Open Mic - March 9, 2024

Open mic mar 2024
Roger connor

Interpretive Writing of historical and Technical Content for General Audiences.

February 28, 7:00 PM, 2024

Roger Connor, the curator of the  Aeronautics Department of the National Air and Space Museum, will discuss technical writing with us.

This will be a Zoom Presentation. CBW Members will receive the Zoom invite prior to the date. Non-members, please fill out this form to receive an invitation to the Zoom presentation. 


Dr. Roger Connor curates the museum’s vertical flight collection (helicopters, gyroplanes, and vertical takeoff and landing aircraft), Army ground force aircraft, remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft systems, ground effect vehicles, along with aircraft instruments and avionics, bombsights and gun sights, air navigation, air traffic control, as well as infrastructure, airports, and ground support equipment. Roger curated the aviation and modern military components of the exhibit, Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting from Here to There. He is currently helping develop multiple new exhibits.

Roger received his BA from Virginia Tech and holds an MA in Museum Studies from The George Washington University, an MA in American History from George Mason University, and a PhD in American History from George Mason University.

Roger is an experienced fixed wing commercial pilot with over 4,000 hours of flight time, including over 3,000 hours in dual instruction given. He has held flight instructor certificates in the United States and United Kingdom and served as a designated private pilot examiner for the UK CAA. He also holds a seaplane rating and has nearly completed the requirements for a private pilot's helicopter rating.

He was awarded Associate Fellow status by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his work in support of the American Helicopter Society's history endeavors. He co-authored In the Cockpit II: Inside History-Making Aircraft of World War II and a book on Virginia Aviation. His doctoral dissertation, “Rooftops to Rice Paddies: Aerial Utopianism, Helicopters, and the Creation of the National Security State” addressed the U.S. government’s technological stewardship in the development of rotary wing flight and its social implications. His other research projects include a history of aerial smuggling before World War II.

Williamsburg Book Festival

2024 Williamsburg Book Festival
February 24, 2024 from 10 am - 4 pm in the
Stryker Center and Williamsburg Community Building

Come see some of your members:  
Peter Stipe, Ted Hale, Patti Procop, Mary Shipko, Tim Holland, Michael Hebert, Cat Novelliere, Kathy Kasunich, ML Brei, Sally Stiles, James Tobin, and others

The Williamsburg Book Festival's mission is to promote and support the art of literary composition in the Williamsburg area and expose writers to the reading public.  Our free event includes authors from various genres, speakers, illustrators, and publishers from Virginia and beyond.  We hope you'll join us for a family-friendly day of celebrating books and book lovers as we fill the Stryker Center and the Williamsburg Community Building.

Student Writing Contest Is Now Open

 Making the Nib Truly Golden

Meeting Invite

February 7, 2024, 7:00 PM Virtual Meeting
Have you wanted to enter the Golden Nib contest but wasn't sure if you work was good enough?  Do you have questions about it? VWC President Chuck Tabb and 1st VP Harry Heckel will present information that will help you in future Golden Nib Contests.

The Unlocked Path: An Examination and Celebration of Family History

Pictures from the event
Janis daly photo by jessie casey

The Unlocked Path: An Examination and Celebration of Family History

January 11, 2024 - 10:00 Stryker Building
In conjunction with the Williamsburg Library


Author Talk with Janis Robinson Daly
Join author Janis Robinson Daly as she reveals how the secrets of our past can surprise, delight, educate, and inspire the writing of a novel.
While researching her family history, Daly learned that her great-great-grandfather had an active role in the founding of the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia. Inspired by this discovery, Daly wrote her first novel, The Unlocked Path, which tells the story of the early graduates of that school.
The Unlocked Path centers on educated, career-minded, independent Eliza Pearson Edwards. In 1897 Philadelphia, after witnessing her aunt's suicide, Eliza rejects her mother’s wishes for a society debut, and at a time when five percent of doctors are female, she enters a woman’s medical college. With the support of a circle of women and driven by a determination to conquer curriculum demands, battle sexism, and overcome doubts, Eliza charts her new life path. Combining science and sympathy, she triumphs to heal others and herself.
Janis Robinson Daly grew up outside of Boston and currently splits her time between Cape Cod, New Hampshire, and Florida.

Registration for lunch following is recommended. Please let us know so we can reserve a table if necessary.

 

Golden Nib Winners 2023

Congratulations to the CBW 2023 Golden Nib Winners
 and to Jennifer Randall Hotz and CraigTrebilcock for winning at the state level too!
 
Fiction
1st Place Craig Trebilcock “The Grove"
2nd Place Tim Holland “A Good Scout"
3rd Place Amy Voltaire ”Sunrise Sarah"
 
CBW Poetry
1st Place Jennifer Randall Hotz “In the Midst of Hanami"
2nd Place Christopher Green “Morph"
3rd Place Kathy Kasunich “How Did I Get Here”
 
CBW Nonfiction
1st Place Timothy Blair "Self Destruction"
 
VWC State-Wide Winners of Golden Nib 2023
 
 Fiction:
1st place: "Desperation" by Michelle McBeth
2nd place: "Front Porch" by Emily Walls Ray
3rd place: "The Grove" by Craig Trebilcock     CBW

Nonfiction: 
1st place: "On a Sunday Morning" by Andrea Yarbough
2nd place: "Sloshim" by Abbey Pachter
3rd place: "The Lost Starfish" by Wendy Dwyer

Poetry:
1st place: "In the Midst of Hanami" by Jennifer Randall Hotz  CBW
2nd place: "Tipping Point" by Jessica Mardian
3rd place: "Climbing Bear Claw" by Emily Walls Ray
All stars 2023

The All Stars Gala Luncheon! November 15

    Luncheon Reservations
    Ginny Brock and Larry Lehmann
    Cindy   Freeman
    Chris Green and Taylor Summers
    Linda and Mark Hallam
    Brad Harper
    Sarah Honenberger
    Jennifer Randall Hotz
    Kate Hoving and  Danielle Desjardins
    Kathy   Kasunich
    Peggy   Newcomb
    Patti Procopi
    Mary Shipko
    Ann Skelton

    Contestants
    Patti Procopi
    Linda Hallam
    Cindy Freeman
    JenniferRandall Hotz
    Peggy Newcomb
    Sarah Honenberger
    Chris Green
    Brad   Harper

    Call  804-725-6163 if you have a question.

    Writing the Killer Plot
    November 8, 10:30-11:30 am
    Schell Room
    Williamsburg Library

    Malcom massey 2
    Members and Guests  Welcome!

    No charge!
    Malcom Massey primarily writes "The Martin Culver Series", a series of action thrillers based on his experiences living in Central and South America, as well as his interests in history, archaeology and travel. The main character of the series, Martin Culver, is an author-turned-adventurer who gets unavoidably drawn into one dangerous exploit after another.

    Malcom grew up devouring stories of ancient cultures and lost treasures from around the world. Raised in Virginia, Malcom has lived in Costa Rica and Bolivia, and has traveled throughout South America and the Caribbean, including Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands. After living and writing for 16 months in the Yucatan Peninsula, Malcom returned to the United States, where he still lives and writes near the coast.

    In addition to writing daily, Malcom has been instrumental in establishing Inspire Writers Center in Melbourne, FL. The mission of Inspire Writers Center is to provide creative writing classes for the general public, taught by trained published authors.
    Open mic  3

    Open Mic October 

    Join us at the Yorktown Library for an afternoon of sharing snippets of your work.
    Saturday, October 7, 1:30 to 3:30
    8500 George Washington Memorial Hwy, Yorktown, VA

    Email Mary Shipko for more information shipkom@msn.com


    Registration is recommended.
    Sign up Here
     
    Golden nib pic  2023



    2023 Golden Nib Contest

    DON'T  FORGET  THE 4-PART HEADER ON   YOUR ENTRY
    Genre  Title   Word count ( or line count for poems) and  page numbers (Other details below)

    The 2023 Golden Nib writing contest is officially open! The Golden Nib, started in 2005, is the Virginia Writers Club (VWC) annual writing competition in three categories: Fiction,
    Nonfiction, and Poetry. The contest has two tiers.  CBW first place winners receive a $25 cash prize and go on to compete in the VWC state-wide contest with cash prizes of $100 for first, $50 for second and $25 for third place.

