Join our Email List

The above email list will get you directly in touch with us and you will receive all of our email updates on writing events, workshops and publishing opportunities in the state, and sometimes outside the state! Or, you can CLICK HERE to go and like our facebook page to stay in touch.

For many years, we supported ourselves with donations, book sales, and a few grants. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to fund our books. Without your support and donations, there would be no Jackpine Writers’ Bloc and no Talking Stick books. Remember, your tax donation is tax deductible. We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.

HOME CONTACT ABOUT ARCHIVES MEETING MINUTES

Submit to the Talking Stick Our Services Writers' Tips Events News

March Writers’ Meeting

Today we held our March meeting. The next meeting will be on Sunday, April 20, 2014, at Bella Caffe in Park Rapids MN from 12:30 to 3 PM.

PRESENT: Sharon, Deb, Sonja, Marlys, Jerry

TALKING STICK 23: We have received many submissions for TS23. Our Editorial Board members have started to read the submissions and a meeting date is set.

WRITERS EVENTS: Bloomington 2014 Writers Festival and Book Fair. Bloomington Center for the Arts, Bloomington MN. Saturday March 22, 2014, 9:30 to 5 PM. More information: 952-563-8575 or www.btacmn.org.

Funded by a MN State Arts Board grant, awarded in collaboration with the Crossing Arts Alliance, Verse Like Water (at Central Lakes College in Brainerd) will host appearances by Billy Collins (April 29), Robert Hass (Oct. 29) and Tracy K.Smith (Nov. 21). Here’s an article about the program http://www.twincities.com/entertainment/ci_25241575/teacher-lures-slate-illustrious-poets-read-at-small and an excerpt with upcoming readings. They are usually over the noon hour during the week and are often followed by discussion or workshop.

www.CampNanowrimo.org. Email cordria@hotmail.com for more information or to join her group. This is the fourth year of the Camp NaNoWriMo retreat! Camp isn’t just an off-season alternative to National Novel Writing Month, it’s much more than that: writers choose their own projects—from novel sequels to scripts to pop-up books—and find cabin communities (and often new friends) to support them. We call it a retreat because you can write anything here, plus see what you’re capable of when you have the time and space to create. There are flexible word-count goals (10,000 to 999,999) and the ability to add your own project genre. Full project-defining power to select your genre and category. The writing starts on April 1.

Northwoods Writers Conference—Sunday, June 22, 2014 through Saturday, June 28, 2014. http://northwoodswriters.org.

PLACES TO SUBMIT:

Coming event in Wadena at An Open Book. This is a poetry event with 4 types of poetry: free verse, rhymed, shaped, and illustrated. More information on that soon.
Spring Writing Contest at the Loft. Deadline March 27, 2014. Go to www.loft.org for more information.
Lake Region Review deadline June 1, 2014. Go to http://lakeregionwriters.net/submission-guidelines. See other places to submit on their website.
Common Good Books has a contest ending April 15, 2014. Go to: www.commongoodbooks.com for more details.

JERRY’S READINGS: See Jerry’s website for his upcoming readings. www.jerrymevissen.com.

WRITERS’ TIP: As you write, it is so much more effective to say something directly instead of saying it through the writer’s eyes or ears. Such as, “You ran across the room,” instead of “I watched you as you ran across the room.” Don’t force the reader to go through the person in the poem to see or hear something.

PROMPTS: We want to start bringing writing prompts and then using them in each meeting, writing for 5 or 10 minutes. We always love exercises in writing classes and workshops so we know we will benefit from doing them at the end of our monthly meetings.

We took turns reading things we have been working on and the rest of us critiqued. A very enjoyable meeting. Hope to see you next time!