Events About Writing About Writing

I've been chatting with Judy Bridges, of Redbird Studio and Shut Up and Write renown, about our upcoming event with Dalya Massachi, author of Writing to Make a Difference, on Sunday, May 8, 2 pm. Massachi is in the area for a program in Madison, and was able to include an event with us as well. The book is focused to nonprofits, community groups, and other cause-related organizations where writing can really, really, really make a difference* More on our events page.

Bridges let me know that Massachi was recently awarded a Silver Ippy, the Independent Publisher Book Awards, for her Writing to Make a Difference. Awards started being announced yesterday, and there will be a ceremony on May 23. Here are the honors for the writing/publishing category:

Gold: Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing , by Pen Densham (Michael Wiese Productions)

Silver: Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact , by Dayla F. Massachi (Writing for Community Success)

Bronze: The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Fourth Edition: Everything You Need to Know About the Costs, Contracts, and Process of Self-Publishing, by Mark Levine (Bascom Hill Publishing Group)

You can see the rest of the awards here. Category honors are being updated daily.

I wanted to give a shout out to Judy Bridges (more here), who is hosting an event for Shut Up and Write on Wednesday, May 11, 7 pm, at Woodland Pattern, on 720 East Locust. Joining her for her rising stars program are:

Amy Lou Jenkins is the Author of Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting, winner of the 2010 Council for Wisconsin Writers' Ellis / Henderson Outdoor Writing Award.

Maura Fitzgerald is a freelance writer whose work ranges from nonprofit marketing and communications to short fiction. Her work has appeared in Milwaukee Magazine.

Sara Jane Rattan writes fiction, essays, and poetry. Her work has appeared in the 2009 Wisconsin Poets' Calendar, Free Verse, and The Wisconsin Academy Review.

And since we're talking up our friends who write about writing, congratulations to Rochelle Melander, whose new book, Write-a-thon, will be coming out this fall.  More on Melander's website.

*Though it's not specifically cited in Writing to Make a Difference, Massachi would caution you to limit yourself to one "really."