Fostering
appreciation of the written word, supporting and educating its
creators.
Now
you can register and pay for workshops
online using
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Workshops
All programs partially supported by a grant from
the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
To avoid the
disappointment of cancelled workshops don't wait until the last minute
to sign up.
If we do not have registered a minimum number of participants the
workshop will be canceled.
The Midwest
Writing Center reserves the right to cancel any program
with insufficient enrollment.
If a class is cancelled a
full refund will be issued to those registered in the
program. Photos are
sometimes taken of participants in
our workshops, classes, or events. These photos are for
Midwest Writing Center use only and may be used on our
website, brochures, pamphlets, or flyers.
Janet
Martin, co-author of “Growing Up Lutheran”
will present at the Downtown Davenport
Radisson on August 18, 2010. This event will
feature a presentation by Ms. Martin about
her book, a Q&A session and lunch. Tickets
to the event can be purchased for $20 before
August 9 and $22 after.
August 28
Ellen Tsagaris
presents, Writing Your Memoirs: We all have
an interesting
life story to tell!
Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members
In this course
we will explore the genre of memoir. We
will review the works of writers who have
written about ordinary events in their lives
which have inspired them in order to see
that our own lives contain many meaningful
experiences that will serve as inspiration
for our own writing. Students will sample
three varied techniques that will show them
how to take their life experiences to create
a memoir to record their events. Students
will receive a packet of materials, samples,
and other resources to help them continue
with their project once they complete this
class. Students will discuss classifying
and organizing events and collecting
artifacts and photos that will help them in
their project. They will also be encouraged
to discuss and reflect on the significance
of remembered events and to keep a notebook
of their thoughts and feelings. The
instructor will share examples of memoir
that she has taught and created in order in
inspire the class. By the end of the
session, students will have drafted and
introduction and set of notes or outline to
help them begin their Memoirs.
Topics covered
include:
Defining a Memoir,
compare and contrast with biography and
autobiography
What is an epiphany?
What is a significant event to you and
why?
Using treasured
objects as catalysts
Writing around a
photo, or using illustration
Using favorite
recipes or patterns to tell stories
Organizing events
around:
Stages of life:
infancy/childhood;
adolescence/adulthood/family
life/professional life
Major life events
Holidays and
family/friend gatherings
Emblematic
moments
Audience
Ellen M. Tsagaris
received her Ph.D. in Modern British
Literature from Southern Illinois University
at Carbondale. She holds an MA in English
and J.D. from the University of Iowa, and
received her B.A. in English and Spanish
from Augustana College. She was born in
Athens, Greece and has traveled all over the
world. She has published over 100 articles
in scholarly and mainstream magazines and
has worked as a journalist. She writes
books about Barbara Pym, antiques, law, and
Anne Rice. She teaches writing at a small
university and also teaches law, literature,
religion Spanish criminal justice and
history.
But someone has
to write the lines. Plays are some of our
oldest literary and artistic forms. Many of
us have stories and characters rattling
around in our heads. Those are the raw
ingredients for a finished stage play;
however, there are many steps from there to
a curtain going up.
Learn the basics
of stage plays with Shea Doyle, a poet and
playwright with three locally produced
productions to his name. In this seminar we
will explore what is a play; learn the
structure of plays; pick up some practical
pointers about creating your own drama; and
finally talk a little bit about the business
of sending your work out into the world.
The goal of this course is to have some
practical tools to take with you as you
create or develop your own play.
October 29
Bobbie Christensen
presents, Publishing & Marketing Your 1st
Book (or 7th)
5-8 p.m.
$35 before October 7/ $40 after October 7
(price includes $15 material fee)
Learn how to
submit your work to a publisher or
self-publish and keep the profits, plus all
about POD’s, ebooks, etc.
Includes all forms, contracts, samples, etc. “Every minute was packed
with specific information that I really
needed…even though I have an extensive
background in marketing, I learned a LOT
about effective marketing…invaluable.”
(DeeAnn Merriman, Carrollton, TX)
Learn Bobbie’s proven-to-succeed 6-step
marketing plan including how to make a
profit before your book is even printed,
setting up book signings for maximum sales, setting up and presenting seminars that
will get rave reviews, writing news
releases, and much more.
Bobbie Christensen had her first short story
published when she was 16 years old. She
has been writing ever since.
Bobbie did free-lance work for over 30 years
before switching to full-length books in
1995. She currently has 12 published
books including best-sellers and
award-winners and is currently working on
four new ones. She and her husband of over
25 years, Eric, spend up to 6 months each
year presenting seminars on their books
nation-wide, however, their home
(and extensive gardens) are in California.
You will also hear her on over 100 radio/TV
shows each year.
For information on their classes and books,
call 1-800-929-7889 or email
ELPBooks@aol.com or go to
www.BooksAmerica.com/ELPBooks.
