AIW Pubspeak : Poet-Essayist-Songwriter Patrick Frank on Self-Publishing and Interactive Events, Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Patrick Frank is a Master’s level teacher-counselor, poet-essayist-songwriter, and advocate for the poor from Kingstree, S.C.. His writing has been published in more than 70 online and print periodicals and anthologized three times. He self-published his first book, On the Blue Line, in 2010. Since then he has been engaging in interactive events at independent bookstores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. He has two new writing projects: a compilation of his prose-poems and editing an anthology of short poetry with an English professor at Emory University.
 
In his presentation, Frank will discuss self-publishing, but will also focus on his experience in conducting interactive events at a variety of locations and audiences, explaining what he has learned to date through both “success” and “failure.” He will also encourage the audience to share their experiences with each other. Finally, he will present a couple of his songs and/or prose-poems.
 
Patrick Frank’s  On the Blue Ridge Line: A Collection of Country-Folk-Blues Lyrics, with an Exploration of the Creative Process, Beckoning Dove Press, Asheville, N.C., Soft cover–$12.50, Published through Amazon.

Event Cost: AIW Members, $10, and Nonmembers, $30. Reservations are required. To RSVP, call (202) 775-5150, or send an e-mail to rsvp@amerindywriters.org. Please mention the event for which you are responding and your membership status.

Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., food and beverage orders from 6:30 p.m.

Place: Irish Channel Restaurant & Pub, 500 H Street N.W., Washington, DC 20001,
(202) 216-0046

Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown on the Red, Yellow, and Green lines

REGISTER NOW!

• AIW Member Regular Registration Price: $10.00
• Nonmember Regular Registration Price: $30.00

After you make your selection, the shopping cart will appear for you to check out.

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AIW Seminar : Going Freelance, October 9, 2010

GOING FREELANCE: An all-day seminar on practical aspects of a freelance writing career. Jointly sponsored by Johns Hopkins University Masters of Arts in Writing program and American Independent Writers

When: Saturday, October 9, 2010

Where: The Johns Hopkins University
Bernstein-Offit Building
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036 (Lower-Level Conference Hall)

AIW Seminar : Going Freelance 

8:30-9:00 a.m. Registration and Continental breakfast

9:15-10:30 a.m. The Fundamentals of Freelance Business
Expert and experienced rate-setting, accounting, record-keeping, legal issues and tax basics

10:45-12 noon Finding Work and Networking in Commercial Writing
Freelance activity in the greater D.C. area often is producing annual reports, media releases, various communications materials and involves finding clients and networking with other writers

12:00-1:30 Lunch and Networking on your own

1:30-2:45 p.m. Marketing Your Creating Writing
You have learned and practiced writing fiction, short and long, narrative nonfiction; now how and where do you get it published

3:00-4:15 p.m. Blogs, social networking and other Web-based Writing
What is different about writing for blogs and how can you make sure that you are doing the very best work, how to use all the latest systems to connect with others.

REGISTER NOW!

AIW Member Regular Registration Price: $69.00

Nonmember Regular Registration Price: $99.00

Student Regular Registration Price: $39.00

After you make your selection, the shopping cart will appear below for you to check out.

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AIW Member News : September 2010

A new, revised edition of Kathy Borrus’ previous book (One Thousand Buildings of Paris) will be available in mid-September: Five Hundred Buildings of Paris, text by Kathy Borrus. Paperback , 608 pages, $19.95. Five hundred duotone photographs showcase the greatest buildings, monuments, and structures of Paris. Tour the City of Light neighborhood-by-neighborhood through its unique architecture. Information including the building’s name, its address and location, and year of completion or renovation is included underneath the image. A brief description of each building, which highlights its distinctive features and places it in historical context, is included at the back of the book.

The family of Isolde Chapin, the long-time former executive director
of WIW (predecessor to AIW), will host a memorial service honoring
Isolde at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 29 in Holeman Lounge of the
National Press Club (529 14th Street NW, at F Street NW, in DC).
Refreshments will be served after the service. Chapin served as
executive director of WIW for 21 years, growing the organization in
many ways. She died this past August on her 84th birthday.

