BGuthrie Photos: Gaithersburg Book Festival (2017) -- Writing Workshops (for adults and teens)

Gaithersburg Book Festival (2017) -- Writing Workshops (for adults and teens):

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Description of Pictures: Free Writing Workshops sponsored in part by The Writers Center. Talks photographed here:

Writing Children’s Books
Have you always wanted to write for children? Then come and join the fun! Awardwinning children’s author Mary Quattlebaum guides a discussion on plot, character, audience, and voice as you explore stories for ages 2 to 8 (largely picture books and magazine stories). This workshop will be helpful for adults interested in writing for the children in their lives and/or for publication.
Mary Quattlebaum 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." Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines such as Cricket, Spider, Ladybug, and Boys’ Life. Mary 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.
maryquattlebaum.com

Intro to Fiction
In this hands-on workshop, we first talk about the basic structure of a story and then work on an exercise that calls for turning memory into fiction. After briefly discussing what you come up with in the exercise and the difference between what happens in life and what happens in fiction, you’ll be asked to write a 500-word draft of a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end. You’ll be sent home with a process you might use to write the first draft of a story in one sitting a few days from now.
Con Lehane holds an M.F.A. in fiction writing from Columbia University. He is the author of the novel "Murder at the 42nd Street Library," as well as three detective novels featuring New York City bartender Brian McNulty: "Beware the Solitary Drinker," "What Goes Around Comes Around," and "Death at the Old Hotel."
conlehane.com

Mystery Writing
If you’ve always wanted to write a mystery novel but didn’t know where to start, this sample workshop is for you. We’ll examine characteristics of the many subgenres (thrillers, too!) and learn about mystery-specific conventions and pitfalls such as TSTL syndrome, macguffins, red herrings, killer twists, wacky sidekicks, and smooth cluedropping, among others. Fun, educational and… mysterious!
Alan Orloff is the author of "Diamonds for the Dead" (2010), an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel. His seventh novel, "Running From the Past," was an Amazon Kindle Scout winner. His short fiction has appeared in Jewish Noir, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Storm Warning, and Windward: Best New England Crime Stories 2016.
alanorloff.com

Haiku To Go
Are you new to poetry or do you want to strengthen your muscles with language? In this interactive workshop, participants will write their own haiku—that little 17-syllable Japanese form about nature. Join us for a fun crash course in the basic rules and challenges of haiku. As a group, we’ll discuss images and practice paring down our thoughts to fit into the haiku form. Everyone then has a chance to write a haiku of their own. If time allows we’ll share a few and get tips for revising our tiny poems. Bring your notebook and a sense of play!
Melanie Figg is a 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow and has more than 25 years of experience teaching creative writing and mentoring writers of all levels. In addition to teaching at the Writer’s Center and privately in Maryland, Melanie also offers creativity and personal coaching to writers and others.
melaniefigg.net

Promoting Your Book (Author PR Toolkit)
This workshop teaches you how to develop a strong "Author PR Toolkit" (headshot, bio, book synopsis and website), how to choose the right book cover and how to decide on the right social media channel for your book.
Cherrie Woods is a 15-year PR veteran who has held staff and management positions at a variety of arts organizations. She currently serves as membership chair on the Baltimore Public Relations Council board. She released "Where Do I Start? PR Questions and Answers to Guide Self-Published Authors" in 2016.
writer.org/cherriewoods

How to Write Winning Short Stories
What do writing contest judges and publishers look for? Publisher, editor and contest organizer Nancy Sakaduski will share insider tips about judging criteria, opportunities and pitfalls, contest red flags, and how to create a “wow” factor that will make your story stand out from the others. Learn how to write the kinds of short stories that win contests and get published from the author of 23 books, including "How to Write Winning Short Stories."
Nancy Sakaduski is an award-winning writer and editor who owns Cat & Mouse Press and runs the Rehoboth Beach Short Story Contest. She helps writers perfect their short stories and prepare them for publication and curates a free weekly online newspaper, Writing is a Shore Thing. www.catandmousepress.com
writingisashorething.com

