Fostering
appreciation of the written word, supporting and educating its
creators.
Now
you can register and pay for workshops
online using
PayPal!
Workshops
All programs partially supported by a grant from
the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
To avoid the
disappointment of cancelled workshops don't wait until the last minute
to sign up.
If we do not have registered a minimum number of
participants the workshop will be cancelled.
The Midwest
Writing Center reserves the right to cancel any program
with insufficient enrollment.
If a class is cancelled a
full refund will be issued to those registered in the
program. Photos are
sometimes taken of participants in
our workshops, classes, or events. These photos are for
Midwest Writing Center use only and may be used on our
website, brochures, pamphlets, or flyers.
Upcoming
Workshops
March
13 - April 17
"Basics
for Beginners"
This workshop is for the novice to
intermediate writer of any genre who desires
to strengthen a fundamental foundation for
his or her writing practice. Elements of
voice, style, precision, technique, and
research, along with customizing a writing
environment, will be explored. The workshop
is offered online.
Course Learning Objectives:
-Explore the conventions of a creative
writing practice
-Discuss systematic methods for observation
and research
-Develop awareness of voice, style,
precision and technique
-Establish a customized creative writing
environment
Online:
Saturday, March 13 thru Saturday, April 17
$75 Non-members; $65
Members
Instructor Biography:
Robin
Throne’s poetry, creative nonfiction and
research have appeared in several literary
and academic publications. She holds a
master’s degree in English/creative writing,
a doctorate in educational research, and
teaches writing and research at the
undergraduate and graduate levels. She has
developed distance education programs for
higher education since 1997. This year, she
received an NISOD teaching excellence award
(nominated by Ashford University).
Note: Members - Please call the Center to receive your $10 discount. A check
will be issued to you after we confirm your active member status.
March 6
Pen-in-Hand
mini-conference
8:30 - 10:15 a.m.
“The Page as Visual Art”
with poet, Kristin Abraham This workshop will explore writing visually (writing that
attempts to enact on the page—visually, spatially, viscerally,
aurally—strategies used in visual art). We will focus on what exists in the “white space” of a text, and how spatial
arrangement can contribute visually to the meaning of the text.
Participants will be
asked to create “altered” texts and experiment with the visual aspects of the
page in their own writing.
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.
BREAK
10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
“Fiction as Dream” with Matt VanderMeulen
Do
you like writing that has a “surreal” quality? Ever wonder how you can
make your dreams seem real on the page? Writers have a knack for making the strange seem plausible and creating vivid, illusory worlds in which
their readers can become lost. The same sensual intensity present
in dreams can exist in the real lives of your characters. After all, the
most intense dreams are the ones that seem the most real. This
workshop
will explore how to make the surreal seem like reality, and practice making
reality as brilliant and vivacious as dream.
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
LUNCH (on your own)
1:15 – 3:00 p.m.
“Big Profits on a Shoestring Budget”
with Jane Reinhardt-Martin and Michael Martin Author Jane Reinhardt-Martin and her husband
Michael share their self-publishing story and marketing secrets that have helped
them sell over
100,000 copies of their two books, Flax Your Way to Better Health and The
Amazing Flax Cookbook. Tips shared will include:
How to self publish – Tricks of the trade
Pricing Guidelines
Distributors /Wholesalers and Retailers
Get it in Print, Editors, Typesetters and Printers
Amazon – Friend or Foe
This husband and wife team
offers up practical, hands on advice, drawing from their 9 years in the
publishing business.
1:15 – 3:00 p.m.
"Building the Image” with
poet, Ryan Collins
*For middle school students only* Most good writing of any kind starts with an
image. How we build images in our work is often the most direct way
writers
begin to develop their style or voice. In this workshop we will look at
different ways poets build images in their work, what
effects are achieved by these different approaches and how we can translate
those techniques into our own work.
3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
BREAK
3:15 – 5:00 p.m.
“Publishing, Self-publishing and Otherwise”
with publisher Bruce Carlson Get tips from a writer/self –publisher/ publisher /consultant
on what to do, why to do it and how to do it… along with
recommendations on what not to do.
Register by February 28
for an early bird discount:
$20 per, or $60 for
all four workshops.
After February 28
the fee is $25 per, or $75
for all four workshops.
Extra goodies With your registration, you’ll receive light refreshments,
free parking and a great learning experience.