    All first-place chapter winning manuscripts submitted to the state finals will be published in the VWC Golden Nib and Teen Nib Journal, second and third place chapter winners may request their manuscripts be considered for the VWC journal. First, second, and third place winners in each category are announced at the VWC annual meeting held in November. A list of Golden Nib winners in each category will be published on the VWC Web site. All other rights remain the property of the author.
    VWC CONTEST RULES/GUIDELINES
    Entries will be accepted on any subject the author or poet chooses in the categories of fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
    • Manuscripts must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant and must not have won a prize at any level in any other competition.
    • Entries written using Artificial Intelligence (AI) are NOT permitted! Consider that AI does not have an issue with plagiarism!  Each entrant MUST include a statement at the end of each submission stating the entry did not use AI in any way.  (This was added to cover sheet form 6/25/23.)
    • Electronic  signature  means to type your name.
    • The VWC State competition allows entries published in your personal blogs. Works published in blogs other than your own, on social network sites, or in an online publication are not eligible.
    • Entrants may submit only one entry per category of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
    • Fiction and nonfiction entries must be no longer than 3,500 words, including any notes, bibliographies or other supporting text. Poetry entries must be no longer than 50 lines.
    • Fiction and nonfiction entries should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style.
    • The coversheet submitted with each entry must be completely filled out, including an author bio of no more than 200 words.
    • Submissions not in accord with format and other rules will be disqualified. If the author’s name or any identifying information appears on any page of the manuscript, the entry will be disqualified.
    • No paper submissions will be accepted. All manuscripts and coversheets must be electronic.
    Format
    • Submissions can be in doc, docx or rtf format.
    • All pages must have a header with contest category, title, and word count for fiction and nonfiction or line count for poetry.
    • Manuscripts must be in 12 point Times New Roman font. Page settings must be 8 ½ by 11-inch with one-inch margins.
    • Fiction and nonfiction manuscripts must be double-spaced, with a ragged right margin.
    • Poetry manuscripts must be single-spaced.
    CBW Rules
    • Contestants must be Virginia residents who are CBW members in good standing.
    • Entries with cover sheets must be submitted to CBWreply@gmail.com before midnight on Sunday, July 30.
    • First-place chapter-level winner must be a state VWC member, or   submit a VWC membership application and payment of dues after being notified of winning or submit the application online to VWC. First year dues will be $15 and not $30.
    Open mic 3

    Open Mic - Yorktown Library

    July 16 1:30-3:30



    Join us at the newly renovated Yorktown Library for an afternoon of sharing snippets of your work.
    Sunday, July 16th, 1:30 to 3:30
    Email Mary Shipko for more information shipkom@msn.com
    8500 George Washington Memorial Hwy, Yorktown, VA 23692
    Patti procopi 960x1440

    Writing Your Story

    June 7th at 11:00 am.
    Midtown Row Club House
    221 Monticello Ave., Williamsburg 23185
    Theater on the lower level

    Patti Gaustad Procopi will be giving a talk on “Writing Your Story”. Patti is a firm believer that everyone’s life has a story in it and she’s going to give you some ideas of how to tell that story either through a Q&A book that will give your children a better picture of your life, writing a memoir, or writing a fictionalized version of your life story.

    The free program begins at 11:00 and preregistration is required.  To register without ordering a boxed lunch use the form immediately below this post.

    After the program, there will be time for socializing and networking. An optional box lunch is available for $12 which needs to be ordered in advance. (second form below this post.)
    Fill out my online form.
    Endings

    Story Endings with Kristen Overman

    April 1, 2023, 1:15 p.m.
    Williamsburg Library room B.

    There is room for only 20 people so you must sign up to attend.

    Write endings that satisfy!

    If the opening of the story has a hook, the ending has a release—the feeling the reader has as they put the book down and look around, seeing the world a bit differently, like coming out of a dream. How do we create that sensation, making the reader want to hold the story world in their minds a little longer? In this workshop, we’ll look at different types of endings, what has worked in classic and contemporary fiction (no spoilers!), and then outline a process for tailoring endings that surpass reader expectations.

    Kristen has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science. Post-grad, she took advanced memoir and writing the novel classes at Harvard, completed a copyediting certification program, and became a member of SCBWI. She edited and copyedited various projects, including nonfiction, before joining Mary Kole in 2018 teaching the Story Mastermind novel class.
    When not daydreaming about driving a Jeep near the ocean, radio on and windows down, she can be found writing, reading, or searching for the ultimate hot fudge sundae. You can read nire at https://www.goodstoryediting.com/kristen
    Open mic 3

    Open Mic at the Williamsburg Library

    March 19, 2023
    1:00 to 3:00


    Join us at the Williamsburg Library, Stryker center for a time of sharing. 

    This is the best time to read a passage from your book, a poem, or something else! This is not a critique night, it's a chance to share your words, your story, aloud. This opportunity builds confidence as a writer and speaker. It's free advertising for your work. Please email Mary Shipko for more information. shipkom@msn.com 
    March 13, 2023, Second Monday Radio Show on Xtra 99.1 FM at 8:05 AM. Neal Steele interviews Drema Deòraich about her book Entheóphage.
    February 25, 2023 Coffee Shop Conversations- t 10:30 AM With Charles W. SutherlandTalk about your current work in progress at Column 15 coffee shop, 701 Merrimac Trail, Williamsburg, VA  23185. Show up with a smile.

