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• 2nd Friday CWC's Virtual Writing Salon, conducted by Tiffany Grantham

  • Start
    September 13, 2024
  •  
  • End
    May 09, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    9 sessions
  • Location
    ZOOM Virtual Meeting

  Register

  Please Use the Link Below to Connect with Tiffany Grantham for her Social Write-Ins. on the 2nd Friday of the month from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Mark Your Calendar for this free-writing and share session via Zoom. Take 75-minutes to write and share from the comfort of your own space. Bring your muse, your imagination and your favorite writing instrument. Tiffany may spin instrumental music for your mind to riff on, offer pictures that take you down memory lane or set a scene for new character to play in. Following each prompt, there will be time for volunteers to read aloud. Be inspired by the works your fellow travelers share. No pressure, no angst - just you, your writing, and your untamed creativity. Bring your own characters, write with a story in mind or let your thoughts dance across the page. Shake off the dust of the day and perhaps when you're done, Tiffany's prompts will help you create something that really jazzes you!  Tiffany Grantham is a Children’s Service Specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, a short story-fiction writer, and former secretary for CWC’s executive board. A native of Goldsboro, NC who has called Charlotte home for the past eight years, she has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from North Carolina A&T State University, and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. In her spare time, Tiffany collects books to add to her in-home library. Join the Meeting! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88335935381?pwd=eARLwnge540W0fdOuAcbXCmBSyGREV.1 Meeting ID: 883 3593 5381 Passcode: 127296 We hope you'll make this virtual session a habit.

     

   

   

     

   

  
  

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• Workshop: Build Your Platform: Write and Publish Flash Fiction

  • When
    September 14, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
  • Spaces left
    20

  Register

  Hosted by Gary V. Powell

  

  Even if you’re in the midst of writing a five-hundred page novel or memoir, writing, submitting, and publishing flash fiction as a “side hustle” is a great way to build your platform and expand your network.  And whether long or short work is your bag, writing flash will hone your craft; restraint, implication, and “trusting your reader,” essential elements of flash fiction, are also qualities that make great novels and memoirs.

  In this 3-hour workshop, participants will (1) learn the key elements of flash fiction, (2) critique 2-3 examples of "great flash" from recognized authors, (3) write up to 1 page of their own flash, (4) receive participant and instructor feedback on their work, (5) obtain resources for reading, writing, and submitting great flash.

  Bottom Line: Participants come out of the workshop knowing what makes great flash and with the beginning of their own flash in hand.

  Attendees are asked to read three flash pieces--15 minutes of reading max--before attending. These will be discussed during the workshop. The first is a recent publication at Smokelong, the second is a classic Meg Pokrass story, and the third is a classic Isaac Babel story. 

  https://www.smokelong.com/stories/strong-female-character-goes-by-her-last-name-only/

  https://electricliterature.com/secrets-of-a-happy-marriage/

  https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/my-first-goose-1

  Please come with a 1-pg double-spaced (about 250 words) of a flash fiction of your own. The piece doesn't have to be finished. Be prepared to read aloud in class and receive feedback from me and other attendees. 

  The piece should be based on one of the following prompts.

  (1) A day at the beach takes an unexpected turn.

  (2) The protagonist has a chance encounter with his/her ex.

  Gary V. Powell, a magna cum laude graduate of Indiana University School of Law, currently writes and lives with his beautiful wife near the shores of lovely Lake Norman, North Carolina.

  Nominated for both Pushcart and O. Henry prizes, he was selected as a 2023 deGroot Foundation Writer of Note. His flash and short fiction have won or placed in numerous literary competitions including the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize (Honorable Mention, 2008 and 2014), Glimmer Train Short-Short Story Contest (Honorable Mention, 2013), the Eric Hoffer Award (First Prize for flash fiction, 2015), the Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Prize (First Prize, 2016 and 2018), the Iowa Fiction Prize (Finalist, 2017), the Press 53/Prime Number Fiction Prize (First Prize, 2022 and Runner-Up, 2024), the Doris Betts Fiction Prize (Finalist 2022).

