Five situations where it's better to tell than show in your fiction

SciFi blog io9.com has posted an article for writers entitled "Five situations where it's better to tell than show in your fiction."


Check it out for yourself at the above link.

Cat Pleska Christmas Radio Essay

WVW President Cat Pleska has a new radio essay on WV Public Radio, just in time for Christmas.

It's called Reflections on an Aluminum Christmas Tree. Hear it and read it at the link.

A CALL FOR POEMS

(News courtesy of Sal Buttaci)

The Poem Factory at http://sambpoet.webs.com/ invites you to submit poems for consideration
in the Winter 2011 Issue:

Submit 3-5 poems (24-line limit per poem) + a brief bio (up to 3 lines)

Poems need not be about winter!

Deadline: January 07, 2011

Send poem(s) in an e-mail (no attachments) to Salvatore Buttaci at sambpoet@yahoo.com

In the e-mail's subject line, type: FACTORY POEMS

The Winter Issue of Holler Deadline

The deadline for submissions for the winter issue of HOLLER, is now January 15.

Submit online (http://www.princetonpoetryproject.org)

And tell your friends to submit, too.

The winter issue is scheduled for publication on 2/1/11.

WVW Podcast Episode 47: THE 2011 CONTESTCAST #1

Episode 47 of the WV Writers Podcast is now online. It's our first ContestCast, serving as a primer for the WV Writers 2011 Annual Writing Contest, which will began accepting entries January 2, 2011.

Joining us to help explain all the whys and wherefores of the contest are WVW President Cat Pleska and WVW 1st VP Teresa Newsome.

Download Contest Entry Forms As Reference for the Podcast


Entry Form (.doc) Entry Form (.pdf)



Student Entry Form (.doc) Student Entry Form (.pdf)

New online writing course with guest teacher Gary A. Braunbeck (week three).

(FROM Michael Knost of Woodland Press)

We are accepting ten students for this course...only six slots remain...first come, first serve.

Class One: Choosing the Right Title for Your Story
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 – 9:00 p.m. (Eastern)

Class Two: Motivation
Tuesday, December 28, 2010 – 9:00 p.m. (Eastern)

Class Three: Character & Emotion (guest speaker: Gary Braunbeck)
**Students will turn in a short story (up to 5000 words) for critique.**
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 – 9:00 p.m. (Eastern)

Class Four: Story Critiques
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 – 9:00 p.m. (Eastern)

The cost of the course is $100.00.

To sign up, please send PayPal payment to:

mikecollinsemail@yahoo.com

Remember, when using PayPal, click:

Send money > Personal > Other

Weatherford Award deadline reminder

(From the WV Gazette Blog, written by Vic Burkhammer)

Word for word, here’s a note from a regional listserv I receive that might be of interest to MountainWord readers…. from Silas House:

This year, a Weatherford Award is being given specifically for poetry (the other awards are for fiction and nonfiction…previously poetry competed against fiction) and the new poetry Weatherford honors the life and work of Dr. Grace Toney Edwards, former Director of the Appalachian Regional Studies Center at Radford University. However, the ASA website has not been updated to reflect this, and the deadline draws near. Thus, this email, with instructions on how to nominate:

The ASA and Berea College annually present the Weatherford Awards to honor published works that “best illuminate the challenges, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian South.” This year an award is being given for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The award honors Willis D. Weatherford Jr. and Sr. for their contributions to the region. The late Alfred Perrin began the award in 1970.
The only requirement is that the subject matter of the books be Appalachian or that they be set in Appalachia. All nominations for the Weatherford Awards must be made by December 31, 2010, and all entries must be originally published in 2010.

For poetry, send a letter of nomination and seven copies of the work to:

Silas House

NEH Chair of Appalachian Studies

PO Box 1121

Berea, KY 40403

For non-fiction, send a letter of nomination and seven copies of the work to:

Chad Berry, Director

Appalachian Center

CPO 2166

205 North Main Street

Berea College

Berea, KY 40404

For fiction, send a letter of nomination and seven copies of the work to:

George Brosi
Appalachian Center
CPO 2166
205 North Main Street
Berea College
Berea, KY 40404

Uncle Terry's Gift Ideas from WV Authors List 2010

While you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, don’t forget to support these WV Writer, Inc. authors. And don’t forget to stop at your local bookstores: Tamarack, James and Law, Borders, B & N, Frog Creek Books, the Open Book in Lewisburg, McClain’s Printing, Vandalia Press, Main Line Books, …to name just a few. This is where you might find these books! You may also send links if you have a website as a sales tool. Be happy to post it. Thanks.

UPDATED 12/10/09

Seeking the Swan by West Virginia Writers, Inc.

Catching the Crow by West Virginia Writers, Inc.

And Now the Magpie by West Virginia Writers, Inc.

Beyond the Magpie by West Virginia Writers, Inc.

Best of WV Writers by West Virginia Writers, Inc.

Mountain Voices by the members of the WV Writers Roundtable

Eyes in the Attic by Nadine McKinney

Pocket Change and Blood Kin and Other Strangers by Patsy Evans Pittman

Still Life With Plums by Marie Manilla

Naked Man's Rock by Richard A. Lewis

Kathleen Coffee by Kathleen Coffee

Pilgrim of the Neo-Dark Ages (CD) by Tim Armentrout

Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley

Death Comes to Redhawk, Long Ride to Yesterday, and Death Rides the Rail by R.G. Yoho

Shades of Gray Documentary about WV UFO investigator Gray Barker

Everything I Know and Tips and Techniques Workbook by Sandy Tritt

Return to Io by Henry Palek

Ragdoll Angel by T.W. McNemar

The Well Ain't Dry Yet, The Bingo Cheaters, and Buckle Up, Buttercup by Belinda Anderson

Writers Workshop of Horror, Dark Tales of Terror, Mountain Magic, and Specters in Coal Dust, published by Woodland Press

Beyond the Grave, Ghost Stories from the Mountains CD of stories by Granny Sue Holstein

In the Heart of the Hills: A Novel in Stories and Witness at Hawk's Nest by Dwight Harshbarger

More than Penny Candy and other books by Dolly Withrow

The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Ken Sullivan, editor

The Pale Light of Sunset, Crum, and Screamin’ with the Cannibals by Lee Maynard

Journey of the Snow Goose and No Name Harbor by Barbery Chaapel

I Saw God Dancing by Cheryl Denise

Lake Effect by Laura Treacy Bentley (poetry)

Family Spirit by Jill Decker

The I in Me by Cynthia Cox

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight, Dream Factory, and Jars of Glass by Brad Barkley

Jewels in Our Crown: the State Parks of West Virginia by Maureen Crockett

Hometown Reunion by Pam Andrews (a.k.a. Pam Hanson)

PSI Blue by Rob Walker

The Tree of the Nevee: A Kabbalistic Story of Elijah the Wizard by Jerry Blair

Chick Flicks by Barbara Smith’

Arrivederci, Recipes and Customs Every Italian Girl Takes From Home by Rosalyn Queen Alonso

Feast of the Seven Fishes by Robert Tinnell

The Rock and the Pebble by Mark Defoe

Black Days, Black Dust by Armstead and S.L. Gardner

Surviving Mae West' by Priscilla Rodd

Wild Sweet Notes I & II by ……everyone

To Keep The South Manitou Light, Golden Delicious: A Cinderella Apple Story and The Life of St. Brigid by Anna Egan Smucker

Legends: Profiles of West Virginia University Basketball by Norman Julian

Clarksburg by Robert Stealey Clarksburg' by Robert Stealey

Risk, Return, and the Indigo Autumn by Tim McGhee

The Green Rolling Hills: Writings from West Virginia edited by V.J. Banis (anthology, various authors, included) or from Amazon.

