by Theresa Garee | Mar 23, 2024 | Blog
(Janet won our quarterly Thurber House ticket giveaway. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter, to get your next chance to attend an event!)
The Thurber House has a valued reputation for presenting intriguing writing workshops, and none more so than Jen Knox’s Corporeal Creativity, presented March 11 from 6 to 7:30. I attended via Zoom, which was helpful as I live south of Dayton
. The class felt inclusive except for the inability to connect on a personal – more corporeal – level with the larger group. 🙂
Presenter Jen Knox created a welcoming atmosphere, asking all attendees to introduce themselves and share a brief description of where they are in their writing and what each hoped to gain from the class. The group was representative of the broad spectrum of writers, from those just starting out to others like me who are already published. Knox followed her instructional talk with examples from the writings of Lydia Yuknavitch, Richard Selzer, and Jeanette Winterson.
The class focused on helping writers get in touch and attuned to their physical bodies in a way that translates to the page. Creating characters and describing their actions through the use of the physical can enhance the story and bring the reader into a deeper connection with the work. The class included a meditative exercise and several writing prompts. Knox concluded the evening with a question and answer period that allowed attendees to explore additional areas or expand on what she presented.
by Theresa Garee | Nov 10, 2023 | Blog, Write Now Columbus - Current Essay
Written By Kathryn Haueisen
Last week I had a moral dilemma. I won the Write Now Columbus complimentary Thurber
House ticket to see Henry Winkler being interviewed by Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Journalist
Connie Schultz at the Ohio State University Mershon Auditorium. This was a stop on his book
tour to promote his newly released, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond. I was really looking
forward to the evening, in spite of the stuffy nose and annoying other symptoms that moved in
with me the day before the event. I was pretty sure it was a cold, likely the result of temperatures
rising and falling by 20 or more degrees every few hours. But what if it was COVID?
It would be socially irresponsible to attend the event if I had COVID, even with a mask. I
debated not testing, figuring ignorance would enable me to blissfully attend with a semi-clear
conscience. I could hear my parents’ disapproval of that option swirling around in my head,
chastising me from their graves. So, I tested. It was negative. Phew.
Wednesday, November 8, I, and my brother, along with an estimated 900 other Happy Days fans
of Fonzie enjoyed his interview with Schultz. I only knew Winkler from Happy Days and more
recently, some television commercials. I did not know he wrote children’s books. Nor did I know
he struggled with dyslexia issues and struggled to find himself after his role as the adolescent
with an attitude came to an end after eleven seasons. He credits his mental health therapist for
helping him create the post-Fonzie life he’s now enjoying.
Winkler was charming, witty, funny, and energetic. While seated across from one another,
Schultz would pitch him a question. He’d answer it, and then jump up to roam around the stage,
embellishing his answers with whatever crossed his kangaroo-like mind, hopping from one story
to the next. Then he’d sit down for the next question before repeating this pattern. Being 78 years
old hasn’t slowed him down much. He can still pull off the famous Fonzie persona with ease.
Thurber House pulled off an amazing event, with volunteers everywhere greeting and assisting.
My brother claimed his copy of Winkler’s book within a couple of minutes at a table stacked
high with Winkler’s books. We settled into the last two seats open near the back of the
auditorium, laughing and clapping away the next hour.
After the program the staff invited us to wait in line to take a photo with Winkler. The line was
already really long before we found the end of it. Though I was certain I was dealing with an
annoying cold and not COVID, I was ready to get home to more hot tea, honey, lemon, and cold
meds. We skipped the line, but I am grateful to Thurber House for providing this enchanting
evening. I shall remember it for years, along with a new book to read and old programs to watch.
by Theresa Garee | Jul 1, 2023 | Blog
There’s a trend I’ve noticed in my life, and it’s one I’m not at all fond of.
It was in March of 2020 when I let my guard down, congratulating myself for finally having it together. I’m sure a few of us know what happens next in that story.
In November of 2022 was when I got serious about writing. I launched
Live by Design, a weekly newsletter on the topic of mindset, and I committed myself to a writing habit for the first time. Two days later my TikTok feed was overrun with videos about something called ChatGPT.