  His work appears in many literary reviews and magazines including Bull Men’s Magazine, Carvezine, The Thomas Wolfe Review, The North Carolina Literary Review, Ocotillo Review, Jellyfish Review, Pithead Chapel, Prime Number, Atticus Review, Smokelong Quarterly, Best New Writing 2015, and Sleep is a Beautiful Color: the 2017 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology.

  

  Workshop Refund Policy:

  If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.

  
  

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• September Meeting

  • When
    September 17, 2024
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, Rm 104, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte

  Register

  

  Mark de Castrique

  Revealing the Mystery of Writing a Mystery

  Edgar Award-nominee Mark de Castrique will share how he approaches the creation of his mystery novels. He'll examine the elements of a good story as they apply to the genre.  He'll discuss the three types of detectives – amateur, law enforcement officer, and private investigator – and this opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Plotting in a mystery is key.  What makes a good plot?  Why do plots fail?  How can humor and homicide share the same pages?  Finally, Mark will offer his Point of View on POV and the ways POV shapes the story and impacts the reader.  It's all part of revealing the mystery of writing a mystery.

  Mark was born in Hendersonville, NC, near Asheville, and went straight from the hospital to the funeral home where his father was the funeral director and the family lived upstairs. The unusual setting sparked his popular Barry Clayton series and launched his mystery writing career.

  He is the author of twenty-three novels: seven set in the fictional NC mountain town of Gainesboro, nine in Asheville, four in Washington D.C., one science thriller set in 2030, and two mysteries written for Middle Graders and set in the Charlotte region.

  His novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. The CHICAGO TRIBUNE wrote,“As important and as impressive as the author’s narrative skills are the subtle ways he captures the geography – both physical and human – of a unique part of the American South.”

  Mark is a veteran of the broadcast and film production business. In Washington D.C., he directed numerous news and public affairs programs and received an EMMY Award for his documentary film work. Through his company, MARK et al., he writes and produces videos for corporate and broadcast clients.

  His years in Washington inspired his DC thrillers, THE 13TH TARGET, involving a terrorist plot against The Federal Reserve, THE SINGULARITY RACE, a winner-take-all quest for Artificial Intelligence, and SECRET LIVES and DANGEROUS WOMEN, featuring feisty and fearless ex-FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater.

  Mark and his wife Linda have two daughters. They live in Charlotte, but can be often found in the NC mountains or the nation’s capital.

  
  

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  

  please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

  We look forward to seeing you!

  Show details
• Workshop: Master Your Mic: Elevate Your Reading Skills and Captivate Your Audience

  • When
    September 21, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
  • Spaces left
    21

  Register

  Hosted by Jerry Colbert

  
  

  Join our exclusive three-hour master class designed to elevate your reading skills at Open Mic and other public presentations. Provide an advanced hard copy of your chosen material for 3 minutes —whether poetry, short stories, essays, or memoir excerpts. The session begins with guidance for all participants, emphasizing voice modulation, pacing, and connecting with your audience. By the end, you'll possess the confidence and techniques to captivate listeners and leave a lasting impression. Don't miss this opportunity to refine your performance and showcase your writing with

  
  

  Jerry Colbert, a recipient of the Spencer Love Foundation Fine Arts scholarship at UNCG, holds a BFA in Acting/Directing. With a career spanning over two hundred stage productions, films, and television shows, he produced and performed in a Cabaret act that toured extensively with over 1000 performances. Jerry's stage credits include roles with Charlotte Rep, Actors' Theatre of Charlotte, Temple Theatre, and more. He's featured in industrial films for Duke Energy, Siemens, IBM, and others. A member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, Jerry directs and performs at the Storefront Theatre and served as Director of Theatre Productions at Queens University of Charlotte. He resides in Matthews, NC, with his wife and two cats.

  

  Workshop Refund Policy:

  If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.

