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Fiction Workshop with Natalie Serber

natalieauthor (2) “I just keep trying to make something out of words that you’d think couldn’t be made out of words.” ~ Deborah Eisenberg

Natalie Serber will lead a fiction workshop on Saturday, May 18th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hoffman Center, 594 Laneda Avenue in Manzanita.

In this supportive and generative one-day workshop for all levels of writers, participants will make things out of words. By sampling some fiction and prose poetry, the group will discuss what creates sparks on the page, how tension and thwarted yearnings bring stories to life. Then, through multiple prompts writers will explore language, character, conflict and action.  Finally, everyone will share their work and by the end of this workshop, should be well on their way with a new story.

Tuition for the workshop is $60.  To register, click here.

Serber has her MFA in fiction, has been awarded the John Steinbeck Award, Tobias Wolff Award, and H.E. Francis Award, and was short listed in Best American Short Stories. She’s been published in The Bellingham Review, Inkwell Magazine, Third Coast, Fourth Genre, and Hunger.  She currently leads fiction classes for Literary Arts in Portland.

Natalie Serber  will read from her short story collection, Shout Her Lovely Name, at 7 p.m. as featured author for the Manzanita Writers’ Series.

Poetry Workshops (Nearly) Full; Reading Open to the Public

beach and bay header

It’s true that the early bird gets the worm, because the Re-Vision workshop with John Morrison is full, and the morning session with Stephanie Lenox has just one more spot open.  Click on the post below to find out more about Stephanie’s session.

http://hoffmanblog.org/http:/hoffmanblog.org/register-now-for-beach-and-bay-poetry-weekend-workshops

Even if you’re not participating in a workshop, be sure to join us at 3:30 pm, when Stephanie and John will read some of their work.  Plus, there will be a community Open Mic, where anyone can read for 5 minutes from their original work.  See you there!

Admission for people not attending the workshops is $7 for the reading.

Register Now for Beach and Bay Poetry Weekend Workshops

beach and bay headerIn honor of National Poetry Month the Manzanita Writers’ Series and Bay City Arts Center present a weekend dedicated to the joys of poetry. Beach and Bay Poetry Weekend will take place April 6 and 7, 2013.

Two workshops and a public poetry reading will take place at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita on Saturday, April 6. Cost is $30 per workshop or $50 for both.

In the morning from 10 a.m. to noon, poet Stephanie Lenox will present “Other Shoes,” a workshop to help you learn to embody the voices of your characters. This workshop is for poets of all levels, as well as fiction writers interested in developing authentic characters through poetic experimentation. Learn to see the world from a different perspective in this dynamic workshop that will explore the use of characters and encourage playful impersonations through guided exercises and writing prompts.

Stephanie Lenox’s chapbook, The Heart That Lies Outside the Body, won the 2007 Slapering Hol Chapbook Contest. She received fellowships from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission and recently published a full-length collection of poetry, Congress of Strange People.

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., poet John Morrison will present the workshop “Re-Vision,” geared to the practicing poet. Learn how to take a shimmering first draft, or a cranky problem child, to a deeper level. You’ll study and apply both radical and pragmatic principles of Re-Vision to see your work in a fresh way and follow your drafts to new discoveries. Bring a draft that’s stuck who knows where, a finished poem that may yet have another life, and a notebook and pen.

John Morrison has taught poetry for the University of Alabama, Washington State University, and the Literary Arts Writers in the Schools program. His book, Heaven of the Moment, was a finalist for the 2008 Oregon Book Award in poetry.

At 3:30, Lenox and Morrison will read from their own poetry, followed by a Community Open Mic. The event is free to workshop participants and $7 to non-workshop attendees.

On Sunday, April 7 the Bay City Arts Center will host a Scrumptious Lunch and Poetry Open Mic, with the by-donation lunch starting at 12:00 noon. All poets, student poets, wannabe poets, and those who think they don’t “get” poetry are encouraged to attend this community celebration of the oldest written form.  Nancy Slavin, local writer and poet, will host the event, which also will include brief writing prompts for the launching of new poems.  Door prizes and copious applause will be given to those who read their new work at the Open Mic.   For more information, email Nancy at nancyslavin@mail.tillamookbay.cc or call the Bay City Arts Center at 503 377 9620.  The Arts Center is located on the corner of 5th and A Streets in Bay City.

