workshops - The Writer`s Center

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THE
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writer.org
&
the Writer's
Center
Workshop Event Guide
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Winter/
Spring 2011
Managing Editor
Maureen A. Punte
Contributing Editor
Kyle Semmel
Contributing Writers
Deborah Ager
Zahara Heckscher
Reuben Jackson
Kyle Semmel
Copy Editor
Bernadette Geyer
Contact Us
p 301-654-8664
f 240-223-0458
www.writer.org
[email protected]
In the Workshop & Event
Guide, The Writer’s Center’s
triquarterly publication,
you’ll find a list of all our
upcoming workshops and
literary events, not to
mention the occasional
interview and craft feature.
Pick it up, pass it on.
11
12
13
15
18
18
19
21
21
24
25
26
27
29
29
30
Nonfiction
Memoir/Essay
Fiction
Poetry
Songwriting
Stage & Screen
Mixed Genre
Workshops for
Military Veterans
Translation
Professional Development
Younger Writers
Online
How 2
Adults Write for Children
McLean Workshops
Independent Study
DEPARTMENTS
1
2
10
32
35
36
42
Welcome
interim Director's Note
How to Choose
Your Workshop
Events at The Writer's Center
TWC Insider
Workshop Leaders
Thank You
FEATURES
3 Call It Anything
Miles Davis’ “Electric
Period” 1968–1991
5 Book Talk
6 How to Make the Most
of Networking at the
AWP Conference in
Washington, D.C.
writer.org
8 Join Our Writing Retreat:
The Writing Staycation
at The Writer’s Center
WELCOME
The Writer’s Center
cultivates the creation, publication,
presentation, and dissemination of literary
work. We are an independent literary
organization with a global reach, rooted
in a dynamic community of writers. As
one of the premier centers of its kind in
the country, we believe the craft of writing
is open to people of all backgrounds and
ages. Writing is interdisciplinary and unique
among the arts for its ability to touch on
all aspects of the human experience. It
enriches our lives and opens doors to knowledge and understanding. The Writer’s
Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. A
copy of our current financial statement
is available upon request. Contact The
Writer’s Center at 4508 Walsh Street,
Bethesda, MD 20815. Documents and
information submitted to the State of
Maryland under the Maryland Charitable
Solicitations Act are available from the
Office of the Secretary of State for the
cost of copying and postage.
PARKING
Metered parking is across the street from
our building. The meters require $1.00
per hour and are routinely monitored.
The meters are free on weekends.
WEB SITE
Our Web site is www.writer.org. It provides complete descriptions of workshops,
workshop leader biographies, interactive
workshops, event listings, resources,
Writer’s Center publications, and books
from our bookstore.
Social networks
You can find us on
&
The Writer’s Center is
Sponsored in part by:
BOOKSTORE
DIRECTIONS
Publications & Communications
Maureen A. Punte
Kyle Semmel
Workshops & Events
Sunil Freeman
Business & Operations
Janel Carpenter
Erin Cymrot
Zachary Fernebok
Caitlin Hill
Jennifer Napolitano
Laura Spencer
Contact Us
p 301-654-8664
f 240-223-0458
www.writer.org
[email protected]
Mier Wolf
Chair
Sally Mott Freeman
Vice Chair
Les Hatley
Treasurer
Ken Ackerman
Secretary
Poet lore
The Writer’s Center is located at 4508
Walsh Street in Bethesda, Maryland, five
blocks south of the Bethesda Metro stop.
Walsh Street is located on the east side
of Wisconsin Avenue. For more detailed
directions, please visit www.writer.org.
Interim Director
Kyle Semmel
Board of Directors
The Bookstore carries one of the most
extensive collections of literary magazines
in the mid-Atlantic states. It also has a large
inventory of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction
titles including books on the craft of writing.
Established in 1889, Poet Lore is the oldest
continuously published poetry journal in
the United States. We publish it twice a
year, and submissions are accepted yearround. Subscription and submission
requirements are available online at
www.writer.org/poetlore.
Writer’s Center Staff
The Writer’s Center gratefully acknowledges
assistance received from the Cultural Alliance
of Greater Washington’s Business Volunteers
for the Arts Program.
This project is supported in part by an award
from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Writer’s Center is supported in part by The Arts
and Humanities Council of Montgomery County,
and by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council,
an agency funded by the State of Maryland and
the National Endowment for the Arts.
Margot Backas
Sandra Beasley
Ellen R. Braaf
Naomi Collins
Mark Cymrot
Neal P. Gillen
John Hill
Ann McLaughlin
E. Ethelbert Miller
Joram Piatigorsky
Bill Reynolds
Rose Solari
Linda Sullivan
Dulcie Taylor
Wilson W. Wyatt, Jr.
Honorary Board
Cicely Angleton
Kate Blackwell
Dana Gioia
Jim & Kate Lehrer
Alice McDermott
Ellen McLaughlin
1
INTERIM DIRECTOR'S NOTE
photo by Eric Druxman
Imagine a world without books,
stories, and poems. Imagine if,
on waking each morning, all
you had to look forward to was
cycling through (yet again) the
same mundane routines of work,
eat, sleep. To me, that world
sounds like a bleak, monotonous place. If you're reading
this issue of the Workshop &
Event Guide, chances are very
good that you would agree with me. Without literature,
where would you turn to find pleasure in words? Where
would you find that brilliantly concise turn of poetic phrase
that makes you sit back in breathless wonder? Or that aweinspiring moment when a novel suddenly comes together?
For those of us who believe in the life-enriching value of
books—whatever form they take—one of the keenest pleasures we can have is to discuss them with others. Through
reading books we learn, we grow, and we better understand
how to confront our lives. And when we share our reading
experiences we gain a feeling of warmth and community—
we feel vividly alive.
That's where The Writer's Center comes in.
When I became the publications and communications
manager in 2008, I was thrilled by the incredible opportunity I had to be part of an organization with such a rich
and storied history, one that was active in reproducing
again and again this very sense of warmth and community.
As long-time members know, The Writer’s Center is the
leading independent literary center in the Greater d.c.
region. Since its founding in 1976, twc has nurtured the
careers of many writers, from Pagan Kennedy to 2010
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award-winner Patricia
McArdle. But it has also been a meeting place for people
who simply love books and reading, and perhaps it is this,
more than anything else, that has made The Writer's Center
such an inviting place for the thousands of people who've
entered our building or sat in our workshops: It is here where
the largest cluster of readers and writers can be found in the
d.c. area.
2
But there are challenges, of course, and an organization
that rests on its laurels runs the risk of growing stale. To
keep the Center fresh and invigorating, in the past two
years alone we’ve added (and will continue to add) a wide
range of new workshop leaders and workshops to give
members more variety to match their needs and interests.
In this issue you'll find, for example, new workshops on
writing flash fiction (p. 20), writing for comics and graphic
novels (p. 20), writing television pilots (p. 18), and writing
mystery fiction (p. 14), to name just a few. To diversify
our programming, we've also developed partnerships
with local organizations and created new opportunities
for writers—some of which are now receiving support
from the National Endowment for the Arts—such as the
Undiscovered Voices Fellowship; BookTalk (p. 5); Ann
Darr Scholarships; and Emerging Writer Fellowships. To
showcase our Emerging Writer Fellowships, we’ve developed
the wildly popular Story/Stereo: A Night of Literature and
Music (p. 33).
In 2009, Poets & Writer6s Magazine, a leading trade magazine
in our field, named the Center one of eight “places to go
outside academia” to take creative writing workshops nationwide. This heady praise would not be possible without the
dedicated support of everyone involved: staff, workshop
leaders, board members—and especially you, our members
and workshop participants. With your energy and interest,
you make twc a lively place. Thankfully, the world is not
bleak; it teems with literature. But finding your way in this
world—through the creation, publication, presentation,
and dissemination of your literary work—is a whole lot
easier when you're engaged in an active, vital, and supportive community. Thank you, as always, for your continued
support. We look forward to seeing you soon at one of our
workshops or events.
Miles Davis’
Electric Period
1968–1991
Reuben Jackson
Legendary trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis (1926-1991)
once told a reporter, “I have to change. It’s like a curse.” This career-long artistic
constant was never more obvious during what has been dubbed his “electric
period”—in which his probing, declamatory, and wistful sound wed itself with
some of the most daring, restless, and controversial music any artist has ever
produced, a period in which his “round, Midwest sound” (to again quote Davis)
continued to lead his ensembles through an ever changing landscape of sound
and silence.
Most critics, however, thought otherwise. Davis’ “pandering” (a frequently used
critical verbal knife) to rock and funk-oriented audiences was (and in some
cases, still is) seen as a kind of loud mid-life crisis, and/or a way to make money.
And while it is true that 1970’s “Bitches Brew” achieved gold record status, the
records (“Live-Evil,” “On The Corner,” etc.) and ever evolving bands that followed
were as different as couscous and sunflowers. They often baffled and angered
fans who thought they “knew” where the “new” Davis was coming from.
What I want to re-examine and celebrate during “Call It Anything” is the astonishing variety and subtlety found in Davis’ studio and concert performances
from this period, and how he actually continued to mine the American Popular
Songbook for material. Although the thematic impetus was more likely to come
from American composers such as Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix, rather than, say,
Cole Porter, was this music jazz?
Does it matter? What were Davis’ reasons for, as one critic ominously wrote,
“going over to the dark side?”
In addition to listening to excerpts from seminal and controversial Davis
recordings, I’ll also encourage audience discussion—pro or con. After all,
the still passionate reactions to this music are as much a part of it as the
shifting textures heard in a Davis composition like “Zimbabwe.”
But most importantly, I’m hoping that this event is—like the title of a Davis
album from the 1970’s—“Big Fun.” ¶
Read more about this April event on page 34.
3
LITERARY JOURNAL
DISCOUNT PROGRAM
40% off 1 -and 2 -year subscriptions
FOR PREMIUM MEMBERS
o f T h e Wr i t e r ’s C e n t e r
Some of the most compelling literary work today
is emerging in literary journals. To promote the
best of new literature, we’ve partnered with
the following leading journals to offer drastic
discounts on 1-and 2-year subscriptions:
Hayden’s Ferry Review
Copper Nickel
Potomac Review
New England Review
New Letters
Poet Lore
Subtropics
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T
he Writer’s Center is pleased to announce that renowned local author
Alice McDermott’s National Book Award-winning novel Charming Billy
(1998) is the first selection for BookTalk. A new program at The Writer’s
Center—one that is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts—
BookTalk brings readers and writers together in conversation on a single book.
That conversation will conclude with an event at The Writer’s Center featuring
McDermott and Round House Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, Blake
Robison. Attend the February 20 stage adaptation of Charming Billy at Round
House Theatre following the at 1:00 p.m. BookTalk discussion at The Writer’s
Center. Ticket purchase required only for the Round House performance.*
Visit writer.org or roundhousetheatre.org for details on the play and post-play
panel discussion.
About Charming Billy:
Alice McDermott’s 1998 National Book Awardwinning novel portrays the tragic life of Billy Lynch,
an Irish American who comes of age in New York
City during the latter part of the twentieth century.
It opens at his funeral where several of his friends and
relatives gather to recall Billy’s life within his tightknit Irish Catholic, Queens community. As they come
to offer support to his long-suffering widow Maeve,
they celebrate his poetic, gentle soul and mourn his
descent into the alcoholism that eventually killed him.
Alice McDermott was born in Brooklyn, New York,
in 1953. Her first novel, A Bigamists’ Daughter, was published to wide acclaim
in 1982. That Night (1987), her second novel, was a finalist for the Pulitzer
Prize, the National Book Award, and for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. In
his cover review for The New York Times Book Review, David Leavitt called That
Night “an original, a work that revels in a rich, discursive prose style that belongs entirely to Alice McDermott.” A film version of That Night was produced
by Warner Bros. and released in the spring of 1992. At Weddings and Wakes
(1992), her third novel, became a New York Times bestseller. Michiko Kakutani
of The New York Times praised McDermott’s “rich, supple prose” and Bruce
Bawer called At Weddings and Wakes “a haunting and masterly work of literary
art” in his review for The Wall Street Journal. ¶
Read more about BookTalk on page 34.
* Tickets for the performance of Charming Billy must be purchased through the
Round House Theatre box office at 240-644-1100 or roundhousetheatre.org.
Kyle Semmel
How you can
participate
in book talk:
• Go to Writer.org and “join”
BookTalk (it’s like signing up
for a workshop, except it’s free)
• At the time of registration,
purchase the book using your
30% off twc member discount
• Beginning the first week of
February, twc staff will post
questions about the book online
and at our Facebook fan page
• L isten to twc’s Charming Billy
podcast in February
•M
eet the author and her “stage
adapter” at The Writer’s Center
on February 20
• Attend the stage adaptation of
Charming Billy at Round House
Theatre following the February
20 BookTalk discussion at The
Writer’s Center
• Join the post-play panel discussion of Charming Billy at Round
House Theatre
Praise for Charming Billy:
“Eloquent” and “heartbreaking,”
—The New York Times Book Review
“A softly resonant and nostalgic tale
told masterfully.”
—Kirkus Reviews
5
Turn Virtual People into Real People: Through my blog
(blog.32poems.com), I’ve begun conversations with poets
from around the country. In 2006, a poet-blogger arranged
a happy hour in Austin, tx, so a group of online acquaintances could actually meet in person. I suggest attending at
least a few group events like these, because you get to meet
more people in a limited time.
Consider Attending Outside Parties: At a conference,
I was invited to a party at a poet’s house. Although I was
tired, I forced myself to attend. I barely knew anyone, yet
the poets welcomed a stranger. I immediately felt at home
and met several interesting people. Who knows what, if
anything, will come of these chance encounters? Sometimes, you just need to get out from behind your computer screen to socialize.
Work a Table: If you run a press or magazine or know
someone who does, volunteer to work at their table at the
book fair. The organizer will probably be happy to have
your help. One grateful graduate student volunteered at
the 32 Poems table in Chicago. Several times, she mentioned how glad she was to have this table as an anchor
since she was attending the conference for the first time
and felt completely overwhelmed. Since the conference
presented a sensory overload, by representing the magazine, she was able to put her bookbag down for an hour
or two and have some sustained conversations in one spot.
Deborah Ager
Every year, the awp (Associated Writing Programs)
Conference takes place in a major North American
city. A few thousand writers converge upon the city
during one—usually cold—weekend during the
first three months of the year. While committees
interview academic job applicants in hotel rooms,
the book fair fills with readers and writers perusing
the tables of their favorite publishers and literary
magazines. At the same time, readings and panels
are scheduled all day and well into the evening. At
night, cocktail and private happy hours compete
with more readings and events.
How can you take this once-a-year opportunity and
make the most of your time at the awp Conference
in Washington, d.c. this coming February?
6
Review Your Choices: Enter the conference with a strategy. Check through the entire list of panel presentations to
see what you want to attend. Since interesting panels can
overlap, you’ll probably have to make hard choices. Narrow these down as best you can and then allow for some
unexpected plans. You may have in mind to attend a panel
and see a friend in the hallway and decide to have lunch
instead. Similarly, check out the list of exhibitors at the
book fair. Which tables will you want to spend time visiting? There’s value to serendipity—but set your targets too.
Maybe the new person you meet will become a friend.
Maybe you’ll work on a book together. You might get an
idea for an outstanding class to take or good advice on
agents. In some cases, you might get nothing beyond having a good conversation with someone at a party. The only
way you’ll know is to attend awp and network. ¶
Deborah Ager’s poetry collection, Midnight Voices, appeared in 2009.
Ager founded 32 Poems Magazine in 2003. Many poems first appearing
in 32 Poems have been honored in the Best American Poetry and Best
New Poets anthologies and on Verse Daily and Poetry Daily. Visit
www.32poems.com and www.deborahager.com for more information.
 Turn to page 9 to read about how you
can win a pass to the AWP conference
in Washington, D.C.
 Author Josh Weil talks with a participant at
the AWP conference in Denver.
 Emerging Writer Fellow Anthony Varallo
signs a copy of his book Out Loud
T h e W r i t e r ’ s C e n t e r a t A W P
T i m e s f o r t h c o m i n g a t w r i t e r . o r g
All Booked Up—How to Create a Festival
William Miller, Ruth Kogen Goodwin, Kwame Alexander, Sarah Browning,
Nancy Coble Damon, Caitlin Hill
The D.C. area is rich in literary culture, and this has led to the creation
of a variety of high-quality regional book festivals. The experts
behind five such events will give you a behind-the-scenes look at
how each festival works—from how they secure funding and choose
their authors, to how they market to the public and how the festivals
complement each other and collaborate. There will be ample time
for Q & A so you can learn how to create the same quality literary
events in your community.
Filling the Void:
Growing & Sustaining Literary Communities
Jill Pollack, Christopher Castellani, Alix Wilber, Kyle Semmel
What is the beating heart of a city’s literary community? Writing
centers across the country are doing more than filling a void: they
are building vital links and opportunities to serve writers at all
stages of their careers. Panelists from some of the largest centers
in the country will share the successes and challenges of helping
writers to study the craft, creating training grounds for M.F.A.
graduates to teach, developing reading audiences, and
participating fully in a city’s cultural life.
America’s Next Top (Literary Center) Model
Charles Jensen, Gail Browne, David Biespiel, Jordan Hartt, Andrea Dupree
Whether for-profit, non-profit, or in the academy, literary centers
can take many forms, approaches, and business models. While
writers have a good sense of developing strong content, business
approaches can somtimes be confounding to us. These panelists,
who represent various center business models, will discuss the
strengths and limitations of each design based on their own
perspectives and experiences.
Marketing Your Literary Community:
How to Make Sure Your Organization Is Heard
Kyle Semmel, Art Taylor, Jill Pollack, Chip Cheek, Gregg Wilhelm
So you’ve started a literary center or festival in your community. Now
what do you do? How do you market it? In this panel, marketing
directors from five diverse literary communities—ranging from
recently founded to long-established centers—discuss how they
spread the word in their communities. Which strategies work?
Which don’t? How do you get the best return on investment
on a limited advertising budget? From this panel you’ll walk
away with tips on how to ensure that your community thrives.
7
The Writing Staycation at The Writer’s Center
Join Our Writing Retreat:
8
January 10–14 or March 21–25
The poet E. Ethelbert Miller once told me, “Pay yourself first.”
