Northwest Author Series

Topic: Going Beyond Imagination: Writing Alphabet of Dreams

From 3-5 p.m. at the Wilsonville Public Library In the Oak Room. Cost is five dollars at the door.

Susan will tell of her 5-year odyssey to write Alphabet of Dreams—her YA novel about a boy who has prophetic dreams, the teenage sister who tries to protect him, and a suspense-filled camel caravan journey across ancient Persia.  She’ll show pictures of the journey she took to Iran to research the book, and tell how her travels took her to places beyond what she was capable of imagining beforehand: to a picnic with a Kurdish family near the Iraqi border; to a caravanserai on the old Silk Road; to an ancient Persian village; to a camel trek in the desert, and more.  For the writers and aspiring writers in the audience, Susan will reflect on using a sense of place as inspiration for fiction.

Susan Fletcher is the author of nine books for young readers, including The Dragon Chronicles Series (Dragon’s Milk, Flight of the Dragon Kyn, Sign of the Dove); Alphabet of Dreams, Shadow Spinner; Walk Across the Sea, and Dadblamed, Union Army Cow. She has received two Oregon Book Awards and the Willamette Writers’ Distinguished Writer Award. Some other honors her books have received: American Library Association Notable Books for Young Readers; American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults; Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon; and School Library Journal Best Books. Susan has an M.A. in English from the University of Michigan.  She has taught in the M.F.A. in Writing for Children program at Vermont College.

Writer’s Digest Books has been kind enough to provide door prizes for the event, which attracts writers and readers across the genres. Everyone who attends will be entered to win two out of three of the following:

FREE - Subscription to Writer’s Digest Magazine for one year
FREE - Subscription to Writersmarket.com for one year
$25 - Value to purchase Writer’s Digest Books!

The Power of Poetry to Transform Your Life, Community and World
In Celebration of National Poetry Month
Sunday, April 20 from 3-5 p.m.
Wilsonville Public Library, Oak Room

Poems are portals for exploring the reach of human potential. By writing, sharing and reading poetry, we inspire and instruct ourselves and each other about what can be possible in our lives and far beyond. In celebration of National Poetry Month, Sage Cohen––author of Writing the Life Poetic forthcoming from Writer’s Digest Books––will talk about how poetry can bring us into greater contact with ourselves, our community and our world. She will offer a range of exercises, information and tips designed to jump-start your poetry writing and reading practice.

Sage Cohen is the author of Writing the Life Poetic, a creative companion for poets forthcoming from Writer’s Digest Books, and the poetry collection Like the Heart, the World. Her poetry and essays appear in journals and anthologies including Cup of Comfort for Writers, Oregon Literary Review, Greater Good and VoiceCatcher. In 2006, she won first prize in the Ghost Road Press annual poetry contest. Sage holds an MA in creative writing from New York University where she was awarded a New York Times Foundation fellowship. Sage teaches Poetry for the People, an e-mail poetry class.

Developing characters and dialogue for a play

How does a play differ from a film? Text! Films mostly tell their story using visuals, while a stage play tells it’s story with dialogue. How is that dialogue created? Is it simply two people talking? Compelling characters present their ideas, their needs and their subtext though dialogue that must be engaging and convey the author’s message. A tough balancing act of idea vs. emotion. In this seminar we will explore the process of constructing text that brings a character to life.

Shelly Lipkin is an actor, director, playwright. He was Co-Artistic Director of Cygnet Productions from 2000 to 2003 where he co-authored, produced and starred in Vitriol & Violets – Tales From The Algonquin Round Table which won the 2004 Oregon Book Award for Drama. His second play, Sylver Beaches, was also nominated for an Oregon Book Award. Shelly teaches acting, directing & play/screenwriting at The Art Institute of Portland, Clark College, Northwest Children’s Theatre and Lakewood Theatre. He is a member of Portland Center Stages playwright’s workshop PlayGroup.

Cost is five dollars at the door.

Writer’s Digest Books has been kind enough to provide door prizes for the event, which attracts writers and readers across the genres. Everyone who attends will be entered to win two out of three of the following:

FREE - Subscription to Writer’s Digest Magazine for one year
FREE - Subscription to Writersmarket.com for one year
$25 - Value to purchase Writer’s Digest Books!

The next Northwest Author Series features award-winning poet Sage Cohen on April 21 at the Wilsonville Library from 3-5 p.m.

Aspiring and armchair screenwriters welcome!

