Pennwriters Area 3 Newsletter
July 2022
Hi Everyone,
I’m Carol Silvis, Area 3 Rep, and you can reach me at area3rep@pennwriters.org or carolsilvis@yahoo.com I hope you are all having a terrific summer of fun and writing. If you would like to share your writing news with Area 3 members through this newsletter, or if you would like to start a meeting or critique group or know of one not mentioned in this newsletter, please let me know.
To continue receiving The Penn Writer and gaining accesses to the website, please make sure your Pennwriters membership is up to date.
Take some time to read The Penn Writer for organization-wide news. The editor is always looking for articles if you would like to share your talents with our members. Contact her at newslettersubmissions@pennwriters.org
Pennwriters Online Courses
The online course for August is Confronting Conflict with Patricia Jackson. As a reminder, here are the courses for the rest of this year:
- September – A Month of Poetry for Any Writer Exercises – Timons Esaias – max of 25 participants
- October – Plotter or Pantser: Combining the Best of Both Worlds - Kathy Otten – still no confirmation on this yet
- November – Writing the 2k to 5k Word Short Story – Timons Esaias – max of 25 participants
Zoom Meetings
You may join any area’s zoom meetings.
All-genre Afternoon Critique Group: Meets from 2-4 pm on Zoom. Work-in progress up to 12 pages must be emailed ahead. Contact Janet Pierce at jlpierce494@gmail.com for more information.
Zoom Write-In: The concept of the write-in is very simple, and informal. We gather in my "room" and those who are around at the beginning can share (verbally or in the chat) their writing goals for that day. Then I will mute everybody, and we will work. No one will be seeing what you write, and you can turn your camera off, if you'd like. At almost the end of the session, we can unmute and talk about how it went. I will mention a break about halfway through, out of politeness.
* There is no cost.
* You may show up late, and likewise can leave early.
* You are not required to show up regularly. It's an opportunity, not a duty.
* It is hoped that primarily you'll be composing, rewriting, or editing, but other tasks are permitted. (Several of our participants are actually at their day jobs, and must deal with phone calls, emails, or pestering people in person.)
* These sessions are not a competition, and not a test.
If you are interested, please contact Timons at himself@timonsesaias.com for details.
Inkwell: Meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month via Zoom beginning at 6 p.m. RSVP is required for the link. For more information email Jenn Diamond at jennifer.d.diamond.writer@gmail.com
Critique Group North: Consisting of eight members writing shorts, flashes, novels, meets on the second Thursday of the month on Zoom from10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The group is currently at full capacity but is accepting candidates for a waitlist. Contact MaryAlice Meli at maryalicemeli@yahoo.com for information.
Area 2 Zoom Meeting will be held July 13 at 7 pm. Area member and rock journalist Maxim Furek will talk about how he defined the audience for his books and used this to successfully market them. Here is the link:
Topic: Area 2 Meeting; Time: Jul 13, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87892725061?pwd=xZ0Zdlaainb12y0Nk4O71Y_jRR4LJw.1
Meeting ID: 878 9272 5061
Passcode: Area2PW
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Meeting ID: 878 9272 5061
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keYgd0PSc
In-Person Meetings
Area 3 Pennwriters Fourth Thursday of the Month meeting will be July 28 (remember, it's the LAST Thursday of the month, not the fourth) at 11:30 a.m. in the Cafe at the Settler's Ridge Barnes & Noble. The discussion topic is open to anything writing or publishing-related, but if you have a specific topic in mind, please email host Annette Dashofy at annette@annettedashofy.com.
The Mindful Writers meet every Friday for a write-in at Panera’s, 942 Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 (Fox Chapel), from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the backroom. The meeting is opened with a short mindful CD selection, after which people write silently. You can come and leave at any point during this meeting that many Pennwriters attend.
Murrysville Panera’s Group meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. to work on their current projects and critique the work. Drop in if you are interested.
Critique Groups
Aspinwall Critique Group: Work (up to five pages) to be critiqued is emailed to the group at least one week prior to the meeting, pasted into the body of the email, not attached. Print the critiqued texts and bring it with you to the meeting for discussion. The meeting is held on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 7 pm at Panera’s, 942 Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 (near Aspinwall) (412) 799-0210. For more information contact Sandra Skowron at skow603@yahoo.com
Pittsburgh East Writer's Group: Small, friendly critique group focusing on fiction. All genres welcome. Meets on the third Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 12:30 in the first-floor meeting room at the Monroeville Public Library. Contact Chuck Rakiecz at crakiecz@verizon.net.
The Bridgeville Critique Group: Meets the second Wednesday of every month at 6 pm at Panera’s in the Chartiers Valley Shopping Center. Writers of fiction, nonfiction, and at any skill level are welcome. We review one person's work each month. Work to be critiqued is sent at least a week in advance. The group is currently full, but they keep a waitlist. Contact Barb D'Souza at barbrett@verizon.net for more information.
Cranberry Township Critique Group: This small group focused on fiction, mainly novels, meets at the Panera’s in Cranberry every three weeks on Saturdays at 9:30 am. This group has available spaces. For more information contact Amy Wagner at amywagner00@gmail.com
South Hills Critique Group: This small group meets one Saturday per month at 10 am in the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon. Work to be critiqued is emailed one week ahead of the meeting. Published/non-published, fiction/non-fiction, and all genres welcome. This group is presently full, but they keep a waiting list. Contact: Rosemary Ray at southside27@outlook.com
website
Visit the Pennwriters website: http://pennwriters.org for the latest organization news. The website offers lots of information to help writers improve and succeed—online classes, articles, discussion forums, Pennwriters author bios, a calendar of events, and more. Be sure to check Area 3 section for our latest news. A new feature has been added to the Pennwriters profile called Beta-Reader Match. If you want to swap manuscripts with a fellow Pennwriter, log-in and update your profile interests to include Beta-Reader Match.