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In This Issue
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·
Writing
Your Memoirs
·
Featured
Artist Corner
·
Planning the Plot by
Delores Thornton
·
Making a
Difference: Barry Beckham
·
Self-Publishing:
Getting More For Your Money
·
What
to Ask BEFORE Entering a Writing Contest
·
Poetry
Markets
·
Publishing
Tips
·
da
poetry room
·
Writing
Opportunities
·
Website
of the Month
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Upcoming Events
March 6, 2004
3rd Annual Jambo, Watoto!
African-American Children's Book Festival
Walters Art Gallery
600 West Charles Street
Baltimore, MD
March 19-21, 2004
For Love and Money! Writers
Conference
sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Writers Union
March 20, 2004
Jack London Writers Conference
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Foster City, CA
(Located just off Hwy 92)
April 2-6, 2004
35th Annual
Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference
Mt. Hermon, CA
(831) 335-4466
April 22-25, 2004
Romance Slam Jam
New York Marriott Financial Center
85 West Street
New York, NY
April 24, 2004
Black
Writers on Tour
Crowne Plaza Hotel
5985 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
April 24-25, 2004
2004 ASJA Writer's
Conference
Grand Hyatt Hotel
42nd and Grand Central Station
New York, NY
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Publishing Tips
20
Tips for Writers
James Russell Publishing offers a condensed primer on how to get
your book published.
Writing
and Editing Careers
About.com explains what Writers and Editors do.
Getting
Reviews For Self-Published Books
Midwest Book Review offers advice for writers and publishers.
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Writing Opportunities
Unpaid Internship
Acquisitions Editorial Department (Sciences) at Columbia
University Press, in Lincoln Center Area office, is seeking an intern.
Duties include database maintenance, sending books and reviews to authors,
and administrative work. Knowledge of Filemaker would be helpful. Needed
7-14 hours a week. Minimum two-month commitment required. Internship to
begin immediately. Please send email to Jeanie Lu jvl6@columbia.edu
HarperCollins Publishers Seeks Summer Intern
Spend a summer
in New York City as a HarperCollins Publishers intern. Rotate through
various departments and learn many aspects of the publishing process during
this 10-week period (June thru August 2004). Have lunch with the best in
bookmaking. Develop a book concept and pitch it to a panel of executives.
We have eight spots available for the summer of 2004 for future publishing
superstars.
Qualifications: Students must be in either their Junior or Senior
year of college; Related experience is preferred (e.g., school newspaper,
prior publishing internship, etc.); Strong interest in a publishing career.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and computer and
organizational skills.
Contact:
To apply please send your resume with cover letter to: mailto:collrec@harpercollins.com?subject=Internship
with "Internship" in the Subject Line by April 9, 2004.
Writers Wanted
Oneswan Productions is seeking articles, personal experiences, views
and news by published and unpublished writers about African-American
literature, genre fiction, politics, literary experience and other topics
related to writing for our newsletter. We pay between $.02 and $.05 per
word; 300 word minimum and 1000 2000 word maximum.
Contact Janette Owens at oneswan@janetteowens.com.
www.janetteowens.com.
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Contests
Writing
Contests for Kids
DEADLINE:
April 10, 2004
Oneswan
Productions Writing Competition
DEADLINE: May 1-15, 2004
Writer's
Digest
DEADLINE:
May 15, 2004
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Website of the Month
Soul of America Tours
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Next Issue
o
April
is Poetry Month
o
Tee
C. Royal:
The Face Behind R.A.W. Sistaz
o
Writing
Articles to Promote: 5 Strategies for Success By Janet Roberts
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Contact Us
Please
feel free to forward this issue to friends and associates.
For
advertising rates, email: oneswan@janetteowens.com
Send
letters or inquiries to:
Oneswan
Productions
PO
Box 3008
Memphis,
TN 38173-3008
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Writing Your Memoirs:
A Spiritual Journey
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So, you want to write your memoirs, eh Binky? Writing
one's memoirs can be very therapeutic and often takes the writer on a
spiritual journey. The journey leads to "memory triggers" of good
and bad events chronicled in our lives. Whether you want to write your
memoirs or help someone else write theirs, author Cathy Fulton suggests
these three things:
1) Create a List
for Memoir Writing. Fulton shares tips on how to track an "era in
your life," including:
- Important Events of This
Era
- Writing Ideas for This
Era
- Photos, Documents, and
Mementos from This Era (that are stored elsewhere)
2). Remembering
Home. Fulton
says it is important to write, not just think, about your past. The
process of writing has an almost magical effect on the memory. As you write
your stories, you will recall more stories and more details about your
life. You will think of questions to ask relatives. Often, story ideas come
to mind faster than you can write them down.
