Christine Pakkala Article on Dan Woog’s 06880
Besides wishing everyone a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, we wanted to highlight an article on Dan Woog’s 06880 blog celebrating our instructor Christine Pakkala’s award winning essay in Ladies’ Home Journal, which will be out in June 2013:
Christine wrote grippingly about her fear of flying. She finally overcame it in order to spend Christmas in Costa Rica with her husband, attorney and author Cameron Stracher, and their kids (Simon, then 13, and Lulu, 10).
The vacation turned grim when Cam collapsed after a run. The only CAT-scan machine in the country was in San Jose — and the only way to get there was on a tiny plane.
Congratulations again, Christine! Full article.
What We’re Reading: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
We are delighted to have Ellen Bregman share her thoughts for this month’s What We’re Reading. Ellen is a writer in Matt Debenham’s Thursday Intermediate Fiction workshop:
Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts
When a friend lent me Shantaram, I was skeptical. Three inches thick and 936 pages long, it looked as heavy and dull as a phonebook.
Gregory David Roberts, an ex-junkie and ex-con, was a first- time author. The book cover boasted: “The most astonishing adventure story you will ever read.”
Shantaram did not disappoint: poetic and epic in scope, it’s a five- part saga of fast-paced fun. East meets West as multi-national sensibilities collide. (more…)
We Have a Winner!
We are delighted to announce the winner of our blog subscription drawing for a free workshop series– Linda Gibson. Congratulations, Linda!
In the last several years, I have shifted “writing gears” with the help of several talented editors and communities of writers. I began and have continued to work with the Westport Writers’ Workshop and have participated as a fellow in the Writer’s Institute at the Graduate Center CUNY, directed by André Aciman.
June 7 Book Talk with Pat Schneider
Join us here at Westport Writer’s Workshop Friday June 7 from 7:30-9 p.m. for a book talk with Pat Schneider, the author of How the Light Gets In. No charge.
Will have wide appeal to both amateur and seasoned writers and spiritual seekers whether or not tied to any tradition. The book is also useful as a tool for growth through reflection and writing. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal
Glimmer Train: 3 Wonderful (and Wonderfully Staggered) Writing Contests
SHORT STORY AWARD for NEW WRITERS
Open only to writers whose fiction has not appeared, nor is scheduled
to appear, in any print publication with a circulation over 5,000.
Next deadline: May 31.
Reading fee: $15 per story. Please no more than three submissions per contest.
Prizes:
1st place wins $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 20 copies of that issue.
2nd place wins $500 (or $700 and 10 copies, if accepted for publication).
3rd place wins $300 (or $700 and 10 copies, if accepted for publication).
FICTION OPEN
Open to all subjects, all themes, and all writers.
Next deadline: June 30 (more…)
Kafka: the Procrastinator
Today’s note from Cindy …
Today I learned via the brilliant outlet, Slate, that Franz Kafka was a procrastinator, like the rest of us. Its funny how much these little realizations can humanize legendary writers. (I took a three hour nap after work the other day myself, when I should have undoubtedly been writing.)
I’m not sure the lesson here is that if Kafka can get away with it, so can we…but perhaps next time, don’t beat yourself up so much and feel so guilty about living a little. Grab that lunch at Whole Foods Cafe.
Franz Kafka is a good example. In 1908, Kafka landed a position at the Workers’ Accident Insurance Institute in Prague, where he was fortunate to be on the coveted “single shift” system, which meant office hours from 8 or 9 in the morning until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. This was a distinct improvement over his previous job, which required long hours and frequent overtime. So how did Kafka use these newfound hours of freedom? First, lunch; then a four-hour-long nap; then 10 minutes of exercise; then a walk; then dinner with his family; and then, finally, at 10:30 or 11:30 at night, a few hours of writing—although much of this time was spent writing letters or diary entries. (more…)
Wise Words from Christine Pakkala: Writing for Children Sneak Peak
Too excited for this weekend’s Saturday workshop “Writing for Children,” I thought I’d take a peek at the lesson plan and share a few goodies:
- Read books—the classics you grew up reading and new books your kids and grandkids are reading. Read them with a sharp eye: how does the author use dialogue, action, language to tell her story?
- Take one of those stories you’ve read and type up a page of it. See how it looks on the (your) computer screen. Note how much white space is on the page!
- Spend time with children. Listen to the way they talk. Take notes. If you’re writing for school-age children, volunteer in the school library or in the classroom.
More wisdom and tips this Saturday, hope to see you there!
-Cindy
Writer Joshua Henkin to Speak at Fairfield University 5/6 at 7 p.m.
Award-winning author Joshua Henkin will be speaking about his novel The World Without You as part of Fairfield University’s Inspired Writer Series.
Monday May 6, 2013
7 p.m. Fairfield University
Dolan School of Business Dining Room
The event is free and open to the public and sponsored by Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing program. To reserve a seat, please e-mail Elizabeth Hastings at ehastings@fairfield.edu. For more information on Fairfield University’s MFA in Creative Writing, visit www.fairfield.edu/mfa.
Read more here.
Westport Writers' Workshop Community Blog 