Edwin M Church 2023 contest details and the 2022 winner!

 Edwin Church was an avid writer who believed that spirits were all around us. He had regular visitation from the other realm and spoke of them often. Edwin never published the majority of his work, but his spirit lives on in the Edwin Church Award for Local Writers. This award was established to act as an incentive for local writers to share their work and to take the next step towards getting published. The $500 cash prize is open to anyone 18 and over who lives, works, gathers, or plays in Swanton, Vermont.

Entries must be a 1000-3000 word original short story that tells the

tale of Morgan, who is under a deadline to finish writing an item that is personally important to them. Before they can finish, there is an interruption that involves a spirit.

It's up to the writer to tell us how Morgan reacts to this ghostly interruption or if the important piece of writing ever gets finished. The possibilities of your short story are unlimited, but you must include the phrase "seeing is believing" somewhere in the last paragraph.  Deadline for the entries has yet to be determined.  Projected early summer 2023.  Watch for the deadline in a future entry.  

Shannon Lucy won the 2022 contest.   Find her entry entitled "After You've Gone" can be found HERE

Meeting Minute February 16 2023

 Attendees: Ev Larsen, Don Lefebvre, Michelle Willard, Nancy Fuller, Eileen Williams, Judy Paxman, Heather Lavoie, Shannon Lucy, Becky Rupp

Congratulations to new group member  Shannon Lucy, winner of this year's Edwin Church Award.  I will be posting a separate blog entry containing a link to Shannon's story and details for the 2023 Edwin M Church contest.  The contest has been funded for two more years!

Events:

POEM TOWN, St. Johnsbury, VT, is looking for submissions of poems no longer than 28 lines (limit of two poems) on theme of "Embracing Change." Deadline is February 28. Find more information HERE.  Montpelier VT has a similar event entitled "Poem City" Submissions are now closed but more information about past events can be found HERE. 

POETRY SLAM will be held at the Swanton Library on Saturday, April 1, 5-7 PM. Email Becky or Judy for participation guidelines.  Our own Scott Martel will MC the event.  In conjunction with the SLAM and in the spirit of April being National Poetry month the writer's group would like to create their own version of the St. Johnsbury and Montpelier events.  We'd like to host a POEMS AROUND THE PARK. Poems should be submitted by March 20 and will be posted in windows around town. More details on where to submit and how will be available after the next writer's group meeting.  For now: get writing!

BOOKSTOCK LITERARY FESTIVAL 2023 will take place on June 23-25; keep an eye on their WEBSITE for schedule and details.

Resources:

League of Vermont Writers is hosting an online book discussion of Jeff Vandermeer's Wonderbook - the "definitive guide to writing science fiction and fantasy" - on Thursday, February 23, 7 PM. (The Swanton Library has a copy - check it out!) Or purchase HERE  If interested in attending, send an email to Shawn Anderson.

The Vermont Humanities Council hosts both online and in-person events throughout the state - see the long list HERE   Some interesting stuff for writers: a Zoom talk "The People's Tongue: Americans and the English Language" on March 1, and on March 15, Tracy Smith - a US Poet Laureate - will be doing a reading and talk at Middlebury College. 

The Poets & Writers website (companion to the print magazine) has tons of up-to-date info on writing contests, literary magazines, agents and editors, conferences and workshops, and more. More info HERE

Future plans:

We are planning to host a LOCAL WRITERS EVENT at the Swanton Library - possibly in early May - in which writers display/sell/sign their books and talk to the public. (What to call it? And who to invite? Please send your suggestions.)

Judy tells us that the SAC may be able to give us some financial support for these. (Thank you, Judy and the SAC!)

Writing prompts: a couple of people were interested in having these, and Michelle suggested we revisit the infamous Machine of Death project. Ev pointed out that Seven Days Vermont is a great source of inspiration - check out the legal section and the group meet-ups. (There's got to be a story in the Potato Intolerance group.)

Judy gave us a preview of the next Edwin Church challenge - which will involve ghosts and the phrase "Seeing is believing." How good is that? Stories will be due sometime this summer - details to be posted soon.

Who read what:

Nancy read "The Story of Sky" - an account of a lovable rescue dog with a traumatic past, now relegated to the isolation tank at the dog park for not playing well with others. (But there's hope for the future, due to a helpful  dog named Obi-wan Kenobe.) We're all pitching for Sky.

