Dennis Fargo to Speak at Write by the Rails Meeting May 15

Writer Dennis Fargo will be the speaker at the monthly meeting of Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, at 7 pm on Thursday, May 15 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9325 West Street, Manassas.  Mr. Fargo served in five submarines during the heart of the Cold War, 1964-1991. His experiences included service as a Navy SCUBA diver, nuclear propulsion plant operator, strategic weapons officer, and attack submarine Commanding Officer. Mr. Fargo will relate two or three "sea stories" about submarine life.  

On the Agenda

Prince William Poet Laureate – The selection panel announcement at Bistro L’Hermitage, with special guest Sofia Starnes, Poet Laureate of Virginia, was covered by Prince William Living magazine, BristowBeat.com and El Imparcial newspaper; nominations closed May 10 and June Forte will give an update on the selection process at the May 15 meeting. SAVE THE DATE: June 14 announcement of the first Prince William Poet Laureate will take place at Tackett’s Mill Lakeside with these special features:

Family Arts Festival presented by Edgemoor Art Studio 12pm - 4pm June 14 

Bring the entire family out for a fun-filled afternoon of family friendly activities. Join local merchants, food vendors and beer/wine garden while enjoying the beauty of Tackett's Mill Lakeside.

·         Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of Edgemoor Art Studio 12:05pm

·         Live music entertainment 

·         Kids craft artwork workshops and face painting.

·         Basketball shooting challenge

·         Tackett's Mill Lakeside professional photo booth

Poetry & Jazz on the Lake: Prince William County Poet Laureate 3pm - 6pm June 14 

Hosted by: Guy Lambert WPGC Radio        Featuring Live Music

Join us for an evening of poetry, community and jazz on the lake. Celebrating the selection of Prince William County's Poet Laureate, Poetry & Jazz On The Lake is our celebration of the arts community to recognize talented poets in our area.

·         Live poetry readings accompanied by the sounds of professional jazz.

·         Book signings from local authors

·         Meet exhibitors from local businesses and organizations

·         Tackett's Mill Lakeside professional photo booth

·         Plenty of food, wine and beer to pair with the beautiful atmosphere of Tackett's Mill Center

Community Partnerships.  Write by the Rails is now a member of both the Inter-Service Club Council of Greater Manassas www.iscc-manassas.org and the Prince William Chamber of Commerce www.pwchamber.org. We hope to increase our visibility and mutually benefit from these community partnerships by taking an active role in each.

ARTS ALIVE! at the Hylton Performing Arts Center - thank you to those writers who participated at the book tables, readings and workshops on May 3: Cindy Brookshire, Ellen Butler, Garrett Carlson, John DeDakis, Joe Geraci and his wife Terry, Leigh Giza, Katherine Gotthardt, Marv Josaitis, Stacia Kelly and Nick Kelly, Nancy Kyme, Belinda Miller and her husband Gary, Ron Rauss, Jan Rayl, Tamela Ritter, Janda Sample, Stuart Schadt and Dan Verner.

Advanced Title and Settlements has awarded Write by the Rails $928.60 through their “Advance Your Community Giveback Campaign.”  Our chapter was one of 15 local not-for-profits competing for votes in the campaign. In addition to the funds raised, PotomacLocal.com has agreed to donate 30 consecutive days of complimentary banner advertising on the website’s sidebar to each of the non-profit organizations who participated in the event. The offer amounts to a $300 value to each of the organizations involved.

Next Rising Young Writers Workshop: Thank you! An anonymous donor has given $500 to Write by the Rails for the next Rising Young Writers Workshop. A committee of at least 10 writers is in the process of forming to plan that workshop in 2014-2015.

Virginia Writers Club Symposium is Aug. 2. Early bird registration to the Fourth Annual Symposium, Navigating Your Writing Life: Finding Your Way is open for all active Virginia Writers Club members. The Symposium will be held on Saturday, August 2, 8:30am to 3:30pm at The Dickinson Fine & Performing Arts Center at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville. The keynote speaker is Kathryn Erskine, author of Mockingbird, the winner of the 2010 National Book Award. Symposium participants will find presentations and panels including how to format an i-book; publishing and marketing your work; getting feedback; craft sessions on poetry, the short story, young adult fiction, mysteries and thrillers, and non-fiction; and memoirs and journaling. Early bird registration extends to June 15. The fee is $60, with lunch included. After June 16, the fee rises to $75. Please go to the home page on the website and follow the links to the registration form. Click on Early Bird Special and enter G4SFPFAQ. Don't miss out on the discount. We look forward to seeing you at the Symposium.  If you have any questions, please contact Sara Robinson, Symposium chair, or Betsy Ashton, president. (Note, Write by the Rails doesn’t charge chapter dues, but to be a member of the Virginia Writers Club, you need to go to the website and join ($15 for the first year) at www.virginiawritersclub.org.  Our bylaws state that in order to be a chapter, at least five of our chapter members must be VWC members, and we meet that requirement.)

Lunch and Learn in Occoquan. Writer Elizabeth Marine is interested in organizing a “Lunch and Learn” in Occoquan at Rockledge Mansion with box lunches by Georgetown Caterers sometime this summer. If you are interested in helping Elizabeth organize this venture, which will require a fee to participate, please send an email to writebytherails@gmail.com with “Lunch and Learn in Occoquan” in the message line.