June, 2006

1. RETURN OF THE WANDERER

2. FOR YOUNG AUTHORS

3. FOR ADULTS

4. NEWS OF REDBIRD WRITERS AND FRIENDS

5. OTHER PLACES/FACES

1. RETURN OF THE WANDERER    Judy Bridges

Just home from a week in Provence and a week in Paris, plus a quick jaunt to my high school reunion. I must admit to being a little beside myself. Did we really see all that stuff; walk all those miles? My favorite spot in Provence remains the Matisse chapel in Vence. It's like walking into a tulip. On the other hand, the thing that impressed me most in Paris was the recently completed Monument to the Deported. You walk down a narrow stairway into the monument and suddenly the thousands who were shipped away to their deaths become just one, you. It's enough to make your heart stop. The reunion was light by contrast. High school traumas seem sillier every year.

I carried a journal and the perfect pen and never wrote a thing. That's typical. I never write in my journal when I'm having fun; I write when I'm sad. One day, when and if I ever get old, I'll sit in my rocker and read my journals and think, "Poor child never had a happy day!"  I'll have to depend on my memory.

2. FOR YOUNG AUTHORS

This summer. Just a few spaces left!

YOUNG AUTHORS SUMMER CAMPS  -- For Kids Who Like to Write

We filled one G 4-6 session, added another and have almost filled that! This is going to be a great year for the young authors at Redbird -- time to write, to learn, to be with other young writers. See the Young Author pages at www.redbirdstudio.com  Register as soon as you can.

Writer/teachers: Kim Suhr, Joan Boyce, Katie Lance, Pam Parker, Robert Vaughan, Judy Bridges and others

Mon-Fri     9am-2:30pm     $325 ($100 deposit)

Students entering:     Grades 4-6, July 17 -- 21 (a few spaces available)

                                              Grades 4-6     July 24–28 (filled)

                                               Grades 7-8     July 31–Aug 4 (space available)                                       

                                               Grades 9-12   Aug 7–11 (a few spaces available)

This fall...

YOUNG AUTHORS ROUNDTABLE

SUNDAY AFTERNOONS (2nd Sundays)  1:00-3:00pm   $65 per session (includes all 4 meetings)

Session #1: Sept 10, Oct 8, Nov 12, Dec 10

3. FOR ADULTS

See the web site for course descriptions and registration forms.  www.redbirdstudio.com

SHUT UP AND WRITE! with Judy Bridges 

Summer Session: Mondays, June 19, 26, July 10, 17, 24, 31, 6-9pm, $345   (filled)

Fall Session: Mondays, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov 6, 13, 20, 6:30-8:30, $345   (space available)

POETRY WORKSHOP with John Lehman.  A "home port" for poets.

First Thursdays     6:30-8:30pm    $85  

Session #1 - May 4, Jun 1, Jul 6, Aug 3  (filled)

Session #2 - Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2, Dec 7  

"GROUND FLOOR" WORKSHOP with Jo McReynolds-Blochowiak. 

(On the first floor of our building; Beginning and intermediate writers)

2nd & 4th Thursdays    12:30-2:30 pm     $85   (Rm 103, Marian Center)

Session #1 - May 11, 25, Jun 8, 22

Session #2 - July 13, 27, Aug 10, 24

Session #3 - Sept 14, 28, Oct 12, 26

Session #4 - Nov -- Dec dates tba

WRITING FICTION FOR TEENS AND YOUNG READERS:

The Secrets of Getting Published with Debbie Lynn Jacobs

(Class is for adults writing for teens and younger readers)

 Saturday, November 11, 9:30am-3pm   $95

ROUNDTABLE CRITIQUE GROUPS with Judy Bridges and Robert Vaughan

For dedicated writers who have attended Shut Up and Write! or have other experience with writing and critique.

The roundtable groups are a great place to get supportive feedback and build a network of writing friends. 

See "How to get the most out of the roundtables" on the Redbird web site.

Tuesday Afternoons with Judy Bridges    12-2:30    $85

Session #3 - May 9, 23, Jun 13, 27 (filled)

No meetings - July-August

Session #4 - Sep 5, 19, Oct 10, 24

Session #5 - Nov 7, 21, Dec 5, 19

Wednesday Evenings  (The Inkslingers) with Judy Bridges   6:30-9   $85

Session #3 - May 3, 17, Jun 14, 28 (filled)

No meetings - July-August

Session #4 - Sep 6, 20, Oct 4, 18

Session #5 - Nov 1, 15, Dec 6, 20

Thursday Evenings with Robert Vaughan    6:30-9       $85  (4 mtgs. One per month) 

Session #2 - May 25, Jun 15, July 20, Aug 24 (filled)

Session #3 - Sep 14, Oct 19, Nov 16, Dec 14

Friday Mornings with Robert Vaughan   9:30-12       $85  

Session #3 - May 12, 26, Jun 16, 30 (filled)

No meetings - July-August

Session #4 - Sep 15, 29, Oct 13, 20

Session #5 - Nov 3, 17, Dec 1, 15

4. NEWS ABOUT REDBIRD WRITERS AND FRIENDS

Note: "R.W. and Friends" either attended Redbird workshops, or taught them, or support the studio in some special way. If you sent information and it did not appear, please forgive and send it again. Web sites are listed but not necessarily linked.