Eileen read a proposal for her latest memoir project, tentatively titled "The Builder's Wife," with themes of moving, dislocation, leaving vs. new beginnings, family, and the meaning of home.

Ev read "A Mindfile Named Otto," a terrific hybrid prose/poetry work with roots in Alan Ginsberg's Howl. (Complete text of Howl is at the Poetry Foundation: HERE

Ev's essay spawned a conversation about GPT technology vs living writers.  Pros and Cons and what it means for our future.  Helpful article on Wiki HERE

Next meeting:

Thursday, March 16, 6 PM at the Swanton Library.

Meeting Minutes June 16, 2022

 Attendance: Eileen Williams, Don Lefebvre, Ev Larson, Nancy Fuller, Michelle Willard, Scott Martell Becky Rupp

Meeting commenced at 6 pm. 

Events

Bookstock Vermont, June 24-26 2022 "Come to Woodstock for this premier literary festival with a boutique feel and a big heart! Showcases literary luminaries and cross-cultural voices, including Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureate, National Book Award winners, plus debut and best-selling authors from Vermont and beyond. Features a huge sale of used, rare, and vintage books, along with author book signings, live music, food, and entertainment all on The Green in this storybook New England village. It’s free, walkable, and fun for all ages. Be part of the story!" Find all the information HERE

Green Mountain Book Festival, September 23-25 2022  "The Green Mountain Book Festival honors free expression, embraces diverse voices, and encourages a deeper understanding of self and community through a shared love of reading and books."  Find more information HERE

Brattleboro Literary Festival October 13-16 2022.  Find all the details HERE  

Also, if you are in the area considering attending their monthly Literary Cocktail Hour.  Description: "The Literary Cocktail Hour is an fun, informal monthly event featuring a pair (or more) of speakers in an entertaining, illuminating virtual event that opens with the notion of cocktails!" Schedule found HERE

Tuesday, June 21, is World Make Music Day! Scott will be performing on the Swanton Green - and NW Access TV is an official venue and is looking for volunteer helpers (anywhere from 10 AM - 10 PM). If interested - or if you're a potential performer - contact Roger Lindala at   EMAIL

Tuesday, June 21: next meeting of the But I Progress Book Club (renamed club), 6 PM at the Swanton Public Library. A group devoted to feminism and related cultural and political issues. Book for this meeting is Rebecca Solnit's "Men Explain Things to Me."

Resources

Literary North "Literary life in Northern New England"

Burlington Writer's Group

Workshops

Joy Choquette, self-publishing coach and author will hold two workshops in the next few weeks.  

Tuesday June 28th 6 pm: "Writing your first novel: Tips and Tricks to help you get to the end"

Tuesday July 5th 6 pm: "Book publishing options: Traditional, Indie Hybrid-Oh My"

Location: The Swanton Public Library.  Preregistration is required.  EMAIL the library to register.  Call for additional information (802) 868-7656

Book Recommendation

"Several Short Sentences about Writing" by Verlyn Klinkenborg "An indispensable and distinctive book that will help anyone who wants to write, write better, or have a clearer understanding of what it means for them to be writing"

In between discussions several members read their work.

Michelle read "The Pay-loader" Artifact story: a poignant account of her conflicted relationship with her dad and a favorite toy

Eileen, who has been watching a front-porch robin's nest, read "Mama Robin," a poem that showed that there's much more to robins than just robins.

Ev read "Catching a Break," in which everyone's favorite characters Grub and Hook provide entertainment at a vineyard.  He elaborated on his writing process by discussing an ever growing list of nicknames he has collected and how the names help inspire stories-sometimes loosely based on characteristics of the name holders. 

Nancy, inspired by Eileen's memoir "The Gosling Bride", read a great account of her experiences with religion and spirituality, which began with a Nigerian phone call and progressed through transubstantiation and cannibalism.

Scott shared the first episode of "Around the Back Food and Drink Reviews," in which he revealed the awful truth about coconut water. (Scott! This could be a great blog!)

Next meeting is July 21st at the Swanton Public Library.  In person at 6 pm.  Zoom is available.  Our ongoing writing assignment is to pick an artifact in your home/office and write a piece no longer than 1,000 words.  Essay, poem, story.  Please share and bring a picture of the item if you can.  Hope to see you all soon!