Eileen Cronin will be reading at The Center for Fiction in New York City on September 30th at 7pm for Slice Magazine, a literary review founded by editors from Penguin and Hachette Books. (They accept fiction and nonfiction submissions online). Located in the old Mercantile Library, the center’s address is 17 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017 (212) 755-6710.

Heather Davis’ poem “The Astounding Circus of Dr. Tourette” was published on the Tuesday Poem Blog out of New Zealand at http://tuesdaypoem.blogspot.com/2010/08/astounding-circus-of-dr-tourette-by.html. Her poem “29 Men” is scheduled to appear in the Split This Rock poetry e-newsletter during the week of September 8. On September 3, she will be reading at the Shenandoah Arts Council in Winchester, VA.

Sue Eisenfeld is the recipient of the 2010 Goldfarb Family Fellowship for nonfiction writers at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, a two-week residency given annually to the top creative nonfiction applicant.

Solveig Eggerz will discuss the healing power of herbs and art as reflected in her novel Seal Woman. She’ll also pronounce the name of the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Saturday, October 9, 1 pm, National League of American Pen Women, DC Branch, Pen Arts Building, 1300 17th Street, NW, near Dupont Circle, http://www.nlapw-dc.org/calendar.shtml.

With the launch of Kathryn Johnson’s latest book, The Gentleman Poet: A Novel of Love, Danger, and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, September will be a busy month for her. She will be chatting with readers and writers at Border’s Books, at Friendship Heights on September 8 (see store’s website for times). On September 16, she speaks at the Library of Congress in the Mary Pickford Theater, for the “Mystery at Noon” program. Then on the 18th Mystery Loves Company bookstore in Oxford, Maryland will host a Wine & Cheese Reception in honor of the book’s launch. All Eastern Shore writers are invited to an impromptu industry discussion; bring your writing/publishing questions, or your tips! September 20, she will speak at George Mason University’s “Fall for the Book Festival”, outside the Johnson Center, 1:30-2:45. If you’re in the area for any of these events, stop by and say hello!

Brigette Langmade Polmar was just named a contributor to Southern Living Magazine: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Squeeze-It-In/Southern-Living/prweb4406604.htm. Here is the press release for Polmar’s new book, Washington, DC’s Most Wanted, that came out earlier this month, http://www.prweb.com/releases/washington_dcs/Most_wanted/prweb4354734.htm.

Phyllis Langton’s recently published book: View from the Bed/View from the Bedside, Heather Tosteson, Phyllis A. Langton, and Charles Brockett, Editors, Wising Up Press, ISBN 978-0-9827262-1-1, 296 pp.; ill, List Price: $20.00.

Barbara Lehman Smith will talk about her new book, Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones: The Artist Who Lived Twice, in Canton, MA on Sept. 30 at 7:30 pm as part of the Canton Public Library Speaker Series. The newly released biography tells the painter’s riveting story of going from the golden girl of the art world to an insane asylum patient and back again to glory in the 1940s. Smith, who gave her first reading in Baltimore in late August, also plans to visit Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and Portland, OR. as part of her book tour.

C.M. Mayo’s novel The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire will be published this month in Spanish translation by award-winning Mexican novelist Agustin Cadena as El último príncipe del Imperio Mexicano (Random House- Mondadori). Mayo’s poem for children, “People Who Pat Me, by Picadou” together with a short essay, appear in Karen Benke’s new anthology Rip the Page! Adventures in Creative Writing (Shamabala, 2010)

Nancy Rosenfeld Daly, www.nancyrdaly.com, has signed representation of her 4th nonfiction book with literary agent Paul S. Levine, whom she met during the June AIW conference. She also just launched a new interactive, global learning community called Unleash Your Inner Wisdom and Personal Power, using Facebook Page. The topic themes merge analytical thinking, intuitive instincts, brain science, and ancient tribal teachings. Go to http://www.facebook.com/unleashyourinnerwisdom, and click on “Like” at the top of page to participate.

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is among the presenters at “Finding Your Niche/
Expanding Your Horizons,” Oct. 1-2 in Rochester, NY, the fifth annual
Build Your Communications Business conference of Communication
Central, which she co-owns. AIW members are eligible for registration
discounts. Full details at:www.communication-central.com. Thaler-Carter also will be speaking on freelancing at the 2010 Heritage Region conference of the International Association of Business Communicators in Philadelphia, PA, in mid-October.

