writing Archives - Page 32 of 204

June 13, 2018June 13, 2018

Remington Roundup:
Online Book Study, #Writing Critique Groups, & Submission Ops

This month’s Remington Roundup includes links to my new online book study (Julia Stoops’ Parts Per Million), Red Oak Writing’s Roundtable schedule, and submission opportunities for poetry, essays, & flash fiction.

Sharpen those pencils; warm up your laptops!

Online Book Study

You might remember a recent Q&A with Julia Stoops about her debut novel, Parts Per Million.

Parts Per Million (Forest Avenue Press, 2018), tells the story of three activists–Nelson, Jen, and Fetzer, as they work to make known one environmental injustice after another. But their small operation, Omnia Mundi, falls under the eye of bigger watchdog when they uncover a local university in quiet partnership with the government to create military technology.

What unfolds is a complex story of resistance and risk and the constant effort to find balance, an effort that means re-examining the core in order to build a stronger foundation. [Read the rest of her Q&A here.]

I originally read Julia’s book in order to write a review and run an author interview. But as I dove into the story, it became clear her novel could serve as an excellent study in fiction and the role of art in activism.

Curator, author, and speaker Sarah Lewis talks about this in “How Art Can Change Society” on Big Think (video below):

“I think of the arts as far more than just a respite from life, a kind of a luxury. I see it as a galvanic force really that undergirds some of our most impactful changes and movements in this country and the world.”

In this new 4-week Online Book Study, we will read Julia Stoops’ Parts Per Million and consider how or why art, in story or in images, may work to soften conflict or sway understanding. We’ll look at the novel through Structure, Relationships, Impact and Change and examine how the story’s ideas and themes might translate into our own experiences.

Each week will consist of assigned pages to read, a reflection on the reading that includes a question for discussion, and an optional writing prompt where you can explore more of the topic at hand. And we will learn in community with each other (because I don’t claim to know all the answers), digging deeper into a story and perhaps widening our perspective well beyond the pages. At the end of the course, we will meet with author Julia Stoops via Zoom for a reading and face-to-face Q&A.

This is a course for readers & writers alike who want to explore the idea of activism, take an insightful look at where they sit on that continuum of radical to conservative, and discuss the impact of change.

Online Book Study: Parts Per Million by Julia Stoops
August 5-31, 2018
Returning Students $90 | New Students $100
Sign up via PayPal below.
(This course is limited to 10 participants and registration closes August 2nd.)

#Writing Critique Groups

Photo via Red Oak Writing: Kim Suhr with writers around the table If you’re interested in study but searching more for a writing-based opportunity, I’ll point you to Red Oak Writing. Their July/August Roundtables are starting up soon, and registration is still open.

Writers meet in person (West Allis, WI) on Tuesday afternoons, Thursday mornings, & Thursday evenings. This is a great way to workshop your stories, essays, and novel. You can also sign up for their newsletter, so that you don’t miss out on the Fall/Winter schedule of Saturday workshops, Roundtable schedules, and an Online Roundtable.

Submission Ops: Local & Online

A PICTURE AND A THOUSAND WORDS, a local submission opportunity and reading event, is looking for writers to submit poetry, essays, and fiction up to 1000 words inspired by one of 10 photos.

A Picture and a Thousand Words is an annual event that links local writers and photographers in a blind collaboration. Ten photos will be selected. Writers will choose a photo and write 1000 words inspired by it- then ten writers will be selected to read at the event, while selected photo is projected behind them.

Photos have been posted! Deadline to submit is June 21st (read the guidelines & contact information HERE). The reading is scheduled for July 19th at The Sugar Maple in Milwaukee.

NECESSARY FICTION is looking to publish weekly flash fiction, 700 words or less, online all summer long.

We want flash fiction that surprises and engages us; that’s powerful and dynamic; that’s unexpected and humorous; and that dazzles us with language and emotional resonance.

NYCMidnight FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE is a writing contest that works like a writing tournament. You’ll be given up to 4 challenges, where you will submit stories of 1000 words or less. And, there’s a bonus:

Not only does every writer receive feedback from the judges for every story that is submitted, but a special review forum is available for the participants to submit their stories for review from fellow writers throughout the competition.

Read more about the rules and registration deadlines HERE.It may be summer, but there’s plenty to keep you busy putting #PenToPaper!

June 6, 2018June 6, 2018

#PenToPaper: In the Distance

Last week I posted on writing prompts and putting pen to paper. Practice what you preach, they say. The Prompt: in the distance.

image of lake with fog in the distance, which is the writing prompt: "in the distance"

A swallow returns to its nesting place, a salmon returns to the mouth of the river, and she returns the same through waves of memory, back to the beginning. There is a place: a rooftop at midnight, an open window. She will take a blanket, step over the sash, her bare feet on shingles still warm from the heat of the day. She will say, Room for two, and he will follow, though the blanket is for her alone. She will take in the scent of wet grass, the glow of a crescent moon, the silhouette of trees marking a break in the horizon. She will breathe in the burn of his cigarette smoke as if it is the oxygen she needs and wonder at the comfort of him there. She will study the shape of her feet, the wear in his shoes. They will talk as strangers do, about nothing, about anything, until the mosquitoes drive them back inside. She will say something forgettable, but he will laugh true. Thank you for the smoke, he will tell her, then he will look her in the eye, keep a polite distance, smile. And leave. He will not ask for anything more. At this, she will be surprised and relieved. She will fall asleep to a sense of quiet she has not known for a long time. In the morning she will shed old skin; in a year she will move out, move on. But she will not forget: the open window, the silhouette, that simple moment in the distance when the tide shifted.

May 30, 2018

#PenToPaper: the why, the how, & the way to writing prompts

This week I’m all about writing prompts.

First, you’ll find my guest post, The Push and Pull of Writing Prompts, on Rochelle Melander’s Blog, Write Now!

On one hand, I see [prompts] as a critical component to the work. They serve as warm-ups in each of the classes I teach, as a way for participants to engage with the topic or lesson. Sometimes they work simply to get the ink in their pens flowing, to free the mind of anxiety before we dive into the real work. On the other hand, they can feel like torture. . . . But 9 times out of 10 prompts are working just as they should.

Read more HERE, which includes links to places where you can find prompts.

drawing of three figures and a wifi symbol surrounding a paper and pencil Second, you’ll find me in the studio this Sunday, June 3rd, from 3-5pm (CST) facilitating another session of Study Hall: #AmWriting, two hours of prompts and discussion to get your pen moving.

There’s still time to register, and you can participate in person (West Allis, WI) or online (via Zoom–a super easy way to feel a part of even if you’re miles away).

Visit the Study Hall page for more information and links to register.

As a pull to get you thinking about how prompts work, here’s one of my favorite videos: Billy Collins’ animated poem, “Budapest” ….