Morning After Christmas

Twas the morning after Christmas

And all through the house

The children were sleeping

All quiet as a mouse.

The stockings we had hung

By the fireplace with care

Now look forlorn

Cause there’s just nothing there.

Toys, blocks and legos

Were strewn on the floor

Totally surrounded 

By wrapping paper galore.

I slumped on the sofa

My hangover was bad

As I tried to remember 

How much fun we had.

Then out on the lawn

I heard such a clatter

I stumbled to my feet

To see what was the matter.

I spotted Santa getting out

Of a big limousine

The look on his face

Was the worst I had ever seen.

He looked at me sadly

With a shake of his head

“You ain’t gonna believe

What my GPS said.”

“Nothing in this world can 

Make me get over my stress

Many presents I delivered

Were to the wrong address.”

“They want me to fix this

Now, today.

I’ve got news for them

I ain’t gonna play.”

“There’s a new outfit in town

That can take over my chore

You probably know it already

It’s called Amazon store.”

Happy Holiday Time

Considering the time of year, here are some definitions to assist your writing:

Definitions every writer should know:

Merry Christmas English

Feliz Navidad Spanish

Buon Natale Italian

Frohliche Weinachten German

Joyeux Noel French

Gelukkig Kerstfeest Dutch

Nollaig Shona Irish

Merikurismasu Japanese

Mele Kalikimaka Hawaiian

Schastivogo  Russian

And just for the truly brilliant scholars:

Errymay ristmaschay

Anyway, ENJOY.

WMO-November 17

Writers’ Morning Out meets Saturday, November 17, 1:00 PM at
Greek Kouzina.  Come early and have lunch and discussions with other writers.

Program: DEFINITIONS EVERY WRITER SHOULD KNOW.

Is there a difference between a “multiple submission” and a “simultaneous submission?”
Are “first rights” better than “one-time rights?”
These are contract terms every writer should know.
We will look at these terms and definitions and see why writers need to understand them.

WMO October 20

Writers’ Morning Out meets Saturday, October 20, 1:00 at Greek Kouzina in Pittsboro.

Our program is a fun one.  We call it Slush-Pile live. What is a Slush-Pile?  It’s that pile of unsolicited manuscripts on the desk of a publisher, who must read all these to determine if any are worth follow-up or should be rejected
We’re going to imitate that procedure.  Submit your work as directed below. Randomly submissions will be read to our panel of judges who are filling the role of publisher.
If the judges find fault they will explain why they voted to reject that submission, or why they think that submission has real promise.

If you want to participate here are the rules.
I page, typed, double-spaced.  Any genre.  No ID on page 1.
Name, of author and title of work on page 2.
FOUR COPIES.  One for the reader and three for the judges.
The reader will randomly select one and read it to the judges.

Writers’ Morning Out is sponsored by the North Carolina Writer’s Network.

Literary Hall of Fame

The North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame 2018 Induction Ceremony
will be held at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities on
Sunday October 7, 2018 at 2:00 PM.

The Weymouth Center is at 555 East Connecticut Ave. in Southern Pines.

Free and open to the public.  To RSVP, please call (910)692-6261 or
E-mail to mail@ncwriters.org


The North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall 2018 Conference will be held at
Charlotte Hilton University Inn on November 2-4.

Register at: ncwriters.org or (336)293.8844 or (919)308.3228.

Writers’ Morning Out

Due to the weather:

WRITERS’ MORNING OUT SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 15 IS CANCELLED.

Ultra Flash Fiction

The winning entry in our eight annual Ultra Flash Fiction contest is Pat Shipment.  He entry “Don’t” is published below.

