Return to Home
Learn fresh ways to express and hear your writing voice in this eight -week series. You will surprise yourself, learn more about your strengths, and enjoy writing activities in a supportive group setting. You will also have the option to submit up to three poems or 10-12 prose pages for written comments and then have time to workshop.
Julie Gardner, an Amherst Writers & Artists Affiliate, has led WritersGathering writing groups, workshops and retreats in Seattle for nearly a decade. A safe environment for writers of all levels and all genres is created. Past participants have said they learn more about their strengths, discover new ones, develop their repertoire of craft elements, take risks, generate writing, and have fun learning and generating writing with others. Two to three prompts are offered followed by optional readings and responses.
----------------------------------------------------
We’re honored to have award-winning author David Guterson launch our new Third Thursday series in the Writers Studio. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a stimulating and thoughtful conversation with David about the writing life and his work. Come with your questions and enjoy this informal time with David.
David Guterson was born in Seattle on May 4, 1956. He was educated at the University of Washington, where he graduated summa cum laude as an English major in 1978, and where he received his Master's degree in Creative Writing in 1982 and his Teaching Certificate in 1983.
During his university years, Guterson worked in restaurant kitchens and for the U.S. Forest Service. In 1984, he began teaching high school English on Bainbridge Island. Simultaneously he began to work as a freelance journalist and became a contributing editor to Harper's magazine.
Guterson's many awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the White Award for Journalism, the Washington State Governor's Writers Award, the Swedish Academy Crime Writers' Award, the American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award, the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for Snow Falling on Cedars. He is currently the author of 11 books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
You’ve written a book…but are you ready to share it with readers (if you're self publishing) or agents and publishers (if you're going the traditional route)? This energy-filled class walks both fiction and nonfiction writers through a practical, easy-to-apply checklist of 46 things to look for in their own work, from first draft to final layout. Following the production cycle of a book, we’ll talk about how to consider your work in progress the way a professional editor would, and how to recognize everything from pacing problems to formatting issues. We’ll talk about when you should tackle something yourself and when you might need outside support to help get to the next level. Get ready to look at your Work In Progress in a whole new way!
Beth Jusino is a publishing consultant for both traditional and self-publishing authors, with almost 20 years of experience helping writers navigate the complicated space between manuscript and final book. A former literary agent and marketing director, she’s the author of the award-winning The Author’s Guide to Marketing and has ghostwritten or collaborated on half a dozen additional titles. Beth is a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild, a regular speaker for Seattle Public Library’s #SeattleWrites workshops, and has taught at writers’ conferences across the country. Visit her online at www.bethjusino.com or on Twitter @bethjusino.
Wondering how to progress that draft of a story? Stuck in revision? Made a goal to submit a poem this year, but don’t know where to begin? The Writer’s Studio wants to help! Welcome to the first monthly Guided Open Studio!
Join us to work on your personal projects in this monitored open studio on the last Thursday of each month. Beginning writers should either have taken or be currently enrolled in a writer’s studio course or critique group. The monitor will be available to provide guidance and help with problem-solving. Five one-on-one sessions will be offered on a first-come/first-served basis and will be capped at 25 minutes. The last half hour of each Thursday night session will be reserved for communal Q&A. Maximum of 5 people.
• Prerequisite: some introductory-level writing experience.
• Open studio users are expected to be considerate of others during these guided sessions. This is not a private lesson but an open studio. Be prepared to work quietly while waiting for your session (again, first-come/first-served from 5-7 PM with the last half hour reserved for communal Q&A).
• Feel free to bring snacks. Food is allowed in the common area downstairs from the studio classroom, and there is a kitchen in which to store and reheat.
Eliza Tudor is a writer, editor, and teacher new to Bainbridge Island. Her stories have appeared in PANK, TLR, Hobart, Annalemma, Paper Darts, and The Conium Review, among others. Her novella, Wish You Were Here, won the 2017 Minerva Rising Press Novella Prize and was published by that press. With an MA in English and an MFA in Writing, Eliza has taught both at the University-level, and in community-based workshops throughout the United States. She’s worked in publishing and continues to work as a freelance editor. She reads your submissions to Quarterly West magazine. You can find more at www.elizatudor.com.
