WRITING LIFE STORIES

With Carol LaChapelle & Judy Bridges
Sat, Feb 27, 2010 (waiting list)
9:30am-4pm   $95
Bring a brown bag lunch. Coffee and tea provided.

Whether you are a beginning writer or a pro, this workshop will help you mine the riches of the people, places and events in your life. Did you really get married on a motorcycle? What was it like to live through an illness or visit Grandma or dance on a cobblestone street?

Would you like to write those stories for your family, give as gifts, or use in a novel, essay, or memoir? Or maybe just get-it-down for yourself?

Carol and Judy have been wanting to do this workshop for ages. They both live their passion to help people write, and now they bring it to you in this exciting day full of ideas, encouragement and practical skills.

In the morning session, Carol will guide you through writing exercises designed to unearth your memorable tales of childhood, transition, adventure, loss, and triumph.

In the afternoon, Judy will show samples of things others have done with their writing: gifts, family keepsakes, published collections and novels. She'll also show you how to get your project organized and give you a list of resources you can use.

This workshop is open to new and practicing writers of all genres.

THE REDBIRDS PRESENT
A joint Redbird Studio/Redbird-RedOak Event

GETTING PUBLISHED IN 2010: FRESH APPROACHES TO TODAY'S MARKET
with authors Kirk Farber, Doug Jacobson, Karen McQuestion, Shannon Jackson Arnold, Eva Augustin Rumpf and Stacey Kannenberg. Panel moderated by Judy Bridges.

Thurs. March 11, 6:30pm
(RSVP to Judy or Kim. Goodwill donation, $10 at door)

Oh, the gloom and doom. Everywhere you turn you hear more bad news about the publishing business. Book publishers are consolidating. Periodicals are going out of business. Newspapers are folding. You hear that only the top money making authors get published and unless you know people in high places, you may as well forget about it.

Well, plug your ears. Better yet, come spend an evening with Redbird authors who are making it happen in spite of the bad news -- or maybe because of it. As traditional markets grow tighter, new markets, new ways of getting published and new ways of approaching the markets, become more important. These are exciting days for men and women who not only write well, but are finding innovative ways to get noticed and get published.

We'll meet in an intimate setting in the Marian Center where the panelists can share their experiences and bright ideas with you. They will answer your questions about creating a platform, dealing with agents and publishers, self-publishing, social networking, and more.

Kirk Farber's debut novel, Postcards from a Dead Girl, will be published by Harper Perennial in March 2010. "Postcards" was a semi-finalist in the first Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. His short story "Salting the Walks" was a finalist in a statewide fiction contest which resulted in publication in Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine. His short fiction also appears online in Hobart literary journal. Kirk will be a staff presenter at this year's Pikes Peak Writer's Conference in Colorado Springs, and he'll be participating in Denver's Publishing Institute as a featured author. He currently lives in Colorado and is working on his second novel.

Douglas W. Jacobson is an engineer, business owner and World War Two history enthusiast. Doug has traveled extensively in Europe researching stories of the courage of common people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. His debut novel, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II was published in 2007 by McBooks Press, and was released in paperback in 2008. Night of Flames won the "2007 Outstanding Achievement Award" from the Wisconsin Library Association. Doug has also published articles on Belgium's WW2 escape organization, the Comet Line and other European resistance organizations. Doug is finishing up his second historical novel set in Europe during WW2, focusing on one of history's most notorious war crimes.

Karen McQuestion is the author of six books available on Amazon's Kindle, one of which, A Scattered Life, has been optioned for film. Her other writing credits include essays in Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Denver Post, Wisconsin Academy Review, Generations magazine and several anthologies. In addition, she was awarded a winter/spring 2003 Ragdale Foundation residency for fiction. More recently she's served as a commentator for the local NPR affiliate, WUWM. She lives in Hartland, WI with her husband and children.

CREATE A CIRCLE OF SUPPORT
at Fox Valley Technical College in Neenah WI

With Judy Bridges
Sat, March 20, 2010
12:30 - 3:30

Offers women the opportunity to focus on aspects of life that really matter and write about them in a supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere. Includes tips on structure, style, craft and voice, plus discussion of various examples of personal, family and published writings.

Please bring a notebook, pen, and bag lunch.
A list of supplies needed for class participation is available.

THE HAIRSHIRT - Redbird Women's Writing Retreat

Location: The Sinsinawa Mound Center. Situated on 450 rural acres in the southwest corner of Wisconsin. It is operated by the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa.

Sponsor: Redbird Studio. An award winning writing center with a 15 year history of serving writers of all ages and interests. Home base: The Marian Center, Milwaukee.

Retreat Dates: April 22 - 25, 2010 (waiting list)

Fee: $450 - Includes private room, meals, roundtables and private consultations.

THE HAIRSHIRT RETREAT
Simply put, the purpose of a writing retreat is to give you time to write - without interruption or apology - in other words, something rare.

The Sinsinawa Convent is a perfect setting for quiet reflection and work. You'll find plenty of nooks and crannies in which to sit, paths to walk, and your own private room in which to give voice to your latest idea.

The retreat will begin on Thursday evening with a meet and greet, refreshments, and discussion of goals for the weekend.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you'll have plenty of time to write, attend the roundtable groups and if you wish, enjoy a private conference with retreat leader, Judy Bridges.

On Monday, you'll have a few more hours to write before we present THE HAIRSHIRT AWARD and wrap up the retreat after the noon meal.

• Roundtable sessions offer constructive feedback from other writers and a chance to share ideas.
  
  
• Private conferences with Judy Bridges are available to discuss your work.
  
  
• As a special request, please refrain from wearing scented products at the retreat.

For more information: