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 KWG Weekly Update
Keep up with events as they occur and watch for the
East Tennessee Writer every month!
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 | | Glenn Meade |
KWG News
Glenn Meade, Best-Seller Author of Thrillers, to Speak
at KWG Meeting Feb. 2
Don't miss the KWG meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, when Irish novelist and playwright Glenn Meade, author of eight internationally best-selling novels, will talk about his life as a writer and his book, "The Second Messiah" (Howard Books, 2011).
The meeting, which is open to the public, will be at the Laurel Theater at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 16th Streets in Fort Sanders. A $2 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible.
Mead's books are all international thrillers woven among both heart-stopping current events and recent history. His novel, "Resurrection Day" (Hodder Hb, 2002), seemed to predict the horrors of 9/11. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton recommended "Snow Wolf" (St. Martins, 1996) to the then-prime minister of Japan, who became a fan. It is a novel about a covert international plot to execute Joseph Stalin.
Meade and his wife, Kim, a doctor of pharmacy and a native of Speedwell, TN, live part of each year in Knoxville.
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Workshops
Lisa Soland
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Lisa Soland
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Wish you could perform as well as you write? Actress, playwright and director Lisa Soland will lead the workshop "Reading for Writers: How to Captivate Your Audience" from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Redeemer Church of Knoxville. Sponsored by the Knoxville Writers' Guild, cost is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. To register online, click here.
Or send your check to KWG Workshops, P.O. Box 10326, Knoxville TN 37939-0326.
"Book sales are often made alongside the success of impactful public readings," Soland said. "This is the platform where we as writers gain or lose our most important audience." Soland has produced and/ or directed more than 80 productions and play readings. Her comedy "Thread Count," produced last year at Pellissippi State, will be part of the anthology "The Best American Short Plays 2010/2011" by Applause Books. Her more than 35 publications include "Waiting," "Cabo San Lucas," "Truth Be Told," "The Man in the Gray Suit & Other Short Plays" and "The Name Game" by Samuel French Inc.
More info: click here.
Shawn Poynter, Dale Mackey
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Shawn Poynter, Dale Mackey
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Buffaloed by social media? KWG is offering help! On Saturday, Feb. 25, Dale Mackey and Shawn Poynter will lead a seminar that will introduce you to accessible tools for maintaining an online presence. You'll learn to use social media to grow your readership. The workshop will be from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Redeemer Church, 1642 Highland Avenue. Cost is $20 for members, 25 for nonmembers. To register, please click here.
Topics to be covered include: self branding, blogging, Facebook & Twitter, integrating media and shooting for the web. Dale Mackey currently works at Community Television of Knoxville and has worked as Outreach Coordinator for Appalshop Art and Media Center in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Shawn Poynter divides his time between freelance editorial and portraiture work and a full-time job at the Center for Rural Strategies, a nonprofit organization that makes creative use of media to improve life in small communities in the countryside and around the world. In 2010, Shawn and Dale founded Artistic License, an organization dedicated to fostering creative collaborations in the Knoxville community.
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Robert Pinsky
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Speakers
Poet Laureate Speaks
in Chattanooga
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky will speak Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Roland Hayes Auditorium at the Fine Arts Center, at Vine Street and Palmetto Street, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Benwood Foundation. Pinsky's first two terms as poet laureate were marked by such dynamism that the Library of Congress appointed him to an unprecedented third term. As Poet Laureate, Pinsky founded the Favorite Poem Project, in which thousands of Americans of varying backgrounds, ages, and locations, shared their favorite poems. Pinsky believed that poetry had a vigorous presence in the American cultural landscape. The anthology, "Americans' Favorite Poems" (W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition 1999), which includes letters from project participants, is in its eighteenth printing. Pinsky now teaches in the graduate writing program at Boston University. Romance Writer Speaks on Valentine's Day  | | Elysa Henricks |
On Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m., the Chattanooga Writers' Guild will host Romance Writer and speaker Elysa Hendricks at the downtown branch of the Public Library, 1001 Broad Street, Chattanooga. Hendricks will share hot tips on the craft of writing. Hendricks, who has published numerous titles and been a presenter a writers workshops across the nation, will talk about the use of craft to create a compelling genre novel, including: * Plot basics (how to use "GMC" and "Scene and Sequel); * Characterization (back story, dialogue and point-of-view); * Mechanics and grammar; * the all-important concept of Voice.
