![Marching into March 2021 – Write Now Columbus]()
by Nita Sweeney | Mar 3, 2021 | Blog, Write Now Columbus Essay Archives
WRITE NOW COLUMBUS – MARCH 2021
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Dear Writers:
Nita here. Anyone else breathing a teensy sigh of relief? Sunshine, warmer temps, and vaccines in lots of arms (I’m up soon) are making me almost hopeful. Too soon to party (please don’t gather, yet) but tiny relief vibes happening here.
Meanwhile, I’m focused on one of the many things they don’t teach you in MFA school, growing my “Author Nita Sweeney” email list.
Many of you have trudged along with me here the past 18 years, and I’m grateful. But not all of you are interested in mental health, meditation, writing practice, running, and dogs.
So, I created a separate newsletter.
If you are interested in meditation, dogs, mental health, running, and writing practice, please SUBSCRIBE!
You can view the archive to see what you’re getting yourself into. Or you can download Three Ways to Heal Your Mind and that will subscribe you as well.
WHERE’S TAMI?
Tami is doing well, but still preoccupied with good cause. She sent another sweet note:
Hello and Happy March.
While I’m not going to join Nita in any marathons any time soon, I am proud to say that at three weeks post-knee surgery, things are looking good for a total recovery. That’s exciting, of course, because I anticipate resuming activities I couldn’t enjoy before surgery. Watch out pickleballers, kayakers and slow grocery browsers. Pretty soon, I shall leave you in a cloud of dust.
In the meantime, Write Now Columbus!
ABOUT THOSE DONATIONS, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!
Donations continue to trickle in. We’re so grateful for each donation to help us pay our expenses. We’re holding off on the subscription option for now due to the fees, but feel free to donate monthly or send an annual donation.
To contribute, click DONATE. That takes you to a page with a paypal button. Or, you can email Nita for an address to send a check. We spend every penny toward keeping the site, the server, the email sending service, etc. etc. up and running.
If you have any questions, you can reach Nita and Tami at writenowcolumbus@gmail.com.
As your donations and sponsorships allow, we will move Write Now Columbus to its own website.
CENTRAL OHIO WRITING
The number of events on the calendar continues to increase since everyone finally gets zoom! The calendar shows 35 events (up from 27 last month) this month. We will add any we learn of as the month goes on.
Just a reminder that applications are open for the Kenyon Review Writers Workshops. They occur in June and July.
If you know of an event we haven’t listed, please email Tami and I at writenowcolumbus@gmail.com and we will add it. And if we can do anything else to help you, please reach out.
Thanks always for reading and have a great month!
~ Nita and Tami
Nita Sweeney, Publisher
Tami Kamin Meyer, Editor
(c)Write Now Columbus, 2021, all rights reserved
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: If you purchase anything from the affiliate links on this page or in this email, Write Now Columbus will receive a portion of the proceeds. This helps us keep the website up and the internet on.
EXCEPTIONALLY INTERESTING STUFF!
CONTEST FOR WOMEN WRITERS – The Effie Lee Morris Writing Contest is open to women writers in many genres. Check out the submission guidelines for details. Deadline March 31, 2021.
PITCH-O-RAMA PLUS! – This event, a fabulous opportunity meet and pitch to agents and editors, is usually held in the Bay Area. But, pandemic! Register here to Zoom in.
HIRE US – Did you know you can hire Tami and/or Nita?
- Nita offers one-off consultation sessions to help writers find authentic material, navigate the writing and publishing process, and share her many resources and extensive experience.
- Tami is a seasoned freelance writer, editor, and attorney, always on the lookout for interesting gigs including ghost writing.
~ Contact either (or both) of us at writenowcolumbus@gmail.com.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Want to feature your new book? Teaching a class soon? Need more participants in your workshop? If you or your organization would like to sponsor an issue of Write Now Columbus, the fee is $10 per issue or $25 for three. Contact Nita or Tami at writenowcolumbus@gmail.com for more information.
| DONATIONS to Write Now Columbus are gratefully accepted. To Donate, Click Here. |
CONTENTS
CHECK OUT Nita’s EVENTS: The place to view them on one convenient page.
Read the ARCHIVES. Previous Write Now Columbus essays are archived on Nita’s website.
THE FINE PRINT
You received this newsletter either because you signed up for it at nitasweeney.com/newsletter, on Nita’s Facebook Page, or by replying to an invitation. If you do not want to continue receiving it, see “Get off the List,” below.
