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We wanted to pass a long a great opportunity for writers of all levels to learn from some of the best in their field…
Best-selling author Chelsea Cain will headline the roster for the 5th annual Summer In Words Writers Conference at the Hallmark Inn & Resort in Cannon Beach, Oregon. A full weekend of workshops, lectures, panels and individual consults will inspire writers at all levels. The theme for this year’s conference is Refinement, Resonance & Renewal. SIW provides aspiring and established writers the opportunity to hone their writing skills, hear inspiring advice, and network with fellow writers. Cost for all three days is $265.00; single day pricing is also available.
This year’s conference kicks off Friday morning, June 15th with workshops taught by Jessica Morrell, Bruce Holland Rogers and Naseem Rakha. Friday’s workshops will be followed by a reception and book signing with books from Cloud & Leaf Bookstore and a talk by Sage Cohen. Saturday features workshops by Jessica Glenn, Sage Cohen, and Cathy Lamb and a luncheon and keynote by Chelsea Cain. Saturday night is Out Loud, a chance for participants to read from a work in process. Sunday morning includes a workshop by Jessica Morrell, Cathy Lamb describing her road to best sellerdom, and a Q & A on Risk It to Get Published.
Conference founder Jessica Morrell said, “We are excited to celebrate the fifth year of Summer in Words with such a stellar line up of speakers and workshops. I’m especially looking forward to Chelsea’s talk on how to murder for money. Of course, she’s talking about writing her thriller series. This year’s workshops and talks will give writers a big advantage in today’s ever-changing publishing landscape.”
Both beginning and established writers are invited to attend the conference. SIW will also feature a raffle with proceeds going to Write Around Portland, an organization that helps people transform their lives through writing and the Hoffman Center a facility that provides arts in Manzanita.
Cannon Beach, Oregon is vibrant community on Oregon’s coast known for its love of the arts and books. The Hallmark Inn & Resort is located in midtown and overlooks Haystack Rock. Discounted room rates are available for conference participants. Cloud & Leaf Bookstore will be selling books at the event.
Visit any of the instructors’ websites or blogs:
Chelsea Cain http://chelseacain.com/
Sage Cohen http://pathofpossibility.com
Jessica Glenn http://mindbuckmedia.com/contact.shtml
Cathy Lamb http://www.cathylamb.net/
Jessica Morrell: http://jessicamorrell.com/
Naseem Rakha http://www.naseemrakha.com
Bruce Holland Rogers http://www.shortshortshort.com
The registration fee of $265 covers tuition for the three-day conference, Friday night’s reception, Saturday lunch and keynote, and light breakfasts each morning. Friday night’s Writer’s Reception and the Saturday lunch and keynote are $25.
Contact Jessica Morrell at 503 287-2150 to arrange an interview with any of the presenters.
About Summer in Words: Founded in 2008 by Jessica Morrell Summer in Words was created to provide writers with an intimate conference experience in an uplifting setting so that attendees are energized, enlightened, and inspired. Jessica Morrell is the author of Thanks, But This isn’t for Us, Bullies, Bastards & Bitches, How to Write the Bad Guys in Fiction, The Writer’s I Ching, Wisdom for the Writing Life, Voices From the Street, Between the Lines, Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing, and Writing Out the Storm.
For the complete schedule or any information or to register, contact conference coordinator Jessica Morrell at 503 287-2150 or jessicapage@spiritone.com or conference assistant Mary Drew at mary.drw@gmail.com
Registrations can be mailed to Summer in Words, P.O. Box 820141, Portland, OR 97282-1141. Payment can also be sent through PayPal.
Website is http://summerinwords.wordpress.com
The Hoffman Center Adult Clay Studio has expanded its hours. We are now open on the ‘SECOND SATURDAY’ of each month from 10:00am-2:00pm. As you probably know, we are also open on all Tuesdays from 10:00am-4:00pm and all Thursdays from 5:00-8:00pm. We hope to see you soon!
Join us for the next Film Series event on Saturday, April 28th at 7:30 pm. We will be screening Freakonomics (2010).
Freakonomics is a collection of documentaries that explores the hidden side of human nature through the use of the science of economics. From the directors of Super Size Me, Jesus Camp, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Why We Fight, and The King of Kong. Running time is 93 minutes.
Admission is $7, refreshments will be available and a discussion follows the film.
Do you love working with kids? Do you have a background in the arts? Are you fun and creative? Do you want to make an impact on children’s lives this summer?
Hoffman Center Art Camps provide youth with an opportunity to sample a range of artistic mediums, including painting, ceramics, print making, mixed media, writing, music and drama. For the summer of 2012, the Hoffman Center is looking for energetic, creative, and fun Art Instructors to lead its summer art camps. We are seeking applications from individuals to teach morning and afternoon art camps from July 30-August 3 and a three week drama camp from Aug 6-24.
New this year: Morning and afternoon sessions will be offered during week 1 of the camp (July 30-Aug3), from 10am-12pm and 1-3pm.
Interested individuals should submit an application and class description/proposal. Previous experience in art instruction is desired.
Completed applications should be sent to Lynn Thomas. Application deadline is Friday, May 11th at 4pm.
Join us for “GuitArt” at the Hoffman Center , an evening of auditory and visual pleasure.
On Friday, April 27, the Hoffman Center will host musicians Jason Okamoto and Dmitri Swain, with new works of art on display from John Freethy and Dmitri Swain.
Jason Okamoto plays classical guitar with a Latin American flavor. His musical projects are a variety of solo guitar performances, gigging with gypsy jazz bands, and teaching guitar lessons. Over the past few years, he’s concentrated mostly on solo guitar, building up a diverse repertoire of Spanish, Brazilian Bossa Nova, and other Latin American guitar styles. Jason has also been involved recently with some amazing dance projects such as Body Vox’s “Smoke Soup” production, and performed at the Portland Art Museum. Okamoto, who is self-taught musically, is still his own teacher, and jokes that “Somehow I haven’t fired myself yet.”
Dmitri Swain is a North Coast artist. He specializes in mixed media work, predominantly on paper and wood panels. Dmitri attended Portland State University, from which he holds a degree in drawing, painting and printmaking. In his artists statement, Dmitri explains; The core of my art is surreal and atmospheric. I am primarily inspired by dreams, nature and weather patterns at the moment. I create works with surreal and expressive qualities. Though I am seeing natural things in the world, the bulk of my work is shaped by my own perceptions. I am bringing to the surface my own vision. In this way I make up a unique narrative. The viewer can look into these constructed places or windows, see the characters and the world, then they start to ask questions. The end result is the experience. Swain’s music has a “very unique jazzy feel and sound, accompanied by his alluring vocals” says event promoter John Freethy.
John Freethy dabbles in many art mediums, including photography, printmaking, painting, paper/book arts and mixed media. When asked about the interplay between his art and nature, John answered “I have always felt a deep connection with nature. There’s nothing more beautiful than when you stand outside in a spot and all that you can see is still unchanged by the human hand. These are the kind of places that I am drawn to, and therefore what I am inspired to create and portray in my artwork.”
The art opening begins at 5:30 p.m., with the concert starting at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $8 for the evening. The Hoffman Center is located at 594 Laneda Avenue, Manzanita, across from the public library.
Deborah Reed will read from her novel Carry Yourself Back to Me at the Manzanita Writers’ Series at 7pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita.
Both critics and fellow authors have praised the novel.
“Part whodunit, part romance, part family drama, and part childhood remembrance, Reed’s debut is a dense, psychologically complex meditation upon the flawed yet resilient nature of family and love that is simultaneously meditative and fast-paced.” —BOOKLIST
“Deborah Reed’s novel, Carry Yourself Back to Me, marries gorgeous and wise prose with a can’t-help-but-read-one-more-chapter plot. In it, Reed weaves a complex story of love and longing that’s mysterious, intelligent and full of heart. She had me from page one.” –Cheryl Strayed, author of the novel Torch, and Wild, a memoir.
In her first literary novel, Reed triumphs with this thoughtful, graceful story of singer/songwriter Annie Walsh. Readers will enjoy the novel’s engaging characters, intricate plot, and beautifully rendered sense of place. – Publisher’s Weekly
Carry Yourself Back to Me was selected as a Best Book of 2011 Amazon Editors’ Pick. It’s also inspired an original song by Zia McCabe of the Dandy Warhols.
Reed’s first book, A Small Fortune, a thriller written under the name of Audrey Braun, published to critical acclaim in July 2011. Her next Braun book releases in September. Local writers (and readers) will be fascinated by the unusual path her book publishing has taken. You’ll learn how she leveraged a self-published e-book into a 3-book contract, with some interesting twists along the way.
