Check back for 2012 offerings!
2011 Workshops
FEES: Adults – $10 | Full-time Students- $5
Note: Once your completed registration and payment are received, a registration confirmation will be sent via e-mail.
“So You Want to Write a Book?”
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Time:10 a.m. – 11 a.m. | Location: City Hall Gallery | Participants: Adults | Class Maximum: 20
Workshop Goal:
To familiarize beginning and intermediate writers who wish to pursue a book-length project in fiction, memoir or creative non-fiction with the essentials of the craft and to help them to avoid plunging into their writing with no instruction or direction. Will also be helpful for those working in short story, essay or article length form.
Description:
Barbara’s workshop will discuss what writers can expect during the process of moving from idea to finished product; touch on the essentials of good prose, from specific language to dramatic arc; and explain how to get started. Workshop attendees will receive a handout and discuss examples from published literature. This workshop will conclude with a Q&A session for clarification and addressing any individual issues.
Presented by Barbara Esstman, MFA
Internationally published and acclaimed author Barbara Esstman, MFA,
is the co-author of “A More Perfect Union: Stories and Poems About the Modern Wedding,” and the author of “The Other Anna and Night Ride Home.”
Both novels were adapted for film by Hallmark Productions. Barbara’s short stories and essays have appeared in both mainstream and literary publications,
from Lear’s Magazine to Confrontation, and have earned the Redbook Fiction Award and two honorable mentions from the Pushcart Prize.
Her articles have appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and
she writes travel copy for Biotrek Adventure Travels. Esstman has been a fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts,
the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Maryland Commission for the Arts. She does private editing for clients writing fiction and memoir, and
teaches creative writing at universities in the Washington, D.C., area, as well as at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md.
Artistic Bookbinding
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Time: See below | Location: Workshop Tent (adjacent to Coffee House) | Class Maximum: 15
Session 1: 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Participants: Ages 6 – 10
Session 2: 3 – 4:00 p.m. Participants: Ages 6 – 10
Session 3: 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Participants: Ages 11 – 14
Workshop Goal:
To teach children about book binding, texture and printing, to help them gain appreciation for hand-crafted objects and think about the impact binding,
illustration and printing can have on the final product.
Description:
Children will hand-craft their own book as they progress through several book binding stations.
Project assistants will foster creativity and thoughtfulness
in the children’s work as they make their way through each process. At the end of the workshop,
the children will be able to take their hand-crafted books home with them.
Presented by Heidi Bishop
Heidi has promoted the arts through nonprofit and volunteer work for 8 years, with a
commitment to making art accessible and relevant to children. She first worked with the Cavallaro Cleary Visual Arts
Foundation to raise art scholarships for high school children and organized children’s art workshops for the Horizon’s Program.
She also has hands on experience working with children and art as a counselor for the Maryland Summer Center for the Arts and
as a studio specialist for Camp Odyssey. She served on the special events committee at the Art Institute and Gallery in
Salisbury, MD, where she coordinated a week long book arts event. Heidi serves on the Gaithersburg Cultural Arts Advisory Committee.
Getting Your Poems Into Print
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Time:Noon. – 12:45 p.m. | Location: City Hall Gallery | Participants: Adults & Teens
Workshop Goal:
To offer practical, hands-on advice to help poets avoid common mistakes and have greater success finding an audience for their work.
Description:
Whether you have yet to submit your first poem to a literary journal or are ready to offer a publisher a book-length manuscript,
this mini workshop—a taste of Michele Wolf’s popular “Getting Your Poems into Print” workshop at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda—will give you advice on how to succeed.
Get tips about placing your poems in journals and anthologies, publishing chapbooks and books, the pros and cons of contests,
the etiquette of poetry submission, and how to keep your morale high while facing rejection in a highly competitive field.
Presented by Michele Wolf
Michele Wolf is the author of Immersion (Spring 2011), selected by Denise Duhamel for the Hilary Tham Capital Collection, published by
The Word Works. Her previous books are “Conversations During Sleep,” winner of the Anhinga Prize for Poetry, and the chapbook “The Keeper of Light.”
Her poems have appeared in Poetry, The Hudson Review, Boulevard, and many other journals and anthologies. Among her honors are an Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award and
fellowships from Yaddo, the Edward F. Albee Foundation, and the Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council. A longtime Writer’s Center instructor,
she lives with her husband and daughter in Gaithersburg. Michele will be reading her poetry at the Coffee House at 3:30 p.m.
The Basics of Freelance Writing
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Time:1 p.m. – 2 p.m. | Location: City Hall Gallery | Participants: Adults | Class Maximum: 25
Workshop Goal:
To provide aspiring freelance writers with practical and motivational information about freelance writing.
Description:
This will be an interactive discussion on the basics of freelance writing, to include types of freelance writing
and their audiences, choosing topics, and how to submit work. The workshop also will discuss resources for the
freelance writer and discuss how to develop a support system.
Presented by Marina Ruben
Marina is a professional tutor, writer and editor who has worked since 2008
as the official in-house writing tutor at Sidwell Friends School and has taught creative writing workshops for
the D.C. branch of Writopia Lab. Marina has been published by the Washington City Paper, Smithsonian.com, CNN.com,
EducationWeek.org, McSweeneys.net, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and she has appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation.
She received her M.A. in Writing from the Johns Hopkins University.
Group Story: Kids Writing Collaboratively
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Time: 1 – 2:00 p.m. | Location: Outdoor Workshops Tent (adjacent to the Coffee House) | Participants: 8 – 12 years of age | Class Maximum: 12
Workshop Goal:
To activate students’ creativity and to make writing fun. Writers will learn the basic elements of story and leave excited and empowered to keep writing.
Description:
Workshop participants will be energized through a collaborative writing exercise in which they create a group story full of original
characters and dramatic conflict. Writers will be challenged to engage in creative problem-solving and to create strong voices on the page.
Presented by Kathy Crutcher
Kathy is the D.C. director and an instructor for Writopia Lab,
an award-winning non-profit organization that holds creative writing workshops for kids and teens. She received an MFA in
Creative Writing from the University of Arizona in both fiction and creative nonfiction, and has taught composition and creative writing
at the University of Kentucky, the University of Arizona and through the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Kathy
has served as a judge for many different student writing competitions, including the National PTA Reflections Contest and The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Comedy Writing Workshop
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Time:2 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Location: City Hall Gallery | Participants: Adults & Teens | Class Maximum: 25
Workshop Goal:
To learn the basics of comedy writing and satire through examples and in-workshop writing. Participants will discover the formulas that underlie
all written comedy and learn how to apply those formulas to their own writing.
Description:
Humor is a writer’s most powerful tool. Come to this workshop to learn how to use it well, analyze what makes something funny,
and possibly even discover what that chicken was doing in the middle of the road. For the first half of the session, participants will
read, watch and listen to examples of comedy writing in several genres, including satire, sketches, parody, farce, jokes, puns, comic songs,
lists, one-liners, stand-up, comic strips and combinations thereof. After each short reading/viewing/listening, participants will
discuss its merits and the techniques it uses to produce comedy. During the second half, participants will each write a short humor
piece in the genre of their choosing. The session will close with each participant voluntarily sharing his or her piece with the group.
*Please note: This workshop is 2 hours in length.
Presented by Adam Ruben
Adam is the author of a humor book called “Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School.”
A freelance comedy writer, Adam published eight humor pieces with National Lampoon from 2003-2005 and contributed to the 2005 book “National Lampoon’s Magazine Rack.“
Adam has performed stand-up comedy for several years at clubs, colleges, and private venues from Boston to San Diego.
Second-place winner in the Jewish Week’s Funniest Jewish Comic Contest and the Pittsburgh Funny Bone’s World Series of Comedy,
Adam has opened for Dane Cook’s “Tourgasm” and has appeared with notable comics such as Jim Gaffigan, Larry Miller, John Pinette, Greg Giraldo,
George Wallace, Kathleen Madigan, Ben Bailey, and many others.
College Admissions Essays:
What’s Your Story?
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Time:4 p.m. – 5 p.m. | Location: City Hall Gallery | Participants: High School Students | Class Maximum: 15
Workshop Goal:
To identify the characteristics of a successful college essay and to get started writing one. Writers will learn how to make their essays stand
out with voice, authenticity and originality. Writers will leave this workshop with the beginning of a draft, as well as a plan for further development.
Description:
Participants will discover their own unique stories to highlight in college admissions essays. Writers will look at samples, define criteria for
successful pieces, brainstorm ideas and begin drafting their essays. This will be a workshop format in which participants share their work with
each other and with the instructors for affirmation and constructive feedback.
Presented by Kathy Crutcher
Kathy is the D.C. director and an instructor for Writopia Lab, an award-winning non-profit
organization that holds creative writing workshops for kids and teens. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the
University of Arizona in both fiction and creative non-fiction, and has taught composition and creative writing at the
University of Kentucky, the University of Arizona and through the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Kathy has
evaluated student writing in many different contexts, including The Atlantic’s Student Writing Competition and The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
She graduated from Duke University with degrees in history and English.
Creating Comics for Social Change
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Time: 5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. | Location: City Hall Gallery | Audience: HS Student;Young Adults | Class Maximum: 12
Workshop Goal:
Participants will be introduced to the basics of comic development and learn how to produce their own piece.
Participants will learn how comic projects can inspire people from all walks of life to create change in their community.
Description:
Chen’s JJ Express Magazine will be introduced and used to help workshop participants learn about the process of creating comics
including writing, designing, inking and lettering. Each participant will script and design a half-page or one-page comic.
Presented by Jack Chen
Jack is a senior at Thomas S. Wootton High School and Senior Art Director at JJ Express Magazine,
a non-profit magazine he co-founded with his sister. JJ Express Magazine addresses social issues in a comic/graphic novella format
and features work from professionals and amateurs. Through his magazine, Jack coordinates youth volunteer experiences at city events
and also provides cartooning workshops to local teens. He has held a workshop at Art-o-matic in Washington, D.C.,
and has taught classes at VisArts and Pyramid Atlantic.
Seminars
FREE of charge; no registration required
Writing Images: Sequential Storytelling
for Comics and Graphic Novels
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Time: 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Location: City Hall Gallery | Audience: Adults & Teens | Audience Maximum: 40
Workshop Goal:
To teach authors and illustrators about the process and benefit of creating comics and graphic novels.
Description:
Comics and graphic novels aren’t just superheroes and explosions anymore. Writers and artists are creating critically acclaimed works in
all genres including memoirs, biographies, thrillers, mysteries and romances and are finding publishers and audiences that are receptive to
the medium. In this seminar, the presenter will review the history of the comic book industry, discuss how it works today and give examples of
what people are creating and how they’re creating it.
Presented by Jason Rodriguez
Jason is an editor and writer of comics and graphic novels. He edited “Elk’s Run” (Random House/Villard) and
the Eisner-nominated anthology “Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened” (Random House/Villard). He currently is writing “Under Iconic Shadows,”
a collection of vignettes from turn-of-the-century baseball focused on the players who weren’t allowed to play in the major leagues.
Five Tips to Promote Your Book
BEFORE It’s Published
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Time: 1 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. | Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion | Audience: Adults | Audience Maximum: Unlimited
Seminar Goal:
To encourage authors to begin thinking of ways to promote their book during the writing phase.
Writers will start to understand the importance of making their book successful and have an advantage for marketing and publicity that other books won’t.
Description:
Carol will share her journey as a writer and publishing consultant with attendees, passing on lessons she learned as both an event
specialist and an author promoting her own books. She will provide five ways that authors can begin promoting their book even while
working on it, and will take questions from the audience to offer advice in their specific challenges.
Presented by Carol Hoenig
Carol is a full-time freelance writer, and the president of Carol Hoenig Publishing Consultant, Inc.
She is also the author of the award-winning novel “Without Grace” and the award-winning book “The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events: Tips and Tools for Bookselling Success.”
Carol’s essays, articles, book reviews and short stories appear in a wide number of publications.
