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This year's conference offers participants a chance to dine with an author of their choice at an elegant Langley restaurant. Dine deliciously with five or seven conference attendees or volunteers and a best selling author. The conference Web site lists the nine authors who are a part of this evening. Make new friends and discover shared interests. Fee: $50

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CHEERS

Christopher Howell, faculty for the Whidbey Writers Workshop Master of Fine Arts Program, is one of ten recipients of the 2005 Washington State Book Award. The award is for his latest collection of poems Light's Ladder: Poem (University of Washington Press). Christopher has eight collections of poetry. His previous awards include two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, a Washington State Governor's Award, and the Vachel Lindsay and Helen Bullis prizes, along with three Pushcart Prizes.

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RECENT RELEASES

Red Hot Santa, by Cherry Adair, Leanne Banks, Pamela Britton and Kelsey Roberts, (Ballantine Books, Oct. 25, 2005)
Four best-selling authors, including conference instructors Cherry Adair and Kelsey Roberts, tell gripping tales about Santa and secret agents.

Dusty Trails, Cowboy Poetry by Tamara Hillman, October 2005, http://www.cowboyfun.com/Tamara/
Tamara, a past WIWA conference participant, has compiled into a book the cowboy poetry she recites on country radio.  The lingo and tales are a view from the saddle that describe cowboys and their work in every way.

Pure Country by Tamara Hillman, October 2005, http://www.cowboyfun.com/Tamara/
Reminiscent poetry and prose, this book is a bit gentler in rhyme than cowboy poetry, but keeps its country charm from first page to last. This book will take those raised in the country down memory lane.

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ELIZABETH GEORGE AWARD -- CALL FOR ENTRIES

The Benefactor's Award Writing Contest honors benefactors whose generosity supports WIWA's writers, literary arts and educational programs. This year's honoree is best-selling author, conference presenter and friend of WIWA, Elizabeth George.

The writing contest is open to registrants of the 2006 Whidbey Island Writers' Conference. (Members of the conference team are not eligible.) Categories include: essay, short fiction, children's literature and poetry. Conference participants may submit one entry in each genre. Submissions must be received on or before February 1, 2006; no exceptions. Winners will be announced during conference. The entry fee per submission is $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers. For submission guidelines, see the Web site http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Contest_Scholarships/Benefactors_Contest.htm

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INTRODUCE A FRIEND TO THE CONFERENCE

Invite a friend to the conference and earn a complimentary agent/editor consult. The more friends you invite, the more consultations you earn. Here's how it works. For every first-time registrant who mentions your name as a referral, you'll earn a complimentary agent/editor consultation. Remember, only referrals to friends who have never attended the conference qualify. You can schedule your consultation with the editor/agent of your choice by contacting the WIWA office prior to the conference. Alternatively, you can wait until the conference and use the complimentary certificate in your registration packet to schedule your consultation. Consults regularly cost $35 for non-members and $30 for members. For more information about consults, visit http://www.writeonwhidbey.org .

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POET BACKS CLASS ACT
by Candace Allen
 
Iowa's first Poet Laureate Marvin Bell instructed the students of the Whidbey Writers Workshop, "Make it gorgeous and don't worry about the other stuff."
 
On this occasion, Bell wasn't referring to the students' poems, but to the T-shirts the class recently produced to raise scholarship funds for the only master of fine arts program in creative writing sponsored by an organization of writers. Conceived by volunteers, the Whidbey Island Writers Association's MFA program resembles many freestanding arts institutions in the nation that offer degrees in music, art, dance and theatre.
 
Last August, after attending the inaugural residency, students and instructors felt compelled to share their experience by making it easier for writers facing financial hurdles to attend the MFA program. Perhaps it was Hugo House Arts Director Frances McCue's poem-imprinted shirt that inspired Suzanne Edison to ask, "How about it, Marvin, could we have one of your poems for a T-shirt?"
 
Bell, who has 16 books of poetry and even more honors and awards, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature and the Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowship was delighted to share his poem "One of the Animals." Edison coordinated the production of the T-shirts, printing Bell's poem on the back. The WIWA logo and year of the residency, 2005, are printed on the front.
 
MFA student Nancy Boutin's daughter, a college sophomore, teases her about returning to school and asks if the Whidbey Writers Workshop has "colors? a mascot? a fight song?" She wants to know if her mother will be rushing a sorority first or second semester. Boutin quips, "We don't have a fight song or any sororities, but we have school T-shirts! If we want a football team, we'll have to recruit a few more big guys."
 