Her work has appeared in The Center For Fiction’s The Literarian, The Nervous Breakdown, Opium Magazine, More Magazine, and elsewhere. Reed is currently getting her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Pacific University and is at work on a new literary novel.
Following Reed’s reading and Q&A, we’ll have our popular Open Mic where up to nine local writers will read 5 minutes of their original work.
Admission for the evening is $7.
Further information and the 2012 schedule are available here or contact Vera Wildauer at vwildauer@gmail.com.
Our first Introduction to Clay Studio Class on March 28th filled up fast, so we’re adding another one on April 11th from 1pm to 3 pm.
This introductory class, led by Dee Koscheski and Kathleen Ryan, will familiarize you with the Hoffman Center clay studio and what is possible to create within it. A studio tour will be given, including an overview of the equipment, tools and guidelines. Dee and Kathleen will be giving demonstration of hand-building and wheel throwing.
Students will also have a chance to experiment with clay and learn how it behaves with the guidance of the two instructors.
Cost: $10, which includes 2 pounds of clay.
To register for the class, limited to 6 people, contact Dee at hoffmanclaystudio@gmail.com or leave message at 503-368-3846.
After the workshop, Reyes will read from his latest collection of poetry--Pomegranate, Sister of the Heart.
Carlos Reyes will conduct a poetry-writing workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita on Saturday, March 31, 2012. He will do a reading from his new book, Pomegranate, Sister of the Heart, following the workshop at 2:30. This is a special event of the Manzanita Writers’ Series. The free reading is open to the public and books will be available to purchase at the event.
Writers who participated in Reyes’ March 2011 one-hour workshop can tell you that his workshops are immediately engaging, fun and creative. This workshop will involve different writing prompts from the 2011 workshop. You’ll walk away with useful handouts, a “homework” assignment, along with many new poetry drafts. Download a registration form here. There is a $25 fee for the workshop. Bring a brown bag for the half-hour lunch break.
Poet and translator Carlos Reyes lives and writes in Portland, Oregon when he is not traveling. He travels a lot, and whether he journeys to Panama, Spain, Alaska or Ireland, those experiences inspire and inform his poetry. In 2007 he was honored with a Heinrich Boll Fellowship, which gave him two weeks to write on Achill Island, Ireland. He has had fellowships to Yaddo and the Fundación Valparaíso (Mojåcar, Spain). He was poet-in-residence in 2009 at the Lost Horse Ranger Station in the Joshua Tree National Park, and recently writer-in-residence at the Island Institute in Sitka, Alaska. Pomegranate is his fifth collection of poetry to be published.
Click here to find out more on the 2012 schedule or contact Vera Wildauer at vwildauer@gmail.com.
Back by popular demand–this class was a great success when it was offered in January, so we’re offering it again:
Instructor Karen Merrill Martin has been doing genealogy research for over 20 years, and has a certificate from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies affiliated with the University of Toronto.
Family History can be many things, from “I just want to put a scrapbook together of these old photos” to a scholarly text with footnotes and charts, to a novelized version of an ancestor’s life story.
Classes will include: Discussions on how to begin; how to organize files and protect documents; research ideas on vital records, courthouse trips and online resources; how to keep track of your family and research either by hand or computer.
Whether you are a beginner or someone with more experience, there will be lots to learn in this class.
The class will be held on 4 consecutive Thursdays–March 22nd, March 29th, April 5th and April 12th from 2-3:30 pm, and will cost $40. Class is limited to 12 students.
To register, download a registration form from the Hoffman Center website and mail it in to the Hoffman Center at PO Box 678, Manzanita, 97130.
Join Glenna Gray on Wednesday, March 21st from 1:00-3:00 pm in a fun introduction to the ancient art of ceramic mask making. After the introduction and demonstration, each participant will make their own mask which will be fired when dry. Mask makers then have the option of glazing their piece and having it fired in the kiln again, or taking it home to paint with acrylics. Absolutely no art experience of any kind is needed to take this workshop! Glenna has taught art in public schools at the junior high level, and facilitates art activities locally whenever possible. Masks are one of her favorites!
Class tuition is $20, which includes all materials, glazes and firing. Only 6 spaces are available. Email Glenna to register: glenna@nehalemtel.net or call the Hoffman Center at 503 368 3846 and leave a message. Class tuition must be paid in advance. Make checks out to Glenna Gray and mail to Hoffman Center, PO Box 678, Manzanita 97130.