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Readings
Judith Duvall
Judith Duvall will read from "A Tapestry of Voices", the KWG Literary Anthology, at the Fountain City Library on Monday, Feb. 13, at 1 p.m. She will read as a guest of the FCGS Book Club. The public is invited. Call for Scripts  | | Trusty typewriter |
KWG's Screenwriters and Playwrights Subgroup ("Dramatic Writing Guildlet") announces an invitational writing program it is undertaking in association with TN Stage Co.'s New Play Festival. The Dramatic Writers Program is an invitational, themed, simultaneous dramatic writing exercise with pueblo readings of submitted scripts or works in progress. Knoxville Writers' Guild and Script Frenzy writers in the East Tennessee region are invited to submit scripts, or works in progress on the 2012 theme "Wrong Number". Any genre of script, in any literary style, of any length, written at any date, by the submitter(s) on this theme is valid. Imaginative interpretations of the theme are highly encouraged. Keep in mind, however, that your work is to be in the form of a dramatic script (story told through dialog). "Standard" formatting not necessary, as long as script is easily followed for reading. Every attempt will be made to have a public table reading for every such submission received by March 10, 2012. Later submissions may also be presented, depending on capacity. Submit a hardcopy by US Mail to: Wrong Number C/O Tennessee Stage Company P. O. Box 1186 Knoxville, TN 37901 Volunteer players for the table readings would be greatly appreciated! Info: Please contact Tom Parkhill at tennesseestage@comcast.net.
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Contests
In Partnership with the Rogers Foundation, Old Gray Cemetery announces its Second Annual Old Gray Cemetery Poetry Contest. Theme of the contest is "Portraits from the Past". The contest is open to East Tennessee residents only. There are two categories for submissions: Category One is for high school students 16 years or older. It offers 1st & 2nd prizes of $50 & $25 Category Two is for adults and offers 1st, 2nd, & 3rd prizes of $100, $75, & $50. Poems must be postmarked by March 23, 2012 and mailed to: Old Gray Cemetery P.O. Box 806 Knoxville, TN 37901 Winners will be invited to read their poems on Sunday, April 22, at 2 p.m at the Cemetery. Deborah Scaperoth is the 2012 Poetry Prize Judge. For more information, please visit http://www.oldgraycemetery.com/Site/Welcome.html Grant Fetters Grant Fetters again this year reached out to help the Knoxville Writers' Guild with a cash contribution of $250. The money was awarded by his employer, JTEKT, for having completed at least 50 hours of community service during the previous year. Grant was one of eighteen persons recognized for reaching out to the community. JTEKT president Craig Woodford announced that since the program began, more than 24,000 service hours have been logged by employees.
Grant's efforts helped the KWG in many ways. The monetary award was welcomed. His community service hours have been spent working with the guild, developing new writing groups in Maryville and Athens, and participating in events held by the Chattanooga Writers' Guild.
Grant is the author of Horace the Hopper, a children's book, and War Dreams, which has sold copies in England, Italy, and Germany, as well as the US. His story of writing in spite of dealing with dyslexia is inspiring. His dedication and contributions to KWG are equally inspiring, and the guild offers its thanks and appreciation to Grant Fetters work to improve it and its programs
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Upcoming Programs
 | | Enjoy our upcoming speakers! |
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January - Contest winners February - Glenn Meade, thriller writer
March - Chris Hebert, literary novelist
April - Poetry, speakers TBA
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Submit Your News!
Send your news of readings, writers and writers' events to the KWG Weekly Update, Kelly Norrell, webmistress, at norrellmedia@gmail.com, and to the East Tennessee Writer, Alison Miller, Editor, at mrs.hey.mom@gmail.com.
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 *Is your Guild membership current?
Life gets busy, and sometimes we forget. Please update your Guild membership and rejoin your Knoxville-area circle of writers, publishers, poets, and performers. To renew, please visit http://www.knoxvillewritersguild.org/orderpaypal.htmIf you are unsure about your membership status, please contact the Guild's Membership Coordinator. Click here.
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Disclaimer: As a service to members, KWG shares announcements of literary competitions and publishing opportunities. If you have any questions about the listings, please contact the sponsor. Unless specifically noted, these are not KWG-sponsored projects.
The Knoxville Writers' Guild meets the first Thursday of each month at the Laurel Theatre, 16 St. and Laurel Ave., Knoxville, TN at 7:00pm. For more information about the Guild, visit www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.
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