Please submit calendar items to the Newsletter Editor for consideration. We'd like to include contests and regional conferences sponsored by WRWA affiliated clubs that are open to all members and other events of broad interest to WRWA members.

During the week of July 23-27, 2007, the UW-Madison Department of Continuing Education offers the School of the Arts in Rhinelander. The WRWA is proud to be a part of this event that was helped into fruition by its own founder, Robert Gard.

This week-long event in the beautiful north woods offers classes in many different subjects, including theatre, blacksmithing, meditation, and, of course, writing of many genres.

WRWA members are eligible to win one of two $250 scholarships to attend this “week to wait for every year!” All you have to do is submit a cover letter with your name, address, and essay title on it along with a titled one-page essay on why you want to attend this inspirational week. Please do not put your name on the essay. Mail your submission to:

All entries must be postmarked not later than Monday, April 9th, 2007.

Only members of WRWA are eligible and you must be present at the Spring Conference where the scholarships will be presented. Previous winners are not eligible for five years after they won the scholarship.

The two scholarship winners must submit a brief article about their experience to the WRWA newsletter editor for the winter edition (deadline November 1, 2007).

At-large member Chris Roerden, the editor who spoke at WRWA's 2006 Fall Conference on "Voice: Sounds from the Submission Pile," is seeking brief passages from members' novels or short stories, published or not, for publication in an all-genre companion volume to her popular writer's guide, DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY.

Her publisher became interested in producing a second book on technique for all writers, not specifically mystery, after Midwest Book Review joined a chorus of reviewers in praising Chris's material as "invaluable to fiction writers of all genres." Futures magazine wrote, "Don't let the title fool you...ALL fiction writers can benefit," and the industry magazine ForeWord recommended the writing advice to experienced writers as well as to beginners and those writing mainstream fiction. (www.bellarosabooks.com/dontmurderyourmystery)

The next book (Chris's 11th) will include up to 110 new examples, with full credit, of the effective fiction techniques she features in the current book. No fees are involved, and writers retain full copyright in their work. Each example is presented in the context of a review, and only good examples are used. Chris is also running a contest for the best title for the new book, with a prize to the winner of a professional edit worth $800. Full details on www.tinyurl.com/yclawc

For those who do not have access to the Internet and who wish to make a submission, please send a SASE (# 10 envelope with 39 cent stamp) to Chris Roerden at 3683 Waterwheel Ct., Greensboro, NC 27409 for complete guidelines and a copy of the form that must accompany all submissions.

A year ago we asked for your help. And we still need it. The fund was created a year ago to help with the Poet Laureate’s travel expenses. Currently it’s at $7,100—still short of its $20,000 goal.

At $10,000 it becomes a permanently endowed fund, generating 5% ($500) a year interest to help with gas, copying, phone, food & other expenses as the Laureate travels the state promoting poetry.

Requests pour in continuously from around Wisconsin for the Laureate to visit schools, give readings and appear at dedications and ceremonies. The only financial assistance the Laureate receives is $2,000 allocated annually by the state for travel reimbursement. And that doesn’t go far.

Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate represents us all. Help give Denise Sweet—and future Laureates—the tools to do that job, by writing a check to the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. Mail donations to:

The Shawano Area Writers (SAW) are sponsoring a Fiction writing contest. Stories are limited to no more than 2,500 words. The contest opens on May 1, 2007 and closes on June 30, 2007. Stories postmarked on June 30th will be accepted.

There is a $10 entry fee, payable to the Shawano Area Writers. First place will receive $400, second $200 and third place will get $100. Two stories will be picked as Honorable Mentions. All five winners will get a certificate.

This contest is limited to residents of Wisconsin. Members of the Shawano Area Writers are not eligible. There is no subject or theme for this contest – we're just looking for well written, interesting stories.

For a copy of the rules send an SASE asking for the rules, to John J. Mutter, Jr., N2787 McDonald Road, Shawano, WI. 54166. Entries should also be sent to this address. Questions by phone: call John at 715-524-4520 (nights). A copy of the complete rules can be seen on the www.burstonellc.com Web site. Click on Shawano Area Writers and scroll down to the Fiction Contest. The rules are also posted on the WRWA Web site, www.wrwa.net.

We must receive at least 50 entries to conduct this contest. If we do not get the required number, we will return your check.

The Shawano Area Writers have been scribbling away for 41 years.

I'm still collecting stories for the two Chicken Soup books I'm currently co-authoring, Chicken Soup for the Tea Lover's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Chocolate Lover's Soul. However, and most importantly, my partner in this 4-book-gift-series, Teresa Peluso at HCI (CS publisher), who is co-authoring Chicken Soup for the Coffee Lover's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Wine Lover's Soul, desperately needs more stories (non-fiction only) for those two volumes. So if you have any coffee or wine stories, please send them to stories@coffeeloverssoul.com or stories@wineloverssoul.com. The deadline is March 31st, 2007. They will be published this November. Payment is $200 per accepted story. Length 500-800 words. Here's info about each: