Participate in our series of conversations on the craft of writing and insights on navigating the publishing industry. Perfect for writers, aspiring writers, and anyone who wants to know more about how to become (and stay) an author.
All workshops are held at the Vintage Theater & Cafe (119 Penn Avenue, Scranton). Workshops are $5 each or $15 for all four. Please visit our ticket sales page to purchase your tickets.
Dawn Leas earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Wilkes University. Finishing Line Press released her first chapbook, I Know When to Keep Quiet, in November 2010. Her poems have appeared in goldwakepress.org, Literary Mama, Willows Wept Review, Interstice, Ripasso and The Cohort Review among others. She worked as an advertising copywriter and freelancer before working in the admission office of an independent school and most recently as a middle-school English teacher. She also teaches writing workshops for both teens and adults. Visit her at www.dawnleas.com.
Lee Sebastiani and her sister Lori head Avventura Press, based in Eynon, PA. Avventura is a traditional nonfiction publisher specializing in education/psychology and inspirational titles. Lee is adjunct professor in the graduate education department at Marywood University. She also teaches for the Institute for Lifelong Learning, and serves as testing coordinator for the University.
Folklorist Debra Lattanzi Shutika is a folklorist specializing in transnational migration and Latino folklore. She teaches courses on ethnicity and migration, American and Latino folklore, sense of place, bodylore and Appalachian folklore. She is author of Beyond the Borderlands: Mexican Migration and the Sense of Place, in which she tells of her work in Kennett Square, PA, “the mushroom capital of the world” and the discovery that borderlands are no longer at the border and that transnational migrants must seek out and create a sense of home in two communities. That is, they have no community in which they can take their sense of belonging for granted.
Laura Ellen Scott’s short fiction is widely published, as is a collection, Curio (with illustrations by Mike Meginnis). A novel, Death Wishing, will be released in October of 2011. Scott divides her time between the suburbs of Northern Virginia and the mountains of the West Virginia panhandle. She teaches at George Mason University.
The Vintage Theater & Cafe is a venue for the performing as well as visual arts. All mediums (music, art, film, theater, etc.) of nearly every genre grace our humble storefront space of creativity and community. Since January of 2009 The Vintage Theater has provided a safe and inviting atmosphere for all ages to come and enjoy themselves in the heart of downtown Scranton. The theater also houses a fantastic cafe. With a focus on original work by regional artists/performers there is always something entertaining as well as interesting happening at The Vintage Theater.
The Veterans Writing Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Washington, DC. Founded by Ron Capps, a soldier for 25 years, veteran of five conflicts, and the contributor to TIME Magazine’s “Battleland” blog, the Veterans Writing Project provides no-cost writing seminars and workshops to veterans, active service members and military family members as a way to give them the tools they need to tell their own story.
VWP seminar leaders are combat veterans who are also graduates of MA or MFA writing programs as well as working writers.
Veterans, serving military, and all military family members are invited to come meet VWP instructors and join in the discussion of writing the military experience.
The founder and director of the VWP, Ron Capps served 25 years in the Army and Army Reserve and is a combat veteran of Afghanistan. He is a regular contributor to Time Magazine’s Battleland blog and to Foreign Policy. The Washington Post called his 2009 essay in Health Affairs about his struggles with PTSD “a stunningly good first-person essay.” His literary writing has been featured in JMWW and in Press 53. His essay “The French Lieutenant’s iPod” won first prize for creative non-fiction in Press 53?s 2011 Open Awards competition. He has been a featured speaker on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, Pacifica Radio, the BBC World Service and has been a consultant to Time, Rolling Stone, and public broadcasting’s Frontline. His forthcoming book, Writing War: A how-to guide for veterans to telling your own story serves as the curriculum for VWP seminars and workshops. Ron lives and works in Washington, DC.
The Alley Kitchen and Coffeehouse recently opened on July 1, 2011. Formerly the retail space occupied by Outrageous, The Alley Coffeehouse has undergone a makeover and now aims for a healthier swing on a grab-and-go menu, serving only fresh, homemade food along with coffee and drinks. The Alley also features local music along with their lunch fare.