  
  

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• September 27th, 2024 Open Mic Night at Mugs Coffee

  • When
    September 27, 2024
  •  
    6:45 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Mugs Coffee - 5126 Park Road - Charlotte, NC 28209
  • Spaces left
    12

  Register

  Description In Partnership with MUGS Coffee - LIVE Event for CWC Members and non-members to read their work Friday, September 27th from 6:45pm - 9pm. Registration is limited to 12 readers. Each reader will have 7 minutes to read their work. (You do not need to register to come to listen and support your fellow writers.) If you register to read you must agree to the following: You will purchase something - this is how we support Mugs. You will respect this is a business and public place and part of the skill building experience is to block out distractions. You are not allowed to ask the staff or other customers to be quiet.   You agree to the considerations listed. If you are unsure if what you want to read is allowed, you will review it with your host before you read.   Reading at Open Mic Night affords club members and non-members an opportunity to share what they have written and gain experience reading in public. Please understand that this is NOT a publicity event for our authors. The goal is to support our members as they practice reading in public. Before registering please read the following policy adopted by unanimous vote of the CWC executive board on February 5, 2024, A completed registration serves as your agreement to abide by these rules. All work must be original and must be read by the author. All readers must be mindful that this event is open to a general audience, which may include minors, and we do not want anyone to feel excluded, offended, or attacked. Although some material may deal with mature or provocative subjects, it must be suitable for a general audience and appropriate for all ages. Open Mic Night is not a forum for religious or political debate, nor is it a place for stand-up comedy, pornography, obscenity, racism, sexism, or personal rants of any kind. We expect readers to provide a receptive, supportive audience for one another. While a writer’s material and point of view are open to different interpretations, please show respect to the writer and the work. Any violation of these guidelines whether as a reader or as a member of the audience will result in the offender being cleared from the stage or audience. Repeated offenses will result in the member being  banned from future sessions and/or being dismissed as a member of CWC.

     

   

   

     

   

  
  

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• Workshop: Ekphrastic Duet: Art Speaking Through Poetry

  • When
    October 05, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
  • Spaces left
    24

  Register

  Led by David Radovich

  

  This workshop will focus on the particular challenges of writing ekphrastic poems about works of art.  In addition to considerations of genre, period, and the particulars of artistic craft, we will study how to bring paintings and sculptures alive through lyrical language for contemporary readers.  Participants are asked to bring an image they would like to respond to.

  David Radavich is a socially committed poet, playwright, and essayist.  His poetry collections include two epics, America Bound (2007) and America Abroad (2019), as well as Middle-East Mezze (2011) and The Countries We Live In (2014).  His plays have been performed across the U.S., including six Off-Off-Broadway, and in Europe.  He has served as president of the Thomas Wolfe Society, Charlotte Writers’ Club, and North Carolina Poetry Society and currently administers the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series.  His latest books are Unter der Sonne / Under the Sun: Deutsche und englische Lyrik (Deutscher Lyrik Verlag, 2021) and Here’s Plenty (Cervena Barva, 2023).
  

  Find out more at:  www.davidradavich.org

  

  Workshop Refund Policy:

  If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.

  
  

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• October Meeting

  • When
    October 15, 2024
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, Rm 104, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte

  

  Mimi Herman

  How to Create Compelling Characters (Who Aren't You) 

  It’s easy enough to tell our own stories, but some of the best fiction is about characters who are nothing like the writers who created them. They’re younger or older, live long ago or in the future, have different interests and talents. In this talk, with a Q&A session to follow, you’ll learn how to create narrators and other characters who come alive on the page and remain with the reader long after the book is closed. Instead of describing your characters from the outside, you’ll learn how to abandon your assumptions and stereotypes so you can dwell completely within the people you’re writing about. It’s risky, challenging work, which requires a lot of empathy and understanding, but you’ll find your reward when you hear readers say, “I feel as if I’ve known your characters my whole life.”

  Mimi Herman is the author of The Kudzu Queen, A Field Guide to Human Emotions and Logophilia. Her novel, The Kudzu Queen, was selected by The North Carolina Center for the Book for the Library of Congress “Great Reads from Great Places” program, and has been long listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her writing has appeared in LitHub, Michigan Quarterly Review, Shenandoah, Crab Orchard Review and many other journals. Mimi is a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Writers & Writing Programs and a Kennedy Center Teaching Artist, a Warren Wilson MFA alumna, and a Hermitage Artist Retreat Fellow. She co-directs weeklong Writeaways writing workshops in France, Italy, Ireland and New Mexico. For more information visit her at www.mimiherman.com and www.writeaways.com.