He wasn’t talking about money, but time, and the obligation
of a writer to herself—to first, before anything else, make
time to write.
Time to write, time to write, time to write…
Most writers I know crave time to write like a chocaholic
craves a chocolate lava truffle.
But nearly all writing retreats are expensive, two-week residential programs that require travel and have no accommodations
for families. Such a budget and schedule are out of reach for
most of us.
So with the support of The Writer’s Center, I created the
Writing Staycation, a retreat for all of you who crave more
time to write, want the structure of a retreat, but just can’t
get out of town.
The first Staycation, in May of 2010, was a tremendous
success. We had ten participants, including a lawyer-poet,
a mom working on her memoirs, and a short story writer.
One participant finished a draft of her novel, another wrote
18,000 words on his science fiction project, and a third worked
on polishing her manuscript to prepare it for publication.
We’ve decided to do it again. The Writing Staycation will
take place at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Monday
through Friday, January 10–14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Each day will be organized around writing time, with optional
activities including evening events, a daily neighborhood
walk, and lunch speakers—an agent, a novelist, a short story
writer, a poet, and a nonfiction author. All activities are
elective. If you just want to write, write, write, you may
do so. It’s your retreat.
I’ll be at your disposal all week as well. Whether you want
help getting started with a new writing project, feedback
on a draft manuscript, or strategies for getting published, I
will be there. I’ll also pamper you with free coffee, specialty
teas, and healthy snacks.
It’s your time to write. Pay yourself first. Join us for the
Staycation. —Zahara Heckscher
There are two Staycation workshops. Read more about the
them on page 21.
The Staycation fills a need for
a reasonably priced retreat
option, especially for those of
us who cannot leave town.
—Staycation Participant
The Writer’s Center Staycation
allowed me the time and
space to focus on my writing
without the expense or time
away from my family that
most writers’ retreats would
demand. Zahara brought in an
impressive array of lunchtime
speakers and The Writer’s Center
staff was very supportive in
providing undisturbed space.
I came away feeling refreshed
and re-committed to my own
process, and surprised at how
much could be accomplished
in one week. Thank you Staycation! I’ll be back!
—Johnna Schmidt
Director
Jimenez-Porter Writers’ House
It helped me finish the first
draft of my novel. Thank you.
I found the time and space
to just focus on my writing.
Very liberating.
—Staycation Participant
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A COMPLIMENTARY
REGISTRATION
for the 2011 AWP Conference in D.C.
The Writer’s Center is a patron of this year’s AWP
Conference. One of the perks of that sponsorship
level is that TWC has some free registrations
and we want to give them away to you. If you
are interested in attending the conference for free
register for a winter/spring workshop before
November 15 and follow the instructions in your
confirmation e-mail. It will tell you where to send
a 50 word précis explaining why you deserve to
go for free.
Winners will be notified by e-mail Friday, November 19.
Cannot be combined with other offers.
Valid only on winter/spring workshops registrations.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WORKSHOP
WHO SHOULD TAKE WRITING WORKSHOPS?
Everyone should—from people who want to try out writing or would like help getting
started, to those more experienced writers who want to learn more and get better. Learning
to write is an on-going process that involves perfecting and using many skills at once, and
even published writers benefit from editors and readers who help them refine their work.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A WORKSHOP?
• Guidance and encouragement from a published, working writer
• Instruction on technical aspects such as structure, diction, and form
• Kind, honest, and constructive feedback directed at the work but
never critical of the author
• Peer readers/editors who act as ‘spotters’ for sections of your writing
that need attention and who become your community of working
colleagues, even after your workshop is completed
• Tips on how to keep writing and integrate this “habit of being” into your life
• Tactics for getting published when ready
EXPECTATIONS OF WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
• Attend every workshop session you possibly can
• Share your own work
• Comment on and share your ideas about your peers’ work
• Complete workshop leader prompts or reading assignments
• Complete the workshop response form at the end of the course
If you’ve never been in a writing workshop before, regardless of the skill level you think
you have in writing, we strongly encourage you to start with a beginner-level workshop.
Here you’ll learn more about the environment of the workshop—how to give and receive
helpful feedback, how to address problems with the work without criticizing the author,
and how to incorporate multiple (and sometimes conflicting) ideas into your revision work.
WORKSHOP REGISTRATION
You can register for workshops at The Writer’s Center in person, through the mail,
online at www.writer.org, or at 301-654-8664.
refund policy
Please note, the refund policy has changed.
To get a partial refund once workshops have begun, you must notify twc by e-mail
([email protected]) no later than 48 hours before the second meeting of the workshop. Workshop refunds are calculated based on the time of notification.
Notice Given
Less Than
2 Weeks and
More Than
48 Hours
Notice Given
Less Than
48 Hours Or
After Attending
One Session
Notice Given
After the
Second Session
92% of workshop
5 Or More
costs will be
Workshop Sessions
refunded
90% of workshop
costs will be
refunded
85% of workshop
costs will be
refunded
60% of workshop
costs will be
refunded
92% of workshop
4 Or Fewer
costs will be
Workshop Sessions
refunded
85% of workshop
costs will be
refunded
70% of workshop
costs will be
refunded
No refund
Notice Given
2 Weeks Before
the Start Date
10
BEGINNER LEVEL
These workshops will help you discover what
creative writing really entails, such as
• Getting your ideas on the page;
• Figuring out which genre you should be
working in and what shape your material
should take;
• Learning the elements of poetry, playwriting,
fiction, memoir, etc.;
• Identifying your writing strengths and areas
of opportunity;
• Gaining beginning mastery of the basic
tools of all writing, like concise, accurate
language, and how to tailor their particular use in your work.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
These workshops will build on skills you developed in
the beginning level, designed for writers who have
• Taken a beginner-level workshop;
• Achieved some grace in using the tools of
language and form;
• Have projects in progress that they want to
develop further.
In addition, you may read and discuss some
published works.
ADVANCED LEVEL
Participants should have manuscripts that have
been critiqued in workshops on the intermediate
level and have been revised substantially.
Advanced courses
• Focus on the revision and completion
of a specific work;
• Run at a faster pace with higher expectations of participation;
• Will reward the persistent writer with deep
insight and feedback into their work.
MASTER LEVEL
Master classes are designed for writers who have
taken several advanced workshops and have
reworked their manuscript into what they believe
is final form.
Master classes are unique opportunities to work
in smaller groups with distinguished writers on a
specific project or manuscript.
Workshop leaders select participants from the pool
of applicants—selection is competitive.
Of course, art is not a science. The Writer’s Center
recognizes that individual writers of all experience
levels need to find their own place in our programs.
If you’d like advice on which courses will be right
for you, please call and speak with a member of
our staff.
WORKSHOPS
Please note:
In an effort to simplify our registration process,
Writer.org will have only one e-store for both
non-members and members alike beginning in
the winter/spring. To that end, we’ve adjusted
prices slightly; effective with the winter/spring
workshops, members will now receive a 13%
discount when purchasing workshops.
Please also note: Our refund policy has changed.
Please refer to page 10 for details.
 nonfiction 
Grammar Refresher
Workshop Leader: Susan O’Shaughnessy
Should I use who or whom? How do I know if a modifier is dangling?
When should I use a semicolon? These and other questions will be answered in this lively, hands-on workshop. We will review grammar definitions and practice avoiding the most common errors. We will explore
how changes in language lead to new rules, producing confusion along
the way. You will leave with a list of resources you can use on your own.
Note that the course is recommended for native (or near-native) English
speakers who need a quick refresher, rather than an extensive review.
2 Fridays 10:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $115
Bethesda
(Members receive a 13% discount)
Rock Journalism 101 2/25–3/4
Intermediate
new! Workshop Leader: Nevin Martell
Want to hang out with rock stars, go to all the hottest shows for free,
and be on the cutting edge of pop culture? This teaches you everything
you need to know to become a rock journalist—how to write format
pieces, craft your voice, learn the ins and outs of the industry, pitch
stories, get published, and get paid. Finally, you can be just like that
guy in Almost Famous.
6 Tuesdays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
2/1–3/8
Beginner and Intermediate
6 Tuesdays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
3/29–5/3
Creating Great Articles for Web and Print
Workshop Leader: Lee Fleming
in choosing story angles, writing winning query e-mails and letters,
interviewing, organizing material, and refining personal styles. The
goal: To get your great ideas onto the Web or into print.
6 Mondays
7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
2/28–4/4
All Levels
6 Mondays 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
4/11–5/16
All Levels
Crafting the Nonfiction Book Proposal n e w !
Workshop Leader: Shannon O’Neill
This workshop will help you conceptualize and create a nonfiction proposal,
the key to getting your book published. We’ll cover the basics: what exactly
is a query? A platform? A synopsis? What are the essential components
of the proposal, and how do they fit together? Participants will draft and
polish their proposals with the guidance of the instructor. We’ll workshop
each other’s writing and talk craft; we’ll also discuss the publishing world
and how to navigate it.
6 Wednesdays 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
4/27–6/1
All Levels
Writing Brilliantly About Science
Workshop Leader: David Taylor
Clear writing about science is valuable and compelling. This workshop
explores how generalists can weave scientific thought into their writing
with wit, and how technical experts can make their work engaging for
general audiences. We look at examples of narrative from leading writers: Michael Pollan, Rebecca Skloot, Anne Fadiman, Steve Olson, and
more. We will generate fresh ideas, write proposals, conduct interviews,
learn how to revise, and manage a portfolio. Plus have fun.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
4/27–6/1
All Levels
Getting Published in
Magazines and Newspapers
Workshop Leader: Ellen Ryan
In this brief introduction to magazine and newspaper freelancing,
learn how to get the attention of editors and persuade them to buy
your articles. We’ll study the art of the query—your best sales tool—
when to use it, when not to, and how to make yours the most likely
to win an assignment. We’ll look at matching your ideas to available
markets and at legal contracts (not necessarily your friend)—and have
plenty of time for questions.
6 Thursdays 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
4/7–5/12
Turning an idea into a saleable article for Web or print depends on
understanding and using the techniques that support success. This
class will explore the elements that all stories need in order to catch an
editor’s attention. In-class discussion and exercises will guide students
11
WORKSHOPS Boot Camp for Writers:
So the Words Don’t Get in the Way register at writer.org
new !
Workshop Leader: Beth Kanter
This course is for individuals who want to tone up their writing muscles
so they can go the distance in the workplace or in the creative space.
Each class will begin with a short warm up exercise. We will then focus
on specifics like effective beginnings, creative prose, and strong conclusions. You will also learn how to avoid common grammatical and usage
errors that can distract from your message. This class will focus on both
craft and technique and is designed for students of all backgrounds who
are looking to take their writing endurance and skills to the next level.
Fee: $225
Bethesda
4/27–5/25
All Levels
How to Write a Grant Proposal
 memoir/essay 
Hooray for the Essay ne w !
Workshop Leader: Anne Cassidy
We begin by reading a classic of the genre, talking about what makes
it work, plumbing its mysteries. Then we move on to your essays. A
week before class, you will send out your creation—whether it’s a few
paragraphs or a few pages (5 pages maximum)—so that we may all read
it and discuss it in class. We will pay special attention to beginnings and
endings, to the promise you make the reader in the beginning of your
essay and whether you fulfill it by the end.
1 Saturday 1:00–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $60
Bethesda
Writing and Metaphor Workshop Leader: Cara Seitchek
ne w !
Learn how to research and write a grant proposal that will result in
funding for your organization. You will learn prospect research methods
for locating those foundations or corporations that match your organization’s needs. You will learn how to write a targeted grant proposal and
about the review process. This is designed for all levels of writers. Please
identify a project or organization to be funded before the first meeting.
January 22, February 12, and 26 sessions meet at The Writer’s Center, 1:30–4:00 p.m.;
other sessions are online.
Workshop Leader: Susan Tiberghien
6 Saturdays
1:30–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda/Internet
Fee: $60 Bethesda
1/22–2/26
All Levels
This workshop gives an overview of the phases of writing a documentary:
from research to visual treatment, shooting script, and edit script. You
learn principles of writing for a visual medium and structuring a film so
you can get started creating a compelling narrative. We look at how to
find sources, conduct interviews, strengthen storytelling, and work with
editors and directors. Come with an idea to develop as a visual treatment.
2/9–3/30
All Levels
5 Tuesdays 1:00–2:30 P.M.
Fee: $135 Bethesda
2/1–3/8
All Levels
Workshop Leader: William O’Sullivan
Workshop Leader: Dennis Drabelle
The workshop leader will provide guidance on the elements of a good
review. Students will write three reviews, two brief ones (a page each,
one on a nonfiction essay, the other on a short story) and a longer one
(three pages, on a book of the student’s choice). The class will operate
via the workshop method.
12
Do you click on the mommy blogs or flip through the magazines in the
pediatrician’s waiting room and think, “I can do this?” If so, this is the
class that will help you get started. Turn your parenting experiences into
magazine articles, essays, and blog posts, and learn about the markets
and how to get published.
The Personal Essay
Book Reviewing
No meeting February 21
4/2
All Levels
Workshop Leader: Beth Kanter
Workshop Leader: David Taylor
6 Mondays 7:00–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $135
Bethesda
In writing memoir, if we find metaphors, we can bring our life experiences
into clearer focus. In this workshop we will first look at metaphor and
how it has been used in literature, with examples from Plato’s Dialogues to
C.G. Jung’s Red Book. Then we will look at the specific genre of memoir,
reading excerpts from contemporary authors, to see how they used metaphors to illuminate their work. There will be guided writing exercises,
including a short piece of memoir.
Moms and Dads Write
Starting a Documentary Film
Fee: $360
Bethesda
2/26
All Levels
1/10–2/28
All Levels
This workshop is devoted to the nonfiction personal essay—autobiographical, examining, reflective, reminiscing, sometimes serious, sometimes
humorous—in which the “I” intersects with the world around it. Participants’ own writing will be our main focus, supplemented by examples of
the form by a variety of contemporary authors. There will be one or two
brief writing assignments at the start. Participants should be prepared to
have their work distributed among the group and discussed in an open,
constructive workshop setting.
8 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $360 Bethesda
3/5–4/23
All Levels
WORKSHOPS
Memoir and Story Construction
Workshop Leader: Lynn Stearns
In each session, we will read short published work and do brief exercises
that focus on a specific aspect of writing: voice, point of view, setting,
language, structure, plot, pacing, and resolution. The rest of our time
will be spent critiquing manuscripts by participants. While sharing work
is not a requirement, it is a valuable part of the workshop experience, and
encouraged. Everyone will have an opportunity to bring in up to 15 pages,
for tactful but truthful feedback from others.
8 Tuesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
1/18–3/8
Intermediate
8 Tuesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/5–5/24
Intermediate
The Writer’s Toolbox
This workshop is for students who want to hone their skills in the elements
of writing that make for fine literary nonfiction. We will examine published
work by essayists, diarists, travel writers, and journalists. Then students
will practice aspects of the writer’s craft, focusing on important building
blocks such as: concrete detail and use of the senses; figurative language;
characterization, dialogue and plot; voice; scene, summary, and musing;
and sense of time and place.
8 Tuesdays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
1/18–3/8
All Levels
8 Tuesdays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
3/22–5/10
All Levels
Life Stories and Legacy Writing
Workshop Leader: Pat McNees
The goal in this workshop is to capture your legacy in short personal
writing (especially stories) for those who will survive you. Knowing
that you are writing not for publication but to set the record straight
(in your own mind, if nothing else) may liberate you, allowing you to
frankly explore your life choices and experiences, achievements and
mistakes, beliefs and convictions.
Techniques of Fiction
Workshop Leader: C.M. Mayo
For both beginning and experienced fiction writers, “Techniques of
Fiction” focuses on generating new material with exercises addressing
specificity, point of view, synesthesia, imagery, image patterning, plot,
rhythm, and the use and misuse of dialogue. The goal is that by the
end of the workshop, your writing will be of notably higher quality.
1 Sunday 1:00–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $60
Bethesda
2/27
All Levels
A Short Story Becomes a Novel
Workshop Leader: Peter Brown
Workshop Leader: Sara Taber
Fee: $270
Bethesda
 fiction 
1/19–3/2
All Levels
Expand your short story into a novel, the way Jack Kerouac made his
novel On The Road from a short story. Or do it more organically, the
way Jhumpa Lahiri grew her novel The Namesake from her story “Gogol.”
Fee: $270
Bethesda
1/6–2/10
Intermediate and Advanced
Inspired by Literature
Workshop Leader: Nancy Lemann
Based on the premise that you can learn more about writing from reading
great books than from any other source, we adopt a syllabus of readings
with written assignments inspired by the books to explore the concepts
of narration, style, structure, voice, atmosphere, and character. Authors
on my reading list include Nabokov, Walker Percy, Graham Greene,
Evelyn Waugh, Raymond Chandler, Evan S. Connell, and others. The
ensuing discussion analyzes the books as well as the students’ writing.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
1/25–3/1
All Levels
Fee: $270
Bethesda
3/22–4/26
All Levels
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Workshop Leader: Brenda W. Clough
For people who want to write fantasy and science fiction. In this workshop
we will pass around our manuscripts and read and critique them. Special
attention will be paid to the tropes and needs of the genre. Plan to bring
10 copies of a manuscript (not more than 25 pages) to the first session.
8 Saturdays 1:30–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
2/5–3/19
All Levels
13
WORKSHOPS Intermediate Fiction register at writer.org
The Extreme Novelist
new!
Workshop Leader: Virginia Hartman
Workshop Leader: Kathryn Johnson
So you have a draft of a story and you’re ready for some respectful feedback. Here we are to encourage you on your writing journey. We’ll start
with some tips for giving and receiving supportive comments that will
help with the revision process. Then we’ll focus on technique: effective
beginnings, character and action, dramatic tension, and a structure organic
to your subject matter. Please bring 15 copies of a work in progress.
This semester 16 brave writers will accept a unique challenge, attempting
to complete a full draft of a novel in 8 weeks! Students meet as a group
with professional writing coach Kathryn Johnson one evening a week
and commit to an aggressive writing schedule. Kathryn prods, cajoles,
and guides, while offering marketing tips. Yes, she has written books in
8 weeks. You can too—if you commit to this boot camp for novelists.
