St. George Island Writers' Retreat 2010

NOVEMBER 10 - 14, 2010
I can't wait--white sand sparkling, sunlight dancing on surf, shrimp boats plying through gentle waves...the perfect backdrop for four days of glorious writing, of putting all other distractions on hold. I am SO ready for the retreat to begin.

We have a super group this year. As always, Adrian Fogelin, award-winning author of over seven young adult works, will be our author in residence. She will lead workshops and feedback sessions, offer private consultations, advice and encouragement. We'll have large blocks of writing time, too, so plan on making significant advances with your personal work-in-progress. The experience is magical.

Six of us who have attended one or more times in the past (this is our fifth year at St. George Island) will be there, laptops and dog-eared novel or memoir drafts in tow, and three new writers are on board, too--a great mix of interests and experience. We can fit in two more writers, but after that I have to close registrations and will be able to place interested writers on a waiting list only.

We check in at beautiful Abbeyfeale (a spacious private home overlooking the Gulf of Mexico) the afternoon of November 10 and stay through Sunday the 14th. If you are on the fence about signing up, do visit my website to look over the information and photos, and email or phone with questions or concerns. Hope to see you at the retreat.

Fiction Among Friends ~ A busy summer

Whoever coined that expression "lazy, hazy days of summer" didn't live in a small Adirondack town. As those of you who check in on this blog from time to time have noticed, it has been months since I've jotted a line here.

Chalk it up to Thurman and the myriad activities bubbling away here. I haven't stopped running since we returned home in April. Thurman Townwide Sale, Thurman Station Farmers' Market and Thurman Station Association's new projects (I'll blog more about those soon) have swallowed half of my waking hours. The work has been challenging, interesting and rewarding, so who can complain?

I have, however, enjoyed spending time organizing events for Fiction Among Friends, the "business" name under which I play with planning events for writers. The first was a writing workshop at Thurman Town Hall on June 19th. A good group of writers turned out, and we spent an enjoyable day working together on fleshing out characters and learning about publishing options--and all that goes with publication of a work.

The Second Thursday Readings at Willows Bistro, 3749 Main Street, Warrensburg, NY, have really taken off. Now in our second year, thanks to the hospitality of proprietor Debbie Swan, the list of so-called "Bistro Readers" boasts over forty members, most of whom have read for our group one or more times. The next session will be July 8th, when we welcome writer/poet Pedro Ponce from Canton, NY, where he teaches writing at St. Lawrence University, and Charles Watts of Lake Placid, a former TV scriptwriter now writing short fiction. If you are in the Warrensburg area July 8, stop in for the program at 7. The public is welcome at no charge. Desserts and beverages will be available.

On Thursday, July 29th Willows Bistro and Fiction Among Friends will host writer/poet/teacher Irene Sherlock's 5 p.m. memoir-based workshop to be followed about 6:30 by a delicious Willows Bistro dinner. The cost of this offering is $20 (including the dinner!), but you must preregister for the workshop and pre-order the dinner, both through me--no later than July 22, please. Irene is an amazing teacher. Visit my website for details and to read comments from former students and workshop attendees. Email me from the site to sign up, and mail your check to 11 Clarence Russell Road, Warrensburg, NY 12885. I'll email to ask your choice of entrees. After dinner Irene will present a reading, followed by readings by RayLene Corgiat and Gail Huntley. It will be a fine evening.

More is on tap for Fiction Among Friends, but I'll save that for my next post (soon, I promise), along with some exciting news.

Till then, all my best,
Perky

Opportunity Knocks - St. George Island Writers' Retreat

Who says opportunity knocks but once?

Every day dishes up opportunities--to hone old skills, acquire new ones, meet people, make friends, sail uncharted waters, soak up scenery. The person who closes up shop after one knock misses a lot.

So much for philosophy. As you might have guessed, I'm shouting from the rooftop about one of my favorite things in the world - The St. George Island (FL) Writers' Retreat with Adrian Fogelin, and the Apalachicola Writers' Workshop Day that kicks it off. This event runs November 12th through the 15th. Here are the details.

November 12 - The Apalachicola Writers’ Workshop Day (three workshops and lunch at historic Trinity Episcopal Church, on-your-own supper in Apalachicola, and a free evening program of short readings and signings at Downtown Books--Adrian Fogelin, Susan Womble, Dawn Evans Radford, Richard Edward Noble, Mary Lois Sanders, Wandat T. Goodwin, and me. A special highlight of the evening will be the official launch of "A Bridge to France," a memoir written by Joan Burnett Harrell. This book has just been edited and published by her daughters with support of Joan's friends from the St. George Island Writers' Retreat, where she had done some of the writing and revising of the work before her untimely death this spring.

This Workshop Day is included as part of this year's retreat, but also is open to writers who may not be able to attend the entire retreat. Workshops are taught by award-winning novelist Adrian Fogelin, regional author Dawn Evans Radford, and editor par excellence, Mary Lois Sanders.

November 12 through 15 - The St. George Island Writers' Retreat, held at the Buccaneer Inn. Adrian Fogelin will present one workshop each day, and the rest of the time is devoted to writing, reading for feedback, and consulting one-on-one with Adrian. There's always a little time to sit on the deck or kick off your shoes and take a hike down the beach, picking up a few of the shells that decorate the glittering sand.

Participation at the retreat is limited to ten writers, both men and women. The experience is powerful and motivating, designed to un-stick a stuck writer with a work of memoir or fiction in progress, or jumpstart one trying to begin. Two participants of past retreats have mustered the strength to push works through to completion, and another writer, who has attended three years and has signed up again this year, is well on her way. Three openings remain as of this writing.

If you have been nursing the idea of trying to do some serious writing and have passed up chances to start, this is opportunity knocking.

Again.

You can check out details (and register) on my web site, www.persisgranger.com, or pick up the phone and call me. It's 352-463-3089.

Talk soon.
Perky

Writers to Read at Willows Bistro, Warrensburg, NY

Tomorrow, June 11th, marks the occasion of the first "Readings at Willows Bistro," an evening that promises to be fun for all. Eight local writers will be on tap to share bits of their work, which, when you think about it, is kind of a leap of faith. Reading aloud from your personal writings to a group of mostly strangers is a bit like standing naked in public (not that I've ever done that, you understand). The core of this group is comprised of members of a small writers' group formed last fall after the 2008 Adirondack Mountain Writers' Retreat. Since then we've picked up a few others who thought the readings would be fun and challenging.

Willows Bistro proprietor Debbie Swan graciously offered to host our group in her funky place at 3749 Main Street in Warrensburg, and to make her delicious coffees and desserts available. Those visiting for the first time will be charmed by the hand-painted furniture, the old store-front feeling and the rotating exhibits on the walls. This month Debbie is featuring the photography of John Parker, who shoots high resolution panoramic photos. His Adirondack scenes are breathtaking. John will be on hand tomorrow evening to answer questions about his work, so we will have a full lineup. Those presenting short readings will be David J. Pitkin, Barbara Edwards, Diane Golden, Carla Palmirotto, RayLene Corgiat, Pat Leonard, and Doug Deneen. And me. The content of the readings include fiction, memoir and poetry, so it will be a varied program. We've already learned of some writers who would like to sign up for "next time." We'll let you know when that is going to happen. If you are in the Warrensburg area and want a great place to relax and enjoy a little homegrown literature in a charming ambiance, stop in at Willows Bistro tomorrow evening. Be there or be square!