WV Writers, Inc. will hold its annual fall conference on November 16, 2019 from 10AM – 3PM at the Parkersburg Wood County Library in Parkersburg, W.Va. I’ll be attending.
Here’s a list of the scheduled presentations:
Marsha Blevins:
Building an Author Platform Before You Are Published
An overview of what an author platform is, why you need one, and how to build one even if you aren’t published. (A basic understanding of social media is helpful for this workshop.
Kathryn McClead:
Blazing a New Trail
This workshop will detail how one person got off the rusty, rat wheel to reinvent herself as an author. It will share one emerging author’s personal story—or at least, her “so far.”
Cat Pleska:
The Magic of Memoir
Remember those magic moments? When the stars collided, when the earth moved, when the moon fell from the sky into your hands? Well, maybe nothing so dramatic, but we have magic moments in our lives when we are astounded or changed. Sometimes, these moments defy our belief as to just how it happened. In this workshop, we’ll explore our magic moments, reflect on them, and figure out what they really mean.
The Hermit Crab Essay
Remember those funky little marine creatures, hermit crabs? They are notorious for fitting themselves into any object into which they can make a home, decorate, cook a few meals and otherwise snooze in comfort. In this workshop, we’ll make like the hermit crab and fit our essays into an unusual form, such as a recipe, a memo, a Facebook post, a bill, or a marriage license. Let’s explore and find a fine new house for our prose.
Shelby Rhodes:
Craftsmanship in Writing Parts I and II
An interactive workshop in which participants will learn concepts which will help them make readers want to read on. We’ll talk about some ways to sharpen your skills and grab your audience’s attention. For beginning writers who are just learning their craft, or for veteran writers who want some reinforcement.
Carter Seaton:
The Role of Research
In this workshop, you will learn how to do research effectively.
Questions, Questions, Questions
This will instruct you in the way to walk your character through the fictional plot.
Sherrell Wigal:
Poet to Poet – Courting the Poetry Muse
This workshop will focus on tricks for bringing your Muse to the desk when you are ready to write and will feature timed hands-on writing exercises along with group discussion and sharing.
Poet to Poet – Keeping the Poetry Muse Active
This workshop will feature timed, hands-on writing exercises, and techniques to take with them to keep the poetry muse active in their writing along with discussion and sharing of drafts created in the workshop.
Ally Wharton:
The Lost Art of Listening
The founder of the nationally recognized and award-winning StoryCorps storytelling series claims that listening to the stories of others is a sort of service, and refers to listening as “an act of love.” In this interactive workshop, you will be paired with a stranger, and learn and complete a three-step interview process with your partner after being taught techniques to help both them and you, tell your stories together, and heal through listening and storytelling.
Appalachia Bites Back: Combatting Historical, Cultural, and Literary Stereotypes Through Writing
The Beverly Hillbillies. Deliverance. Hillbilly Elegy. The so-called violent, backwards, hillbilly stereotype looms over Appalachia like a dark cloud- but why? In this two-part workshop, history student Ally Wharton will go over a brief history of Appalachia, tracking specific moments in our history that contribute to the misconceptions of the region and explain why and how this stereotype has remained prominent. We will then turn to the work of various authors in different genres combatting this stereotype, learning how to use ideas set forth in these pieces to brainstorm and discuss the processes of incorporating elements of social change into our own writing to help combat the world’s perception of our home.
Michael Connick 