6 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
8 Mondays 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
1/29–3/12
Intermediate
Reads Like A Movie
Workshop Leader: Adam Meyer
Are you trying to write a fast-paced novel full of razor-sharp dialogue
and crackling descriptions? Learn the tricks that screenwriters use to
tell stories and see how they can improve your own fiction writing. In
addition to looking at various screenwriting techniques, we’ll workshop
pages from your novel-in-progress. Students should bring a short synopsis of their novel (1–2 pages) to the first session.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
1/20–2/24
All Levels
The Novel
Workshop Leader: Susan Coll
All levels are welcome at this workshop—it’s nice to have a mix of those
working at an advanced level and those just getting started. The only
requirement is a serious desire to work on a novel or on linked stories.
We will read a contemporary novel (to be decided at the first meeting)
which we will deconstruct over the course of the workshop using it as
a text of sorts to foster discussion on technique. While there will be
occasional exercises, this workshop will be mostly oriented toward
constructive group discussion of submitted work. Bring lunch!
6 Wednesdays
11:30 A.M.–2:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
2/9–3/16
All Levels
Vampires, Ghosts, and Ghouls:
Writing Supernatural Fiction new!
Workshop Leader: Adam Meyer
From Stephen King to Stephenie Meyer, Neil Gaiman to Charlaine Harris,
supernatural and dark fantasy fiction are as popular as they’ve ever been.
Novel writers and short story writers alike are welcome at this class that
focuses on the how-tos of horror fiction. We’ll look at tips and techniques
for creating strong characters, building suspense, and establishing believable
scenarios in worlds where the impossible is possible. We’ll also workshop
sections from your novels and short stories in progress.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
14
1/24–3/21
5/19–6/23
All Levels
8 Mondays 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/4–5/23
The Extreme Novelist 2
Workshop Leader: Kathryn Johnson
In response to the many requests from graduates of the original Extreme
Novelist course, Kathryn Johnson offers an advanced class that demands
the same dedication and rigorous writing schedule. Emphasis will be placed
on revision techniques, critiquing, writing pitches and queries to agents/
editors, and analyzing the current publishing venues available to novelists
today. Students must have completed (or nearly completed) a full draft
of a novel.
Prerequisite: Extreme Novelist workshop or permission of the instructor.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
1/19–3/16
Advanced
No meeting March 2
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/6–5/25
Advanced
Writing the Mystery Novel ne w !
Workshop Leader: Con Lehane
If you enjoy reading mysteries and would like to try your hand at writing
one, this is the place for you. The basic format will be a workshop in which
we discuss your works-in-progress. If you don’t yet have a work in progress,
don’t worry. I can help you find the mystery novel you want to write. I
also have exercises that isolate elements of fiction writing—point of view,
characterization, dialogue—and ideas for building suspense and creating
action on the page.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
1/20–3/10
All Levels
Fee: $360
Bethesda
5/5–6/23
All Levels
WORKSHOPS
Short Fiction from First Draft
to Publication new!
Writing Short Stories ne w !
Workshop Leader: Brenda W. Clough
Workshop Leader: Dan Gutstein
This workshop is for those serious about publishing short fiction in literary
magazines. The class will study examples from contemporary literature,
and participants will present writing to a helpful, rigorous workshop
setting that will emphasize the building blocks of fiction. We will discuss
the publishing environment at length and, in so doing, strive to inspire
all participants to see their works vault into print. Previous experience
with reading a variety of fiction writers, writing regularly, and workshopping is desirable.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/14–6/2
Building a Page Turner
Workshop Leader: James Mathews
This workshop is for fiction writers at all levels who have a short story
or novel-in-progress. The class will cover the basic elements of strong
storytelling, but will concentrate on the infusion of tension and forward
movement in character and plot development. Each writer will be asked
to submit up to 35 double-spaced pages for group critique. In addition,
participants will be asked to complete writing exercises designed to
highlight the value of storytelling through dialogue and action.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
2/9–3/30
All Levels
Workshop Leader: Alex MacLennan
Together, we’ll read examples of great work, undertake writing excercises
to generate ideas, confidence and words, and read and revise our writing.
Each writer will submit work twice—an initial submission and a revised
version of the same piece—as we look together for opportunities to
make our writings the best they can be.
2/24–4/14
Beginner
The Short Story
Workshop Leader: Dana Cann
This workshop is for short story writers at any level. The focus is on
participants’ work. Each writer will submit up to two stories for constructive critique. In addition, we’ll examine short story elements and
techniques, using the latest Best American Short Stories anthology as our
guide. We’ll review short story markets and strategies for submitting
work. Any participant with a complete story is encouraged to bring
15 copies to the first session.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/2–5/28
All Levels
No meeting April 30
Writing Short Stories
Workshop Leader: John Morris
Are you ready to put your work in front of a group of readers who are also
aspiring writers? If you have a story draft, or are looking for inspiration
to complete a story, this workshop is ideal for you. The goal is for each
participant to finish a successful draft. The workshop leader will provide
detailed written comments on all manuscripts. The workshop’s emphasis
is on encouragement, hard work, and practical suggestions.
8 Mondays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
2/7–3/28
All Levels
8 Mondays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/11–6/6
All Levels
No meeting May 30
 poetry 
Making Fiction: Building Stories
(and Confidence) Step by Step
Fee: $360 Bethesda
We will pass around and critique short story manuscripts, with a focus
on the basics of plot, character, and theme. Plan to bring 10 copies of a
manuscript to the first class session.
2/10–3/31
All Levels
antiwar Poetry new!
Workshop Leader: David Salner
Together, we will look at the roots of antiwar poetry in the twentieth
century and today’s antiwar poems; discuss the irrepressible genius
of such divergent poets as Robert Hayden, Tony Hoagland, Sharon
Olds, and Allen Ginsberg; watch video clips of Lucille Clifton and
Philip Levine and discuss their perspectives on poetry; and address
the environment. Time will be available to present your favorite
poems for discussion.
4 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $195
Bethesda
1/8–1/29
All Levels
4 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $195
Bethesda
3/5–3/26
All Levels
A Crash Course on Prosody
Workshop Leader: Sue Ellen Thompson
Why do so many poems being written today sound ‘flat’ and prose-like?
A familiarity with prosody—the study of the patterns of rhythm and
sound in poetry—is essential if you want to make your poems sound
15
WORKSHOPS register at writer.org
more musical. In this class we will review the basics of meter and scansion
and learn how to discover and develop rhythmic patterns that can then
be used to underscore meaning and emotion, even in free verse poems.
Fee: $80
Bethesda
3/26
All Levels
Workshop Leader: Michele Wolf
Whether you have yet to submit your first poem to a literary journal or
are ready to offer a publisher a book-length manuscript, this intensive
one-day workshop will give you advice on how to succeed. Get tips on
placing poems in journals and anthologies, publishing chapbooks and
books, the pros and cons of contests, the etiquette of poetry submission,
how to develop your poetry network, and how to keep your morale high
while facing rejection in a highly competitive field. Magazine handouts
will be provided.
1 Sunday 2:00–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $60
Bethesda
5/22
All Levels
The Chapbook and Beyond Signifying Pain: Poetry of Transformation
1 Saturday 12:00–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $80
Bethesda
Participants in this workshop will write original work and also explore
the therapeutic uses and effects of writing. We will survey a diverse group
of writers—Keats, Walcott, Kenyon, Lowell, Plath, and Ai—who have
used their writing to work through past personal traumas. This workshop
will be of interest not only to those interested in psychoanalysis, but also
to those with a critical interest in autobiographical or confessional writing.
6 Wednesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
1/26–3/2
All Levels
Fee: $270
Bethesda
3/23–4/27
All Levels
Expressing Yourself Through Poetry n e w !
new!
Workshop Leader: BRASH
This workshop will examine many different ways of bringing poetry
and prose to different audiences via tried and true products—such as
the literary chapbook—but also via other less-expected venues, such as
Twitter poetry, performance venues, jewelry, art books, and art/music/
drama collaborations. Whereas other workshops focus on creating the
polished poem, this workshop aims to take those poems and present
them in new and interesting ways.
4/9
All Levels
Workshop Leader: Bernadette Geyer
If you’ve considered writing poetry but don’t know the difference between
blank verse and free verse, this class is for you. We will start with a discussion of rhyming and “form” poetry and build to an understanding of why
“free verse” doesn’t just mean “no rules apply.” Exercises and in-class
discussion will be aimed at helping beginners figure out how best to
express themselves through poetry.
Fee: $195
Bethesda
3/2–3/23
All Levels
The Art of Revision ne w !
new!
Workshop Leader: BRASH
Starting with typically Western rhythms, we will examine and experiment with pathways to structuring the underlying rhythms of poetry
beyond stereotypical sing-songiness to which beginners sometimes
succumb. We’ll use rhyme beyond the “first-thought” selections and
outside typical Western forms to help the poet see beyond the starting
idea. We will also examine how musical patterns are related to poetic
structures and reach beyond the familiar by exploring unusual rhythms
from other cultures.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
2/24–3/21
A World Bold As Love
Workshop Leader: Reuben Jackson
This workshop, open to new and seasoned writers, will use literary, musical,
and other devices to kindle or re-kindle the keen sense of observation so
crucial to poetry. In-session writing, weekly assignments, and discussion
are the backbone of the workshop. Shyness is lovingly discouraged.
16
1/22–3/19
All Levels
Workshop Leader: Judith Harris
Getting Your Poems Into Print
Rhythm and Rhyme:
Catalyst for Inspiration 8 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
Poets often have folders full of poem drafts they’ve abandoned because,
while they believe the draft has promise, they can’t seem to figure out
how to move the draft in the right direction. In this workshop, we will
explore ways to “rethink” stubborn drafts in order to breathe new life
into them and ultimately—as Samuel Taylor Coleridge said—put “the
best words in the best order.”
4 Tuesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $195
Bethesda
1/18–2/8
All Levels
More Story in Verse
Workshop Leader: Anne Harding Woodworth
As in the workshop offered last fall, we will investigate the phenomenon
of the novel, novella, and short story in verse, an age-old art form alive
and well today. In this part-workshop, part-discussion group for all levels
of poets, fiction writers, (and even memoirists), we will look at the story
in verse, using our own manuscripts as well as parts of Anne Carson’s
novel in verse, The Autobiography of Red.
6 Tuesdays Fee: $270
7:00–9:30 P.M.
Bethesda
1/11–2/15
All Levels
WORKSHOPS
Writing the Visual Arts (Members receive a 13% discount)
Find and Strengthen Your Poetic Voice
Workshop Leader: Patricia Gray
Poetic Voice is a mysterious thing. It often hides from its owner, but
in a group, it can be glimpsed and appreciated. Working with poems
by some of the all-time greats—Jane Kenyon, Galway Kinnell, Gerard
Manley Hopkins, Sharon Olds—we will identify characteristics of poetic
voice and move to poems by participants. Tips on strengthening your
voice will be discussed.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
3/10–4/14
All Levels
Lyric Poetry in English:
A Brief and Idiosyncratic Survey new!
What is a lyric poem? How did this short, focused form, originally
intended to be sung or chanted in a group setting, evolve into work
meant to be read privately on a printed page? We’ll explore the development of lyric poetry from the Anglo-Saxons to the early Romantics in
order to discover how this rich and varied tradition can inform and
enliven our own work. While this is mainly a reading workshop,
some optional writing assignments may be suggested.
The New Language of Poetry 3/31–5/19
All Levels
Fee: $360
Bethesda
Introduction to Poetry 4/5–5/24
All Levels
ne w !
Join us for a thorough introduction to the mechanics and magic of poetry
with lots of fun, inspiring assignments, and student workshops. We’ll read
poems by accomplished writers and discuss issues of craft (voice, imagery,
diction, rhythm, form, line, etc.) so you gain a general knowledge of what
it takes to create a poem and be on your way to becoming an informed,
appreciative reader of poetry. Instructor gives feedback on all poems
written during the course. Small copying costs.
Fee: $360
Bethesdsa
2/2–3/23
Beginner
The Force of Poetry
Workshop Leader: Elizabeth Rees
new!
Workshop Leader: Dan Gutstein
Participants in this workshop will practice a “new language” for writing
poetry. We will explore cutting edge writers from contemporary literature
and, in addition to assessing their sensibilities in voicing a new language,
we will consider their thematic and structural strategies, as well. Prior
experience with reading a variety of poets, writing regularly, and workshopping is desirable.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
The visual arts have inspired poets for centuries—and for good reason! In
this class, we will study and write poems inspired by paintings, photography, and sculpture and explore issues like voice, character, and imagery.
We’ll share art books and read short essays written by poets (on artists,
art, and the art of seeing) to deepen our discussions. Visual artists are
especially encouraged to register. Small copying costs.
Workshop Leader: Melanie Figg
Workshop Leader: Nan Fry
8 Thursdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
ne w !
Workshop Leader: Melanie Figg
2/3–3/24
Writing Longer Poems and Sequences ne w !
Workshop Leader: Charles Jensen
If you’ve never written past the edge of your page, this workshop will be
a great experiment for you. Using techniques of collage, montage, and
sequencing, we will build long poems or works that elapse over several
smaller pieces. For inspiration, we’ll read poets who work with these
techniques to get a better understanding of our creative options while
pushing ourselves to cross boundaries, take chances, and explore what
lies beyond the page break.
8 Tuesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
2/1–3/22
Fee: $360
Bethesda
We will focus on workshopping poems, in-class writing, and discussion
of contemporary poems. Specific exercises will be given to free the imagination and quiet the inner censor. We will explore formal considerations,
stylistic choices, and those moments when the poem catches its own voice.
Bring 15 copies of a poem you love (not your own) to the first session,
as well as 15 copies of one of your own.
8 Mondays 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
1/17–3/14
All Levels
8 Mondays 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
3/21–5/16
All Levels
No meeting April 25
The Strategic Poet ne w !
Workshop Leader: Sandra Beasley
We often describe the Muse as ephemeral, even untameable. But poetry
is both an art and a craft, complete with its own toolbox of tactics. In
this workshop, we’ll identify and discuss strategies that can be used in
your writing process—whether at the point of drafting, revision, or the
shaping of a collection. For the first meeting, bring 15 copies of two
poems: a poem that you love, and a draft of your own.
6 Tuesdays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
3/1–4/5
17
 songwriting 
Rewriting Your Screenplay:
The Art of the Rewrite ne w !
Workshop Leader: Lyn Vaus
Advanced Songwriting
Workshop Leader: Cathy Fink
The third class in the songwriting series, presented by The Writer’s Center
and Songwriters Association of Washington, is designed for advanced
songwriters who are still inspired to push the envelope on their skills
musically and lyrically. We will continue “digging deeper,” with an
effort to write, edit, and compose better songs that “stick.” The goal in
this class is to write songs that appeal to others and to test that appeal
both inside and outside of the class. We will again study “perfect” songs
and strive for the qualities that a wide variety of “perfect” songs may
have. We will also discuss how to “demo” a song so that you can listen
to it, hearing what others hear, and allow that to influence continued
editing and improvement.
Pre-requisite: Songwriting for Beginners and Digging Deeper or e-mail two songs and lyrics
to determine if you qualify for this class.
Members of The Writer’s Center, Songwriters Association of Washington, or Washington Area
Music Association will receive a discount on this workshop. If you are a member of these
organizations, please call The Writer’s Center at 301-654-8664 to register.
7:30–9:30 P.M.
Bethesda
1/4–2/22
Advanced
 stage and screen 
Dialogue: A Practical Approach
Workshop Leaders: Richard Washer & Hope Lambert
This workshop will focus on the functions of dialogue in playwriting
and is designed for writers of all genres and levels of experience. In this
workshop we will learn and apply some basic acting strategies to playwriting and look at the playwrights use of dialogue to define action,
character, and relationships, etc. This workshop will be co-led by
Richard Washer and Hope Lambert (a Washington, d.c. actress
with credits that include Charter Theater, Arena Stage, Washington
Shakespeare Company, and others).
Fee: $360
Bethesda
Writing the Television Pilot 4/2–5/21
All Levels
new!
1/27–3/10
Feature Film Screenwriting
Workshop Leader: Jonathan Eig
This workshop is designed for the writer who wants to complete a feature
screenplay. It can be an original or a rewrite. The participant should have
an idea for a screenplay at the first meeting, and should have a basic
understanding of formatting, structure, and dialogue. We will go into
these topics in greater detail as we workshop sequences from participants’ scripts. Most of the workshop time is devoted to reading and
evaluating works-in-progress. Some time is given over to discussions
of screenwriting techniques and concepts.
8 Mondays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
1/24–3/28
Beginner
8 Mondays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/18–6/13
No meeting May 30
Playwriting: Finding Your Process n e w !
Workshop Leader: Richard Washer
This workshop will focus on a very personal aspect of writing: the process.
Process can vary by writer as well as by project, but knowing different
strategies can help us overcome the inevitable challenges that arise in
the course of any writing project. Through exploration, experimentation,
and discussion the goal is to leave the workshop with a clearer understanding of your process. Although my focus will be on playwriting,
writers of all genres are welcome.
1/29–3/26
All Levels
With hundreds of television channels to choose from, the demand
for original content is at an all-time high. This workshop is designed
to hone the craft of dramatic writing for an original television pilot
as well as guide participants through the more pragmatic ins-and-outs
of navigating the tv business. Participants will develop an original idea
for a television show from pitch to shooting script. The workshop will
also cover the dramatic structural differences between television shows
and feature films.
18
Fee: $430
Bethesda
Fee: $290
Bethesda
Workshop Leader: Michael Kang
Fee: $360
Bethesda
In the business of filmmaking, the most important aspect of screenwriting
is often the ability to rewrite. Workshop participants will learn how
to refine their scripts on their own by incorporating the feedback
of others. A completed or nearly completed first draft is required.
2/17–4/7
All Levels
Writing the Romantic Comedy Script
Workshop Leader: Lyn Vaus
Next to horror, the ever-popular romantic comedy is Hollywood’s most
cost-effective genre. That’s why a well-written romantic comedy script
is always in demand. Workshop participants will get an overview of
rom-com genre conventions, highlights, and specifications, while also
visiting or revisiting the basics of three-act structure, character development, and script formatting (if necessary). Participants will workshop
their ideas with the aim of beginning or continuing a romantic-comedy
script. We will read each other’s work and develop your script following
WORKSHOPS
proven industry techniques.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
4/14–6/2
All Levels
new!
