Lighthouse Writers Workshop

January 2008 E-News

You must be prepared to work always without applause.
~Ernest Hemingway~

~Yippee!! You did it!
~Lighthouse~

If you're having a hard time emerging from that writing coma you entered somewhere mid-December, help is on the way. Here's the medicine (to be taken in equal parts, under close supervision):

1.     Shari Caudron added another "Get Your Writing Year in Order" section on January 19, 10 AM to 4 PM, in the meeting room at Whole Foods Market in Tamarac. We had no idea so many people wanted to get their butts kicked! Sign up now, as there were already 13 on the waitlist for the 1/12 section. Sign up on our Web site or call 303-297-1185.

2.     All of our 8-week workshops geared toward novelists, short story writers, poets, screenwriters, nonfiction writers, and flash formers, resume in two weeks. If geography is an issue, check out the Online Fiction Workshop, which can be taken on your own schedule, from your favorite cybercafe or living room. Or, for the truly commitment challenged, enjoy any of our many One-Day Intensive Workshops, which focus on topics in writing, exercises, and are open to all levels. And don't fret, the 4-week intensive courses will be back in March, with a slew of new offerings, including another Literature for Writers course, and the Fiction Writers Toolbox.

3.     This month, the Writer's Buzz returns on January 26, 4:00 PM, Forest Room 5, joining forces with the Lighthouse Book Club, which is reading William Haywood Henderson's Augusta Locke. Henderson will be on hand to discuss the novel, and present on the topic of writing about real characters, places, and events. Free and not to be missed, there will be plenty of food and drink on the menu. (Well, the food and drink aren't free, but you know what we mean.)

4.     The Beacon is ready, the Beacon is ready! For fresh interviews with novelists Eli Gottlieb and Sarah Ockler, and New York Times' columnist Marci Alboher, go to this page to download a pdf. Members will also receive a copy in the mail, unless you've opted for paperless delivery.Remember, it's not cheating to ask for help when it comes to beating the winter writing blues.  And now for the rest of the happenings:

FACULTY MAKE EARLY 2008 STATEMENT
Kudos to David Rothman, who has a poem published in the Hudson Review--check him out, he's teaching the Poetry Workshop for the Winter Session starting January 17.  Congrats to Laura Pritchett--the collection she edited, The Gleaners: Eco Essays on Recycling, Re-Use, and Living Lightly on the Land, has been accepted by University of Oklahoma Press and will be published in the Spring of 2009. She also has essays appearing in High Country News, in the current 5280, and in an anthology about mothers. Kudos to Christina Mengert, whose collaborative anthology (with Joshua Marie Wilkinson) was just picked up by the University of Iowa Press--more details on that to come. 

Congrats, Lisa and Kim!Dizzying good news for Lighthouse faculty Nick Arvin and former faculty member Viet Dinh--both are recipients of the 2008 Literature Fellowship in Prose from the National Endowment for the Arts, worth $25,000. (Drinks are on you guys!) Finally, pick up a copy of the current Threepenny Review, to read the lovely story "Repairs" by Jessica Roeder, Lighthouse's Online Fiction Workshop instructor.

Come out, everyone, for Eli Gottlieb's big outing for his new novel, Now You See Him. He'll be at the Boulder Bookstore on February 5, 7:30 PM, and at Tattered Cover Colfax on February 7, 7:30 PM. Let's pack the house and buy many copies.Oh, and stick it to the man (or at least to George Lucas): Alexandre Philippe's latest feature documentary is one that you can participate in--especially if you have a thing or two to say about Star Wars. (Thoughts on the deluge of prequels or new editions, anyone?) The People vs. George Lucas will explore the unique, ambivalent, and sometimes conflicted relationship that Star Wars fans continue to enjoy with the Star Wars franchise and its creator, George Lucas. This one-of-a-kind film, slated for release in 2009, is the first truly democratic documentary since the advent of the motion picture camera! Log on now at www.peoplevsgeorge.com. Warning: the site's addictive.

MEMBERS BUST OUT IN 2008

Fantastic news for J. Diego Frey, who just signed a contract with Ghost Road Press to publish his poetry collection Umbrellas or Else in the fall of 2008. He workshopped the manuscript in Chris Ransick's poetry master class last year, and wrote many of the poems in several sessions of the 8-week Poetry Workshop.

