May, 2006
More than thirty word-wise women gathered for the Spring Membership
Coffee in Randolph to network, share information, read their work and enjoy
a delightful
evening with friends. Between lively chatter, hugs and smiles,
some demonstrated their on-the-spot creativity through a Writing Prompt exercise
just for
fun. Others marveled the audience with well-honed selections of
their poetry, prose and essays. Refreshments and door prizes rounded out
the evening’s
positive energy. Special thanks to Terry Mullaney for hosting the
event at her home and to members of the Planning Committee, Karen Haefelein,
Marcia
Ivans, Jennifer Lazor and Sharon Williams, for making it a huge
success!
April 12, 2006
Despite the rain, a glorious spring reading was held at the Reeves-Reed
Aboretum in Summit, held in an open room whose large windows were
enlightened by yellow goldfinches. Among the many talented writers
who read were Arlene Hyman, Gloria P. Cahill, Maureen
Haggerty, Pat Stewart, Rena Cobrinik, Alice Mendelsohn, Joanne
Herbst, Deborah Gerris, Ann DeVenezia, Diane Lynch, Joanne Flynn,
Mary Meeks, Judy Lie, Emily Nelson, Lisa Brock, and Lois Sarvetnick.
March 25, 2006
The spring prose workshop, held at the Madison Community House, was led by Marina Budhos, award winning author of fiction and prose. The topic of discussion was how to dig deeper int a draft and bring out the internal elements of the story. Thirteen WWW members attended this successful workshop, which was partically funded by the Glassner Foundation.
January 28-29
The Writing for Kids group packed their notebooks and laptops and hit
the road for their first annual Spring Lake Writing Conference, held Jan.
28-29.
Award-winning author, Linda Oatman High (Barn Savers, Under New
York, and A Humble Life: Plain Poems) led the group in writing exercises
as well as discussions
on the ins and outs of publishing.
Among the wealth of wisdom offered, were:
- Submit your ms. to more than one publisher at a time.
- A major dramatic question should be raised in chapter one that is answered
by the end of the book.
-
A novel should include three crises and “a really black moment” before
things turn around towards resolution.
- “Don’t be afraid to delve into your darkness.”
- “Paint a picture with words” and use all the senses and
color.
- Sense of place can be a strong starting point.
- Know your character.
-
A book’s voice is important in getting a publishing contract.
-
Yes, there are writing style rules, but there are always exceptions. Editor’s
preferences are subjective.
Lisa Kintish 
Saturday, January 21
Madison Community House
Madison, NJ
On January 21 st, Michelle Cameron gave us a taste of the times and life of Shakespeare from a long narrative poem she had written in her latest book, In the Shadow of the Globe. In the book, Michelle explores the lives of the people who surrounded Shakespeare, the actors he was around every day, the manager of the Globe Theatre, the minor and major players of his time. Michelle Cameron did a huge amount of research for this book, and where information is lacking, she presents her own interpretation on what could have been, seen, heard.
Michelle gave us quick history of the kinds of theatre Shakespeare was familiar with; she read poems that gave us a peek to what Shakespeare might have seen or heard on the street, in his theatre. One selection gave us a glimpse of what his wife might have been like, another gave us insight to the actors who were regulars in his plays, and still another to his Dark Lady. Fiction was interwoven with fact, conjecture with interpretation. It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Pat Weissner
Wednesday, Dec. 7
It was great seeing everyone at the holiday wine and cheese held at Barbara
Azzoli's charming home. The wine was flowing, along with the conversation
and readings. What a wonderful tribute to WWW and a lovely way to spend an evening!
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2-4 PM
Bernardsville Library
1 Anderson Hill Road
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
A reading of poetry, fiction, and memoir, shared by our talented writers.
Saturday, October 8
October 8 was the perfect day for the annual WWW poetry workshop. Outside
the Madison Community House was a monsoon; inside, eleven poets
eager to learn. The focus of the workshop was the "artful poem."
The facilitator was Therese Halscheid, a wonderful poet with two
books of poetry published and a third due out soon.
Diane Lynch |
