January 1, 2012
Al P. Nelson Feature Article Contest Opens
January 1, 2012
Florence Lindemann Humor Contest Opens
January 1, 2012
SOAR Scholarship Contest Opens
March 15, 2012
Al P. Nelson Feature Article Contest Closes
March 15, 2012
Florence Lindemann Humor Contest Closes
March 15, 2012
Jade Ring Contest Opens
April 12, 2012
Entry Deadline for SOAR Scholarship Entries
May 4-5, 2012
WWA Spring Conference
May 6, 2012
WWA Board Meeting
June 15, 2012
Jade Ring Contest Closes
New Board Member
Please be
informed that the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Writers Association (WWA)
has approved appointment of Robert Poznanski to the Board as Representative of
the Southeastern Region.
~LaMoine
MacLaughlin, President
I have been
a writer since the seventies. My early writing mainly consisted of letters to
editors and political officials. Several of my letters appeared in the
editorial page of the papers.
I wrote
instructional pieces for the trucking industry having one of my manuscripts
published in Transport Topics, a weekly trade paper of the trucking industry. I
also wrote a review WWA newsletter on one of our speakers.
Since my
retirement, after forty-seven years in transportation, my main interest has
been fiction. I have two completed mystery novels which I am attempting to have
published. I have ideas for several more novels one of which is in the planning
stage at the present time.
I continue
my education as a writer by attending conferences. I have attended several
conferences at UW Madison and Milwaukee. In 2010 I attended the Pen to
Press conference in New Orleans LA. This is an intense weeklong
conference dedicated to fiction writers.
I have been
a member of WWA for several years. I knew at the first conference that this was
a good writer organization. I try to attend every conference and have never
been disappointed.
My
retirement allowed me more freedom to travel and I have attended a couple of
board meetings as a guest member. The meetings left me wanting to become more
involved with the organization.
Announcements
The Jessica Nelson North online submission form is now live.
Please submit your books of poetry via this form electronically. Otherwise,
follow the instructions in the Contest Rules to submit through USPS mail.
The spring conference online registration form is now live! A
fast, easy way to submit your registration form and let us know what special
activities you will be participating in. If online is not your thing, follow the
directions to the printable form and send it in USPS.
Our 2012 electronic advertising rates are now available.
Please visit this page to discover affordable ways to share your writing wares
with the membership of WWA.
Random Acts of Poetry & Art Day
What if we all brought art and kindness to
others on the same day? Random Acts of Poetry & Art on February
20, 2012, is an international day of inspiration.It is an artistic
pay-it-forward movement with the purpose of spreading the joy of
creation. Wherever you are on this day, please join us in sharing
your poems and visual art for all to enjoy! It's up to you what you do!Create, be inspired, and
share photos of your Random Acts of Poetry & Art on our Facebook
page for the world community to enjoy.
Find us on facebook to learn more about this
artistic movement and to read about some Random Acts ideas! Random
Acts on Facebook
Southeast Region's New Representative
Gale Borger, one of last year's conference
speakers, will represent the Southeast region from her home in Twin
Lakes where she lives with her husband and daughter, a Dogue de
Bordeaux, two cats, about 1500 tropical fish, an African Horned
Toad, a side-neck turtle, two dwarf hamsters, and a leopard gecko.
When Gale is not writing, she and her husband breed and swap
tropical fish. She is a Master Gardener and after work can usually
be found in a flower bed up to her ears in weeds, or volunteering at
a local gardening event. Her books include Totally Buzzed, Totally Fishy, Death of a Garden Hoe, and Digging up Dirt. Visit http://galeborgerbooks.com for more
information. Gale can be contacted and welcomed at sereg [at]
wiwrite.org
We are excited to have her as part
of the team!
WWA Charter Clubs Expand
Since it’s inception in 2009, the WWA Charter Club Partnership Program has
blossomed to 14 clubs statewide, the fastest growing segment of WWA
membership. Charter Club members enjoy substantial savings from the
program.
