Annual, Weekly and On-Going Socials
Weekly Saturday Social with HWG
Join us on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am to 11:00 am (CST) via Zoom for a time of networking and connecting to other writers. Conversations about current work in progress, publishing, troubleshooting issues, plus sharing news and opportunities with one another take place during this time as we meet up in virtual space for coffee.
Last Saturday of the Month, Rally for Hope with former guild president, Andrea Sanchez.
On the last Saturday of each month, in lieu of our social, we join in with former guild president Andrea Sanchez as she hosts a Rally for Hope from 10:00 am to 11:00 am CST.
Each Rally includes motivational speakers that share compelling stories and insight to motivate us and help us remember we are not alone in this journey called life.
Check out more about this ongoing program and register for the next event here: andrea@sparkstory.co
Upcoming Houston Writers Guild Events
AuthorPalooza Extravaganza Conference
2024 Conference Itinerary
Friday, October 4, 2024
7:00 – 7:15 pm Arrival and Mingle
7:15 – 7:45 Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton
Houston Poet Laureate
She will lead us in an activity for performance poetry
7:15 - 9:00 pm Book Launch Party
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Discussion of how these types of opportunities can help an author
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Presentation of Winners and Awards
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Readings from Winners
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Saturday, October 5, 2024
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9:00 – 9:15 am Opening Remarks
9:15 – 10:15 Keynote Speaker -- Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton
Houston Poet Laureate
10:30 – 11:30 Breakout Session 1 -- Industry
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Room 1: Publisher’s Panel –
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Maer Wilson of Ellysian Press
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Tod Tinker of Balance of Seven Press
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Roger Leslie of Paradise Publishing
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Fern Brady of Inklings Publishing
Room 2: Alicia Richardson – DIY Audiobooks: Getting it done right
Room 3: Ronel Golden – Marketing In Today’s Complex World
11:45 – 12:45 Breakout Session 2 – Genres
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Room 1: Writing for Healing Panel
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Ronel Golden
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Barbara Ann Carle
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Pending To Be Filled
Room 2: J Lynn Else – Historic Fiction: Dos and Don’ts
Room 3: Kim Sauke – Screenplay Writing 101: The Nuts and Bolts
12:45 – 1:45 Lunch Break – On Your Own
1:45 – 2:00 Networking Mingle
2:00 – 3:00 Breakout Session 3 -- Craft
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Room 1 – Kim-Ling Sun – Poetic Techniques for Prose
Room 2 – Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez – Writing for Young Audiences
Room 3 – Pending To Be Filled
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3:15 – 4:15 Breakout Session 4 – Craft
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Room 1 -- Maer Wilson – Creating Multidimensional Characters
Room 2 -- Tod Tinker – World Building Across Genres
Room 3 -- Fern Brady – Using Conflict Variety to Build Tension
4:15- 5:15 Breakout Session 5 – Industry
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Room 1 – Mickey Mikkelson – Publicity: How It All Works
Room 2 – Alexandria Willbond – Editors: The People We Love to Hate!
Room 3 – John Simons – Session Information Coming Soon
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Sunday, October 6, 2024
9:45 – 10:00 Final Day Opening Remarks
10:00 – 12:00 – Alicia Richardson – Writing Time!
12:00 – 1:00 – Networking and Light Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 – Fern Brady – Renga Competition
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Acquisition Editors Pitch Sessions:
Maer Wilson for Ellysian Press – Speculative Fiction Boutique Press
Roger Leslie for Paradise Publishing – Nonfiction
Alexandria Willbond for Inklings Publishing – Fiction – Genre Fiction
Keynote Speaker
Photographer, Pin Lim.
Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton is an award-winning writer, director, performer, critic, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, TX. Praised by the NY Times as an artist who “defies categorization”, her genre-bending works span from stage to page, and everything in between. She is the author of Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary, 2019) which was translated into German (Berichtenswert, Elif Verlag, 2020), Black Chameleon (Henry Holt, 2023), and an upcoming children's book, Hush Hush Hurricane (Kokila Books, 2025). Honored as part of Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class, she has been a contributing writer for Glamour, Texas Monthly, Muzzle, and ESPN's Andscape, to name a few.
She has penned stage works including Marian's Song (Houston Grand Opera), The Forest of Secrets (National Sawdust), Atlanta: 1906 (Atlanta Opera) & On My Mind (Opera Theater St. Louis). Serving as Playwright/Director, she produced The World's Intermission, commissioned by Performing Arts Houston (Jones Hall), which has since been adapted for film, and Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson, a choreopoem (Stages Theater) which made the cover of the NYT Culture section.
