NCWN

CHARLOTTE – Registration is now closed for the 2012 Squire Summer Writing Residency, July 19–22 at Queens University of Charlotte.

The Squire Summer Writing Residency was open only to the first fifty registrants, who chose from one of the following workshops: Creative Nonfiction with Pat MacEnulty, Poetry with Morri Creech, or Fiction with Robert Inman.

“The Squire Summer Writing Residency has become one of our most beloved programs,” NCWN executive director Ed Southern said. “It’s the most effective at forming close bonds between writers from across the state.”

The Squire Summer Writing Residency offers an intensive course in a chosen genre, with ten hour-and-a-half sessions over the four days of the program. Registrants work in-depth on their own writing, while also studying the principles of the genre with their instructor.

MacEnulty’s most recent book, Wait Until Tomorrow: A Daughter's Memoir, was nominated for the 2012 SIBA Nonfiction Book Award. She has also published four novels, a short-story collection, a children's play, poetry, essays, reviews, and interviews. She is an Associate Professor of English at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, where she teaches creative writing, journalism, and film.

Creech is the Writer in Residence at Queens University of Charlotte, where he teaches courses in both the Undergraduate Creative Writing Program and in the Low-Residency M.F.A. He is the author of two collections of poetry, Paper Cathedrals (Kent State University Press, 2001) and Field Knowledge, which received the Anthony Hecht Poetry prize and was nominated for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the Poet’s Prize. His third book, The Sleep of Reason, is forthcoming in 2013.

Inman is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who in 1996 left a thirty-one-year career in television journalism, much of it as the lead anchor for WBTV in Charlotte, to devote himself full-time to fiction writing. He is the author of four novels, and his fifth novel, The Governor’s Lady, will be published later this year. He has also written seven produced plays for the stage, and the screenplays for six motion pictures for television.

In addition to the workshops, the 2012 Squire Summer Writing Residency will feature a panel discussion on publishing and bookselling, a “Writingest State” trivia contest, and readings by faculty and registrants. Attendees take meals together, and are encouraged—but not required—to stay in guest rooms that will be set aside for this conference.

The Squire Summer Writing Residency is named in honor of the late Chick and Elizabeth Daniels Squire, whose support made the residency possible.

More information about the Squire Summer Writing Residency can be found at www.ncwriters.org, or by calling 336-293-8844.

GREENSBORO, NC--The Network will host its annual Spring Conference at the campus of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro on April 28. Authors interested in writing for children can attend a half-day workshop titled, "Breaking into Children's Publishing" with Megan Bryant; while writers hoping to sell a book and build a career can sign up for "Accounting for Writers" with Ted Shalek or "Guerilla Tactics: Promotional Strategies for the Cash-Strapped Author" with Charles Fiore.

Here are the course descriptions:

Breaking into Children’s Publishing with Megan Bryant
Children’s publishing is more competitive than ever before. In this workshop, you’ll gain an understanding of the current business climate that will provide a solid foundation for pitching and selling your manuscript in today’s especially competitive conditions. We’ll also discuss tips, tricks, and practical advice about writing for children.

Accounting for Writers with Ted Shalek
This workshop will cover the accounting basics that writers need to know: how royalties are taxed, what expenses can be deducted, what authors have to do to (legally) sell their books themselves, and the point at which a hobby becomes a business.

Guerilla Tactics: Promotional Strategies for the Cash-Strapped Author with Charles Fiore
Unless money’s no object, you’ve got to be ferocious when publicizing your book. And whether you’re a self-published author or you’ve gone the traditional route, nobody loves your book like you do, and no one is going to work harder, or be a better proponent, for your book than you. In this workshop, we’ll discuss low-cost strategies for being your own marketing and PR department—the same strategies used by professional PR agents and publishers that you can do for a fraction of the cost. We’ll discuss the dos and don’ts of author website design; how to mobilize the robots at Amazon.com to work for you; and develop successful tactics for getting media attention for your book and your events. You’ll leave this workshop energized and fully equipped to begin promoting your book—whether or not you’ve got the backing of a publisher’s marketing department.

Megan E. Bryant has written more than 190 children’s books (including a New York Times bestseller and two VOYA Nonfiction Honor Books) for several major publishers including Chronicle Books, Penguin, Simon and Schuster, Running Press, Scholastic, HarperCollins, and Disney. As a former children’s book editor, she has edited more than 325 children’s books in all genres.

Ted Shalek is the Chief Financial Officer of Smart Online, Inc., a software development company providing a unique mobile platform that allows creative writers to develop mobile applications without knowing computer codes. He is also a lecturer at UNCG in the inter-disciplinary entrepreneurship program. He teaches entrepreneurial finance to non-business students. Ted is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Valuation Analyst. He earned an MBA from The University of Tampa and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Charles Fiore is the communications coordinator for the North Carolina Writers’ Network. Previously, he served as a freelance public relations specialist and the public relations director/marketing coordinator for ACTA Publications, where he led publicity campaigns for bestselling authors Bill James, Gary Graf, and Paul Wilkes, among many others. Fiore is the author of the novel Green Gospel (Livingston Press, 2011). His website is www.lcfiore.com.

Full faculty bios can be viewed on the conference webpage. The 2012 Spring Conference also offers workshops in nonfiction, poetry, children's publishing, and tutorials for authors. Registration is available online or by calling 336-293-8844.

The nonprofit North Carolina Writers’ Network is the state’s oldest and largest literary arts services organization devoted to writers at all stages of development.