J. A. Jance is the author of mystery novels that include these bestselling series: the Seattle Police Department Detective J.P. Beaumont, Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady, former Los Angeles news reporter turned crime solver Ali Reynolds, and the Walker Family Mysteries.
In a one-session class, she will be showing how pieces of her life have been woven into the tapestry of her various stories and encouraging workshop participants to consider doing the same.
You may want to bring your lunch as we will break from about noon to 1 pm. You can eat and visit in the Commons during this time. A refrigerator is also on the lower level.
Bio: At age 39, J.A. Jance gave herself permission to start pursing her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. A quarter of a century later, with almost sixty books published, all of them still in print, she is living that dream and likes nothing better than to encourage others to do the same. Born in South Dakota and raised in Arizona, she makes her home in the Seattle area.
Teri requested review via email on 6/10 @ 10:30 am. Reviewed by tammie @ 5.30pm
A broadside is a single sheet of paper, printed on one side only, and intended for display. Historically, they were made as announcements, proclamations, and advertisements. With the resurgence of interest in letterpress printing, broadsides have emerged as a satisfying approach to incorporating the written word with fine art techniques.
About ninety percent of the time Ellie Mathews spends in her Port Townsend letterpress shop is dedicated to designing and printing poetry broadsides. She has a history in traditional graphic design and brings a keen interest in type and letterform to her process. Ellie and her husband, Carl Youngmann, teach BARN workshops titled Letterpress Fundamentals, Pixels to Print (converting digital images to high contrast for platemaking), and DIY Photopolymer for Letterpress and Printmaking.
In an effort to demystify a complex subject, in this evening lecture, Ellie will show examples while stepping through some of the considerations involved in making design choices for printing poetry broadsides—including nuts and bolts references to legibility, use of color, organization of graphic elements, page dimensions, order of operations, and the practicalities of short run printing.
Details:
This is a free lecture open to the public. Bring a friend!
Presenters:
Ellie Mathews began using photo-polymer plates forty years ago to make Braille signage. More recently, Carl Youngmann has figured out the intricacies of printing ink-jet negatives, exposure times, and washout temperatures to make his own plates at home, sometimes by using nothing more complicated than the sun as his light source. Together, they will guide you through the basics and share their enthusiasm for DIY methods.
If you have any questions, please contact Peggy Graving (peg10173@gmail.com).
This workshop is an introductory class. A.C. Fuller last taught this popular class on February 16, 2019. If you have already taken this Part 1 class, then you are ready for Part 2 (Advanced Marketing for Indie Authors) on May 9, 2020.
Instructor Bio: Once a journalist in New York, A.C. Fuller now writes stories at the intersection of media, politics, and technology. He’s the author of eight novels in two series: The Alex Vane Media Thrillers and Ameritocracy. Before he began writing full time, he was an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU and an English teacher at Northwest Indian College. He lives with his wife, two children, and two dogs near Seattle.
The Writers Studio is thrilled to welcome award-winning author Bonny Becker to our new series of Third Thursday events. This will be a wonderful opportunity to be part of a conversation with Bonny about her writing life, her books, or wherever else your questions take her.
Have you always wanted to write poetry, but you have felt too intimidated? Did someone lie to you and tell you poetry must rhyme, or have big words in it, or be packed with complicated metaphors? Davis will go over the basics of a poem and then provide writing prompts so you can walk away with your own first drafts. No one will be required to read their work aloud. Come and experiment!
Lauren Davis is the author of Home Beneath the Church, forthcoming from Fernwood Press, and the chapbook Each Wild Thing's Consent, published by Poetry Wolf Press. She holds an MFA from the Bennington College Writing Seminars. She is a former Editor in Residence at The Puritan’s Town Crier and has been awarded a residency at Hypatia-in-the-Woods. Davis lives on the Olympic Peninsula in a Victorian seaport community. Her work has appeared in over fifty literary publications and anthologies including Prairie Schooner, Spillway, Poet Lore, Ibbetson Street, Ninth Letter and elsewhere.
