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DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20260407T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20260407T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
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LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T034802Z
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SUMMARY:April Writer's Night - Marketing for Authors: Your Foundation and Beyond with Sherry D. Ficklin
DESCRIPTION:This presentation will cover the basics of building your author marketing strategy\, including identifying\, locating\, and engaging your audience\, as well as social media breakdowns and tips. Marketing by genre is about shifting focus from selling a single book to cultivating trust and recognition with a specific audience in order to strengthen your overall business. \nPlease join the WCWF on Tuesday\, April 7\, 2026\, from 6-7:30 pm at The Art Center in Grand Junction\, 7th and Orchard. \nSpeaker Bio\nSherry D. Ficklin is a full-time author from Western Colorado. Ficklin writes across multiple genres but leans toward Young Adult fiction\, with works ranging from contemporary romance to science fiction and historical novels. Her published works include the bestselling Stolen Empire series\, The Lost Imperials (co-written with Tyler H. Jolley)\, and several standalone titles. \nFicklin’s experience spans both traditional and self-publishing avenues. Beyond her work as an author\, she has served as an acquisitions editor\, marketing assistant\, and script evaluator\, demonstrating her knowledge of various aspects of the publishing industry. You can find more information on her official website.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/april-writers-night-marketing-for-authors/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251202T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251202T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20251101T164227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251101T164227Z
UID:4551-1764698400-1764703800@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:December Writer’s Night: Annual Spoken Word Open Mic Event
DESCRIPTION:Our annual Open Mic Night is Tuesday\, December 2\, 2025\, from 6-7:30 pm at the Art Center in Grand Junction. Bring your short works and poetry and take the mic! This is a spoken word event. \nOur total time is an hour-and-a-half. Every year we have many readers\, so keeping a time limit allows everyone to have a chance at the mic. We will have a timekeeper again this year\, and our max time limit is 6 minutes\, so please plan accordingly. \nA 30-line poem takes about 2 minutes to read\, and a 700-word story takes about 5 minutes. If we can do more than one round\, we will. \nWe appreciate RSVPs for seat-planning purposes\, and please note that readers will sign up on-site. Doors open 15 minutes early to allow for this.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/december-writers-night-2025/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Open Mic,Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251007T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251007T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20250514T221307Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T000055Z
UID:4252-1759860000-1759865400@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:October Writer's Night - Getting Your Book on the Library Shelf with Mesa County Libraries
DESCRIPTION:For our October Writer’s Night\, learn the library’s process for getting local authors’ titles on the shelves and setting up book signings. This writer’s night will also cover other ways the library supports writers. If there’s time\, the presenters may read selections from local authors’ books that are in the library collection. \n  \nSpeaker Bios\nMichelle Boisvenue-Fox\, the Executive Director at Mesa County Libraries\, works to build community through partnerships\, programs\, and events. Michelle believes that people are the most important thing to a library. As a result\, libraries change lives in big and small ways. Michelle holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois and has more than 20 years of public and academic library experience. \n  \nLisa Solko\, Head of Collection Management at Mesa County Libraries\, oversees the collection and deselection of library material at eight library locations as well as electronic books and audiobooks. She holds a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin\, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art History and Studio Art from Colorado Mesa University. Lisa enjoys using insights derived from data and research to attain harmonic results that reflect community\, originality\, and variety.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/october-writers-night-getting-your-book-on-the-library-shelf-with-mesa-county-libraries/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250902T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250902T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20250811T200431Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250817T202051Z
UID:4439-1756836000-1756841400@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:Conventions\, Conferences and Critique Groups: How to Get the Most from Them with James Van Pelt
DESCRIPTION:September Writer’s Night\n  \nYou know the best practice to improve your writing is to write. Don’t forget that. \nBut there are other ways to help\, to jump-start your thinking\, to skip the steps that if you had to take them on your own could take months and months: conventions\, conferences\, and critique groups. \nLong-time teacher\, conventioneer\, and critique group leader James Van Pelt will talk about strategies to get the most from your participation at each\, and offer resources to find the valuable ones. \nIf you’ve attended any of these useful activities and are willing to share\, be ready with your best (or worst) moments in your experience. \nPlease note:  All Writer’s Nights are on the first Tuesday of the month and are held at The Art Center near 7th and Orchard in Grand Junction\, Colorado. \nSpeaker Bio\nJames Van Pelt has been selling short fiction to many of the major venues since 1989. Recently he retired from teaching high school English after thirty-seven years in the classroom. He has been a finalist for the Nebula\, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award\, Locus Awards\, and Analog and Asimov’s Reader’s Choice awards. Years and years ago\, he was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. He still feels “new.” Fairwood Press recently released a huge\, limited-edition\, signed\, and numbered collection of his work\, THE BEST OF JAMES VAN PELT. He can be found online at his website or on Facebook.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/conventions-conferences-and-critique-groups-how-to-get-the-most-from-them/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-LargeLogo.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250805T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250805T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20250628T201406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250630T010012Z
UID:4357-1754416800-1754422200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:August Writer's Night - From the Trenches: The Process of Querying Your Debut with Paige Kaptuch
DESCRIPTION:Have you ever tried to find an agent? Maybe you are in the thinking stages right now\, or have only just begun to write your book. Perhaps you’re wondering\, “What the heck is querying\, and do I really need to do that?” \n  \nOur August Writer’s Night presenter Paige Kaptuch will discuss her own ongoing journey to publishing her debut novel and will share her research\, resources\, and tips — including the process of finding an agent. \n  \nSpeaker Bio\n \nPaige Kaptuch has an MFA in fiction from the University of Arizona and was named a 2025 Tennessee Williams Fiction Scholar at the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been selected as a Longreads Top 5 and nominated for a Best Small Fictions\, and has appeared in Runner’s World/Apple News Narrated\, Spoke and Blossom\, Swamp Pink\, The Forge\, Epiphany\, Masters Review\, Door is a Jar\, and Hayden’s Ferry Review. She’s been awarded funded writing residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts\, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts\, Wildacres\, Foundation House\, PLAYA Summer Lake\, Volland\, Jentel\, and Vermont Studio Center. Her career has involved teaching both undergraduate and college prep students\, as well as working in the run specialty/OR industry. She lives with her family in Grand Junction.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/august-writers-night-2025/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250701T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250701T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20250313T155340Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250505T152744Z
UID:4077-1751392800-1751398200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:July Writer's Night - Write Matters: A Session with Bob Silbernagel
DESCRIPTION:For our July Writer’s Night\, Bob Silbernagel will discuss what he’s learned during his long writing career: when he started writing\, why he writes\, how he learned to write better and love good editors\, and the methods he uses to write. He will also speak more generally about the publishing industry\, including trends with book publishing newspapers. He will offer his ideas on improving writing and will answer questions. \n  \nAll Writer’s Nights are held at The Art Center in Grand Junction\, near 7th and Orchard\, on the first Tuesday of the month from 6-7:30 p.m. \n  \nSpeaker Bio\nBob Silbernagel writes a regional history column for The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction. His most recent book\, First Draft: Exploring the History of Western Colorado and Eastern Utah\, is a collection of 40 of those columns\, published in 2023. \nIn addition\, he is the author of The Cadottes: A Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior; Troubled Trails: The Meeker Affair and the Expulsion of Utes from Colorado; and Historic Adventures on The Colorado Plateau. \nMr. Silbernagel was the editorial page editor for The Daily Sentinel newspaper in Grand Junction for 19 years. When not writing\, he enjoys horseback riding\, hiking\, and camping. \nHe and his wife\, Judy\, live near Palisade\, Colorado. \nCheck out the Western Colorado Writers’ Forum Events section to discover what’s happening next!
