Get Out Your Pens and Laptops! Gaithersburg Book Festival Offers Adults and Teens Workshops to Hone Skills and Find Success in “Being a Writer”

Whether you want to write the next “Hunger Games,” successfully pitch and publish your work, or get into the college of your dreams, the Gaithersburg Book Festival has a workshop for you. The Festival, which takes place on Saturday, May 19, is offering eight workshops designed to help aspiring writers sharpen their skills and get the results they desire when it comes to achieving their goal of “being a writer.”

The workshops, which are designed for specific age groups, include:

Adults (18+)

• Perfecting the Pitch – presented by Scott Mastro, a literary fiction master-storyteller, and author of “Blood Money – Tales from Two Continents” and the forthcoming “Sticks & Stone – How the West Was Wonderful”
• Short-Short Fiction in Text and Multimedia Forms – presented by Richard Peabody, founder and co-editor of Gargoyle magazine and editor (or co-editor) of 10 anthologies, and Rae Bryant, a noted author who teaches multimedia and creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and serves as editor in chief of the program’s new literary and arts journal, The Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Review

Ages 16+

• Getting Your Work Out There – presented by Tony Mancus, a poet and a test writer who also teaches fiction and poetry for Writopia Lab and is co-founder of Flying Guillotine Press
• More Than Words: Making Dialogue Work – presented by Ron Capps, who earned an M.A. in writing from Johns Hopkins University, is founder and director of the Veterans Writing Project and author of “Writing War: A Guide to Telling Your Own Story”
• What Machine’s Behind the Wheel? A Poetry Workshop – presented by Tony Mancus, a poet and a test writer who also teaches fiction and poetry for Writopia Lab, and is co-founder of Flying Guillotine Press

Ages 14+

• Writing the Next “Hunger Games”… – presented by Pamela Ehrenberg, author of two young adult novels and workshop leader for Writopia Lab and The Writers Center

Grades 7-12

• Scholastic Writing Awards: Mock Judging – presented by Kathy Crutcher, D.C. director and an instructor for Writopia Lab

High School Students

• College Admissions Essays: What’s Your Story? – presented by Kathy Crutcher, D.C. director and an instructor for Writopia Lab

Advanced registration is required for these workshops, as space is limited. There is a nominal fee per workshop of $10 for adults and $5 for full-time students. Registration can be completed online or in person at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park (506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20877).  If you choose online registration, you will find the Gaithersburg Book Festival Workshops under the Program tab, in the “Special Events” category.  Online registration requires an account password to complete registration, which you will receive within 48 hours of setting up your account.

For more information or to register for the workshops, please visit https://gaithersburgbookfestival.org/gbf-programs/workshops.

About the Gaithersburg Book Festival

The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers, and literary excellence. Now in its third year, the Festival has become one of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Festival will be held on May 19, 2012, on the grounds of Gaithersburg City Hall, with shuttle buses running from Lakeforest Mall.  Activities include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; a Coffee House with poets and singers/songwriters; onsite book sales, both new and used; exhibitors and, of course, food, drink, ice cream and more. Admission is free. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org.