A street fair featuring artists, craftspeople, and self-published authors. Meet the authors and sign up to read your own work at Main Stage. Sign up at the Village Writing School tent at 112 North Main.
Sometimes we think we glimpse a problem, but we can't nail it down.
If you have tried to register for a workshop & received a message that the workshop was full or that your registration could not be completed, please email Alison.
Tell her which workshop and what you remember about the message.
And in the future, don't take "no" for an answer. If a workshop is full, we will note that immediately on the homepage.
If you can't register, it may be that gremlin at work. Please feel free to email us or phone.
Do You Love Graphic Design?
We are looking for a volunteer to create some simple graphics for us.
Here's a great way to support our mission and express your creativity.
I should be writing about PUBLISH!! this week, but I'm too excited about our new mentoring program. One of our Board members observed, "I think we do a great job with workshops, and we have an awesome community in Eureka Springs, but how well are we keeping people writing?" The result of our three-hour brainstorming was our new mentoring program called WRiT, which stands for WRitten in Two. Modeled on the popular low-residency MFA programs, WRiT is a serious track to help you produce a publishable manuscript in two years. Here are the specifics:
All WRiTersmust have completed the five core curriculum workshops in our series Everything You Need to Write a Beautiful Story. These are offered continuously in Bentonville, Maumelle, and Eureka Springs.
Each participant of the WRiT program will select a mentor to work with him for the course of his book-length project, which can be a novel, collection of short stories, creative nonfiction, memoir, or poetry collection. We will have a roster of mentors with various levels of expertise (PhD, MFA, successful publication, etc.) Participants may choose their mentor based on bios, writing samples, and interviews.
Each month, WRiTers. . .what? WRITE! Imagine that! 20-30 pages minimum. As I said, this is a serious track. But do the math. If you want to complete a book—not just talk about it—you have to show up and do the work.
WRiT participants will pay a per page rate of $2.50 to $3.50, depending on the level of expertise of the mentor. So, for as little as $50 per month—the cost of one workshop—you can have 20 pages of your work reviewed every month. Again, if you're serious about writing a decent book, you may have to make some sacrifices. (We have some financial aid available, and we love to barter.) This is by far the most affordable way to get truly useful feedback on your writing.
The WRiT mentor will mark up your manuscript with thoughtful, helpful, supportive comments to keep you on track and help you apply what you learned in those workshops to your own work. Participants will also have a phone conference with their mentors at least once a month.
We realize this program is not for everyone. We love our writers who are on a slower track and enjoy the energy and support they pour into our school.
But we want to encourage our serious writers who just aren't sure what to do once those workshops are over.
Now you can have a plan and an experienced mentor whose goal is to help you produce the best possible book.
In two years.
If that sounds good to you, then WriT may be RIGHT for you.
May's Theme - Stupid Cupid $10 entry fee; hundreds of dollars in fabulous prizes
Love gone wrong, dates gone wrong, bogus betrothals,
runaway brides (or grooms), etc.
B o o k s On WritingIn Our Library
The Appropriate Word
Finding the Best Way to Say What You Mean
by J.N. Hook What’s the difference between courteous and polite?
How about naked and nude?
Helpful definitions of thousands of words to help you choose the right one.
-- Nancy Harris, VWS Librarian
W e bOn Writing
The Book Designer
Lots of publishing and marketing advice for indy authors.
All sorrows can be borne if
you put them in a story or
tell a story about them.
-- Isak Dinesen
Meet a Village Writer Clover Danos
Clover is a fourteen-year-old student at Eureka Springs Middle School who has already written a book! Her novel, working title "Mystery of the Witch," is about blind Sorrel. "In a world full of strange creatures, magic, mystery, and traitors, Sorrel finds friends and enemies." Clover attends our Monday night class and will accompany Alison to pick up well-known author Tess Gerritsen for Books in Bloom. Clover is an amazing young woman, and we are so excited to encourage her talent.
Eureka Springs Rogers/Bentonville Fayetteville Little Rock Maumelle
HELP NEEDED !
For Saturday
We need to borrow a few folding tables (4, 6, or 8 feet)
We need to borrow some coolers to ice drinks.
We could use a few more volunteers to bake sellable snacks such as cookies or brownies.
We also need local volunteers able to help set up and take down tables at the following times: Saturday 7:30 a.m. and Saturday evening 7-ish.
Email Alison if you can help us out.
Village Writer Jessie Rex will appear in a staged reading of Lying in Judgement by local playwright Tom Gorsuch. Joe Watts of the OZ-arks Drama Club will direct an all-local cast in this drama with a comically irreverent twist.
SUNDAY MAY 31st at 3:00 pm
Eureka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship - 17 Elk Street $5 cash at the door.
Reservations recommended: ahop222@gmail.com or 479-253-4008
.
TEAM WORK!
We are shifting roles at the VWS to better utilize our staff's multiple talents.
Kenzie is teaching in Eureka Springs and helping in our development through social media. She is also creating a series of workshops that we can offer to libraries.
Alison will begin teaching the Rogers/Bentonville workshops in June.
Village Writer Gail Larimer has volunteered to write our press releases. A HUGE thanks to Gail!
Little Free Library Goes UP!
Our man Ivan installs the LFL near the Carnegie PublicLibrary. Thanks so much to Eureka Springs Parks & Recreation for their support.
A few of the proud Village Writers who showed up for the event.
Us
Cutting the teeny ribbon with Jackie Wolven (right) Eureka Springs Downtown Network
If you need help or have any questions, email Jessie HERE
May 14- NOWriters' Night Out this week. May 15-17- Publishing Retreat and Books in Bloom May 18 - Weekly Writing Classes - 6-8
May 21 - Writers' Night Out - 5-7
The MISSION of the Village Writing School is to foster a vibrant literary community in Arkansas and
to provide resources for ALL writers who seek to improve their craft.
Become a FRIEND of the Village Writing School
Donate as Little as $10 per Month
WE GROW THROUGH YOUR SUPPORT
THANK YOU TO OUR 2015 FRIENDS: David Auemheimer, Tandy Belt, Wendy and David Carlisle, Jean Elderwind,Crow Evans, Alice French, Valerie Fondetti, Linda Harrison-Gracia, John & Nancy Grosella, Gary Guinn,Nancy Harris, Kate Lacy, Shirley Lamberson, Judith McCartan, Richard Schoe, Shiva Shanti, Greg Sherar, Cris Senseman, Judith Ulch,
Brent Wendling
The Village Writing School is a 501c3 organization.
You are receiving this email because you asked to be kept informed about writing workshops and coming events.
Publisher: Alison Taylor-Brown
Editors: Alice French & Jessie Rex
Meet a Village Writer