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/july-writers-night/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250603T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250603T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20250508T181027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T154233Z
UID:4230-1748973600-1748979000@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:June Writer’s Night - ChatGPT as a Tool for Writers: An Honest Conversation and Workshop with Kate Beagle
DESCRIPTION:In this era of rapidly developing artificial intelligence\, creatives across the world are sounding the alarm. Screenwriters\, copywriters\, journalists\, poets\, and novelists are all watching a familiar story unfold: a world that already undervalues their labor is racing to replace it with something cheaper\, faster\, and altogether less human. \nLike so many technological shifts before it\, the ringing of the AI bell cannot be unrung. That leaves those of us doing the deeply human work of writing with a choice: resist or adapt. \nYet\, perhaps\, there is a third path that will allow us to engage with this new technology critically and creatively. \nJoin us for an honest\, writer-centered conversation about ChatGPT as an instrument we may choose to use with care\, to fine-tune our own unique vision\, rather than as a replacement for the creative process. \nTogether\, let us explore what this technology can do: spark ideas\, assist with structure\, untangle messy drafts\, and provide invaluable (if somewhat dubious) research assistance. And we’ll discuss just as candidly what ChatGPT and similar AI assistants cannot do: capture lived experience\, create emotional truth\, or tell your unique and authentic story. \n  \nSpeaker Bio\nKate Beagle is a Grand Junction native\, small business owner\, and lifelong creative. As the owner\, bookkeeper\, and office manager of HBJ’s Your Way Grooming\, she spends her days caring for the community’s beloved four-legged companions. But at heart\, Kate has always been a storyteller. A passionate reader\, writer\, and world-builder\, she tentatively describes herself as a speculative fiction author and proudly serves as Treasurer of the Western Colorado Writers’ Forum\, where she’s eager to connect with other lovers of “weird fiction” across the Grand Valley. \nKate’s experience with artificial intelligence—like many of us at the dawn of this new technological era—has been largely self-guided. She’s explored ChatGPT as a creative tool in her own writing practice and is now excited to open a broader\, deeper conversation among her fellow writers about what this technology might mean in a world that too often seeks to turn creativity into a commodity.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/june-writers-night-chatgpt/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250506T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250506T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20241227T210455Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250402T202707Z
UID:3798-1746554400-1746559800@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:May Writer's Night - The Plot Thickens:  Writing\, Teaching\, and Publishing Mystery Fiction with Lyn Fraser
DESCRIPTION:The May Writer’s Night session will focus on mystery fiction but will also include a broader discussion of the importance of perseverance and variety\, which impact all of us who write and publish. My own publications include short mystery stories\, the most recent of which began as a novel-in-a-month; it has taken me four years to turn this work into a publishable story. I have been greatly fortunate to be self-supporting as a writer in part because my work includes a Pearson textbook that seems totally unrelated to mystery fiction\, but I believe it fundamentally relies on the same kind of creative energy. I look forward with considerable enthusiasm to your comments\, questions\, and perspectives about these issues. \n  \nSpeaker Bio\n \nLyn Fraser teaches a course in Crime Fiction for New Dimensions and has also been a faculty member at Texas A&M University and Colorado Mesa University. Her publications include a mystery novel (DEBITS AND CREDITS)\, two books on the psalms\, a business textbook (Pearson\, 12th edition 2023)\, short fiction in the AMERICAN LITERARY REVIEW\, the MID-AMERICAN REVIEW\, MYSTERICAL-E\, and two stories in anthologies published by the Murderous Ink Press (“Cosy Nostra” and “Chicka-Chicka Boomba”). An avid reader of mysteries\, Lyn started with Nancy Drew when she was nine years old and has never stopped the clock. \n  \nAll Writer’s Nights are the first Tuesday of the month at the Art Center in Grand Junction. \nCheck out our Events section to see what’s coming up!