Meeting Minutes May 19 2022

Meeting commenced in person at 6 pm.  Attendees: Michelle Willard, Ev Larson, Scott Martell, Emmet Matthieu, Nancy Fuller, and Becky Rupp.  So nice to see some of our core members!  

Events

Bookstock Vermont, June 24-26 2022 "Come to Woodstock for this premier literary festival with a boutique feel and a big heart! Showcases literary luminaries and cross-cultural voices, including Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureate, National Book Award winners, plus debut and best-selling authors from Vermont and beyond. Features a huge sale of used, rare, and vintage books, along with author book signings, live music, food, and entertainment all on The Green in this storybook New England village. It’s free, walkable, and fun for all ages. Be part of the story!" Find all the information HERE

Green Mountain Book Festival, September 23-25 2022  "The Green Mountain Book Festival honors free expression, embraces diverse voices, and encourages a deeper understanding of self and community through a shared love of reading and books."  Find more information HERE and read the VT magazine "Seven Days" article HERE 

Poetry Slam was a hit on April 22, though it was generally agreed that prizes not a plus and should be discontinued in the future. It was suggested that a monthly poetry slam –perhaps wirh added opportunity for varied short readings – might be an excellent program for the library – perhaps on Saturday mornings. (Input welcome!)

Ev suggested Whitcomb’s Community Space in Whallonsburg, NY, which holds open-mic storytelling sessions on the second Wednesday of every month: check it out HERE

Resources and Groups

As always find a wealth of information as well as workshops and support from The Burlington Writer's Workshop

A splinter of BWW called The Green Mountain Writer's Group offers workshops and reviews.  Check it out!

A new SPL book club – name is Fiercely Femme, but is open to everybody – meets for the first time on Tuesday, May 24, at 6 PM at the Swanton Library. Book to be discussed is Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men  by Caroline Perez.  Come and share discussion and opinions. Book club leader: Bianca Braman.

Member news

Emmett has acquired an editor and is about a third of the way through his sci fi novel.  Michelle submitted the first chapter of her novel "The Cage" to a second contest. Eileen Williams will be doing a book signing for her memoir, "The Gosling Bride", at the Swanton Public Library  on Saturday, June 11, at 10 AM. (Accompanied by Lovin’ Lattes.)  Scott has produced a new album with music which centers around depression, medication and love. Becky just won a national grant from Candlewick Press and the ALSC, for providing programs for underserved kids (and is thrilled) spent most of the past month planning a kid’s Native-American themed camp. Also doing VHC talks, writing book proposals, and reviewing a book on the history of orchids. 

Book Suggestions

"Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by Olga Tokarczuk

"Old Sparky" by Anthony Galvin

Our discussions were decidedly dark and included the history of prisons in the US, Insane Asylums and Depression and the purpose of 'burn letters': hence the book recs!  We did have a few laughs regarding discussions overheard in bars and the questionable nature of the new 'empowerment' mottos printed on Girl Scout Cookies.  "I'm a Risk Taker' could be problematic!

Readings

Ev presented a pair of hilariously politically incorrect list poems (“Michigan: Burlington Style” and “Michigan: North Country Style”) and a short piece, “Lemon Up,” which combined the electric chair at Sing-Sing prison and the new Girl Scout cookies.  Nancy read a journal entry.  Scott recited the lyrics from the title track of his new album.

Next meeting is June 16th at the Swanton Public Library.  In person at 6 pm.  Zoom is available.  Our ongoing writing assignment is to pick an artifact in your home/office and write a piece no longer than 1,000 words.  Essay, poem, story.  Please share and bring a picture of the item if you can.  Hope to see you all soon!

Meeting Minutes April 21, 2022

 Hello All!

Sorry for such a long lag in updating.  Didn't realize it had been a full year!  And this was our first in-person meeting in two years!

Attendees: Becky Rupp, Ev Larsen, Don Lefebvre, Michelle Willard, Eileen Williams

Announcements:

 The upcoming Vermont League of Writers Spring program, featuring Ralph Walker with exercises on “Techniques for Building Tension into Any Story.” Saturday, April 23, 10 AM–1 PM. Available via Zoom.  Go HERE
 

Poetry Slam at the Swanton Public Library, Friday, April 22, 6-8 PM. Cash prizes, musical entertainment, and a chance to cheer for your favorite poet!

News

 Eileen’s memoir, The Gosling Bride, will be available on June 8. We’re hoping to host her at the SPL for a book signing.
 

