Date: March 18, 2021
Dear Reader,
So many things have happened since I launched my newsletter last month! I want to share with you these updates and also upcoming literary events & happenings, which you may be interested in joining or learning about!
Updates
I continue to work on the sequel to my novel, “When I Was A Child I Found the Entrance to Hell to Be a Real Place”, and am really enthused to be discovering the path that Paul, the protagonist, takes on his return journey to the underworld. Paul is trying to find his friend, Casey, and also recover a token that he lost on his first trip down there which had given him a perverse sense of joy to possess. Torn by these competing motivations, the story follows Paul as he travels on the arc of addiction played out across the stage of eternal damnation vs. salvation.
I am currently looking for readers for the first book - the revision process is well underway and if you are interested in reading early an copy of the book, please email me for details.
I learned that I was selected to participate in the writers’ workshop at INorwescon 43, April 1–4! This Milford-style workshop will allow a peer-to-peer critique facilitated by professional writers, editors, and agents, and is something that I am really thrilled to be a part of! The process of giving feedback to other writers’ while getting their input will be an invaluable experience as I continue to hone my writing skills.
Although I was not selected for the Tacoma Artist Initiative Program for 2021-2022, I learned about some of the other opportunities that are out there for struggling artists. I also learned that, in order to become a successful artist/writer/poet, I have to have a mechanism to represent my artistic ambitions; I needed a business-side to my artistic venture. Thus I have founded Be! Eugene Be! Creative. I also want to give my accolades to the staff of the Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality, with special thanks to Naomi Strom-Avila who led her team in providing feedback to the applicants during the process in order to help them develop as working artists.
I have been fortunate to have been able to join several events hosted by Creative Colloquy since the last newsletter. The first one, a three-part course entitled “How to Write a Page Turner”, started March 9th and runs for three weeks. It is being taught by E.C. Murray (Elizabeth Corcoran Murray) who teaches creative writing at Seattle Central College and wrote An Unfamiliar Guest.
I was also able to join Creative Colloquy Turns 7! a literary celebration, on Monday, March 15. Creative Colloquy has done so much to support literary arts, and I consider myself lucky to have discovered them. It was through this South Sound literary community that I was inspired to pursue my literary arts after many years of languor. The celebration was a great gathering of literary talent, with readings from five of the writers who have been recently featured on the website.
I am also very excited that I have purchased my Blue Cactus Press Membership! I encourage everyone to support this Tacoma based micro-publisher which strives to uplift voices from underrepresented and marginalized groups in the Pacific Northwest. Check out their website and learn more about becoming a member!
Upcoming Events
Blue Cactus Press is hosting a Virtual Book Launch for Moss Covered Claws, a short story collection from fantasy author Jonah Barrett on Friday, March 19th, at 7pm PST. I can’t wait to hear Jonah talk about the book and do a reading. This is my first book launch event ever!
Creative Colloquy is presenting Paths to Publication: A Cautionary Tale, with Jennifer Preston Chushcoff, children’s book author, poet and nonfiction writer. I have admired her work for several years and am looking forward to learning from her publishing experiences!
Norwescon 43 Episode II will be April 1–4, 2021. Guests of Honor include Jacqueline Carey (Writer), Sana Takeda (Artist), Dr. Susan Langley (Science), and Tor Books (Spotlight Publisher)! There is still time for you to get involved. It will be my first year attending this event and I look forward to sharing more information in next month’s (Issue 3) of the newsletter.
With April being National Poetry Month, stay tuned for opportunities to be involved! Creative Colloquy presents, in The Writer’s Workshop Series, How Form Influences Function, with Lydia K. Valentine on Friday, April 16 at 7pm.
In Case You Missed It
If you would like to read the first issue of the monthly newsletter, it’s available in the archive.
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