THE
WRITER'S CENTER Winter/Spring
2011
rkshop ide
Wo nt Gu
& Eve say
Es
M emoir/
on
N onficti
een
Stag e & Scr
g
Son gwritin
Fiction e
Mixe d Genr
Poetry rs
r Write nt
Younge ve lopme
sio nal De
Profes
Online
n
Tra nslatio and
winter
on is’
mation es Dav
for
Plus in ents, includi ng Mil
riting
spring
ev
,” AWP, the W
ic Period alk.
“Electr n, and Book T
tio
Stayca
writer.org
the Writer's Center WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Workshop Event Guide 11
12
Nonfiction
Memoir/Essay
13 Fiction
Winter/ 15 Poetry
Spring 2011 18 Songwriting
Managing Editor 18 Stage & Screen
Maureen A. Punte 19 Mixed Genre
Contributing Editor 21 Workshops for
Kyle Semmel Military Veterans
21 Translation
&
Contributing Writers
24 Professional Development
Deborah Ager
Zahara Heckscher 25 Younger Writers
Reuben Jackson 26 Online
Kyle Semmel 27 How 2
Copy Editor 29 Adults Write for Children
Bernadette Geyer 29 McLean Workshops
Contact Us 30 Independent Study
p 301-654-8664
f 240-223-0458 DEPARTMENTS
www.writer.org 1 Welcome
post.master@writer.org 2 Interim Director's Note
10 How to Choose
In the Workshop & Event Your Workshop
Guide, The Writer’s Center’s 32 Events at The Writer's Center
triquarterly publication, 35 TWC Insider
you’ll find a list of all our
36 Workshop Leaders
upcoming workshops and
literary events, not to 42 Thank You
mention the occasional
interview and craft feature. FEATURES
Pick it up, pass it on.
3 Call It Anything
Miles Davis’ “Electric
Period” 1968–1991
5 Book Talk
6 How to Make the Most
of Networking at the
AWP Conference in
Washington, D.C.
8 Join Our Writing Retreat:
The Writing Staycation
writer.org at The Writer’s Center
WELCOME
THE WRITER’S CENTER PARKING WRITER’S CENTER STAFF
cultivates the creation, publication, Metered parking is across the street from
Interim Director
presentation, and dissemination of literary our building. The meters require $1.00
Kyle Semmel
work. We are an independent literary per hour and are routinely monitored.
organization with a global reach, rooted The meters are free on weekends. Publications & Communications
in a dynamic community of writers. As Maureen A. Punte
one of the premier centers of its kind in WEB SITE Kyle Semmel
the country, we believe the craft of writing Our Web site is www.writer.org. It pro- Workshops & Events
is open to people of all backgrounds and vides complete descriptions of workshops, Sunil Freeman
ages. Writing is interdisciplinary and unique workshop leader biographies, interactive
Business & Operations
among the arts for its ability to touch on workshops, event listings, resources,
Janel Carpenter
all aspects of the human experience. It Writer’s Center publications, and books Erin Cymrot
enriches our lives and opens doors to knowl- from our bookstore. Zachary Fernebok
edge and understanding. The Writer’s Caitlin Hill
Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organi- SOCIAL NETWORKS Jennifer Napolitano
zation. Donations are tax deductible. A You can find us on Laura Spencer
copy of our current financial statement
is available upon request. Contact The
Writer’s Center at 4508 Walsh Street, CONTACT US
Bethesda, MD 20815. Documents and & p 301-654-8664
information submitted to the State of f 240-223-0458
Maryland under the Maryland Charitable www.writer.org
Solicitations Act are available from the THE WRITER’S CENTER IS post.master@writer.org
Office of the Secretary of State for the SPONSORED IN PART BY:
cost of copying and postage. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOOKSTORE Mier Wolf
The Bookstore carries one of the most Chair
extensive collections of literary magazines Sally Mott Freeman
in the mid-Atlantic states. It also has a large Vice Chair
inventory of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction Les Hatley
titles including books on the craft of writing. Treasurer
Ken Ackerman
Poet lore Secretary
Established in 1889, Poet Lore is the oldest
continuously published poetry journal in The Writer’s Center gratefully acknowledges Margot Backas E. Ethelbert Miller
assistance received from the Cultural Alliance
the United States. We publish it twice a of Greater Washington’s Business Volunteers Sandra Beasley Joram Piatigorsky
year, and submissions are accepted year- for the Arts Program. Ellen R. Braaf Bill Reynolds
round. Subscription and submission This project is supported in part by an award Naomi Collins Rose Solari
requirements are available online at from the National Endowment for the Arts.
