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AUGUST 2020 VOLUME 27, ISSUE 12
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Don't Miss the Write In & Social Time
on Monday, August 3, at 7 pm
Tiffany Grantham (Secretary CWC's executive board) will use instrumental music as prompts for our first ever Virtual Writing Salon & Social Time. Members were sent the registration link for this Zoom meeting from the Membership software. Join us, shake off the dust of the day. Perhaps you'll find it's the cure for the summertime blues. Hope to see you there.
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A Note from the CWC President:
Happy August!
I hope you are staying safe and sane as this 2020 roller coaster ride continues. It seems like just yesterday Covid-19 hijacked the 2019-2020 program year and quite frankly, there's a part of me that can't believe, a month and a half before we begin a new program year that we are still in partial lock down, bare-faces and hugs are no longer safe; but we go on as best we can and for the foreseeable future that means CWC will meet virtually.
Your executive board voted unanimously to move all general meetings, workshops, open mics and most social interactions online until at least Spring of 2021 and the leadership team is working hard to make this new Zoom normal as interactive as possible.
Check the
Calendar of Events for a list of speakers and topics to be covered during our third Tuesday of the month meetings.
Stay tuned for our Cyberspace Workshop Series:
- Brenda Miller, six-time Pushcart Prize winning essayist, leads it off with a session on writing lyric essays (see more detailed information below.)
- Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina's Poet Laureate, will facilitate a workshop on writing documentary poetry on Saturday, October 24, from 10 to noon.
- Ken Garfield teaches a how-to on Obituary Writing. CWC North is hosting this Saturday, October 17 time is yet to be determined.
And next month, Teresa Taylor takes over the newsletter. She is recently retired from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, the system's loss is our gain.Thank you, Teresa for donating some of your new-found time to creating/editing our enews.
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August is...
- Happiness Happens Month
- National Crayon Collection Month
- Book Lovers Day--8
- International Lefthanders Day--13
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Meet-a-Member - Angela M. Haigler
Angela started out as a TV broadcast journalist for the ABC affiliates in Florence, SC and Des Moines, Iowa. She received her B.A and M.S. in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina and Iowa State University, respectively and her MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte.
She was one of four recipients of the Arts & Science Council's inaugural Emerging Creatives Fellowship in 2020 and recently received an ASC Cultural Vision Grant. Her work can be seen in Charlotte's premier African American lifestyle magazine,
Pride and in literary magazines produced by Charlotte Lit and Change Seven, and news publications such as Charlotte Observer, Creative Loafing and Library Journal.
When and Where Do I Write the Best?
I love to work and write in my home office during my scheduled writing times. I painted the room a warm golden color, my desk overlooks my backyard "forest" and I feel a sense of peace there.
Love my Evernote app and I use it as my electronic journal. I can write notes across all my devices and can effortlessly create any type of note I want from text and audio to pictures and attachments. (Yes, I still use a paper journal)
Favorite advice about writing?
Set a writing goal and stick to it. It's better to spend 15 minutes per day if that's all you have, then to wish you had an hour a day and not write at all.
A favorite writing resource (book, website, etc.)
I discovered
"Making a Literary Life" by Carolyn See at an AWP Conference many years ago. It's a great resource to gain an understanding of the traditional writing world.
Best writing advice you've received and actually taken?
A great way to improve your writing is to read excellent writing.
One thing I would like help with?
I need help with decluttering and housekeeping as I continue my transition from employee to business owner. HALP!
Want to start a dialogue with Angela? Contact her through our
Member Directory
.
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Would you like to fill out a profile for Meet-A-Member? Contact us here for the questions.
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Polish those Shorts & Submit!
We are looking for your best short fiction of up to 500 words for our first contest of 2020-2021.
Luke Whisnant is this year's judge.
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Join us on Zoom for Innovative Forms of Creative Nonfiction on Saturday September 19th - 1 to 3 pm.
Brenda Miller is a professor, a poet and essayist. The six-time Pushcart Prize winner has written five essay collections, the most recent, is
An Earlier Life, published in 2016. Learn more about our presenter
ONLINE.
