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September, 2006
1. WISCONSIN BOOK FESTIVAL COMES TO
MILWAUKEE!
2. FOUR WINNERS AT WRWA
3. WRITING TO KIDS
4. PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG AUTHORS
5. PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS
6. NEWS OF REDBIRD WRITERS AND
FRIENDS
7. OTHER PLACES/FACES
8. HOW TO HELP, ETC.
1. WISCONSIN BOOK FESTIVAL COMES TO
MILWAUKEE!
Get ready for big doin's in Milwaukee this October. The Book
Festival we know and love in Madison is extending to Milwaukee with a series of
events for readers and writers October 10-17 and a closing celebration on
October 21.
Check the web site -- www.wisconsinbookfestival.org
-- for times and locations to see: Mitch Albom, Dasha Kelly, Brandon Downing,
Macgregor Card, Dan Savage, Wang Ping, Hampton Sides, Kerry Trask, Sena Jeter
Naslund, Da Chen, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Michael Perry, Elizabeth Berg, Liam
Callanan, Susan Firer, Jim Hazard, John Koethe, C.J. Hribal, Ben Percy, Angela
Sorby, Larry Watson, Charles Mann, Ted Kooser, David Maraniss and Jane
Hamilton.
2. FOUR WINNERS AT WRWA
I should have followed Les Huisman's lead and worn a Redbird tee
shirt to the Jade Ring Award Ceremony at the Wisconsin Regional Writers
Association (WRWA) conference last weekend. Four of our writer friends won awards in the short story category!
Next year, we all wear tee shirts! Congratulations to:
Rebecca Blemberg, "After the Shooting at 12th
Street Station"
Richard Carter, "The Reunion"
Neela Sheth, "Two Tigers Can't Share One
Hill"
and,
in first place, the winner of the Jade Ring...
Les Huisman, "The Ice Cream Man"
3. WRITING TO KIDS Judy
Bridges
I think some of the most important writing is tucked into lunch
boxes -- in the notes moms write to their kids. How lucky the child whose
parent/grandparent/uncle/aunt takes time to write a note, a letter, a poem --
just for them.
Redbird writer Bert Kelly doesn't think of himself as a poet. But
a few weeks ago his daughter Natalie woke up from a bad dream she thought was
real. After she went to sleep again, Bert wrote her a bedtime poem
explaining that dreams seem real but aren't. He said he'd like to polish
the poem a bit, "but not too much because Natalie, being 3, doesn't like
me changing the words to stories she likes! She'll make me back up and say it
the RIGHT way."
IT WAS ONLY A DREAM
by Bert Kelly
Mommy tucked you in and you went to sleep
and then you were down in the ocean so deep
you looked at your hand and it was a fin
so you wiggled your tail and started to swim
then there were boys playing catch by the reef
and an octopus taxi that went beep beep beep
and then you bounced on a turtle trampoline
but it was only a dream
it was only a dream
You went to a party at Firefly lake
Mommy was sitting there, eating your cake
and there was a dinosaur wearing a tie
doing the Bug-dance with an Indian guide
and Daddy was there with green hands and blue hair
he took your ice cream and said "I don't care"
Well, mommies and daddies should never do that
so you threw down your toy and your birthday hat
and you wanted to cry and you wanted to scream
but it was only a dream, it was only a dream.
You were holding a puppy that started to bite
the wind blew so hard that you lost your kite
you were walking alone and you saw some mean bears
and you couldn't quite get to the top of the stairs
you wanted some candy but daddy said no
and then mommy told you that it's time to go
and all of these things are not what they seem
it was only a dream
it was only a dream!
4. FOR YOUNG AUTHORS
The anthology of young author writings from the summer session is
near completion. We expect to be mailing copies to participants in October.
YOUNG AUTHORS ROUNDTABLE -- NEW this fall.
with Kim Suhr, Director of Young Author Programs
The Young Authors Roundtable met for the first time on Sunday,
Sept. 10th, and by Monday morning I had two notes about how wonderful it was.
This is a great opportunity for young authors in grades 7-12.