    2016 All Stars Gala Luncheon at the Two Rivers Country Club in Williamsburg
    Wednesday, November 16!

    Call 804-725-6163 for late reservations.

    Williamsburg Book Festival 

    Williamsburg Book Festival
    Will be on Saturday, Feb 4 - 10 AM to 4 PM
    Stryker Center and Williamsburg Community Building

    The Williamsburg Book Festival's mission is to promote and support the art of literary composition in the Williamsburg area and expose writers to the reading public.  Our free event includes authors from various genres, speakers, illustrators, and publishers from Virginia and beyond.  We hope you'll join us for a family-friendly day of celebrating books and book lovers as we fill the Stryker Center and the Williamsburg Community Building.


    February 1, 2023, Luncheon Meeting, Rocco's Smokehouse in WIlliamsburg.

    Scott Ellis will discuss creating audio books.  Arrive 11-11:30 AM, Lunch at noon with program to follow. For last minute reservations, call Carol at 804-725-6163 so she can place your food order .
    Scott ellis 2mb headshot

    Scott Ellis on Creating Audiobooks Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at
    Rocco's Smokehouse, Williamsburg

    Scott Ellis is an award-winning audiobook narrator and producer. He's narrated over 60 audiobooks and coached several authors through the production or narration of their first audiobook.
         Scott Ellis Reads, his audiobook production company, started in 2019 and has a team of 15 people that work in narrating, editing, marketing, and managing the business.

    NOTE! For last minute reservations, call Carol at 804-725-6163 so she can place your food order.


    Depending on meal choice, $15 or $20 for members, $18 or $23 for nonmembers.

    Registered for luncheon:
    Lee Alexander
    John Broadwater
    Diana Caron
    Mary Crandall
    Pam Crouch
    Josie Ellis & Scott Ellis
    Cindy Freeman
    Ted Hale
    Linda and Mark Hallam
    Nan Harvey
    Kathy Kasunich
    Eve Monk
    Michele Motsko
    Peggy Newcomb
    Leslie Pearce
    Patti Procopi
    Mary Shipko
    Ann Skelton
    Charles Sutherland
    Susan Williamson

     
    January 14 and 28, 2023, Coffee Shop Conversations-With Charles W. SutherlandTalk about your current work in progress at Column 15 coffee shop, 701 Merrimac Trail, Williamsburg, VA  23185. Show up with a smile.
    December 12, 21022, CBW Second Monday Radio Show, 8:05 a.m.
    Roger Gosden interview with Neal Steele on 99.1 FM on his children's book, The Boy Who Could Bee.
    2022 gala

    The All Stars Gala Luncheon at the Two Rivers Country Club in Williamsburg, Wednesday, November 16 was a stunning success!

      Those attending enjoyed a meal of Autumn Salad, Salmon on Autumn Salad, Prime Rib Panini with fruit, or Chicken Salad Wrap with fruit and a desert of  New York Cheesecake with fresh fruit.

      Fifteen members read their work in the All Stars Contest.

      All Star Contest Winners:
      • Sally Honenberger - FIrst Place
      • Ginny Brock - Second Place
      • Roger Gosden - Third Place and Rick Bailey Humor Award

      The 2022 CBW Golden Nib Contest winners:
      Poetry
      • First Place – “Gossip Central”  Norma I. Cofresí, Ph.D.
      • Second Place – “Green Room”   Denise DeVries  
      • Third Place – "Third Place – “We the People” Sharon Canfield Dorsey
      Fiction
      • First place – "The Treasured House"  Donna-Lin Pratt
      • Second Place –" Happy Jack's"   Peter Stipe
      • Third Place – "The Bloody Altar" Robert L. Webb
         
      Nonfiction
      • First Place  – “A Field of Dreams Remembered”   Diana Farrar Caron
      • Second Place – "The Price of Democracy”  Sharon Canfield Dorsey

      All Stars Contest

      The contestants were:

      Patricia Procopi "Old Joe" Fiction
      Peter Stipe   "Guiseppe's"  Fiction
      Diana Farrar Caron "Leonard Baskin's Contempt" Poetry
      Ann Skelton "The Ration Book" Fiction
      Ginny Brock "December 21st" Poetry
      Cindy L. Freeman  "My Angel Incident" Nonfiction
      Sarah Honenberger "Empty Rooms, Crowded Hallways" Fiction
      Mary Shipko "Bewildered" Nonfiction
      Norma Cofresi "Our Daily Bread"
      Roger Gosden "Rehabilitating Peter" Nonfiction
      Peggy Newcomb "A Night to Forge"t Nonfiction
      Sonja McGiboney "A Deadly Love" Fiction
      Susan Williamson "Reptile Peril"  Fiction
      Denise DeVries "Green Room"  Poetry
      Janice Hoffman "These Are the Hands" Poetry

      Attending Luncheon


      Carol J Bova
      Ginny Brock and Karen Kelley
      Elizabeth Brown
      Archie Campbell
      Diana Farrar Caron
      Norma Cofresi & Teo Feliciano
      Pam Crouch
      Denise DeVries
      Sharon Dillon
      Richard Easton
      Cindy Freeman
      Roger Gosden
      Linda & Mark Hallam
      Jan and Ken Hoffman
      Tim Holland
      Sarah Honenberger
      Sonja McGiboney
      Michele Motsko
      Cat Novelliere
      Peggy Newcomb
      Patricia Procopi
      Mary Shipko
      Ann & Rama Skelton
      Peter Stipe
      Charles Sutherland
      Susan Williamson

       

      November 14, 2022, CBW Second Monday Radio Show, 8:05 a.m.
      James Tobin interview with Neal Steele on 99.1 FM on When We Were Wolves.
      Stephen mcguire author interview

      October 20, 2022
      Stephen McGuire - CBW Author Interview

      Please register to attend.

      Please join Chesapeake Bay Writers on October 20, 2022, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm Eastern Time for a club meeting featuring Stephen McGuire’s novel, Fractured Power, 
      a dark and haunting psychological thriller. Fractured Power is about Aiden Fletcher, a District Attorney, whose office investigates a rash or murders of women in Knoxville, Tennessee. He uses his position to manipulate the evidence while pursuing a serial killer whose arrest and trial puts Fletcher in the public limelight and forever changes the trajectory of his extraordinarily treacherous life.The book is available in paperback via this link on Amazon.

       
      Steve had a 30+ year legal career serving as an attorney and a federal judge in Washington, DC. He retired in 2008 as the Chief Judge of the Federal Trade Commission, where he received its Distinguished Service Award and was honored by President George W. Bush for his service to the nation’s judiciary. He has had extensive speaking engagements in bookstores, libraries, country clubs, civic associations, art centers, and radio shows primarily in Southwest Florida. Steve lives in Naples, Florida, with his wife, Doris, their golden retriever, Henry, and a mini goldendoodle, Alfie. To learn more, please visit www.stephenmcguireauthor.com   
      20220626 160712   copy

      Sunday, October 16, 2022
      2:00 p.m.
      Robin T Williams Presents
      Coloring Outside the Lines

      Character and Dialog
      This workshop is being presented in conjunction with the
      Williamsburg Public Library

      Seating is limited so please register. 

      Coloring Outside the Lines – a fiction-writing workshop led by award-winning author Robin Traywick Williams (“The Key to the Quarter Pole” and “The Last Romantic War”)

      A 90-minute discussion of tools for creating memorable characters and writing compelling dialogue.

      Robin Traywick Williams is a journalist, author, storyteller and horsewoman. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing from Hollins University and is the author of four books. The manuscript for her horseracing novel, “The Key to the Quarter Pole”, won the Best Unpublished Manuscript award given by the James River Writers and Richmond Magazine.

      More information about Robin can be found online.
      https://www.robinwilliamsbooks.com/home
       
      October 10, 2022, CBW Second Monday Radio Show, 8:05 a.m.
      Cynthia Fridgen interview with Neal Steele on 99.1 FM on Choices


      October 8, 2022. Saturday 10:30 a.m. Coffee Shop Conversations-With Charles W. Sutherland. Talk about your current work in progress at Column 15 coffee shop, 701 Merrimac Trail, Williamsburg, VA  23185. Show up with a smile.
      Cat

      Caterina Novelliere on Neal Steele Show
      August 8, 2022

      Caterina Novelliere interview with Neal Steele on 99.1 FM  on War Rising.