If you’re contemplating or writing a mystery, crime thriller, or other story that involves police characters, this is the course for you. This team-taught, interactive course will enhance your understanding and portrayal of police culture and inspire you with characters and anecdotes. Sandra Terhune-Bickler and Steven Bickler bring a combined 51 years of experience to the class, so don’t miss it.
Instructors:
Sandra Terhune-Bickler served with the Santa Monica Police Department for 28 years before retiring in September of 2014. Her last assignment with SMPD was Sergeant-In-Charge of the Resource Development Unit – Personnel and Training. Additionally, during her tenure with the SMPD, Dr. Terhune-Bickler was a member of the Crisis Negotiations Team both as a police officer and a sergeant for over 20 years. She was also a Motorcycle Traffic Enforcement Officer for six years. She also implemented and coordinated the SMPD’s Peer Support Program. She has a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology, and a Doctorate degree in Human and Organizational Systems. Dr. Terhune-Bickler frequently teaches law enforcement personnel on topics related to crisis negotiations and tactical communication strategies. Her article, “Too Close for Comfort: Negotiating with Fellow Officers” was published in FBI’s Law Enforcement Journal (2004). She recently presented at the Washington State Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Conference, and Kitsap County 40-hr law enforcement CIT Course. She resides on Bainbridge Island with her husband, Steve.
Be a Maker for a Day!
Enjoy an afternoon of creative hands-on activities in BARN's 10 artisan studios. It's free, and open to all ages.
For more information contact: info@BainbridgeBARN.org
Are you interested in writing for children? Join us for an afternoon of diving into the children’s books industry, which includes picture books to young adult novels.
Jolie will talk about this special corner of the publishing world and explore its books and creators. Jolie will share resources, talk about the writing process, as well as the submission and publication process.
Instructor:
Jolie Stekly has worked with numerous editors, agents, authors and illustrators to develop programming for conferences, retreats and classes. She was recognized as SCBWI's 2009 Member of the Year. Jolie teaches the writing for children section(s) of the UW Certificate in Writing. She is a writer, writing instructor/coach, and freelance editor for children’s books (picture books to young adult). Jolie holds a masters degree in education, is on the blog team for SCBWI and is represented by literary agent, Rosemary Stimola.
So you want to self-publish? Learn from seasoned indie author A. R. Shaw. Fourteen novels in, A. R. Shaw (Annette), knows a thing or two when it comes to the business of self-publishing in today’s market. She'll walk you through the whole process, from developing your manuscript, to clicking the publish button, to keeping an eye on your bottom line.
This class is for those who have developed a manuscript and have no idea what to do next. She can walk you through the next steps and save you from the pitfalls of a first-time author and possibly a little bit of your sanity as well. Learn what you need to know before you launch your first book.
A. R. Shaw is the bestselling author of the Graham’s Resolution and Surrender the Sun series. She served in the United States Air Force Reserves as a Communications Radio Operator and then attended college as a mother of four. She’s always written in what little off time she could manage but didn’t start publishing her works until 2013.
With the explosive growth of streaming video, the demand and opportunities for content has never been higher. This workshop will cover the basic information you need to get started:
Movies vs Pilots (opportunities and advantages)
Different types of pilots
Software and formatting
Basic structure of a TV pilot
Critical do’s and don’ts
Log lines / One sheets / Pitches
Instructor Bio: Stephen Wallenfels earned a BA in Physical Education and International Relations from USIU San Diego. His writing career started as a freelance journalist in the health and fitness industry. After a decade of writing non-fiction, he published some short stories then switched to novels. His YA science fiction debut, POD (Penguin-Ace), was published in eight languages and has been adapted into a screenplay. Then, keeping with the survival theme but switching to realistic fiction, Stephen published two YA survival thrillers with Disney-Hyperion: Bad Call, set in Yosemite National Park, and Deadfall, set in the mountains of southeastern Oregon. He is currently adapting his novel, Deadfall, into a screenplay.
This class is for poets of all experience levels who want to create that Frank O’Hara-style moment where the reader feels like they’ve been air-dropped right into a story, or situation, right in the middle of a scene that’s already taking place, where the poem moves as the time moves.
This generative class is geared toward creating drafts that have dynamic openings that will propel the poem forward. We will use readings from selected poems, excerpts of vignettes and stories, and innovative prompts to inform our drafts.
