Area 2 Newsletter
June 2025
Pennwriters Organization-Wide News
Hello, everyone. I'm Katie Yelinek, the Area 2 representative. Please email me at area2rep [at] pennwriters.org or kathryn [at] kathrynyelinek.com if I can help you in any way.
Renewal Time!
Your membership is up for renewal on July 1. You should have gotten an email reminder on Monday. Thanks to those who have already renewed! If you missed that email, log into the PW website and look for the Renew link in the dropdown menu under your name in the top right.
As explained earlier, Pennwriters needs to increase dues because everything is becoming more expensive. As an organization, we haven't raised our membership prices in forever and a day (I don't remember any increases since I became a member in 2005). In order to ease the pain, the board voted to increase dues $5 this year and $5 next year, for a total of $10 over two years. Please contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Membership Challenge
Pennwriters president Dan Arndt has issued a challenge to all of the area representatives to increase our area memberships by 30% by the end of 2025. We here in Area 2 will need to attract 7 new members. Think we can do it? I hope so! I'll be working behind the scenes to drum up some members, but I can't do this alone. I'd like to put together a working group of current members to help me brainstorm ways of increasing membership. If you're interested, please email me. I'm Zoomed out, so I'm expecting mostly email or messaging discussions. Even if you can't commit to a working group, if you have ideas of ways to increase membership (someone I could reach out to, places to distribute flyers, etc.), please email me.
Conference Wrap-Up
From everything I heard, the conference in May was a good one, packed with informative speakers and warm comradery. Next year it's back on our side of the state, so mark your calendars for May 15-17, 2026 in Lancaster. The theme will be "The Writer's Path."
New Write-In Opportunity Open to All
Speaking of the conference, a fellow PW member sent this out after the conference: "I enjoyed attending my first Pennwriters' conference last week and wanted to contribute to the community. I run a weekend Zoom write in from 10 to noon EST. For anyone in need of a regular practice, my room is always open. Come when you can, leave when you need to. It is every Saturday and Sunday. Contact [redacted for web] for the zoom link. I'm an area 7 member in [redacted for web], originally from Pittsburgh."
Upcoming online courses are:
Pennnwriters Area 2 Happenings and News
Area Meetings
The new North Central PA Writers Network continues to expand and attract new members. It meets on the last Tuesday of every month at 4pm at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center, 134 W Main Street in Wellsboro. The group isn't a critique group. Rather is serves to assist writers with submitting, promoting, and all other things writing. If you're interested in attending or have questions, please contact Lori Duffy Foster at lori [at] loriduffyfoster.com.
The long-established Area 2 critique group is back to alternating meetings between Berwick and Danville on the first and third Wednesday of the month. For information, contact Dave Freas, quillracer [at] pa,metrocast.net.
Share Your Good News
Do you have a new book out? Short story? Poem? Article? Did you get something reprinted? Won an award? Are you up for an award? Did you give a reading or presentation? Send me a note so I can celebrate with you.
That's it for now. Happy writing, everyone.