Echoes of a Woman’s Soul by Dianna Doles Petry

Bit and Pieces and Peripheral Visions by Robert Flanagan

Alzheimer's Care with Dignity by Frank Fuerst

The Transparent Feather by Barbara June Appelgren

Creighten’s Crossroads and Howard Hill by Betty Larosa

Silent No More by Krista Fink

Beached in the Hourglass illustrated by the author, Ethan Fischer and available from: The Bunny & the Crocodile Press, shops near Shepherdstown)

Bequest for Nathan and Azariah's Legacy by Lois Casto

the Almost Christmas Pony by Ruth Lynn Kirk

Short and Simple Annals: Poems About Appalachia' and Llewellyn McKernan's Greatest Hits by Llewellyn McKernan

Princeton Poetry Readings on YouTube

(This news courtesy of Cynthia Cox)

Members of WV Writers recently gave a poetry reading at the Princeton Public Library, in Princeton, WV. Member Cynthia Cox has posted video clips of the recent reading, and other such poetry readings from the area, on her YouTube page. Follow the link below to see them...

http://www.youtube.com/user/cdinwv

Rob Merritt Poetry Reading on YouTube

(This news courtesy of Cynthia Cox)

WV Writers' own Rob Merritt recently gave a reading at the Princeton Public Library, in Princeton, WV. Below is a link to a YouTube clip of part of Rob's reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y29NkNIGv6Y

WVDCH/WVCOA Grant Writing Workshop Tour

Division of Culture and History to present grant writing workshops for artists, arts organizations and arts projects

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History in collaboration with the West Virginia Commission on the Arts will conduct statewide grant writing workshops during December and January. The arts section of the Division will present this free series of workshops with the help of local host organizations in six locations.

The arts staff will offer a grant writing overview with program deadlines, tips and timelines for success, and procedures to be used for an application. They also will discuss new initiatives and programs to support local arts projects, changes in current guidelines affecting fiscal year 2012 applicants, and how to plan for grant success.

Arts administrators, arts educators, arts volunteers, artists and art patrons are invited to participate in these practical and informal sessions.

The grant writing workshops are the result of the “Listening Tour” sessions conducted statewide by the arts staff in September.

“With the help of local hosts, we can reach the most people and have more impact in each community. We appreciate these hosts for assisting with bringing this much-needed workshop to their communities,” said Jeff Pierson, director of arts for the Division. A complete list of the workshop sites is attached.

Participants are requested to pre-register for the sessions at least one week prior to the session date. To pre-register or for more information about the grant writing workshops and the programs of the arts section and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, contact Debbie Haught, community arts coordinator for the Division, at (304) 558-0240, ext. 714, or e-mail her at debbie.r.haught@wv.gov.

With the leadership of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, Kay Goodwin, cabinet secretary, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Grant Writing Workshops:

Charleston, WV 25301
Contact: Sharon King
(304) 345-1500 ext 220
Sharon.king@charlestonwvciviccenter.com
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010
Time: 3 - 5 p.m.

Elkins
Host: Randolph County Community Arts Center2 Park Street Elkins WV, 26241
Contact: Beth King
(304) 645-2355
beth@randolpharts.org
Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010
Time: 3 – 5 p.m.

Morgantown
Host: Arts Monongahela
201 High Street Morgantown, WV 26505
Contact: Jeannie Kuhn
(304) 291-6720
executive@artsmon.org
Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.

Romney
Host: Hampshire County Arts Council
Bottling Works/Loy Long Street 426 E. Main Street (US Rt. 50)
Contact: Shari Gallery
(304) 703-1350 or (304) 406-8002
sgallery@frontiernet.net Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.

Logan
Host: Museum in the Park
376 Little Buffalo Creek Road
Contact: Elizabeth Williams
(304) 792-7229
Elizabeth.a.williams@wv.gov