COVID-19 Suspension
Notice. All Village Writers' Club events and activities are suspended until further notice, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. To learn more about future plans, send an email message to: vwc.newsletter@gmail.com.
2019-2020 Schedule
The tentative schedule for the Village Writers' Club 2019-2020 Club year is as follows (nonmembers, please return here to verify before attending meetings):
| Date & Time | 2019-2020 Village Writers' Club Meeting & Event Calendar |
|
November 18, 2029
|
Late afternoon wine & hors d'ouvres reception and read-around (to be hosted by a Member; Members will be notified of specific time and address)
|
|
December 2, 2019, 1:00 p.m., DeSoto Club (back room)
|
Point of View (POV) Workshop: What is POV and How Do You Keep It Consistent? [John Swinburn]
|
|
January 6, 2020, 1:00 p.m., DeSoto Club (back room)
|
Writing Techniques Workshop (Part I) [Suzanne Bratcher]
|
|
January 20, 2020
|
To be announced
|
|
February 3, 2020, 1:00 p.m., DeSoto Club (back room)
|
Writing Techniques Workshop (Part II) [Suzanne Bratcher]
|
|
February 17, 2020
|
Marriage of the Muses: Art-Inspired Writing Workshop (to be hosted by a Member; Members will be notified of specific time and address)
|
|
March 2, 2020 1:00 p.m., DeSoto Club (back room)
|
Realism in Writing Workshop [Jerry Schutz]
|
|
March 16, 2020
|
Pot Luck Luncheon and Read-Around (to be hosted by a Member; Members will be notified of specific time and address)
|
|
April 6, 2020
|
Arts in the Park Events in Downtown Hot Springs (details to be announced when available)
|
|
April 20, 2020
|
Pot Luck Luncheon and Read-Around (to be hosted by a Member; Members will be notified of specific time and address)
|
|
May 4, 2020
|
Marriage of the Muses: Art-Inspired Writing Workshop (to be hosted by a Member; Members will be notified of specific time and address)
|
|
May 19, 2020
|
Pot Luck Luncheon and Read-Around (to be hosted by a Member; Members will be notified of specific time and address)
|
|
June-August
|
Unless otherwise announced, the Village Writers' Club will be on a 3-month summer hiatus
|
Club Anthology Published!
A collection of short stories, excerpts from novels, vignettes of memoirs, poems, and other writing of members of the Village Writers' Club has been published. The compilation, entitled Tree Stumps and Toadstools: An Anthology, includes works inspired by Village artist Bill Ohlsen, who painted the art that graces the cover of the anthology. Ohlsen's art also is included alongside several pieces of writing inspired by his work. Most of the writers whose work is included in the anthology offered several submissions:
Suzanne Bratcher
M.C. Gore
Lee Iafrate
Marlene Kloack
Carole Ohlsen
John Swinburn
Brenda Tirrell
Joel Unowsky
VWC Getting Back in the Groove!
After a summer hiatus, the Village Writers' Club will kick off the new club year soon. Please join us! Whether you are an experienced writer or simply want to get encouragement as you begin to write, the Village Writers' Club welcomes you. Let us know of your interest by sending an email to vwc.newsletter@gmail.com. We'll let you know the address where we'll meet shortly before the meeting date. We'll collect the $30 annual dues if you wish to join/renew your membership, as well, for the 2019-2020 club year (cash or check only).
L'Audible Art! Monday, May 14, 1:00 p.m.
These are just three of the Hot Springs Village Writers who will read their work on Monday, May 14 at 1:00 p.m. for the annual L'Audible Art program. Join an audience of readers and a group of writers who will share just a bit of their writing with an appreciative audience. We' offer free wine, free munchies, and a chance to listen to some spell-binding short stories and poetry. Plus, after the readings, published authors, members of the Village Writers' Club, will offer copies of their latest works and will be available to autograph their books. In addition, other writers will be available to talk about what , how, and why they write. If you're a fan of reading or a writer with an interest in what's going on with local writers or both, join us! Here are details of what, when, where, and why:
What: L'Audible Art, the annual program of writers reading their work
When: Monday, May 14, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Where: Coronado Community Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Hot Springs Village, AR
Why: Because it's literature! It's art! It's fun to hear people read and to talk to and hear from writers!