  
  

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  

  please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

  We look forward to seeing you!

  Show details
• Workshop: Mastering Nonfiction: Think Like a Journalist

  • When
    October 19, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
  • Spaces left
    24

  Register

  Hosted by Pam Kelley

  

  How do you write a vivid, true scene that you didn't witness? Or that you can't clearly remember? In this two-hour class, we'll discuss tools and techniques that can help you craft riveting scenes, whether you're writing a memoir, essay or narrative nonfiction. 

  Pam Kelley is the author of Money Rock: A Family's Story of Cocaine, Race, and Ambition in the New South, a 2023 North Carolina Reads selection. Her journalism awards include honors from the National Press Club and Society for Features Journalism. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, Bloomberg City Lab, The Assembly, and The Charlotte Observer, where she was a longtime reporter and former book editor. Pam has an MFA in narrative nonfiction from Goucher College. 
  

  Find out more at: https://www.bypamkelley.com/

  

  Workshop Refund Policy:

  If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.

  
  

  Show details
• October 25th, 2024 Open Mic Night at Mugs Coffee

  • When
    October 25, 2024
  •  
    6:45 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Mugs Coffee - 5126 Park Road - Charlotte, NC 28209
  • Spaces left
    12

  Description In Partnership with MUGS Coffee - LIVE Event for CWC Members and non-members to read their work Friday, Ocober25th from 6:45pm - 9pm. Registration is limited to 12 readerss. Each reader will have 7 minutes to read their work. (You do not need to register to come to listen and support your fellow writers.) If you register to read you must agree to the following: You will purchase something - this is how we support Mugs. You will respect this is a business and public place and part of the skill building experience is to block out distractions. You are not allowed to ask the staff or other customers to be quiet.   You agree to the considerations listed. If you are unsure if what you want to read is allowed, you will review it with your host before you read.   Reading at Open Mic Night affords club members and non-members an opportunity to share what they have written and gain experience reading in public. Please understand that this is NOT a publicity event for our authors. The goal is to support our members as they practice reading in public. Before registering please read the following policy adopted by unanimous vote of the CWC executive board on February 5, 2024, A completed registration serves as your agreement to abide by these rules. All work must be original and must be read by the author. All readers must be mindful that this event is open to a general audience, which may include minors, and we do not want anyone to feel excluded, offended, or attacked. Although some material may deal with mature or provocative subjects, it must be suitable for a general audience and appropriate for all ages. Open Mic Night is not a forum for religious or political debate, nor is it a place for stand-up comedy, pornography, obscenity, racism, sexism, or personal rants of any kind. We expect readers to provide a receptive, supportive audience for one another. While a writer’s material and point of view are open to different interpretations, please show respect to the writer and the work. Any violation of these guidelines whether as a reader or as a member of the audience will result in the offender being cleared from the stage or audience. Repeated offenses will result in the member being  banned from future sessions and/or being dismissed as a member of CWC.

     

   

   

     

   

  
  

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• November Meeting

  • When
    November 19, 2024
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, Rm 104, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte

  

  Misha Lazzara

  Using Setting to Develop Conflict, Increase Tension, & Create Momentum

  In a meeting of my writing group not long ago, one of my colleagues mentioned how I have a knack for using settings to help drive conflict or amp tension. That’s all it took to make me realize how important setting is in my writing, how underused it is in the works of many writers. If you’ll share forty minutes with me, I’ll show you the secrets of how I accomplish that.

  Misha Lazzara is the author of Manmade Constellations, a late-stage coming-of-age novel that explores the tensions between honoring our values and beliefs while contending with the pitfalls of judgment and self-righteousness. She received her MA in creative writing from UNC Charlotte and her MFA in prose from NC State University. She lives in Charlotte with her husband and three children.
  

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  

  please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

  We look forward to seeing you!

