The Write Group is a Montclair-based group of writers who hold regular workshops, readings, and events.  Among their upcoming and regularly-scheduled get-togethers are:

– “Critiques for Novelists” Group – EVERY THURSDAY MORNING: 10 am -1 pm, Montclair Library Conf. Room.  Critiques for novelists and would-be novelists.  To add your name to the waiting list, please contact Eveline Speedie at espeedie@msn.com.

The Bloomfield Public Library is pleased to announce the formation of a writing club, which will meet at the library on the first and third Monday of each month at 10am. All writers or aspiring writers are invited to attend these meetings and share their work, their knowledge of writing and the business of writing with their fellow authors.

The Bloomfield Public Library would like to thank a local volunteer, Quinita Good for generously donating her time to lead this club twice a month. Quinita is an award-winning journalist and business & creative writer living in New Jersey. The recipient of first- and second-place awards from the New Jersey Press Association in 2005, She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations and has studied at the Master’s level in Writing Studies. She also held positions as writer, editorial assistant, and editor. Her writing spans the spectrum–from business & technical to creative.

The Bloomfield Public Library is located at 90 Broad Street in Bloomfield. For more information on this event or upcoming programs please call (973) 566-6200 x 502. To be notified of upcoming programs, visit our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter. Visit our website, www.bplnj.org, and join our google group to receive notices of upcoming events directly in your email inbox.

For many, writing and publishing a book is a distant dream. Those dreams are becoming a reality for a group of students in our area by participating in the Books & Beyond Project: A Service-Learning Program.

Books & Beyond is a cross-cultural literacy exchange for students and teachers from TEAM Schools in Newark, Indiana University’s Global Village Living-Learning Center, and the Kabwende Primary Center (KPS) in Kinigi, Rwanda. The writing cross-cultures project focuses on developing critical literacy skills while addressing a Rwandan book famine. There are no books at the Kabwende Primary Center. The books the US and Rwandan students author are the only books the 2,000 students at Kabwende Center own. This year the students are writing volume four of The World Is Our Home. The series is used as a tool to teach English. Books & Beyond also seeks to foster global citizenship by promoting communication and understanding among students from diverse backgrounds in the United States and Rwanda.

Please join us at the Cedar Grove Public Library, located at One Municipal Plaza in Cedar Grove, NJ on Saturday, January 14th from 2-3:30 pm to support this skill building empowerment project. Meet a few of the students and hear from them how this global school partnership has personally impacted them. This is an opportunity to understand more about the power these partnerships can have on our youth who are enriched by learning through service.

For more information about this project, connect with us on the web: http://www.indiana.edu/~booksb/ or on Facebook at:facebook.com/BooksnBeyond

http://new.evite.com/#view_invite:eid=0271AARBSZ35RYIKCEPBFAQXU6MGJI

Are your email strategies working for you or can you do better? Professionals in Media, a LinkedIn group, presents a program that will tell you how to build your subscriber list, make sure your emails are getting read and shared, how to use video and more. Email marketing can be effective and you’ll learn how to do it right.

Chris Vaglio, co-founder and creative director of Grey Sky Films, a video marekting agency and Steve Guberman, owner of Fifth Room Creative, a graphic design agency will be speaking on Wednesday, January 18th at the Ethical Culture Society 516 Prospect St., Maplewood 07040 from 7pm to 9pm. Admission is $10 and please bring a food item or beverage to share. There will plenty of opportunity for networking. Please RSVP, if possible, to Jacqueline@jacquelineherships.com 973-763-7555.

Hi, I’ve got a question for the MEWS community … we have a college-aged cousin staying with us this summer who is an aspiring poet and creative writer. She’s wondering if there are any writing groups or poetry workshops either here in town or in the city that she could participate in over the next 6 weeks or so, to keep working on her writing and to meet other writers.

I’m also wondering if there are any poets or novelists in the MEWS community who might be willing to sit down with Katie over coffee and talk with her about what they do, how their careers have developed, that sort of thing …

Very grateful for any thoughts or advice!

Best,
Alison Overholt
alisonoverholt@gmail.com

2nd Thursday of the Month rolls around again -
Thursday May 12, 7 to 10 pm. potluck.
Speaker: Julia Roberts on The Story in Your Head – how life coaching tools can help you do your best writing.

If you’re on the Supper Club list – I’ll be in touch. If you’re not yet on the list but you want to be – send me an email at julia[at]beingjuliaroberts.com.

We had a great dinner gathering in April – about 25 people – and a great presentation on epublishing by Phil Simon (The New Small.com). Thanks again to Phil.

If you’d like to make a presentation that you think will serve the group, let me know.

Announcing MEWS Monthly Supper Club
Starting Thursday, April 14th – MEWS members are invited to a MEWS Monthly potluck supper on the second Thursday of the month from 7 to 10 pm. Each guest will be asked to bring a a dinner contribution: main dish, side dish, salad, beverage or dessert. BYOB for alcohol.

To RSVP – email julia@beingjuliaroberts.com. PLEASE DON’T RSVP IF YOU ALREADY HAVE. THIS IS A SECOND POSTING FOR THE SAME PARTY. EVITES WILL GO OUT THIS WEEK TO THE CURRENT LIST OF RESPONDERS.

We’ve had a great response so far! Join us! This is an opportunity to create a more face to face writers’ community, allow for conversations, readings, and even presentations by local writers. I’ll host, and/or hosting can rotate. Don’t miss the first, as we decide what we would like this MEWS Monthly club to become.

Brenda Blackmon, anchor for My9 TV News, will receive the Women Who Will Award from the Association for Women in Communications-New Jersey Chapter (AWCNJ), at the organization’s third annual “Moving Forward by Giving Back” recognition and education breakfast. The event will be held Monday, April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street in Newark, NJ.

The Women Who Will Award is presented each year to a communications professional who demonstrates continuing commitment to the personaland professional advancement of women. Brenda Blackmon is co-anchor of My9 News, WWOR-TV’s 11:00 pm newscast. Her community involvement dates back to her early days in television, giving her time to the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon and the Lou Rawls Telethon. Today, she continues to volunteer for special events with SHARE (Self-Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer) and the Bergen Volunteers.

Blackmon’s professional achievements have been recognized through her many honors and awards including 4 Emmy Awards, 15 Emmy award nominations, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for Broadcast Excellence.

The breakfast will begin at 8:30 and will include a keynote presentation by Blackmon. Afterwards, a private docent tour of the Newark Museum’s top exhibitions will be offered for those interested.

To learn about sponsorships to the event, please email awcnjorg@awcnj.org.

Admission, which includes a full breakfast, is $50 for AWCNJ members and full time students through April 8. Thereafter the price is $75 for all. A portion of proceeds will support the AWCNJ scholarship fund for students in communications. For more information and to register online, visit http://awcnj.org/.

To register by mail, please send a check, made out to AWCNJ, to Leslie Cifelli, 11 Villa Pl., Nutley, NJ 07110.

The Book Doctors, aka, Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, will be making a house call in Brooklyn at Greenlight Bookstore. They want YOU to pitch your book at their acclaimed event, Pitchapalooza, which was recently featured in The New York Times. Pitchapalooza is like American Idol for books–only without the Simon. Writers get one minute to pitch their book ideas to an all-star panel of publishing experts. The winner of the Pitchapalooza receives an introduction to an appropriate agent or publisher for his/her book. Plus, anyone who buys a book gets a free consultation worth $100.

Joining The Book Doctors on the panel will be: Richard Nash, http://www.rnash.com/ and Jason Pinter, http://www.jasonpinter.com. Nash is an independent publishing entrepreneur, founder of Cursor, and former Publisher of the iconic indie publisher, Soft Skull Press. Pinter is an agent at the Waxman Literary Agency, former editor at three major publishing houses, and bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Henry Parker series.

Arielle Eckstut has been a literary agent for 18 years. She is also the author of seven books and the co-founder of the iconic brand, LittleMissMatched. David Henry Sterry is the best-selling author of 12 books, on a wide variety of subject including memoir, sports, YA fiction and reference. His last book appeared on the cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review. Together, they’ve helped dozens and dozens of talented amateur writers become published authors. They’ve appeared everywhere from NPR’s Morning Edition to USA Today, and have taught publishing workshops everywhere from the Miami Book Fair to Stanford University. Find more at www.thebookdoctors.com.
WHAT: PITCHAPALOOZA
WHERE: Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton St. Brooklyn, NY (718) 246-0200 http://greenlightbookstore.com/
WHEN: March 30, 2011 7:00

Baristanet is looking for reporters available evening hours to cover meetings. We also seek rising high school seniors and college students for internships doing a variety of things.

Please write to erika@baristanet.com.