Join us!
Marriage of the Muses! Join us on April 9!
Our Monday, April 9, event at Carole Ohlsen’s house promises to be fun, relaxed, and insightful. Come prepared to enjoy relaxed conversation and be ready to view a tremendous collection of art! Pick a piece (or two) that strikes you and sit down to write a story (or a poem) about it! Because this will be in Carole's home, attendance will be limited and interested persons must notify Carole in advance (email to cboh119@suddenlink.net) of their interest in attending.
L'Audible Art!
Practice for L'Audible Art is just around the corner! We'll read our work for practice and timing during the April 23 Village Writers' Club meeting at Coronado Center. Then, on May 14, the Village will be there to be entertained by our talented members! Make your plans to attend May 14! It's going to be a blast!
A Little Something for Aspiring Playwrights
Marriage of the Muses! February 5
Our February 5, Monday at Carole Ohlsen’s house, Marriage of the Muses, was fun, relaxed, and insightful. Carole Ohlsen hosted an afternoon at her home where a group of participants viewed original artwork and began to write (and in some cases finished) a piece inspired by one of the works. Another Marriage of the Muses event on April 9. Like the February 5 event, attendance will be limited and interested persons must notify Carole in advance of their interest in attending.
January 22 Village Writers' Club Meeting: Secrets of Writing Powerful Dialogue!
John Swinburn, smiling broadly
We had a a good turnout on Monday, January 22 for our craft development conversation and exercise on the Secrets of Writing Powerful Dialogue. Thanks to all who attended the workshop. Wasn't the size just about perfect? We were able to squeeze around two tables (it was tight, but we like closeness, don't we?) and have face-to-face conversations about writing dialogue.
We look forward to seeing our members and to welcoming newcomers, as well. There is no charge for members; we charge nonmembers $5 for each meeting.
Thanks to Millie and Carole, We had a Joyous and Entertaining Holiday Party!
We owe a debt of gratitude to Millie Lancaster, who took charge of organizing an absolutely delightful Village Writers' Club Holiday Party on Saturday, December 2! She arranged for Chef Johnna's at DeSoto Club in Hot Springs Village to have a private dining room for our meal. Millie decorated the tables with books and clever information sheets and names tags, all themed around writing. She even let us take our choice of books home with us! (She bought a LOT of books at a recent book sale.) Carole Ohlsen served as emcee, introducing the winners of the member and community non-member writing contests. The winners (see below) of the contests read the winning entries. The contests were judged by Dr. Craig D. Albin, a mentor at the Hemingway center as well as a professor at the University of Missouri West Plains.
First 500 Words of a Novel I'll Never Write (contest for members)
First Place: Millie Lancaster for Civil Dawn
Second Place: John Swinburn for A Deliberate Detachment
Third Place: Marlene Kloack for Premeditated (Marlene could not be there, so her piece was not read)
Honorable Mention: Jerry Schutz for Because It Sucks
My Teenage Catastrophe (contest for nonmembers)
First Place: Sue Franz for Safety Shoes
Creating Strong Characters, Part 2
If you missed this excellent presentation, you missed an opportunity to learn ways to deepen your characters' personas in your writing. But don't worry, come to a future Village Writers' Club event and you'll reap rewards!
Monday, November 20, 2017
12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Coronado Community Center
VWC 2017-2018 Paid Members, Free
Nonmembers $5
Bring your lunch and join us at 12:30 for a Brown-Bag Social and Gathering,. followed by a craft-development workshop on Creating Strong Characters.12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Coronado Community Center
VWC 2017-2018 Paid Members, Free
Nonmembers $5
Seriously, join us early and bring your lunch. After lunch, Millie Lancaster will lead us in a thirty-minute exercise designed to add depth and complexity to our characters. This craft-development exercise is a follow-on to the program led by John Swinburn last month. During this exercise, which Millie learned at a conference conducted by an editor of a major New York publishing house, you will practice techniques that will enable your characters to become richer and more alive, giving your readers more of what they want! After the exercise, we'll be free to meet in our PICs (personal interest collaboratives).