Any local writing club, critique group, or gathering of five or
more people, including online groups, interested in the writing
craft can enroll as a Charter Club in the WWA. Charter Club Members
receive discounted membership dues and conference registration fees
in exchange for participating as a group. See theWWA Charter Club Partnership
Program page for complete details.
Cornerstone Press Seeking Book-length
Manuscripts
Cornerstone Press is looking for book-length manuscripts. If you
have a book-length manuscript in any genre (e.g. non-fiction,
fiction, poetry, children’s literature, graphic novel, artist’s
book), you should consider publishing it with Cornerstone Press at
the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP). Send your
manuscript by January 15, 2012 and you could be Cornerstone Press’s
next author!
Cornerstone Press has published 30 books to date, including the
first edition of Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest (the
second edition was published by the University of Wisconsin Press)
and Influences: How Ancient Hinduism Dramatically Changed Early
Christianity (an edition of which was published in India in 2009).
The most recent publication to emerge from Cornerstone Press is
Whipped, Not Beaten, a chick-lit novel written by UWSP alum Melissa
Westemeier.
More ...
2012 Fall Conference Venue Announced
WWA Conference Site Selection Coordinator, Barb Jensen, announced
the venue for the 2012 WWA Fall Conference will be theHotel Mead in
Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Discounted room rates will be available for
conference attendees. See the
2012 WWA Fall Conference page for details as more information
becomes available, or follow us on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/WIWrite.
Members Approve Name Change
WWA members attending the Saturday, September 24, 2011, General
Meeting at the Fall Conference voted to approve an organization name
change from Wisconsin Regional Writers' Association to Wisconsin
Writers Association. To reflect the name change, the new WWA has a
new website address,
www.wiwrite.org, and all staff email addresses have been updated
to use the new domain.
Jade Ring Winners Announced
The Jade Ring Contest generated more than 300 entries in seven
categories. Winners were announced at the Fall WWA Conference with
prizes going to the top three placements and up to two honorable
mentions. First place prize winners received $150; 2nd Place, $100;
3rd Place, $80; and honorable mention, $15. Names of the Jade Ring
contest winners are listed on the website at
www.wiwrite.org/contests/jade-ring.htm.
A Call for Submissions to WWA Press
Anthology
The Wisconsin Regional Writers’ Association Press has published
its first book: Robert Gard: The Windmill Man, compiled and
edited by LaMoine MacLaughlin. Buy the
book.
What’s next for the Press? One project, being assembled right
now, is an anthology. Others will be...?? The Anthology project’s
code name is Wisconsin’s Got Talent. That won’t be the final title,
but it indicates the project’s essence.
What genre are we looking for? Any and all. “Genre” is not an
operating term for this project. “Excellence,” however, is. Toss
aside your preconceptions. Tear free from the straight-jacket of the
term “genre.” We’re looking for short to medium-length pieces that
you consider your most highly-polished, brilliantly-sparkling gems.
If the piece you submit is a past winner (or runner-up, or even
no-show) in a past WWA contest, please indicate so in your
submission. Download submission
guidelines.
Can my work be previously published? Yes, as long as you own the
publication rights. You'll be asked to sign a statement to that
effect.
Illustrators, we are also looking for you to add graphics to our
publications.
Currently, we are looking for future projects. Do you have a book
you want to print? We’d like to hear about it. Link to theHow to Submit to WWA Press
for criteria and submission requirements.
More ...
Robert E. Gard Book Available Online
The e-book, The Robert E. Gard Reader, just published,
features the writing and key ideas of Robert E. Gard, all told in a
very autobiographical and evocative way. It contains the story from
Grassroots Theater about how WWA began, even including the Creed of
WWA. There's also the text of a talk he gave, "Notes for Writers
Who Are Desperately Moved to Write," which may well have been given
at a WWA conference. WWA president, LaMoine MacLaughlin, wrote the
foreword to the e-book. Click on the following link to enjoy it. It
is free online.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/clevelandstatedr/docDetail.action?docID=10416299