STAY ON THE LIST: If your email address changes and you still want to receive the newsletter, email us. While this may seem obvious, but if you’re like us, the havoc of changing something as essential as an email address may cause you to lose sight of other important things (like a monthly writing newsletter).
GET OFF THE LIST: Click here to avoid receiving future emails from us.
SUBMISSIONS: Write Now Columbus accepts submissions of writing events, on-going writing groups and open mics only. We do not currently accept articles, markets, or contests except through sponsorship. Please send an email with date, time, place, cost and contact information. We reserve the right to revise submissions and press releases.
DEADLINE: Write Now Columbus is published on the 3rd of each month. If you want an event to be on the calendar before the monthly email goes out, please send it before the 25th of the month unless the event is on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. For those dates, please submit it the month before. (e.g. For a May 4th event, submit by April 25th. For a May 3rd event, submit by the March 25th.) But please send events any time. We can add them to the calendar whenever you send them.
SUGGESTIONS or COMMENTS: Please email us with ideas, quotations, or formatting tips that might make this newsletter more readable, manageable, helpful, workable. It’s your newsletter. We’re just typing. You may contact Nita via snail mail at: 3801 Norbrook Drive, Columbus, OH 43220 or either of us at writenowcolumbus@gmail.com.
PARANOID EX-LAWYER’S RELEASE: We’re tired. We appreciate your patience. If you find an error, please use your inside voice to let us know. We’ll do our best to correct it.
by Tami Kamin Meyer | Jan 3, 2021 | Blog, Write Now Columbus Essay Archives
Write Now Columbus – January 2021
Hello!
Tami here.
I feel a rush of emotions as I compose this note. Excitement about being a part of the Write Now Columbus team. Pride for being selected for this opportunity. And, of course, concern about whether I am up to the task.
I have been receiving the Write Now Columbus newsletter since its inception 20 years ago. I recall feeling excited such an abundant resource existed and pride about living in a city where the literary scene is active enough to warrant such a publication.
Over the years, I have marveled at the amount of information disseminated in the seemingly simplistic newsletter. Now that Nita has generously welcomed me into the world of creating Write Now Columbus, I am literally blown away at the vast number of meticulous details, software concerns, editorial considerations and more that Nita has patiently dealt with, alone for the most part, the past 18 years. Creating this newsletter every month is a labor of love for her, and one that leads her to spend her own money to fund it. It’s not surprising this endeavor isn’t a moneymaker, but it would be great to be able to offer this community service and not have to pay for it out of pocket to boot. Therefore, we are discussing different ways to monetize the newsletter. Not to get rich (although that would be okay), but to ensure that creating this much-needed resource isn’t a financial drain on those of us publishing it. If you have ever attended an event or learned something useful from this monthly endeavor, would you be willing to pay up to $2 a month to support it?
My bio, in a nutshell: I grew up in Cincinnati, and graduated from UC with a BA in Communication Arts and a minor in Journalism. Geraldine Ferraro’s campaign for Vice-President as Walter Mondale’s running mate inspired me to pursue a career in law, but my passion for writing has never wavered. I am the proud mom of two sons, one a sports journalist and other a Journalism major in college. I’m crazy about dogs, kayaking, watching sports and the cultural arts, so, like most people, I anticipate the days when mask-wearing is again relegated to bank robbers and Halloween.
Writing has brought opportunities I would not have experienced had I not been a wordsmith. I’ve met and interviewed fascinating people, like baseball great Hank Aaron, legal scholar Alan Dershowitz and civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred. Writing has also led to countless all-nighters, the need to accept rejection gracefully and the euphoria of landing a prized assignment. For this freelancer, all the inconvenience, doubt and schedule-juggling wrought by my chosen profession is beyond worth it.
Both Nita and I welcome your comments, suggestions, and of course, your financial support, as well. We are thrilled to produce this monthly resource that so many have come to rely on for its newsworthiness, accuracy and usefulness.
But, for now, I must nap. It’s the middle of the day, optimum time for a quick snooze.
Write on and enjoy your January. And now, over to Nita.
~ Tami, Editor
(c)Tami Kamin Meyer, 2021, all rights reserved
Hi Writers:
Nita here.
First, a HUGE thank you to Tami for joining this wild adventure. She’s getting the crash course, showing her smarts right away.
Second, another HUGE THANK YOU to Tami for securing our first paid sponsorship! Yay!
