Women Who Write Director's Newsletter - February 2017
From Women Who Write ()
Dear WWW Members,
Valentine’s day is approaching with thoughts of hearts abounding. Join other members for the Feb. 15 workshop or the serenity of a Winter Writes. Mark your calendar for the April 1 interactive conference.
February Writers’ Workshop: Escape, Explore, Experience
Unlock memories in ways you may never have imagined. Join WWW member Bonnie Jean Feldkamp for the workshop: Emotional Honesty: How to Write Personal Experiences When Some of the Details Are Fuzzy. Learn how to write about personal experiences. Analyze published work, practice memory exercises, and explore techniques for writing life’s difficult and guarded moments. Discover how to write through fuzzy gaps, trusting what memories bubble up.
The workshop will be held on Wed., Feb. 15, at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 330 N. Hubbards Lane, Louisville, 40207, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Reserve seats by paying in advance at the Thurs., Feb. 2, WWW meeting at the Highlands Shelby Park Branch Library in Louisville. Fee is $10 for members; $20 for non-members. Only cash or checks are accepted. Payment will also be collected the day of the event. Parking is free. Email Debbie Chartoff at to reserve a spot. The event is limited to 40 participants. We thank Peggy Grimes for securing her church for the event.
Winter Writes
The first Winter Write hosted by Joan Dubay proved peaceful and productive. After two hours of quiet writing, we shared projects, manuscripts, and memoirs. The second Winter Write will be on Mon., Feb. 6, 9:30 a.m. to noon, at Debbie Chartoff’s home, 10538 Black Iron Road, Louisville 40291, between Fern Creek and Mt. Washington, 502-767-8346. Email Debbie at to reserve one of ten spots available. Debbie wants participants with allergies to know she has a cat. Joan Dubay graciously offered to host another Winter Write on Fri., Mar. 10, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Email Joan to reserve one of ten spots at . Charlotte Roth is hosting our first Spring Writes on Thurs., Apr. 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 6105 Orion Rd., 40222. Winter Writes and Spring Writes are member-only events.
The Kentucky Women’s Book Festival
Mark your calendar for Sat., Mar. 4, and The Kentucky Women's Book Festival. WWW is a sponsor for this event that WWW founder Rita Jones helped developed. Email WWW member Peggy Grimes, who helps coordinate the event, for more information at .
Spring Rejuvenation for Writers
Mark your calendar for April 1, 2017, for the sixth annual WWW writer’s conference: Spring Rejuvenation for Writers, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This year’s conference is interactive. Bring your current project, laptop, notes, and imagination. We will provide a quiet place to receive new inspiration. Writing prompts will stimulate your mind, and you’ll have opportunities to talk with published and not-quite-published writers.
The cost is $40 for WWW members, and $45 for non-members. Two structured workshops, Wi-Fi, and lunch are included. Nancy Gall-Clayton will help perfect dialogue, and Deirdre Scaggs shows how to research family trees through recipes. Space is limited to the first 50. See the WWW website for the schedule.
The event will be held at the Purdue Research Park, 3000 Technology Avenue, New Albany, Ind. The facility offers rooms made for writing. Tour the preserve’s unique characteristics, or explore at your leisure. The 44-acre natural setting has a 1¼-mile walking trail, four ponds, and native plantings.
Workshop 1: Let’s Talk: Writing Dialogue Across Genres. Dialogue is essential to fiction and memoir writing.
When done well, scenes sparkle and plots move forward. When done poorly, stories suffer. This workshop explores techniques for writing dialogue, no matter your genre.
Nancy Gall-Clayton tells stories using nothing but dialogue. In addition to plays, she uses dialogue in her fiction and non-fiction. Last year, the Looking for Lilith Theatre Company commissioned her to write I’m Wearing My Own Clothes!,a play inspired by the life of a female physician during the Civil War. She belongs to the Cherokee Roundtable, Dramatists Guild, and International Centre for Women Playwrights.
Workshop 2: From the Historic Kitchen to Yours: Crafting a Personal Narrative from Family Recipes.
Food unites us. Sharing meals around a table creates memories, carries tradition, and demonstrates customs. Explore what recipes reveal about your family. Learn techniques for researching recipes, and delve into the significance of printing food memories. Participants will learn cookbook research and create narratives about a family recipe.
Archivist, gardener, dinner party host, and photographer Deirdre A. Scaggs is the associate dean of the Special Collections Research Center and director of the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center at the University of Kentucky Libraries. She holds a Master’s of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University. She authored The Historic Kentucky Kitchen: Traditional Recipes for Today’s Cook and Women in Lexington, a pictorial history of women. Her grandmother cooked without recipes in rural Kentucky, and Deirdre learned the importance of shared meals, canning vegetables, and bacon grease. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her son Dean.
If you could help Terri Lindsey coordinate the food for the conference, please contact her at .
New WWW Board Members
At December’s meeting, we unanimously voted for Terri Lindsey to be the WWW Associate Director and Debbie Chartoff for Public Relations. We extend a grateful thank you to Cheri Powell and Jo Shipley who kindly answered our call for volunteers. They have helped with planning and writing. Merci!
Bring your writing to read at the next WWW meeting on Thurs., Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Jefferson County Free Public Library, 1250 Bardstown.
On a romantic note, 35 years ago this Valentine’s Day, my husband and I had our first date. I wish you all kinds of love and hope you are inspired to write.