Click here to register for the workshops.   Or, call 503.368.3846.

The events are a collaboration of the Hoffman Center’s Manzanita Writers’ Series and Bay City Arts Center.

North Coast Squid Selections Announced

Squid 2013 CoverWe’re happy to announce the submissions selected for the second issue of the North Coast Squid.   Please be sure and come to the Manzanita Writers’ Series event this Saturday, February 16, at 7:00 p.m.  We’ll be celebrating the release of the publication.  Erica Bauermeister, fiction judge, will be reading from her new book, The Lost Art of Mixing.  Many of the writers will also be reading their work at the Open Mic.

Issues of the North Coast Squid will be available for sale at the event for $2 each.   We hope to see you there.

Fiction-Erica Bauermeister, Judge
Blindfolded, But Not Blind, Amy Pulitzer
Blue Wedding, Vera Wildauer
Her Shrunken Head, Christine Watt
Job Security, Tobi Nason
Local Beauty Secrets Revealed, Neal Lemery
Overheard Over Espresso, Andrew Barker
The Hitch, Tela Skinner
The Second Miracle, Tami Vincent
W1ZRB de W1ZTZ, Mark Smith
Warfare, Elia Seely

Non-fiction, Matt Love, Judge
Final Chapters, Tela Skinner
Stealing My Car, Will George
Surfing Lessons, Sydney Elliott
The Neighborhood Butcher Shop, Suzanne Jelineo
The Torn Fish, Phyllis Mannan
The Two-Headed Sheep, Debra Simmons
The Wisdom of the Waves, Tobi Nason
Transcontinental Communication, Vera Wildauer

Poetry, David Biespiel, Judge
Belonging, Bonnie Morrissey
Falling Away, Kimberly Hazel
How to Eat a D’Anjou Pear, Julius Jortner
Marty, Lori Dillon
Nor Can Hand Feel, Phyllis Mannan
Observations on Grace, Phyllis Mannan
To Be Strong and Swift, Cynthia Jacobi
So Long Underwater, Colette Jonopulos
Stay Tired, Alissa King
The Gods Know Better, Florence Sage
The Season of Gravity, James Dott
Tillamook Underground, John Fiedler
Lichen and Spirea While Driving, Nancy Beecher
Timing, Vera Wildauer
White Dress, John Ciminello

Inside Art, Selected by Editorial Committee
A Sailor’s Sorrow, Jason Karl
All Aboard, Paul Hughes
Be Free, Thomas Robinson
Booker in the Light, Lori E. Dillon
Dargah at New Dehli, India, Gary Seelig
Dune Jump, Thomas Robinson
Edgar A. Crow of Netarts works on poem about his cousin, Connie Vincent
Ensemble, M J Anderson
Four on the Beach, Christina Wilson
Misty Morn’, Paul Hughes
One from a collection, 33 Mussels, Liz Fischer Greenhill
Out of the Fog, Ellen Hamill
Riding on a Train, J. Woika
Shore Dance, Ellen Hamill
Some Will Return, Jason Karl
The Comb, Julius Jortner
Top of Neahkahnie, Lane deMoll
Untitled, Liz Fisher Greenhill

Cover, Selected by Editorial Committee
September Song, Doreen Lindstedt

 

 

 

2nd Annual North Coast Squid to be Released on February 16th

Squid 2013 CoverThe second annual North Coast Squid literary magazine will be released on Feb. 16 2013 at the Manzanita Writers’ Series event.

The Manzanita Writer’s Series coordinators are pleased to continue the collaboration with the North Coast Citizen to publish this second annual literary magazine.  The North Coast Squid showcases work of writers and artists who live on the north coast or have a strong connection to the area.

Over 60 writers submitted 138 pieces. Submissions were juried by authors outside our community. Erica Bauermeister, author of The School of Essential Ingredients, and Joy for Beginners, judged fiction entries.  Matt Love, author of Gimme Refuge: The Education of a Caretaker, and Sometimes a Great Movie: Paul Newman, Ken Kesey and the Filming of the Great Oregon Novel among others, judged nonfiction. David Biespiel, poet, poetry columnist for the Oregonian, and founder of the Attic Institute in Portland, judged poetry.

Many of the writers whose work was selected will be at the Writers’ Series event to read selections at the Open Mic after our featured author’s reading.