Instructor Bio: Gary Copeland Lilley is the author of eight books of poetry, the most recent being The Bushman's Medicine Show, from Lost Horse Press (2017), and a chapbook, The Hog Killing, from Blue Horse Press (2018). He is originally from North Carolina and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. He has received the Washington DC Commission on the Arts Fellowship for Poetry. He is published in numerous anthologies and journals, including Best American Poetry 2014, Willow Springs, The Swamp, Waxwing, the Taos International Journal of Poetry, and the African American Review. He is a Cave Canem Fellow.
Publishing independently on Amazon can seem complicated and overwhelming. The sea of information on blogs and the internet can feel impossible to navigate, or not really applicable to your manuscript.
In this class, we’ll start at the very beginning, with Amazon’s publishing platform, and consider launch plans, possibilities, and strategies based on each author’s individual goals. We'll take a look at software, common industry terminology, and what you can expect your first time publishing.
This class will be helpful to aspiring bestsellers who have yet to begin, as well as those looking for an avenue to publish passion projects, personal memoirs, or expand a professional brand, and will prepare authors hoping to take more advanced marketing classes.
Instructor Bio: Amelia Ramsey studied literature and creative writing at The Evergreen State College, and has been writing and publishing independently on Amazon under a pseudonym for five years.
If you love to write and have a story you want to tell, the only thing that can truly stand between you and the success you’re seeking isn’t craft, or a good agent, or enough Facebook friends and Twitter followers, but fear. Fear that you aren’t good enough, or fear the market is too crowded, or fear no one wants to hear from you.
Fortunately, you can’t write and be afraid simultaneously. The question is whether you will write fearlessly on purpose. In this workshop we’ll look at several techniques you can you use to keep yourself in the creative flow and out of the trouble and misery fear always causes.
Using William Kenower’s unique, inside-out approach to writing, students will learn:
You were born fearless. This workshop will help you practice remembering who you’ve always been.
William Kenower is the author of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence, and Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion, the Editor-in-Chief of Author magazine, and a sought-after speaker and teacher. In addition to his books he’s been published in The New York Times and Edible Seattle, and has been a featured blogger for the Huffington Post. His video interviews with hundreds of writers from Nora Ephron, to Amy Tan, to William Gibson are widely considered the best of their kind on the Internet. He also hosts the online radio program Author2Author where every week he and a different guest discuss the books we write and the lives we lead.
Writing for middle grade readers is an incredibly rewarding experience – magic is made when such earnest readers engage with an author’s work. With New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor recipient, Kirby Larson, workshop participants will spend the day exploring the key elements of successful middle grade fiction, through conversation, examples from published work and in-class writing exercises. Come prepared to channel your inner 11-year-old! Substantial doses of humor and chocolate included.
Please feel free to bring a lunch. BARN has a refrigerator to store your lunch in.
Kirby Larson is the acclaimed author of the 2007 Newbery Honor Book, Hattie Big Sky, and its sequel, Hattie Ever After. In addition to the Dogs of WWII series-- which includes Duke, Dash (Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Prize), Liberty, and Code Word Courage-- she has written The Friendship Doll, The Fences Between Us and Audacity Jones to the Rescue and Audacity Jones Steals the Show (an Edgar award nominee).
With good friend Mary Nethery, Kirby has written the award-winning Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival (illustrated by Jean Cassels) and the New York Times bestseller, Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle.
Writing by chasing publishing trends is a fool’s errand. Narratives about apocalyptic survival and vampires can be hot one day and over by the time you finish writing your book. In this class we will discuss the types of universal stories readers and publishers truly want, and how your unique voice and life experience can inform a story that speaks to readers today, and still holds universal themes and timeless truth.
Jennifer Longo is a novelist with Random House Books. Her first two YA novels, Six Feet Over it and Up To This Pointe were both finalists for the Washington State Book Award. Her third novel, What I Carry, received a starred review from Kirkus and publishes January 21, 2020. Jen holds a B.A. in Acting from San Francisco State University and an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Humboldt State University, and lives in the PNW with her husband and daughter. Join Jen for updated book tour dates, blog posts, and other antics at www.jenlongo.com
In this one-session class, Clare will explain the narrative structure behind her true animal stories and what makes a strong character and compelling plot. She will also touch on research techniques to provide rich details and description to deepen character and setting.