SUNDAY AFTERNOONS (2nd Sundays) 1:00-3:00pm
$65 per session (includes all 4 meetings; okay to register now and
pro-rate))
Sept 10, Oct 8, Nov 12, Dec 10 (will likely be continued in 2007)
See the "Young Author" pages at www.redbirdstudio.com
YOUNG AUTHORS' SUMMER PROGRAM -- Dates for Next Summer
For those who plan way in advance, we expect the 2007 summer camp
schedule to be:
Mon-Fri
9am-2:30pm
$325 ($100 deposit)
Registration opens January 1, 2007
Students entering: Grades
7-9 July
9-13
Grades
4-5 July 16-20
Grades
6 July
23-27
Grades
9-12 July 30-Aug 3
5. PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS
See the web site for descriptions and registration forms. www.redbirdstudio.com
SHUT UP AND WRITE!
Our premier workshop with Judy Bridges
Fall Session: Mondays, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov 6, 13, 20,
6:30-8:30, $345 (waiting list)
(Next session begins in January, 2007)
THE GROUND FLOOR WRITERS'
ROUNDTABLE
A workshop/roundtable group with Jo
McReynolds-Blochowiak.
Meets on the ground floor of our building. W/C access. All
levels welcome. No pre-requisite.
2nd & 4th Thursdays 12:30-2:30 pm $85 (Rm 103, Marian Center)
Sept-Oct: Sept 14, 28, Oct 12, 26 (okay to join now and pro-rate)
Nov-Dec: Nov 9, 30, Dec 14, 28
POETRY ROUNDTABLE
A "home port" for poets, with John Lehman.
First Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm $85
Fall Session: Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2, Dec 7
ROUNDTABLE CRITIQUE GROUPS with Judy Bridges
and Robert Vaughan
Dedicated writers receive supportive feedback and build a network
of writing friends.
Pre-requisite: Shut Up & Write! or equivalent
See "How to get the most out of the roundtables" on the
web site.
Tuesday Afternoons with Judy Bridges 12-2:30
$85
Sept-Oct: Sep 5, 19, Oct 10, 24 (filled)
Nov-Dec: Nov 7, 21, Dec 5, 19 (waiting list)
Wednesday Evenings
(The Inkslingers) with Judy Bridges 6:30-9
$85
Sept-Oct: Sep 6, 20, Oct 4, 18 (filled)
Nov-Dec: Nov 1, 15, Dec 6, 20 (waiting list)
Thursday Evenings with Robert Vaughan 6:30-9
$85 (4 mtgs. One per month)
Sept-Dec: Sep 14, Oct 19, Nov 16, Dec 14
Friday Mornings with Robert Vaughan 9:30-12
$85
Sept-Oct: Sep 15, 29, Oct 13, 20
Nov-Dec: Nov 3, 17, Dec 1, 15
6. 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.
Sharon Hard Addy's poem, "I love to fish in the morning," will appear in Highlights magazine.
Shauna Singh Baldwin is featured on the cover of the September, 2006 issue of Mehfil Magazine. See: http://mehfilmagazine.com/coverstory.cfm Her September reading/speaking events
include: Sept 22: Vancouver BC -- Sidney Reading Series; Sept 25/26: Vancouver
BC -- University College of the Fraser Valley; Sept 27: Department of South
Asian Studies, UBC; Sept 30 - Oct 3: Bali, Indonesia. Ubud Writers Festival;
Oct 4: Bali, Indonesia: Reading at Udayana University. www.ShaunaSinghBaldwin.com
Thomas Biel's op ed, "Leave tradition out of legislation," appeared
in the Friday, September 1 issue of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Rebecca Blemberg won a Wisconsin Regional Writers award for her short story,
"After the Shooting at 12th Street Station."
Fran Bock will have two of her poems published in the Fall/Winter issue of Moon Journal: "Plein-Air" and
"Farm Kids Had No Edge."
Richard Carter won a Wisconsin Regional Writers award for his short story,
"The Reunion."
Margo Frey quoted Judy Bridges in an article she wrote for Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel titled, "English major wants to write." Margo is president
of Career Development Services Inc, and writes a regular "career
mentor" column for the paper.
