The Port Townsend Writers' Conference

Some people are new to writing, discovering for the first time the trance that writing down one's thoughts brings. Others have been writing for years, filling journals, publishing books, and running blogs in an effort to share themselves with the world. Whatever your level of skill, the Port Townsend Writers' Conference works to provide the connections and resources you need to help you grow as a writer.

Running from July 8-22 at the Fort Worden State Park, this writing conference has been an annual event since 1974, catering to writers and aspiring writers in the Pacific Northwest. Every year since its founding has seen more and more people attend, lured by the workshops, creative freewrites, vibrant readings, and knowledgeable lectures. Various writers and poets make up the 2012 conference faculty, offering their experience and advice on how to keep your thoughts moving and the pages filled.

Mornings will see conference goers engaged in workshops with faculty members assigned to their groups; afternoons workshops are taught by both faculty members and visiting writers that focus on specific topics regarding writing. In the evenings, two faculty members will present their lectures at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater, available to all participants.

Entrance into the Port Townsend Writers' Conference does cost a fee, ranging from $50-$695, depending on how much you register for. However, scholarships and tuition assistance are available.

Success has followed this conference for 39 years, watching writers disperse with new knowledge. Whether you're here to create new work and hone existing skills, or relax and lose yourself in a writing retreat, the experience you'll gather here is unparalleled to any other. For more information, check out the Port Townsend Writers' Conference informational webpage.

Children's Workshop With Claire Rudolf Murphy

Claire Rudolf Murphy will be holding a children's workshop and reading for the Get Lit! Festival at Auntie's Bookstore. 

Claire Rudolf Murphy grew up with a love of books and history. As a writer she carries that enthusiasm to the books as she writes. Most of her thirteen books are about times in history that are overlooked, including her newest work, Marching With Aunt Susan, which examines the woman's movement in the late 1800's and focuses on how women were not allowed to do things, like hiking.  


The workshop is open to all kids ages 8 and up!


What: Kids Workshop and Reading with Claire Rudolf Murphy 
Where: Auntie's Bookstore (402 W. Main Ave., Spokane)
When: Saturday, April 14 2012 11:00 AM
Cost: FREE!
More Information: 
Visit Get Lit!

Poem of the Week by Elizabeth Austen

House Fire

I reach for my yellow dress. It bursts
into flame. Anything I remember
burns again. Recipes from Nana's walnut box,
father's letters, every photograph: all
the same black exhalation-
the remains of everything consumed
coat the remains of everything spared.
Memories reduced to images without
objects to anchor them hover
in the space between this morning-
when each room stood intact-
and now, a time without geography.
Nothing ties me to the past.
No family portraits, no letters
urging goodness, steadiness, obedience.
All the old imperatives
curl in the lingering heat.


Elizabeth Austen is a Seattle-based poet, performer, and teacher. As part of the 2012 Get Lit! Festival, Austen will be one of the readers at the first ever Pie & Whiskey Reading at 9:30 p.m. at the Woman's Club on Thursday, 12. She will also be participating in the panel From Vinegar Bottles to Verse: Discovering Poetry in Overlooked Objects on Friday, April 13 at 12:30 p.m. at the SFCC Spartan Theater and later that night, she will be reading and discussing her work at the Poetry Salon at the Rocket Bakery. And aspiring performance poets, don't miss out on your chance to work directly with her during her Saturday workshop Beyond the Page: Poems Aloud, Poems Alive.

The NIWP 2012 Spring Conference

The Northwest Inland Writing Project is kicking off their Spring Conference today and will feature keynote speaker Jeff Anderson, author of 10 Things Every Writer Should Know.

According to the NIWP website, "The last time Jeff Anderson came to Spokane, our brains surged with fresh lesson ideas to enliven writing through increased grammatical awareness. In our classrooms, the g-word became a call to creativity. Our students took word journeys that had them showing off their latest typed creations. This Write Guy has the right ties between language usage and writing spelled out with directness and simplicity. He zooms in on what students need most. [...] His uncommon insights will help us surge toward the Common Core State Standards."

What: "Catching the Common Core" NIWP 2012 Spring Conference Workshop
Where: Spokane Conference Centre (334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane)
When: Tuesday, March 6th 2012 and Wednesday, March 7th 2012
Cost:
Full 2 Day $80
Tuesday Only $60
Wednesday Only $60
Preservice Tuesday Only $30
Preservice Wednesday Only $30
More Information:
Email Emily emily@niwp.org
Visit NIWP

Workshop and Reading by Katherine Malmo

Katherine Malmo will be reading from her book Who in This Room: The Realities of Cancer, Fish, and Demolition on Saturday, March 3 and will also be leading a nonfiction workshop the following day. The registration deadline is tomorrow, February 25.

Her book discusses the struggles that she faced with her own breast cancer intertwining the boundaries of story and nonfiction into one.

One reviewer stated, "Lyrical, vivid, a memoirist work of art that glitters as it charges forward and takes your breath away."

And another explained, "The musical precision of her words is felt in the body, cutting straight to the core. You emerge from Who in This Room as if from a vigorous swim, refreshed and more alive."


What: Making Art from Grief Workshop and Reading with Katherine Malmo
Where: Tinman Gallery (811 W. Garland Ave., Spokane)
When:
Register for Workshop by Saturday, February 25th 2012
Reading Saturday, March 3rd 2012 1:00 PM
Workshop Sunday, March 4th 2012 11:00 AM
Cost:
FREE Reading!
Workshop $20 (includes copy of Who in This Room: The Realities of Cancer, Fish, and Demolition)
More Information:
Email tinmanartworks@gmail.com
Call (509) 325-1500

Ongoing Poetry and Nonfiction Workshop

Not sure how to end your poem? Perhaps you have a nonfiction essay but something isn't just right?

Sounds like you need to check out the Community Writing Workshop at Eastern Washington University. Run by current MFA students, the poetry and nonfiction workshop will be held every Wednesday at the EWU Cheney campus at 5:30 p.m. this quarter. And best of all, it's free!

What: Community Writing Workshop for poetry and nonfiction
Where: Pence Union Building, Room 263 @ Eastern Washington University (Cheney)
When: Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE
More Information: Contact Tim(poetry) at tgrassley@gmail.com or Brian(nonfiction) at bpietrus@eagles.ewu.edu

Are You Writing a Novel?

If you have a completed draft of your novel, we've got just the workshop for you. Cheryl Klein, the executive director of Arthur Levine Books/Scholastic, will be presenting a master class on plot in Spokane on March 3, 2012. The workshop is presented by the Inland Northwest chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, but the workshop's focus on plot and pacing will apply to all novel writers, not just those geared toward the YA/middle-grade market.

Here's the official description: "In this INTENSIVE master class, we will examine the care and feeding of a plot, including a number of techniques authors employ to control pacing, tension, character development and reader reaction. We'll look at the DNA of action and emotional development in a novel, and the uses of subplots. You'll learn methods for analyzing your own plot to identify its strengths and weaknesses, and tips for completing a thoughtful and effective revision."

Mari Hunt, member of the local SCBWI chapter, says that Cheryl Klein "is a gifted editor and phenomenal teacher...we're fortunate to have the opportunity to bring her to our area."

Registration for the class is open now, but the registration deadline of January 31 is already approaching.

More details can be found on the SCBWI Facebook page.