Announcements

Poetry, Jazz & Java! -- October 1st Following up on our highly successful coffeehouse events of April 2005, we are doing it again on Sunday, October 1, 2005. There is nothing better than poetry and jazz accompanied by a hot cup of java or tea. It all starts at 12 noon at Carolina Coffee & Tea , 400 State Street, featuring Poet Robert Watson and live jazz by Gregory Alan Young. The schedule is as follows: A little jazz by Gregory Alan Young. 12 noon Poet Coppie Green Poet Connie Ralston Poet Jeff Miles Jazz interlude by Gregory Alan Young. Poet Leslie Parker Poet John Blackard Poet Robert Watson A little jazz by Gregory Alan Young. __________________________________________________________________ Public Speaking Tips for Writers Public Speaking Tips for Writers An opportunity to improve speaking skills as you discuss your new book is the topic of the October 9, 2:30–4:00 pm workshop at the Central Public Library, 219 N. Church Street. Presenter Dena Harris makes this invitation: Hey, you writers, come out from behind those laptops! You already know what I’m going to say! It’s not enough these days to just be a writer – you’ve also got to publicize your work, get your name out and (stay with me here) occasionally speak in front of groups. Can you do it? Humorist and free-lance writer Dena Harris will show you how. The workshop is for both established and upcoming writers and will provide tips and techniques on how to appear confident when speaking or reading in public. This program is co-sponsored by WGOT and the Central Library. The fee is $8.00 for WGOT members and $12.00 for non-members. __________________________________________________________________ WGOT WRITER TO JUDGE AUDIO BOOKS Jenan J. Benson, member of WGOT Nonfiction II, has been selected to judge audio book entries for the AudioBook Publishers Association 2006 Audio Awards Competition. "JJ" reviews audio books for AudioFile, a bimonthly magazine. A free-lance writer and editor, JJ can be found at www.awriterforent.com. __________________________________________________________________ JUDITH BEHAR IS FEATURED READER Judith Behar, member of the WGOT Poetry Group, was among the featured readers during the Monday Night Poetry at Central Library in August. The next Monday Night poetry program will be held October 17. ____________________________________________________________________ WALTER TURNER INTERVIEWED ON CHANNEL 4 TELEVISION A recent rebroadcast was presented on UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Bookwatch” featuring Walter Turner, who is a member of WGOT Nonfiction I, about his book, Paving Tobacco Road. ______________________________________________________________________ RON RUBENZER DISCUSSES JOB STRESS IN NEWS & RECORD COLUMN Ron Rubenzer, member of WGOT Nonfiction I, discussed handling job stress in a recent News & Record column. ______________________________________________________________________ JUNE WILLSON READ'S COOKING RECIPES ARE PUBLISHED IN WYOMING In the August issue of the Wyoming Rural Electric News, a tofu butter recipe was published from June Willson Read, member of WGOT Nonfiction I & II. In addition, her campfire cooking recipe column, “Copper Lady’s Vittals,” appears in the bi-monthly Wyoming State Muzzle Loading Rifle Association newsletter. _______________________________________________________ BURLINGTON WRITERS' CLUB CELEBRATES NEW BOOK The Burlington Writers' Club, founded in 1956, recently introduced their new book: Writing at its Best: 50 Years of the Burlington Writers' Club. The book was unveiled in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 201 S. Main Street, Graham, North Carolina and a celebration followed at the Captain White House on Main Street. The Burlington club is a member group of the Alamance County Arts Council. _______________________________________________________ WGOT AUTHOR WINS NATIONAL AWARD Laine Cunningham, Hillsborough author and storyteller, and a member of the Writers' Group of the Triad, has received the Hackney Literary Award from Birmingham-Southern College. The $5,000 cash prize was awarded for her first novel, Message Stick, a literary mystery set in the Australian outback. Shaun Crawford, who selects finalists every year for the judging committee, said, “This is the best novel I’ve read in years.” He was so impressed with the work that he took down Cunningham’s contact information before passing the book to the finalist phase. “If for some reason Message