More seriously, Boutin, a radiation oncologist who has chosen to return to school for a master of fine arts in creative writing, says, "The first time I went to school, I decided to study something useful instead of what I loved. Now I realize writing is both."
 
Anyone wanting to purchase a T-shirt may contact WIWA at 360-331-6714 or e-mail wiwa@whidbey.com. Shirts come in long or short-sleeve; sizes small (limited supply), medium, large and extra large. Short-sleeved shirts are available in stonewashed green, athletic maroon, deep purple and chocolate. Long-sleeved shirts come in chocolate, forest green and athletic maroon. The cost is $12 for short sleeves and $20 for long sleeves. All proceeds go to the Whidbey Writers Workshop Scholarship Fund.

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PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES

Our pre-conference workshops offer conference attendees an opportunity to delve into an extra full or half-day of writing instruction. If you're attending the writers' conference March 3 through March 5, consider coming a day early, Thursday, March 2,  to attend a workshop. Five full-day workshops are offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $100 and includes lunch. A half-day workshop is offered from noon to 5 p.m. for $50, including lunch. For more information contact Erika at wiwa@whidbey.org. Complete details about the 2006 Whidbey Island Writers Conference can be found at www.writeonwhidbey.org.  

Bruce Holland Rogers' workshop, Empty Headed Writing, teaches that you can't wait for the perfect idea – or even any idea at all – to start writing. Excellent stories, poems, essays, and scripts can emerge when a writer just starts writing with only the barest notion of a subject. Writing with an empty head may sound intimidating, but it is easiest and most fruitful if the writer sets off on the writing journey with a compass, a guiding principle that keeps the writer on track even without an idea. In this workshop, we will practice writing poems, stories, essays and dramatic dialogue. Even though we will practice writing in four different genres, we will discuss how each compass could be used to guide the writing in any particular genre. (full-day)

Eva Shaw says you can (almost) Write Your Book in 20 Minutes. In this workshop, you will quickly jot down ideas, create concepts, craft compelling characters and format chapters. You'll learn what to include in your book to make it good and as well as marketable. In no time at all, you'll learn how to create titles to tables of content, from protagonists to plots. The method also works for articles and short stories. (full-day)

Join Jack Dalton in his workshop, When Polar Bears' Wishes Came True: Understanding and Creating Meaningful Stories. An Alaska Native storyteller and writer, Jack will help you uncover the power of story in shaping cultures in this interactive and entertaining writing workshop. Discover simple, easy and sometimes challenging techniques for brainstorming, creating, plotting and completing stories, based on the Alaska Native tradition of storytelling. Listen to Alaska Native stories; learn about story theory and the Value Learning Process Map. Perfect for emerging writers, but challenging enough for experienced writers. (full-day)

Join award winning poet Carolyne Wright in her workshop Speak, Muse!­The Art of Narrative Poetry. Before the novel, The Iliad, Odyssey, Beowulf and other epic poems told the big stories. Closer to our time, poets like W. C. Williams, Derek Walcott, and Ann Carson have told stories in poetic narrative. In this workshop, we will read and discuss some well-known narrative and long poems – examples both historical and contemporary – and talk about how narrative poems resemble and differ from narrative prose and lyric poetry. We will experiment with narrative poetic forms and strategies that lend themselves to the development of a sustainable narrative voice and rhythm through the lyrical narrative   – including oblique, implied, even elliptical narratives, which move forward by a process of lyrical repetitions and variations, in fixed or variable forms. Besides new work generated on site in response to poetic exercises in free verse and form, course members may bring poems already in process, which they might transform into narrative forms, so that diction and syntax, as well as the content of memory, contribute to the process of imaginative discovery. Previous writing experience is helpful but not necessary. (full-day)

Stephanie Bodeen can help you Take That Plunge; Write and Ready Your Picture Book for Publication. Participants should bring one or two picture book manuscripts to this workshop. We will use a roundtable constructive critique method to share the manuscripts. Through writing exercises, we will create a plan for revision, revise and present our stories again. The workshop will also review writing cover letters for submissions and finding the right publisher. The objective is to send everyone home with a story ready to be submitted. This workshop is geared toward emerging writers who just haven't made that final step of submitting their stories. Twenty-five percent of the class is instructional, 45% group processing of information and 30% writing and related exercises. (full-day)

Penny Sansevieri can help you Make the Most of your Writers Conference! You've signed up for the Whidbey Island Writers Conference – great! Now what? Well now's the time to get ready to make the most out of this event. But how? This class will show you what to do, what to expect and what to prepare for so that you can make the most out of your time at Whidbey! Whether you’re attending your first event or your fifth, attending any writers' conference can be challenging for even the most seasoned attendee. Don't waste precious time or networking opportunities. This class will show you tips and insider secrets to leveraging your opportunities and expanding your reach in the writing and publishing community! You'll learn to network like a pro, prepare for your agent/editor meetings, make the most of your time with the agents/editors, craft your elevator pitch, select classes that further your writing career, and strike networking gold with  insider tips and secrets. (half-day)

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READERS ASK

From time to time the WIWA office receives questions about writing or publishing that it cannot answer. In this issue, we are launching a new forum for readers of the newsletter to share information with one another. Send us your questions and we will see if anyone in the readership can provide an answer.

To start us off, Carol Wiseman, WIWA member, asks: Does anyone know a good resource list for people writing for the greeting card industry?

Responses can be sent to wiwa@whidbey.org and may be published in upcoming editions of the newsletter for the benefit of all readers. 

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GET PROFESSIONAL FEEDBACK on a Writing Sample (or two) at the 2006 conference

Are you ready to show your manuscript to the world? Or at least to one person with writing and publishing experience? The 2006 Conference offers participants an opportunity to meet with a faculty author for an in-depth review of a small writing sample. One participant described her experience last year as "insightful, encouraging, clarifying, and very motivating" and she said that it has helped her take her writing to new level. Go to the conference Web site, www.writeonwhidbey.org, and review the guidelines for submitting a writing sample. Authors in every category are pleased to help you learn how to improve your writing.

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CONTESTS AND MARKET REQUESTS

Be the Star You Are Essay Writing Contest
Choose from three topics, (role models for children, tribute to great parents, or what we can teach our children from disasters) and write a 600 word essay. Submission must be received by Dec. 20, 2005. For detail, visit http://www.bethestaryouare.org/writingcontest2005.html

Lohman Poetry Prize
The Olympia Poetry Network announces its third annual poetry contest. Submissions must be mailed by January 31, 2006. No fee to enter. Cash prizes. For details, visit http://www.scattercreek.com/~yake/opn.lohmann.htm

Tom Howard Short Story and Prose Contest
Original short stories, essays or other prose are acceptable. Submissions deadline is March 31, 2006. Prizes totaling $3,000 will be awarded. Visit http://www.winningwriters.com/tomstory.htm for details.

Lunch Hour Stories
Lunch Hour Books is seeking short-story submissions for the 2007 season of Lunch Hour Stories, a monthly literary magazine. Stories should be literary in nature. Submission deadline is June 30, 2006. For more information, visit http://www.lunchhourbooks.com

New Phi Delta Kappa publication
The international educational fraternity is seeking submissions for its new bi-monthly magazine, Edge: The Latest Information for the Education Practitioner. A single article will be featured in each issue. Articles should focus on timely educational programs and practices, preferably that apply across grade levels and subjects. Submission guidelines are available at http://www.pdkintl.org/publications/guidelines.htm.

First Person Journalism
Orato.com is an online news channel dedicated entirely to first person journalism. A contributor’s registry lists assignments on topics from current events, entertainment and sports to health and science, lifestyle, travel and adventure, love and friendship, business and technology, even "Bad Media". Register at http://www.orato.com. Registration is free, and pay is available for commissioned pieces.

Short Story Anthology
Both established writers and new voices are welcome to submit short stories to Hourglass Books for its anthology, Occupational Hazards: Stories From the World of Work. See the author submission guidelines on http://www.hourglassbooks.com/submissions

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WATCH FOR 2006 STUDENT WRITING CONTEST

The Whidbey Island Writers Association sponsors an annual Student Writing Contest that encourages students to write, helps improve their writing skill and identifies writing excellence. Students in elementary school through grade six have until January 31 to submit their entries in the 2006 WIWA Student Writing Contest. Students in grades seven and above have until April 28. The contest is open to all Whidbey Island students in public schools, private schools and home schools. Complete submission guidelines will be made available to all schools soon. Home schooled students may contact the administrator (below) for information.

Students may enter one submission in each of three categories: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Submissions must be original and suitable for publication. All submissions will be read and evaluated, and numerous prizes awarded. Winning entries will be displayed in local libraries.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer reader or coordinator, or have questions about this program please contact the administrator Jerry Mercer at StudentContest@writeonwhidbey.org or call 360-678-4813.