  Show details
• November 22nd, 2024 Open Mic Night at Mugs Coffee

  • When
    November 22, 2024
  •  
    6:45 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Mugs Coffee - 5126 Park Road - Charlotte, NC 28209
  • Spaces left
    12

  Description In Partnership with MUGS Coffee - LIVE Event for CWC Members and non-members to read their work Friday, November 22nd from 6:45pm - 9pm. Registration is limited to 12 readers. Each reader will have 7 minutes to read their work. (You do not need to register to come to listen and support your fellow writers.) If you register to read you must agree to the following: You will purchase something - this is how we support Mugs. You will respect this is a business and public place and part of the skill building experience is to block out distractions. You are not allowed to ask the staff or other customers to be quiet.   You agree to the considerations listed. If you are unsure if what you want to read is allowed, you will review it with your host before you read.   Reading at Open Mic Night affords club members and non-members an opportunity to share what they have written and gain experience reading in public. Please understand that this is NOT a publicity event for our authors. The goal is to support our members as they practice reading in public. Before registering please read the following policy adopted by unanimous vote of the CWC executive board on February 5, 2024, A completed registration serves as your agreement to abide by these rules. All work must be original and must be read by the author. All readers must be mindful that this event is open to a general audience, which may include minors, and we do not want anyone to feel excluded, offended, or attacked. Although some material may deal with mature or provocative subjects, it must be suitable for a general audience and appropriate for all ages. Open Mic Night is not a forum for religious or political debate, nor is it a place for stand-up comedy, pornography, obscenity, racism, sexism, or personal rants of any kind. We expect readers to provide a receptive, supportive audience for one another. While a writer’s material and point of view are open to different interpretations, please show respect to the writer and the work. Any violation of these guidelines whether as a reader or as a member of the audience will result in the offender being cleared from the stage or audience. Repeated offenses will result in the member being  banned from future sessions and/or being dismissed as a member of CWC.

     

   

   

     

   

  
  

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• Workshop: Word of the Year with Lisa Otter Rose

  • When
    December 14, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Southminster at 8919 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210
  • Spaces left
    23

  Register

  Off to the Write Start

  Setting Focus and Intention for Your Writing Year Ahead

  Hosted by Lisa Otter Rose

  
  

  Saturday, December 14, 2024

  10:00am - 12:00pm

  Presented by Lisa Otter Rose

  This fun and interactive workshop will help you to put your writing year into focus. We’ll start with some warm-up exercises. Next, we will select our own word (or words) of the year. Finally, we will put our word(s) of the year to use by creating an action-plan for our writing year ahead. I believe in the power and practice of intentional and attainable goal setting. The objective of this two-hour workshop is to encourage every participant to spend time mapping out the steps necessary to achieve their 2025 writing goals in a fun and non-threatening way. 

  What to bring: 

  • a dictionary (don’t worry, no dictionaries will be harmed in this activity)
  • one or two old magazines that you don’t mind cutting-up
  • a variety of color pens or pencils 
  • scissors
  • glue stick, I like the purple kind that dries optically clear 

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  Lisa Otter Rose is the treasurer of the Charlotte Writers Club. She is just as comfortable using the right side of her brain as her left. She is the author of You’ve Got Verve, Jamie Ireland! an award-winning children’s novel set in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. Lisa enjoys writing children’s stories, personal essays, flash-fiction, and autobiofictional tales. She creates by making mixed-media art, watercolor paintings, and stitching her own hand-crafted books.
  

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• December Meeting

  • When
    December 17, 2024
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211

  
  

  Flash Fiction Winners and Critique Group Organization

  
  

  December's meeting will, as always, be a "two-fur"--with two good reasons to meet with your friends at the Charlotte Writers Club. The first order of business will be to recognize and celebrate the winners of the Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Contest. As ever, the first, second, and third place winners will read their work.

  
  

  Come for the pleasure of hearing work well done; leave with a little inspiration for your own work in the Creative Nonfiction Contest which is open now. 

  From celebrating the Ruth Moose winners, we'll turn to the all-important business of getting members new and old into already existing and groups just forming. If you write, you know the truth: There's no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting. And there is nothing like active participation in a critique group, a gathering of supportive writers who face the same struggles, critical readers who can tell you what's working and what had gone astray, to help you improve your work. 
  