I don’t talk much. They say I should. They say it is rude. They say I am strange, not right like them. They say they get scared when I don’t speak. I do not say mean things. I do not say at all. But if you talk, they learn who you are. The sounds tell them where you are if you talk. The words tell them what you think. Still is safe. Don’t speak. Don’t move. Hide.
Don’t look in their eyes. Eyes are knives. They can pierce your skull to your brain. They can cut out your heart. You can see them, a bit, if you keep your eyes down, but they can’t see you. If they can’t see you, they can’t kill you. Eyes shut. Gone. No one home.
Ears are good. You can hear where they are. But their noise is loud, too loud, too much, too close. I wish I could squish down my ears like a cat, to not hear. When they ask too much, when they are too loud, I put my hands on my ears. They don’t like it, they say. It is rude. It is weird. But if they don’t like my hands up, why are they so loud? Why do they ask and ask? Stop. Be still. Hush.
I hate it most of all when they touch me. I know when they are there, no need to touch. I breathe their warm air and smell their stink. I do not want their skin on my skin, their damp hands on mine, their smell on me.
Do not touch. Do not hold. Do not hug. No arms. Do not force. No, don’t. Let me go. I will hit. I will kick. I will bite. I will scream.
No! Don’t! Stop! Help!

Writer’s Morning Out

WRITER’S MORNING OUT

Pittsboro/Lee Writer’s Morning Out will meet Saturday, June 16, 1:00 PM at the Greek Kouzina.  Come early and have lunch with other writers. 

Where is the publishing industry headed? 

Lindsey Alexander, of the Reading List, a local editing and book production company, will share her thoughts on this and other questions you have about publishing.

Writer’s Morning Out is sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network. 

Emerging Writers

CARY—The North Carolina Writers’ Network (NCWN) is proud to announce the creation of the Sally Buckner Emerging Writers’ Fellowship, in memory of one of North Carolina’s most beloved poets, editors, and educators.
This annual $500 fellowship will support an emerging North Carolina writer, between the ages 21-35, whose work shows promise of excellence and of commitment to a literary career. Each year, the fellowship will go to a writer working primarily in a designated genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or drama), with the genres rotating on a four-year cycle.
The inaugural 2019 Buckner Fellowship will support an emerging poet.
Applicants must be in the early stages of their careers and will not yet have achieved major recognition for their work. No specific academic background is required or preferred, but students enrolled in degree-granting programs are not eligible to appl
 In addition to the cash award, recipients will receive a complimentary one-year membership in NCWN, as well as scholarship aid to attend the Network’s annual Fall Conference.
To honor and carry on the lifelong generosity displayed by its namesake, the Buckner Fellowship will invite each recipient, during their award year, to help at least one other writer—by mentoring a less-experienced writer, by critiquing another’s work, by writing references or editing applications, or in whatever other way the recipient sees fit.
Applications will be accepted through Submittable.com from May 1 to June 30. Application is free for current NCWN members; for nonmembers, the application fee is $10. A committee appointed by NCWN will review all applications, and invite finalists for interviews with committee members. The fellowship winner will be announced and introduced at the Network’s Fall Conference, held this year in Charlotte, November 2-4.
For more information about the Sally Buckner Emerging Writers’ Fellowship and NCWN, visitwww.ncwriters.org, or contact Charles Fiore, NCWN Communications Director, at charles@ncwriters.org.

WMO Meeting Dates, 2018

ATTENTION ALL WRITERS

Writers’ Morning Out is changing its meeting dates.

Starting in June, we will meet on the third Saturday of each month.

This change in meeting dates is to eliminate conflicts with other writing groups in our area.

Put these dates on your calendars:

Saturdays:  1:00 PM

June 16

July 21

August 18

September 15

October 20

November 17

December 15

Open Mic

CCCC Open Mic

Thursday, May 3, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Chatham community Library, Mary Holmes Room

For more information, go to cccc.edu/creative writing

Writers’ Morning Out

Chatham/Lee WMO meets Saturday, April 14, 1:00 at Greek Kouzina.  Come early and have lunch and good conversation.

Jonathan York will lead a discussion focusing on contemporary poetry as it appears in sometimes unnoticed places.He’ll cover features that distinguish poetry from prose with an eye towards understanding how they might come together.  Questions will be very welcome.

