Program Notes

Meeting Location    


Wednesday May 14, 2008

       The May TWA program will be held Wednesday May 14, instead of our usual Thursday. It will be in the 2nd Floor Ballroom of the Tallahassee Senior Center. Come and enjoy a terrific evening provided by our community's next generation of writers.

The program will be hosted by our exciting new group, the high school Big Bend Writers' Guild. The Guild invites all TWA members and friends as honored guests to a stimulating evening of readings and entertainment.

Readings of works by some of our most exhilarating young writers. Program Emcee will be Michael Dorsey of SAIL High School.

Plans for community outreach by the Guild and by their parent organization, the Tallahassee Writers Association ----Musical entertainment from a local high school.
----An ice cream sundae buffet
For more information, call Ted Simmons at 894-6181 or email treasurer@tallahasseewriters.net.

    Please Note ---The date and location have been changed only for this special program.  The meeting will be on Wednesday May 14, at The Senior Center, 2nd floor--Ballroom, at the corner of N. Monroe and &7th Street.


Jump Start is Back--
Our old program to get the creative juices flowing is back in action.
Here's the drill:  Each TWA meeting, join fellow "jumpers" 45 minutes before the start of the regular meeting to share your creation (short-short story, poem, whatever) involving as many of four disparate elements as possible. Extra kudos if you cleverly work ALL FOUR into your creation.
This months subjects: (1) a fan (2) sledge hammer (3) butterfly (4) single engine airplane.
   Jump Start: 5:45 PM
   Regular Program 6:00 PM
Don't forget, in May we meet in the Senior Center Ballroom (one-time only)

 


 
Recent Past Programs
         

 April 17

 Ricks Campbell’s newest book of poems, Dixmont, was released this past November, from Autumn House Press. His other works include The Traveler’s Companion (Black Bay Books, 2004) and Setting The World In Order (Texas Tech, 2001). For his book, Setting The World In Order, he has been awarded the Walt McDonald Prize. He currently resides with his wife and daughter in Gadsden County, Florida; while teaching English at Florida A&M University, in Tallahassee, Florida. He will talk to us about the publication process, both as an editor/publisher and as an author.
March 20 Patti Wilson Byars will be speaking this month in the absence of Dr. Linda Lee Teague.  Ms. Byars is the author of Separate Fountains, which a percentage of the proceeds from the sale is being used to set up college scholarships for education majors who are single mothers or the children of single mothers. Pattie is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She had a master degree in education from the State University of West Georgia.
 February 21 June Wiaz, co-author of Green Empire: The St. Joe Company and the Remaking of the Florida Panhandle, has been a free-lance investigative journalist who has worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Governors Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Scene. While often writing about serious subjects she also writes with humor, and will speak to us about “Ten Humor Writers Who Tickle the Funny Bone While Making Social Commentary.”
January 17 First time novelist, Michael Rychlik, who was also recently featured in the Tallahassee Democrat. Mr. Rychlik has been an English and journalism teacher at Tallahassee’s SAIL high school for 19 years. He’s written a non-fiction book about teaching and numerous short stories for literary magazines. He was also a music critic and features writer for the Democrat.
November 15 April Kelly, has written seventy episodes of situation comedies, produced more than one hundred forty episodes of prime-time drama and comedy and has written seventy three hours of comedy/variety programming. . Ms. Kelly has been nominated for an Emmy three times, twice for writing. She has also taught writing as a visiting professor.  
October 25 Ruth Sawh, an Associate Professor of English at Florida A. & M University, has written and published a novel,  A Name in the Fire, a story of romance, murder and the supernatural which takes place in the exotic country of Trinidad. She spoke on the importance of selecting the right editor.
September 27 David Vann, whose work has or will appear in The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Men’s Journal, Outside’s G.O, Writer’s Digest and other magazines and is the author of the, memoir, A Mile Down, The True Story of a Disastrous Career at Sea. He is also the author of a number of short stories. He has taught at Stanford and Cornell and is now a professor at FSU.
August 23 Bruce Gamble, a former historian with the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and the author of three nonfiction books about World War II in the Pacific. His most recent work is Darkest Hour: The True Story of Lark Force at Rabaul.  He talked about researching and writing with a slant toward nonfiction, but his experiences apply to many genres.
July 26 Janet Burroway, is the author of seven novels, including Raw Silk and Cutting Stone, as well as the plays, Medea With Child, Sweepstakes, and Parts of Speech. She spoke about writing significant detail, why it matters and how to go about finding details that matter.
June 28 George Geiger, who is teaching an 8 week course on writing at FSU, has a life time of experience as a script writer and producer on numerous comedy and dramatic series in L.A. He spoke to the Tallahassee Writer’s Association, on script writing and the importance of constructing scenes and dialog.
May 24 Peggy Brady writes and directs for her professional theater company, The Laughing Stock: Florida’s Musically Twisted Political Cabaret. She talked about writing comedy and plays for the stage.

 

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