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AIW and Partners Workshop : WHAT CAN AN AGENT DO FOR YOU AS A WRITER?, Monday, September 27, 2010, 6:00—8:00 p.m.

Interested in learning what an agent can do for you as a writer? Curious about hot topics in publishing? Do contracts look like they’re written in a foreign language? Join us for an informative and informal evening with some of DC’s top literary agents. Following a networking reception in the Hillyer gallery, get answers to your questions about the publishing industry and working with an agent in an informative Q&A session with some of the areas top literary agents.  Light appetizers and beverages will be served.  Anticipated discussion topics include:
Selecting/pitching an agent, Do’s and don’ts of working with an agent, Tips for your first sale, Digital rights and e-publishing, and much more!

Cost: $10 for WALA, WRW, AIW, and IAA members; $15 for non-members

Location: International Arts & Artists Hillyer Gallery, 9 Hillyer Court, N.W., Washington, DC 20008

Metro: Dupont Circle

Register:  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/816272493?ref=ebtn

Detailed information on venue: www.artsandartists.org

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NEW YORK WRITERS WORKSHOP PITCH CONFERENCES HALF-PRICE SPECIAL FOR AMERICAN INDEPENDENT WRITERS MEMBERS

Non-Fiction Pitch Conference October 8-10 and Fiction Pitch Conference November 12-14, 2010.

Twice a year New York Writers Workshop offers three-day Pitch Conferences for writers of non-fiction. Participants refine pitches for their proposals or manuscripts, then meet with and pitch to three different editors from major New York publishing houses (Bantam Dell, Berkley Publishing Group, Dutton, Random House, Rodale, St. Martin’s Press, and others).

Before the conference begins, participants prepare drafts of their pitches that can be presented orally in about three minutes. The draft should include the book’s premise and hook, and the writer’s platform. Then:

Day 1:
Participants workshop their pitches with a workshop leader from New York Writers Workshop. Each participant reads his/her synopsis. The NYWW instructor provides guidance in revision for clarity, concision, and impact. The instructor also discusses, as appropriate, the realities of the publishing market. The rest of the group participates, as appropriate, and learns from each example.

Day Two:
Participants make two pitches to editors today. The first pitch is “public,” meaning participants pitch to an editor in the presence of their group. The public session is followed by a short Q&A with the editor. The second pitch is private, one-on-one with an editor, with an NYWW instructor present. Each pitch lasts approximately five minutes.

Day Three:
Today each participant makes one private pitch to an editor, again with an NYWW instructor present. The day wraps with a group conference with an NYWW instructor.

Regular price is $395, but now for AIW members only $200, thanks to newly elected AIW Board member Charles Salzberg, a founding member of the New York Writers Workshop, who has arranged the special pricing to encourage AIW members to make the trip to New York for the sessions.

Details are at the New York Writers Workshop website, www.newyorkwritersworkshop.com, and be sure to indicate that you are an AIW member when you register.

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Poet Kim Robert’s Upcoming Readings, Book Signings, Panels, and Tours

Kim Roberts is the editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly and the anthology Full Moon On K. Street: Poems About Washington DC (Plan B Press, 2010). She is the author of three books of poems, Animal Magnetism (Pearl Editions, 2011), The Kimnama (Vrzhu Press, 2007), and The Wishbone Galaxy (Washington Writers Publishing House, 1994), and the nonfiction chapbook Lip Smack: A History of Spoken Word in DC (Beltway Editions, 2010). Roberts has been featured in numerous anthologies, including Letters to the World (Red Hen Press), American Poetry: The Next Generation (Carnegie Mellon University Press), The Bedside Guide to No Tell Motel (No Tell Books), and The First Yes: Poems About Communicating (Dryad Press). She has published widely in literary journals throughout the US, as well as in Canada, Ireland, France, Brazil, and New Zealand. Her poems have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Mandarin.

Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Kim reads at the opening reception for “Poetic Art,” a group exhibition of collaborations between poets and visual artists. Kim served as one of three judges for the poems.
Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, VA. (703) 584-2946

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Book Release Party for Kim’s newest book, Lip Smack: A History of Spoken Word Poetry in DC (Beltway Editions). Part of The Humanities Council of Washington, DC 30th Anniversary Celebration and Grantee Showcase. Exhibits, readings, performances, and film, with an awards ceremony, and a champagne and cake reception.
Historical Society of Washington, Old Carnegie Library, Mount Vernon Square, DC. (202) 387-8391. Free, but reservations required.