Workshop Leader: Michael Dolan
Research will get you through times of no style better than style will
get you through times of no research. The workshop will cover research
methods, including use of online and physical resources, enlisting librarians and other experts, capitalizing on index information, list-making,
note-taking, interview technique (phone and in-person, for print and
for audiovisual media), and exercises for improving participants’ attention
to detail as researchers and observers. The focus will be on nonfiction
applications, but the methods addressed apply equally to any writing
project, such as fiction, plays, even poetry.
Fee: $195
Bethesda
2/5–3/5
Fee: $195
Bethesda
4/2–4/23
Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing Workshop Leader: Basil White
If you can read this and you can laugh, you can write humor! Learn to
apply the basic psychology of how your brain gets a joke to discover what’s
“gettable” about your subject matter, real or fictional, for humor writing
or other ironic purposes. This class also works as a fun introduction to
the fundamentals of workshopping for those new to the expectations of
creative workshops. Before class, read basilwhite.com/comedyworkshop
 mixed genre 
the art of Research Applying Standup Comedy Techniques
to Your Writing
Saturday and Sunday 1:00–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $155 Bethesda
What We Talk About When We Don’t Talk
Workshop Leader: David Y. Todd
“How can I know what I think until I see what I say?” said a Nobelwinning male author. This workshop is designed to inspire men who are
interested in writing about their experiences as men, whether confidentially
or for the workshop, in fiction, memoir, or verse. The instructor, a former
lawyer and college teacher, has facilitated confidential initiation rites in
the woods for men of diverse backgrounds and, yes, has published creative
writings of sex and comic violence.
2 Mondays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $100
Bethesda
5/9–5/16
All Levels
Lunchtime Writing Retreats
(Baltimore Edition)
Workshop Leader: Pamela Ehrenberg
new !
Workshop Leader: Diana M. Martin
More professionals and authors are choosing self-publishing via online
and print presses to get their writing out to the public. Explore the wide
variety of publishing opportunities, the costs, marketing, and experiences
of those who have gone this route.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
5/14
All Levels
Have you been wanting to join the Lunchtime Writing Retreats, if only
they weren’t so far from your home near Baltimore? Or maybe you just
want to explore Baltimore’s emerging creative scene. Six mini-retreats
will leave you energized and ready for a new writing routine. Aside
from some brief planning and reflection, the majority of our time
we’ll actually be writing. So bring a notepad or a laptop and a
project idea you’ve been putting off. See you in Charm City!
Fee: $230
Baltimore area locations
Getting Published: Hands-on Advice
No meeting April 20
Workshop Leader: Nancy Naomi Carlson
Lunchtime Writing Retreats
(Snowbird Edition)
Have you wanted to get your writing published but didn’t know where
to start? Are you already publishing but want to be published in more
competitive markets? Come learn “the secrets” of fiction, poetry, and
nonfiction submission, as well as how to target appropriate markets. We’ll
discuss such topics as cover and query letters, agents, how to “read between
the lines” of an editor’s response, and tracking submissions. Please bring
8 copies of a one-page work sample to discuss in class as time allows.
1 Saturday 12:00–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $100
Bethesda
3/26–3/27
All Levels
6/4
All Levels
4/6–5/18
All Levels
Cozy up around the fireplace at La Madeleine (a few blocks from The
Writer’s Center at 7607 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda) for six miniretreats that will leave you energized and ready for a new writing routine.
Aside from some brief planning and reflection, the majority of our time
we’ll be actually writing. So bring a notepad or laptop and a project idea—
a longer work or series of shorter pieces—that you’ve been putting off.
Participants may wish to buy a warm winter beverage or treat to fuel
the creative process.
Fee: $220
La Madeleine
7607 Old Georgetown Road
2/2–3/9
All Levels
19
Classical Mythology
Prose Poems & Flash Fiction ne w !
Workshop Leader: Carolyn Clark
Embrace the basics of classical mythology in reading and writing, poetry,
and prose. The workshop is designed to increase appreciation of classical
mythology and awareness of archetypes in modern culture. Participants
are encouraged to develop their own aesthetic and share their personal
writing/reading choices throughout this six-week adventure!
Prose poems and flash fiction are where poets and fiction writers meet.
In this workshop, we’ll read short essays by some contemporary prose
poetry practitioners alongside examples of their work to get a sense of
the opportunity the prose poem can offer. Participants will write weekly
poems and receive feedback from their peers throughout the workshop.
By the end, each writer will have an excellent understanding of this
tradition and the tools to move forward within it.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
2/2–3/9
All Levels
Fee: $270
Bethesda
4/13–5/18
All Levels
Workshop Leaders: Chris Piers & Jason Rodriguez
What does a single panel represent and what should be in it? What happens between the panels, in the gutters? Why is page 22 so important?
How and where do you find artists to collaborate with? Comic writers
and editors Chris Piers and Jason Rodriguez will teach the basics of
comic writing so that you can adapt your ideas, completed stories,
personal life, or even poems while learning how to write visually,
sequentially, and serially.
2/28–4/4
Transitions
Free up personal experiences, discover our voices, choose the best words.
In each session, we write using an assigned topic and read the pieces aloud
to hear what is strongest and most engaging. Participants may bring in
work written or rewritten at home. The goal is to learn how to turn life
into stories, to find out which aspects of our writing work the best, and
to understand how to work together to create a writing group.
6 Tuesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
2/1–3/8
All Levels
Are you making a New Year’s resolution to write in 2011? Join us and make
a plan for the year, workshop some pieces, write some new stories, and
set yourself up to reach your goals this year! Each class will consist of
an organizational exercise to help you plan for the year, discussion of
writing topic, and a participant workshop of writings. Bring a calendar
printout to the first four classes. Please feel free to pack a bag lunch.
8 Tuesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Arlington Cultural Affairs
Division Building
So you want to be “a writer” 1/11–3/1
All Levels
ne w !
In this workshop, we’ll explore the avenues to “becoming a writer”—
styles of writing, essay, fiction, journalism, novels, memoirs, nonfiction,
poetry, etc. We’ll look at pieces, talk about where to send them, and
workshop them as well. Feel free to bring a bag lunch.
8 Tuesdays 10:30 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Division Building
4/5–5/31
All Levels
No meeting April 19
Advanced Novel and Memoir
Workshop Leader: Barbara Esstman
Strengthening Your Prose
Workshop Leader: Graham Dunstan
If you’re new to prose writing and have a story to tell, this writing class
is meant for you. We will explore both short fiction and nonfiction and
hone skills that can help you create more powerful prose. Students will
write and critique short prose assignments and read contemporary examples
of short fiction and nonfiction. Join us to create your own voice and to
study key elements of writing including conflict, character development,
and style.
20
Workshop Leader: Hildie S. Block
Workshop Leader: Mary Carpenter
Fee: $360
Bethesda
3/29–5/17
All Levels
New Year’s Resolution Workshop
Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels
6 Mondays 7:00–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
8 Tuesdays 7:30–10:00 P.M.
Fee: $360
Bethesda
2/8–3/29
For serious writers with a book-length project and hopes of publication.
Learn technical skills: character/scene development, language, dialogue,
conflict, and plot. Discuss the psychological aspects: how to locate and
stay with the emotional core of story and keep going to the end. We’ll
also touch on rewriting and the directions for getting an agent. Each
writer will submit up to 35 double-spaced pages.
Pre-requisite: Previous workshops or permission of the instructor required.
Fee: $405
Bethesda
2/2–3/23
Advanced
Fee: $405
Bethesda
4/6–5/25
Advanced
WORKSHOPS
Writing Staycation
Workshop Leader: Zahara Heckscher
Do you dream of participating in a writing retreat but can’t get out
of town? This workshop, a non-residential week-long retreat at The
Writer’s Center, is for you. Join us for an intensive, supportive, exhilarating, focused week of writing. Each day begins with a short reading
and brief discussion. Then tons of time for working on your own writing—
whether it is poetry, a novel, or nonfiction work in your brain, or a manuscript that needs some final polish. Optional lunch speakers, afternoon
walks, and group shares.
Read more about Writing Staycation on page 8
Monday–Friday 10:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $575
Bethesda
1/10–1/14
All Levels
Monday–Friday 10:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $575
Bethesda
3/21–3/25
All Levels
Getting Started: Creative Writing
If you have always wanted to write but haven’t known how to begin, this
is the workshop for you! We will explore journals, short stories, poems
(and prose poems), and memoirs in order to “jump start” your writing.
Participants will explore journaling, short stories, poems and prose poems,
and memoirs. Exercises done in the workshop will focus on transforming
a creative idea into actual words on a page. Goals: loosening up, generating new material, and enjoying the excitement of writing.
Please note: this workshop is offered at four different times,
and by three different workshop leaders.
Getting Started: Creative Writing—A
Workshop Leader: Nancy Naomi Carlson
1 Saturday 12:00–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $100 Bethesda
Getting Started: Creative Writing—B
Workshop Leader: Susan Land
Fee: $360
Bethesda
Getting Started: Creative Writing—E
Fee: $360
Bethesda
2/26
Beginner
3/10–4/28
Beginner
No meeting May 28
The Writer’s Center has received a
generous grant from The National
Endowment for the Arts allowing
us to offer four tuition-free workshops for veterans and active
duty military.
Fiction Workshop ne w !
Workshop Leader: Wayne Karlin
Participants practice and create works of short fiction through analysis
of techniques used by several writers (apprenticeship), exercises based on
those techniques, and informed feedback through group workshopping.
4 Saturdays FREE for Military Veterans
1:00–4:00 P.M.
Bethesda
4/2–4/30
All Levels
No meeting April 23
Writing for Military Veterans
Workshop Leader: Jehanne Dubrow
In this writing workshop, both for veterans and for active duty military,
we will examine the ways that poetry and creative nonfiction can be used
to describe the experience of war, recount memories of service, and explore
the unique cultural landscape of military life.
4 Saturdays FREE for Military Veterans
1:00–4:00 P.M.
Bethesda
5/7–6/4
All Levels
No meeting May 28
 Translation 
Translating Local Latino Poets
Workshop Leader: Yvette Neisser Moreno
1/15–3/12
Beginner
Getting Started: Creative Writing—F
Fee: $360
Bethesda
 workshops for

military veterans 4/30–6/25
Beginner
In this unique workshop, students will translate poems from the
recently published anthology, Al pie de la Casa Blanca: Poetas hispanos
de Washington, D.C., for possible publication in the bilingual edition
that is currently in progress. In looking at students’ translations, we
will discuss the myriad questions that a literary translator faces, such
as word choice, sentence structure, tone, rhythm, and sound. Students
should have some familiarity with the principles of either poetry writing
or translation.
6 Mondays 7:00–9:00 P.M.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
1/24–3/7
21
Wa fIreN
e
n
multi-sessio
workshop
elow
see details b
To help us promote this event, gently remove this poster and put it up in a designated public place. Then take a photo of your posting and send it to us (maureen.punte@w
Facebook the next day. Entrants will be placed in a raffle to win the grand prize of a free multi-session workshop, second prize will receive a one-year community membersh
Friday, November 12, 7:30 P.M.
at the Black Squirrel
2427 18th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
Writers published in Big Lucks, Smartish Pace,
Poet Lore, The Potomac Review, and Barrelhouse
will read at The Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan.
Readers include David Keplinger, Joe Hall,
Doug Lang, Ramola D, and Gregory Pardlo.
www.writer.org
The Writer’s Center is sponsored in part by the Maryland State Arts Council
and the Art & Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
The Writer’s Center gratefully acknowledges assistance received
from the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington’s Business
Volunteers for the Arts Program.
This project is supported in part by an award from
the National Endowment for the Arts.
writer.org) along with the location, date, and your contact info by noon on Friday, November 12. The winners will be announced at the reading and will be posted on
hip to The Writer’s Center, and third prize will receive a one-year subscription to Poet Lore. Restrictions: Not valid with other offers. You may only submit one photo.
 Professional

development To purchase a professional development workshop
for your business, call 301.654.8664.
P.R. 101 for Individuals
and Small Organizations
This workshop aims to equip people who work either for themselves
or for small offices to do their own basic public relations. You’ll learn
techniques of the trade and work through mission and goals to identify
which tools to use initially. The intention is to emerge with at least a
press kit, some ways to target your audiences, and a draft or two for a
blog, op-ed, newsletter, etc. Some more advanced tools also discussed.
4/7–5/5
All Levels
No meeting April 21
Workshop Leader: Angela Render
Getting published is hard, especially for a first-time author. Publishers
want you to come with a platform and this workshop will discuss what
a platform is and when to start building it. It will also give a brief overview of the tools available to writers for building a platform on the web,
and discuss Internet privacy and copyright. Participants will brainstorm
what types of Internet media might be right for them to use.
1/22
Beginner
Writing the Report
3/5
Beginner
An intermediate level workshop that is best suited for people who are
already blogging and want to take their blogs to the next level. Students
will learn techniques to improve their posts and their exposure. Basic
graphics editing, search engine optimization (seo), and ways to come
up with sustainable topics to write about will be discussed.
1 Saturday 12:30–2:30 P.M.
Fee: $40
Bethesda
3/5
Intermediate
Workshop Leader: Barbara Berschler
This workshop will cover u.s. copyright and registration; examine how
the exclusive rights associated with copyright come into existence and
how they can be exploited; discuss what is “a work made for hire”; and
consider some issues that may be relevant in publishing agreements.
Participants should come away from the class with a clearer understanding of their rights and responsibilities with respect to the intellectual
property that they create or that is created by others and which they
may wish to use in their works.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
3/12
All Levels
Introduction to Blogging
Workshop Leader: Arthur Besner
A “road map” is introduced to facilitate preparing a report—whether it
is an accomplishments, special issue, annual, or recurrent report. The
process starts with a set of critical thinking skills to identify and analyze
useful information and resources. It follows with identifying a theme
that serves as the foundation for writing the report and techniques for
categorizing and synthesizing information. The process leads to outlining, drafting, revising, and completing the final report.
Wednesday and Thursday 10:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M.
Fee: $115
Bethesda
2/2–2/3
All Levels
Wednesday and Thursday 10:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M.
Fee: $115
Bethesda
5/18–5/19
All Levels
24
Fee: $40
Bethesda
Copyright Made Easy for Writers
Introduction to Marketing Platforms
1 Saturday 12:30–2:30 P.M.
Fee: $40
Bethesda
Does the world of social media make you want to head for a cave? Do
you think the world’s all gone to Twitter, Facebook, and other social
networks? Learn to navigate the social surf online and in person as
you learn how to approach social networking online and off.
Blogging Tips and Tricks
4 Thursdays 7:30–10:00 P.M. Fee: $195
Bethesda
Social Networking for Writers
This class goes into detail about blogging. It will cover several blogging
software options, the basics on how to set up a blog, how to post and
how to insert images. Participants will get a feel for what sort of content
should be included in a post, how to organize their content, how to
invite comments, and how to promote themselves on other people’s
blogs. The class will brainstorm topic ideas for their own blogs.
Fee: $40
Bethesda
1/22
Beginner
WORKSHOPS
Writing for Business Professionals
Participants will learn how to write clear, concise e-mails, memos,
letters, and other workplace documents. Emphasis will be placed on
improving grammar, editing, and organization. Since each business
has its own tone and style, writing to suit the needs of your particular
workplace audience will also be discussed.
1 Saturday 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
1/29
All Levels
Writing the Information Memorandum
Workshop Leader: Arthur Besner
In a work setting, we are continuously furnishing information on our
projects and issues in which we have some expertise. The structure of the
Information Memorandum recognizes that supervisors, managers, and
our colleagues have limited time to review materials. The components
of the Information Memorandum help us to focus and stay on message.
The exercises in this workshop show how we can present essential information succinctly without sacrificing substance.
1 Wednesday 1:00–5:00 P.M.
Fee: $60
Bethesda
1/26
All Levels
How to Write or Improve
Your Company’s Newsletter
Learn the basics of what makes a newsletter one of the most popular
ways to inform and market to a specific audience. Print and online
newsletters will be discussed in terms of copy, format, audience, and
organization. Whether you are thinking of writing a newsletter of your
own, or are doing one for the workplace, these tips will refresh and
enhance your knowledge of newsletters. We will also cover topics such
as increasing subscriptions, reviewing successful newsletters, participant
newsletter review, and editing.
4 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $195
Bethesda
2/26–3/19
All Levels
 younger writers 
Workshops for ages 8–18
Adele’s Super Cool Picture Book Workshop
(ages 8–11)
Workshop Leader: Adele Brown
Let’s write a children’s picture book! Reading favorites like Varmints,
The Giving Tree, Where the Wild Things Are, How to Paint the Portrait
of a Bird, and others, we’ll explore voice, theme, storyline, and authors’
use of language, art, and photography. We’ll also examine writing styles
(stories, plays, narrative verse, and verse) to discover our preferences when
we create our own children’s books. Time will be set aside for comments
and revision of work. We’ll have a book launch/reading for family and
friends during our last workshop.
6 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:00 P.M.
Fee: $215
Bethesda
3/26–4/30
All Levels
Inventing Poems (Ages 8–11)
Workshop Leader: Anne Sheldon
Dreams, color, memory, and the natural world are a few of the geographies
we’ll explore, by way of each child’s imagination. Writing will take place
within the workshop, as well as brainstorming, editing, and the reading
aloud of classic work and student work. The workshop will culminate
with a student chapbook and a reading for family and friends.
6 Saturdays
10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $215
Bethesda
2/5–3/19
All Levels
No meeting February19
6 Saturdays
10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $215
Bethesda
4/2–5/7
All Levels
The Artscape News (ages 8–11)
Workshop Leader: Adele Brown
Participants will publish a newspaper writing short stories, poetry, articles,
comic strips, advertisements, and their own advice column for The Writer’s
Center Artscape News! Sessions will be “hands-on,” and we will examine
the role of “play” in the process of creative writing. Time will be set aside
in each session for comments and revision of work, and students will have
a “press release” reading for family and friends at the conclusion of the
workshop. There are no texts required for the workshops, but students
will need paper and pencils.
6 Saturdays 10:00 A.M.–12:00 P.M.
Fee: $215
Glen Echo Park
2/12–3/19
All Levels
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 online 
One Poet: Reading Louise Glück ne w !
Our online workshops are for those whose
schedules or distance from our physical venue
make participation in a conventional workshop
impossible. Internet workshops have their own
unique virtues: the ability to comment on discussion boards from any location and at any
time; the archiving of everyone’s comments
for future consultation; and the fact that your
manuscript is read in the workshops precisely
as your published piece would be read in the
world, namely, by people you cannot see.
Making Time to Write
in an Impossibly Busy Life
Have you been interrupted every time you’ve started to read this paragraph? You’ve got a project or an idea half-started, but life won’t slow
down enough for you to write. This workshop is for you! We’ll set goals
specific to our own projects, cheer each other on, and share strategies
for sticking to our goals—during the workshop and beyond.
Internet
2/1–3/22
All Levels
Internet
4/26–6/14
All Levels
One Poet: Reading Denise Duhamel ne w !
Denise Duhamel began her career marked as a “stand-up poet” whose
work seemed more interested in earning a laugh than moving her reader.
Over several collections, Duhamel’s work has evolved to include both
humorous and satirical work as well as deeply moving poetry in the
Confessional mode of writing. In this online workshop, we will read
four collections of Duhamel’s poetry and discuss its strengths, its
impact, and the way Duhamel has grown and changed over the
course of her career, from straightforward free verse to formal
experiments, long poems, and biography.
5 Online Sessions
Fee: $170
Internet
26
4/11–5/9
All Levels
Louise Glück’s work has received some of America’s most prestigious
prizes. Over the course of her career, she has made concerted efforts
to change and challenge herself in order to grow and develop. In this
online workshop, participants will read four poetry collections by this
incredible poet and discuss the merits of the work, the creative choices
explored, and the overall impact of her ongoing experiments.
5 Online Sessions
Fee: $170
Internet
3/14–4/11
All Levels
Writing the Young Adult Novel ne w !
Workshop Leaders: Beckie Weinheimer & Kathryn Erskine
For writers who have a young adult novel in progress. We’ll discuss
the elements of story—hook, plot, character, dialogue, voice, setting,
grounding, pacing, conflict, story arc, theme—and how to tie the
elements together. There will be assigned readings and exercises.
Please bring your writing to this workshop so we can share and
critique. You’ll get the most out of it if you critique others’ work
and submit your own for critique.
8 Online Sessions
Fee: $280
Internet
Short Fiction Boot Camp 1/29–3/19
Intermediate
ne w !
Workshop Leader: Dave Housley
Each of the first four weeks of this online course will focus on a specific
area of craft: beginning the story, incorporating history/backstory, point
of view and voice, and dialogue. Each topic week will include: an online
discussion, readings (chosen from literary magazines or fiction collections),
and writing prompts. The last four weeks will be spent workshopping
stories, paying particular attention to those issues/areas that were addressed earlier, as well as other essential elements of the short story.
8 Online Sessions
Fee: $270
Internet
1/29–3/19
Freelancing for Magazines ne w !
Workshop Leader: Elaina Loveland
Discover what it takes to research paying magazine markets, write query
letters that work, get an assignment, and finish the article for publishing
in magazines. Learn from an instructor who has worked on “both sides
of the desk” as a freelance writer and as a magazine editor.
2 Online Sessions
Fee: $85
Internet
5/7–5/14
Beginner
WORKSHOPS
First Words: Beginning Fiction Revising the Novel
new!
Workshop Leader: Doreen Baingana
Workshop Leader: T. Greenwood
Do you have stories to tell but hesitate to start? This beginners’ workshop
will jump start the writing process with exercises and readings from classic
and contemporary writers. We will also explore how plot, setting, theme,
character development, and dialogue work together to make an artful
whole. And we will critique one another’s drafts with the goal of completing at least one publishable short story by the end of the workshop.
What do novelists do between that first draft and the final manuscript
to make their plots sizzle and their prose sing? The key is in revision. If
you have completed the first draft of a novel, this workshop will help
you develop skills to shape your plot for maximum dramatic impact
and give life and texture to characters, dialogue, and setting.
Prerequisite: Course is designed for writers who have completed the first draft of their novels.
8 Mondays Fee: $270
Internet
8 Saturdays Fee: $270
Internet
1/24–3/14
Beginner
4/2–5/21
Short Fiction Workshop
Personal Essay Online Workshop Leader: Dave Housley
An online workshop for intermediate or advanced short-fiction writers.
Students will workshop two stories, and will write several shorter pieces
written to prompts. We’ll read a variety of fiction from literary magazines
or collections and will discuss aspects of fiction writing, such as voice or
dialogue, as well as flash fiction and experimental writing. Ideally, students
will leave this course with a better understanding of the current fiction
landscape and will hone and expand their writing skills.
Enter the world of personal essay. The land where you can say “I,” work
things out in your head, spend time exploring ideas without interruption,
and then learn what to do with them. We’ll look at the history of personal essay, essay categories, the elements of essay, and read some great
ones too. Texts: The Art of Personal Essay, by Philip Lopate, and The Best
American Essays 2010 ed., Christopher Hitchens, editor.
8 Online Sessions
Fee: $2700
Internet
Getting the Story Straight 4/9–5/28
8 Fridays Fee: $270
Internet
Writing a Nonfiction Book Proposal new!
4/8–5/27
All Levels
new!
Workshop Leader: Elaina Loveland
This online workshop for fiction writers will focus on getting down the
arc of the story. We’ll figure out what a story means, how the plot drives
it (and how the characters are inextricable from the plot), and how little
control we really have of the whole process once set into motion. We’ll
also workshop 2–3 stories/excerpts a week. New sessions are posted at
10 a.m. on Fridays. Short stories and novel excerpts are welcome.
8 Fridays
Fee: $270
Internet
ne w !
1/28–3/25
Intermediate
No meeting March 4
Characterization in the Novel
Workshop Leader: T. Greenwood
In this class, you will learn the elements of a nonfiction book proposal,
how to write it, and how to get your finished proposal in the hands of
a literary agent or publisher. The goal of the course is to have at least a
portion of the book proposal complete so you can finish the proposal,
and send it to the gatekeepers (publishers and agents) so you can land a
book deal.
3 Online Sessions
Fee: $120
Internet
4/9–4/23
Beginner
 how 2 
When writing a novel, we must know our primary characters inside and
out. We need to understand their desires, motivations, and frustrations,
their histories and their futures. This workshop will focus on the development of authentic characters. We will examine character as both
autonomous and residing within the context of the other novelistic
elements, and we will discuss the challenge of creating and integrating
these various elements into a cohesive and credible whole. Participants
will explore the main character(s) in their novels-in-progress.
These concentrated one-day workshops provide
valuable information on a variety of topics—
from the nuts and bolts of revision to getting your
work published.
8 Saturdays Fee: $270 Internet
1/8–2/26
How 2 Create (and Maintain!) a Writing Group
Your mom is flattered when you ask her to read your work, but you’re
starting to think feedback from others might help too. Or maybe you’ve
been part of a critique group before and wonder how to start one up
again and keep it from fizzling. This one-shot workshop will send you
home with ideas and an action plan for incorporating the feedback and
27
community of a writing group into your writing life.
idea for a specific writing project they wish they had time for.
1 Sunday 1:30–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
2/27
All Levels
1 Sunday 1:30–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
1/23
All Levels
1 Sunday 1:30–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
5/15
All Levels
1 Sunday 1:30–4:00 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
4/10
All Levels
how 2 Structure your Book How 2 Write a Better
College Application Essay new!
This four-hour workshop is dedicated to planning out a structure for
your novel, memoir, or nonfiction book. Participants should bring a
100-word book jacket description of their book to the class.
1 Saturday 9:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M.
Fee: $80
(Members receive a 13% discount) Division Building
1/22
All Levels
1 Saturday 9:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M.
Fee: $80
(Members receive a 13% discount) Division Building
4/9
All Levels
HOW 2 Find a Literary Agent
Workshop Leader: Shannon O’Neill
Have you ever wondered what exactly a literary agent does? Do you
wonder whether you need one? And if you’ve decided that maybe you
do, how do you begin to look for the right one? In this crash-course
you’ll learn the basics of what an agent does, how to find one, and how
to make sure you’re getting what you need from them. We’ll talk about
queries, pitches, and protocol. Questions welcomed!
1 Saturday 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
1/8
All Levels
1 Saturday 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
2/12
All Levels
The application essay is one of the most important factors in getting
accepted to the college of your choice. High school students and adults
applying for college will learn tips on what admission committees look
for and how to personalize an essay so it stands out among the rest.
1 Saturday 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
3/26
All Levels
Fee: $50
Bethesda
6/4
All Levels
How 2 Get Your Nonfiction Articles Published
Workshop Leader: Ellen Ryan
In this brief introduction to magazine and newspaper freelancing, learn
how to get editors’ attention and persuade them to buy your articles.
We’ll study the art of the query—your best sales tool—when to use it,
when not to, and how to make yours the most likely to win an assignment. We’ll look at matching your ideas to available markets and at
legal contracts (not necessarily your friend)—and have plenty of time
for questions.
1 Thursday 7:00–9:30 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
3/24
All Levels
To get your work “out there,” we’ll look first at how to distinguish
what you have to offer, then at who might want it. Then, we’ll work
on some public relations tools likely to help reach your audience. These
can include a goals chart, blurbs, pitch, press release, and Web content.
3/19
All Levels
How 2 Make Time to Write
Work. Deadlines. Pressure. Family. Soccer. Childcare. Who on earth has
time to write? This one-shot session includes specific decisions, actions, and
strategies writers can use in balancing their work lives with their personal
lives—and yes, actually writing. Our focus will be on goal-setting and
maintaining a momentum. Participants should come to class with an
28
How 2 Make a Living as a Copy Editor
How 2 Promote Your Work
Fee: $50
Bethesda
ne w !
Whether you are drawn to the corporate world or a freelancer’s life, this
workshop will cover what you need to know to pursue a career as a copy
editor. You will learn how a copy editor differs from a proofreader, how
to build experience now to make a career switch later, key tips every copy
editor should know, and the steps you’ll need to take if you want to work
on a freelance basis.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
2/12
All Levels
How 2 Write or Improve
Your Company’s Newsletter
Learn the basics of what makes a newsletter one of the most popular
ways to inform and market to a specific audience. Print and online
newsletters will be discussed in terms of copy, format, audience, and
WORKSHOPS
organization. Whether you are thinking of writing a newsletter of
your own, or are doing one for the workplace, these tips will refresh
and enhance your knowledge of newsletters. (The longer version of
this will include topics on increasing newsletter subscriptions, reviewing
successful newsletters, participant newsletter review, and editing.)
1 Saturday 10:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
2/5
All Levels
How 2 Start Out in Literary Translation
Workshop Leader: Yvette Neisser Moreno
This workshop will provide a brief introduction to literary translation,
including methods and theories, the creative element, and publishing.
Specifically, by examining different translations of sample texts, we will
discuss the myriad questions that a literary translator faces, such as word
choice, sentence structure, tone, rhythm, and sound. We will also examine
some major theories of translation and apply them through translation
exercises. Finally, we will discuss the “business” side of literary translation:
permissions and publishing. The workshop will be conducted entirely
in English.
Fee: $50
Bethesda
4/9
Beginner
 Adults Write

for children Writing for the Middle Grade Reader
Workshop Leader: Judith Tabler
Middle graders (children ages 8–12) can be a terrific audience for your
creative skills. This age group devours both nonfiction and fiction. We
will look at middle grade literature (classic and current), but most class
time will be spent discussing participants’ writings. We will explore
protagonists, plot, conflict, action, humor, dialogue, villains, secondary
characters, good beginnings, strong middles, and great endings. Beginners
welcome. Bring a favorite middle grade book or article to the first class.
Fee: $270
Bethesda
3/24–4/28
All Levels
Writing for Younger Children
 mclean

workshops The Writer’s Center is pleased to join in partnership
with the McLean Community Center (MCC), to
offer workshops at their location at 1234 Ingleside
Avenue, McLean, Virginia. The MCC is handling
registrations for these workshops.
The Writer’s Center thanks Dorothy Hassan for facilitating
this opportunity.
Current Writer’s Center members who register for a workshop
at the MCC will pay the full rate and receive the member
discount as a refund 10 business days after the start of
the workshop. For more information about the MCC, visit
www.mcleancenter.org.
Writing Your Novel or Memoir
Workshop Leader: Barbara Esstman
Working from 20 pages of your own writing, learn character and scene
development, dialogue, tone, language, point of view, plot, and focus—
the essential directions for writing your book and not getting lost in the
process. Also, tips on how to publish.
Fee: $315
McLean Community Center
2/1–3/8
All Levels
Fee: $315
McLean Community Center
4/26–5/31
All Levels
Writing from Life
Workshop Leader: Ellen Herbert
How do writers untangle memory’s complicated knots in order to tell
the stories we need to tell? This workshop explores “true writing,” creative
nonfiction or fiction, employing recreated dialogue, time compression, and
voice. We’ll read and critique our own work as well as published essays.
Fee: $270 McLean Community Center
1/26–3/2
All Levels
Workshop Leader: Mary Quattlebaum
This workshop explores various forms of writing for younger children,
including picture books, early readers, chapter books, magazine stories,
and poems. Short lectures are followed by a review of participants’ work.
Discussions of characterization, plot, rhythm, syntax, and publishing
guide participants in honing and marketing child-appealing work.
Fee: $315
Bethesda
3/3–4/14
All Levels
29
 independent study 
Have you taken a number of workshops at The Writer’s Center, an M.F.A. program, or elsewhere? Are you
interested in a writing mentor to give you focused guidance? If you answered yes to these questions,
consider applying for one of our new independent study workshops, where you will work one-on-one
with one of our workshop leaders.*
In order to be eligible for an independent study, you will need to demonstrate a certain level of expertise in your chosen genre—as determined by the individual workshop leader. Independent studies are
not meant to replace workshops, but rather to augment them by giving you one-on-one attention.
If you are interested in one of the following independent studies, please contact The Writer’s Center at
301.654.8664 or by e-mailing [email protected] with “independent study” as the subject.
All independent studies are 6 hours for $850.
*Only the workshop leaders listed below are currently offering independent studies.
Khris Baxter (Screenwriting)
Sue Ellen Thompson (Poetry)
I work with screenwriters of all levels on premise, story, structure,
scenes, and dialogue. In short, developing a screenplay from idea
through the final draft. I also work with writers on developing a sound
strategy for getting their work in front of producers, agents, and decision makers.
I prefer working with free verse poets who combine narrative and lyric
elements, poets who enjoy writing in form, and poets who believe, as
Stanley Kunitz did, in “an art so transparent that you can look through
and see the world.” I will provide line-by-line feedback in person or via
e-mail, focusing on form, syntax, diction, imagery, and line breaks. I
can review manuscripts as a whole, groups of 3–5 poems, or individual
poems on which the poet is “stuck.”
Brenda Clough (Science Fiction)
In an independent study workshop, I read the student’s manuscript
closely. We would discuss micro issues, like formatting and sentence
structure, and macro issues, like plot, pacing, and character. My particular focus would be working within the science fiction genre, and
shaping the work towards success in that arena.
T. Greenwood (Novel)—ONLINE only
I provide comprehensive editorial services for completed drafts of novels.
Services include a thorough critical read of the manuscript followed by an
analysis and evaluation of plot, characterization, point of view, prose—
as well as recommendations for revision.
Ann McLaughlin (Fiction)
I write a comprehensive letter with each manuscript describing how
effectively I think the novel or story develops its theme, how authentic
the characters seem to me, and how well the plot and points of view
work, with a view toward possible revisions. I edit as I read, so the
writer gets a letter plus the edited manuscript.
Shannon O’Neill (Nonfiction) new!
I offer a close read and critical assessment of nonfiction manuscripts
intended for a general audience. In offering thoughts and suggestions
on both the style and substance of your work, I’ll approach questions of
audience, voice, structure, and overall execution. I will provide editorial
advice on improving the manuscript on a developmental level and, if
appropriate, advice on how to proceed towards the goal of publication.
30
SARAH VAP (POETRY)—online only
I work with advanced students who wish to have my feedback on their
poetry. I prefer to work with your chapbook or book-length manuscripts.
Feedback may include line edits, discussion about the work as a manuscript, and conceptual discussions.
Richard Washer (Playwriting) ne w !
I begin by working with the writer to set a goal for the independent
study in order to determine the most appropriate feedback for the
writer, the project, and the stage the project is in (developing an idea,
early draft, finished draft, polishing a script). In the context of this goal,
the focus of our sessions will be on what works, what doesn’t work, and
why. Depending on the unique nature of the project,
various topics in dramatic writing will emerge: theatricality,
characterization, action, structure, pacing, etc.
To find workshops listed exclusively online,
or to sign up for The Writer Center’s weekly
e-newsletter, visit writer.org.
Do you know someone
in your family who is interested
in taking writing workshops?
to:________________________________________
4 5 0 8 WA L S H S T R E E T
BE THESDA, MD 20815
to:________________________________________
4 5 0 8 WA L S H S T R E E T
BE THESDA, MD 20815
to:________________________________________
from: ___________________________________
THE WRITER’S CENTER
301.654.8664
W W W.WRITER.OR G
from: ___________________________________
301.654.8664
W W W.WRITER.OR G
4 5 0 8 WA L S H S T R E E T
BE THESDA, MD 20815
to:________________________________________
4 5 0 8 WA L S H S T R E E T
BE THESDA, MD 20815
from: ___________________________________
301.654.8664
W W W.WRITER.OR G
from: ___________________________________
301.654.8664
W W W.WRITER.OR G
Would you like to buy that person the gift of a workshop but don't know which one to choose?
Well, you can now purchase holiday gift cards of $50, $100, $250, and $500 and give
them to a friend or family member. Next time you visit The Center,
ask the front-desk receptionist how you can purchase your holiday gift card.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS
Workshops Taught by Professional Writers and Instructors in Three Ways:
At Our Office / At Your Office / Online
• Refresh Grammar Skills
• Write Pitch-Perfect Proposals
• Craft Compelling Features
• Speak in Public with Confidence
• P.R. for Small Businesses and Individuals
• Use Figurative Language Effectively
• Communicate Clearly and Concisely
• Improve Company Newsletters/E-mail
• Master Technical Writing
• Write with Confidence in Any Situation
• Understand Tone of Voice
If you would like to learn more about
these seminars, please e-mail us at
[email protected]
INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE
4508 Walsh Street
Bethesda, Maryland 20815
301.654.8664
www.writer.org
EVENTS AT THE WRITER'S CENTER
We host more than 50 events annually, including Sunday Open Door
readings, Story/Stereo, and theatre productions at our historic black box
theatre. If you would like more information about these events—including
interviews, videos, audio—please visit our Web site www.writer.org or our
blog, First Person Plural.
open door
readings
SUN, NOV 21, 2:00 P.M.
SUN, FEB 6, 2:00 P.M.
presents an event with
Kirsten Holmstedt,
editor of The Girls
Come Marching Home:
Stories of Women
Warriors Returning
from the War in Iraq.
Join editor Pireeni
Sundaralingam and
authors published in
Indivisible, an anthology of South Asian
American poetry.
Readers will include
Sachin B. Patel, Ravi
Shankar, Dilruba
Ahmed, and Pireeni
Sundaralingam.
SUN, DEC 5, 2:00 P.M.
Philip Clark
SUN, NOV 7,
2:00 P.M.
Josh Weil
SUN, NOV 14, 2:00 P.M.
The Writer’s Center presents a panel discussion
on Creativity, Science, and the Brain. With
Michael Salcman, former president of the
Congress of Neurological Surgeons; Joram
Piatigorsky, Chief of the NEI’s Laboratory of
Molecular and Developmental Biology; and
David Taylor, award-winning writer and
documentary filmmaker.
32
SUN, DEC 12, 2:00 P.M.
photo by Jean Korten Moser
photo by ben weil
Josh Weil reads from
The New Valley, and
Susan Coll reads from
Beach Week.
Join editor Philip Clark
and local authors who
will read work from
the recent anthology
Persistent Voices: Poetry
by Writers Lost to AIDS.
Readers include Dan
Vera, Philip Clark,
Charles Jensen, and
Kim Roberts.
Kathryn Johnson
Novelist Israel Heller
reads from Death In
McMurdo, and Kathryn
Johnson reads from
The Gentleman Poet:
A Novel of Love, Danger,
and Shakespeare’s
The Tempest.
SUN, FEB 13, 2:00 P.M.
The Writer’s Center presents poets published by
the newly-launched Broadkill River Press. Readers
are Martin Galvin (Sounding the Atlantic), Mary
Ann Larkin (That Deep and Steady Hum), Laura
Miller (Exile at Sarzana), and Sid Gold (The Year
of The Dog Throwers).
SUN, FEB 27, 2:00 P.M.
We welcome three poets. Shirley Brewer reads
from A Little Breast Music; Kathleen Hellen reads
from The Girl Who Loved Mothra; Laura Shovan
reads from Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone.
SUN, MARCH 6, 2:00 P.M.
SUN, DEC 19, 2:00 P.M.
Poetry and Prose Open Mic. Sign-up for readers
begins at 1:30 P.M.
SUN, JAN 30, 2:00 P.M.
Poetry and Prose Open Mic. Sign-up for readers
begins at 1:30.
J.H. Beall
Kim Kupperman
reads from her recent
collection of essays,
I Just Lately Started
Buying Wings. She is
joined by poet J.H.
Beall, who reads
from Republic.
Jeanne Marie Beaumont
SUN , APRIL 3, 2:00 P.M.
Poetry publication
reading with visiting
author Jeanne Marie
Beaumont, who
reads from Burning
of the Three Fires, and
Michele Wolf, reading
from Immersion.
welcomes poets Ellen
Dore Watson, author
of Dogged Hearts, and
Carol Moldaw, whose
most recent collection
is So Late, So Soon: New
and Selected Poems.
Ellen Dore Watson
SUN, APRIL 10, 2:00 P.M.
Join editor Joelle Biele in a reading from the
recently published Elizabeth Bishop & The New
Yorker: The Complete Correspondence. Readers
will include Dana Gioia, Sandra Beasley, David
Gewanter, and others to be announced.
Erika Meitner reads
poems from her
latest collection,
Ideal Cities. She is
joined by novelist
Candace Katz, author
of Schaeffer Brown’s
Detective Observations.
Jane Satterfield
Terese Svoboda
reads from her
latest novel, Pirate
Talk or Mermalade.
She is joined by Jane
Satterfield, whose
most recent book is
a memoir, Daughter
of Empire.
SUN, MAY 8, 2:00 P.M.
Mother’s Day Poetry and Prose Open Mic.
Sign-up for readers begins at 1:30 p.m.
SUN, MAY 15, 2:00 P.M.
The Writer’s Center presents a panel
discussion with authors Donna Denize,
Nan Fry, and Rose Solari discussing the
enduring appeal of classic myths, and
contemporary re-tellings of those myths.
SUN, MAY 22, 2:00 P.M.
Novelist Ann
McLaughlin
reads from A Trial
in Summer, and
Alan Orloff reads
from his new novel,
Killer Routine.
Erika Meitner
SUN, MAY 1, 2:00 P.M.
Alan Orloff
A reading from The Return of Halley’s Comet,
a play by Donald Bliss about Mark Twain’s
dictation of his autobiography, followed by a
discussion of the autobiography.
Story/Stereo
FRI, nov 5, 8:00 P.M.
Fellows Doreen Baingana (Tropical Fish:
Stories out of Entebbe) and Alison Pelegrin
(Big Muddy River of Stars) will read. Devin
Ocampo is the musical guest.
Doreen Baingana
Alison Pelegrin
Save the Date!
Spring Story/Stereo events will be held on Friday, March 4 at 8:00
P.M.; Friday, April 22 at 8:00 P.M.; and Friday, May 20 at 8:00 P.M.
Find Story/Stereo on Facebook
facebook.com/storystereo
We will announce Emerging Writer Fellows late this fall.
Visit writer.org for more details.
33
special Events
The Seafarer
Nov 12–Dec 12
The Quotidian Theatre Company presents The
Seafarer by Conor McPherson, directed by Jack
Sbarbori. For more information, visit their Web
site, www.quotidiantheatre.org.
Penelope: A reading
by Ellen McLaughlin
Sun, Nov 14, 7:00 P.M.
MARCH 18–APRIL 17
Penelope is a monologue written and performed
by Ellen McLaughlin. A woman’s husband appears
at her door after an absence of 20 years, suffering
from brain damage. A veteran of a modern war,
he doesn’t know who he is and she doesn’t know
who he’s become. While they wait together for
his return to himself, she reads him The Odyssey,
and in the journey of that book she finds a way
into her former husband’s memory and the terror
and trauma of war.
Tickets are $5 for members and
$10 for non-members
The Quotidian Theatre Company presents Master
Harold…and the Boys by Athol Fugard, a play,
considered by many to be Fugard’s finest work,
examining racial tension in South Africa in 1950.
Directed by Bob Bartlett. For more information
call 301-816-1023, e-mail quotidiantheatre@
comcast.net, or visit www.quotidiantheatre.org.
BookTalk:
FIVE BIG SMARTISH POETS Charming Billy
GO OVER THE POTOMAC SUN, FEB 20, 1:00 P.M.
The Writer’s Center and Round House Theatre
IN A BARREL
FRI, NOV 12, 7:30 P.M.
Writers published in Poet Lore, Barrelhouse,
Smartish Pace, Big Lucks, and The Potomac
Review will read at The Black Squirrel in Adams
Morgan. Readers include Gregory Pardlo, Joe
Hall, David Keplinger, Ramola D, and Doug Lang.
See pages 22–23 to read about how you
can enter and win the Five Big Smartish
Poets…contest.
Leesburg
First Friday Events
7:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.
Leesburg Town Hall
In the Lower Level Meeting Room
25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA
$6 for general admission
$4 f or members of
The Writer’s Center and
residents of Leesburg
34
Master Harold…
and the Boys
come together in a program focusing on
the stage adaptation of Alice McDermott’s
prize-winning novel, Charming Billy. Meet Ms.
McDermott and Round House Theatre’s Artistic
Director, Blake Robison, at The Writer’s Center at
1:00 p.m., then attend the play at Round House
at 3:00 p.m., followed by a panel discussion on
adaptation at Round House.
To read more about BookTalk, see page 5.
length Narrative With
David A. Taylor
NOV 5
Often a book emerges from a process more like
quilting than cutting from a single piece of cloth.
Writers can draw on varied resources available
locally—from manuscript collections at the
Library of Congress to interviews and walking
tours—to create rich narratives. Taylor will talk
about this process and how the group portrait in
his book Soul of a People: The WPA Writers’ Project
Uncovers Depression America came together,
from first a Smithsonian article, through other
pieces for Village Voice, Prairie Schooner, and The
American Scholar, to a book and documentary
film in 2009. The same process can inform fiction.
Call It Anything:
Miles Davis’ “Electric
Period” 1968–1991
FRI and SAT
APRIL 29 & 30, 7:30 P.M.
Through the use of film footage and excerpts
from seminal recordings like “Live-Evil” and
“On the Corner,” poet, music critic, and Writer’s
Center workshop leader Reuben Jackson will
discuss this rich, influential, and still controversial chapter of Miles Davis’ career.
See page 3 to read more about this event.
Save the Date!
Spring First Friday events
will be held on February 4,
March 4, and April 1.
Visit writer.org/events
for announcements about
these events.
Kathryn Johnson's book
The Gentleman Poet: A Novel
of Love, Danger, and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest" was
published in September
by Avon A.
Allison Leotta's novel, Law
of Attraction, was published
in October by Simon & Schuster.
Miles Liss' poems, "That Dog" and "June 26,
Glen Finland
1979," are forthcoming from Blue Moon Literary and Arts Review.
Ann McLaughlin's new book Leaving Bayberry House was published by
John Daniel & Co. in May 2010.
Myra Sklarew's book Harmless was published by Mayapple Press.
Maryhelen Snyder's essay will appear in Poet Lore Volume 105 3/4 and
two of her poems will appear in The
Gettysburg Review in 2011.
Awards
Peter Brown's short story collection
Sidewalk People was published in
Grace Notes Books 2010 book-length
fiction competition. Read about
Peter's workshop on page 13.
Share your news with
community!
To be included in TWC Insider,
e-mail your news along with a
high-resolution image of your
book cover or author photo to
[email protected].
The deadline for the summer
issue is March 1.
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35
WORKSHOP LEADERS
Doreen Baingana is the author of Tropical
Fish: Stories out of Entebbe, which won the AWP Short
Fiction Award and a Commonwealth Prize. She has
also won the Washington Independent Writers Fiction
Prize, an Emerging Writer’s Fellowship from The Writer’s
Center, and was a finalist twice for the Caine Prize for
African Writing. Her stories and essays have appeared
in journals such as Glimmer Train, African American
Review, Callaloo, Guardian (UK) and Kwani. She has
an M.F.A. from University of Maryland and was a
Writer-in-Residence there.
Khris Baxter is a screenwriter, producer, and
script consultant. He teaches screenwriting at The
Writer's Center, Gettysburg College, and at the lowresidency M.F.A. at Queens University of Charlotte,
NC. His body of work includes many optioned screenplays and one produced film. He is a member of the
Virginia Film Office where he is a judge for the annual
Screenwriting Competition. He is also the founder of
Baxter Baker & Associates (baxterbaker.com).
Sandra Beasley is the author of I Was the
Jukebox, winner of the Barnard Women Poets Prize.
Her first collection, Theories of Falling, won the New
Issues Poetry Prize. Her poetry has been featured
on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and in The Best American
Poetry 2010. Her memoir, Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl:
Tales from an Allergic Life, is forthcoming in 2011.
Barbara Berschler has been in practice in the Washington, D.C., area since 1985. In 2003
she received the Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione Award
for Excellence in Intellectual Property Law from the
American University Washington College of Law.
She has been co-chair of the Intellectual Property
Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar since
2006, chairman of the Section’s Legislation Committee since 2003, and a member of the Steering
Committee since 2005.
Arthur Besner has more than 30 years experience at the U.S. Department of Education, where,
among other things, he wrote speeches—delivered
by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights and the
Department Secretary—that were given to national
education, civil rights, and legal organizations. He
also designed and delivered an ongoing training course,
36
“Writing Memoranda and Reports,” for Department
employees. He teaches at Montgomery College.
Hildie S. Block, M.A. Writing, The Johns
Hopkins University—Hildie has taught writing at
American University and The George Washington
University, and at The Writer’s Center since 2004. She
has published about 50 short stories and countless
essays and articles. Her novel manuscript, “Oh and
She Has A Dog,” was a semifinalist for the Amazon
Breakthrough Novel competition in 2007, and her
children’s book, Happy New Year Rachel, was a finalist
for the Sydney Taylor award in 2007. Her book Not
What I Expected came out in March 2007 as well. She
believes that writers are the people who scribble in
composition books, get excited about new pens, and
write when something is bothering them.
BRASH is best known for writing poems inspired
by Artomatic and other artists. Most recent projects
have included two chapbooks to accompany the book,
Addiction and Art, and a local art exhibit on the same
topic at the Blue Elephant Gallery in Frederick, MD.
Adele BROWN B.A. and M.F.A. in English
Literature and Creative Writing (Poetry) (University of
Maryland); an instructor with Montgomery College
and Maryland State Arts Council; a veteran artist-inresidence at Georgetown Hospital; host of Café Muse;
and author of Refracted Love, Freshwater Pearls, The
Moon Lighting, and Look Ma, “Hands” on Poetry. Her
work has appeared in WordWrights!, Maryland Poetry
Review, Gargoyle, Lucid Stone, Smartish Pace, and
So to Speak.
Peter Brown is the author of the awardwinning novel Ruthie Black, which got raves from
Midwest Book Review and Pleiades. View his TV interview at his Web site, www.pbrown.us. His novella,
The Death Of Rhett Butler, can be read in its entirety
at www.deathofrhett.blogspot.com, which was
recently featured in The Writer’s Center’s blog,
First Person Plural. His short story collection,
Sidewalk People, was a finalist in the Grace Notes
Publisher’s 2010 Competition.
Dana Cann, M.A., has stories appearing in The
Sun, The Gettysburg Review, Bethesda Magazine, Fifth
Wednesday Journal, The Florida Review, and Blackbird,
among other journals. He’s received a Pushcart nomination and fellowships from the Virginia Center for the
Creative Arts and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
Nancy Naomi Carlson, Ph.D., is an
associate editor for Tupelo Press. Nominated five
times for a Pushcart Prize, she has published two
award-winning chapbooks, as well as Kings Highway
and a book of translations, Stone Lyre: Poems of René
Char. Her work has appeared in print over 200 times,
including such journals as AGNI, Crazyhorse, Denver
Quarterly, Phoebe, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah,
Poetry, and is forthcoming in The Georgia Review.
Mary Carpenter has an M.A. in journalism
with 25 years as a published journalist specializing in
medical topics for TIME, International Herald Tribune,
The Washington Post, and women’s magazines. Her
children’s biography of Temple Grandin was published
in 2003; she is working on another book for children
about the dolphins lost at sea during Hurricane
Katrina, and a literary memoir of her mother’s life.
Anne Cassidy, M.S.J. (Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism), is a writer, editor, and
author of Parents Who Think Too Much. Her essays and
features have appeared in The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, Parents,
Woman’s Day, and many more magazines and newspapers. She is the editor of Georgetown Law’s alumni
magazine and she writes mini-essays almost daily
on her new blog, walkerinthesuburbs.blogspot.com.
Carolyn Clark is a teacher-scholar-poet
with a passion for Classics and Archaeology. Her formal
training is from Cornell University, Brown University,
and The Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D, Classics).
Since the 1980s, while teaching at university, college, and high school, her work appeared primarily
as scholarly articles, book reviews, and a long dissertation; now she is working on her “slender” (lyric)
poetry—and a smaller book.
WORKSHOP LEADERS
Brenda W. Clough is the author of eight
novels, many short stories, and a number of nonfiction
works. Her novels include How Like a God, The Doors of
Death and Life, and Revise the World. She has been a
finalist for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards. She
has been teaching science fiction & fantasy workshops at The Writer's Center for at least ten years.
Susan Coll is the author of four novels,
including Beach Week, Acceptance, and Rockville Pike.
Michael Dolan is an author, scriptwriter/
producer, and playwright. His work includes The
American Porch: An Informal History of an Informal
Place (2002), the play “Desert One,” which premiered
in directed readings in New York City in 2007, and
nearly 200 hours of television and institutional video
for such clients as Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, the National Institutes of Health,
and the U.S. Air Force. He has written hundreds of
articles for many publications, including The New
Yorker, Slate, Outside, and The New York Times Magazine.
Dennis Drabelle has been a contributing
editor of The Washington Post Book World since 1984.
He won the National Book Critics Circle’s award for
excellence in reviewing in 1996. His most recent book
is Mile-High Fever, a history of the Comstock Lode.
Jehanne Dubrow is the author of three
poetry collections, most recently Stateside. Her work
has appeared in Poetry, New England Review, The New
Republic, Prairie Schooner, and Ploughshares. She earned
her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and
her M.F.A. from University of Maryland. She is an assistant professor in literature and creative writing at
Washington College, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Graham Dunstan is a fiction and memoir
writer who has won numerous awards for his writing
including a Larry Neal Fiction Award for the District of
Columbia, and fiction awards from Anchorage Daily
News and Lullwater Review. He earned an M.F.A. in
creative writing from the University of Alaska
Anchorage, where he also taught composition.
Graham has been published in The Phoenix, The
Signal, Lullwater Review, We Alaskans, Creative
Loafing, Anchorage Weekly, and on PlanetOut.
Pamela Ehrenberg is the author of two
novels for young people, Tillmon County Fire (2009)
and Ethan, Suspended (2007). A former junior high
teacher and AmeriCorps alumna, she is currently
a higher education consultant and mom to two
small children. For an introvert, she can be found
on a surprising number of social networking sites,
including twitter.com/pamelaehrenberg, Facebook,
and MySpace, as well as on her own Web site
(www.pamelaehrenberg.com).
Cathy Fink is a prolific songwriter with two
GRAMMY Awards, 11 GRAMMY nominations, and 50
awards from the Washington Area Music Association
in bluegrass, folk, and children’s music. She shares
all her awards and recordings with Marcy Marxer.
Cathy & Marcy maintain an active tour schedule as
children’s/family performers and folk/roots/country/
swing artists. Cathy’s song “Names,” about the AIDS
Memorial Quilt, was recorded by over 20 artists in
several countries. www.cathymarcy.com
Jonathan Eig has been teaching screenwriting workshops in the Washington, D.C., area for
the past 20 years. He is a winner of The Austin Film
Festival Heart of Film Screenplay Competition and a
CINE Golden Eagle. He currently teaches screenwriting and film history at Montgomery College, Takoma
Park, and leads a film series at the AFI Silver Theatre.
Lee Fleming has been writing, editing,
and teaching both for more than two decades. Her
articles have appeared in The Washington Post, City
Paper, The Washingtonian, as well as other national
newspapers, magazines, and Web sites. A former
senior editor at Museum & Arts, and Garden Design
magazines, and managing editor/editor-in-chief
of Landscape Architecture, Fleming has received a
number of fellowships and awards for journalism
and fiction.
Kathryn Erskine, a lawyer-turned-author,
grew up in six countries, an experience that helps her
write from different perspectives. Her novels include
Quaking, an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant
Readers, Mockingbird, an ALA Best Fiction for Young
Adults nominee, and The Absolute Value of Mike.
While
covering weighty topics, her books use humor to make
difficult issues approachable. She is a writing instructor
and frequent workshop presenter.
Barbara Esstman, M.F.A., is a National
Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Center for the Creative
Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts fellow, and a
Redbook fiction award winner, among other distinctions. Her novels, The Other Anna and Night Ride Home,
are in numerous foreign editions. Both were adapted
for television by Hallmark Productions. She co-edited
an anthology, A More Perfect Union: Poems and Stories
About the Modern Wedding, and has taught extensively
in universities.
Melanie Figg recently moved from the Twin
Cities, where she taught creative writing at The Loft
Literary Center and worked at Graywolf Press. She has
won many awards and fellowships for her poetry, and
been published in The Iowa Review, LIT, MARGIE, Colorado Review, and other journals. Her first manuscript,
“Monarch,” has been a finalist for the Walt Whitman
Award, the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize, the Tupelo
Prize, and three other national competitions.
Nan Fry, Ph.D. (Yale University), is the author
of two books of poetry, Relearning the Dark and Say
What I Am Called, a chapbook of translations from
the Anglo-Saxon. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, anthologies, and textbooks, and she
has received two awards from the Maryland State
Arts Council. She taught in the Academic Studies
Department of the Corcoran College of Art + Design
for over twenty years.
Bernadette Geyer is a freelance writer
and copy editor with more than 15 years of experience in business marketing and public relations. Her
articles, book reviews, and poems have appeared in
WRITER’S Journal, Freelance Writer’s Report, World
Energy Review, The Montserrat Review, The Los Angeles
Review, and elsewhere. She received a 2010 Strauss
Fellowship from the Arts Council of Fairfax County
and published a chapbook of poetry, What Remains.
Patricia Gray directs the Poetry and Literature
Center at the Library of Congress. She designed and
directs the Poetry at Noon reading series there and,
for the past three years, she has served as a judge
for the NEA’s “Poetry Out Loud” national semi-finals
competition. She has received several D.C. Artist Fel-
37
WORKSHOP LEADERS
lowships, the most recent in 2006. She is the author
of Rupture: Poems, and a limited edition chapbook,
Rich with Desire.
T. Greenwood is the author of five novels,
including The Hungry Season and Two Rivers. She has
received numerous grants for her writing including a
National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship
and a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. She
lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and
their two daughters, where she teaches creative
writing, studies photography, and continues to
write. Her Web site is www.tgreenwood.com.
Dan Gutstein’s writing has appeared or
will appear in more than 65 publications, including
Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, The American Scholar,
TriQuarterly, The Iowa Review, and Best American
Poetry. A first collection, non/fiction, appeared in
2010. He has received grants from several organizations, including the Maryland State Arts Council.
He currently works at Maryland Institute College
of Art and The George Washington University, and
has previously held positions in economics, editing,
theatre, and journalism. He has taught tae kwon do
and done farm work, as well.
Judith Harris, Ph.D., is author of two books
of poetry, Atonement and The Bad Secret, and a critical book, Signifying Pain: Constructing and Healing
the Self through Writing, a study of psychoanalytic
processes underlying literary perception. Her poetry
has appeared recently in The New Republic, Slate,
Ploughshares, American Life in Poetry, and the Atlantic.
Virginia Hartman is the editor, with
Barbara Esstman, of A More Perfect Union: Poems and
Stories about the Modern Wedding. Her stories have
appeared in The Hudson Review, Alaska Quarterly
Review, and Iowa Woman. She holds an M.F.A. in
Creative Writing from American University and has
taught writing at American University, The George
Washington University, and the Smithsonian Institution.
Zahara Heckscher, M.A., is the co-author
of the book How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering
Overseas. She has also written numerous articles
that have appeared in books and the online travel
38
magazine www.TransitionsAbroad.com, where she
serves as contributing editor. Heckscher teaches
professional writing at University of Maryland at College Park. She is a breast cancer survivor who prefers
to be known as a “cancer thriver.” She blogs at www.
cancerthriver.blogspot.com.
online poetry magazine LOCUSPOINT, which publishes
work on a city-by-city basis. He serves on the Board
of Directors of the Arts & Humanities Council of
Montgomery County and on the Emerging Leader
Council of Americans for the Arts. His Web site is
www.charles-jensen.com.
Ellen Herbert’s personal narrative essays
have been published in The Washington Post’s “Style”
section, Sonora Review, The Rambler, Alimentum,
and other journals. One of her personal essays,
“Orphaned Alligators,” won the 2006 Flint Hills Review
Creative Nonfiction Prize. Her short fiction has been
published in First for Women, The Sonora Review, The
Iris, and other literary magazines and has won over
10 awards including a PEN Syndicate Fiction Prize and
a Virginia Fiction Fellowship. One of her stories was
read on National Public Radio.
Kathryn Johnson has published 41 novels
with major U.S. and international publishers. She is an
inspiring speaker at national writers’ conferences and
the founder of Write by You, www.writebyyou.com,
a professional mentoring service for fiction writers
who seek support in reaching their publication
goals. Her most recent critically acclaimed novel
is The Gentleman Poet: A Novel of Love, Danger,
and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”
Dave Housley’s collection of short fiction,
Ryan Seacrest is Famous, was published in 2007. His
work has appeared in Beloit Fiction Journal, The Collagist, Hobart, Nerve, Quarterly West, the anthology
Best of the Web 2010, and some other places. He’s
one of the editors at Barrelhouse. He keeps his virtual
stuff at davehousley.com.
Reuben Jackson is a poet, radio commentator, and music critic living in Washington, D.C.
He was curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s Duke
Ellington Collection from 1989 until December 2009.
His poems have been published in 28 anthologies,
journals, and magazines such as Gargoyle, Beltway
Poetry Quarterly, and Indiana Review, and he is the
author of a volume of poetry entitled fingering the
keys, which won the 1992 Columbia Book Award. His
radio essays have aired on National Public Radio and
Michael Kang is an award-winning
filmmaker and screenwriter who has written and
directed two feature films—The Motel and West
32nd. Michael was also a directing fellow in the
ABC/Disney Television New Talent Division where
he shadowed on hit ABC shows LOST, Hannah Montana, and Desperate Housewives, among others. As
a screenwriter, Michael has written feature scripts
and also developed an hour-long dramatic pilot
script for HBO entitled “The Lucky Cat.”
WAMU FM.
Beth Kanter is a feature writer specializing
in parenting and travel. Her stories have appeared
in a variety of publications including Wondertime,
Parents, American Baby, Working Mother, Shape,
and Chicago Tribune. She is the author of Day Trips
from Washington, DC: Getaway Ideas for the Local
Traveler and a regular contributor to the Fodor’s
and Michelin guidebook series. She earned her
M.S.J. from Northwestern University's Medill
School of Journalism.
Charles Jensen is the author of The First
Risk, which was recognized as a finalist for the 2010
Lambda Literary Award. His previous collections include Living Things, which won the 2006 Frank O’Hara
Chapbook Award, and The Strange Case of Maribel
Dixon. A past recipient of an Artist’s Project Grant
from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, his poetry
has appeared in Bloom, Columbia Poetry Review,
Copper Nickel, The Journal, New England Review,
Spork, and West Branch. In 2006, he founded the
Wayne Karlin served in the Marine Corps
in Vietnam. He is the author of 10 books of fiction
and nonfiction. His stories, articles, and book
reviews have appeared in many newspapers and
journals. He has received two fellowships from the
National Endowment for the Arts, the 1998 Paterson
Prize in Fiction, and the 2005 Excellence in the Arts
Award from the Vietnam Veterans of America. He is
a Professor of Language and Literature at the College
of Southern Maryland.
WORKSHOP LEADERS
Susan Land has all kinds of experience
teaching writing, from Bethesda Elementary to
the FBI. She has an M.A. from The Writing Seminars
at The Johns Hopkins University and was a Stegner
Fellow at Stanford University. Her fiction has won
three Maryland State Arts Council awards, and her
work has recently appeared in Potomac Review, The
Florida Review, Bethesda Magazine, Enhanced Gravity: More Fiction by Washington Area Women, and
Like Whatever: The Insider’s Guide to Raising Teens.
Con Lehane is a former bartender, union
organizer, college professor, and labor journalist. He
holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction writing
from Columbia University and is the author of three
mystery novels, Beware the Solitary Drinker, What
Goes Around Comes Around, and Death at the Old
Hotel. He is currently at work on a fourth.
Nancy Lemann, M.F.A., Columbia University.
She is the author of four novels, Lives of the Saints,
Sportsman’s Paradise, The Fiery Pantheon, and Malaise.
Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, Esquire,
Slate, Vogue, Elle, and Oxford American. She teaches
at The Johns Hopkins University Master of Arts in
Writing Program.
Elaina Loveland, M.A., a professional
writer and editor since 1999, is the author two
books: Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors,
Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers and Creative
Careers: Paths for Aspiring Actors, Artists, Dancers,
Musicians and Writers. She has written and edited
for numerous magazines (including American Careers,
The International Educator, Dance Teacher, The Northern Virginia Review, and U.S. News and World Report’s
annual college guide, among others) and has taught
writing at the college level.
Alex MacLennan’s debut novel, The
Zookeeper, was a finalist for the 2007 Lambda Literary,
Violet Quill, and Edmund White Debut Fiction awards.
A short story, “Touching the Pole,” was featured in Stress
City: A Big Book of Fiction by 51 D.C. Guys in 2008, and
another story, “Still Life,” will be published in the
Art for Art collection this fall. He holds an M.F.A. in
Creative Writing from American University, and was
named a Writer to Watch by The Washingtonian in
2006. He currently works on his fiction “nights and
weekends,” and serves as editorial director for an
international environmental group.
Nevin Martell is a contributing editor at
Filter magazine and he has written music criticism
for MTV, Paste, Giant, High Times, Washington City
Paper, and RollingStone.com. His books include
Dave Matthews Band: Music for the People, Beck:
The Art of Mutation, Looking for Calvin and Hobbes:
The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His
Revolutionary Comic Strip, and Standing Small:
A Celebration of 30 Years of the LEGO Minifigure.
You can find him online at nevinmartell.com.
Diana M. Martin has a M.F.A. in Creative
Nonfiction and is currently an adjunct professor
at Montgomery College. Ms. Martin also has an
extensive background in association, nonprofit,
and corporation marketing. As a freelance writer
for over 20 years, she has contributed to national
and international publications. She shares a new
business with her son, Alex’s Art Loft, which
promotes creativity, independence, and support
for people with disabilities.
James Mathews is a graduate of The Johns
Hopkins University Master of Arts in Writing program.
He is the author of Last Known Position, a short story
collection and winner of the 2008 Katherine Anne
Porter Prize in Short Fiction. His fiction has appeared
in many literary journals. He is also the recipient of a
number of fiction awards, including three Maryland
State Arts Council grants (1999, 2006, and 2010). His
Web site is www.jamesmathewsonline.com.
C.M. Mayo is the author of the novel The Last
Prince of the Mexican Empire, which was named a
Library Journal Best Book of 2009. She is also the
author of Miraculous Air, a travel memoir of Mexico’s
Baja California peninsula; and Sky Over El Nido, which
won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction.
She is editor of a collection of Mexican literature in
translation, Mexico: A Traveler’s Literary Companion.
For more about C.M. Mayo and her work, visit
cmmayo.com.
Ann McLaughlin, Ph.D., has given workshops in the novel, the short story, and in journal
writing at The Writer’s Center for the past 25 years,
and is on the board. She has published six novels:
Lightning in July, The Balancing Pole, Sunset at Rosalie,
Maiden Voyage, The House on Q Street, and Leaving
Bayberry House. She has had eleven fellowships
at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, one at
Yaddo, and one at Laverny, Switzerland.
Pat McNees was an editor in book publishing
(Harper & Row, Fawcett) and a freelance journalist
(samples at www.patmcnees.com) before she began
writing other people’s life stories and organizational
histories and helping others write their memoirs. She
is president of the Association of Personal Historians;
editor of the anthologies My Words Are Gonna Linger:
The Art of Personal History, Contemporary Latin American Short Stories, and Dying: A Book of Comfort;
and author of several nonfiction books.
Adam Meyer is a novelist, filmmaker, and
television writer. His novel The Last Domino was an
ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers,
and his new novel, When She’s Gone, is due out
in 2012. He is also writer/director of the feature
film Two Fireflies, and has written documentaries
and TV series for Fox, CBS, Discovery, and National
Geographic Television.
Yvette Neisser Moreno is a poet and
translator whose work has appeared in numerous
magazines and anthologies, including International
Poetry Review, Potomac Review, and The Virginia
Quarterly Review. Her translation of Argentine Luis
Alberto Ambroggio’s Difficult Beauty: Selected Poems
was published by Cross-Cultural Communications in
2009; one of her translations was nominated for a
Pushcart Prize. Moreno works as a freelance writer
and Spanish interpreter, and teaches writing at
University of Maryland University College. She is
currently translating a book by Venezuelan poet
María Teresa Ogliastri.
John Morris has taught at The Writer's Center
since 1995. He has published fiction and poetry in
more than 80 literary magazines in the U.S. and Great
Britain. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart
39
WORKSHOP LEADERS
Prize and reprinted in Twentieth Century Literary
Criticism. A chapbook, The Musician, Approaching
Sleep, appeared in 2006 from Dos Madres Press.
His musical project, Mulberry Coach, a collaboration
with singer and lyricist Katie Fisher, released its fifth
CD in 2009.
Shannon O’Neill is an agent with the
Sagalyn Literary Agency, which has represented
journalists, academics, business writers, and novelists
for over 20 years. Shannon has a Master’s degree in
Writing from The Johns Hopkins University and graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College. She teaches
at American University and serves on the editorial
board for Potomac Review.
Susan O’Shaughnessy has 25 years
of experience in professional writing and training.
She has taught writing courses at the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund, and Georgetown
University. As an instructional designer, she has
created classroom and e-learning courses for
federal agencies and private companies.
William O’Sullivan, M.F.A., essayist,
editor, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellow.
His personal essays have appeared in The New York
Times, Newsday, National Geographic Traveler, The
Washingtonian, and North American Review, among
others. He has received two Artist Fellowships from
the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and
his work has been listed three times among the notable
essays of the year in The Best American Essays.
Chris Piers is an artist in Trickster: Native
American Tales as well as multiple independent titles
such as Dr. Dremo’s War Anthology and Woman of
A.C.T.I.O.N. He’s currently working on a WWI graphic
novel and an ongoing sci-fi series for Image Comics.
Mary Quattlebaum, M.A., teacher,
reviewer, is the author of sixteen award-winning
children’s books, including Pirate vs. Pirate, Jackson
Jones and the Puddle of Thorns, and Sparks Fly High.
Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines such as Cricket, Spider, Ladybug, and Boys’ Life.
Mary reviews children’s books for The Washington
Post and Washington Parent, edits educational
40
materials for museums and small publishers,
and presents frequently at schools. Her Web
site is www.maryquattlebaum.com.
Elizabeth Rees, M.A., has taught at several
leading colleges, including Harvard University, the
U.S. Naval Academy, Howard University, and in The
Johns Hopkins University’s graduate program. She
works as a “poet-in-the-schools” for the Maryland
State Arts Council. She has published over 250 poems
in journals such as Partisan Review, The Kenyon
Review, Agni, and North American Review, among
others. She has four award-winning chapbooks,
most recently, Tilting Gravity, winner of Codhill
Press’ 2009 contest.
Angela Render designed and maintained
Web sites since 1994 and is the founder and owner
of Thunderpaw Internet Presence Management,
thunderpaw.com. Her published work includes:
Forged By Lightning: A Novel of Hannibal and Scipio,
Marketing for Writers: A Practical Workbook, a column
for WRITERS' Journal, and ghost blogging. In addition
to her classes at The Writer's Center, she teaches
at-risk middle-school girls and has been a guest
speaker at numerous local conferences.
Jason Rodriguez is a writer and editor
of comics and graphic novels. His works include the
Harvey-nominated Elk’s Run and the Harvey and
Eisner-nominated anthology Postcards: True Stories
That Never Happened. He’s currently working on a
WWI graphic novel, a novel, and several shorts for
various comic anthologies.
Ellen Ryan was managing editor of The
Washingtonian for nearly 13 years. Since writing
for The Cavalier Daily at the University of Virginia, she
has been an editor in Washington for two decades. Her
freelance articles have appeared in Good Housekeeping,
Outside, AARP The Magazine, The Washington Post,
ForbesLife Executive Woman, and dozens more. Ryan
is author of Innkeeping Unlimited: Practical, Low-Cost
Ways to Improve Your B&B and Win Repeat Business.
David Salner worked as an iron ore miner,
furnace tender, machinist, and garment worker. A
longtime activist in social struggles, he has an M.F.A.
from The Iowa Writers' Workshop. His fifth collection,
Working Here, will come off the presses in 2010, and
his poems have appeared in The Iowa Review, North
American Review, The Threepenny Review, Poetry Daily,
Poetry Northwest, Prairie Schooner, and many other
journals. He has received grants from the Maryland
State Arts Council and the Puffin Foundation.
Cara Seitchek has written grant proposals for
local, state, and national nonprofit organizations. In
addition, she evaluates proposals for the Institute of
Museum and Library Services, American Association of
Museums, and the Maryland State Arts Council. She has
an M.A. in writing from The Johns Hopkins University.