The cost for this Saturday afternoon in cyberspace, is $30 for members, $40 for non-members.
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"Stories Have Impact"
The executive board agreed to share this
change.org petition that Charlotte NC native, author and film maker Ezekiel Walker has started. He created this petition calling for "inclusion of African American Literature (in grades) K - 12, revitalizing African American bookstores, and increased African American inclusion in the book publishing and literary industry." He hopes to garner 1,500 signatures; at last count he has collected over 1,260. Please view the petition
Here.
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New Library programs are being added regularly.
Please cli
ck on CML Calendar
to check out these on-going virtual events.
Poetry in Pajamas
Wednesdays from noon to 1 pm,
Join in from wherever you are, for Poetry in Pajamas (or other comfortable attire). We will work on new poems and listen to others in the comfort of a virtual space. Contact
Rob Smith
and
register
with an email address and the meeting link will be se
nt on the day of the program.
Write Like You Mean It!
Thursday mornings from 10 to 11:30 am,
Please join from the comfort of your space to write and share our work.
Register
and a link will be sent on Thursday.
Writers Conversation Hour
Friday, from 7 to 8 pm
Hang out virtually with other writers to talk about resources, submission opportunities, and what you have been reading or writing. Contact
Pam Turner
and the meeting link will be sent on the day of the event.
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More Opportunities
Keeping Pen to Paper:
Mini lesson and a prompt every Wednesday from
The Writers' Workshop of Asheville, Hard Times Writing Contest, deadline for entry is August 30, 2020 and it's Literary Fiction Contest deadline is September 30, 2020.See contest guidelines and a list of online classes at
TWWOA
North Carolina Poetry Society:
sign up
for the monthly eMuse.
A Quiet Place
Randell Jones has set up a
"Coming into Contact" page, "a quiet place" to share your writing during our social distancing. Think of it as an "open mic" where visitors can find a short personal story or reflection. He hopes you will contribute.
If you have other suggestions please share them at Contact Us on the website and we'll post them on our Facebook page!
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Please "LIKE" our Facebook page to encourage discussion among fellow writers and keep up with the club offerings.
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Opens: August 18, 2020
Closes: October 20, 2020
Announce Winners: December 15, 2020
Short fiction of up to 500 words.
CWC Nonfiction Contest (article/essay)
Opens: October 20, 2020
Closes: January 2, 2021
Announce Winners: February 16, 2021
Nonfiction from 750-2000 words.
Poetry Contest
Opens: December 15, 2020
Closes: February 16, 2021
Announce Winners: April 20, 2021
Poetry of fewer than 50 lines; haiku excluded.
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Our Next Open Mic Night is...
Friday August 21, 2020 from 6:30 to 9 pm.
You must be a member and sign up ahead of time to read. If you just want to drop in, listen and cheer on your fellow writers, the Zoom link is in the announcement sent to members from the Membership software.
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Accepting Applications for Culture Vision Grants through September 2, 2020. Visit the
ASC WEBSITE to learn more and apply
HERE
.
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19,559 downloads and 117 author interviews, six seasons and counting, Landis Wade is your host. Give a listen at
CharlotteReadersPodcast.
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Charlotte Lit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary arts center, engaging and educating writers and readers, and building a stronger Charlotte through literature.
Click
HERE for events hosted by Charlotte Lit.
Charlotte Lit promotes a deeper understanding of self, community, and world by inspiring and educating readers, developing and supporting writers, and promoting creative, arts-focused conversations that strengthen and transform our community.
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Membership in the Charlotte Writers' Club entitles you to participate in workshops, critique groups, contests, and guest speaker programs. The cost is a modest $35 per year for individuals
and $20 for students.
We welcome writers in all genres and forms to join our Charlotte-area literary community. Your membership in the Charlotte Writers' Club helps support writers, readers, and literacy at a critical time in our nation's and our city's history. Join here.
To Join or Renew click this
Membership Link and follow the instructions.
Charlotte Writers' Club
P.O. Box 220954
Charlotte, NC 28222
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Copyright © 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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