  Skeptical? Come to the meeting. Those who have been members of a critique group (or groups) will convince you that you're missing out on one of the most significant opportunities the Charlotte Writers Club offers to members!

  Join a group or start the group you want and need!

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  please contact membership@charlottewritersclub.org

  We look forward to seeing you!

  Show details
• December 27th, 2024 Open Mic Night at Mugs Coffee

  • When
    December 18, 2024
  •  
    6:45 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Mugs Coffee - 5126 Park Road - Charlotte, NC 28209
  • Spaces left
    12

  Description In Partnership with MUGS Coffee - LIVE Event for CWC Members and non-members to read their work Wednesday, December 18th from 6:45pm - 9pm. Registration is limited to 12 readers. Each reader will have 7 minutes to read their work. (You do not need to register to come to listen and support your fellow writers.) If you register to read you must agree to the following: You will purchase something - this is how we support Mugs. You will respect this is a business and public place and part of the skill building experience is to block out distractions. You are not allowed to ask the staff or other customers to be quiet.   You agree to the considerations listed. If you are unsure if what you want to read is allowed, you will review it with your host before you read.   Reading at Open Mic Night affords club members and non-members an opportunity to share what they have written and gain experience reading in public. Please understand that this is NOT a publicity event for our authors. The goal is to support our members as they practice reading in public. Before registering please read the following policy adopted by unanimous vote of the CWC executive board on February 5, 2024, A completed registration serves as your agreement to abide by these rules. All work must be original and must be read by the author. All readers must be mindful that this event is open to a general audience, which may include minors, and we do not want anyone to feel excluded, offended, or attacked. Although some material may deal with mature or provocative subjects, it must be suitable for a general audience and appropriate for all ages. Open Mic Night is not a forum for religious or political debate, nor is it a place for stand-up comedy, pornography, obscenity, racism, sexism, or personal rants of any kind. We expect readers to provide a receptive, supportive audience for one another. While a writer’s material and point of view are open to different interpretations, please show respect to the writer and the work. Any violation of these guidelines whether as a reader or as a member of the audience will result in the offender being cleared from the stage or audience. Repeated offenses will result in the member being  banned from future sessions and/or being dismissed as a member of CWC.

     

   

   

     

   

  
  

  Show details
• January Meeting

  • When
    January 21, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, Rm 104, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte

  Amy Landers

  Three Keys to Building an Effective Author Website: Craft a Digital Space Where You Can Know Your Audience

  
  

  In this presentation, Amy will share a simple approach to creating a website that attracts visitors and turns them into loyal fans. You'll discover how you can leverage storytelling and a "hub and spoke" model to foster a community around your work. This session is a must for authors looking to connect with their audience in meaningful ways. If there is sufficient interest, this short session will be followed by a more in-depth Saturday workshop.

  Amy Landers is a website designer, teacher, and writer. She came to marketing via a biology degree and a passion for sharing the stories of the natural world at the ABQ BioPark. For more than 15 years, she's been serving creators, purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and other changemakers through marketing, copywriting, and design services. When she's not at the computer, she loves to practice and teach about gardening. She and her family grow food and wildlife habitat on a small farm near Asheville, NC.

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  

  please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

  We look forward to seeing you!

  Show details
• February Meeting

  • When
    February 18, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, Rm 104, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte

  Jenifer Ruff

  The Basics of Self-Publishing

  
  

   Jenifer Ruff has published more than     fifteen  mystery, thriller, and crime fiction   novels. She is a hybrid author—one with self-   published and traditionally published books     and she has mastered the art of self-   publishing.  She’ll give you the knowledge to   know if self-publishing will work for you. Bring  your questions!

  USA Today bestselling author Jenifer Ruff writes dark and twisty mystery thrillers—fifteen books in all—including the award-winning Agent Victoria Heslin Series. Her writing has garnered numerous honors and awards: Pretty Little Girls won the 2020 Reader's International Favorite Thriller Award; Vanished on Vacation, the 2022 Global Book Award Winner (Thriller Category); and When They Find Us was an Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 New Release.