Group discussion

We talked about various genres of writing and how they have evolved over time.  Favorite authors over the last two centuries were mentioned.

Ev read his short piece “In Mysterious Ways” which got us all thinking about gambling gods and taught us the meaning of the phrase “above the snake line.”

 Michelle shared her poem “I Don’t Know Who I Am.”

Upcoming group activities 

We discussed a number of plans for group writing projects – Tarot cards? The Machine of Death? - and decided to try Artifacts: pick one from your home collection and write a short (no more than 1000 words) story, essay, poem, or other genre of your choice about it. To share at next meeting. For an example of this concept see The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities – an anthology of stories by writers such as Kelly Barnhill, Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, and Holly Black based on objects that range from a saint’s thighbone to Lord Dunsany’s teapot.

Our next meeting is Thursday, May 19th 2022 at the Swanton Public Library.  The meeting is in person but members can join via zoom.  Unvaccinated attendees must where a mask.

ZOOM link.  Passcode: 289902

Meeting Minutes for April 22, 2021

 A bit of a whoops for us all.  Four people attended this one week delayed meeting via zoom.  We are all hoping July will see us in person once again. Ev, Nancy, Becky and Michelle met for an hour.  Our discussion was a bit random but did include some book recommendations and local writing/contest/zine news.

The Hate U Give art and essay response zine is now available at the Swanton Library for anyone who is interested.

April 28th is the deadline for submitting to the poetry zine

Don't forget the 2021 Edwin M. Church Award. Entries must contain a train element. The expected length is 1,500-3,000 words. The deadline is August 1, 2021. The winner will be announced at the Swanton Arts Spectacular, which is traditionally the second Saturday in September.

Proposed Workshops/Panels

Becky proposed approaching regional authors who specialize in Memoir Writing. An in person panel which would be held later this year.  The focus: the process and the research involved in writing a memoir.

Book Recommendations

The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities. Fantastical anthology of written and visual art edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. 

Amber and Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz. Young Adult historical fiction/fantasy

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen

Mayflower, Voyage, Community, War by Nathaniel Philbrick

Not Quite What I was Planning. Six Word Memoirs. 

Our next meeting is via Zoom on May 20, 2021 at 6 pm.  Click on this LINK and use the passcode 289902 when prompted. Hope to see you there!

Meeting Minutes March 18, 2021

 There were five members in attendance via zoom.  We are all hopeful in person meetings will resume in early summer.  The attendees agreed zoom meetings might be more practical for winter meetings.   

Contests

April is National Poetry Month.  The Swanton Arts Council is sponsoring a poetry compilation contest. The prompt is "Kindness".  There will be adult and youth categories judged professionally. First and second prizes in each category: $50 and $25 respectively. The deadline for submissions is April 16th. Entrants will be published in a zine, which will be available at the Swanton Library.  There will be an online poetry reading, or possibly recorded at NW Television on April 30th.  Please contact Judy P with questions EMAIL

The artist response to "The Hate U Give" is due by April 1st, 2021.  Written responses must be 1,500 words or less.  The responses will be published in a zine available at the Swanton Library.  There will be a random drawing of all entries for a cash prize.   On April 8th, there will be an online zoom discussion of the book. Contact Judy Paxham with questions and log in information  EMAIL  

Don't forget the 2021 Edwin M. Church Award. Entries must contain a train element. The expected length is 1,500-3,000 words. Proposed deadline is August 1, 2021. The winner will be announced at the Swanton Arts Spectacular, which is traditionally the second Saturday in September.

Exhibitions/Performances

Vermont Libraries summer reading 2021 - TAILS & TALES. If anyone would like to read a favorite story about animals or their own work of the same vain, the Swanton Arts Council is planning a recording session for late April or early May. If interested in participating please contact the Swanton Public Library.   

Group members discussed the idea of offering book reviews as a service to Swanton library patrons.  As well as offering monthly recommendations to each other during our meetings.

We had a 20 minute writing prompt session during our meeting.  Members offered the following prompts for consideration: Sunshine, Lemony, How to Express Happiness, Is she lost? and Frankenswan. It was an enjoyable exercise which we will continue for the foreseeable future.

The next meeting is April 15th 2021 at 6 pm via zoom.  Login via this LINK and enter password: 289902 Hope to see you there!