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Writers of Kern Summer Writing Contest

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joan-raymond
Joan Raymond

This year Writers of Kern is bringing back the Non-Fiction genre, but with a twist. Narrative/Creative Non-Fiction will be the genre. Any topic is fair game. For those not familiar with the genre, a definition from the English Language & Usage says narrative non-fiction is “writing that tells a factual story, sometimes even a personal one, but also makes an argument and conveys information in vivid, effective ways.”  Write your story in a personal way, with you, the author, perhaps becoming part of the story.

Guidelines
The entry should not to exceed 1,200 words, doubled spaced, 12 pt. font (Times New Roman or similar), pages numbered consecutively.  Narrative Non-fiction. One (1) entry per member.

Requirements
Two (2) copies of the submission must be attached to an email. One copy should be identified with your name and contact information. The other should have the title in the file name and in the header of the document. The “blind” copy is read by the judges.  To reiterate: You are emailing two (2) copies of your story: one that identifies you as the writer; the other does not.  Submit your entry to [email protected] no later than August 31, 2013.

If you choose to mail a hard copy of your entry, please mail (2) copies of the entry identified as described above. Address the submission to: Writers of Kern Summer Writing Contest, P.O. Box 22335, Bakersfield, CA, 93390.

Please note: The Summer Writing Contest is open only to new or renewing members of Writers of Kern, who paid their current dues on or before August 31, 2013.

The winner will be announced at the Christmas Dinner in December. There is a $200 prize.

High Desert Howl at the Moon Writers’ Conference #3

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An email from Robert Isbill, President, High Desert Branch of CWC:

Bob Isbill, President, HD CWC
Bob Isbill

I’m urging all of the CWC South to get out the word on our Howl at the Moon” Writers’ Conference #3, which will be on Saturday, October 19, 2013 in Victorville. And IF your members act now, they can get a $25 price for the ALL DAY event featuring James Scott Bell, Scott Rubenstein and Loren Stephens.

In response to a blanket invitation to ALL CWC members, state-wide, Central Board State Treasurer Sharon Svitak replied:

“You have a real powerhouse speaker in James Scott Bell. Congratulations! I would love to join you but I have a Tri-Valley board meeting and general meeting that day. I have never mastered the art of being in two places at once.” All of you feel free to use this conference as a “re-enlistment” tool for your members who have not renewed their membership yet!

All members in good standing in your branch get the early bird discount price of only $25! But that’s good only through Saturday, August 10th.  To pay using PayPal or a credit card, click here. Or, just send us a check postmarked by August 10 for the great $25 price.

Our philosophy is low profit, high turnover and give the people a real value that could not be duplicated elsewhere.  We’ll make money, guaranteed!  But we’ll walk away from this conference knowing we really did a public service by presenting a high quality event at an affordable price. 

And it’s going to be fun!  Wait until you see what we’ve got planned.

For one thing, we’ll have a 104th anniversary of Literary History with a birthday cake served in the Ruth Theodus Gallery at the High Desert Center for the Arts! Ruth was not only the High Desert CWC’s founder and first president, but a major fundraiser and philanthropist for the Center for the Arts in Victorville. She was also president of the state-wide CWC. We’ll honor her that day, and much, much more.

I don’t know of other conferences planned in the Southern California (CWC South) region for the upcoming months, but I’d love it if our Southern California group really made an effort to promote this one!  This is something we should all band together about and see what needs to be done to make our members aware of it.

After it’s over and they find out about HATM #3, they’re going to be asking “Why didn’t we get the word?”

I know some of you are almost 100 miles away, but this is NOT to be missed!  It’s going to be worth the drive just for the fun factor! For map and driving directions, please click here.

Thanks to you all!

Bob Isbill

Spring Workshop, Saturday, April 20

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$20 members — $30 non-members
Clarion Hotel
3540 Rosedale Hwy. (Hwy. 58)
Bakersfield, CA

8:00 – 8:30           Meet & Greet with continental breakfast

8:30 – 9:00           Welcome. Dana Martin, Writers of Kern President

Book sales provided by Russo’s Books. Hourly door prices. Q & A with speakers.

9:00 – Nancy Ellen Dodd

Nancy Ellen Dodd
Nancy Ellen Dodd

7 Stages of Development to a Finished Project: You really can develop the work in fewer stages by concentrating your efforts in a way that stair steps your progress. Each of the 7 stages focuses on a different element that both revises and progresses your manuscript to completion.

Screenwriting – Creating Imagery: Learn to use cultural metaphors and create new metaphors to improve the imagery in your screenwriting. This visual technique will help both in writing visual descriptions and screenplays and creating images in novels.

Nancy Ellen Dodd is a writer with many voices, a university instructor, and an editor. She received her master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California with a concentration in dramatic writing/screenwriting and her MFA in playwriting at USC/s School of Theatre. Having studied writing for more than 25 years, Dodd currently teaches screenwriting at Pepperdine University to undergraduate and graduate students.

10:30 – LeeAnne Krusemark

LeeAnne Krusemark
LeeAnne Krusemark

Traditional vs. Self-Publishing: The publishing workd has changed in the last few years with the growth of many self-publishing options. Which option is best? We’ll talk about finding Traditional Publishers, Subsidy/Vanity Publishing, Offset/Digital Printing, Print on Demand Publishing, E-book Publishing, Amazon options and Who Should Self-Publish.

Publishers, Agents, Copyrights, and You: If you don’t take the time to learn the basics of the publishing industry, you may flounder around so long, you’ll give up with everyreaching your goals. We’ll talk about: Publishing Options, How to Find a Publisher, Establishing Credibility, How to Find an Agent, and How to Protect your work.

LeeAnn Krusemark is a journalist, author, and owner of an award winning southern California public relations business since 1988. Her in-person lectures are offered at more than 200 facilities nationwide, including Purdue, and her online publishing class, A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Published, is offered at more than 1,000 facilities worldwide, including Harvard.

Writers of Kern monthly meeting

Location:              Clarion Hotel, 3540 Rosedale Hwy., Bakersfield

Check-in:              9:45 – 10:00 a.m.

Meeting:                10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.

Fee:                        $10.00

Dana Martin, Featured Speaker, Saturday, March 16

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Writers of Kern, a non-profit local chapter of the California Writers Club, will host local writer Dana Martin as its guest speaker this Saturday, March 16, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. Guests are welcome.

Dana Martin
Dana Martin

Dana Martin is a professional writer, editor, and social media consultant, who is frequently published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Woman’s World Magazine, and Bakersfield Life. Martin is the president of Writers of Kern, where she conducts monthly meetings, organizes and maintains the club’s critique groups, and has received their prestigious Jack London Award for her efforts motivating and encouraging local writers. Martin also writes stories for the haunted attraction industry and edits novels for aspiring and professional writers.

Martin will present her workshop, “Interviewing Like a Champ: Questions to Ask and How to Turn Your Notes into a Compelling Story.”

Have you ever wanted to write someone else’s story but don’t know where to begin? In this workshop, you will learn the types of questions to ask and how to turn your notes into a finished product. This is NOT a lesson in journalism, but a workshop to help those interested in learning how to ask the right questions and then transcribe their notes into an enjoyable read. We all know someone with an interesting background or experience, whose story needs to be written. Interviewing skills are good for writing features sorties, but can also help when writing your parent’s memoirs, telling a coworker’s family history, or being a ghost writer.

Writers of Kern monthly meeting

Location:             Clarion Hotel, 3540 Rosedale Hwy., Bakersfield

Check-in:              9:45 – 10:00 a.m.

Meeting:                10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.

Fee:                        $10.00