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/may-writers-night-2/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250401T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250401T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20250128T205341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T201948Z
UID:3902-1743530400-1743535800@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:April Writer's Night - Stages: Adapting Your Ideas to the Stage and Screen with David Kenworthy
DESCRIPTION:Have you wanted to turn your work into a play or screenplay? Do you have ideas for a script? Then this workshop is for you!  \nLocal director and writer David Kenworthy will be leading a workshop for the WCWF to create an original play or screenplay on Tuesday\, April 1st. He will be basing the session on the book The 90-Day Play by Linda Walsh Jenkins\, which is used in playwriting classes all over the country. With brainstorming sessions\, writing prompts\, and industry tips and tricks\, we hope you are on your way to writing your own play by the end of the session. Don’t be an April fool. Join us on April 1st!  \nAll Writer’s Nights are held at The Art Center in Grand Junction\, CO. \nSpeaker Bio \nDavid Kenworthy has been performing\, producing\, writing\, and directing theatre in the Grand Valley for over 20 years. After studying musical theatre at Ball State University\, he worked at theaters along the East Coast\, including the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre\, the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre\, and the national touring children’s theatre\, the Hampstead Players. In 2002\, David moved west to work at the Cabaret Dinner Theatre\, where he put down roots by creating his two favorite productions\, his sons William and Alexander.  \nHe has appeared in over 90 productions\, including The Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz\, Billy Flynn in Chicago\, Epstein in Biloxi Blues\, and Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. After the Cabaret closed in 2010\, he became the artistic director for the Lost Theatre Troupe\, producing several shows for the Museums of West at the Avalon Theatre. He completed his AA in theatre at Colorado Mesa University and is now the Executive Theatre Director for Geek Parties of the Grand Valley. David thanks everyone for supporting him through his artistic journey. \nCheck our Events page for upcoming happenings for writers\, and read our monthly newsletters here.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/april-writers-night-3/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250204T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250204T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20250110T213550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250110T214620Z
UID:3850-1738692000-1738697400@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:February Writer's Night: Make Your Writing Stand Out from the Crowd
DESCRIPTION:Have you wondered how editors know from the first page if they are reading professional-level work? What traits mark publishable writing from the easily rejected? Long-time writer\, editor\, and teacher\, James Van Pelt shares the secret publishing handshake with you in this valuable 90 minutes. Change how you write forever. \nAll Writer’s Night events are held at the Art Center in Grand Junction from 6-7:30 p.m. \n  \nSpeaker Bio \nJames Van Pelt has been selling short fiction to many of the major venues since 1989. Recently he retired from teaching high school English after thirty-seven years in the classroom. He has been a finalist for the Nebula\, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award\, Locus Awards\, and Analog and Asimov’s Reader’s Choice awards. Years and years ago he was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. He still feels “new.” Fairwood Press recently released a huge\, limited-edition\, signed\, and numbered collection of his work\, THE BEST OF JAMES VAN PELT. He can be found online at his website or on Facebook. \n  \n 
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/february-writers-night2025/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hand-1868015_1920.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250107T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250107T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20241004T172227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241223T185008Z
UID:3512-1736272800-1736278200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:January Writer's Night - Immersive Writing Session with Wendy Videlock
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Tuesday\, January 7\, 2025\, at 6 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction for an unforgettable immersive writing session with Wendy Videlock. RSVPs are strongly encouraged as we will move about the Art Center and would like to plan accurately. \nWendy will guide you on using art as a tool for reflection\, activating your imagination\, and evoking vivid description in all types of writing including memoir\, nonfiction\, fiction\, and poetry. Writers of every genre will enjoy and benefit from these exercises whether you write thrillers\, cozy mysteries\, historical fiction\, poetry\, holiday letters\, blog posts\, technical manuals\, or anything in between! \nIn the world of poetry\, this is known as ekphrasis\, “a literary device consisting of a vivid\, detailed description of a visual work of art.” \nThe Art Center has generously opened every gallery to the WCWF for this session. The art exhibits on display that night are: \n\nTerry Shepherd +1: Clay Vessels 2024 Exhibit\nThe Sky is the Limit – an exhibition focusing on clouds as the primary subject matter\nThe 7 Principles of Art and Design: Shape – featuring works from The Art Center’s Permanent Collection\nKephart: Collector’s Exhibit\n\nWe encourage all writers to RSVP for this special writer’s night session! \n  \n Speaker Bio\nWendy Videlock lives on the edge of a canyon in Palisade\, where the peaches grow in abundance and the vineyards stretch across the valley. Wendy teaches and advocates for the arts in schools and public spaces. Her essays and poems appear most notably in The New York Times\, Poetry Magazine\, Hudson Review\, O Magazine\, Best American Poetry\, and Rattle. Her books of poems and essays are available wherever books are sold and her art is featured in galleries across the Grand Valley. Wendy believes that the arts and humanities might just be the answer to all that ails us. She currently serves as poet laureate of Western Colorado. For more\, visit this link.\n 
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/january-writers-night-2025/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hand-1868015_1280.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241203T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241203T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240221T185355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241122T202404Z
UID:2708-1733248800-1733254200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:December Writer’s Night: Annual Spoken Word Open Mic Event
DESCRIPTION:Our annual Open Mic Night is Tuesday\, December 3 from 6-7:30 pm at the Art Center in Grand Junction. Bring your short works and poetry and take the mic! This is a spoken word event. \nOur total time is an hour-and-a-half. Last year we had several readers\, so keeping a time limit allowed everyone to have a chance at the mic. We will have a timekeeper again this year\, and due to community requests\, we are upping the limit to 6 minutes\, so plan accordingly. \nA 30-line poem takes about 2 minutes to read\, and a 700-word story takes about 5 minutes. If we can do more than one round\, we will. \nWe appreciate RSVPs for seat-planning purposes\, and please note that readers will sign up on-site. Doors open 15 minutes early to allow for this. \n 
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/december-2024-writers-night-open-mic/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Open Mic,Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hand-1868015_1280.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241105T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241105T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240221T184724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241018T163831Z
UID:2706-1730829600-1730835000@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:Rescheduled! November Writer’s Night – Fun with the Forum Fundraiser Event
DESCRIPTION:Note to outside agencies emailing us: we are not seeking additional help with the auction.\nFolks\, the WCWF Silent Auction and Fundraiser for 2024 has been rescheduled!\nDue to a number of challenges\, the board decided to reschedule our annual fundraiser from November 5\, 2024\, to Tuesday\, March 4\, 2025. All the details are at this link\, and we will add more as they become available. \nThanks so much for your understanding and ongoing support of the forum!