Explaining the Constitution to Young Readers
Learn how to find, analyze and interpret documents in order to explain legal and historical concepts to young readers. Participants will be divided into three groups, each of which will be responsible for analyzing one of the three Articles of the Constitution. To increase understanding, the groups will come together for a joint session to review and discuss their answers.
Syl Sobel is an author, attorney, former newspaper reporter and director of publications for a federal government agency. He has written a series of six children’s books on U.S. history and government, including "How the U.S. Government Works," for ages 8-12. A Gaithersburg Book Festival alum, Syl has spoken at the U.S. National Archives, several local schools and at Politics & Prose Bookstore.
sylsobel.com

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. W4ADUL_170520_009.JPG: Writing Children's Books Have you always wanted to write for children? Then come and join the fun! Awardwinning children's author Mary Quattlebaum guides a discussion on plot, character, audience, and voice as you explore stories for ages 2 to 8 (largely picture books and magazine stories). This workshop will be helpful for adults interested in writing for the children in their lives and/or for publication. Mary Quattlebaum 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." Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines such as Cricket, Spider, Ladybug, and Boys' Life. Mary 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. maryquattlebaum.com
2. W4ADUL_170520_037.JPG: Intro to Fiction In this hands-on workshop, we first talk about the basic structure of a story and then work on an exercise that calls for turning memory into fiction. After briefly discussing what you come up with in the exercise and the difference between what happens in life and what happens in fiction, you'll be asked to write a 500-word draft of a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end. You'll be sent home with a process you might use to write the first draft of a story in one sitting a few days from now. Con Lehane holds an M.F.A. in fiction writing from Columbia University. He is the author of the novel "Murder at the 42nd Street Library," as well as three detective novels featuring New York City bartender Brian McNulty: "Beware the Solitary Drinker," "What Goes Around Comes Around," and "Death at the Old Hotel." conlehane.com
3. W4ADUL_170520_059.JPG: Mystery Writing If you've always wanted to write a mystery novel but didn't know where to start, this sample workshop is for you. We'll examine characteristics of the many subgenres (thrillers, too!) and learn about mystery-specific conventions and pitfalls such as TSTL syndrome, macguffins, red herrings, killer twists, wacky sidekicks, and smooth cluedropping, among others. Fun, educational and… mysterious! Alan Orloff is the author of "Diamonds for the Dead" (2010), an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel. His seventh novel, "Running From the Past," was an Amazon Kindle Scout winner. His short fiction has appeared in Jewish Noir, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Storm Warning, and Windward: Best New England Crime Stories 2016. alanorloff.com
4. W4ADUL_170520_075.JPG: Haiku To Go Are you new to poetry or do you want to strengthen your muscles with language? In this interactive workshop, participants will write their own haiku -- that little 17-syllable Japanese form about nature. Join us for a fun crash course in the basic rules and challenges of haiku. As a group, we'll discuss images and practice paring down our thoughts to fit into the haiku form. Everyone then has a chance to write a haiku of their own. If time allows we'll share a few and get tips for revising our tiny poems. Bring your notebook and a sense of play! Melanie Figg is a 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow and has more than 25 years of experience teaching creative writing and mentoring writers of all levels. In addition to teaching at the Writer's Center and privately in Maryland, Melanie also offers creativity and personal coaching to writers and others. melaniefigg.net
5. W4ADUL_170520_085.JPG: Promoting Your Book (Author PR Toolkit) This workshop teaches you how to develop a strong "Author PR Toolkit" (headshot, bio, book synopsis and website), how to choose the right book cover and how to decide on the right social media channel for your book. Cherrie Woods is a 15-year PR veteran who has held staff and management positions at a variety of arts organizations. She currently serves as membership chair on the Baltimore Public Relations Council board. She released "Where Do I Start? PR Questions and Answers to Guide Self-Published Authors" in 2016. writer.org/cherriewoods