Millie Lancaster
Millie Gore Lancaster is a professor emeritus, a musician, a writer, and an utterly intriguing person whose interest in writing and helping writers write is legendary. You'll not be disappointed by this clever and engaging program!
Writing Creative Christmas Letters!
Just like last year, Suzanne presented a marvelous perspective on ways to create absolutely creative Christmas letters. For those of you who attended, can we expect to see some really outstanding stuff from you very soon!
Monday, November 27, 2017
12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Coronado Community Center
Free
12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Coronado Community Center
Free
Back by popular demand! Last year's program on writing creative Christmas letters was a smashing success, so we're bringing it back. PREPARE TO HAVE FUN. Suzanne Bratcher will facilitate a mini-workshop on Ten Tips for Writing Creative Christmas Letters. Participants will brainstorm ways to break out of the traditional Christmas-letter mold. We’ll consider options for content beyond family and travel news, and discuss structures like haiku and photo essay. This is an interactive workshop. Participants should come prepared to write with a laptop, tablet, legal pad or scratch paper. Attendees can expect to leave the meeting with a good start on this year’s Christmas letter. Members and non-members are welcome. This is a public service the Village Writers' Club is offering to the entire community, so writing expertise is not required. Bring your friends who aren't writers, but who want to create exciting, out-of-the-ordinary, Christmas letters!
Check out Suzanne's website at www.suzannebratcher.com and sign up for her newsletter and blog.
Writers' Club Wish Madelyn Young Fond Farewell
Several Village Writers' Club members and guests turned out for Madelyn (Maddie) Young's program on September 25 I've Got a Secret). Maddie and her husband, Robin, are moving to Tennessee after fourteen years in the Village. Maddie has played a pivotal role in moving the Village Writers' Club forward, taking on virtually all officer and committee chair slots during her years in the Club. She has been the guiding force behind the Village Writers' Club Critique Group for years. At the conclusion of the September 26 meeting, the Club toasted Maddie's service to the club with a big "farewell" cake. Below are photos from her final VWC meeting.
Here's Maddie with the "farewell" cake the Village Writers' Club arranged for her. The decoration reads:
"Maddie, We'll miss you. V.W.C."
No truer words have been said. Maddie has contributed so much to the Village Writers' Club over the years that her absence will leave a hole that's impossible to fill. But, relying on the optimism that she works so hard to instill in all the people she meets, there's no doubt that the Village Writers' Club will continue to flourish as a force to encourage and release creativity, helping release the writer in each of us.
Village Writers' Club 2017-2018 Schedule Announced
Millie Lancaster and her program team have crafted an extraordinary set of programs for the Village Writers' Club 2017-2018 program year. Put these dates on your calendars so you won't miss out on a single event!
September 25, Monday, 12:30-3 (Coronado Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Room 6)- Welcome-Back Brown-Bag Social and Gathering- Bring your lunch and visit with old and new friends. Learn about this years’ new club format and upcoming events.
New Writers will work in a small group with Judy Lacy and Joanne Hines. Veteran members will participate in I’ve Got A Secret writing activity led by Maddie Young.
October 2, Monday, 1-3 - Poetry and Pie in the Afternoon- CANCELLED
October 16, 3rd Monday, 12:30-3 (Coronado Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Room 6) Brown-Bag Social and Gathering - Craft Development: Creating Strong Characters - After lunch, John Swinburn will lead an exercise to help us develop strong characters. Then we will break into Personal Interest Collectives (PICS) to discuss our interests: New Writers (Judy Lacy and Joanne Hines); Poetry (Myra Rustin); Fiction (TBD); Nonfiction and Memoir (TBD); Publishing (TBD).