www.writer.org/poetlore. Mark Cymrot Linda Sullivan
The Writer’s Center is supported in part by The Arts
and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Neal P. Gillen Dulcie Taylor
DIRECTIONS and by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, John Hill Wilson W. Wyatt, Jr.
The Writer’s Center is located at 4508 an agency funded by the State of Maryland and
the National Endowment for the Arts. Ann McLaughlin
Walsh Street in Bethesda, Maryland, five
blocks south of the Bethesda Metro stop.
Walsh Street is located on the east side HONORARY BOARD
of Wisconsin Avenue. For more detailed Cicely Angleton Jim & Kate Lehrer
directions, please visit www.writer.org.
Kate Blackwell Alice McDermott
Dana Gioia Ellen McLaughlin
1
INTERIM DIRECTOR'S NOTE
Imagine a world without books, But there are challenges, of course, and an organization
stories, and poems. Imagine if, that rests on its laurels runs the risk of growing stale. To
on waking each morning, all keep the Center fresh and invigorating, in the past two
you had to look forward to was years alone we’ve added (and will continue to add) a wide
cycling through (yet again) the range of new workshop leaders and workshops to give
same mundane routines of work, members more variety to match their needs and interests.
eat, sleep. To me, that world In this issue you'll find, for example, new workshops on
photo by Eric Druxman
sounds like a bleak, monoto- writing flash fiction (p. 20), writing for comics and graphic
nous place. If you're reading novels (p. 20), writing television pilots (p. 18), and writing
this issue of the Workshop & mystery fiction (p. 14), to name just a few. To diversify
Event Guide, chances are very our programming, we've also developed partnerships
good that you would agree with me. Without literature, with local organizations and created new opportunities
where would you turn to find pleasure in words? Where for writers—some of which are now receiving support
would you find that brilliantly concise turn of poetic phrase from the National Endowment for the Arts—such as the
that makes you sit back in breathless wonder? Or that awe- Undiscovered Voices Fellowship; BookTalk (p. 5); Ann
inspiring moment when a novel suddenly comes together? Darr Scholarships; and Emerging Writer Fellowships. To
showcase our Emerging Writer Fellowships, we’ve developed
For those of us who believe in the life-enriching value of
the wildly popular Story/Stereo: A Night of Literature and
books—whatever form they take—one of the keenest plea-
Music (p. 33).
sures we can have is to discuss them with others. Through
reading books we learn, we grow, and we better understand In 2009, Poets & Writer6s Magazine, a leading trade magazine
how to confront our lives. And when we share our reading in our field, named the Center one of eight “places to go
experiences we gain a feeling of warmth and community— outside academia” to take creative writing workshops nation-
we feel vividly alive. wide. This heady praise would not be possible without the
dedicated support of everyone involved: staff, workshop
That's where The Writer's Center comes in.
leaders, board members—and especially you, our members
When I became the publications and communications and workshop participants. With your energy and interest,
manager in 2008, I was thrilled by the incredible oppor- you make twc a lively place. Thankfully, the world is not
tunity I had to be part of an organization with such a rich bleak; it teems with literature. But finding your way in this
and storied history, one that was active in reproducing world—through the creation, publication, presentation,
again and again this very sense of warmth and community. and dissemination of your literary work—is a whole lot
As long-time members know, The Writer’s Center is the easier when you're engaged in an active, vital, and support-
leading independent literary center in the Greater d.c. ive community. Thank you, as always, for your continued
region. Since its founding in 1976, twc has nurtured the support. We look forward to seeing you soon at one of our
careers of many writers, from Pagan Kennedy to 2010 workshops or events.