Eric Hansen's article, "Head for the hills," about using Lake
Michigan shoreline bluffs as a natural exercise machine, appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on August 20th.
Les Huisman won a Wisconsin Regional Writers Jade Ring first place award for
his short story, "The Ice Cream Man." If you attended our Spring
Reading in April, you heard Les read an excerpt from this story .
Amy Jenkins' essay "Shepherded Flights" was a finalist in the Florida Reviews' annual essay contest. It will
appear in the Spring Issue of the Review.
Stacey Kannenberg will be at Barnes & Noble Mayfair on Saturday, 9/30, from
9-11; The Little Read Books on 10/4 at 4:00; 10/14 at 10:30 at Fireside Books
in West Bend and on 10/19 at 6:00 at the Betty Brinn. Her books LET'S GET
READY FOR KINDERGARTEN! and LET'S GET READY FOR FIRST GRADE! have been approved
by the prestigious State of California's Educational Board to be available to
all California Public Schools via the State of California's Purchasing
Department. She's now working with Utah and Texas. Stacey owns Cedar
Valley Publishing.
John Lehman is presenting "The Story Only You Can Tell: Innovative
Methods for Autobiography, Biography, Memoir, Creative Nonfiction and
Novels" at The Washington House Inn in Cedarburg, WI, Oct. 1, from 1-4pm.
See www.writergallery.com for
registration information.
Kristen McGuire announced the release of her new spirituality newsletter, Secretum Meum Mihi, which is Latin for "my secret
is mine." She says, "I seek to articulate a deep and abiding feminism
that inspires women to respect life and work for justice today.
Eventually, I hope to publish booklets for group study, books on
spirituality and perhaps even host weekend retreats for women!" Her site
is: www.MySecretisMine.com
Marilyn McKnight's article about education, "Are we leaving the children
behind?" appeared on the front page of the Crossroads Section of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sunday, August 27th.
Chris Roerden's latest book, DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY:24 FICTION-WRITING
TECHNIQUES TO SAVE YOUR MANUSCRIPT FROM TURNING UP D.O.A, was #1 on the
Birmingham News local best seller list for the week ending August 13. She is
teaching classes here in Milwaukee this week -- Tuesday and Wednesday nights at
UW-Milwaukee. Redbird Studio is mentioned in the first chapter of the book. For
more information, please see www.bellarosabooks.com
John Rondy's article about the Milwaukee Metro Sewage District -- "MMSD
Works: So Why Does Everyone Hate It?" -- was the cover story for the
August 24-30 issue of Shepherd Express.
Tess Romeis won a second place award in a contest sponsored by Free Verse. Her poem "Eve" was
published in Free
Verse issue #86.
Tess also belongs to a poetry group called Stone Kettle that just published its
first quarterly fold-out, titled Blue Echoes.
Neela Sheth won a Wisconsin Regional Writers award for her short story,
"Two Tigers Can't Share One Hill."
Marilyn Taylor's new chapbook has just been published by Aralia Press, a fine
letterpress publisher located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It's a beautifully
bound limited edition of her eight-page (slightly risque) crown of sonnets,
titled THE SEVEN VERY LIBERAL ARTS.
(Also see reading date at UWM/Cream City, below)
David Thome's sci-fi/action screenplay, "The Sky Below," which he
workshopped in the Wednesday night roundtable, was a semifinalist is the Slamdance Screenwriting Competition. It
finished in the top 45 out of 2,000 entries. David also wrote an article for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel titled "Fabulous falls,"
in which he quotes Redbird author Eric Hansen.
Larry Van Vegel has taken on a new handle, "Back Seat Know-It-All,"
which he thinks might be good for a tee shirt. He has an article coming out in Great Lakes F&H News and one in the works for MidWest Outdoors. He's on websites for the Wisconsin Fishing Club (WFC) and for the Wisconsin Council of Sport
Fishing Organizations
(WCSFO), and he's the Writing Discussion Moderator for the Wisconsin Regional
Writers Association (WRWA).