Cecil Murphey
presents "Why Can't YOU Be An Extraordinary
Writer?"
1-3 p.m.
$20 per person
Murphey, co-author of New
York Times bestselling book, 90 Minutes in
Heaven, will unveil the difference better a
writer who
sells a thousand copies of a book and one
who sells a million. What qualities separate
them? If talent isn't the reason, what does it take? Find out at this MWC workshop!
April 15
John Price
presents "The Nature of Childhood" 1-3 p.m.
Children enjoy an especially close
connection with nature. Through observation
and imagination, they will often transform a
corner of the back yard or a drainage ditch
or a sidewalk crack into a wonderland of
mysterious creatures and high adventure. For some of us, nature also provided an essential escape from childhood
worries. In this creative nonfiction
workshop,
participants will be invited to discuss and
write about the natural areas, large and
small, that enriched their own childhoods.
What do these youthful encounters have to
teach us in the present about the
significance of nature for ourselves and
others?
Ellen Tsagaris
presents, Writing Your Memoirs: We all have
an Interesting
life story to tell!
Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members
In this course
we will explore the genre of memoir. We
will review the works of writers who have
written about ordinary events in their lives
which have inspired them in order to see
that our own lives contain many meaningful
experiences that will serve as inspiration
for our own writing. Students will sample
three varied techniques that will show them
how to take their life experiences to create
a memoir to record their events. Students
will receive a packet of materials, samples,
and other resources to help them continue
with their project once they complete this
class. Students will discuss classifying
and organizing events and collecting
artifacts and photos that will help them in
their project. They will also be encouraged
to discuss and reflect on the significance
of remembered events and to keep a notebook
of their thoughts and feelings. The
instructor will share examples of memoir
that she has taught and created in order in
inspire the class. By the end of the
session, students will have drafted and
introduction and set of notes or outline to
help them begin their Memoirs.
Topics covered
include:
Defining a Memoir,
compare and contrast with biography and
autobiography
What is an epiphany?
What is a significant event to you and
why?
Using treasured
objects as catalysts
Writing around a
photo, or using illustration
Using favorite
recipes or patterns to tell stories
Organizing events
around:
Stages of life:
infancy/childhood;
adolescence/adulthood/family
life/professional life
Major life events
Holidays and
family/friend gatherings
Emblematic
moments
Audience
Ellen M. Tsagaris
received her Ph.D. in Modern British
Literature from Southern Illinois University
at Carbondale. She holds an MA in English
and J.D. from the University of Iowa, and
received her B.A. in English and Spanish
from Augustana College. She was born in
Athens, Greece and has traveled all over the
world. She has published over 100 articles
in scholarly and mainstream magazines and
has worked as a journalist. She writes
books about Barbara Pym, antiques, law, and
Anne Rice. She teaches writing at a small
university and also teaches law, literature,
religion Spanish criminal justice and
history.
October 29
Bobbie Christensen
presents, Publishing & Marketing Your 1st
Book (or 7th)
5-8 p.m.
$35 before October 7/ $40 after October 7
(price includes $15 material fee)
Learn how to
submit your work to a publisher or
self-publish and keep the profits, plus all
about POD’s, ebooks, etc.
Includes all forms, contracts, samples, etc. “Every minute was packed
with specific information that I really
needed…even though I have an extensive
background in marketing, I learned a LOT
about effective marketing…invaluable.”
(DeeAnn Merriman, Carrollton, TX)
Learn Bobbie’s proven-to-succeed 6-step
marketing plan including how to make a
profit before your book is even printed,
setting up book signings for maximum sales, setting up and presenting seminars that
will get rave reviews, writing news
releases, and much more.
Bobbie Christensen had her first short story
published when she was 16 years old. She
has been writing ever since.
Bobbie did free-lance work for over 30 years
before switching to full-length books in
1995. She currently has 12 published
books including best-sellers and
award-winners and is currently working on
four new ones. She and her husband of over
25 years, Eric, spend up to 6 months each
year presenting seminars on their books
nation-wide, however, their home
(and extensive gardens) are in California.
You will also hear her on over 100 radio/TV
shows each year.
For information on their classes and books,
call 1-800-929-7889 or email
ELPBooks@aol.com or go to
www.BooksAmerica.com/ELPBooks.
