Gaithersburg Book Festival Partners with The Writer’s Center and NaNoWriMo to Provide Free Adult Writing Workshops on May 16
Gaithersburg, Md. – April 9, 2015 – From writing your memoir or the next great novel to authoring children’s books and developing catchy openings or songs, the Gaithersburg Book Festival, The Writer’s Center (TWC) and NaNoWriMo can help. These organizations will be leading a series of free writing workshops during the sixth annual Gaithersburg Book Festival, taking place Saturday, May 16, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the grounds of City Hall (31 S. Summit Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20877).
Interested participants can join the workshops on a first-come, first-served basis by registering in the workshop tent on the day of the festival.
All workshops are for ages 16+ and include:
Writing the Memoir – 10:30 a.m.-Noon
Presented by Sara Mansfield Taber
In this 90-minute workshop, Sara Mansfield Taber will review the key building blocks that make for a vivid life story and gives participants an opportunity to try the tricks of the trade through writing exercises. Taber is the author of “Dusk on the Campo: A Journey in Patagonia,” “Of Many Lands: Journal of a Traveling Childhood” and “Bread of Three Rivers: The Story of a French Loaf.” She was a featured author at the 2012 Gaithersburg Book Festival for her memoir, “Born Under an Assumed Name: The Memoir of a Cold War Spy’s Daughter.”
Connect with Kids! Adults Writing for Children – Noon-1 p.m.
Presented by Mary Quattlebaum
Have you always wanted to write for children? Then come and join the fun! Children’s author Mary Quattlebaum will guide a discussion on plot, character, audience and voice as participants explore stories designed for kids ages 2 to 8 (largely picture books and magazine stories). Quattlebaum, M.A., is the author of 18 award-winning children’s books, including “Pirate vs. Pirate,” “Jackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns,” “The Hungry Ghost of Rue Orleans” and “Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond.” She teaches in the Vermont College M.F.A. program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She reviews children’s books for The Washington Post and Washington Parent, edits educational materials for museums and small publishers and presents frequently at schools.
Give ’em the Hook: Catchy Opening Sentences – 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Presented by Mark Cugini
You only have one chance to make a good first impression. In this hands-on seminar, participants will learn about different types of first sentences and discuss how word choice, language and sentence structure can help set the tone for an entire story. Mark received his M.F.A. from American University and is the author of “I’m Just Happy To Be Here” and the forthcoming “Good Ass Job.” His work has appeared in The Lifted Brow, Sink Review, Barrelhouse, NOÖ, Hyperallergic and Hobart, among others. He is a founding editor of Big Lucks and a strategist for the lit blog Real Pants.
Introduction to Songwriting – 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Presented by Mary Alouette
Have you ever had a tune in your head and wanted to know how to turn it into a song? Perhaps you have written songs before but want help making them even better than they already are. In this workshop, participants will study musical form, melody and style, looking particularly at pop and contemporary songwriting to discover what makes a song a hit. Bring a notepad and pen and a portable audio recording device to document the workshop. Alouette won the grand prize in the Washington Area Music Association’s (WAMA) Professional Artist Support System songwriting competition in 2013 and was a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic songwriting competition in 2012. Also in 2012, she won WAMA’s New Artist of the Year and Best Debut Album. As an Artist in Residence at Strathmore, she headlined at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and Blues Alley. In addition to performing, she teaches songwriting in schools in the Mid-Atlantic region with Washington Performing Arts and Kid Pan Alley. Alouette is based in New York City and Washington, D.C., and performs her original music under the name Alarke.
NaNoWriMo Panel: You Can Be a Writer Too! – 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion featuring Molli Barnes, Vickie DiSanto and Carl Rauscher
Have you ever spun a story in your head, but not had the confidence to write it down? This, in a nutshell, is what National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo as it is affectionately called) is all about. Every November, hundreds of thousands of people around the world decide to write a novel, many of them for the first time, including those who never thought they could write. You, too, can stop being intimidated and start writing. Learn how during this lively discussion.
For more information about the workshops, the presenters and the schedule, including additional workshops geared to younger writers, please visit the Workshop page of the GBF website.
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About The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center cultivates the creation, publication, presentation, and dissemination of literary work. We are an independent literary organization with a global reach, rooted in a dynamic community of writers. As one of the premier centers of our kind in the country, we believe the craft of writing is open to people of all backgrounds and ages. Writing is interdisciplinary and unique among the arts for its ability to touch on all aspects of the human experience. It enriches our lives and opens doors to knowledge and understanding. In addition to providing writing workshops—both on-location and online—we also host more than 50 outstanding literary events each year, featuring authors of local, national, and international renown. And with our partner organizations, we promote the local arts scene. For more information, visit www.writer.org.
About NaNoWriMo
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing, which challenges you to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. NaNoWriMo provides buckets of encouragement—plus an outrageous deadline—to help you achieve your creative potential. You can access the online community of writers at nanowrimo.org and participate in local writing events near you. National Novel Writing Month is a project of the Office of Letters and Light, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; www.lettersandlight.org.
About the Gaithersburg Book Festival
The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. Now in its sixth year, the Festival has become one of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The 2015 Festival will be on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the grounds of City Hall in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Md. Other activities include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors and food, drink, ice cream and more. Admission and shuttle service from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall are FREE. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org.