events

Kendra Elliot to Speak to Writers in the Grove February 13, 2017

Kendra Elliot, author.

On February 13, 2017, author Kendra Elliot will speak at our Monday Writers in the Grove meeting at 9AM at the Forest Grove Community and Senior Center in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Elliot is a prolific author of suspense, thriller, and murder mysteries. After reading a newspaper article about NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, she decided she could sit down and write 50,000 words in 30 days, and did. She says on her website:

I sat down and wrote a contemporary romance but kept tripping over dead bodies in each chapter. I got the hint and my stories evolved into romantic suspense.

This Pacific Northwest native continues to live in the area and says she is obsessed with forensics, even studying with the FBI, and is involved in many writers associations and groups dedicated to her genre, weaving everything she learns into her fascinating stories.

Elliot has published numerous books including the popular series The Bone Secrets, Callahan and McLane, The Mercy Kilpatrick, and The Rogue River Novella series.

She will be talking about how she writes her books so fast and furious, publishing several a year, and about the publishing industry, dealing with agents and publishers.

Please join us for this fascinating presentation. There is no charge. We thank Kendra Elliot for her generosity in sharing her experiences with us.

Wintersong Deadline Extended

Due to weather, and some other holiday excuses, Writers in the Grove has extended the deadline for submissions to our annual Wintersong Reading Event 2017 until December 19, 2016.

Get your submissions in as soon as possible to be considered for reading your 4-minute max piece(s) on January 21, 2017.

Deadline for Wintersong 2017 Submissions

The deadline for Wintersong submissions is December 15, 2016.

If you have a written piece that can be read out loud in four minutes or less, you are welcome to submit it for consideration, but it must be received or postmarked by December 15 to be considered.

We’re looking for prose, poetry, or songs that are family-friendly.

Get your submission in by December 15 to be considered for the January 21, 2017, reading event presented by Writers in the Grove and held at the Forest Grove United Methodist Church at 10:30AM in Forest Grove, Oregon. The event is open to the general public and free, as are the submission entries. Even if you do not submit an entry, we’d love to have you join us, so mark January 21 on your calendar.

For more information and the entry form, see our announcement and submission form.

Ode to a Potluck

The following is a holiday piece by Writers in the Grove member, Bev Walker.

There’s peas in my apple pie
The spaghetti’s a glutenous ball.
It’s that delicious time of year
My plate overflows with it all.
There’s salad in my pudding
And pudding on my mac and cheese.
And mac and cheese in my jello
And jello in the “What are these?”
Succotash spills into whipped cream,
There’s cream on my sour pickle.
There’s always a “Wonder what that is?”
It could be a cranberry frickle!
There’s mystery in what I’m eating.
Who knows? I could even die! But –
It’s amazing how delicious it all is
Even peas in apple pie!

Wintersong Reading Event 2017

Wintersong reading presentation featuring Paula Adams of Writers in the Grove.Writers in the Grove has been invited to be a part of the Forest Grove United Methodist Church’s Cultural Events Series with our Wintersong annual reading. The event is Saturday, January 21, 2017, from 10:30AM to about noon.

The location is:

Forest Grove United Methodist Church
1726 Cedar Street
Forest Grove, Oregon

The event is open to all ages. It is free to enter and attend.

Wintersong is one of two annual readings presented by Writers in the Grove. Wintersong happens in January, and Lend an Ear is in July. It features local writers reading their works.

The event’s guest moderator will be Ron Field, keeping the show flowing smoothly.

Wintersong Submissions

If you would like to join us and share one or more of your written pieces, you must have your submission entry mailed in and postmarked by December 15, 2016. Submissions are limited to one or more pieces of prose, poetry, or songs that can be read out loud within four minutes. Entries must be original, written by the applicant, and must not infringe any copyright or other proprietary rights.

Entries will be selected on the basis of originality, writing style, and quality of the work. Decisions of the Selection Committee are final.

All genres are welcome, subject to the following filter: This is a family-friendly event. Submissions must reflect content suitable for a mixed-age audience. Content and submissions deemed inappropriate will not be considered.

If your entry is chosen, you will be notified no later than January 8, 2017, and you will read your entry at the event on January 21, 2017.

For the submission guidelines and entry form, please download the form (PDF). There is no entry fee for submission.

NaNoWriMo 2016

It is almost time for the annual NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month. It begins at midnight October 31, and runs through the last day of November.

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words (and complete a novel) in 30 days.

Don’t stress out yet. The numbers divide down to 1,667 words a day, typically 60-90 minutes of writing.

Join more than 300,000 people globally, and Writers in the Grove members, by participating actively or passively. This can be a solo experience or a highly social one. You can connect online and/or connect in person through the many local activities, events, and write-ins where people gather in a social space to write and get to know each other.

Go to the NaNoWriMo site for more information, and check out last year’s “It’s NaNoWriMo Time: How To, Tips, Techniques, and Survival Advice.”

Last year, Writers in the Grove had about eight people participating, some openly, some secretly, not willing to go public because they were afraid of failure. Let’s clear something up right from the start. There is no failing with this. The goal is to write, and anything that gets you writing, and keeps you writing, is a good thing, whether or not you achieve the 50K goal. Many never reach it, but keep trying year after year.

NaNoWriMo is not just about the word count. It is about the writing.

To handle the diverse Writers in the Grove membership needs, we are once again challenging our members to do one of the following:

  1. Write a minimum of 1,667 words a day.
  2. Write for an hour minimum a day.

What You Will Learn From Participating in NaNoWriMo

Last year was the first year we had many members participating and we all learned so much, it was an amazing journey. Here are some samples:

  • I learned I could write consistently every day.
  • I learned how to write consistently daily.
  • I discovered some fears and road blocks I didn’t know I had.
  • I figured out how to work harder with less research.
  • I just wrote. Usually I spend too much time in my head and less writing, but I just wrote.
  • I learned it isn’t as hard as it sounds.
  • I learned that I had something to say, a story to tell.
  • I realized how much I allow life to get in my way. I sit down to write and the phone rings, doorbell goes off, email pings, thoughts roam – and how much I need to just say no.
  • I realized that the true art in writing is editing after you write.

NaNoWriMo is a chance to note all the things that get in your writing way. Keep a notebook and jot them down when you encounter them, and make a plan around or through them. You will always need those solutions as you charge ahead with your writing career. (more…)

Eighth Annual Northwest Book Festival

The Eighth Annual Northwest Book Festival is at Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square on July 30, 2016. Hours are 10:00AM to 5:00PM. The festival is free to the Public. Willamette Writers and other writers and arts groups will be represented.

Lend an Ear, Come and Hear Reading, July 9, 2016

Lend an Ear 2015 - Audience listen to Veronica read.As a reminder, Lend an Ear, Come and Hear is July 9, 2016, at Plum Hill Winery in Gaston, Oregon. It begins at 10:30AM and goes to approximately 1PM.

Local writers submitted their four-minute readings and we have a fabulous collection of short stories and poems this year. Local authors will be selling their books, and the pizza wagon will be available for food. We are very grateful to Plum Hill Winery for once again providing such a beautiful outdoor venue. And their wine is pretty awesome, too!

You can find more information and details in our announcement and on the Lend an Ear, Come and Hear site.