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/november-writers-night-the-2024-wcwf-silent-auction-and-fundraiser-event/
LOCATION:Grand Junction Art Center\, 1803 No. 7th\, Grand Junction\, Colorado\, 81501
CATEGORIES:Silent Auction,Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20241001T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20241001T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240527T211321Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241003T162850Z
UID:3021-1727805600-1727811000@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:October Writer's Night - Get the Scoop: Western Colorado Voices\, an Anthology of Stories\, Essays and Poetry
DESCRIPTION:The Western Colorado Writers’ Forum is pleased to announce a new upcoming anthology\, Western Colorado Voices: An Anthology of Stories\, Essays\, and Poetry. Submissions will open to western Colorado residents from November 1st to January 31st. Short stories of any genre and non-fiction pieces under 3\,000 words will be considered. We will also include poetry. \nFull submission guidelines\, including pay rates\, will be released at our writer’s night on October 1\, 2024\, where the editors will answer questions about what they are looking for and the process of creating the book from start to finish. \nRSVPs requested to attend this special session held at the Grand Junction Art Center. RSVP above this post. \n  \n 
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/get-the-scoop-wcwf/
LOCATION:Grand Junction Art Center\, 1803 No. 7th\, Grand Junction\, Colorado\, 81501
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240903T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240903T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240220T183642Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240903T202209Z
UID:2693-1725386400-1725391800@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:September Writer’s Night – Strengthen Your Writing: Using Metacognitive Reading Strategies as a Writer with Maria E. Cuthbert
DESCRIPTION:Writing with your readers in mind as you write\, or as you revise\, can be a strong basis for attractive pieces of creative writing. \nWhat is there about reading that we could be catching as we write? What are some phantom strategies we need to acknowledge? \nMaria E. Cuthbert will present “Metacognitive Reading Strategies” where you can analyze strategies used by readers before\, during\, and after reading. \nPreviewing these strategies can make you a stronger writer\, and make it easier for you to reach the readers’ minds. \nAll Writer’s Night events are held at the Art Center in Grand Junction. \nSpeaker Bio\n \nMaria E. Cuthbert is a writer\, graphite artist\, linguist\, and former professor of languages. She is the founder of the Dual Immersion Academy in Grand Junction\, Colorado. She has coauthored English and French textbooks based on reading for the University of Pedagogy used throughout Mexico. She has a book of poems\, “Siglos de Aire\,” 2010\, and has been included in an anthology of poetry in Spain\, “Mar de Nubes\,” where she has participated in global festivals. Her poetic work is discussed in “Surco de Libros\,” by Jaime Velazquez\, based on top writers. She published a bilingual online magazine\, Latinoticias MC\, from 2010 to 2013 including work by international writers\, artists\, and other celebrities. She has written for several newspapers in Colorado. \nMaria has taught English\, Spanish\, French\, and writing in different schools and universities\, and has translated from Italian and Portuguese also. At present\, she is part of the MIT Writers’ Group where she focuses mainly on poetry. She participates in a group for the conservation of French with international members as well\, and occasionally presents artistic work at the Art Center of Western Colorado. She has lived in Grand Junction since 1998\, where she became a U.S. Citizen in 2005. \n 
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/september2024-writers-night/
LOCATION:Grand Junction Art Center\, 1803 No. 7th\, Grand Junction\, Colorado\, 81501
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240806T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240806T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240428T203748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240730T214641Z
UID:2942-1722967200-1722972600@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:August Writer's Night - A Conversation with Danny Rosen: some things I've been thinking about poetry (and a few thoughts on publishing)
DESCRIPTION:“I will discuss how my approaches to poetry have evolved over the years. In addition to my own work\, some of the poets whose work I will cite include Robinson Jeffers\, Wendy Videlock\, Jack Mueller\, and Clark Coolidge. In the poetry I am drawn to\, the use of language is as important if not more so than the subject or the feelings expressed. I will also speak briefly on the vagaries and possibilities of publishing in the modern world.”\n\n\nAll Writer’s Night events are held at the Art Center in Grand Junciton\, 7th and Orchard.\n\n Speaker Bio\n\n\n\nDanny Rosen left Philadelphia in 1980. At University of Wyoming he studied geology to learn about what he was climbing. Over time\, all things stone and otherwise coalesced in Fruita to become Lithic Press\, then Bookstore. Publications include Suspended Erosion (Lithic Press)\, The Tuscan Journals (Cuneiform Press)\, Primate Poems (Lithic Press)\, and Ghosts of Giant Kudu (Kattywompus).
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/august-writers-night-2024/
LOCATION:Grand Junction Art Center\, 1803 No. 7th\, Grand Junction\, Colorado\, 81501
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Attendeesed.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240702T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240702T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240407T214522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240408T140138Z
UID:2901-1719943200-1719948600@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:July Writer's Night - Discovering the Magnificence: Words\, Wonder and Wisdom with Wendy Videlock
DESCRIPTION:Come learn how you can deepen your relationship to language\, hush your inner critic\, activate your imagination\, and cultivate a meaningful and regular writing practice. This lively presentation will inspire you to reconsider the nature of curiosity\, creativity\, opportunity and your working relationship to words. Led by award winning poet\, syndicated newspaper columnist\, essayist\, and poet laureate of the Western Slope\, Wendy Videlock.\n\n\n  \n Speaker Bio\nWendy Videlock lives on the edge of a canyon in Palisade\, where the peaches grow in abundance and the vineyards stretch across the valley. Her syndicated newspaper column appears across the four-corner states. Wendy teaches and advocates for the arts in schools and public spaces. Her essays and poems appear most notably in The New York Times\, Poetry Magazine\, Hudson Review\, O Magazine\, Best American Poetry and Rattle. Her books of poems and essays are available wherever books are sold and her art is featured in galleries across the Grand Valley.Wendy believes that the arts and humanities might just be the answer to all that ails us. She currently serves as poet laureate of Western Colorado. For more\, visit this link.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/july-writers-night-2024/
LOCATION:7th and Orchard\, Grand Junction CO
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240604T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240604T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240221T215815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240529T132410Z
UID:2716-1717524000-1717529400@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:June Writer’s Night – Finding What We Know: A workshop on creative nonfiction\, with writing exercises in memoir
DESCRIPTION:“We write what we know about what we don’t know.”  Grace Paley \nThe fairly recent nomenclature of “creative nonfiction” might easily include our first diaries and journals\, first beloved poems\, essays\, and autobiographical “true stories\,” and blossom into writing about others’ real lives as a journalist\, a local or overseas reporter\, or researcher\, or as a poet and essayist\, or editor of others’ works.  I’ve worked in all these fields\, then found the harder task of separating what is deemed autobiographical material from what it can blossom into\, as fiction or nonfiction\, realism or fantasy or a mix of the two and discovering what it is one most wants to create\, as well as what you might expect to make a living from for all our efforts. Join us for a discussion of what interests you in creative nonfiction\, a chance to share some helpful book titles and authors we each recommend\, and some time to write one or two pieces of memoir\, to see what we come up with. Let’s focus on honesty and the pleasure of each other’s company. \nSpeaker Bio\nSandra Dorr is a Grand Junction poet\, editor\, teacher and author of award-winning poems\, fiction and nonfiction. She’s currently at work on a memoir\, and recently performed “If I Must Die\,” by the late Palestinian poet Reefat Alareer\, for a local fundraiser for the children of Gaza. See www.sandradorr.com or FB page.\n \n  \n**New Note and Request \nThe WCWF has a booth at Juneteenth on Saturday\, June 15. Juneteenth is presented by BCF\, Black Citizens & Friends\, and they are gathering donations from each booth to give to Mutual Aid Partners. These goods will be used to assist those experiencing homelessness. \nIf you would like to help this worthy cause\, please bring a donation or two to our June Writer’s Night that matches the requests you see in the graphic below. The WCWF will make sure all donations get to the recipient. We thank you so much!
