Charlotte Writers Club November 17th Meeting Recap:
In case you missed our November 17, 2020 meeting and panel discussion
Author Publicity and Marketing
Here is a brief recap. For pictures and context find us on Facebook and/or visit the Meeting Recap page.
The program was done in a webinar style to optimize viewing. Axel Dahlberg, VP of Membership, instructed the audience on how to pull off this bit of tech sleight of hand and the screenshot with this recap is the result. The chat brimmed with questions and praise for a power house panel of publicists and our podcaster, moderator. Landis Wade creator/host of Charlotte Readers Podcast,who put this program together.
Pictured with Landis, from top to bottom, left to right, are the publicists:
Hannah Turner, Spellbound PR,
and the CWC president.
For more see the Recap Page.


From Hannah:

From Lynda: Booking Authors

We also have a recording of this program and the Q & A that followed. As members you have access to that Zoom video.

So, if you missed the panel discussion or just want to view it again, please contact the CWC President for the Zoom link.
Announcements & Celebrations
  • President Caroline Kane Kenna welcomed 50 fellow writers to the meeting, included in that number are new members Gladys and Michael.

  • During our Member Announcements: Three CWC members debuted books! Way to go Steve, Young Hickory; Jonathan, Hawks Nest Chronicles, and Tony, Tales from the Stoop, his daughter designed the cover. And Teresa invited us to share our talents for a virtual celebration of joy going live in December. For details, Email Teresa.

  • Caroline announced CWC is looking for a co-contest chairperson to help oversee contests for the remainder of this program year and hopefully the next:-) Mack Staton is stepping aside. She thanked him for his work especially for what he did last spring to keep contests business-as-usual despite the pandemic shutdown. If you are thinking about taking on a leadership role, this advisory board position is a good one to dip a toe--Your partner is Darrell Horwitz, tech support comes from Immediate Past President and Tech Guru Debra Wallin. Contact our VP of Nominating Anshu Gupta.

  • New Logo: Debra has updated members pages and Submittable. Facebook has the new look, too. Gordon has designed cover pictures to complement the profile. We plan to change those images periodically like Google does, so please, Like, Share, Follow us to see what Gordon comes up with next. Facebook Link
Our next meeting, is Tuesday, December 15th

Charlotte Poet Diana Pinckney Will Speak
Her topic: Releasing the Tiger in The Poem.

Winners of the Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Contest will be announced and celebrated. Visit the CWC Calendar of Events page to learn more about our speaker and her presentation.
The Nonfiction Contest is Open Until January 2, 2021

  • 750-2000-words; articles and essays on any subject, and any informational pieces that is not a fiction story, novel, play or poem.
  • Original and unpublished work.This includes blogs, Facebook, websites and any other digital media.
  • Judy Goldman is the judge. Learn more & Submit Here
Club Information...

Building Better Scenes with Sarah Creech

Seats are still open for this virtual class to be held Saturday mornings in January. Start 2021 with a month long focus on scene writing via Zoom. Sarah Creech is our instructor. She is an award-winning author and the Chair of the English Department at Queens University. Sign up at Building Better Scenes: A Four Session Course.


Tiffany's Next Virtual Writing Salon is Monday December 14, 7 to 8:30 pm

Take 75 minutes to shake off the dust of the day by writing to prompts. It's free! Open to anyone who wants to write and share. Tiffany Grantham is the leader. Her prompts invite the imagination to play and there's time for volunteers to read aloud. Check it out!
You never know what will happen when you put your words on the page. The Zoom link is in the announcement sent to members and on website. Please register, if you do you will receive the meeting link in your email reminders and the rough headcount helps Tiffany plan.
Sign up Here. Hope to see you then!
Save these Dates: Virtual Happenings with CWC North

Thursday January 7, 2021 at 7pm
CWC North and Main Street Books in Davidson will cohost an event to celebrate the life of Tony Abbott and the release of his last book of poems.