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award-winner Patricia
McArdle. But it has also been a meeting place for people
who simply love books and reading, and perhaps it is this,
more than anything else, that has made The Writer's Center
such an inviting place for the thousands of people who've
entered our building or sat in our workshops: It is here where
the largest cluster of readers and writers can be found in the
d.c. area.
2
MILES DaVIS’
ElEctric PEriod
1968–1991
Reuben Jackson
Legendary trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis (1926-1991)
once told a reporter, “I have to change. It’s like a curse.” This career-long artistic
constant was never more obvious during what has been dubbed his “electric
period”—in which his probing, declamatory, and wistful sound wed itself with
some of the most daring, restless, and controversial music any artist has ever
produced, a period in which his “round, Midwest sound” (to again quote Davis)
continued to lead his ensembles through an ever changing landscape of sound
and silence.
Most critics, however, thought otherwise. Davis’ “pandering” (a frequently used
critical verbal knife) to rock and funk-oriented audiences was (and in some
cases, still is) seen as a kind of loud mid-life crisis, and/or a way to make money.
And while it is true that 1970’s “Bitches Brew” achieved gold record status, the
records (“Live-Evil,” “On The Corner,” etc.) and ever evolving bands that followed
were as different as couscous and sunflowers. They often baffled and angered
fans who thought they “knew” where the “new” Davis was coming from.
What I want to re-examine and celebrate during “Call It Anything” is the aston-
ishing variety and subtlety found in Davis’ studio and concert performances
from this period, and how he actually continued to mine the American Popular
Songbook for material. Although the thematic impetus was more likely to come
from American composers such as Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix, rather than, say,
Cole Porter, was this music jazz?
Does it matter? What were Davis’ reasons for, as one critic ominously wrote,
“going over to the dark side?”
In addition to listening to excerpts from seminal and controversial Davis
recordings, I’ll also encourage audience discussion—pro or con. After all,
the still passionate reactions to this music are as much a part of it as the
shifting textures heard in a Davis composition like “Zimbabwe.”
But most importantly, I’m hoping that this event is—like the title of a Davis
album from the 1970’s—“Big Fun.” ¶
Read more about this April event on page 34.
3
LITERARY JOURNAL
DISCOUNT PROGRAM
40% off 1 -and 2 -year subscriptions
FOR PREMIUM MEMBERS
Need to publicize your
o f T h e Wr i t e r ’s C e n t e r
book,
Some of the most compelling literary work today
is emerging in literary journals. To promote the business,
best of new literature, we’ve partnered with
the following leading journals to o er drastic play,
discounts on 1-and 2-year subscriptions:
conference,
1 Year 2 Years
or event?