Her recent memoir, Black Chameleon examines Black womanhood through afrofuturistic mythology which Mouton later adapted into a storybook opera titled (Lula, the Mighty Griot, HGO) and an independent short film (Headache & Heartthrob). A former Resident Artist with the American Lyric Theater, Rice University, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture, her upcoming projects will debut at The Kennedy Center and American Lyric Theater. She resides in Houston, TX.
Acquisition Editors Pitch Sessions
Breakout Session Descriptions
Breakout Session 1 – Industry
Room 1: Publisher’s Panel –
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Maer Wilson of Ellysian Press
-
Tod Tinker of Balance of Seven Press
-
Roger Leslie of Paradise Publishing
-
Fern Brady of Inklings Publishing
Room 2: Alicia Richardson – DIY Audiobooks: Getting it done right
Room 3: Ronel Golden – Marketing In Today’s Complex World
Breakout Session 2 – Genres
Room 1: Writing for Healing Panel –
-
Ronel Golden
-
Barbara Ann Carle
-
Pending To Be Filled
Room 2: J Lynn Else – Historic Fiction: Dos and Don’ts
Room 3: Kim Sauke – Screenplay Writing 101: The Nuts and Bolts
Breakout Session 3 -- Craft
-
Room 1 – Kim-Ling Sun – Poetic Techniques for Prose
-
Room 2 – Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez – Writing for Young Audiences
-
Room 3 – Room Pending
Breakout Session 4 – Craft
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Room 1 -- Maer Wilson – Creating Multidimensional Characters
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Room 2 -- Tod Tinker – World Building Across Genres
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Room 3 -- Fern Brady – Using Conflict Variety to Build Tension
Breakout Session 5 – Industry
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Room 1 – Mickey Mikkelson – Publicity: How It All Works
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This presentation will be an information session of the publicist / author relationship and answer the following questions:
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What is publicity and different types of traditional media aspects
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Discussion around the publicist and author relationship
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leveraging the effectiveness of an author who is an indie compared to an author who publishes traditionally
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Finally, what a publicist looks for in signing a new client
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Room 2 – Alexandria Willbond – Editors: The People We Love to Hate!
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Room 3 – John Simons – Session Information Coming soon
Presenters
Fern Brady
HWG Chief Executive Officer & President
Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez
Author
John Simmons
Publisher
Maer Wilson
Author
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Barbara Ann Carle
Author
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Roger Leslie
Author
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Kim-Ling Sun
Author
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J Lynn Else
Author
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Mickey Mikkelson
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Publicist
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Tod Tinker
Publisher
Ronel Golden
HWG Director
Alicia Richardson
HWG Executive Officer & President
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Alexandria Willbond
HWG Communications Director
Writing Coach and Developmental Editor, Max Regan, offers ongoing workshops and programs for writers of all genres.
For more information and to register contact Max Regan at hollowdeckpress@mac.com.
Upcoming sessions offered by Max Regan:
Breaking Open the Book Lectures:
April 26, 2024 TBA
May 31, 2024 Guest lecturer Amanda Hart Miller will lecture on Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
10-Day Poetry Bootcamp Class
May 1, 2024 - May 10, 2024 Time taught by Max Regan via Zoom
Annual June Projects Retreats! Session 1
June 7, 2024 - June 17, 2024 Time taught by Max Regan via Zoom
(one of these 10-day sessions will be held in person in Boulder CO, Stay tuned!)
Annual June Projects Retreats! Session 2
June 21, 2024 - July 1, 2024 Time taught by Max Regan via Zoom
(one of these 10-day sessions will be held in person in Boulder CO, Stay tuned!)
First Sunday of the Month Salon Reading
First Sunday Monthly
Taught by Max Regan via Zoom
For more information and to register contact Max Regan at https://www.hollowdeckpress.com.
Workshops by Max Regan
First Sunday of the Month Salon Reading
Free admission!
To Register please email Max at hollowdeckpress@mac.com
Join this free session every first Sunday of the month. Bring short 5-minute writing pieces to share and receive feedback from Max as well as the other authors in the room.
Getting Ready For June
Free admission!
To Register please email Max at hollowdeckpress@mac.com
For those writers who might also be planning to sign up for the big Annual June 2024 Writing Projects 10-Day Retreat then this four-day January Projects Intensive is a great way to get organized and get your text and your goals underway as you head towards June! There will, of course, be different curriculum, exercises and techniques used in each event.
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WE HAVE ONLY A FEW SEATS LEFT!
To register please email Max at hollowdeckpress@mac.com as soon as possible. Tuition for the Intensive is $450, which includes 2 large group classes, 3 small group classes and one private 1hr session with Max per session. For Marathoners attending both sessions tuition is $850. Registration is limited so please contact Max by email at hollowdeckpress@mac.com as soon as possible if you want to register.
See other courses that are added to the Class Schedule at https://www.hollowdeckpress.com.
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