      What is one Horsemen's life worth?
      Peace never lasts long for a Horseman. The years of relative calm Rayne Warwick has enjoyed are coming to an end as trouble stirs in medieval Spain. Unlike the last time remnants from his past surfaced, there is no reburying them. Rayne must disclose who he once was and relive the sins of his prior existence if he wants to protect his family. But if he does so, he fears forever losing Grace, whom he promised never to keep such secrets from.
      Grace knows her husband is far from a saint. No man of war has clean hands. Neither did she once she became the Morte Defensore. After finding herself caught in the crossfire of a demon turf war and a failed kidnapping attempt on their son by a band of time-traveling humans, Grace asks Rayne to share whatever he is hiding about his past. 
      Isra, a female djinn overseeing Lucifer’s affairs in Spain, and Malik, the human ruler of the Cordovan Emirate, manipulate events to bring Rayne back to Al-Andalus. Rayne confronts mortal and immortal alike as Malik and Isra deploy heavy-handed tactics in a deadly gambit to seize control of the Iberian Peninsula.
      Faced with the age-old question of “what is one life worth?,” Rayne hopes Grace values the Horseman he has become enough to forgive his trespasses. Will he crumple underneath the weight of his past, or will he embrace what he once was for a chance to live a life free of his one remaining fear?
      Accompany Rayne into the past to discover how one man evolves into the High Council’s most powerful harbinger: War.

       
      Lauran strait

      Reserve Now for September 14, 2022  Luncheon Program
      Speaker: Lauran Strait 

      Creating characters within a vivid and continuous fictional dream.

      Use the registration below to reserve your spot or click this link. 

      Our guest speaker at the September 14th luncheon will be Lauran Strait. She is a former writing instructor and workshop facilitator at the Adult Learning Center in Virginia Beach and is the co-founder and acting executive director of Hampton Roads Writers as well as the president of the Board of Directors and the annual conference director.

      She occasionally teaches writing workshops for HRW, the Muse Writers Center, and other local writing groups. She also works as a freelance book editor for a few select clients.

      Her print and online work appears in Dog-eared, The Gator Springs Gazette, Atomic Petals, Retrozine, The Copperfield Review, A Woman of a Certain Age, Moondance Magazine, Monkey Bicycle, Insolent Rudder, LongStoryShort, Edifice Wrecked, The Virginian Pilot, Whistling Shade Literary Review, Somewhat.org, The Green Tricycle, Reading Divas, The Angler, Salome Magazine, Quiction, Bewildering Stories, Tiny Lights—a flash in the pan, Down in the Cellar, Tuesday Shorts, Six Sentences, and HeavyGlow. Some of her other fiction and creative nonfiction appear in anthologies such as Random House’s Knitlit the Third—We Spin More Yarns, Better Non Sequitur’s See You Next Tuesday, and Smith Magazine’s Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak.

      More information about Lauran can be found online. https://www.tidewaterfamily.com/learning-fun/lauran-strait-the-craft-of-writing https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauranstrait less

       

      July 31 is the deadline for the 2022 Local Author Showcase Event Applications are Open! https://www.library.nnva.gov/330/Local-Authors-Showcase

      2022 Local Author Showcase Event Applications are Open!
      Newport News Public Library will host 3 days of discussions followed by a Showcase for Local Authors in Hampton Roads starting November 2 - 5. Interested published and/or self-published authors are encouraged to apply here.
      To Participate:
      • Local Authors must live in the Hampton Roads Area.
      • Authors must complete an online application here or a paper application may be picked up from Virgil I. Grissom, Main Street, or Pearl Bailey Library between July 1 - July 31, 2022.
      • Authors must drop off one copy of their work at a Newport News Public Library branch of choice.
      • Selected authors will have the opportunity to have panel discussions, book signings, and sell copies of their book.
      • All selected authors will be notified by Aug 29, 2022
      (See application for additional information)
      (Cancelled) September 12, 2022, CBW Second Monday Radio Show, 8:05 a.m.
      Patti Procopi interview with Neal Steele on 99.1 FM on I'll Get By.