Hayden’s Ferry Review 2 issues/$8.40 4 issues/$15
Copper Nickel 2 issues/$13
Potomac Review 2 issues/$12 4 issues/$20.40 Advertise in the
New England Review 4 issues/$18 Workshop & Event Guide
New Letters 4 issues/$13.20 8 issues/$21.60 visit www.writer.org/adrates
Poet Lore 2 issues/$6 4 issues/$10.80 to learn more
Subtropics 2 issues/$15.60 4 issues/$29.40
YES, I WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO
Hayden’s Ferry Review New Letters 1 Years
Copper Nickel Poet Lore 2 Years
Potomac Review Subtropics
New England Review
PLEASE SEND MY NEXT ISSUE TO
Name
Address
City State Zip
E-mail
PAYMENT METHOD
Check (enclosed) Credit Card (complete section below)
Total Due $
Card Number
Expiration Date
Signature
Please mail this form and payment to:
The Writer’s Center
Attn: Kyle Semmel
4508 Walsh Street
Bethesda, MD 20815 www.writer.org
T
he Writer’s Center is pleased to announce that renowned local author Kyle Semmel
Alice McDermott’s National Book Award-winning novel Charming Billy
(1998) is the first selection for BookTalk. A new program at The Writer’s
Center—one that is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts—
BookTalk brings readers and writers together in conversation on a single book. How you can
That conversation will conclude with an event at The Writer’s Center featuring participate
McDermott and Round House Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, Blake in booktalk:
Robison. Attend the February 20 stage adaptation of Charming Billy at Round
• Go to Writer.org and “join”
House Theatre following the at 1:00 p.m. BookTalk discussion at The Writer’s
BookTalk (it’s like signing up
Center. Ticket purchase required only for the Round House performance.*
for a workshop, except it’s fREE)
Visit writer.org or roundhousetheatre.org for details on the play and post-play
panel discussion. • At the time of registration,
About Charming Billy: purchase the book using your
30% off TWC member discount
Alice McDermott’s 1998 National Book Award-
winning novel portrays the tragic life of Billy Lynch, • Beginning the first week of
an Irish American who comes of age in New York february, TWC staff will post
City during the latter part of the twentieth century. questions about the book online
It opens at his funeral where several of his friends and and at our facebook fan page
relatives gather to recall Billy’s life within his tight-
• Listen to TWC’s charming Billy
knit Irish Catholic, Queens community. As they come
podcast in february
to offer support to his long-suffering widow Maeve,
they celebrate his poetic, gentle soul and mourn his • Meet the author and her “stage
descent into the alcoholism that eventually killed him. adapter” at The Writer’s Center
Alice McDermott was born in Brooklyn, New York, on february 20
in 1953. Her first novel, A Bigamists’ Daughter, was published to wide acclaim • Attend the stage adaptation of
in 1982. That Night (1987), her second novel, was a finalist for the Pulitzer charming Billy at Round House
Prize, the National Book Award, and for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. In Theatre following the february
his cover review for The New York Times Book Review, David Leavitt called That 20 BookTalk discussion at The
Night “an original, a work that revels in a rich, discursive prose style that be- Writer’s Center
longs entirely to Alice McDermott.” A film version of That Night was produced
• Join the post-play panel discus-
by Warner Bros. and released in the spring of 1992. At Weddings and Wakes
sion of charming Billy at Round
(1992), her third novel, became a New York Times bestseller. Michiko Kakutani
House Theatre
of The New York Times praised McDermott’s “rich, supple prose” and Bruce
Bawer called At Weddings and Wakes “a haunting and masterly work of literary
art” in his review for The Wall Street Journal. ¶
Praise for Charming Billy:
Read more about BookTalk on page 34. “Eloquent” and “heartbreaking,”
—The New York Times Book Review
* Tickets for the performance of Charming Billy must be purchased through the
Round House Theatre box office at 240-644-1100 or roundhousetheatre.org. “A softly resonant and nostalgic tale
told masterfully.”
—Kirkus Reviews
5
Turn Virtual People into Real People: Through my blog
(blog.32poems.com), I’ve begun conversations with poets
from around the country. In 2006, a poet-blogger arranged
a happy hour in Austin, tx, so a group of online acquain-
tances could actually meet in person. I suggest attending at
least a few group events like these, because you get to meet
more people in a limited time.
Consider Attending Outside Parties: At a conference,
I was invited to a party at a poet’s house. Although I was
tired, I forced myself to attend. I barely knew anyone, yet
the poets welcomed a stranger. I immediately felt at home
and met several interesting people. Who knows what, if
anything, will come of these chance encounters? Some-
times, you just need to get out from behind your com-
puter screen to socialize.
