Pick one of the following prompts and write about it for 10 minutes:
What if the owner of a bakery became diabetic?
What if you were born 50 years earlier?
What if three teens hacked into a library database and learned what everyone in town is reading?
Write your life story but change the ending.
(left to right) Michael Cannarella, Mark Robben, Steve Engel, Catherine Magdalena and Jamie Caulley are members of a Kickstart Your Writing class.
On April 4, 2012, several Kickstart Your Writing students read from their anthology Who’s Your Family? at Blackbird Wineshop in Portland, Oregon:
The crowd
Kathy Eaton and Blackbird Wineshop owner Andy Diaz
(left to right) Janine Robben, Mark Robben and others enjoy the reading.
Catherine Magdalena reads.
Jamie Caulley reads from the anthology.
June Selis
Kathy Eaton MCs the reading.
Mark Robben reads.
Barbara Pierce and CJ Hurley attended the reading.
On March 27, Woodshop Writers read from their anthology Who’s Your Family? at Broadway Books in Portland, Oregon:
Kathy Eaton
Sarah Retzer
Mark Robben
Jamie Caulley
Catherine Magdalena
Kathy Lillis
Catherine Magdalena and audience member Dave Hough
At a party on March 12, Kickstart Your Writing students unveiled their new anthology Who’s Your Family?. Photos of the fun event are posted below.
Writers Dave King, Kathy Eaton and June Selis check out their just-unwrapped book.
Sarah Retzer is one of the writers who contributed to the anthology. A digital whiz, she also formatted the book.
Catherine Magdalena (left), Mark Robben and June Selis enjoy the book unveiling.
(left to right) Mark Robben, Catherine Magdalena, June Selis and Jamie Caulley discuss the upcoming readings of their anthology. Readings will take place March 21 (St. Johns Booksellers) and March 27 (Broadway Books). Both readings start at 7 p.m.
Dave Kings reads from Who's Your Family?.
Mark Robben reads from Who's Your Family?.
June Selis reads her story, "The Little House on Silverton Road," which appears in the anthology. A visual artist, June also created the book cover and illustrations.
The postmark deadline for entering the Kay Snow Writing Contest is April 23. Contest categories include adult fiction; adult non-fiction; poetry; juvenile short story, novel excerpt or article (fiction or non-fiction); screenwriting; and student writing. The contest is sponsored by Willamette Writers. The winners will be announced August 4, 2012, during the Willamette Writers Conference, which takes place August 3-5.
On March 6, three Kickstart Your Writing students and I met for dinner at Pastini Pastaria in Northeast Portland before attending the monthly Willamette Writers meeting.
(left to right) Judy Odenheimer, Nancy Woods, Sarah Retzer and Kathy Eaton
Kickstart students to give readings from Who’s Your Family?
Nancy Woods 