Generative A.I. had been born, and my boyish excitement fast turned to dread and remorse at the death of my dream of being a published author. With immense hesitation I’ve come to a point in which I understand how I can use this new tool in a way that is not only effective, but also aligns with my integrity.
Much of my professional writing is done in the interest of clicks and traffic, and generative A.I. has given me the ability to create content optimized for algorithms. That saves me from suffering over words that don’t resonate in my heart and mind.
Will books written by A.I. replace books written by humans? I doubt it, but don’t be fooled into thinking we haven’t been reading computer generated content for years. This is just the next step, one we’ll adapt to.
As much as I love imaging mathematicians scoffing at the calculator when it was invented, it’s a tool we all walk around with. A.I. has the ability to make us better and more discerning in how we write and consume.
By the way, this was written by a real life human.
by Theresa Garee | May 2, 2023 | Blog
Sponsored blog post:
Cultivate your craft at the Into the Springs Writers’ Workshop.
This summer’s version of the Into the Springs Writers’ Workshop will feature award-winning writer, author, and strategist Jane Friedman and science fiction and fantasy writer Jason Sanford.
The two will collaborate for a two-day writer’s intensive in Yellow Springs, Ohio on August 4-6, 2023.
In its second year at The Mills Park Hotel, a larger venue than in prior years, Into the Springs attendees will enjoy numerous opportunities for personal interactions with Ms. Friedman and Mr. Sanford.
- Writing topics Ms. Friedman will highlight include Publishing Trends; Fixing Mistakes on Author Websites; How Likely the First Lines of a Story Will Attract an Agent, Editor, or Reader; and How to Get a Book Traditionally or Independently Published.
In 2023, Jane was awarded Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World; her newsletter was awarded Media Outlet of the Year in 2020.
Mr. Sanford has been a four-time finalist for the Nebula Awards in various categories such as Best Novel and Best Short Story.
- His sessions will focus on Publishing Trends; Writing Tips to Advance a Story; How Likely the First Lines of a Story Will Attract an Agent, Editor, or Reader; The Short Story Market & Patreon.
The second and final night of the event, August 5, will include book sales by the two authors, followed by author signings, An Open Mic Reading Night will immediately follow. Volunteer participants will give five-minute readings from their work. If anyone is hesitant to do so, one of two actors will be glad to read the piece instead. A cash bar will be available.
In addition, for one hour on both mornings of the workshop, before the sessions begin, participants are invited over for coffee, tea and writing.
Registration is open now until July 25. For more info and to register, go to the website at www.IntoTheSpringsWritersWorkshop.com.
by Theresa Garee | Feb 3, 2023 | Blog, Write Now Columbus - Current Essay, Write Now Columbus Essay Archives
Great News. WNC lives on.
Dear Writers and Readers:
Nita here—one final time.
Thank you to the many people who showed interest in helping Write Now Columbus (WNC) continue. I so appreciate the care and concern expressed for my 20-year endeavor. A few comments brought me to tears. Gratefully, we have a plan to continue!
Beginning with the March 2023 issue, Theresa Garee will publish Write Now Columbus!
Tami Kamin Meyer will remain involved and several new faces will join the team.
Together they will turn their vision into reality. Rather than badly summarize their ideas and plans, I’ll let Theresa, et al, share that in future emails.
Theresa is a business woman, an author, a wife, and a mom. She’s used to juggling wriggly things. I’m confident that WNC subscribers, and WNC itself, will be in good hands.
Thank you forever and always to Shannon Jackson Arnold for generously trusting me, more than twenty years ago, with the small but mighty email list that became Write Now Columbus.
Thank you to Tami for helping keep WNC alive for the past several years.
Thank you to each and every subscriber for more than two decades of interest, input, and support. It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve you.
And thank you to Theresa for taking the risk to step into this role, and to the new folks she will introduce later.
With that, I’ll show myself out.
~ Nita
Nita Sweeney, retired publisher of WNC
(c) 2023, all rights reserved