Work a Table: If you run a press or magazine or know
someone who does, volunteer to work at their table at the
book fair. The organizer will probably be happy to have
your help. One grateful graduate student volunteered at
the 32 Poems table in Chicago. Several times, she men-
tioned how glad she was to have this table as an anchor
since she was attending the conference for the first time
and felt completely overwhelmed. Since the conference
presented a sensory overload, by representing the maga-
zine, she was able to put her bookbag down for an hour
or two and have some sustained conversations in one spot.
Review Your Choices: Enter the conference with a strat-
Deborah Ager egy. Check through the entire list of panel presentations to
see what you want to attend. Since interesting panels can
Every year, the aWP (associated Writing Programs) overlap, you’ll probably have to make hard choices. Nar-
Conference takes place in a major North American row these down as best you can and then allow for some
unexpected plans. You may have in mind to attend a panel
city. a few thousand writers converge upon the city
and see a friend in the hallway and decide to have lunch
during one—usually cold—weekend during the instead. Similarly, check out the list of exhibitors at the
first three months of the year. While committees book fair. Which tables will you want to spend time visit-
interview academic job applicants in hotel rooms, ing? There’s value to serendipity—but set your targets too.
the book fair fills with readers and writers perusing Maybe the new person you meet will become a friend.
the tables of their favorite publishers and literary Maybe you’ll work on a book together. You might get an
magazines. at the same time, readings and panels idea for an outstanding class to take or good advice on
agents. In some cases, you might get nothing beyond hav-
are scheduled all day and well into the evening. at ing a good conversation with someone at a party. The only
night, cocktail and private happy hours compete way you’ll know is to attend awp and network. ¶
with more readings and events.
Deborah Ager’s poetry collection, Midnight Voices, appeared in 2009.
How can you take this once-a-year opportunity and Ager founded 32 Poems Magazine in 2003. Many poems first appearing
in 32 Poems have been honored in the Best American Poetry and Best
make the most of your time at the aWP Conference New Poets anthologies and on Verse Daily and Poetry Daily. Visit
in Washington, D.C. this coming february? www.32poems.com and www.deborahager.com for more information.
6
Turn to page 9 to read about how you
can win a pass to the AWP conference
in Washington, D.C.
author Josh Weil talks with a participant at
the aWP conference in Denver.
Emerging Writer fellow anthony Varallo
signs a copy of his book out loud
T h e W r i T e r ’ s C e n T e r aT aW P
T i m e s f o r T h c o m i n g a T w r i T e r . o r g
All Booked Up—How to Create a Festival America’s Next Top (Literary Center) Model
William Miller, Ruth Kogen Goodwin, Kwame Alexander, Sarah Browning, Charles Jensen, Gail Browne, David Biespiel, Jordan Hartt, Andrea Dupree
Nancy Coble Damon, Caitlin Hill Whether for-profit, non-profit, or in the academy, literary centers
The D.C. area is rich in literary culture, and this has led to the creation can take many forms, approaches, and business models. While
of a variety of high-quality regional book festivals. The experts writers have a good sense of developing strong content, business
behind five such events will give you a behind-the-scenes look at approaches can somtimes be confounding to us. These panelists,
how each festival works—from how they secure funding and choose who represent various center business models, will discuss the
their authors, to how they market to the public and how the festivals strengths and limitations of each design based on their own
complement each other and collaborate. There will be ample time perspectives and experiences.
for Q & A so you can learn how to create the same quality literary
events in your community. Marketing Your Literary Community:
How to Make Sure Your Organization Is Heard
Filling the Void: Kyle Semmel, Art Taylor, Jill Pollack, Chip Cheek, Gregg Wilhelm
Growing & Sustaining Literary Communities
So you’ve started a literary center or festival in your community. Now
Jill Pollack, Christopher Castellani, Alix Wilber, Kyle Semmel what do you do? How do you market it? In this panel, marketing
What is the beating heart of a city’s literary community? Writing directors from five diverse literary communities—ranging from
centers across the country are doing more than filling a void: they recently founded to long-established centers—discuss how they
are building vital links and opportunities to serve writers at all spread the word in their communities. Which strategies work?
stages of their careers. Panelists from some of the largest centers Which don’t? How do you get the best return on investment
in the country will share the successes and challenges of helping on a limited advertising budget? From this panel you’ll walk
writers to study the craft, creating training grounds for M.F.A. away with tips on how to ensure that your community thrives.
graduates to teach, developing reading audiences, and
participating fully in a city’s cultural life.