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/june-writers-night-finding-what-we-know-a-workshop-on-creative-nonfiction-with-writing-exercises-in-memoir/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240507T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240507T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20240229T202134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240316T201113Z
UID:2747-1715104800-1715110200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:May Writer's Night - From Survivor to Author: One Woman's Story with Kelly Ashford
DESCRIPTION:Join Kelly Ashford as she shares her story of surviving 11 days lost in the Colorado Rocky Mountain wilderness including her recovery from near death\, PTSD\, and her profound spiritual awakening. After years of journaling\, she decided to compile her notes into a manuscript and her book endurance was born. \nKelly will share writing tips\, self-publishing resources\, and other helpful information to aid aspiring authors in the pursuit of becoming published. An experienced hiker\, she will also share interesting data about lost hikers and a survival supply list included in her book. \n  \nBio Kelly Ashford \n“I am a true Colorado native\, 14th generation native to Colorado that loves all that Colorado outdoors offers\, especially hiking. I’ve summited several fourteeners and over the years hiked hundreds of miles in our beautiful state. Every day I am grateful to be alive and enjoy the splendor of the Grand Valley where we now live. \nBeing in nature is like water to my soul and connects me to the energy of our great mother Earth. I’m also an energy healer for the past 15 years and practice daily meditation\, prayer\, and yoga. I enjoy skiing\, have a love of opera\, learning about history\, world religions\, mythology\, and holistic healing. A favorite past-time is to read both fiction and non-fiction\, and now having had a survival experience\, really enjoy books about the amazing spirit and resilience of other survivors. \nThomas is my wonderful husband of almost 25 years\, and we are parents of two grown children\, both of whom are avid snowboarders who love camping\, mountain biking and the great outdoors. Our son Ryan is currently serving his seventh year in the US Air Force and our daughter Paige is here on the western slope working in the ski and resort industry. I love being mom to our two rescue dogs\, Sim and Tula Sue\, that have blessed us for the last six years with their companionship along many miles of hiking and adventure.”
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/may-2024-writers-night/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240402T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240402T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20231122T220108Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240229T220621Z
UID:2129-1712080800-1712086200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:April Writer's Night - Right/Write for Change: One Word and Person at a Time with Brooke Carlson
DESCRIPTION:Although often a solitary affair\, writing demands an audience. Writing for change means addressing problems and concerns in and around community. For example\, letters to the editor offer many of us just such an opportunity for dialogue. At The Daily Sentinel\, in Grand Junction\, we’ve got 400 words to start the conversation. What are we talking about here?!?  Street maintenance\, park developments\, trail conditions…social justice\, good living\, or even effective governance? \nWe’ll brainstorm\, do some freewriting\, and learn a bit about compositional structure and process to produce more effective letters. Our work here can then be applied to writing for the local newspaper\, writing to our elected officials\, in sum\, writing to initiate a dialog and better our community. \nWe’ll also offer a brief introduction to generative technology via Open AI and ChatGPT\, as a way to strengthen our writing as a process. \nYou’ll want to bring something to write with\, be it a pen and paper\, a tablet\, laptop\, or even a (smart) phone. \nNote from the WCWF Board: Dr. Carlson was recently selected by the Center of Teaching & Learning at CMU to be the first AI Fellow\, and he will fulfill that role in this coming spring term. We think all writers\, no matter what you write\, will benefit from learning and practicing compositional structure – plus you get to learn about AI – so come on down! \n  \nSpeaker Bio\nBrooke A. Carlson (he/him/his)\, PhD\, teaches rhetoric and composition\, literature and Shakespeare\, under the auspices of a general education at an institution of higher education. Raised in Colorado\, a son of public-school teachers\, Carlson earned a bachelor’s degree in English and French at Bowdoin College\, taught high school English for five years in Portland\, Maine\, and then earned a PhD in Early Modern Literature at the University of Southern California. Carlson taught internationally in Seoul\, South Korea\, and Honolulu\, Hawai’i\, before returning to the US and Colorado\, where he is now an Instructor of English at Colorado Mesa University.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/april2024writersnight/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240305T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240305T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20231127T220618Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T161016Z
UID:2133-1709661600-1709667000@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:March Writer's Night - Podcasting for Writers: How to Get Started with Adi Tilford
DESCRIPTION:Are you looking for a way to increase the reach of your message? \nAre you curious about the art of interview as a method to gain knowledge and insight about content for your writing? \nHave you wondered what steps it takes to start your own podcast? \nIn this workshop Adi Tilford will outline her podcasting journey\, highlighting both the challenges and the unexpected delights she’s discovered along the way. Though Adi started podcasting three years ago as a way to build a “platform” for her writing\, she has learned that podcasting lends itself to developing rich and meaningful written content. As she heads into her third year of podcasting\, she is thrilled to share more about what is now her favorite medium for the writing craft. \nAttendees will receive a digital guide with links to free and paid resources that may be helpful should you decide to pursue creating a podcast of your own. \nAdi Tilford Bio \nAdi Tilford is an adoptive mom and long-time educator\, advocating for therapeutic\, trauma-informed living. Adi hosts the 8000 Promises Podcast*\, writes a monthly essay for her newsletter subscribers and guest preaches at First Presbyterian Church\, Grand Junction. She also serves on the women’s ministry team\, enjoying both low and high impact adventures with Pray and Play! \nMost of the year\, Adi prays and plays in the desert of Colorado where the cactus bloom and coyotes caper in the front yard. She is making her home the place she loves to be with her hubby Sam and their two incredible daughters. \n*8000 Promises Podcast may be getting a new name… brainstorming and potentially rebranding.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/march2024-writers-night/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20240206T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20240206T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20231127T221106Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240203T001735Z
UID:2135-1707242400-1707247800@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:February 2024 Writer's Night: Rosa Parks in Black History Live Tour
DESCRIPTION:The WCWF has partnered with our local Chautauqua group and the Colorado Humanities’ Black History Live Tour to bring you the living-history portrayal of Rosa Parks by nationally acclaimed scholar/actor Becky Stone on Tuesday\, February 6 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Art Center. RSVPs required\, upper left above this post. \nThe portrayal will be performed in a Chautauqua format\, which is a first-person dramatization of a historical figure. The speaker’s monologue typically lasts 40 minutes\, followed by 20 minutes of Q&A\, first in character and then out of character as the scholar/performer. \nRosa Parks was indeed a writer and author and Becky is incorporating these elements into her performance at our request. The audience will be able to ask questions of Rosa Parks and then of Becky herself when she steps out of character. \nA Chautauqua performer writes their own script\, and Becky will talk about her research and writing processes with the audience. We encourage lots of interaction! \nWe know this is a bit outside our usual offerings\, but we wanted to incorporate Black History Month into our February Writer’s Night and this opportunity to collaborate presented itself. \nTo learn more about what a Chautauqua performance is and about the Black History Live Tour\, click this link. \n  \nBios\n  \nRosa Parks Bio \nRosa Parks\, even as a child\, challenged Jim Crow. She understood herself to be a child of God. That knowledge fueled her sense of civil rights and personal dignity. She seemed fearless. After all\, she had witnessed her grandfather taking an armed stand against the Ku Klux Klan. She dared to throw bricks at white boys taunting her brother. She stood up to angry white mothers. All of which led her grandmother to exclaim\, “Rosa Louise MacCauley! You’re going to be lynched before you get out of high school!” \nAs Parks grew into womanhood\, her fears about lynching increased; however\, her commitment to changing America also increased. She married a man already involved in raising money for the defense of the Scottsboro boys\, and she became the secretary of the Montgomery Chapter of the NAACP\, a job that involved recording incidents of civil rights abuses and police brutality\, as well as writing protest letters to legislators and newspapers. Parks challenged segregation at every turn\, with only partial success\, until the day she took action to defend her personal rights and suddenly galvanized the Black people of Montgomery to take a stand together. Change in America was on the way with the Montgomery Bus Boycott – the only protest of its size\, length\, and impact in the history of the United States. In 1992 Rosa Parks published her autobiography Rosa Parks: My Story\, where she recounts different parts of her life and why she decided to stay in her bus seat. A few years later in 1995\, she released Quiet Strength\, which is a memoir that focuses on her faith. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nBecky Stone Bio \nBorn and raised in Philadelphia\, PA\, Ms. Stone became a storyteller upon moving south. She holds a B.A. in Drama from Vassar College and an M.A. from Villanova University in Elementary Educational Counseling. Her acting credits include Lime Kiln Arts Theater\, VA; Warehouse Theatre\, Greenville SC; Haywood Arts Regional Theatre\, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater\, Asheville Community Theatre\, Highland Repertory Theatre\, Asheville Contemporary Dance Theater in Asheville and Merida\, Mexico\, and Asheville on Broadway. Ms. Stone has also presented at North Carolina and Colorado Humanities Chautauqua festivals and Black History Live tours as Maya Angelou\, Harriet Tubman\, and Josephine Baker.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/february-2024-writers-night/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hand-1868015_1280.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20231205T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20231205T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20231030T183329Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231030T183429Z
UID:2058-1701799200-1701804600@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:December 2023 Writer's Night: Open Mic
DESCRIPTION:Our annual Open Mic Night is Tuesday\, December 5 from 6-7:30 pm at the Art Center in Grand Junction. \nBring your short works and poetry and take the mic! \nWe have a time keeper this year. Your time limit is 5 minutes\, so plan accordingly. Please do not read as fast as you can to fit those 5 minutes\, but rather practice ahead of time and cut where needed. The audience would love to enjoy your work rather than try to keep up with auctioneer level utterances! \nA 30-line poem takes about 2 minutes to read\, and a 700 word story takes about 5 minutes. If we can do more than one round\, we will. \nWe would appreciate RSVPs for seat-planning purposes\, and please note that readers will sign up on site.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/december2023openmic/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20231003T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20231003T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20230626T193442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230817T204843Z
UID:1815-1696356000-1696361400@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:October 2023 Writer's Night: Blogging for Writers & Poets with Trish Hopkinson
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our October  Writer’s Night on Tuesday\, October 3\, 2023\, beginning at 6 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction. \nBlogging for Writers & Poets\nJoin guest speaker Trish Hopkinson as she presents what she has learned about blogging and running a website\, provides examples of different approaches\, reasons for why you’d want to create an author blog or website\, how to prepare\, and how to get started. Learn how Trish used her website to grow her network to over 20\,000 followers. There will be lots of tips and tools along the way followed by Q&A at the end. \n  \nBio Trish Hopkinson \n \n  \nTrish Hopkinson is a poet and literary arts advocate. You can find her online at www.SelfishPoet.com and in Colorado where she runs the regional poetry group Rock Canyon Poets\, curates Poetry Happens for KRCL 90.9FM\, and is a board member of the International Women’s Writing Guild. Her poetry has been published in several magazines and journals\, including Sugar House Review\, Glass Poetry Press\, and The Penn Review; and her third chapbook Footnote was published by Lithic Press in 2017. Hopkinson happily answers to labels such as atheist\, feminist\, and empty nester; and enjoys traveling\, live music\, and craft beer. \n  \n 
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/october-2023-writers-night-blogging-for-writers-poets-with-trish-hopkinson/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hand-1868015_1280.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230905T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230905T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20230727T203737Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230811T214850Z
UID:1887-1693936800-1693942200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:Sept 2023 Writer's Night - Social Media for Writers: Identify\, Simplify\, and Amplify with Melody Jones
DESCRIPTION:September Writer’s Night\nTuesday\, September 5 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction\n  \nAs a writer\, do you see social media as a waste of time?\nPerhaps you wonder what the point is\, how not to get sucked into the social media vacuum\, and if there’s any way to streamline your efforts so you can get back to writing. \nSocial media is only one tool in your marketing toolbox\, but it’s an important tool for writers and authors in today’s marketing and branding landscape. \nWhether your goal is to publish your writing\, submit to writing contests\, become a freelance writer\, or secure speaking opportunities to build your brand – or if you’re already published – this session is for you. \nQuestions Melody hears often: Do I need to be on every social media platform? How do I make graphics? Must I post every day? Is it okay to post the same thing on LinkedIn that I post to Instagram? How do I find my fan base? \nJoin Melody for answers to these questions\, and to learn how to get started\, how to keep going\, and why in tarnation you’re on social anyway. \nYou’ll get tips\, tricks\, and tools. You’ll get know-how. You’ll get some humor mixed in because you know her motto: it can’t be all serious all the time! \nMaterial presented will help newbies and veterans alike. Don’t miss this session. \n  \n \n  \nMelody Jones started working with writers and authors in 2010 when she first noticed the terrified faces of her colleagues every time “this newfangled Facebook thing” was mentioned. She’s been working ever since to un-terrify the terrified\, unclench the anxiety-stricken\, and unmask the mystery of social. Melody is a published author and award-winning poet\, Colorado native\, and coffee enthusiast.  \nShe takes social media clients on a limited basis. Contact her directly to inquire about management and consultation services. \nHer Grand Junction Butt in Seat Writing Group resumes Monday evenings starting on September 11\, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. Seats limited; register today. \n  \nP.S. Do you get all the western slope writer news in your inbox? Check out our latest newsletters and sign up. We never spam.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/sept-2023-writers-night-socialmediaforwriters/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hand-1868015_1280.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230801T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230801T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20230531T185621Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230730T150629Z
UID:1780-1690912800-1690918200@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:August 2023 Writers Night: How to Write and Sell Your Stories to Magazines (in print and online)
DESCRIPTION:August Writers Night\nTuesday\, August 1 at 6:00 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction \n  \nGet Published While You Wait:\nHow to Write and Sell Your Stories to Magazines (in print and online)\nWriting for magazines and newspapers is a great way to hone your craft while you’re waiting for your next novel or children’s book to be published. Learn how this journalistic style of writing helps you make connections and improve your writing skills. \nJoin BEACON Senior News Editor Cloie Sandlin as she discusses the art of writing engaging stories for magazines\, newspapers and the web\, from pitching stories to an editor and coming up with interview questions to weaving your interviews and research into a finished piece that hooks your reader. She’ll talk about style\, best practices and what makes a good article (quotes are key!). She’ll also cover fact-checking your story and journalism dos and don’ts. \n\n\nSpeaker Bio\n\nCloie Sandlin has been with BEACON Senior News since 2009. As Editor in Chief\, she works to reshape the public’s views on aging by showcasing the talents and feats of local older adults via inspiring stories and engaging content\, both in print and online. \nCloie is an accomplished freelance writer and journalist. Her work has been published in numerous local and statewide publications\, and has won awards from North American Mature Publishers Association. She’s a Colorado Mesa University graduate with degrees in Public Relations and Advertising. \nWhen she’s not working\, Cloie is usually traveling\, crossing musicians and bands off her live music bucket list with her husband\, or spending time with her two dogs. \n  \n  \nRegister today for our September Writer’s Night – Social Media for Writers: Identify\, Simplify\, and Amplify with Melody Jones.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/august-2023-writers-night/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hand-1868015_1280.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230606T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230606T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20230428T224959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230528T202606Z
UID:1730-1686074400-1686079800@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:June 2023 Writers Night: Panel of Experts
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our June 6 Writers Night beginning at 6:00 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction. \nPanel of Experts: Get Your Questions Answered\nRemember our first-ever Silent Auction and FUNdraiser in December 2022? We hosted a mini-panel of guests knowledgeable on a variety of topics related to writing\, publishing\, performing\, and the business side of being an author/writer\, but we had a strict time limit of 13 minutes. \nWe promised to bring back a panel this year with far more time to ask questions\, and here we are! \nFor our June Writer’s Night\, we have four (possibly five) panelists ready to interact with you on a variety of subjects related to writing. A panel is the most successful when audience participation is strong\, so come down with a few questions and prepare to interact. \nWe’ll start the evening with introductions of each panelist and their area of expertise\, and then open to questions and comments. \n  \nPanelists \nLisa Connors: poetry\, how to find legitimate contests and publications to submit written pieces to\, best way to track submissions \nMarya Johnston: self-publishing\, getting your indie book on indie bookstore shelves\, working with bookstores on author events \nCaleb Ferganchick: slam poetry\, poetry in social justice movements\, event organizing\, self-publishing\, leading workshops \nMelody Jones: general social media questions\, how best to use social media as a writer or author\, how to manage multiple platforms and not lose your mind\, why social media is not the Field of Dreams \n  \n\n  \nBio: Lisa Wence Connors \n \n  \nLisa Wence Connors is retired US Army and a published poet. She has conducted workshops for the Salt Lake City Public Library System under the auspices of the Utah Arts and Humanities Commission. She has also conducted two iterations of the Discover Poetry Writing Workshop for the Grand Junction VA\, and is the editor for High Desert Cadence: A Journal of Veteran Creative Writing.   \n  \n  \nBio: Caleb Ferganchick \nCaleb Ferganchick is a rural\, queer\, slam poet-activist and author of The Secret of Sunflowers (2021) and Poetry Heels (2018). His work has been featured and published by Western Colorado Writer’s Forum (2021)\, South Broadway Ghost Society (2021\, 2020)\, “Slam Ur Ex ((the podcast))” (2020)\, and the Colorado Mesa University Literary Review. He organizes the annual Slamming Bricks poetry slam competition in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Riots and serves as a board member for Western Colorado Writer’s Form and Mutual Aid Partners. A SUP river guide and speech and debate coach\, Caleb also dreams of establishing a queer commune with a river otter rescue and falconry. He lives in Grand Junction\, Colorado. To learn more\, visit calebferganchick.com. \n  \nBio: Marya Johnston \nMarya is a second generation bookseller with 30 years experience. Out West Books has been in business for 10 years now. \nReturning to the Western Slope of Colorado after 15 years living overseas\, Marya decided that Grand Junction needed an Independent Bookstore that sold only NEW books. She was frustrated by the lack of availability of area interest and children’s titles to be found here\, so she decided to fill that void. Marya’s family homesteaded in the Bookcliffs over 100 years ago (come in and see the enlarged historic family photos on the store walls) and she’s a native of Gunnison\, CO. Western Colorado/Eastern Utah is in her blood. She returned to Colorado after living most recently in China.  She’s traveled all over the world\, so she is pretty good with travel advice too. \n  \nBio: Melody Jones \nMelody Jones is a published writer and poet\, speaker\, coffee enthusiast\, lover of beagles\, and Colorado native. A Palisade girl\, she returned to the western slope in February 2021 after 30 years in the Denver metro area. She became known as Social Media Melody\, a social media consultant\, manager\, and trainer\, when she noticed writers and authors were terrified of it\, later founding the Colorado Women in Social Media collaborative group. She’s taught many workshops and presented at a variety of conferences including the Colorado Gold Conference and Lighthouse Writers. Melody is a former Vice President of the Denver Woman’s Press Club and current President of the WCWF. You can find her every Wednesday morning at Main Street Bagels where she hosts Writer Chicks Coffee Club.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/june-2023-writers-night-panel-of-experts/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230502T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230502T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20230113T191908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230502T144901Z
UID:1607-1683050400-1683055800@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:Canceled!! May 2023 Writer's Night: Blogging for Writers & Poets with Trish Hopkinson
DESCRIPTION:This event has been canceled. We apologize for the lateness of this cancellation\, but the speaker advised us on the morning of the event that she is Covid-positive and can’t make it. We are unable to secure another speaker at this very last moment. Thank you for understanding.\n  \nJoin us for our May 2023 Writer’s Night on Tuesday\, May 2 beginning at 6 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction. \nBlogging for Writers & Poets\nJoin guest speaker Trish Hopkinson as she presents what she has learned about blogging and running a website\, provides examples of different approaches\, reasons for why you’d want to create an author blog or website\, how to prepare\, and how to get started. Learn how Trish used her website to grow her network to over 20\,000 followers. There will be lots of tips and tools along the way followed by Q&A at the end. \n  \nBio Trish Hopkinson \n \n  \nTrish Hopkinson is a poet and literary arts advocate. You can find her online at www.SelfishPoet.com and in Colorado where she runs the regional poetry group Rock Canyon Poets\, curates Poetry Happens for KRCL 90.9FM\, and is a board member of the International Women’s Writing Guild. Her poetry has been published in several magazines and journals\, including Sugar House Review\, Glass Poetry Press\, and The Penn Review; and her third chapbook Footnote was published by Lithic Press in 2017. Hopkinson happily answers to labels such as atheist\, feminist\, and empty nester; and enjoys traveling\, live music\, and craft beer. \n 
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/may-2023-writers-night/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230404T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230404T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20230113T185952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230403T211620Z
UID:1606-1680631200-1680636600@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:April 2023 Writer's Night: Telling Better Stories for a Better Tomorrow
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our April 2023 Writer’s Night on Tuesday\, April 4\, 2023 beginning at 6 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction. \nTelling Better Stories for a Better Tomorrow with Jacob Richards\nThis workshop will explore the many forms of writing essential to making change including how writers can change the world. We’ll discuss why movements and organizations need writers to create new narratives to communicate within groups and to the broader society\, and to inspire and give heart to movements. Examples from local history will be peppered throughout. \n  \nBio Jacob Richards \nJacob Richards is a long-time community organizer and has co-founded many local grassroots organizations like Grand Junction Mutual Aid\, Solidarity Not Charity\, Housing First! No More Deaths!\, Confluence Media Collective\, and The Red Pill. \nHe is the researcher and author of www.peopleshistoryofthegrandvalley.com\, and is a board member of the Mesa County Historical Society. Richards authored and published “Freedom and Oppression: Homelessness in the Grand Valley\,” and his writing and/or photography has appeared in the GJ Free Press\, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel\, New York Times\, CNN\, Earth First! Journal\, The Red Pill\, and Mesa State Literary Review. \nRichards spends his summers and falls working as a wilderness hunting and fishing guide in the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness and the Kannah Creek basin.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/april-2023-writers-night/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230307T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230307T193000
DTSTAMP:20260425T052902
CREATED:20221227T224158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230306T165126Z
UID:1597-1678212000-1678217400@westerncoloradowriters.org
SUMMARY:March 2023: I’d Rather Die\, They Said: Reading Your Work in Public with John Lanci
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our March 2023 Writer’s Night on Tuesday\, March 7 beginning at 6 p.m. at The Art Center in Grand Junction. **Please scroll all the way down past the event post to register. \n  \nI’d Rather Die\, They Said: Reading Your Work in Public with John R. Lanci\nPolls indicate that the number one fear people have is a fear of public speaking. Fear of death only comes in second. \nJoin John Lanci for a workshop on how to overcome fear and become a more effective reader of your own work. John\, current vice president of the Western Colorado Writers’ Forum\, has forty years of public speaking under his belt—as a teacher\, a giver of stirring sermons\, and a retreat master. Your time together will be a workshop\, not a lecture\, in which participants share their experiences as well as their own tips for sharing their work with others. NO ONE WILL BE FORCED TO FACE THEIR FEARS!! Come and listen to your peers\, and share if you like. \n  \nBio John Lanci \nBorn and raised in upstate New York\, John taught for over thirty years at Stonehill College in North Easton\, Massachusetts\, where he remains a professor emeritus in the department of Religious Studies. He holds degrees in classics\, ministry\, and religion from NYU\, Notre Dame\, and Harvard. After retiring\, he moved to Grand Junction in 2020 to be closer to his family and to finally enjoy life in high desert country after decades of high humidity\, lush mosquito-harboring vegetation\, weeks of cloudy days\, and periodic hurricanes. He has published two books and a monograph on the Bible as well as a number of academic articles on religion and pedagogy. Now he writes for fun.
URL:https://westerncoloradowriters.org/event/march-2023-john-lanci/
LOCATION:The Art Center\, 1803 N. 7th Street\, Grand Junction\, CO\, 81501\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer's Nights
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