The North Coast Squid will be available for purchase at every Manzanita Writers’ Series event as well as at a number of retail outlets along the coast. Fifty percent of the $2 cover price will go to the Hoffman Center to help with operational costs that provide programs like the Manzanita Writers’ Series.

There will be other events to kick off the new release in coastal communities from Astoria to Pacific City. Watch for announcements on hoffmanblog.org.

Poets and Poetry Lovers: Save the Date April 6-7

stephanielenoxPoets & those who love poetry: Save the Date. Beach and Bay Poetry Weekend, April 6 & 7, 2013.

In honor of National Poetry Month, the Manzanita Writers’ Series and Bay City Arts Center present a weekend dedicated to the joys of poetry. Beach and Bay Poetry Weekend will take place April 6 and 7, 2013.

Two workshops and a public poetry reading will take place at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita on Saturday, April 6. In the morning from 10 am to noon poet Stephanie Lenox will present “Other Shoes,” a workshop to help you learn to embody the voices of your characters. This workshop is for poets of all levels, as well as fiction writers interested in developing authentic characters through poetic experimentation. From 1 pm to 3 pm poet John Morrison will present the workshop “Re-Vision,” geared to the practicing poet. Learn how to take a shimmering first draft, or a cranky problem child, to a deeper level. Cost is $30 per workshop or $50 for both.John Morrison hat bw

At 3:30, Stephanie Lenox and John Morrison will read from their own poetry, followed by a Community Open Mic. The event is free to workshop participants and $7 to non-workshop attendees.

On Sunday, April 7 at the Bay City Arts Center savor a “Scrumptious lunch, open mic, and poem launch” moderated by Nancy Slavin.  Enjoy a light lunch at noon followed at 1:30 with poetry prompts to launch new poems and an open mic opportunity to read the new work. Event will include door prizes, laughter, and poetry appreciation. Lunch is by donation and the open mic is free.

Click here to register for the workshops.  Or, call 503.368.3846 to leave a message. For information about Sunday events, call 503.812.4800.

The event is a collaboration of the Hoffman Center’s Manzanita Writers’ Series and Bay City Arts Center.

Deadline for North Coast Squid Literary Magazine is Fast Approaching

Deadline for submissions to the second annual North Coast Squid literary magazine is November 30, 2012.

The North Coast Squid showcases work of writers and artists who live on the north coast or have a strong connection to the area.

The second magazine will publish in February 2013 in time for the February Manzanita Writer’s Series event.    Writing will be accepted in three categories: poetry, fiction, narrative non-fiction (which includes memoir).

Writing will be selected by outside judges. Erica Baumeister, author of The School of Essential Ingredients, and Joy for Beginners, will judge fiction entries.  Matt Love, author of Gimme Refuge: The Education of a Caretaker, and Sometimes a Great Movie: Paul Newman, Ken Kesey and the Filming of the Great Oregon Novel among others, will judge nonfiction. David Beispiel, poet, poetry columnist for the Oregonian, and founder of the Attic Institute in Portland, will judge poetry.

Submissions for consideration are due in November 30, 2012. Writers can submit one piece in each prose category, three pieces for poetry category. Artists may submit three images each for the color cover art, black and white photos or line drawings (scanned and in jpg form.)

For the full submission guidelines go here.    Writers and artists can still find copies of the first Squid available for sale in many coastal retail outlets. 50% of the $2 cover price goes to the Hoffman Center to help with operational costs that provide programs like the Manzanita Writers’ Series.

Jen Violi Featured Author for Manzanita Writers’ Series on November 17

Jen Violi will read from her novel Putting Makeup on Dead People at the Hoffman Center on Saturday, November 17, 2012.

Violi’s heartfelt and funny debut novel is a story of transformation – how one girl learns to grieve and say good-bye, turn loss into a gift, and let herself be exceptional…at loving, applying lipstick to corpses, and finding life in the wake of death.  The novel takes the reader inside the world of morticians, funeral parlors and ritual.

“Jen Violi’s is an exciting, original new voice. Putting Makeup on Dead People is as witty and entertaining as it is heartbreaking.” Melissa Kantor, author of The Darlings are Forever    

     “A book that looks at death and reveals much about life.” Kirkus Reviews.

