Wicked Georgetown - Scoundrels, Sinners and Spies

On Sunday, July 14 at 2 p.m. the Manassas Museum will host a free Book Talk -Wicked Georgetown - Scoundrels, Sinners and Spies, by Canden Schwantes.

Georgetown has long been home to the most affluent and influential residents of the capital.  Author Canden Schwantes guides the reader through a range of misdeeds and wickedly amusing scandals that range from Confederate spies, to pranksters who stole the clock hands from Georgetown University’s Healy Hall, to crime scenes including the murder on the C&O Canal.

Schwantes is a historian and tour guide in Washington, D.C., and manages Free Tours by Foot, an international walking-tour company. When she isn’t showing tourists and locals around the sites of her favorite neighborhoods, Canden Schwantes volunteers at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Elon University and a master’s degree in history from University College London, researching and talking about the stories of our past continues to be her favorite pastime.

Wicked Georgetown – Scoundrels, Sinners and Spies can be purchased at Echoes, the Manassas Museum Store by calling 703-257-8453 or by visiting www.manassasmuseum.org.

Write by the Rails – 6.20.13 Meeting Notes (and updates)

OFFICERS: Cindy Brookshire – President/Treasurer; Linda Johnston – Projects Manager/Liaison to Virginia Writers Club; Katherine Gotthardt – Liaison to the PWC Arts Council; Carol Keily – Membership Coordinator

WRITERS PRESENT: Richard Barr, Helen Ellis, John Ellis, June Forte, Katherine Gotthardt, June Kilpatrick, Peggy Kimmey, Nancy Kyme, Tom Ligon, Jan Rayl, Dan Verner, Val Wallace, Liz Witt-Lee.

SPEAKER: Our speaker was Peggy Kimmey of Kimmey Training and Consulting, LLC, who spoke on “Do’s and Don’ts for Book Signing, Sales and Readings.” Her main points:

· It’s not about you—it’s about your audience

· Hook prospective readers into your display. Have props, make it inviting but not too bust. Stand up to pbring people in. Assess readers’ interests.

· Develop and use an “elevator speech” about your book. Make it interesting and to the point.

· Staying connected to your audience

o Use social media

o Build e-mail and mailing lists

o Use both “push” and “pull” methods to connect

o Be a “real person” to your readers

o Honor commitments

o Use the community of writers for support


CONTINUING BUSINESS:

Several writers had displays at the Rail Fest on June 1 and managed not to melt in the heat.

Elections end July 1. Nominees for offices are: President, Cindy Brookshire; Vice President, Ressurrection Graves and Dan Verner; and Treasurer, Carole Keily. No nominees have been made for Secretary.

We received the FY14 New Emerging Arts Grant in the amount of $850. The funds will be distributed after July 1 as soon as possible after the new fiscal year begins. Among the programming we proposed is a full-day writers conference for 60 writers in the July 2013-June 2014 time frame

June Forte has secured judges for the first tier of the Golden Nib Writing Contest, including educator Lillian Orlich, who has served the PWC Public Schools for 60 years, and Poet Laureate of Virginia Sofia Starnes. Deadline for entries is July 15. Contest rules have been posted on the chapter website and the Virginia Writers Club website.

The first author announced to participate in GMU’s Fall for Book Festival event at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Sept 26 is Write by the Railer Claudia LaFeve, along with her chef husband who works at Market Salamander in Middleburg. Other authors and foodies to be announced.

Dues: Do we want to have them? If so, how much? (Survey to follow.)

WHAT’S GOING ON: Members shared progress with their writing.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 2 – 6 to 8 pm – WbtR reads at Tuesday Takeout at the Harris Pavilion. June Kilpatrick coordinates.

Aug 3 – VWC “Navigating Your Writing Life” Symposium at Piedmont Virginia Community College in the Dickinson Fine & Performing Arts Center, Charlottesville.

Aug 24 & 25 – Authors at Civil War at the Junction. Contact Doug Horhota, Manassas Museum, 703-257-8265.

Barnes & Noble Bookstore and Café opens at NOVA-Manassas

A bigger and better Barnes & Noble Bookstore recently opened at the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. At approximately 3,000 square feet, the new space in Parrish Hall is nearly triple the size of the previous store.

“The biggest difference is the addition of a café and a marketplace with an expanded selection of convenience items, such as more Pepsi coolers, a freezer for frozen goods, and a reach-in cooler for sandwiches and salads,” said Barnes & Noble General Manager Jack Smith. “There’s also more room for general merchandise such as school supplies and electronics.”