This month’s newsletter includes eighteen events showing the continued impact of the pandemic on local literary businesses. Please keep up your support as they will need it even more now that the holiday sales season is over. Use the bookstore locator at our WNC Bookshop to help your local bookshop and Write Now Columbus as well.
STAMPED
I rarely spotlight individual events, but this month one community-wide event merits highlighting: One Book, One Community: Author Jason Reynolds. Several area libraries joined together to encourage us to read Reynolds’ book Stamped and bring him to our living rooms for a vital discussion. I hope you’ll join this important effort.
THREE WAYS TO HEAL YOUR MIND
To read about the three wellness modes that keep me on the planet, download your copy of Three Ways to Heal Your Mind.
MIND, MOOD, AND MOVEMENT
We’re 200 strong and growing over at my Facebook group, Mind, Mood, and Movement. If writing practice, mindfulness meditation, movement, and occasional challenges as wellness tools interest you, please join us.
THANK YOU!
You folks are amazing! Thank you for so many positive reviews and ratings of Depression Hates a Moving Target and You Should Be Writing. If you enjoyed either book and haven’t had a chance to leave a positive review or rating on your favorite site, I’d love it if you would. When your book comes out, you’ll understand the importance of reviews.
ASK TAMI and I ANYTHING
And finally, while Tami and I haven’t yet launched our youtube channel (Oops. Tami. I forgot to tell you that song and dance were required,) we’re happy to answer your questions. Email is always the best way to reach us.
Take care and be well.
~ Nita
Nita Sweeney, Publisher
(c)Nita Sweeney, 2021, all rights reserved
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: If you purchase anything from the affiliate links on this page or in this email, Write Now Columbus will receive a portion of the proceeds. This helps us keep the website up and the internet on.
THANK YOU TO THIS MONTH’S SPONSOR, TOMORROW and TOMORROW
SEEKING SUBMISSIONS:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a new anthology of writing and visual art, headquartered in Columbus. Our inaugural volume will be published in print in Spring 2021. We’re currently seeking short stories, poems, essays, personal narratives, memoirs, and short plays, as well as photographs and other visual art. We are also excited about work that blurs the lines between—or exists completely outside of—those categories. Our submission deadline has just been extended to February 1, 2021. For more information,
please visit our website, where you can also find links to our Facebook and Instagram pages. We’d love to read your work!
If you or your organization would like to sponsor an issue of Write Now Columbus, the fee is $10 per issue or $25 for three. Contact Nita or Tami at writenowcolumbus@gmail.com for more information.
| DONATIONS to Write Now Columbus are gratefully accepted. To Donate, Click Here. |
Please follow Nita on your favorite channel.
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CONTENTS
CHECK OUT Nita’s EVENTS: The place to view them on one convenient page.
Read the ARCHIVES. Previous Write Now Columbus essays are archived on Nita’s website.
THE FINE PRINT
You received this newsletter either because you signed up for it at nitasweeney.com/newsletter, on Nita’s Facebook Page, or by replying to an invitation. If you do not want to continue receiving it, see “Get off the List,” below.
STAY ON THE LIST: If your email address changes and you still want to receive the newsletter, email me. This may seem obvious, but if you’re like me, the havoc of changing something as essential as an email address may cause you to lose sight of other important things (like a monthly writing newsletter).
GET OFF THE LIST: Click here to avoid receiving future emails from us.
SUBMISSIONS: Write Now Columbus accepts submissions of writing events, on-going writing groups and open mics only. We do not currently accept articles, markets, or contests except through sponsorship. Please send an email with date, time, place, cost and contact information. We reserve the right to revise submissions and press releases.
DEADLINE: Write Now Columbus is published on the 3rd of each month. If you want an event to be on the calendar before the monthly email goes out, please send it before the 25th of the month unless the event is on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. For those dates, please submit it the month before. (e.g. For a May 4th event, submit by April 25th. For a May 3rd event, submit by the March 25th.) But please send events any time. We can add them to the calendar whenever you send them.
SUGGESTIONS or COMMENTS: Please email us with ideas, quotations, or formatting tips that might make this newsletter more readable, manageable, helpful, workable. It’s your newsletter. We’re just typing. You may contact Nita via snail mail at: 3801 Norbrook Drive, Columbus, OH 43220 or either of us at writenowcolumbus@gmail.com.
PARANOID EX-LAWYER’S RELEASE: OMG! OMG! I’m so excited. Tami is fabulous. But we’re still getting to know our way around this working together business so we need your continued patience. If you find an error, please use your inside voice to let us know. We’ll do our best to correct it.
by Nita Sweeney | Dec 3, 2020 | Blog, Write Now Columbus Essay Archives
Write Now Columbus – December 2020
Dear Writers:
January 2021 will mark eighteen years for Write Now Columbus. Since the day Shannon Jackson Arnold generously offered me her email list when she moved from Ohio to Wisconsin, I have worked to create a comprehensive calendar of central Ohio events, and a resource for central Ohio readers and writers.
My husband and sister have helped, and I hired a researcher a few times, but for the most part, I’ve done this alone.
That’s about to change.
Welcome Tami!
Please welcome Tami Kamin Meyer who, as sweet coincidence would have it, happens to be a long-time Columbusite, a writer, and an attorney like me! Although, Tami still practices law and I don’t.
Tami, one of Shannon’s original subscribers, has cheered Write Now Columbus from the sidelines since its inception. Here’s her bio:
When Tami Kamin Meyer moved to Columbus from her native Cincinnati to attend Capital University Law School in 1986, she was not a fan of the capital city. Despite her initial reservations, Columbus has “grown on me like a vine,” she says.
The mother of two sons, one a sports journalist and the other studying journalism in college, Kamin Meyer has been a freelance writer, editor and content creator since 1981. Her byline has appeared in a myriad of publications, including Forbes, MarketWatch, Next Avenue, Cannabis & Tech Today, Your Teen, Ohio Magazine and Columbus Monthly.
Licensed in Ohio, the state’s federal court and the US Supreme Court, Kamin Meyer is a solo practitioner representing clients in personal bankruptcy, probate and family law matters.
She is Marketing/Communications Chair of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and is a member of the Columbus Bar Association’s Board of Editors.
I’m excited to welcome her as editor. I will remain as publisher. Stay tuned as we work out the details.
PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL LITERATURE
It being December and it being a pandemic, the calendar shows only eight events. Independent bookstores and local venues continue to struggle with no in-person activities and an abundance of competition for online happenings.
Please continue to support our central Ohio literary organizations. With a vaccine on the horizon, we hope one day soon for the return of in-person options. In the meantime, we need these organizations to stay afloat. They require our support to do so!
Thurber House recently made their situation public. It’s dire. Without help, it may close.
PLEASE DONATE NOW TO SAVE THURBER HOUSE.
Also, please support independent bookstores. We’ve created this WNC Bookshop to help.
Nita’s News
Ed’s health crisis earlier this year, combined with the pandemic and the divisive national climate, prompted me to take a hard look at how I could be most helpful to others. I’ve written more about that in my author newsletter, Nita’s News.
Sign up for Nita’s News, for wellness tips and all of my author updates.
NITA’S FACEBOOK GROUP
If my spin on emotional health and well-being interests you, please join my Facebook group, Mind, Mood, and Movement. I offer writing practice, mindfulness meditation, movement, and occasional challenges as wellness tools. Expect the random unicorn too, because, well, I love unicorns!
UPCOMING MEMOIR EVENT
Friday, December 18th at noon PT / 3pm ET – Brave Women: Revelatory Memoirs with Marlena Fiol and yours truly. In this discussion hosted by the San Francisco Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association, Marlena and I will explain what prompted us to overcome difficulties and why we chose to write about it. Register early as spots are limited.
REVIEWS – PLEASE and THANK YOU
Depression Hates a Moving Target and You Should Be Writing continue to receive positive reviews. If you enjoyed either book and haven’t had a chance to leave a positive review or rating on your favorite site, I’d love it if you would. If you already did, thank you!! I had no idea how important reviews were until my first book came out.
GIFTS FOR WRITERS
Instead of watching me reinvent the wheel, head over to Chuck Wendig’s “Gifts for Writers.” My favorite?
“Give Them Some Oxygen: Seriously, we’re all trapped in our houses, buy a writer a plant.”
Don’t forget! Books make great gifts!
ASK ME ANYTHING
No. I’m not doing a Youtube Live—yet. But if I can help in some way, please reach out. Email is always the best way to reach me.
Take care and be well.
~ Nita
If you purchase anything from the affiliate links on this page or in this email, Write Now Columbus will receive a portion of the proceeds. This helps us keep the website up and the internet on.
by Nita Sweeney | Aug 3, 2020 | Blog, Write Now Columbus Essay Archives
Write Now Columbus – August 2020
Still here, still in the middle of the pandemic, still writing. Most things are virtual, while zoom fatigue is very real. Harvard Business Review offers some tips. Who knew we would learn to love plain old phone calls again?
