Dean Nelson Event for November Has Been Canceled

We regret to inform you that the MECAC Writers Workshop scheduled for Saturday, November 15 has been canceled and will be rescheduled for late winter/early spring.

A more urgent event, a memorial service for a dear friend of Pine Valley and MECAC has priority at this time. We know that you will agree with our decision.

Susanne will return via "snail mail" all checks received for this event; they will be sent as soon as the Post Office reopens after Veteran's Day.

If you were a "maybe" on our list, this rescheduling will allow you to think ahead also.

This workshop with Dean Nelson will focus on an exciting, fulfilling concept and mode of writing, led by a very gifted professional writer. We look forward to seeing you in a few months!

All our best,
Judith and Susanne  

Writing Workshop with Dean Nelson!

Come join us for an amazing event coming up on November 15 with Dr. Dean Nelson, founder of the Journalism Department at Point Loma Nazarene University!!

Dean is a longtime friend of the MECAC Writers Workshop; this is our third writing event with Dean at the beautiful Pine Valley Bible Conference Center. Join us from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM for a delightful day of writing wisdom and practice!

Cost: $35 (includes lunch); $30 if before November 1st! Get that $5 discount by registering early!

Contact Susanne Barrett at Booklovingbunch@aol.com for information and registration--with only 20 spaces, reservations will go quickly.  

Come join the writerly fun!

Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 14!!

The Mountain Empire Creative Arts Council (MECAC) Writers Workshop will be meeting this Tuesday, October 14 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library. 

Bring 6-8 copies of a couple of pages of your writing to share with the group, and we'll offer helpful feedback and suggestions for improvement. We're a friendly, supportive group, and we love welcoming new people!

So please join us--we love to talk writing...and do some, too!! 

Plus, we have two events coming up in November:

Saturday, November 15: Journaling Event with Dr. Dean Nelson, founder of the Journalism Department at Point Loma Nazarene University: 9:00-4:00 at Pine Valley Bible Conference Center. Cost (including lunch): $35 ($30 if registered before Nov.1) E-mail Susanne at Booklovingbunch@aol.com for information and registration.

Saturday, November 22: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Write-In from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library. Join us for coffee, tea, and light snacks as we write together--bring your laptops, pens, pencils, and notebooks!! Contact Susanne at Booklovingbunch@aol.com for more information--or just show up!!  

Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 9!!

We will be meeting TONIGHT, Tuesday, September 9, at 7:00 in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library.

Bring something to share (5-8 copies if possible) and perhaps a friend interested in writing!

And for those of you interested in self-publishing, The Writer's Digest and BookBaby have collaborated to bring us a unique one-stop shop for our varied self-publishing needs: Blue Ash Publishing. Check it out! 

And a closing quotation on writing to encourage us in our writing endeavors:

"Writing is reaching into your deep soul, and being brave enough to put those words on paper. No one else can say it like you can. No one. So stop waiting for Sean Connery to show up at your door and tell you that you're a writer. Open your computer, pick up your pen or pencil, and begin."

~John Sowers, Storyline Blog

We hope to see you at the library! :)

Looking for an Agent?

It's so hard to tell whether an agent is reputable or not. We are thrilled to be offered representation, but is this person the right agent for us? 

Here's a link to a terrific article at Writer's Digest on the five questions we writers should ask a potential agent.

Writer's Digest article: 5 Things Writers Should Ask Potential Agents.

Keep on writing, friends!! We'll have a Saturday Write-In scheduled in July--details to follow.  

The Writer's Symposium by the Sea 2015

"The Greek" Amphitheater at Point Loma Nazarene University, home of The Writers' Symposium by the Sea.

Point Loma Nazarene University will host its 20th Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea in late February. The amazing writers who have attended and shared their thoughts on the craft of writing over the last two decades have been phenomenal: Ray Bradbury, Amy Tan, Anne Lamott, Donald Miller, Philip Yancey, Kathleen Norris, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Eugene Peterson, Calvin Miller, and other journalists, novelists, poets, bloggers, and non-fiction writers, both Christian and secular. A good number of videos of past featured writers at the Symposium are available via UCSD-TV's Writer's Symposium page. 

The news was just released that to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Dean Nelson (my former creative writing professor and kindly office mate when I taught there) will be having a conversation with Joyce Carol Oates. The announcement with details may be seen here if you scroll down a bit (and ignore the "19th Annual" heading): Joyce Carol Oates at Writer's Symposium.

Dean has outdone himself in obtaining such a major figure in American literature to celebrate the Symposium's 20th anniversary. I am so thrilled that Joyce Carol Oates will be coming on February 26. 

Tickets will go on sale in November, and I'll be one of the first in the virtual queue. Meanwhile, I have a copy of a small book I snatched from the library shelves last week to read (once I finish teaching Romeo & Juliet at Brave Writer this Friday!): First Love. It's a small, illustrated Gothic novelette, and I'm very much looking forward to perusing it as my first book on my Summer Reading List. 

We also are hoping to have another of our popular Write-Ins next month to coincide with July's Camp NaNoWriMo  so that we can enjoy coffee, tea, treats, and a few bursts of creative conversation while we tap away on our keyboards or scratch away in our notebooks for a few hours, usually from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. As soon as we have a date cleared with the Pine Valley Library for the use of their Community Room, I'll post the date here. 

We hope to see you at our upcoming Writers' Workshop meetings this summer, the second Tuesday of each month: June 10, July 8, August 12, and September 9. Mark your calendars and join us! 

Happy Writing, Everyone! 

Next Writers' Workshop Meeting: June 10th!

Our next Writers' Workshop meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room of the Pine Valley Library.

Bring 6-8 copies of a poem or a few pages of prose to share with the group and to receive written as well as oral feedback. 

As always, feel free to bring along any friends interested in learning more about the art and craft of writing. 

See you in June!!

Writing with you,

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect."
~Anais Nin