Claudia Putnam got three poems published recently: "Bunk with the Beasts" is out in Conte; "Wishing" has been accepted by California Quarterly, and "Excavated" will be published in the Tar Wolf Review. Also, member Martha Scherzer was published in Bangkok Blondes, a collection of stories and essays about living in Thailand. Kudos to Sue Carrizales, whose submission was chosen out of 2,500 entries to be published in A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers. And finally, Narrative Nonfiction Workshop veteran Anne Strobridge was a finalist in Westword's recent essay contest: "Why I'm Ready to Kiss 2007 Goodbye." Her story, "New Year's Cleanup," was published in the paper Dec. 13. You can (and really should) read it by clicking here.

Former Lighthouse workshopper Alan Gottlieb reads from his debut novel (workshopped in William Haywood Henderson's novel class), Ultimate Excursions, at the Tattered Cover LoDo, January 15, at 7:30 PM.

Lighthouse workshopper and board member Carleen Brice celebrates her own debut kickoff at the Tattered Cover LoDo, February 26, 7:30 PM. Lighthouse members are invited to arrive early for a complimentary kickoff reception with food, wine, and music, beginning at 6:00 PM. Her book just got selected as a Target Break Out Title for February, as well as a Black Expressions book club pick. Congrats, Carleen!

LIGHTHOUSE RESOLVES TO GET BIGGER IN THE NEW YEAR

Our faculty list runneth over with tons of goodness. In the coming months, check out new one-day and 8-week faculty members who are joining the ranks to share their passion with emerging writers. Laura Hendrie's first book of interconnected stories, Stygo, won many kudos, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Award and a finalist citation for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her novel, Remember Me, was a Book Sense 76 selection, a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers Series pick. Take her one-day workshops On Going Small, Dialogue, and then catch her again at our Third Annual Lit Fest.  

Welcome, too, to Dana Elkun, MFA, a poet relocated from Seattle, who has published in such places as Bellingham Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, and Puerto del Sol, and is known to turn to dictionaries and even the entire English alphabet for inspiration. Don't miss her half-day workshop Word as a Hinge: Wordplay for Poets and Fictioneers. And Tamara Guirardo, MFA, won a Stegner Fellowship for her outstanding fiction, which has appeared in StoryQuarterly, Best New American Voices 2005, and elsewhere. She takes the reins for the next round of the 8-week Art of Narrative Workshop, which delves into the essentials of all good fiction and narrative nonfiction.

NOTE TO YOUNG WRITERS: START THOSE MEMOIRS NOW!

For Lighthouse's younger scribes, be sure to check out the upcoming Youth Workshop, Writing from the Mirror: A Memoir Workshop,  January 13 & 20, 1:00-3:30 PM. Young writers will be under the trusty supervision of freelance writer Jennie Dorris (5280, Boulder Camera, Rocky Mountain News) and will look to life to find characters in the people they've met, ideas from things they've learned, and plot points from the experiences they've had. Students will read examples from great memoirs and learn how to turn the story of their lives into art. The class is still open for students 10-18 years old, so register by calling or clicking here. (Financial assistance available thanks to a grant from the Bloomfield Family Foundation.)

TO THE THEATER, ANYONE?

This is too good to be missed: Lighthouse members are invited to a special showing at the DCPA of Kent Haruf's Plainsong, now coming to the stage thanks to an adaptation by Eric Schmiedl. Tickets, which would typically run $45-50, are only $10. Here are the details:

Friday, January 25, 2008
Reception: 5:00 pm The Jones TheatrePerspective Seminar: 6:00 pm The Jones TheatreDaniel Ritchie, Chairman and CEO of the DCPAwill welcome you to this inside look at the production with the director and creative team.
Performance: 7:30 pm  The Stage TheatreDenver Performing Arts ComplexSpeer & Arapahoe, downtown DenverSpecial celebration price: $10 per ticketIncludes Perspective Seminar, performance and pre-show receptionTickets: Call Tina at 303.446.4849 or e-mail her (trisch@dcpa.org) and let her know you're a writer with Lighthouse.See some of you there? 

FREE MONEY FOR WRITERS
The Community Resource Center and CCA are offering Capacity Building Scholarships for artists looking to attend nonprofit and business management classes--like Patrick Soran’s Capitalizing on your Expertise or Doug McPherson’s How to Make a Darn Good Living as a Freelance Writer. Get more information about applying for the scholarship here: http://www.crcamerica.org. 

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: WIN CONTEST
The Arapahoe Community College Writers Studio is offering its Fourth Annual Writers Studio Literary Contest for Colorado residents. The submission period is Jan. 1 through March 1, and they are seeking poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction submissions. For information about submission guidelines, click here.