WriterHouse Blogs

J. Robert Lennon tells the truth about writers in the LA Times:

Ask a writer what she values most in her creative life, and she is likely to respond, “Time to write.” Not many of us have the luxury of writing full-time; we have spouses, families, day jobs. To the people closest to the writer, “writing time” may seem like so much self-indulgence: Why should we get to sit around thinking all day? Normal people don’t require hour after continuous hour of solitude and silence. Normal people can be flexible.

And yet, we writers tell our friends and children, there is nothing more sacrosanct, more vital to our intellectual and emotional well-being, than writing time. But we writers have a secret.

We don’t spend much time writing.

There. It’s out. For more about our dirty little secret, click on over.

The WriterHouse Yard Sale has been cancelled, but check out these other events coming up in the next few days:

WRITERHOUSE PUBLIC EVENTS

»NEW—Just added to the calendar—Getting Published: How to Stand Out from the Crowd—Wednesday, June 24, 7pm -Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, returns to WriterHouse to discuss the importance of a planned approach to pitching your work and suggestions to help you get noticed. Her book, new in paperback, will be available for sale and signing.

»Summer Session Open House and Instructor reading, Sunday, June 28, 7 pm—Instructors for the summer session will read from their work. Afterward, prospective students will have a chance to ask questions, tour the house, and meet instructors and other writers.

»WriterHouse Yard Sale, Saturday, June 27, 7am-2pm, WH parking lot—Please bring your donation items to WriterHouse between June 7 and June 25, during open hours. We’re also looking for volunteers for Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th to help with pricing, set up, sales and tear down. To volunteer, please contact Catherine at catcoicrit@earthlink.net.

»Summer Session Open House and Instructor reading, Sunday, June 28, 7 pm—Instructors for the summer session will read from their work. Afterward, prospective students will have a chance to ask questions, tour the house, and meet instructors and other writers.

WRITERHOUSE PUBLIC EVENTS

»TOMORROW NIGHT: Unveiling Iranian Women Writers in America with UVA Professor Farzaneh Milani, Friday June 5, 7:00 pm. UVA Professor Farzaneh Milani discusses the recent flowering of Iranian women’s memoirs in English in the context of modern Iranian literature and society, and the rich complexity of Iranian women’s experience.Farzaneh Milani is the author of “Veils and Words: The Emerging Voice of Iranian Women Writers.” She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, Ms. Magazine, USA Today, and N.P.R.’s “All Things Considered.”

»An Evening of Student Readings, Monday, June 15, 7:30 pm. WriterHouse Spring Session students from all classes will present brief samples of their work. So far, readers include Gary Johnson, Polly Lazaron, Heather Michon, Laurel Moore, Mary Patricia Moynihan, and Jean Sampson.

»Getting Published in the Children’s and YA Markets: A Cinderella Story, An Overview, and Specific Suggestions, with WriterHouse member Fran Cannon Slayton, author of the forthcoming YA novel, When the Whistle Blows. Tuesday, June 16th, 7:30pm, WriterHouse. Free and open to the public. Copies of Fran’s book will be available for purchase and signing.

Member Spotlight

»Christy Strick’s prize-winning short story, “Just Like Family” is in this week’s issue of The Hook. Congrats again, Christy!

»Judy Longley’s poetry class was mentioned in an article on poetry in the current issue of Cville Weekly.

Volunteers urgently Needed!

»Fridays After Five, June 12—WriterHouse urgently needs volunteers for “Fridays After Five” on June 12 ( also July 31, September 4). Sign up on our website. Make money for WriterHouse while you listen to music. What could be better? Non-members over 18 years of age welcome!

WriterHouse Public Events

»Unveiling Iranian Women Writers in America with UVA Professor Farzaneh Milani, Friday June 5, 7:00 pm. UVA Professor Farzaneh Milani discusses the recent flowering of Iranian women’s memoirs in English in the context of modern Iranian literature and society, and the rich complexity of Iranian women’s experience.Farzaneh Milani is the author of “Veils and Words: The Emerging Voice of Iranian Women Writers.” She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, Ms. Magazine, USA Today, and N.P.R.’s “All Things Considered.”

»An Evening of Student Readings, Monday, June 15, 7:30 pm. WriterHouse Spring Session students from all classes will present brief samples of their work

»Getting Published in the Children’s and YA Markets: A Cinderella Story, An Overview, and Specific Suggestions, with WriterHouse member Fran Cannon Slayton, author of the forthcoming YA novel, When the Whistle Blows. Tuesday, June 16th, 7:30pm, WriterHouse. Free and open to the public. Copies of Fran’s book will be available for purchase and signing.

Today’s Washington Post Style section devotes nearly a full page to Jen Sorensen and Slowpoke. Jen was WriterHouse’s first guest when her book One Nation, Oh My God came out, and everyone in Charlottesville knows her insightful and incisive comics from C-Ville Weekly. Check out the comic and the interview. Well done, Jen!

Board members Catherine Crittenden, Elizabeth McCullough, and Rachel Unkefer, playing as “The Team Formerly Known As The CHERCH Ladies,” took third place in the 2009 Wordplay competition. Way to go, ladies!

WriterHouse Presents a Poetry and Story Double-Header, Friday, May 1, 8pm at WriterHouse

Join award-winning Washington DC poet Brandel France de Bravo and local poet, singer and monodramatist Browning Porter for a double-header of poetry and story. Brandel France de Bravo’s poetry has appeared in Fugue, The Kenyon Review, Black Warrior Review, and The American Voice, and she has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in Poetry. Browning Porter is a WriterHouse member known for writing and performing monologues in many local venues. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

The Saturday Fiction workshop starts Saturday, May 2nd. There are still spaces, so sign up now. Kristen-Paige Madonia, instructor for this popular workshop, will just be back from a month of working on her novel at a writer’s colony. Details and registration.

If you’ve been thinking of becoming a WriterHouse member, NOW is the time to do it. Our members-only anniversary party (featuring member readings) is coming up in two weeks. Join before May 10 and guarantee yourself an invitation to the festivities.

Bella Stander’s popular seminar will be offered at WriterHouse in conjunction with the VA Festival of the Book on Friday morning, March 20th. This is for commercially-published authors or those who already have an agent or a book contract from a publisher. It is not for self-published authors. Register now, as the seminar is limited to 12 attendees. Full details on the WriterHouse website.

The Cville participants for National Novel Writing Month now have their own blog. If you’re a participant or just want to follow along with the fun, check it out!