Because the Oscars are on at five p.m. on Sunday, February 24th, we’ve moved our series time at the Wilsonville Public Library up an hour so listeners can get home in time to watch their favorite celebrities walk the red carpet. And who wouldn’t feel inspired to tune in after spending time with Lake Oswego’s very own award-winning screenwriter Cynthia Whitcomb?

A veteran screenwriting teacher, Whitcomb will speak on “Getting the Movie in Your Mind onto the Page.” So if you have a good idea for a movie you’ve been musing on for a while, Cynthia Whitcomb will teach you to take that idea and develop it into a real screenplay. She will give an over-view of how to research, structure, scene card, format and write scenes and dialogue for your screenplay.

So, if you’ve harbored a fantasy—as many of us have—about stepping up on stage to receive your own gold statuette, this talk will inspire you to get started.

Cynthia Whitcomb has sold over 70 screenplays, 29 of which have been produced on prime time national television. She has been nominated for the Emmy, Cable Ace, Writers Guild of America and Edgar Allan Poe Awards. She has written for stars such as Ellen Burstyn, Kevin Spacey, Anjelica Huston, Jason Robards, Brendan Fraser and Martin Sheen. Among her favorite screenplays she’s written are Buffalo Girls, I Know My First Name is Steven and Mark Twain and Me. She has lived in and worked from Oregon since 1993. She is President of Willamette Writers and on the Oregon film board.

Cost is five dollars at the door. Whitcomb’s two screenwriting books, The Writers Guide to Writing Your Screenplay and The Writers Guide to Selling Your Screenplay will be available for purchase and signing by the author afterwards.

The folks at Writer’s Digest Books have been kind enough to provide door prizes for the event, which attracts writers and readers across the genres. Everyone who attends will be entered to win two out of three of the following:

FREE - Subscription to Writer’s Digest Magazine for one year
FREE - Subscription to Writersmarket.com for one year
$25 - Value to purchase Writer’s Digest Books!

The next Northwest Author Series feature award-winning playwright Shelly Lipkin on March 16 at the Wilsonville Library from 3-5 p.m. Cost is five dollars at the door.

Come hear three-time novelist Heather Sharfeddin speak about Writing the American West on Sunday, January 27th.

What is the Northwest Author Series?
Are you curious about how writers get their words in print? Each month an author publishing in a different genre comes to Wilsonville to educate and inspire the community with tales of how they write and the journey to publication. The series is hosted by Wilsonville author, Christina Katz and sponsored by the Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council and the Wilsonville Public Library.

Upcoming Authors:

Sunday, January 27: Novelist Heather Sharfeddin of Sherwood speaks on writing the contemporary West

Sunday, February 24: Screenwriter Cynthia Whitcomb of Lake Oswego speaks about the craft of screenwriting

Sunday, March 16: Panel of Portland-area playwrights (TBA) on how they workshop their words

Sunday, May 18: Susan Fletcher, award-winning novelist speaks about going beyond imagination all the way to Iran to research Alphabet of Dreams.

Come, listen to inspiring authors, and win door prizes!
The folks at Writer’s Digest Books have been kind enough to provide door prizes. Everyone who comes will be entered to win two out of three of the following:

FREE - Subscription to Writer’s Digest Magazine for one year
FREE - Subscription to Writersmarket.com for one year
$25 - Value to purchase Writer’s Digest Books!

Your admission ticket to the Northwest Author Series is five dollars and automatically enters you in the drawing. The event takes place in the Oak Room at the Wilsonville Public Library from 3-5 p.m.

For more information contact Christina Katz at christinakatz@earthlink.net.

Come see Elizabeth Rusch speak on Sunday, November 18th June 8th at the Wilsonville Public Library!

The topic is: Listen to the Children: How I learned to write for children by listening to them and how you can, too. Through her experience moving from writing for adults to writing for children, Rusch shows how to get meaningful feedback from children on your board books, picture books, and novels. Learn how to read aloud to toddlers and read their body language, how to nudge elementary-aged kids to do a meaningful mark-up, and how to start a fruitful dialogue with older kids about your work.

Thanks for spreading the word!

Download the poster (in jpg format) to share with friends:

Northwest Author Series Poster #2 By Burton Haun, Author Christina Katz

Laughs were enjoyed by all who attended Marc Acito’s How to Write Humor presentation at the Wilsonville Public Library on Sunday, September 16.

Join us on October 21st when Christina Katz, the Writer Mama, will share tips and tricks for nonfiction writers of all ages.