      September 10, 2022
      Buckroe Beach Festival 

      CBW table email Ted Hale for more information:  
      ted@tedbhale.com

       

      2022 Local Author Showcase Event Applications are Open!https://www.library.nnva.gov/330/Local-Authors-Showcase

      2022 Local Author Showcase Event Applications are Open!
      Newport News Public Library will host 3 days of discussions followed by a Showcase for Local Authors in Hampton Roads starting November 2 - 5. Interested published and/or self-published authors are encouraged to apply here.
      To Participate:
      • Local Authors must live in the Hampton Roads Area.
      • Authors must complete an online application here or a paper application may be picked up from Virgil I. Grissom, Main Street, or Pearl Bailey Library between July 1 - July 31, 2022.
      • Authors must drop off one copy of their work at a Newport News Public Library branch of choice.
      • Selected authors will have the opportunity to have panel discussions, book signings, and sell copies of their book.
      • All selected authors will be notified by Aug 29, 2022
      (See application for additional information)

      Saturday, August 27, 2022 Coffee Conversations

       10:30 AM at Column 15 Coffee Shop, 701 Merrimac Trail, Williamsburg, VA there will be "coffee conversations" with writers.
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      Vwc symposium 2022 cover correct logo half

      Virginia Writers Club Symposium 

      August 6

      Three of our members have been chosen to speak at the Virginia Writers Club symposium. Bradley Harper is the keynote speaker and he's giving a workshop. Patti Gaustad Procopi is presenting a workshop on writing memoirs-fact or fiction. James Tobin (aka J. E. Tobin) will present, Illusions of speech? Writing great dialogue.


      You can find more information on the VWC website.
      https://www.virginiawritersclub.org/2022-VWC-Symposium/ 

      Member Reyn Kinzey joins Lacroy "Atlas" Nixon

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      Jeff schnader the serpent papers

      Jeff Schnader on Neal Steele Show
      July 11, 2022

      Jeff Schnader interview with Neal Steele on 99.1 FM on  The Serpent Papers.
      Dun ottar castle

      Bradley Harper - Tales from Scotland

      July 6, 2022, Wednesday,  7:00 p.m

      This is a zoom social specifically to learn about Bradley Harper's experiences in obtaining his MA in Creative Writing at Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
      If you've ever wanted to study abroad, here is a chance to ask questions of an author who is in the midst of this educational journey.
      The session will be an informal interview and all guests are welcome to ask questions.

      Bradley will be the keynote speaker at the Virginia Writers Conferences on August 6th.
      Read more about Bradley and his books, A Knife in the Fog, Queens Gambit, and his other literary contributions on his website. https://bharperauthor.com/


      Join Zoom Meeting
      https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81504520005
      Carronia incursion

      Ted Hale on Neal Steele Show (Postponed) 

      June 13, 2022, CBW Second Monday Radio Show, 8:05 a.m.
      Ted Hale interview with Neal Steele on 99.1 FM on his series, Carronia Incursion.
      Adam h

      June 11, 2022 11:00 to 2:00
      Zoom Lunch and Learn
      Online Marketing with
      Adam Alexander Haviaras

      Join Adam Haviaras in our intensive, Zoom online Marketing presentation.

      Adam Alexander Haviaras is the author of the #1 best-selling Eagles and Dragons historical fantasy series, as well as other works of fiction and non-fiction set in the ancient and medieval worlds.

      Adam has studied ancient and medieval history and archaeology at the University of Toronto, Canada, and St. Andrews University, Scotland. He lives with his wife and children in Stratford, Ontario where he is currently writing another ground-breaking work of historical fiction.
      If you like ancient history and fiction set in Greece or the Roman Empire, Greek and Roman mythology, or stories like Gladiator, The Last Kingdom, and The Mists of Avalon, then you’ll love Adam’s books.
      Adam has published a book on marketing. While it is specific to marketing historical fiction, much of the information is applicable to any type of marketing. Check it out.

      Writing the Past: The Eagles and Dragons Publishing Guide to Researching, Writing, Publishing and Marketing Historical Fiction and Historical Fantasy 

      Adam is always happy to connect with readers, writers and those who love history in general. You can find him on Twitter (@AdamHaviaras), on the Eagles and Dragons Facebook page, or on Instagram (@adam_haviaras)
      Most of all, don’t forget to sign-up for the Eagles and Dragons Newsletter here: https://eaglesanddragonspublishing.com/newsletter-join-the-legions/
      Thank you for reading.
      www.eaglesanddragonspublishing.com

      Luncheon, June 8th, 11:30 a.m.
      The Theme of Forms
      and
      the Form of Themes

      with
      Dr. Jason Ray Carney
      Rocco's Smokehouse Grill

       

      Jason carney
      Dr. Jason Ray Carney, Senior Lecturer, Christopher Newport University, Department of English

      In his preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde refuted the idea that art should have a theme: "All art is quite useless," he asserts. "The type of all the arts is the art of the musician." In other words, for Wilde, literary artists should emulate composers of non-lyrical music and seek to create pure forms: beautiful but hollow linguistic artifacts without meaning and without theme. Wilde's claim is rhetorical, a grand pronouncement to make a less exciting, more commonsense, point: literary forms do not merely vehiculate themes--although they can and sometimes do. But how do they? Of course, writers don't bake literary pies to fill with thematic pudding. But is it nevertheless worth a writer's time to think about theme? And if a writer brings to mind a particular theme when composing, how might they artfully give form to that theme in a manner that harmonizes with their artistic vision? These questions and more will be explored in this brief presentation of literary history, theory, and praxis.  

