Macomb Workshop: Nonfiction Book Proposal

Join me this Saturday, April 14 at Macomb College for a three-hour workshop on Writing the Nonfiction Book Proposal.

Whether you’ve finished a draft outline, are in the planning stages, or are simply entertaining ideas and possibilities, this session will help you develop effective strategies for writing and submitting your nonfiction book proposal.

Here are the details:

Writing the Nonfiction Book Proposal

with Lori A. May

Macomb Community College

South Campus

Warren MI

Saturday, April 14

10am-1pm

$39

Register by phone, online, or in person with MCC.

Whidbey Island Writers Workshops

This year, instead of hosting a conference, WIWA is offering a series of one-day workshops from January 16 to June 5. With seven workshops to choose from, there’s a little something for everyone.

As part of this series, I’m pleased to be leading a workshop on Saturday, January 16 from 10am-4pm, at the Coupeville Methodist Church in Coupeville WA. My workshop, “Writing Your Way: Your Path to Publication,” is a great introductory course for emerging authors.

Want to know more? This is the workshop description:

Writing Your Way: Your Path to Publication
What does it mean to be a writer? Why do we write? How do we find an audience for our work? From blank page to publication, this one-day workshop will help you set and reach your writing goals whether you write fiction, poetry, or non-fiction. Discussions and exercises will help you develop your voice, find an audience, and promote your work. We'll also talk about finding inspiration and how to get past the inevitable blank page. In addition to a notebook, participants are encouraged to bring samples of their writing, a query letter, a synopsis and/or proposal.

WIWA workshops are limited to 20 participants, so if you’re interested in participating be sure to visit the website for details. Registration closes next Thursday. Feel free to email me if you have any questions specific to my workshop.

I encourage you to check out the other great workshops WILA is offering this season. Visit www.writeonwhidbey.com/Conference/index.html for more information.

Whidbey Island Writers Association is also fundraising for next year’s $90,000 writing conference. If you’d like to help support this wonderful organization, visit this link for more info.

successful ‘wheat’ & upcoming meets

The first thing I must mention is that this week’s Q&A will appear on Tuesday, rather than Wednesday, since the new release of our guest – Melissa Senate – debuts on November 17th. Be sure to come back on Tuesday for the full interview with Melissa as she talks about The Secret of Joy.

Next, I must extend some congrats. Winter Wheat 2009: The Mid-American Review Festival of Writing was a smash hit with some truly incredible events. The sessions were top-notch, the Student Center venue at Bowling Green State University was perfect, and it was fantastic to meet so many wonderful writers. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your festival this year!

There are two great events I wanted to mention today. This Friday I’ll be reading at The Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale MI as part of the Poetic Travelers series hosted by Tonja Bagwell. The event begins at 6:30pm and features two poets: me and Zikla Joseph, author of the Mayapple Press chapbook, Lands I Live In. If you’re in the Ferndale area, come on over for a free night of poetic joy.

Also, I am pleased to announce a full-day workshop taking place on Saturday, January 16 on Whidbey Island WA. I’ll be leading the discussion and workshop, “Writing Your Way: Your Path to Publication” for the Whidbey Island Writers Association. This workshop is a fundraiser for WIWA activities so I hope you’ll join in and support this fantastic literary organization if you can. More details are forthcoming and will be posted on my website.

I’m keeping it short today as the to-do list is begging for my attention. Remember to come back on Tuesday for the Q&A with Melissa Senate.

Thanks for stopping by!

Q&A with author Rachel Kann

Later this week I’ll be sharing a full interview with Rachel Kann at www.poetsquarterly.com, as part of the “higher learning” interview series. However, I wanted to share a brief excerpt from our interview to continue Monday’s blog discussion of writing workshops.

Rachel is an instructor with the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, which you can learn more about here. She is also an award winning poet and the author of 10 for Everything, a collection of short stories.

I spoke with Rachel about her pedagogical philosophy and the benefits of writing workshops. This is a brief teaser of our discussion:

You've experienced the writing workshop both as a student and as an instructor. How would you prepare a young writer who is considering participation in a workshop for the first time?
I would tell them to come with an open mind and an exceedingly positive attitude; that their ego will not be of much use to them in this environment. I'd advise them to be open to trying new things, but to stay true to their distinct voice. I'd urge them to be exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to mix it up with other writers in the workshop environment, and to focus on what is working in their fellow writers' pieces.

As someone who has a lengthy history of teaching, what is your response to the question, "Can writing be taught?"
Absolutely, yes. But more importantly, can writing be learned? Again, the answer is yes. It's up to each individual to decide how dedicated they want to be to any pursuit. Basically, I have a lot of faith in the human ability to achieve. I mean, people can survive concentration camps. Heather Mills, with a prosthetic leg (love her or hate her,) can ballroom dance and do flips on TV. I believe in any person's capability to reach whatever artistic goals they have, regardless of how long the journey may be. And it's a never-ending journey. For everyone. How hard is the person willing to work?

What other options might an emerging writer explore, if not a formal workshop?
The best part about workshopping is the opportunity to interact with other writers. So I'd encourage a writer to explore creating a writers' group with some fellow poets and/or prose writers, and meet regularly. The gift of a workshop (or a writers' group) is accountability.

*****

Check Poets’ Quarterly at the end of the week to read the full interview with Rachel Kann. If you’re interested in taking a class with Rachel, her next open session is an online poetry workshop with UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. The class is "Writing The Poetry of Luminous Things" and it starts January 20th. More information is available here.

Thanks for stopping in for the Wednesday author Q&A. I’ll see you Friday with more musings, reviews, and news.