November 13, Monday, 10-4- HSV Writers Retreat at the magnificent Williams House Inn (420 Quapaw) in Hot Springs. $25 includes lunch. A maximum of twelve writers can be accommodated. First come, first served by in-person delivery to Millie Lancaster of a $25 check payable to Williams House Inn. Registration will open October 1. Please hand-deliver to Millie Lancaster, who will be happy to come to your house to pick it up (contact her by email at Camille.lancaster.books@gmail.com or send a text to 501-209-2155) . We will need to carpool due to limited parking. See website for details.
November 20, 3rd Monday, 12:30-3 (Coronado Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Room 6) Brown-Bag Social and Gathering- Craft Development: Creating Strong Characters 2- After lunch, Millie Lancaster will lead us in a thirty-minute exercise designed to add depth and complexity to our characters. Then we will meet in our PICs.
November 27, Monday, 1-3 (Coronado Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Room 6)- Christmas Newsletter Mini-Workshop for the HSV Community- Suzanne Bratcher will present her popular workshop filled with innovative ways to make our Christmas newsletters more entertaining.
December 2, SATURDAY, 6:00 pm (Desoto Club Banquet Room)- Holiday Party- After dinner, winners of our community writing contest and our fall club contest will read their winning entries. Reservations required.
January 22, Monday, 12:30-3 (Coronado Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Room 6) Brown-Bag Social and Gathering- Craft Development: Secrets of Writing Powerful Dialogue. After lunch, John Swinburn will lead us in a thirty-minute exercise designed to improve our skills at writing dialogue. Then we will meet in our PICS.
February 5, Monday, 1-3 (Carole Ohlsen’s house) Marriage of the Muses- Carole Ohlsen hosts an afternoon at her home where a limited number of participants can view original artwork and write a piece inspired by one of the works. Reservations required by emailing Carole at cboh119@suddenlink.net or by calling 501-922-1587. (Address provided to participants.)
March 12, Monday, 1-3 (Marlene Kloack’s house)- Poetry and Pie in the Afternoon, Too- Marlene Kloack will host a second poetry reading/writing event in her home for the first eight members who email or call her (mkloackm@aol.com or 501-915-0494) to sign up. (Address provided to participants.)
March 24, SATURDAY, 9-3 (Coronado Center Auditorium,150 Ponderosa Way,) HSV Writers’ Club and Village Genealogy Society Present Writing Your Memoir Community Workshop with Marilyn Collins. This event is open to everyone. Event Chair: Linda Black. $30 preregistration or $35 at the door. See website for details.
April 9, Monday, 1-3 (Carole Ohlsen’s house) Marriage of the Muses, Too- Carole Ohlsen hosts an afternoon at her home where a limited number of participants can view original artwork and write a piece inspired by one of the works. Reservations required by emailing Carole at cboh119@suddenlink.net or by calling 501-922-1587. Address will be provided to guests.
April 23, Monday, 12:30-3 (Coronado Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Room 106) Participants in L’Audible Arts will rehearse. Hard copy of brief bio (maximum 50 words) and of five-minute L-Audible Art presentation must be submitted to Event Chair, Marlene Kloack, at 1:00 before rehearsal.
May 14, 2nd Monday, 1-2 (Coronado Ballroom, 150 Ponderosa Way,)- L’Audible Arts
June 25, Monday, 12:30-3 Brown Bag Social and Gathering– After socializing, club members will review activities of the year and discuss what they would like to see retained, omitted, or changed for next year.
Cy Holliday Book Signing at Home Plate Café
Cy Holliday’s new book, George Bailey’s Got Nothing On Me, is a narrative history about the Holliday family and Cy’s growing up in the carnival life.
Home Plate Café is hosting a book signing for Holliday on Saturday, September 9 from 9 a.m.to noon.
