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“Two years ago, I attempted my first NaNoWriMo. With no previous writing experience, I pounded out a 60k word rough (very rough!) draft. A few months later I signed up for a class at WriterHouse. I learned so much, so quickly. Over the following months I took more classes and and refined my manuscript. A year later I submitted it to PitchWars, a highly competitive, international competition. Out of nearly 3000 applicants, 160 were chosen (including me!) to work one-on-one with a published author followed by a showcase with literary agents. I know the only reason I was able to go from a newbie writer to having interest from top literary agents in 18 months was because of the lessons I learned at WriterHouse. So thank you, WriterHouse! “–Emily Thiede, WriterHouse student and member
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Jefferson-Madison Regional Library and WriterHouse Poetry Contest
Join WriterHouse and the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library for our third annual poetry contest, judged by former Poet Laureate of Virginia, Ron Smith. One winner will receive a $200 Visa gift card, and one runner-up will receive a $100 Visa gift card compliments of the JMRL Friends of the Library and WriterHouse. Winners of this contest will be announced at Central Library’s Poetry on the Steps as part of JMRL’s Poem in Your Pocket Day celebration on Thursday, April 20th at 7pm. Winners…
Find out more »First Fridays Art Opening: Emma Brodeur & Emmanuel Ndenguebi-Essimi
Join us for wine, cheese and lively conversation as we celebrate the artwork of Emma Brodeur & Emmanuel Ndenguebi-Essimi. Abstract by Emma Brodeur About Emma: This show exhibits my abstractions in watercolor and charcoal. Sometimes, the medium catalyzes my explorations of a piece as I balance the division between familiarity and challenge. A bleeding watercolor smear, for example, gives leeway to undiscovered territory. Other times, external factors from the easel such as the folds of fabric or the measures of music allow…
Find out more »Write a Story in a Day Fiction Retreat (Only 4 Spots left!)
Instructor: BettyJoyce Nash $99 Members | $110 Nonmembers Sunday, 3/4/18 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Sometimes scenes we witness in restaurants, or on streets, buses, planes, and trains inspire us to think, “What a character! There’s a story—but what is it?” That’s up to you, fiction writer. But there’s no fiction without a character. Invite your imaginary protagonist to this daylong writing party—you don’t need to know them well. Bring a picture—from a magazine, newspaper, or (heh-heh) your own…
Find out more »Structure: The Key to Effective Storytelling
Instructor: Janet Martin $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 3/10/18 | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Aristotle defined story structure in 3 parts: beginning, middle, and end. But where do you begin? How do you shore up a sagging middle? And how do you mount tension to deliver a knockout ending? Get a handle on the importance of structure in this 3-hour seminar while in class you a create memorable story plot structure, as you learn techniques for where to begin…
Find out more »Festival of the Book Seminar: How to Get Started as a Writer (Session is Full!)
Instructor: Mark Edmundson Thursday, March 22, 2018| 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM FREE for Members and Nonmembers* This session will be held at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library and is limited to 25 participants *Must send RSVP email to programs@writerhouse.org to attend Have you ever thought about writing an essay or short story or even a novel but just didn't know how to get started? Or, maybe you started writing something but got stuck and now it is collecting dust. In…
Find out more »Festival of the Book Workshop: Insider’s Guide to Literary Agents (1 spot left!)
Instructor: Howard Yoon $60 Members | $75 Nonmembers Friday, March 23, 2018 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM *The location of this event has been changed to the Conference Room at Indoor Biotechnologies, 700 Harris Street (across from WriterHouse). Directions will be given onsite. You've written the next great American novel, but how marketable is your book and how do you find an agent who can be your champion? What are the secrets that no one tells you about finding an…
Find out more »Top 5 Mistakes First-Time Writers Make: A Brown Bag Lunch and Learn with Editor Jessica Hatch
April 3, 2018 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Free and Open to the Public This event will take place at New Dominion Bookshop Sometimes, it's hard to see the forest for the trees. In this interactive brown bag lunch & learn session, professional editor Jessica Hatch will uncover the "Top 5 Mistakes First-Time Writers Make" and take your completed manuscript from rough draft to polished prose. A post-presentation Q&A will be facilitated by WriterHouse Instructor Deborah Prum. Jessica Hatch…
Find out more »First Fridays April Art Opening: Karyn Gunther Smith
Join us for wine, cheese, and lively conversation as we celebrate the artwork of Karyn Gunther Smith. In addition to a studio practice, Karyn paints much of the time on location outdoors, where she is inspired by the changing qualities of light and atmosphere in the landscape, particularly around the sea and the Virginia mountains. Her work has been exhibited in several galleries in the Chesapeake Bay region, Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Karyn grew up in Wilmington,…
Find out more »Finding Your Voice/Structuring Your Nonfiction Work in Progress
Instructor: Elizabeth Howard $40 Members | $45 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/7/18 | 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Is your memoir, essay or non-fiction book better said in the first or third person? What point of view carries your intended emotional impact? How can you best focus and structure your story? How can you make your opening and developing thesis fully engage the reader? Students are asked to bring one page of their work illustrating the problem/question they would like to solve. The class will…
Find out more »Writing Your Family Story
Instructor: Jay Varner $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/14/18 | 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM Nonfiction author Philip Gerard says, "We write out of mystery, looking for an answer we don't have, trying to resolve what troubles us, to understand what seems beyond comprehension." Has any quote better encapsulated why we write about our family? Over a few hours, through writing exercises and group discussions about selected reading, we’ll come to understand how to approach what can be one of…
Find out more »WRITERHOUSE NEWS
Read the Winning Entries from the 2018 JMRL and WriterHouse Poetry Contest
We received an overwhelming response to this year's JMRL and WriterHouse Poetry Contest judged by former Virginia Poet Laureate Ron Smith. We'd like to congratulate winner Erin Wells for her poem "Nevertheless, Isabella Gibbons Reads" and co-runners-up Cynthia...
2018 Write On! Summer Camps Are Here!
Creative Writing Camp for Kids Session I: Monday-Friday, July 16-July 20, 2018 | 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Session II: Monday-Friday, July 23 – July 27, 2018 | 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. SESSION ONE CAMPS: Grades 6 - 8: Writing...
The Payoffs of Taking Risks When Writing for Children
Kathryn Erskine is the author of six children’s novels including National Book Award winner, Mockingbird, Jane Addams Peace Award honor book Seeing Red,and most recently, The Incredible Magic of Being, and the picture book, Mama Africa: How Miriam Makeba Spreads Hope...