7
Join our Writing retreat: JANuARY 10–14 OR MARCH 21–25
The wriTing sTaycaTion aT The wriTer’s cenTer The poet E. Ethelbert Miller once told me, “Pay yourself first.”
He wasn’t talking about money, but time, and the obligation
The Staycation fills a need for
of a writer to herself—to first, before anything else, make a reasonably priced retreat
time to write. option, especially for those of
Time to write, time to write, time to write… us who cannot leave town.
—Staycation Participant
Most writers I know crave time to write like a chocaholic
craves a chocolate lava truffle.
But nearly all writing retreats are expensive, two-week residen- The Writer’s Center Staycation
tial programs that require travel and have no accommodations
for families. Such a budget and schedule are out of reach for
allowed me the time and
most of us. space to focus on my writing
So with the support of The Writer’s Center, I created the
without the expense or time
Writing Staycation, a retreat for all of you who crave more away from my family that
time to write, want the structure of a retreat, but just can’t most writers’ retreats would
get out of town. demand. Zahara brought in an
The first Staycation, in May of 2010, was a tremendous impressive array of lunchtime
success. We had ten participants, including a lawyer-poet, speakers and The Writer’s Center
a mom working on her memoirs, and a short story writer. staff was very supportive in
One participant finished a draft of her novel, another wrote
18,000 words on his science fiction project, and a third worked
providing undisturbed space.
on polishing her manuscript to prepare it for publication. I came away feeling refreshed
We’ve decided to do it again. The Writing Staycation will
and re-committed to my own
take place at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Monday process, and surprised at how
through Friday, January 10–14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. much could be accomplished
Each day will be organized around writing time, with optional in one week. Thank you Stay-
activities including evening events, a daily neighborhood cation! I’ll be back!
walk, and lunch speakers—an agent, a novelist, a short story —Johnna Schmidt
writer, a poet, and a nonfiction author. All activities are Director
elective. If you just want to write, write, write, you may Jimenez-Porter Writers’ House
do so. It’s your retreat.
I’ll be at your disposal all week as well. Whether you want
help getting started with a new writing project, feedback It helped me finish the first
on a draft manuscript, or strategies for getting published, I
will be there. I’ll also pamper you with free coffee, specialty draft of my novel. Thank you.
teas, and healthy snacks. I found the time and space
It’s your time to write. Pay yourself first. Join us for the
to just focus on my writing.
Staycation. —Zahara Heckscher Very liberating.
—Staycation Participant
There are two Staycation workshops. Read more about the
them on page 21.
8
at
Joi n C enter C.
riter’s gton, D.
The W ashin
AW P - W 011
ry 2 –5, 2
Februa erence
he conf rence
about t /confe
rea d more iter.org
.awpwr
at www
A COMPLIMENTARY
REGISTRATION
for the 2011 AWP Conference in D.C.
The Writer’s Center is a patron of this year’s AWP
Conference. One of the perks of that sponsorship
level is that TWC has some free registrations
and we want to give them away to you. If you
are interested in attending the conference for free
register for a winter/spring workshop before
November 15 and follow the instructions in your
con rmation e-mail. It will tell you where to send
a 50 word précis explaining why you deserve to
go for free.
Winners will be noti ed by e-mail Friday, November 19.
Cannot be combined with other o ers.
Valid only on winter/spring workshops registrations.