George Bailey’s Got Nothing on Me covers seven generations of the Holliday family and the unique, far from perfect and certainly not “politically correct” surroundings of carnival life. The family memoir is interesting and poignant.
Sales for the book are moving along even better than anticipated, perhaps due in part to Holliday’s speaking engagement with the Next Chapter Book Club.
Holliday said, “I thought it went well. I talked about writing a memoir and the different ways to get a book published. I hope everyone will come out to Home Plate Café to see me and perhaps get a book signed.”
George Bailey’s Got Nothing On Me can be purchased from Holliday for $10 and is available on Kindle, Amazon, Nook and at Barnes and Noble.
The article above was adapted from an article written by Suzanne Sweeten that appeared in the September 5, 2017 issue of the Hot Springs Village Voice.
Special Genealogy Writing Workshop!
The Village Writers' Club and Village Genealogy Club have collaborated to organize a one-day workshop on researching and writing family histories. Mark your calendar for March 24, 2018! Plan to attend this riveting program, delivered by well-known author and genealogy researcher Marilyn Collins.
Mark Your Calendar for September 25
After a summer hiatus, we'll be back with our first Village Writers' Club meeting of the new Club Year. Make your plans to join us from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday, September 25 at Coronado Community Center, 150 Ponderosa Way, Hot Springs Village, AR as we kick off the new year with some very exciting developments!
Southern Story Award contest Sponsored by Madelyn Young
The 2017 WCCW Conference in Searcy, Arkansas will be held on Saturday, Sept. 2, and this is the first time that VWC member Madelyn Young will sponsor a contest of her own, the Southern Story Award. To support and encourage Arkansas writers, she will be offering a full critique to anyone who submits an entry to her contest and contacts her by email following the conference.
However, Madelyn requests that VWC members NOT enter her contest. Although an author's name cannot appear anywhere on his story, Madelyn might be familiar with a club member's style of writing, and she wants to judge all her entries fairly, without bias.
Madelyn will be happy to give her fellow club members feedback on their potential entries to other contests, though. You may contact her at rdymfy@suddenlnk.net.
To learn more about the conference and other contests available, please visit the WCCW website www.whitecountycreativewriters.org
For Questions or more Information contact Madelyn Young at rdymfy@suddenlink.net
Triple Scoop Fiction and Poetry Contest
Del Garrett with Raven's Inn Press is sponsoring fiction / poetry writing contest. There are three chances to win in each category. Prizes are 1st Place, $50; 2nd Place, $35; and 3rd Place, $15.
Contest Rules: You may enter up to three submissions in each separate contest. Each submission will be considered for all prizes. Entry fees are $5 for the first entry, $3 for each additional entry.
- Poetry—one page only, single or double spaced, limit three entries.
- Fiction—limit
three entries, maximum three pages each entry.
- Use standard format: 12-point size font, double spaced, on 8 ½ X 11-inch white bond paper.
- Do Not list your identification on the typed pages.
- Include a cover sheet with your name, address, e-mail, title of your entry and first line of story or poem. Place this cover letter and your entry fee in a sealed envelope stapled to your submission.
- Staple all fiction submissions separately (do not staple poetry pages).
- Restrictions: No erotica and no political or racial comments.
- Do not mix prose and poetry—keep each contest separate.
- No e-mail, paper submissions only.
- Violations may result in disqualification. No refunds.
- Mail all submissions to: Del Garrett, 806 Rhoden Rd, Judsonia, AR 72081.
- Make checks or money orders payable to: B. Odell Garrett. Do Not Send Cash.
- All submissions will be shredded 30 days after the deadline.
- All rights are automatically returned to the author effective January 1st, 2018. We do not publish your work.
- Contest Deadline is December 31st, 2017.
- Winners will be announced and prizes mailed on March 1st, 2018.
- For more information about me, please visit my website: www.authorsden.com/delgarrett or go to Amazon.com and enter my name in the search window.
-
FOR QUESTIONS CONTACT DEL GARRETT AT: del.garrett.s0ke@gmail.com
Arkansas Writers' Conference 2017 Winners
Mary Lou Moran and Janis Kearney.