3) Timelines – Plain and Fancy. Creating a personal time
line is an excellent way to jog your memory and record the events and
trends in your life. A detailed time line can provide inspiration for
hundreds of stories.
Whatever the reason or desire for writing your
memoirs, http://www.capturingmemories.com/
makes it easy. The web site include many writing tips, resources, and
useful links on memoir writing.
In Peace,
Janette Owens
Founder & President
Oneswan Productions
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FEATURED ARTIST CORNER
ALEX HAIRSTON
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 Alex Hairston was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He is a
former U.S. Naval Hospital Corpsman and a graduate of the Johnston School
of Practical Nursing. Alex currently works as a nurse at an inner city
HIV/AIDS treatment center.
Alex started writing
poetry at the age of fourteen. His self-published novel, My
Life’s An Open Book, was released in September
2001. Hairston avidly promoted his novel at African-American
bookstores, festivals, expos, conventions, beauty salons and book club
meetings. Due to the success of his efforts, BET Books released his
novel, Love Don’t Come Easy, in March 2003. It's a
funny, sexy, provocative novel with a plot full of unexpected twists and
turns. “I wrote Love Don’t Come Easy
as a revealing look into the male psyche,” says Alex. “This novel
shows how unpredictable love and life can be.”
In Hairston's latest
novel, If Only You Knew, twenty-five-year-old Jamal King is a
talented up-and-coming painter, a devoted grandson, and a dedicated friend
and lover to his girl, Jessica. Maybe because his mother was always out of
town, looking for - or running away from - something, Jamal really wants to
create a family of his own. In fact, he'd like Jessica to be his Ms. Right,
but her gold-digger ways make her seem more like Ms. Right Now. Jessie has
her own childhood wounds - difference is, she thinks money can heal them.
Still, Jamal is feeling positive about their future until a night at
a mutual friend's party quickly shatters his illusions...
Alex is committed to
writing novels that entertain as well as enlighten. A mentor to several
students from Baltimore City and Baltimore County Public Schools, Alex
currently resides in Randallstown, Maryland with his wife and three
children.
To purchase a copy of Alex Hairston's novels, please
visit his web site at http://www.alexhairston.com/
or contact Felicia
Polk to schedule an appearance.
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Planning the Plot
By Delores Thornton
Good
writing should have: unity, clarity, and coherence. Readers look for unity
in the book, for this ties the ideas together. Clarity makes sense of the total
idea, and coherence presents the story in an orderly disposition. When you
think plot, try to enmesh, perplex, and intrigue the reader.
Keeping in mind that
the plot is the design and plan of the work, jot down one sentence which
sums up the book! This sentence should state succinctly the objective of
the story. Next, think of incidents and occurrences; then turn them into
events.
View Full Article
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da
poetry room da poetry room
TRAIL OF PINK TEARS
Orphaned by rejection
Blood Betrayal
Prejudged by hypocrites
Societal Treason
Murdered by disappointments
Self-Resurrection
Displaced by shame
Nomadic Pilgrimage
Ridiculed by cowards
Unapologetic Achievers
Silenced by despair
Outward Bound
Rebound by vigilance
Pioneer Settlers
Recreated by determination
Born Again
Endured by stonewalling
Natural Selection
Created in God's image
Exactness
Copyright © 2003 by Ronnie Odom
What to Ask BEFORE Entering a Writing Contest
Pamela
White offers advice and resources to writers who would like to sort out
fact from fiction in the world of writing contests. Click on the link below
to find out more.
View
Full Article
Poetry Markets
Oneswan
Productions supports these reliable and reputable Poetry Markets:
§
Writers Write
§
Christian
Poets Market
§
World
Wide Arts Resources
§
Pedestal Magazine
§
Poets & Writers
To be considered for our Featured
Artist Corner, please send inquiry to FAC@janetteowens.com with
"Featured Artist Corner" in the Subject Line.
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