Clare Hodgson Meeker is the author of a dozen award-winning picture and chapter books for children, including the Smithsonian Notable Book Lootas Little Wave Eater: An Orphaned Sea Otter’s Story, the Junior Library Guild Selection Rhino Rescue!, and her new book Growing Up Gorilla: How a Zoo Baby Brought Her Family Together.
*Youth Class Ages 12 to 18*
This four session course will walk students through the process of creating their own comics and graphic novels from idea to finished product. Topics covered included elements of story telling, creating narrative, creating characters, drawing, inking, and coloring comics.
Billy Simms is an award winning artist and educator. He holds a BA from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in theatrical scenic and lighting design, an MS from The Johns Hopkins University in special education, and an MFA in studio art from Miami University. He lives in Hamilton, OH with his wife and four cats.
Age Level: Youth Class, Ages 12-18.
So you want to write a novel? Or you’ve written 40,000 words of a novel, and suddenly find yourself stuck. Or your stories are interesting but lack a real plot.
Michele Bacon is here to help. Over the course of two Saturdays, she’ll put you to work on developing a compelling protagonist, raising the stakes, and plotting your manuscript. Come with a full story idea or with only a desire to write a novel. You’ll leave with clear direction and a plot waiting to become a manuscript.
The two sessions will include brief lectures, hands-on workshops, one-on-one discussion with Michele, and some partner work with other students. Please feel free to bring a lunch. BARN has a refrigerator to store your lunch in.
Instructor
Michele Bacon is the author of contemporary young adult novels Antipodes and Life Before. Her work focuses on families, friends, and the complicated relationships therein. When she’s not writing, Michele loves skiing, playing tabletop games, traveling, and dreaming of travel. She’s visited all 50 states and dozens of countries, always eager to hear people’s stories and immerse herself in other cultures. Wherever she goes, Michele enjoys helping writers find their voices and tell their stories. And she loves coming home to Seattle, where she lives with her partner and three young children.
Agents report that they’re flooded with more queries and proposals than ever before, even as publishers cut back the number of books they produce each year. How can you break through the noise and get your project noticed? This workshop will help you step back and see your fiction or nonfiction work through fresh eyes and a business-based perspective. We’ll identify the things that make your work unique, marketable, and irresistible to publishing gatekeepers, and then with lots of examples and time for practice and personal feedback, we’ll work on verbal “elevator pitches,” one-paragraph hooks (great for query letters), and the dreaded synopsis. (This is also a valuable class for self-publishing writers who want to pitch their books so that readers pay attention.)
Attendees will…
1. Be challenged to consider their work from a fresh, detached, commercial perspective.
2. Learn how to condense full-length fiction and nonfiction projects into industry-appropriate 1-2 page synopses, and how to identify the compelling “hooks” that make great verbal pitches and query letter descriptions.
3. Gain a realistic understanding of what publishers and agents are looking for in new authors, including author platform, compelling concept, and connection to existing popular trends.
Instructor Bio: Beth Jusino is a publishing consultant for both traditional and self-publishing authors, with almost 20 years of experience helping writers navigate the complicated space between manuscript and final book. A former literary agent and marketing director, she’s the author of the award-winning The Author’s Guide to Marketing and has ghostwritten or collaborated on half a dozen additional titles. Beth is a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild, a regular speaker for Seattle Public Library’s #SeattleWrites workshops, and has taught at writers’ conferences across the country. Visit her online at www.bethjusino.com or on Twitter @bethjusino.
BARN will be closed and the front and back doors locked down to both Members and Non-Members beginning at 7:00 PM on Friday night as we begin preparations for the Bazaar at BARN.
Doors will reopen to all on Saturday, at 8:00 AM.
If you have questions, please contact Carla our Membership Coordinator at Membership@bainbridgebarn.org.
BARN members wishing to participate in this event must be a member for a minimum of 3 months (must join by August 31st) to participate. You can contact Carla Mackey at membership@bainbridgebarn.org for an application which will be available TBD.
