Welcome to WIWA

The Whidbey Island Writers Association supports writers and promotes the literary arts. Our annual Whidbey Island Writers Conference and year round educational and networking opportunities bring world-class programs and hundreds of visiting writers to this northwest island community.

We invite you to join with us as we create a cultural environment for writers that provides the best possible combination of literary resources and inspiring surroundings. As with any trip to Whidbey itself, there's lots to see on our site. Browse around and discover what WIWA has in store for members and friends.

Wanted: Writers Conference Director -- The Whidbey Island Writers Association is looking for the right person to lead a successful team of volunteers in their 11th annual writers' conference. This part-time contract position pays $25 per hour. The deadline for application is June 6, 2008. To review the job description, click here.

An Afternoon of Songs and Duets -- Music fans won't want to miss this opportunity to hear sopranos JoAnn Kane and Megan Drake in concert Sunday, May 18 at 3 p.m. at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. Accompanied by a Baroque string ensemble and Baroque dancer Jamia Hansen-Murray, the talented vocalists will perform solos and duets from the works of composers Handel and Purcell. During the second half of the program, pianist Artie Kane will accompany Kane and Drake on a journey through Romantic art songs by German and French composers. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased through WICA. All proceeds benefit the Master of Fine Arts Scholarship Fund for the Whidbey Island Writers Workshop -- Northwest Institute of Literary Arts -- a program of the Whidbey Island Writers Association. For more information about the program, click the the poster.

Whidbey Reads 2008 Features Chris Bohjalian -- Meet award-winning author and former WIWA conference presenter Chris Bohjalian May 19 at 1:30 p.m. at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley. Bohjalian is the author of the highly-regarded Midwives: A Novel, as well as other bestsellers including Double Bind and Before You Know Kindness. His latest work, Skeletons at the Feast, will be released in May. Books will be available at the event to purchase for autographing. Copies of Midwives can be checked out at the Island's libraries. This free program is made possible through Sno-Isle Libraries, Humanities Washington, Sno-Isle Library Foundation and Washington State Library, with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Soundings Review Call for Submissions -- The inaugural issue of the Whidbey Island Writers Associaton literary magazine, Soundings Review, welcomes submissions of fiction, poetry and prose (including essays and interviews). Accessible, strong narratives are of special interest. For consideration, manuscripts must be received in the WIWA office no later than July 1. Complete details are available by visiting the Writers Guidelines. Soundings Review also sponsors three contests: the Founders Circle, open to all genres; the First Publication Contest, open to writers never published in a nationally advertised or distributed publication; and the Readers Choice Award, selected from the regular submissions. The deadline for contest entries is June 15. For details, visit Contest Guidelines. Photo by Candace Allen

Whidbey Island Writers Association Announces Winners of the Students Celebrate Writing Contest -- Awards were made in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for the annual 2008 WIWA-sponsored Students Celebrate Writing Contest. For a complete list of winners in the the high school and sixth through eighth-grade categories, click here. Winning submissions are on display in a binder at each Sno-Isle Library. WIWA wishes to thank all the students who participated, their parents, their teachers, and the Sno-Isle librarians. If you would like to volunteer to help with next year’s contest, please contact the WIWA office at 331-6714. 

Photo by Candace Allen

Members Welcome at WIWA Board Meetings -- WIWA Board meetings are usually held the second Wednesday of every month. The address and directions are available by phoning the office at 360-331-6714 or by e-mailing wiwa@whidbey.com.

Writers Café Open House -- The Whidbey Island Writers Association invites members and potential members to  a monthly open house the first Tuesday of every month from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Rockhopper in Clinton, with a professional development program beginning at 6 p.m. This is an opportunity for writers of all genres to gather and meet with other writers. If you're interested in making a presentation of general interest to writers or want to sell your books at the Open House, contact donnahood@whidbey.com about Tell and Sell, a mini book fair that is a standard part of the monthly meeting. Writers are encouraged to drop in every Tuesday evening to participate in  an open mic or to share or critique their writings. The RockHopper also has a private conference room where writers' critique groups can meet on other nights. Plan to eat at the Rockhopper: great soups, sandwiches and really stuffed baked potatoes.  At the last monthly meeting, Diane Watts discussed her beautiful literary quilt,which was inspired by Stephen E. Ambrose’s book Undaunted Courage.  Photo by Candace Allen

Join a Writers' Group -- If you're interested in joining a writers' group, check out some of the groups available through WIWA,. If you can't find one in your genre or a group that meets at a convenient time, consider creating your own writers' group, online or in person, with a little assistance from WIWA. Click here to learn more.

See Photos from the Writers Conference and Revisit the Magic -- Now that the tenth annual Whidbey Island Writers Conference is over, it's time to take all you learned and apply it to your writing life. For inspiritation, visit the Conference Photo Gallery and re-experience the event. Five albums are availble for your enjoyment. Page through them for a reminder of the friends and contacts you made, and as a prompt to practice what you learned. You can even leave your comments by sliding down to the comments section at the bottom of any page. Share your thoughts about the pictures, the conference and your writing life. Express yourself; keep on writing.

Photo by Candace Allen

Spring Workshops -- Check out WIWA's workshops for May. You'll find opportunities to improve your skills in writing, observation, notetaking and understanding point of view. Workshop locations include Whidbey Island and Mukilteo.

Toad Hops from Journal to T-Shirt for MFA Scholarship Fund --The first graduating class of the Whidbey Writers Workshop, recently produced its third t-shirt to help raise funds for the student scholarship fund. This year's commemorative t-shirt features an elaborate illustration of a toad from the journal of writer and artist Susan Zwinger. Shirts are available in long or short-sleeve styles and include sizes medium (limited supply, long sleeve only), large, XL and 2XL. The cost is $12 for short sleeves and $20 for long sleeves. If you are unable to pick up your order, include an additional $3.50 per shirt to cover mailing expenses. Students paid the production costs of the shirts. All proceeds from sales go to the scholarship endowment fund. For more information, contact WIWA at 360- 331-6714 or e-mail wiwa@whidbey.com.

Header Photo by Bob Richardson