Stick had not won,” said Crawford, “I planned to call the author personally and tell her to get this book out to publishers!” Cunningham appeared at the awards ceremony held during the Writing Today conference. This year marks the conference’s silver anniversary. The award places Cunningham in the ranks of Pulitzer Prize winning authors like William Styron and Horton Foote, both former winners of the Hackney Literary Award and this year’s Grand Masters of the conference. Other Writing Today instructors included Andrei Codrescu, a regular commentator on National Public Radio, New York Times writer Warren St. John, Emmy award winner Don Noble, and NEA fellow Carolynne Scott. ___________________________________________________________________________ WELCOME TO THE GREEN BEAN JAM GROUP! The Jam sessions are held the second Saturday of each month from 9:00 am to noon at the Green Bean, 341 South Elm Street, in downtown Greensboro. The idea is for members of the group to arrive bright-eyed (or bleary eyed, depending on how your Friday night went) on Saturday and gather in the conference room at the Green Bean. We'll briefly go around the room for introductions; who you are, what you write. This is also a chance for you to bring up anything you may be stuck on. Can't figure out how to get a character from Point A to Point B? Throw it out to the group. We'll spend about 30 minutes on questions, and then settle in for some individual writing time. If you've never spent time writing with others, it's fun. If nothing else, it's comforting to look up and see others struggling as you are for that right word or phrase. Makes the Universe just that much smaller. At about 11:30 am, we'll stop, open the floor again for questions/advice/or just general getting to know you talk. And that's it. We know it can be challenging to find time to sit down and write, and this provides you with not only the time, place, and COFFEE to write with, but it helps to be in the creative flow that occurs when a bunch of us creative types get together. And of course, you're welcome to stay on well past the noon hour and keep writing your little heart out, or make lunch plans with fellow WGOT members and move the conversation elsewhere. Drop by one Saturday and join us. We hope to see you there! Dena Harris & Ed Schubert ­ Facilitators ________________________________________________ ED SCHUBERT MAKES MILLION WRITERS AWARD 2004 LIST Story South, "the best from new south writers," recently announced its Million Writers Award - Notable Stories of 2004. These are the stories they deemed the TOP online short stories of 2004. Included on that list was Edmund Schubert's story, "Reality Check On Register Two," published by Pindeldyboz in January of 2004. Congratulations to our new WGOT President! ___________________________________________________________________ CHRIS MCCARTHY, FIRST TIME AUTHOR, GETS PUBLISHED Chris McCarthy, new WGOT Children's Writer, just published her first book, Sharlara's Secret Quest, a middle-grade fantasy about twin sisters. A POD production by AuthorHouse Publishers, copies can be obtained from Chris at Imccarthy@triad.rr.com, or from the company www.authorhouse.com. ___________________________________________________________________ THE TROUBLE WITH EATING CLOUDS - A SCI FI FANTASY Edmund Schubert, WGOT President, has joined Laine Cunningham in turning over the leadership of the Novel II group to Dena Harris. Ed has some great plans for the Writers' Group of the Triad, but not at the expense of his publishing goals. A middle school sci fi/fantasy called "The Trouble With Eating Clouds," by Ed Schubert has been published in Beyond Centauri magazine. Ed's short fiction, "Splitting Wood," has been accepted for publication in Storyteller. His recent sci fi "Never Too Late Anymore" appeared in Twilight Times. ___________________________________________________________________ PAM CABLE'S SHORT STORY PUBLISHED IN WAKE FOREST ANTHOLOGY Pam Cable, WGOT Public Relations Director, has a short story, "Old Time Religion," which will be published in the forthcoming Wake Forest Press Anthology, The Original Sin: The Seven Deadlies Come Home to Roost. ____________________________________________________________________ DOROTHY P. O'NEILL'S NEWEST BOOK IS NOW OUT WGOT Mystery Writer Dorothy P. O'Neill's new book, SMOKE COVER, fourth in the Liz Rooney Mystery Series, (Avalon Books, N, Y,) is now out. _____________________________________________________________________