JULY MEETING NOTICE

Our next meeting will be July 15, 2007, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Grove Avenue Baptist Church (one block south of Patterson Ave. on Parham Rd.). NOTE: Enter the rear entrance on the Parham Road side of the building. Look for the elevator on your left, go to 2nd floor, turn right when getting off the elevator, go to Room 211, Note new room number.

Speaker: Yvonne Ortega Book Signing and Workshop

Yvonne Ortega, Cancer Survivor, Inspirational Speaker and Author, will speak on What’s Next After the Book Contract, and will be signing her newly released book Hope for the Journey through Cancer published by Revell, May 2007.

Yvonne has worked long and hard to bring this needed book to market. Please come out and help her celebrate this tremendous victory.

Critique Session

From 4:00 to 5:00 we will listen to readings and do critiquing.

Bring something brief to read that does not require feedback. If you have material to be critiqued, bring about 10 copies, typed, double spaced. We will listen to and critique as many as time permits.


Creative Nonfiction and Writing Assignment

At our June meeting, Barbara Baranowski, shared the story of a story she had written as a writing assignment. The assignment was to write a true story prompted by hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling or tasting. Barbara remembered a childhood incident about her then favorite perfume. After completing the assuagement she sought to get it published? Because it was reminiscent of her childhood she sent it to Reminicense magazine. A year later she contacted them and they said they would publish it but didn’t know when. In May she received a call from out of state asking if she was the Barbara Baranowski who wrote the article about the perfume? Since that initial call she had received as many as a half dozen calls from around the country. This has been exciting for her.

I related a brief story of writing an assignment last November for a creative nonfiction class on Letting Go. I was asked to speak at a Seniors Luncheon and thought it an appropriate piece to share since we seniors are almost daily having to let go of things we have cherished over the years. A lady in that group asked me if I would put the message in a sermon format and preach it at her church. And at our June meeting, an RCWW member, said she might like me to present that same message to a group at her church.

Articles have a way of taking on a life of their own, so at the June meeting I was inspired to start giving writing assignments. And through brain storming the following format developed (which is an expansion on our goal as a group:

1. Inspire Christians to write
2. Inspire Christians to write for and about God
3. Help Christian writers find a market and get published
4. Promote the Christianity aspect of RCWW
5. Issue writing challenges (prompts) on a regular basis
(Bring your piece to our monthly meetings and we will
allow as much time as possible for some to be read.)

First Writing Challenge (500 to 1000 words)
What does Richmond Christians Who Write mean to me?


2007 Meeting Schedule Highlights

Here are the remainder of the dates for 2007:

August 19th: Tom Lacy, Becoming a Freelance Writer
September 16th: June Keene, Simple Speaking and Presentation Skills
October 19th (Saturday) Nancy Stevens, All Day Computer Workshop November 18th: To be announced
December: No meetings scheduled

Normal Monthly Meeting Format (unless otherwise stated)

2:00-2:15 Sign In and Fellowship
2:15 Opening Prayer
2:15-2:45 Introductions and Announcements
2:45-3:45 Speaker or Workshop
3:45-4:00 Refreshments and Fellowship
4:00-4:55 Speaker/Workshop or Critique Session (Announced Monthly) (Bring 20 copies, typed, double spaced)
4:55-5:00 Closing Prayer

CONFERENCES and WORKSHOPS

RCWW will have a table at this event. If you have books to sell, contact me. I will be there and i will need a ride to and from.

2nd Annual Hanover Book Festival
August 4, 2007
For Full Details: http://home.comcast.net/~hanoverwriters/hanoverwriters.html

DUES

Dues, in the amount of $10.00 will cover membership from July 1st through December 31, 2007. They may be paid at our monthly meetings or mailed to: Richmond Christians Who Write, 12114 Walnut Hill Drive, Rockville, VA 23146.

I look forward to seeing you on July 15th. Bring a friend; they’ll appreciate it.