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EARN CLOCK HOURS OR COLLEGE CREDITS AT CONFERENCE

Teachers can earn either clock hours or two graduate/undergraduate credits toward their certificate requirements for attending the writers conference March 3 through March 5. Participants must register both with the writer's conference and with The Heritage Institute (call 800-445-1305 or 360-341-302, or email registrar@hol.edu, or visit the Web site http://www.hol.edu for more information). Each registration requires payment of a separate fee. For additional information, email classes@writeonwhidbey.org.

Students of Skagit Valley College, through the South Whidbey Center, can earn two college credits at the freshman (ENGL 152) level that may be applied toward an AA degree, or in some cases, for high school credit. Students must register with both the writer's conference and with Skagit Valley College. Each registration requires a separate fee. To register with Skagit Valley College, call 360-341-2324, or for more information, email blueyude@whidbey.com.

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CREATE A WRITING PRESENCE ON THE WEB

Writers, WIWA wants to promote you and your writing by helping you develop a presence on the Web. If you have a personal Web site and you are a member of WIWA, we'll create an online link from the Resources section of our Web site, http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Resources_Links/Resource_Home.htm , to your personal Web site about writing. This is your opportunity to showcase your writing, sell your books or advertise your writing services. All sites must be about writing and are subject to WIWA's approval. To set up a link, e-mail the Webmaster at WebAdmin@WriteOnWhidbey.org with your full name and the link to your Web site. This service is free to WIWA members.

Need help creating a Web site? Contact the Webmaster at WebAdmin@WriteOnWhidbey.org about design and publishing services that are available for a reasonable fee. In addition, WIWA can host your writing site on its Web site for $50 a year. Let WIWA help you connect your writing to the Web.

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PASSAGES

"Tucker" Thomas J. Giblin, author of The Class of '42, Marines in WWII, and past fireside chat host and supporter of the Whidbey Island Writers Conference, died Nov. 2, 2005 at the age of 80. Tucker served in the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII and later retired from Northwest Airlines as a pilot. He is survived by his loving friend and companion of 16 years Linda Leland; daughters Kathleen Giblin, Nancy Green, Carole Moe and Jennifer Anderes; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Memorials can be made to Northwest Kidney Centers Foundations, P.O. Box 3035, Seattle, WA 98114.

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WIWA's HOLIDAY WISH LIST

The Whidbey Island Writes Association is looking for generous individuals or groups interested in donating any of the following items to help us in our efforts to offer outstanding and new programs to local writers and readers. Please contact 360-331-6714 if you have any questions or to make a donation, or email wiwa@whidbey.org. As a 501c-3 non-profit organization all donations made to WIWA are tax deductible.

Work station (student desk size) with room for a computer and monitor
Desk chair
computer and monitor current enough to run sophisticated graphics software that WIWA recieved through a recent grant. (please contact Elizabeth Guss, Conference Director, for specific details)
The Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press, August 2003 Edition
AP Stylebook, Associated Press, July 2004 Edition
New books on writing (to be used as prizes in the annual youth writing contest beginning January 2006)
Phone cards
Copy paper
Card Stock (white or off-white)
Legal size copy paper (for making of brochures and other print materials)
Business envelopes #10

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CYBERSURFING

If you find a Web site you think other writers would like to visit, send us the URL.

Nina Bayer, WIWA member and WWW-MFA student, refers daily to this free listserve/website http://lists.topica.com/lists/crwropps that posts writing contests and calls for submissions from all over the country.

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QUOTATIONS
Please send us quotations about writing that you would like to share.

For me the novel is a social vehicle. It reflects society. --Margaret Atwood

Nothing we write, if we hope to be any good, will ever turn out as we first thought. --Lillian Hellman

If you are having difficulties with a book; try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. --H.G. Wells

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TO CONTACT US OR SUBMIT AN ARTICLE

We are interested in hearing from you. Perhaps you've been to a recent book fair, heard a favorite author speak, or learned valuable tips from a writing class. Perhaps you're a professional willing to share your expertise. If you would like to submit an article; tell us about your good news for the Cheers or Recent Releases columns; send us your favorite quotes, markets, contests and cyber sites; or contact us about the newsletter for any reason, please e-mail wiwa@whidbey.org. For information about the Conference, e-mail writers@whidbey.org. The WIWA Web site is: www.writeonwhidbey.org.

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TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE

The WIWA Newsletter is published approximately every two months and is delivered to subscribers by e-mail. If you would like to subscribe, send an e-mail, with SUBSCRIBE WIWA in the subject line, to wiwa@whidbey.org. If you would like to unsubscribe, please reply to this e-mail with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject, and we will delete you from our records. WIWA will not share or sell your name or e-mail address.