      Bio: Jason Ray Carney is an author and a recognized expert of popular literature and pulp fiction. He earned his Ph.D. in English from Case Western Reserve University. His monograph, Weird Tales of Modernity (McFarland, 2019), analyzes interwar science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Reviewing Carney's book, The Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts stated, "Carney’s book is a valuable addition to the literature on its topic. It deserves a wide readership, and a prominent place in the scholarship of American fantastic literature in the early twentieth century." Carney is the Area Chair of the "Pulp Studies" section of the Popular Culture Association. In March of 2021, Carney guest edited a special issue of The Journal of American Culture on "pulp studies." Carney co-edits the academic journal, The Dark Man: Journal of Robert E. Howard and Pulp Studies. In addition to academic conferences ranging from the Modernist Studies Association to the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts, Carney is a regular guest at various fan conventions, such as the San Diego Comic Con. Carney serves on several academic review boards for presses and journals and is a member of the Robert E. Howard Foundation.
      June 18, 2022, Saturday 10:30 a.m.
      Coffee Shop Conversations-With Charles W. Sutherland. Talk about your current work in progress at Column 15 coffee shop, 701 Merrimac Trail, Williamsburg, VA  23185. Show up with a smile.
      RSVP 

      Coffee Shop Conversations-With Charles W. Sutherland.

      May 21, 2022, Saturday 10:30 a.m.
      Coffee Shop Conversations-With Charles W. Sutherland. If anyone would like to have an informal discussion of their upcoming books or articles or exchange ideas or receive an evaluation … or criticism… of style or concepts, I will be available at 10:30 AM on the first and third Saturday of each month at Column 15 coffee shop, 701 Merrimac Trail, Williamsburg, VA  23185.  It’s a new coffee shop, a nice atmosphere for writers, and outdoor tables as well.
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      Saturday, May 14, 2022Workshop
      1:30 - 5:00
       p.m.
      Writing Workshop with Nathan Richardson

      A writing workshop based on Ekphrastic writing that will help authors articulate their passions and learn to look at things from different points of view. 

      Ekphrastic writing is, in a short, succinct definition, writing that is based on a piece of art.  It is usually in the form of poetry. 


      James City County Library,  Grace & Stanley Kitzinger Community Room, 7770 Croaker Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23188


      Nathan M. Richardson is a published author, performance poet and Frederick Douglass Historian.  His poetry collections include "Likeness of Being", "Twenty-one Imaginary T-shirts" and "The 7 Last Poems of an Unarmed Citizen."  His work has been widely re-published in anthologies, magazines and newspapers such as the Channel Marker, The Cupola, Coastal Virginia Magazine and the Washington Post. Nathan teaches a variety of workshops for emerging writers.

      Nathan is now in the 7th year of The Frederick Douglass Speaking Tour -a living history performance in which he captures completely the physical and spiritual essence of the former slave, writer, orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. With more than 300 performances seen nationally and internationally, the series has also achieved film credits with the National Park Service, Alabama Public Television and RTE - Irish Public Service Television. You can find more about Nathan Richardson and his work at www.scpublishing.com  
      Windows from heaven

      May 9, 2022, Christian Pascale on 99.1 FM 

      May 9, 2022, Christian Pascale on 99.1 FM 
      Neal steel interviews about his new book,  The Windows of Heaven.

      The year is 2050, and earth does not look the same. Surge Saturday, the day the tsunamis hit, devastated thousands of cities. Governments were toppled and lives were lost. For siblings Tom and Helene, everything changed. They didn’t have the luxury of staying in their family home and learning to navigate this strange new world. A vile group has taken hold of the government, and people are being forced into intellectual subservience. Anyone who disagrees with the new leadership is sent to their death.
      Tom and Helene know they have to run, but where can they go? There aren’t many safe places left, and even those are at risk.
      They decide to find their way to Blacksburg, Virginia, and are soon befriended by others who are on a mission to make things right within the world again. But can this ragtag group of philosophers and healers and everyday people actually save the world, or will the newly formed dark forces triumph?