Photo credit: UCLA Extension Writers' Program website

visiting NILA: low-res workshops

This coming January, I’ll be presenting two sessions at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts MFA spring residency. NILA, widely known as the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA, is a low-residency program where students come together for an intense residency twice a year and then spend the remainder of the year working on their MFA from home. During each spring and fall residency, students are presented with craft workshops, faculty meetings, readings, and guest lectures.

That’s where I come in; I am so pleased to be presenting two sessions at the next spring residency. The residency schedule is now online, so if you have ever wondered what happens during a brief-residency MFA program, be sure to check out this link for the upcoming schedule. You’ll notice the variety of guest faculty presentations, the dedicated workshops and sessions on craft, and the abundance of reading sessions.

It wasn’t that long ago I interviewed author Stefanie Freele, who has since graduated from the program. When I chatted with Stefanie, she was in her final thesis term and couldn’t say enough great things about the Whidbey program. Regarding the intense residencies, Stefanie said, “you spend 10 days with everyone almost from 8am to maybe 9pm every day. You really get to know people, and then you continue the relationship online.”

Regarding the variety of offerings, she also said: “There are a few readings at the residencies of both staff and students and they are fantastic. The camaraderie started at the residencies is continued online.”

If you’ve been curious to learn more about low-residency creative writing MFAs, I encourage you to check out a lengthy paper I wrote last year that’s available on my website here. In this paper, I interview a handful of low-res advocates including Spalding University faculty member – and award-winning poet – Molly Peacock.

Stefanie Freele has one major suggestion for anyone considering a low-residency MFA: “Ask people who are in programs, who have received an MFA. Ask questions about how the thesis part works…. Check out the faculty – do a little research on these people.”

She suggests this, as there is such an array of faculty within each program, specific to each program’s offerings and craft specialties. When it comes down to the low-res format, you’ll want to find a group of mentors who best reflect your own style and writing goals. It takes research, but it’s easy to do. With 43 low-res programs in the US alone, there are many programs to choose from and thus an incredible variety of writing faculty. There really is something for everyone.

In January, I’ll be presenting on two topics: 1) Literary Living, which is a session about building a successful writing career; and 2) Beyond Page One, a session about creating opportunities to help yourself stand out in the competitive field of writing. I’ll be sure to share my experiences from the NILA spring residency when I return. Looking at the schedule, I can see there will be a lot of details to report at this jam-packed event.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts low-residency creative writing MFA, please do visit their website here. It’s truly a unique program and one that is continuing to grow.

Thanks for dropping by today. Ill see you on Wednesday for the weekly author Q&A!

thank you Rochester Writers

The 2nd annual Rochester Writers Conference has come and gone and what a wonderful event it was! Congratulations and thanks must go out to Michael Dwyer for programming such a successful conference.

Now, to my regular blog followers, please excuse me as I share some information specifically for the benefit of those who attended my lecture at the conference. It’s okay; you can eavesdrop. Of course, for Monday’s post you know I’ll be sharing a recap of some of my favorite moments and resources from the conference for all to enjoy. But for just one post, I must do this, if you will:

***Attention Rochester Writers Conference Attendees***

Thank you so much for all of the kind words and feedback you provided after my session: “Promote Your Writing by Building an Online Presence.” I very much appreciate the feedback and discussions we had throughout the day and I am pleased to hear there was something I could offer you in my presentation. Please do not hesitate to contact me (lori@loriamay.com) with follow-up questions or if you need clarification on anything, or simply wish to discuss a point further. I welcome your emails.

There were two things that came up in post-session discussions I want to offer up for the benefit of everyone who attended the lecture.

First, many of you asked if I have any other workshops or sessions coming up in the future, within this region. The answer is yes and if you wish to be notified of workshops, lectures, critique opportunities, and other such activities that are happening within the area, please do let me know so I can be sure to email you with details.

I would like to request your assistance, if I may, since I have been discussing options with a few regional venues and we need to narrow down our options. So, if you are interested in workshops, lectures, etc, please take a moment to email me (lori@loriamay.com) and let me know the following:

1] What topics you would like to explore in a more intense workshop setting? Are you interested in additional skills development and resources pertaining to online marketing? Are you interested in participating in a craft-writing workshop, with poetry, fiction, and/or non-fiction? Do you want to take part in a workshop that assists you with writing query letters, synopses, and polishing the first three chapters? Please let me know your area of interest.

2] Also, if you don’t mind letting me know the town/city you live in, so I can be sure to offer the desired workshops to those regional areas where there is interest, it would be helpful. If you can, also let me know which days of the week work best for you. I’ll try my best to accommodate your requests, so please don’t be shy!

Secondly, something that came up after the lecture was on the topic of sharing portfolio samples or examples of your writing on your website, blog, etc. Specifically, the question came up about publication rights and selling to a publication once you have published your piece online.

First, to be clear, anything published online is published. Period. Thus, while I encourage you to share a small sampling of your work on your website or blog, be sure this is something you do not plan on marketing for sale – as is – to publishers. Once it’s been published – anywhere - you have used up your first time rights. That’s not to say you can’t sell future work on the same topics you share on your website; it’s just very unlikely you will find a publisher (magazine, book, etc) who will be willing to reprint the same exact piece.

Thus, my suggestion is that you only post articles or excerpts online that are either a) previously published and for which you have had the rights returned to you, or b) do not have any intention on submitting to future publishers. As a substitute, you can very easily draft a sample to reflect your work, but keep the sellable stuff for selling.

If you have any additional questions about this topic, let me know. I’m happy to discuss this further.

Again, thank you to all who attended the lecture and please do drop me an email to share your feedback, ask questions, or inquire about future workshops. I’m hoping to hear from those of you who want to participate in future workshops, courses, etc, so let me know your responses to my above questions, by sending an email to lori@loriamay.com.

It was a pleasure meeting you all today and I look forward to hearing about your writing successes!

Keep in touch!