Jason Waltz (aka Howard von Darkmoor) was named Fantasy book/magazine
reviewer for Clash
of Steel Magazine
published by Carnifex Press.
Rick Whaley's piece about "The Sacred Sites Run 2006" appeared in the September issue of Spanish Journal, Indian Summer Festival supplement.
Mark Zirbel (who holds the distinction of writing horror stories so vivid
that I had to stop reading them) is having great success getting his stories
published. But his top news is: "I wanted to let everyone know that on
Monday, June 12th, I married my favorite person in the world on a beach in
Maui. Of course, there has to be a horror connection in there somewhere, right?
You bet! Jennie and I decided to commemorate our marriage by getting tattoos:
mine is Frankenstein, hers is the Bride of Frankenstein." Mark's recent
writing credits include: "Something Fishy is Going On" in Until Somebody Loses and
Eye; "Wings of
An Angel" in Bare
Bone; "The
Keepers of Kutha" in Cthulhu Sex.
7. OTHER PLACES-OTHER FACES
Alverno Telesis Program
Various writing programs, including The Great Lakes Writers
Workshop
For info on writing programs email nancy.krase@alverno.edu Phone 414-382-6176
Broad Vocabulary, 2241 S. Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee 53207
Offers workshops and special programs in the bookstore
www.broadvocabulary.com 414-744-8384
Council for Wisconsin Writers
Promotes Wisconsin writing through awards, education and media
recognition.
The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI (Door County)
Full catalog of opportunities
Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton/Neenah
Judy Bridges will present "A Writer's Bag of Tricks,"
Saturday, Oct 28, 10am-3pm
www.fvtc.edu or call Lisa
Bell at 1-877-555-5151
Harry W. Schwartz on Downer is offering "Page-Turners Book Club" for
young readers. The next meeting is Thursday, Sept 28, at 7:15 PM. The book for
this month is "Truly Winnie" by Jennifer Jacobson.
Email Myra at downerkids@schwartzbooks.com
or call Myra or Sarah: 414-332-1181
Soulstice Theatre
Intimate theater in The Marian Center, Bay View
www.soulsticetheatre.org
or 414-431-3187
University of Wisconsin, Madison
also, School of the Arts at Rhinelander
Contact Christine DeSmet, cdesmet@cds.wisc.edu
Or, www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/writing
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee/Cream City Review
On September 28th at 7:00 p.m., The Cream City Review will be hosting a reading featuring
the four Poets Laureate of Milwaukee, past and present-- Peggy Hong (2006-07),
Marilyn Taylor (2004-05), Antler (2002-03), and John Koethe (2000-2001). It
will take place in the Fireside Lounge in the UWM Student Union. The reading
will be part of UWM's 50th anniversary celebration, and the 30th anniversary of
the magazine.
Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP)
Ask your local bookseller for the 2007 Wisconsin Poets Calendar!
Group offers opportunities for poets, including a Spring
Conference and Museletter
Wisconsin Regional Writers Assn. (WRWA)
Contests, conferences, writers groups
Woodland Pattern Book Center, Milwaukee
Outstanding poetry resource, plus readings and workshops
WriterÕs Ink
Support group meets in Cudahy
414-425-4066.
8. HOW TO HELP, CONTACT US, REPORT
NEWS or GET OFF THE LIST
TO HELP: Distribute flyers.
Tell people about Redbird. Contribute to the Young Author Scholarship Fund.
May we suggest:
-- A gift to the Young Author Scholarship
Fund in your name, or as a tribute to someone special.
-- A Redbird gift certificate for your
favorite writer (for full or partial registration.)
-- Books by Redbird Writers and Friends. See
the list on our website.
-- Books, period. First choice is to
purchase from your local Independent bookstore.
-- Purchase a "Redbird Writers"
tee shirt for your writer-friend. $15 includes postage.
TO CONTACT REDBIRD, REPORT NEWS or
GET OFF THE LIST, contact:
Judy Bridges
Redbird Studio
3195 S. Superior St. #429
Milwaukee, WI 53207
414-481-3195