Thursday February 4, 2021 at 7pm
CWC North and Main Street Books will cohost a reading and conversation in about memoir with Rebecca McClanahan and Gilda Morina Syverson.

Zoom links for events CWC North is co-sponsored with Main Street Books
will be available closer to each event.

Saturday February 27, 2021 at 2 pm
Elizabeth Searle will present a workshop via Zoom. Registration is now open for ACT ONE: Playwriting Basics for Beginners, learn more and Sign Up Here
When you sign up for this workshop, you will receive the Zoom link in your reminder emails.

For more on what's happening up north, visit the CWC North Calendar Page
Via Zoom
On the 3rd Friday of the Month

Log on from 6:30 to 9 pm to read your work or cheer on your fellow club members while they practice reading their stories and poems. Only CWC members who have preregistered will read. Each reader has 10 minutes share their work. Slots fill up quickly so watch your email for the opportunity to sign up as each event is announced. The Zoom meeting link is sent to members in their reminder email.

Don't Forget These...

  • Last Call for Embodying Memory: The Six Senses of Creative Nonfiction, a webinar online, Wednesday November 25, 2020 at 2 pm. Brenda Miller, a six-time Pushcart Prize winning essayist, is teaching this class. She led our first virtual workshop of the 2020-2021 program year and if you missed that September presentation, here is another opportunity to learn from the creative nonfiction master. Fee is now $25 as special registration rate has expired, registration closes 24-hours before the event.

  • There's still time to submit your personal stories of Luck & Opportunity to be considered for Randell Jones's 4th anthology of personal essays. This one is on the subject of Luck and Opportunity. Your stories 750-800 words! DEADLINE for entry is December 15, 2020. Learn more at the 2021 Personal Essay Publishing Project.

  • JACOBS/JONES AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERARY PRIZE Submissions Accepted: November 1 – January 2, 2021. The Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize, honors the best in short prose by African-American writers in North Carolina.Sponsored by the North Carolina Writers' Network and administered by the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Entries may be fiction or creative nonfiction, but no more than 3,000 words and must not have been published before (including on any website, blog, or social media). For complete guidelines and to submit,visit NCWN.
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  • The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in partnership with Biblioboard is taking submissions for the 2020 Self-Publishing Literary Award. Each year BCALA honors the best self-published eBooks by an African American author in the United States in the genres of Fiction and Poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. The deadline is February 28, 2021.Authors, you can learn more and submit at BCALA Ebook Contest.

  • The Writers Workshop of Asheville TWWOA

  • North Carolina Poetry Society emuse at NCPS. Now through January 9, 2021, the North Carolina Poetry Society is accepting submissions for the 11 contests that comprise the adult portion of the Pinesong Awards for 2021. Contest rules and instructions are available Here.

  • Guerilla Poets are offering Free, virtual poetry, music and art workshops. Check out the list Here.

  • Resources, grants and places to submit your work at NCArts.org
Support CWC Members & Community Partners
FEATURED LIT EVENT: PEN TO PAPER.
Join on Tuesdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for a mini-lesson, writing prompt, writing time, and sharing. Free!
Seven seasons,150 episodes and counting! You may be surprised at how many CWC voices you recognize including podcast creator and host Landis Wade. Check out what's new HERE.
And this Special Episode celebrates our Spring 2019 contests winners. Becky Aijala and Lucinda Trew, for the Poetry Contest and for the Elizabeth Simpson Smith Short Story Contest, Janet Ford and Gary Powell.
Finding Your Voice, (Fiction)
a part of the 2020-2021 Online Series
Life is full of changes, and the same should be true in our fiction. Change sparks action which sparks conflict which sparks reader interest. Jacinda Townsend is teaching this workshop on Wednesday December 9 at 7 pm. Seats are limited. Register Here
Want to learn more, go to the NCWN Online Series.
MEMBERSHIP

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 all 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.

To Join or Renew click this Membership Link and follow the instructions.