The Westport Writers’ Workshop (www.westportwritersworkshop.com) brought the writing community together on Wednesday, May 15 for an inspiring event entitled, “Building Readers, Building Writers.” The evening’s purpose was manifold -- to serve as a launch party for Books, Ink at HamletHub, (http://www.hamlethub.com/booksink) a new book review and literary online publication, to gather book donations and honor the work of the children’s charity, First Book, and to celebrate both the writing craft and local authors. Westport Writers’ Workshop founder and director, Jessica Bram, partnered with Books, Ink editor, Sally Allen -- who also spearheads Westport’s HamletHub -- for the event. HamletHub, an online publication covering hyper-local news, was launched in 2009 by Ken and Kerry Anne Ducey of Ridgefield and now has editions for fifteen towns throughout Fairfield County.
Ms. Allen, a former New York University writing instructor and current journalist, became familiar with the Westport Writers’ Workshop after being impressed by a one-day writing workshop which she took earlier this spring. “In just three hours, we generated ideas, wrote, shared our writing, and learned elements that create compelling writing (whether fiction or memoir) from word choice and sentence structure to narrative cohesion. I’m a tough customer when it comes to writing workshops, but was extremely impressed by the degree to which the writing craft was emphasized.” She then decided that collaborating with Ms. Bram was the perfect match -- Westport Writers Workshop is home to several local authors and aspiring writers, and Books, Ink was created in part to honor their work.
“It’s my hope that Books, Ink becomes a local hub for readers and writers -- a place to discover local authors, find out about book-related events in our area, and share reviews and recommendations from friends and neighbors.” said Allen. Ms. Allen’s inaugural interview was with Marcelle Soviero, author of An Iridescent LIfe: Essays on Motherhood and Stepmotherhood and Editor-in-Chief of Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers (www.brainchildmag.com). Ms. Soviero, an award-winning essayist, doubles as an instructor at the Westport Writers’ Workshop.
As a tie-in to the night’s theme, a door prize filled with books written and signed by local authors was an added feature. Among them were those penned by Westport Writers’ Workshop instructors, including Jessica Bram’s Happily Ever After Divorce: Notes of a Joyful Journey (Health Communications, Inc. 2009), the recently released young adult novel Last Ghost at Gettysburg: A T. J. Jackson Mystery by Fairfield resident, Paul Ferrante, and Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Westporter, Nina Sankovitch.
Ms. Allen is also accepting literary pieces for Books, Ink to include essays, fiction, poetry, and even, photography; specific submission guidelines can be found online (http://www.hamlethub.com/about-booksink).
Jessica Bram was thrilled to be an integral part of the Books, Ink launch effort. She explained why she had selected First Book as the ideal charity to highlight at “Building Readers, Building Writers.”
“Westport Writers’ Workshop had previously ‘adopted’ the organization First Book, which provides the first book to be owned by a child in need, as the ideal charity to be supported by our writing community. Inviting donations from “Building Readers, Building Writers” attendees for a children’s book collection for First Book was a natural. It’s our continued mission to build both readers and writers of all levels,” said Bram.
When Ms. Bram established the Westport Writers’ Workshop in 2004, her vision was to offer high quality workshops designed to nurture creativity, inspire imagination, and develop the writing craft. The workshops are taught by seasoned professionals to writers seeking to hone their skills and bring their work to the level of publication. To date, many Westport Writers’ Workshop writers having gone on to publish in multiple arenas. Since then, the Westport Writers’ Workshop has grown rapidly and is now the go-to locale for writers and aspiring writers throughout Connecticut and beyond for a variety of high-caliber workshops. Bram, an author, essayist, and former NPR radio commentator, teaches advanced workshops in personal essay, creative nonfiction, and memoir.
The Westport Writers’ Workshop is currently accepting registrations for its summer creative writing workshops. New this year are workshops in Business Writing for professionals who wish to advance in their careers by sharpening their writing skills. Through its affiliation with Writopia Lab, the Westport Writers’ Workshop also offers creative writing workshops and weeklong summer camps for young writers ages 7 to 10.
In addition to its workshops, writing retreats, and programs, the Westport Writers’ Workshop offers an optional annual membership, which includes free admission to events, monthly open mic nights, creativity jumpstart sessions, workshop discounts, and other benefits. Information is available at westportwritersworkshop.com or by calling (203) 227-3250. The Westport Writers’ Workshop is located at 3 Sylvan Road South in Westport.
PHOTO CAPTION: (From left) HamletHub’s Anmarie Galowski, Westport Writers’ Workshop founder and director, Jessica Bram, First Book board member, Tricia Tierney, and Westport’s HamletHub editor, Sally Allen, celebrate the launch of Books, Ink -- the online book review and literary website covering local writers and their work. For more information about the Westport Writers Workshop, visit http://www.westportwritersworkshop.com/ or call (203) 227-3250. Details about Books, Ink can be found at www.hamlethub/booksink or by e-mailing sally@hamlethub.com.
PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Dominick