link on our home page for both in the upper left column under “Donations and Shopping Links.”

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• And So It Goes: A Rare Glimpse of Kurt Vonnegut’s Tortured Soul (brainpickings.org)
• And So It Goes – Kurt Vonnegut: A Life – By Charles J. Shields – Book Review (nytimes.com)
• How It Went (3quarksdaily.com)
• And So It Goes (litkicks.com)
• Countdown to Launch: November 8th (writingkurtvonnegut.com)
• ‘And So It Goes’: Kurt Vonnegut, disenchanted genius (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Vonnegut in All His Complexity (3quarksdaily.com)

Seminar: Unleash Your Inner Poet

Instructor: Mariflo Stephens

Cost: $55 WriterHouse Members | $60 Non-Members

Saturday, November 12, 2011 | 9:00am-1pm

A short poetry class for non-poets—the curiosity seeker, the timid versifier. If you’ve ever wanted to try writing poetry but don’t want to jump in the deep end, this seminar is for you.

Mariflo Stephens has read from her writing on Oprah and the Oxygen network. Her work is in Contemporary American Women Writers, The Barbie Chronicles, The Washington Post, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. The Virginia Commission for the Arts has awarded her two grants for fiction.

Not this guy.

This weekend at WriterHouse: Two events with John Warner (not the former senator)

John Warner, novelist, humorist, editor for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and TMN’s Biblioracle, will be visiting all the way from Charleston Friday to discuss satire (and his new novel The Funny Man) and Saturday to give a seminar on writing funny. See the WriterHouse website for more details about both events. Want to know what to read next? As the Biblioracle, he’ll give you recommendations based on the last five books you’ve read.

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• Learn to write funny or scary at WriterHouse this fall (cvillewords.com)

Seminar: So You Want to Write Something Funny?

Instructor: John Warner
Cost: $55 Members | $60 Non-Members
Saturday, October 1, 2011 | 9:00am-1pm

It’s easy. Wait, no it isn’t. Yes it is, once you’ve completed this seminar with McSweeney’s Internet Tendency editor and author of The Funny Man John Warner. He’ll talk about theories of humor, why and how humor is such valuable tool within a larger context, techniques for generating humor, and tips on polishing those laughs from polite chuckles to true lol’s.

John Warner is editor-at-large for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and the author of four books, including the definitive satire on writing advice, Fondling Your Muse: Infallible Advice from a Published Author to the Writerly Aspirant. His novel, The Funny Man, a satire of celebrity and America has been recently released by Soho Press. He serves as co-color commentator forThe Morning News’ Tournament of Books, and as a one-man book recommending service, The Biblioracle. After stints at the University of Illinois, Virginia Tech, and Clemson, he now teaches at College of Charleston.

Writing Suspense Fiction

Instructor: Meredith Cole
Cost: $158 Members | $175 Non-Members
7 Wednesdays, October 5-November 16, 2011 | 9:00am-1pm

Great suspense novels and thrillers have non-stop action, surprising twists and turns, and nail-biting tension. In this class, we’ll work on starting a thriller or suspense novel, and crafting stories that are real page turners. We’ll critique pages in class, and discuss pacing, creating great characters (heroes and villains), and story arcs. Students may either start a project or bring in works-in-progress.

Meredith Cole is the author of two mystery novels: Dead in the Water (St. Martin’s 2010), and Posed for Murder (St. Martin’s 2009), which won the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic best traditional first mystery contest.

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• ‘The Funny Man’: The Perils of Comedic Stardom (theawl.com)

Tomorrow’s (Saturday, September 17) seminar still has space. Even if you haven’t yet registered, come in the morning and register before class.

Get Your Short Story or Essay Published

If you’ve written an essay or short story and want advice on where and how to submit it for publication, come to tomorrow’s seminar from 9am-1pm. Instructor Clifford Garstang will identify resources and techniques for conducting market research and classifying magazines, discuss formatting, cover letters, contests, submission strategies, the perils of simultaneous submission, keeping adequate records, and dealing with rejection. Bring along a draft cover letter for critique along with the first page of a submission. Cost: $55 members, $60 nonmembers.

Sunday afternoon at 2pm, join us for a chat with the author of the short story collection BEFORE YOU SUFFOCATE YOUR OWN FOOL SELF, Danielle Evans, recipient of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize “To a fiction writer whose debut work, published in 2010, represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise.” From the Booklist review of her collection: “Evans’ first collection of short stories deals thoughtfully and incisively with considerations of class, race, and coming-of-age.” WriterHouse member Jocelyn Johnson will be host and moderator for the event. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Thursday evening at 7pm, come to hear children’s author Meg Medina who will discuss her latest book TIA ISA WANTS A CAR, and how she incorporates her Latina heritage into her work.