The Reading at Harwood Place: People in Community

Last Saturday, residents and friends gathered in the community room at Harwood Place to listen to the Writers of Harwood read stories they’d written over the last year. This is the sixth year we’ve done the reading event, and it’s a thrill to see each writer take to the podium and share their work. As always, listening to them read you can also hear reactions in the audience–affirmations of connection and deep sighs of remembrance. Because each story as written and shared by the author stirs memories and emotions from the listener. In those moments, connections are made and community deepened.

This event, and the anthology, could not have happened without the help of several people. Thank you to Harwood Place for giving us the space (and the refreshments!) for the reading, to my husband for taking the photos, to the friends and family who came out to support these lovely writers, and to my fearless co-leader, Maura Fitzgerald, who bore the brunt of the anthology layout & publication work (and did it with grace and a smile).

As these writers change, so do the dynamics of teaching and leading them. But one fact remains: no matter who you are, how young or old you are, your stories make all the difference to the people around you.

In my “I’ve got the podium” photo on the right, I seem to be stressing that very point: Put #PenToPaper! The hardest part is getting to the table.

Once you’re there and surrounded by your community, the writing comes a little easier.

Remington Roundup for #Readers & #Writers

1960's photo of woman at Remington typewriter

It’s been a while since the last Remington Roundup, but that doesn’t mean there’s been little to share. Here are links gathered over the last few months for readers and writers.


Roundup For #Readers

Fiction in Solstice Magazine: Middle-Aged Woman Rethinks Her Sexual Orientation While Breakfasting at a Cafe by Mia Caruso

You don’t have a sexual orientation, you realize. You were just swept along, without ever having a chance to know. Awkward is your sexual orientation.

Nonfiction in Carbon Culture: Unanswered Questions by Julia Poole

Roundup pic of old window with barsTime was limited. People like Ralph, the men, and women who had lived during WWII, would soon be gone. I didn’t want their stories to die with them. Sites of remembrance, including concentration camps, are part of their stories, part of history not to be ignored or forgotten. Such places act as persuasive and effective teachers. Are people still willing to learn?

Must-Read Books by Indigenous Authors (post by Kaitlin Curtice)

Roundup pic of young girl reading with light coming out from the pages of the bookI’m constantly asked for resources on how people can move forward learning about Indigenous culture, and I’m often repeating the same thing: read books. . . . Indigenous peoples cannot do the work for you. You must dig in and learn yourself, and the best way to do that is lean into our cultures. Learn about us. Do your research, and then we can have a conversation that isn’t a one-sided history or cultural lesson.


Roundup For #Writers

On Publisher’s Weekly, Writing Tips from Barbara Kingsolver

Roundup pic of typewriter surrounded by cup of coffee, open book with blank pages, and penWriters work successfully in so many different ways, I never assume that what works for me is best for someone else. But if a common denominator exists among us, it might be attitude: the enterprise of writing a book has to feel like walking into a cathedral. It demands humility. The body of all written words already in print is vaulted and vast. You think you have something new to add to that? If so, it can only come from a position of respect: for the form, the process, and eventually for a reader’s valuable attention.

An In-Person Workshop: Diving Into the Details

Roundup pic of statue of swimmer about to dive with sky and puffy clouds in backgroundDetails play a significant role in our writing, whether we write poems, essays or novels. Details build story, deepen story, and provide more ways for readers to connect with story.

Meets Saturday, November 10th, 9:30am-noon. Come read examples of authors who master details and practice technique with several writing prompts. Register through Red Oak Writing.

Or an Online Meet-Up at Study Hall: #AmWriting

drawing of paper and pencil surrounded by symbols of three people and the internet symbol…with space, an invitation, and a gentle push from another writer facing similar challenges, we are more likely to show up at the table and set pen to paper. We are more likely to encourage the writer across from us and–together–create more art.

Our next Study Hall meets Sunday, November 11th, 3:30-5pm CST. Register by Friday, November 9th!

An Updated List for Flash Nonfiction Submissions curated by Erika Dreifus

…a guide to journals and magazines that publish flash nonfiction/micro-essays.

Because after all that writing you’re doing, you’ll be ready to submit!

 

Remington Roundup: #Listening, #Reading, & #Writing

1960's photo of woman at Remington typewriterTwo steps into August, and it’s past time for a summer edition of the Remington Roundup. Here’s your links to a cool new podcast for story lovers, a how-to book for story composers, and an end-of-summer in-person workshop for story explorers. 

Listening, Reading, & Writing, oh my!


#Listening

I’m not an avid podcast listener, but there are a few that I bookmark for days when I’m heavy into housecleaning or deep into dinner fixings or just on the road. New Yorker Fiction is a go-to standard, but a new one on the horizon is quickly making its way to the top of my list: LeVar Burton Reads. 

You know him from the Reading Rainbow, where he read children’s books aloud. Now, you can listen to him read and discuss short stories by authors whose names you’ll recognize and some you may not. Every episode I’ve listened to so far is not only entertaining but thought-provoking. Especially when the story breaks out into profanity and the radio volume is up and the kids are in the back seat and Hey, Ho! Thought for the day: how do you pause a podcast with two hands on the wheel and your iPhone more than an arm’s length away…. Whoops. Welcome to literary fiction, kids. Words are power; they pack a punch.


#Reading

Early in the summer when I was supposed to be downsizing my book collection, I stocked up on several new ones–some fiction, some non, and several craft books. Then, I took off for camping and road trips and on and on and on. Now, it’s time to dive into those books–especially the ones that will strengthen my writing, so I’ve set a personal goal to read one craft book a month. As I tend to be a slow reader, this could turn into one craft book every two months, but the point is: let’s get back to the nuts and bolts. I can always learn more.

This month, I’m cracking the cover of Donald Maass’ The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface (Writer’s Digest Books, 2016). This books dips into the reader’s and the writer’s emotional journey, how to weave inner and outer conflicts, identifying moral stakes (and more). Inside the pages are plenty of examples, as well as questions with which to approach your own work…plenty to get you thinking and writing. Or rewriting.

And, if you’re in New York City on August 17th for the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, you can register for the one-day workshop with Donald Maass himself, on this very subject!


#Writing

Speaking of the nuts and bolts of craft, I’m offering an in-person workshop this month for writers called Exploring Story through Art, Theater, and Writing.

Inspiration Studios, the creative space that houses my writing studio, is running an art exhibit this month in conjunction with a play, both of which focus on the idea of every day people, their stories, and the way those stories connect us, influence, and inspire us. My writing course is designed to explore the importance of story by examining three different mediums of creativity: art, theater, and pen on paper.

With your registration, you’ll have access to the art exhibit, a reduced-fee ticket to the play, and three hours of workshop on creativity and story. You’ll leave the course with a wider perspective on the way creative expression enhances our stories, as well as with the beginning of a personal essay in hand and resources for fine-tuning that early draft into one that is publication-ready.

Click HERE to learn more or to sign up! The fee is $95, deadline to register is August 13th, and seats are limited.


What’s in your roundup of writing and reading these days?