Kurt Chandler, Senior editor of Milwaukee Magazine, recently won the first-place National Headliners Award for magazine feature writing for three stories he did in 2005. He also won a Council for Wisconsin Writers award for an article about Steven Avery that appeared in Milwaukee Magazine.

Bill Gagliani writes that the Leisure edition of his novel, the Bram Stoker Award finalist WOLF'S TRAP, has just hit the streets. You can find it everywhere!

Eric Hansen was awarded the Outdoor Writer's Assoc. Of America first prize for conservation and environment newspaper writing and third prize for wilderness newspaper writing for his essay, "Trout." His essay, "Behind Wisconsin's Wildlife Story" apppeared on the front page of the Crossroad section of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on June 10th. He was interviewed on WUWM's At 10 and WPR's Larry Meiller show, and on Interlochen radio (MI PR).

Shannon Jackson Arnold appeared at the Elm Grove library to talk about all things ice cream and to sign copies of her book, EVERYBODY LOVES ICE CREAM.

Amy L Jenkins' essay "Close to Home" is a winner in the annual  Literal Latte essay contest and will be published online at  www.literal-latte.com.  Her essay "Going In" is forthcoming in The Flint Hills Review and was the runner-up in their annual essay contest.

Peggy Kiefert's portraits and illustrations were on display at Riverwest Co-Op Grocery and Cafe, 733 E. Clarke St., Milwaukee. 

Carol Klose contributed three articles to Keyboard Companion Magazine - a national publication designed for teachers, students and parents, primarily dealing with issues regarding piano pedagogy.  She is also editing a full-length book dealing with the business end of teaching. 

Julie Nelson's band, Exhibit A, will perform at Summerfest on July 1st at 8pm, on the "Miller Lite Oasis Stage."

Kay Pliszka performed selections from Cats in the musical "From Broadway to Savannah." The show was performed for five nights for over 4,000 people.   

Chris Roerden's latest nonfiction book, DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY, for all writers of fiction, was selected by ForeWord magazine for a full-page review in its special Spotlight section in the May issue. The Southern Review of Books identified DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY as its Noteworthy Small Press Selection for April. Chris returned to the Midwest to speak at the mystery writers conference in Schaumburg, Of Dark & Stormy Nights, on June 10.

6. OTHER PLACES-OTHER FACES

There's still time to register!

Great Lakes Writers Workshop, Alverno College, Telesis Institute

Co-sponsored by Alverno Telesis Program and Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops,

June 23-24,

http://www.alverno.edu/community_friends/GreatLakes.pdf

email nancy.krase@alverno.edu   Phone 414-382-6176

Presenters:

Shauna Singh Baldwin, On Being a Writer

C.J. Hribal, Vision and Revision

Judy Bridges, Writing Family Stories

Robert Vaughan, Writing Dialogue

Shannon Jackson Arnold, Turn Ideas into Articles that Sell

JoAnn Macken, Growing Children's Books

John McGivern, Being John McGivern

John Lehman, Poetry: From Personal to Powerful

Jo McReynolds-Blochowiak, Create a Rewarding Writing/Literary Life

Deborah Jacobs, Point of View

Benjamin Percy, Making the Extraordinary Ordinary

Broad Vocabulary, 2241 S. Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee 53207, 414-744-8384

Offers workshops and special programs in the bookstore, www.broadvocabulary.com

The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI (Door County)

Full catalog of opportunities: www.theclearing.org

"Women's Writing Retreat" led by Judy Bridges, Sept 10-16

University of Wisconsin, Madison, sponsors:

Write-by-the-Lake Retreat, June 19-23

The Writers' Institute conference, July 13-14, 2006

School of the Arts at Rhinelander, July 24-28, 2006

Contact Christine DeSmet, cdesmet@cds.wisc.edu

Or, www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/writing

Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP)

Opportunities for poets include Spring Conference and Museletter www.wfop.org

Wisconsin Regional Writers Assn. (WRWA) Spring Conference

Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, Appleton, May 6.   (wrwa.net)www.wrwa.net

Woodland Pattern Book Center, Milwaukee

Presents: Chance Encounters: A poetry workshop with Beth Bretl

Sunday, June 25th 1-4pm $40/$35 members

Workshops and special events: www.woodlandpattern.org

Writer’s Ink, a support group for local writers, meets at the Cudahy location on the first and third Mondays of the month.  Some meetings feature speakers and special programs while others are devoted to manuscript critique and discussion of marketing and publication.  For more information, call 414-425-4066.