Friday, September 24, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Book Release Reading for Lip Smack: A History of Spoken Word Poetry in DC (Beltway Editions) featuring Kim Roberts, with performances by Chris August, Twain Dooley, Gowri K, and Patrick Washington
15th Annual Baltimore Book Festival, Festival Stage, Mount Vernon Place, 600 block of North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD. Free.

Friday, September 24, 2010 at 6:30 pm
“Baltimore Celebrates Beltway Poetry”: a Beltway Poetry Quarterly Tenth Anniversary Reading . Featured readers TBA.
15th Annual Baltimore Book Festival, Festival Stage, Mount Vernon Place, 600 block of North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD. Free.

Monday, September 27, 2010, time TBD
Kim presents a talk on e-publishing, sponsored by the Gunpowder Branch of the National League of American Pen Women.
Location in Harford County, MD to be announced.

Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Capital BookFest
Beltway Poetry Quarterly hosts the panel, “Portraits of a City: Writing About the Urban Experience,” moderated by Kim Roberts, and featuring Kenneth Carroll, Fred Joiner, and stevenallenmay.
Borders Bookstore, The Boulevard at the Capital Centre, Arena Drive, Largo, MD. Free.

Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Kim participates in the panel “Washington: A Literary, Not Just a Political Capital,” with Gary Krist, Evan Thomas, and Mary Kay Zuravleff. Moderator: Marie Arana. Followed by book signing.
15th Annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Montgomery College, Theater Arts Building, Rockville, MD. Fees charged for day-long conference, which includes readings, panels, and workshops.

Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Sunday Kind of Love Series
Kim hosts a Beltway Poetry Tenth Anniversary reading featuring authors included in the anthology Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington DC. Featured authors: Abdul Ali, Paulette Beete, Natalie E. Illum, Alan King, and Maureen Thorson.
Busboys & Poets, 14th & V Streets NW, Historic U Street neighborhood, DC. (202) 387-POET. Free, but donations accepted.

Wednesday, November 17 at 7:00 pm
Kim hosts a Beltway Poetry Tenth Anniversary reading featuring authors included in the anthology Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington DC. Featured authors: Barbara Goldberg, Brandon D. Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, and Myra Sklarew.
DC Public Libraries, Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Branch Library, 1630 7th St. NW, at the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue, T Street, and 7th Street NW, DC. (202) 727-1288. (202) 727-1288. Free.

Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 2:00 pm
World AIDS Day reading from the anthology Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS. Kim reads along with editor Philip Clark, Dan Vera and Charles Jensen.
The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, MD (301) 654-8664. (301) 654-8664. Free.

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Iota Poetry Series, hosted by Miles David Moore
Kim hosts a Beltway Poetry Tenth Anniversary reading featuring authors included in the anthology Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington DC. Featured authors: Kwame Alexander, Francisco Aragón, Robert L. Giron, Kathi Morrison-Taylor, Jose Padua, and Richard Peabody.
Iota Restaurant and Bar, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Clarendon neighborhood, Arlington, VA. (703) 522-8340. (703) 522-8340. Free.

Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Sunday Kind of Love Series: Kim’s book release reading and party for Animal Magnetism, winner of the Pearl Poetry Prize.
Busboys & Poets, 14th & V Streets NW, Historic U Street neighborhood, DC. (202) 387-POET. Free, but donations accepted.

Also upcoming:
Participation in a panel, “Four by Four: Beltway Poetry Quarterly Celebrates the Poetic Lineage of the Capitol City,” at the 2011 AWP Conference, February 2011, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC. Kim will present on Georgia Douglas Johnson. Other presenters: Dan Vera on Sterling A. Brown, Brian Gilmore on May Miller, and Regie Cabico on Essex Hemphill. Moderated by Holly Bass. Fees charged for conference, which includes readings, panels, book fair.