CCCC Class Schedules

CCCC will no longer publish their catalogue. To find classes, please go to www.cccc.edu/ecd/find-classes. The summer schedule is now online, registration begins April 9, 2018.

Ultra Flash Fiction Guideline

Ultra Flash Fiction (UFF) Contest Rules: Open to NCWN members or WMO members living in Chatham/Lee County.


Submission guidelines: 

• Any subject. 
• Limit to 300 words, including the title. 
• Only one syllable words allowed. 
• Contractions pronounced as one syllable are okay. E.g., I’m, I’d, I’ve, can’t, won’t, don’t, 
• Possessives pronounced as one syllable: Joe’s, Ann’s, Kate’s etc.). 

Blind judging: 

• Your name shouldn’t appear on the story page. 
• Include a cover page with name, title, word count and email address. 
• Send MS and cover page as .doc or .txt attachmentsto Chatham-Lee County Regional Rep by July 31st. 

By submitting an entry, you are assumed to be granting us one-time reprint rights. If you do not wish a winning entry to be so posted, just let us know.

On-line class. Self publishing

Learn the ins and outs of DIY publishing, from production to design basics to how to format an e-book in the next North Carolina Writers Network on-line class.
Wednesday, March 14 at 7:00 PM

Register now: Self-Publishing Basic for Authors at ncwriters.org
This course is limited to 40 first-come, first-served.

Vision and Voice

The Joyful Jewel invites writers of all ages and levels to come to the gallery, pen in hand.  Invite a piece of art, jewelry, or craft to inspire you to write a poem, an impression, or a brief writing. One entry and one page only. Please submit as a Word Document or in the body of an email. Come in any time during our shoppe hours Monday – Saturday 10:30 – 5:30 or Sunday 12 – 4pm. When you leave, let us know the title of the art and artist’s name/s whose work you may be writing about and, of course, your name and contact information.

Submission Guidelines:  Submit your writing by email no later than 3/25/18.   Please submit your writing along with:  1) your name, 2) telephone number, (3) email address, 4) title of your writing, 5) artist & title of the artwork that inspired you and 6) whether you agree for us to publish this writing in a booklet that will be for sale.   Submit to: mariah.joyfuljewel@gmail.com

We’ll collect the writings and pictures of the art in a booklet to display and be for sale at the Joyful Jewel.  Plan to come to the Joyful Jewel on Sunday, April 21st to present your writing. The artist is invited to stand with you.

Expressive Writing

Can secrets be hazardous to your health?  Find out during classes in Expressive Writing beginning at CCCC in Pittsboro on Monday March 5, 2018 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and continuing for 8 sessions.  Using methods based on research, learn how to reduce stress from traumatic experiences.  Read what a spine surgeon says about Expressive Writing and relief from chronic pain on The People's Pharmacy Show 1071.  No previous writing experience necessary.  Call 919-718-7500 (tel:(919)%20718-7500)  to register.  Email instructor Mary Barnard at mbarnard@waverlyhemeonc.com(mailto:mbarnard@waverlyhemeonc.com) with questions.

Poetry Competition

We want to let all interested groups know about the Lanier Library's 10th Annual Sidney Lanier Poetry Competition.  We are accepting submissions through March 15, 2018 with prizes awarded April 28, 2018 at the library in Tryon, NC.  Adult and Student categories are available with prizes from $500 (Adult) and $100 (Student).

We hope you will share this information with your group members.  Please visit our website for more information: www.thelanierlibrary.org

Writers Morning Out, January 12, 2018

Hi all -- Ready for the new year?   To help get us started, Rick Bylina will lead a discussion on:
“Setting Realistic Goals”
•    What do you want to accomplish versus what is the time commitment? Is it realistic to write and publish a book in a year?
•    Are you better with daily, weekly, or month goals? Be honest!
  ... And Much More...

Saturday, January 13 at 1:00

Backroom of the Greek Kouzina, 964 East St, Pittsboro.  Come early for lunch if you'd like.