Called Café NOVA, the eatery serves hot and cold sandwiches, pizza, cookies, soup and salads, as well as such breakfast items as bagels and muffins.

“We have all the same menu items as a traditional Starbucks,” Smith said.

Twenty-four indoor seats will be supplemented by outdoor seating when the weather permits.

In addition to more space and amenities, the bookstore will be open extra hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays.

“Everyone at Barnes & Noble is very excited to be opening another café at NOVA,” Smith said. “We have no doubt it will be a huge success.”

#  #  #

Northern Virginia Community College is the largest institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America’s largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls more than 75,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge, and through the Extended Learning Institute. For more information about NOVA and its programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit the College’s website, www.nvcc.edu.

__________________________________________

Carlene Mackereth

Public Information Officer

Northern Virginia Community College

703-257-6658

JRW’s June Writing Show Explores Building a Writer’s Platform

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Katharine Herndon, Executive Director
804-433-3790, info@JamesRiverWriters.org

Propel the Page at Every Stage:

JRW’s June Writing Show Explores Building a Writer’s Platform

Richmond, VA — Who are you as a writer? Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned author, how do you build your brand and your following? How do you balance minutes dedicated to Twitter with hours devoted to improving your craft? Being a writer today means more than just writing. Learning and implementing marketing strategies at every chapter of your journey is essential for success.  

The latest in James River Writer’s Writing Show series, A Writer’s Platform: Marketing at Every Stage of Your Career, on Thursday, June 27, at the Camel, features three authors—Karen Chase, Deb Dudley, and Meg Medina—each in a different phase of their literary paths. Julie Geen, a freelance writer and teacher, will moderate the discussion, including how to prioritize and budget tasks and how to shape an identity. The second half of the panel will welcome questions from the audience.

Each writer offers a unique perspective. “Marketing for authors is less about selling and more about linking meaningfully to one's community,” says Medina, an award-winning author of children’s and YA fiction. Chase is the author of an independently published travel book that has earned seven indie publishing awards, and Dudley is embarking on a new career in Kid-Lit after fourteen years as a successful marketing specialist.

The Writing Show, described as Inside the Actor’s Studio meets the New York Times bestseller list, happens live in Richmond the last Thursday of the month. The host is James River Writers, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build community by connecting and inspiring writers and readers in central Virginia. 

Date: Thursday, June 27, 2013

Time: 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Location: The Camel—a new location for this month

1621 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220

Fees: $10 in advance, www.jamesriverwriters.org

$12 at the door, $5 students at the door

The Writing Show is supported by The Virginia Commission for the Arts, ArtWorks.gov, and The Richmond Times-Dispatch

--
Sheila Sheppard Lovelady
Program Director
James River Writers
320 Hull Street, #136
Richmond, VA 23224
Tel. 804-433-3790
Fax. 804-291-1466

June Pair Kilpatrick to Hold Book Signing

Local author June Pair Kilpatrick will sign copies of her Depression-era memoir “Wasps in the Bedroom, Butter in the Well” on Saturday, June 22, 3:00-5:00pm, at Crest Hill Antiques & Tea Room in The Plains.

The highly acclaimed book details the resilience of the author’s family as they overcame the deprivations of the Depression in rural Virginia during the 1930s. They moved from town to town in search of work; unlike many, they always had a roof over their heads, but sometimes the wasps got in through the gaps and sometimes the butter had to be kept in the well. This is a warmhearted memoir of the period between two great wars that tested America's citizens—toughening the weak and sometimes destroying the fainthearted. The author's parents, who lived this story, were not fainthearted. Poor though they were, they were abundantly rich in all that really mattered.

A Hopewell native and lifelong Virginian, June spent much of her career as a writer and editor for nonprofit organizations in Richmond and Northern Virginia. She was also consulting writer for the Business Council in Washington, DC for eight years. She and her husband, Fritz, live in Evergreen Farm, Haymarket, at the foot of Bull Run Mountain.

The June 22 event is free and open to the public, and complimentary refreshments will be served. It is part of the Sixth Anniversary Open House at Crest Hill Antiques & Tea Room, located at 4303 Fauquier Avenue in The Plains. RSVPs are requested to 540-253-5790 by June 21. For more information, visit www.CrestHillAntiques.com.

CONTACT :

Sally DeLuca

540-253-5790

Crest-hill@hotmail.com