  Jenifer grew up in Massachusetts, has a biology degree from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s in Public Health and Epidemiology from Yale University. She adores peace and quiet, animals, and exercise, especially hiking. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and the mountains of VA with her family and a pack of greyhounds. If she’s not writing, she’s probably devouring books or out exploring trails with her dogs.

  To learn more visit jenruff.com

  
  

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  

  please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

  We look forward to seeing you!

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• Workshop: Screenwriting (2 Sessions)

  • Start
    March 08, 2025
  •  
  • End
    March 22, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    Southminster at 8919 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210
  • Spaces left
    24

  Register

  
  

  

  Hosted by Sarah Archer

  In this two-session workshop, we'll dive into the world of screenwriting, with particular attention to the art of the scene. We'll cover the basics of what makes screenwriting unique from other forms of creative writing and how successful screenwriters think. Then we'll discuss the principles of scenecraft, exploring what makes a scene compelling on its own and as part of a larger story. This class is appropriate for novice or experienced screenwriters, and will include techniques that are relevant for fiction as well.

  
  

  Sarah Archer's debut novel, The Plus One, was published by Putnam in the US and received a starred review from Booklist. It has also been published in the UK, Germany, and Japan, and is currently in development for the screen. As a screenwriter, she has developed material for MTV Entertainment, Snapchat, and Comedy Central. She is a Black List Screenwriting Lab fellow who has placed in competitions including the Motion Picture Academy's Nicholl Fellowship, the Tracking Board’s Launch Pad, and the Austin Film Festival. Her short stories and poetry have been published in numerous literary magazines, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and reached the finals of the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. She has spoken and taught on writing to groups in several states and countries, and interviewed authors around the world as a co-host of the award-winning Charlotte Readers Podcast.

  
  

  You can find her online at saraharcherwrites.com.

  

  Workshop Refund Policy:

  If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.

  Show details
• March Meeting

  • When
    March 18, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, Rm 104, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte

  

  Joy Calloway

  Crafting Beliveable

  Historical Characters

  
  

  
  

  
  

  One of the major challenges in writing historical fiction is creating characters that are both compelling to us today and true to the time period they're from. This craft talk will focus on research tactics and strategies that will help novelists build fully-formed historical characters--both fictional and biographical. It is often said that historical fiction done right will allow the reader to step back in time and feel what it would have been like to live in a time and space gone by. We'll explore how our characters can take us out of place if they're built incorrectly and also how they can truly immerse us in another era if done right.
  

  Joy Callaway is the international bestselling author of All The Pretty Places, The Grand Design, Secret Sisters, and The Fifth Avenue Artists Society. Joy lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and two children. To learn more, please visit: https://www.joycallaway.com/

  
  

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

  We look forward to seeing you!

  Show details
• April Meeting

  • When
    April 15, 2025
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    Providence United Methodist Church, Rm 104, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte

  
  

  Jay Ward

  How to Write Poems that Beckon-Grab-Intoxicate the Reader

  
  

  One of the most important (poetic) questions I’ve ever considered came to me back in 2016 when a workshop facilitator asked “why should the reader care about your poem?” The surface level answers were usually something like, "because I put my heart and soul into it," or "because the events in this poem really happened." The facilitator was asking something deeper, though. The reader has no connection to you and is not physically present with you; the reader has their own anxieties and happenings about which to be somber, furious, or otherwise preoccupied. What does it take to compel the reader to invest intellectually and emotionally in your poem? We’ll walk through some tips, strategies, and examples that have helped me in my quest to answer this question. A closely related question might be, how do you make the reader feel your presence on the page? We’ll discuss this too!

  Junious 'Jay' Ward is a poet and teaching artist from Charlotte, NC. He is a National Slam champion (2018), an Individual World Poetry Slam champion (2019), author of Sing Me A Lesser Wound (Bull City Press 2020) and Composition (Button Poetry 2023). Jay currently serves as Charlotte's inaugural Poet Laureate and is a 2023 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Ward has attended Breadloaf Writers Conference, Callaloo, The Watering Hole and Tin House Winter Workshop. His work can be found in Columbia Journal, Four Way Review, DIAGRAM, Diode Poetry Journal and elsewhere.

  If you have questions or thoughts,
  please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

  We look forward to seeing you!

  Show details