One of my sanity techniques is to change things up.
On Bum Glue Blog, I’ve begun two new post series.
For the first, Mango Publishing’s lovely and talented intern, Ashlee, created some fabulous graphics using excerpts from You Should Be Writing, the writing journal I co-authored with Associate Publisher, and award-winning author, Brenda Knight. In the first series of new posts, I riff about what each excerpt brings to mind. Here’s a sample.
In the second series, I interview authors. I’m fascinated by each author’s process and hope the answers inform your work or at least entertain.
As for my zooming, my next Writing from the Inside Out class will be on zoom this Sunday. Two weeks later I’ll be zooming to talk about Depression Hates a Moving Target at the Run Pain Free Marathon Training Summit. It’s a star-studded lineup and I’m so honored to be included. I’ll round out the month with our very own Ohioana Book Festival, another huge honor.
Did I mention zoom fatigue? No complaints here.
So far, there are 16 writing-related events on the Write Now Columbus – August 2020 calendar. With increased competition now that everything has gone virtual, I hope you will continue to support our local bookstores, groups, and agencies with your attention and dollars. They continue to provide so much for our vibrant writing community.
As always, if you hear of events, groups, workshops, please let me know. I appreciate your help!
Thank you and may you and yours be well.
by Nita Sweeney | Jul 3, 2020 | Blog, Write Now Columbus Essay Archives
Self-care has gotten a bad rap. Bubble baths. Pedicures. Massages. But what does self-care really look like? Recently, here’s what it means for me.
My Current Experience of Self-Care
When Ed was in the hospital, self-care to me meant going home every night to sleep in our bed. The alternative was a hard, too short, not quite wide enough pull out sofa under the air conditioner ceiling duct by Ed’s hospital window. It meant buying a small, green salad from the hospital cafeteria and trying to make the salad portion larger than the macaroni and cheese portion. Self-care meant finding a long, almost empty hallway, and walking back and forth. The nurses forbade me from doing laps on the cardiac ICU ward. I needed to burn anxious energy and didn’t have time to run.
Once Ed was home, self-care meant going into the basement for 10 minutes without my phone. I only did that once. I returned upstairs to liquid food all over the floor because the feeding tube line had come unhooked while Ed was napping and Scarlet was lapping the spillage off the floor. We had to clean the recliner, Ed, Ed’s clothes, the floor, and the dog. But that ten minutes alone in the basement was nearly worth it.
Mid-pandemic, mid-revolution, mid-book launch, and now that Ed is on the mend, self-care looks like longer, slower runs, and walks with the dog after dark when the humidity and temperature have dropped enough that Scarlet can go more than half a mile. I also reach out to others even if I prefer not to talk to anyone and listen instead of giving advice. Holding space for others who are hurting helps me as much as it does them. Self-care also means blogging more often, doing more writing practice, and reading deeply.
What Does Self-Care Look Like for Others?
A friend whose mother is in a nursing home finds solace by sitting outdoors in a lawn chair outside her mother’s window where her mother can see. Her mother has dementia but smiles at the nice lady who visits her. My friend takes a long nap when she gets home.
A runner friend has embraced hard training. The long miles and intense workouts reduce her anxiety.
Some writers have started new books, while others are back to basics, filling blank notebooks with ink.
Thousands of people are taking care of themselves by protesting and pushing the edges of society in an effort to break hundreds of years of racism to smithereens. For others it’s choosing to buy books by authors of color and supporting black-owned businesses because the person is immunocompromised or lives with someone at-risk. I support them by buying from black-owned businesses and listening to any of my friends who are in a marginalized group. It’s a way to care for my heart.
And what about the people on the front lines? How does a doctor or a nurse or a restaurant worker or a janitor or a teacher or a bus driver take care right now? And how about the people with children, especially the single parents, who are trying to work while school and daycare and summer camps and vacation are all essentially cancelled? I’d bet their self-care looks a lot like that ten minute break I stole in the basement, ten minutes that resulted in more work than if I hadn’t taken it.
Internal Self-Care
But let’s not forget internal self-care: Meditation. Therapy. Mindfulness. Mantras. Affirmations.
For my inner self-care, I joined a 28-day meditation challenge. It’s free to essential workers and activists, and is offered on a sliding scale to everyone else.
And you?
What does self-care look like for you? I would love to hear from each of you.