For more information, visit Kim Robert’s web site, http://www.kimroberts.org/ 

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AIW President’s Report : August 2010

Dear Members,

Hope your August was sunny and fun, and you’re now back in the groove. I have several items to bring to your attention this month. More information will be available soon on all these events, but for now, here’s a brief heads up on what’s coming up:

–Our “Going Freelance” seminar is set for Oct. 9. Save the date!
This is a terrific seminar for both new and veteran freelancers, loaded with practical information on everything from rate-setting and query letters to taxes and marketing.

–We are happy to offer all AIW members a great new deal: half off the registration fee for two New York Writers Workshop pitch conferences.
The Non-Fiction Pitch conference will be held in October, and the Fiction Pitch Conference in November. While the regular registration fee for these conferences is $395, AIW members may participate for only $200.
This is the first year that AIW is partnering with the New York Writers Workshop for these exciting conferences. Both take place in Manhattan and should be well attended by agents.

­­–Speaking of agents, AIW is partnering with Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts for a new workshop on Sept. 27 at Dupont Circle’s Hillyer Gallery: “What Can an Agent Do for You?”

–Writer’s Happy Hour on Sept. 13 at Bravo Bravo. Don’t miss it!

­I must mention one of AIW’s sad-but-true realities: while we have a vibrant membership base and stellar programming, the sluggish economy has cut into a few of our key funding sources. Thus, we are considering a Century Club fund-raising campaign sometime in the fall.
In addition, it is vitally important that you complete and return the Author’s Coalition Survey you will soon be receiving in the mail. Our rate of response directly impacts our funding levels from this group.

In closing, let me reiterate my perpetual message: AIW needs you! Your ideas, your time, your involvement, and any other resources you may be able to offer. The more active you are, the stronger AIW will be.

Yours,

Mark Tarallo
President, AIW Board of Directors

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Writers Event : Writers Read: Family Matters, November 12, 2010

Family Matters: An Evening with Writers

Back by popular demand: the third annual “Writers Read” event returns to Borders this Fall. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with amazing writers in an inspiring setting—people like you who have profound stories to tell—as they explore “Family” with feeling and insight through the written word. November 12, 2010, 7 p.m., Borders Bookstore, 8027 Leesburg Pike, Ste. 100, Vienna, VA, 703.556.7766. Free (and free parking). Sponsored by Borders and Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Continuing Education

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WriterHouse Event: Mixing Journalism with Memoir, September 19, 2010

Mixing Journalism with Memoir: A Literary Salon with Fran Hawthorne, Sunday, September 19, 7pm, WriterHouse, 508 Dale Ave, Charlottesville.
Fran Hawthorne, award-winning author of The Overloaded Liberal: Shopping, Investing, Parenting and Other Daily Dilemmas in an Age of Political Activism (Beacon Press, 2010), will talk about how tackling a serious topic (like saving the earth) while writing intimately enough to create an enjoyable read can result in blurring the line between journalism and memoir. Hawthorne is a freelance reporter for the New York Times, Newsday, and The Scientist, with 20 years of journalism experience and four books to her credit. Free and open to the public. WriterHouse: 434-296-1922, www.writerhouse.org.

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AIW members are eligible for registration discounts for ”Finding Your Niche/Expanding Your Horizons,” the fifth annual “Build Your Communications Business” Conference

The early-bird deadline for the best registration rates for “Finding Your Niche/Expanding Your Horizons,” the fifth annual “Build Your Communications Business” of Communication Central, is September 1. AIW members are eligible for registration discounts for the the conference, to be held October 1-2, 2010, at the Staybridge Suites-Rochester University in Rochester, NY. 

Speakers and topics include Rich Adin on getting the rates you deserve; Michael Brady on building a brand through effective design; Bevi Chagnon on using Word to go to InDesign; Katharine O’Moore-Klopf on profiting from being online; Karl Heinz Kremer on using Acrobat in editing; Hilary Powers on setting up Word for editing; and Jack Lyon, Dan Wilson and Hilary in an unprecedented “Word Summit.” I’ll present a session on what it takes to start and manage a communications business, and Communication Central co-owner Kat Nagel will offer tips for effective websites.

Full details are at:
http://www.communication-central.com/

(The website may be down for a few days in the next week or so as it is converted to a new format; if that is the case, please feel free to contact Ruth E. Thaler-Carter directly with any questions at Ruth@writerruth.com or info@communication-central.com).

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