Anne Sheldon is a children’s librarian, storyteller, adjunct instructor at University of Maryland,
and poet. She has worked as a poet-in-the-schools
with elementary-aged children in Kentucky, Maryland,
and Washington, D.C. Her most recent book, The
Adventures of the Faithful Counselor, is a verse narrative set in ancient Sumer. Her poems have appeared
in Poet Lore, The Dark Horse, and Edge City Review,
among others.
Lynn Stearns’ short fiction, memoirs, poetry,
and personal essays have appeared in The Baltimore
Review, The Bitter Oleander, FlashPoint, Haight Ashbury
Literary Journal, and other literary magazines, and
several anthologies including Gravity Dancers, In
Good Company, New Lines from the Old Line State,
and Not What I Expected: The Unpredictable Road
fromWomanhood to Motherhood. She serves as an
associate fiction editor for Potomac Review and has
enjoyed leading fiction and memoir workshops at
The Writer’s Center for more than ten years.
Sara Mansfield Taber received a
Bergeron Fellowship to teach writing in London, and
was a William B. Sloane Fellow in Nonfiction at the
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. She is the author of
Dusk on the Campo: A Journey in Patagonia; Of Many
Lands: Journal of a Traveling Childhood; and Bread of
Three Rivers: The Story of a French Loaf. Her short pieces
have appeared in anthologies, such as Unrooted
Childhoods, and in literary magazines and on public
radio. Visit her Web site at www.sarataber.com.
WORKSHOP LEADERS
Judith Tabler writes fiction and nonfiction
for magazines such as Appleseeds, Cobblestone, and
Calliope, and and is the author of several books, one
of which was awarded best children’s book by the
Dog Writers Association of America. She also wrote
for the National Geographic Society education department. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing for young
people and teaches writing at a local university. She
is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers
and Illustrators.
David Taylor is an award-winning writer
and filmmaker on science, history, and culture. He
has written scripts for documentaries broadcast
on PBS, the Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel,
and other networks. He wrote and co-produced the
Smithsonian documentary Soul of a People: Writing
America’s Story, nominated for a 2010 Writer’s Guild
Award, and the book, Soul of a People: The WPA
Writers’ Project Uncovers Depression America,
named among Best Books of 2009.
Sue Ellen Thompson is the author of
four books of poetry and the editor of The Autumn
House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry.
She taught at Middlebury College, State University
of New York at Binghamton, and Central Connecticut
State University before moving to the Eastern Shore
in 2006. A former Bread Loaf fellow and resident
poet at The Frost Place, she was awarded the 2010
Maryland Author Award by the Maryland Library
Association. Her work has been read frequently by
Garrison Keillor on NPR and featured in former U.S.
Poet Laureate Ted Kooser’s nationally syndicated
newspaper column.
Susan Tiberghien, an American writer
living in Switzerland, has published three memoirs—
Looking for Gold; Circling to the Center; and Footsteps,
A European Album—and most recently a book on
writing, One Year to A Writing Life. She has been teaching
creative writing for close to twenty years at the International Women’s Writing Guild, at C.G. Jung Centers,
writers conferences, graduate programs, and at the
monthly Geneva Writers’ Workshops. She directs the
Geneva Writers’ Group and Conferences. Her Web site
is www.susantiberghien.com.
David Y. Todd is a writer and public relations
consultant. After working as a trial lawyer, then as a
journalist, he wrote, edited, and taught at universities
before turning to public relations full time in 1998. He
has directed publications and aided media relations for
individuals, nonprofits, government, and educational
institutions and has spoken and written for himself
and others online and in The Washington Post,
The Christian Science Monitor, The Yale Review,
and numerous other venues. Find him online
at www.davidytodd.com.
Sarah Vap is the author of Dummy Fire, which
won the 2006 Saturnalia Poetry Prize, and American
Spikenard, which won the 2006 Iowa Poetry Prize.
She is editor of poetry for the online journal 42opus.
Her third collection, Faulkner’s Rosary, is forthcoming
from Saturnalia Books in 2010. She has taught writing
and literature at Arizona State University, Phoenix
College, and Olympic College.
Lyn Vaus, a longtime screenwriter and industry
professional, is best known for his award-winning
Miramax romantic comedy Next Stop Wonderland.
He began his career as a story editor for a production company in Hollywood where he oversaw the
script for New Line’s hit science fiction film “The
Lawnmower Man.” He has had numerous screenplays
of his own optioned, and in some cases produced by,
among others, Imax, Fineline, SenArt, and Miramax.
Richard Washer, M.F.A., playwright,
director, and educator, currently serves as Playwright
in Residence at First Draft. He has also worked as a
playwright, director, and dramaturge at Charter Theater
since the company started in 1998. His play “Quartet”
was performed at the Hamner Theatre in Nelson
County, Virginia, in April of 2009. His newest comedy,
commissioned by the National Conservatory of Dramatic
Arts, will be produced in December 2010.
Beckie Weinheimer’s coming of age
young adult novel, Converting Kate, is an ALA Best
Book, Kliatt:Editors’ Choice, Books of the Teen AgeNYPL, and CBC Notable Book. She has an M.F.A. in
Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont
College of Fine Arts. She lives in New York City and
in her popular workshops her strength is in helping
writers find their voice, the heart of the story, and to
develop multi-dimensional characters.
Basil White is a speechwriter, a published
joke writer (Judy Brown’s Squeaky Clean Comedy, The
Comedy Thesaurus, and Larry Getlen’s The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Jokes), public speaker, and business
humor consultant. Basil helps people add humor
to presentations, advertising, movie scripts, and
user manuals. He also writes articles and online
courses on creative technology writing, usability,
and information design. www.basilwhite.com.
MICHELE WOLF is the author of Immersion
(selected by Denise Duhamel, Hilary Tham Capital
Collection), Conversations During Sleep (Anhinga
Prize for Poetry), and The Keeper of Light (Painted
Bride Quarterly Poetry Chapbook Series). Her poems
have also appeared in Poetry, The Hudson Review,
North American Review, Antioch Review, Boulevard,
and numerous other literary journals and anthologies.
She is a contributing editor for Poet Lore.
Anne Harding Woodworth is the
author of two chapbooks and three books of poetry,
including a novella in verse, Spare Parts (2008). The
Artemis Sonnets, Etc., will appear in October 2011. Her
poetry, essays, and book reviews appear widely in U.S.
and Canadian journals, as well as at several sites online.
She has an M.F.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University
and is a member of the Poetry Board at the Folger
Shakespeare Library. ¶
41
THANK YOU
 angels—$10,000 + 
 Sustainers—$500–$999 
The Tau Omega Foundation
Sally and John Freeman
Ann McLaughlin
Anonymous (1)
Sandra Bracken
Patricia Davis
Lizbeth Kulick
Stacy Lloyd
Quinn O’Connell
Claudia Smith
Clinton Vince
Anne Woodworth
 Laureates—$5,000–$9,999 
Anonymous (1)
Rose Solari and James Patterson
The Robert McElwaine Estate
 benefactors—$2,500–$4,999 
Cicely Angleton
Linna Barnes and Christian Mixter
Susan and Stephen Coll
Timothy Crawford
Mark Cymrot
Neal Gillen
John Hill
William Reynolds
Mier Wolf
Wilson Wyatt
 patrons—$1,000–$2,499 
Kenneth Ackerman
Tom Birch
Virginia Grandison
Felix Jakob
Charlotte Moser
Ed Torrero
George Williams
Margot Backas
Toni Clark
Cynthia Hamilton
Perry Maiden
Pamela Peabody
Ernst Volgenau
Sandra Beasley
Robert Carpenter
Tom Healy
James Lehrer
Kristie Miller
Chris Piers
Maryhelen Snyder
Marcia Wagner
 Supporters—$250–$499 
Michelle Berberet
Albert Christopher
Kathleen Emmet
Patricia Garfinkel
Jorge Goldstein
Brigid Haragan
Les Hatley
Paul Hopper
Victoria Jaycox
Tarpley Long
Peter Pastan
Lois Perry
Theodore Rockwell
Emily Best
Janet Crossen
Carol Gallant
John Gaudet
Theodore Groll
Phil Harvey
Ellen Herbert
Robin Ingle
Dylan Landis
Louisa Newlin
Carol Peck
Helen Reid
Make a donation at writer.org
42
THANK YOU
 Friends—$100–$249 
Anonymous (1), Paul Abrams, Takisha Adams, Esthy Adler,
Carolyn Alsup, Susan Angell, Francisco Aragón, Albert Arcand,
Carol Ashworth, Cheryl Aubin, Evelyn Auerbach, Lynn Bailets,
Ron Baker, Raymond Baker, Michael Ballard, Jaime Banks,
Ann Barnet, Marc Bastow, Lisa Beaulieu, Candace Beck, Bruce
Berger, Mary Bergeson, Samantha Betts, Anita Bigger, Craig
Birmingham, Sandra Blake, Martin Blank, Donald Bliss, Larry
Blossom, Stephanie Boddie, Mary Etta Boesl, Mickey Bolmer,
Diane Booth, Barbara Bosserman, Marianne Bouldin, Jon
Bowersox, Judith Bowles, Ellen Boyle, Ellen Braaf, Katharine
Brainard, Susan Brobeck, Therese Broderick, Barbara Brown,
Rebecca Browning, Phillip Budahn, Xuan Bui, Karla Bullock,
Kimberly Burnett, Jo Buxton, Anne Buzzanell, Dana Cann,
Sally Canzoneri, Susan Carle, Nancy Carlson, Mary Carpenter,
Cecilia Cassidy, Alice Cave, Ira Chaleff, Mary Chapman, Ann
Chen, Jennifer Cockburn, Lloyd Collier, Naomi Collins,
Elizabeth Conger, Margery Connally, William Cook, Missy
Craig, Mildred Crary, Linda Crill, Lisa Crye, Richard Currey,
Richard Cys, Deborah Darr, Andrew Dayton, Brandel de
Bravo, Joe Dellinger, Jane Demouy, Patricia Disandro, Gregory
Djankian, Sharon Donnell, Marijo Dowd, Clark Downs, Tim
Doyle, Alan Dragoo, Charles Dubois, Sally Edwards, Barbara
Esstman, Linda Fannin, John Farrell, Reed Fawell, Kaytura
Felix, Patricia Fisher, Jack Fitzgerald, John Flowers, Allan
Freedman, Elisha Freedman, Flora Freeman, Lisa Freedman,
Patricia French, William Friedman, Marie Gaarder, Martin
Galvin, Gwenn Gebhard, Joe Gerrety, Katherine Gibney,
Chris Gilson, Maria Gimenez, Robert Giron, Madelyn Glist,
Patricia Glowacki, Jennifer Gore, John Grady, Karen Gray,
James Gray, Claire Griffin, Patricia Griffith, Maria Gupta, Betty
Hafner, Colleen Hahn, Melinda Halpert, Ann Haman, Bonnie
Hammerschlag, Harold Hanson, Phillip Harris, Frederick
Harrison, Rebecca Hayden, Elizabeth Hayes, Israel Heller,
Elizabeth Hendricks, Jay Herson, Mary Anne Hoffman, Betsy
Holleman, Thomas Holzman, Tim Hussion, Cheryl Jacobson,
Philip Jason, Michael Jones, Kevin Jones, Frank Joseph, Laura
Kaiser, Therese Keane, Donovan Kelly, Maureen Kentoff,
Timothy Kerr, Paul Kiernan, Eugenia Kim, Michael Kirkland,
Peter Kissel, Alicia Klaffky, Ann Knox, Susan Korytkowski,
Patricia Kreutzer, Rhys Kuklewicz, Vicki Lambert, Leonard
Lapidus, Raima Larter, Rodney Lay, Robert Leddy, David Lees,
Jane Lehman, Carol Levin, Lawrence Lewin, Earl Lindveit,
Lisa Lipinski, John Lubetkin, David Lublin, Patrick Madden,
Steven Marcom, Susie Marruci, Linda Marshall, Caroline
Marshall, Elizabeth Martin, Grisella Martinez, Kathryn
Masterson, Catherine Mayo, Greg McBride, Judith McCombs,
Alice McDermott, Suzanne McIntire, David McKinney, John
Merriam, David Metz, Fonda Miller, Lynn Mobley, Deborah
Monroe, Rebecca Morrison, Carol Mossman, Gwen Moulton,
Cantwell Muckenfuss and Angela Lancaster, Denise Nebb,
Merri Nelson, Beryl Neurman, Andrew Nitz, Jean Nordhaus,
Terrance O’Connor, William O’Grady, Susan Okie, Mary
Overton, James Papian, Joanna Pappafotis, Amy Pastan,
Valerie Patterson, Kathleen Patterson, Christine Pena, Rebecca
Pepper, Cathleen Petree, Mary Pope Hutson, Andrew Popper,
Jeffrey Porro, Jeanne Posner, Susan Press, Jeffrey Prince, Mary
Procter, Marjorie Rachlin, Judith Randal, Donna Rathbone,
Ann Rayburn, Darrel Regier, Julie Reiley, Paul Rice, Emily
Rich, Mark Roberts, Carey Roberts, James Robertson, Susan
Robertson, Margaret Rodenberg, Deborah Rodriguez, Barbara
Rosing, Larry Roszman, Phyllis Rozman, Dan Ryan, Anthony
Rylands, Karen Sandler, Mary Sasser, Kristen Schulz, Martin
Shapiro, Mary Sheehan, William Sherman, Mark Siegel, Daniel
Silver, Myra Sklarew, Louise Smith, Mary Smith, Thomas
Smith, Eugene Sofer, Frank Spector, Lynn Springer, Leslie
Stewart, Eric Stone, Kathy Strom, Peter Sturtevant, Linda
Sullivan, Sherry Sundick, Carrington Tarr, Caroline Taylor,
Dulcie Taylor, Gary Thomas, Susan Thomas, Anne Thompson,
Gerald Thompson, Trudy Todd, Cheryl Toksoz, Roxana
Torres-Kahley, Craig Tregillus, Jane Udelson, Margaret Ullman,
Rajka Ungerer, Ann Varnon, Kathryn Veal, Ira Wagner,
Stefanie Wallach, Nancy Weil, Lori Weiman, Mary Weinmann,
Renee Weitzner, Mary Westcott, Barbara White, Raoul
Wientzen, Cathy Wiley, Katherine Williams, Roger Williams,
Aaron Williams, Peter Wilson, Susan Winchell, Christy Wise,
Robert Wise, Kat Witowski, Matthew Wolf, Marie Wood,
Catherine Woodard, Fred Woodworth, Anne Yerman, Cynthia
Young, Zofia Zager, Tony Ziselberger
March 1, 2009–September 1, 2010
The Writer’s Center has been
selected to be part of the 2010–11
Greater Washington Catalogue for
Philanthropy, a prestigious honor
bestowed upon only 68 of 250 local
applicant organizations.
NEED SPACE?
RENT OURS
The Allan B. Lefcowitz Theatre, Jane Fox Reading
Room, and classrooms are available weekdays
from 10:00 A.M.–6:00 P.M. when not occupied by
The Writer’s Center workshops.
Those rooms are also available on Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday evenings; and Saturday and Sunday
afternoons, when workshops and events are not
being held.
Please contact The Writer’s Center for availability
inquiries—[email protected] or
301.654.8664.
Rent a Classroom:
Quiet Personal Writing
Small Writing Groups
Rent the Jane Fox
Reading Room:
Events/Parties
Business Meetings
Staged Readings
Receptions
Walt Whitman Room
Jane Fox Reading Room
Allan B. Lefcowitz Theatre
$25/hr
Rehearsals
no access to the public
$25/hr
Performances
2-hr minimum
$50/hr
Pre- and Post-Performance
$25/hr
The Writer’s Center Staff Time
$20/hr
Rehearsals
no access to the public
$50/hr
Performances
$80/hr
Pre- and Post-Performance
$50/hr
The Writer’s Center Staff Time
$20/hr
Zora Neale Hurston Room
$25/hr
Classrooms
$10/hr (members)
$20/hr (non-members)
Rent the Allan B.
Lefcowitz Theatre:
Film Screenings
Intimate Concerts
Theatre Productions
Conferences
Lighting, Sound, and/or Video
are also available to rent
REGISTRATION
1
WORKSHOP REGISTRATION FORM
GENERAL INFORMATION
ASSISTANCE
Please let us know if you require accommodations due to a physical limitation by
calling 301.654.8664 prior to your first class meeting.
Name
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State
Zip
Members receive discounts on all workshop registrations for one year, along with a
continually improving slate of benefits, including a discount in our onsite bookstore.
For more information visit writer.org/join.
 $50 Community Member
 $250 Contributing Member
 $1,000 Sustaining Member
 $5,000 Patron Member
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 $100 Premium Member
 $500 Supporting Member
 $2,500 Sponsoring Member
 $10,000 Laureate Member
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REFUND POLICY
Workshop refunds are calculated based on the time of notification. For a workshop
lasting five sessions or more, 92% of the workshop cost will be refunded for notice given
more than two weeks before the start date, 90% will be refunded for notice given less
than two weeks and more than 48 hours before the start date, 85% will be refunded for
less than 48 hours notice before the start date or after attending the first workshop, and
60% will be refunded after the second class. For a workshop lasting four sessions or less,
92% of the workshop cost will be refunded for notice given more than two weeks before
the start date, 85% will be refunded for notice given less than two weeks and more than
48 hours before the start date, and 70% will be refunded for less than 48 hours notice
before the start date or after attending the first workshop. No refunds will be given after
the second class. To keep workshop prices low, we cannot make exceptions to these procedures. Refund checks will be written three weeks after the beginning of workshops;
we do not credit back credit cards. You may also keep any portion of a refund as a credit
on your Writer's Center account, to be applied to future workshops, or you may transfer
into another course of equal or lesser value for no additional fees.
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THE
WRITER'S CENTER
Workshop & Event Guide
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CONTAINS DATED MATERIAL
Inside this issue:
Miles Davis: “Electric Period” page 3
BookTalk: Charming Billy page 5
AWP in Washington, D.C. page 6
Writing Staycation:
A Writer’s Retreat page 8
Readings, Performances,
and Events page 11
And the winter/spring
workshop schedule page 32
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