Putting Makeup on Dead People was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award’s Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature. Violi’s traditional theological background along with her study of ritual informs a book that’s classified as Young Adult but relevant to general audiences as well.

Violi is a book and writing coach, and also adjunct faculty for the Transformative Leadership Program at Tai Sophia Institute. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from University of New Orleans, an MA in Theological Studies and her undergrad degree in English and Communications with a Theater Concentration.

Following Violi’s reading and Q&A, we’ll have our popular Open Mic where up to nine local writers will read 5 minutes of their original work.    Admission for the evening is $7.

Violi will also conduct a writing workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, November 17 at the Hoffman Center.  The workshop, called ‘Find Your Voice’, is both for new writers and writers seeking renewal. Bring yourself, paper/journal, and your favorite writing utensil.  Tuition is $50.

The workshop and evening reading are programs of the Hoffman Center and will be held at the Hoffman Center.  Further information and a registration form is available here or contact Tela Skinner at mactela@nehalemtel.net.

Find Your Voice Writing Workshop on November 17

Jen Violi will conduct a writing workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hoffman Center on Saturday, November 17, 2012.  The workshop, called ‘Find Your Voice’, is both for new writers and writers seeking renewal.

If you’re reading this, you probably love words.  You also have favorite writers who tell stories and wield words that you adore.  A good paragraph by that amazing novelist can make you swoon.  Delicious lines from a treasured poet leave you drooling.  You might think that a great writing strategy for you would be to sound just like those writers.

According to Jen Violi, author, writing coach and facilitator, the best thing for you to do is to sound like you.  The world needs the stories you were born to share, told in your unique writing voice.

In this workshop, you’ll write for fun and with a purpose, learning how to unleash the truest and best writing within you.  Come with a willingness to listen to and honor your singular voice, and leave with playful and practical tools to cultivate it.  Bring yourself, paper/journal, and your favorite writing utensil.  Tuition is $50.

Jen Violi is author of Putting Makeup on Dead People, finalist for the Oregon Book Award’s Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature.  She also mentors writers, helping them to bring forth the books they were meant to write. Over the last twenty years, she’s created and facilitated hundreds of workshops, retreats, and experiences for people seeking to know themselves, their own stories, and their creative potential on a deeper level. Jen enjoys making her life amidst the green and caffeine of Portland, OR.  Find out more at www.jenvioli.com.

At 7 p.m. the same evening, Jen Violi will read from her book for the Manzanita Writers’ Series, also at the Hoffman Center.

The workshop is a program of the Hoffman Center and will be held at the Hoffman Center (across from Manzanita Library at 594 Laneda Avenue.) Further information and a registration form is available here or contact Tela Skinner at mactela@nehalemtel.net

Full Submission Rules for the North Coast Squid

Calling all writers, artists and photographers: Here’s your chance to have your work published in The North Coast Squid.

The North Coast Squid is an annual literary magazine to showcase work of writers and artists who live on the north coast or have a strong connection to the area. The next issue will publish in February 2013 in time for the February Manzanita Writer’s Series event.

Full Submission Rules: Writers are invited to submit one piece per prose category, and three pieces for the poetry category by November 30, 2012. Word length for fiction and non-fiction (including memoir), is 1,500 words.  All work must be previously unpublished. Prose pieces must be in Word, page numbered, double spaced, in 12 pt font and with one inch margins, with the title on each page (lower right hand corner.) Poetry should be in 12 pt font and can be single spaced, page numbered, if they go beyond one page. If formatting is critical to the poetry submission, please send a pdf file to preserve that.  These are blind submissions, so do not put the writer’s name on the piece itself.

Photographs should be in jpg format, with at least 300 dpi in resolution; line drawings should be scanned at 300 dpi resolution.

Art within the publication will be black and white — artists can convert them to black and white, or the North Coast Citizen can do that.

Cover Art submissions should be in color, either paintings or photographs, and have the same resolution and jpg format.  In addition, the images should represent the North Coast area in some way.  Up to three images for each artist will be accepted. Submissions should be sent via email to northcoastsquid@gmail.com, with Submission in the subject line. In the body of the email state the piece title, the category (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, inside art, cover art), and a brief bio, which includes the author/artist’s connection to the north coast area. Attach an author/artist picture in jpg format.

You will be notified whether your piece(s) will be published just before the publication date in mid-February.