6. W4ADUL_170520_108.JPG: How to Write Winning Short Stories What do writing contest judges and publishers look for? Publisher, editor and contest organizer Nancy Sakaduski will share insider tips about judging criteria, opportunities and pitfalls, contest red flags, and how to create a "wow" factor that will make your story stand out from the others. Learn how to write the kinds of short stories that win contests and get published from the author of 23 books, including "How to Write Winning Short Stories." Nancy Sakaduski is an award-winning writer and editor who owns Cat & Mouse Press and runs the Rehoboth Beach Short Story Contest. She helps writers perfect their short stories and prepare them for publication and curates a free weekly online newspaper, Writing is a Shore Thing. www.catandmousepress.com writingisashorething.com
7. W4ADUL_170520_121.JPG: Explaining the Constitution to Young Readers Learn how to find, analyze and interpret documents in order to explain legal and historical concepts to young readers. Participants will be divided into three groups, each of which will be responsible for analyzing one of the three Articles of the Constitution. To increase understanding, the groups will come together for a joint session to review and discuss their answers. Syl Sobel is an author, attorney, former newspaper reporter and director of publications for a federal government agency. He has written a series of six children's books on U.S. history and government, including "How the U.S. Government Works," for ages 8-12. A Gaithersburg Book Festival alum, Syl has spoken at the U.S. National Archives, several local schools and at Politics & Prose Bookstore. sylsobel.com
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Featured Folk: Some of the people here can also be seen on other pages on this site.
- Lehane, Con appears on:
  - 2020_MD_Bump_200227 AFI -- Capital Irish Film Festival (2020) -- "A Bump Along the Way" opening night event w/reception
  - 2019_DC_UClub_Book_Fair_191204 University Club -- 30th Annual Meet the Author Night & Book Fair (2019)
  - 2019_DC_Literary_HillBF_190505 Literary Hill BookFest (2019) @ Eastern Market
  - 2018_MD_GBF_W4Adults_180519 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2018) -- Writing Workshops (for adults and teens)
  - 2018_MD_GBF_Lehane_180519 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2018) -- Con Lehane ("Murder in the Manuscript Room")
  - 2018_MD_GBF_Reception_180518 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2018) -- Author Reception @ Asbury Methodist Village
  - 2018_DC_Literary_HillBF_180506 Literary Hill BookFest (2018) @ Eastern Market
  - 2016_MD_GBF_Location_160521 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2016) -- Con Lehane, Colleen Shogan
  - 2016_MD_GBF_Reception_160520 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2016) -- Author Reception @ Asbury Methodist Village
- Orloff, Alan appears on:
  - 2018_MD_GBF_CrimeFC_180519 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2018) -- Alan Orloff, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Donna Andrews, John Betancourt, E.A. Aymar
  - 2016_MD_GBF_Aymar_160521 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2016) -- E. A. Aymar ("You’re As Good As Dead") w/Alan Orloff
  - 2016_MD_GBF_Reception_160520 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2016) -- Author Reception @ Asbury Methodist Village
- Quattlebaum, Mary appears on:
  - 2023_DC_UClub_Book_231115 University Club -- 31st Annual Book Fair (2023)
  - 2023_DC_Chast_231025 Politics & Prose -- Roz Chast ("I Must Be Dreaming")
  - 2019_DC_UClub_Book_Fair_191204 University Club -- 30th Annual Meet the Author Night & Book Fair (2019)
  - 2019_DC_Bookfair_191101 NPC -- 42nd Annual Book Fair & Author's Night (2019)
  - 2018_DC_Wasted_180317 DC Env Film Festival (2018) -- "Wasted!" (w/Anna Chai, Tim Ma, Asha Carter, Jeremy Brosowsky, and Tim Carman) @ Carnegie Inst
  - 2017_MD_Granite_171202 AFI -- European Union Film Showcase (2017) -- "Song of Granite" (w/Paddy Meskell) w/Reception
  - 2017_DC_NPC_Bookfair_171110 NPC -- 40th Annual Book Fair & Author's Night (2017)
  - 2017_DC_WGateG_ReclaimO_171007 DC -- Foggy Bottom -- Watergate Gallery -- Exhibit: Human Trafficking: Reclaiming Freedom -- Opening Event
  - 2016_DC_NPC_Bookfair_161118 NPC -- 39th Annual Book Fair & Author's Night (2016)
  - 2015_DC_NPC_Bookfair_151117 NPC -- 38th Annual Book Fair & Author's Night (2015)
  - ...More (List all 12 pages with this person)...
- Sobel, Syl appears on:
  - 2016_MD_GBF_Elections_160521 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2016) -- Paul Czajak, Syl Sobel
  - 2016_MD_GBF_Reception_160520 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2016) -- Author Reception @ Asbury Methodist Village
  - 2015_MD_GBF_Misc_150516 Gaithersburg Book Festival (2015) -- Miscellaneous
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