Mary Lou took first place in the WOW! Press Award contest at the Arkansas Writers’ Conference on June 3, 2017 for her entry titled The Transformation. Janis was chair of the contest. The subject was Life Changes, a Personal Reflection – My How Things Have Changed.
John Swinburn won 3rd place in the WOW! Press Award contest for Love Without Words and 1st Honorable Mention in the Moral Dilemma Award contest for his entry titled Bogata.
Madelyn Young won 3rd Honorable Mention in the Erdel Family Memorial Award contest for her entry titled A Sad and Crazy Place. She also 3rd Honorable Mention in the Moral Dilemma contest for her entry titled Heroes.
Mary Lou Moran won 1st place in the Carl J. Iannacone Memorial Award contest for her entry titled Family DNA. She won 1st place in the WOW! Press Award contest for her entry titled The Transformation and 2nd place in the Del Garrett’s Gimme the Creeps contest for her entry titled Highway to Nowhere. She also won a 1st honorable mention in the Lucille Longstreth Memorial Award contest for her entry titled The Eternal Mystery.
Village Writers’ Club of Hot
Springs Village Award-Winners
Article by Madelyn Young
Village Writers’ Club of Hot Springs Village Award-Winners
Article by Madelyn Young
The Village Writers’ Club sponsored a contest at Arkansas Writers’ Conference, and it’s always fun to see who our winners are. We judge “blind” entries without the authors’ names attached, so we only learn their names when their awards are announced at the conference. This year our contest called for a short story, fiction, A Holiday Story, 1500 words max. We had eleven entries, and a group of our club members met to select our winners. Here are the winners’ names and the titles of their stories:
1st place, $50, to Carol Hodges from Little Rock, AR: Keep Your Stinkin’ Reindeer Games
2nd place, $30, to Anne Winchester from St. Francis, AR: Do You Believe?
3rd place, $20, to Sandra Boutwell-Falcone from Austin, AR: The Christmas Tree Mystery
1st HM, to Syble Dycus Ussery from Sherwood, AR: The Year Santa Claus Fell Down the Chimney
2nd HM, to Tom Howard from Little Rock, AR: Happy First Day
Tom Howard and Sandra Boutwell-Falcone two winning writers of the VWC writing contest.
We were sorry that none of our other winners attended the conference.
Newly Published Works by VWC Members
Make for Great Summer Reading
Make for Great Summer Reading
Suzanne Bratcher's mystery novel The Copper Box
The mystery novel The Copper Box by VWC's Suzanne Bratcher will be released June 6,
Book and eBook Kindle edition will be available at Amazon.com
Cy Holliday's book George Bailey's Got Nothing on Me -- A Narrative History of the Holliday Family Published
Paperback and Kindle eBook editions available at Amazon.com. Contact Cy for an autographed edition.
Elmer Beard's documentary The Challengers: Untold Stories of African Americans Who Changed the System in One Small Southern Municipality
Available at Amazon.com
Webmaster's Note: The "One Small Southern Municipality" that Mr. Beard's title refers to is Hot Springs, Arkansas!
Barrie Gauthier's light-hearted The Black Cat Guide to Grammar Through Light Verse
Available in hardbound or paperback at Amazon.com
Chap Harper's latest action novel Under Cuba
Available at Barnes & Nobel and Amazon.com
Check out these new releases as well as those of other VWC members on OUR PUBLISHED WORK page
VWC Members at Arkansas Writers Conference
John Swinburn and Marlene Kloack
Linda Black and Carole Ohlsen
Jerry Davis and Mary Lou Moran
Chap Harper & Sara Gipson
Myra Rustin & Madelyn Young
Millie Lancaster, Carole Ohlsen, & Shanita
Mary Lou Moran & Dick Cecil
Whether you are a beginning or seasoned writer, your work will move faster
with questions answered, experienced editing, and marketing advice for the final product.