August Letter From the Editor

August, already. The waning of summer. And with this change, we bring changes to Pikes Peak Writers.

The website has been updated. We hope you find it easier to navigate. Check it out at www.pikespeakwriters.com. Want to sign up for a free Pikes Peak Writers membership? You can do that on the People tab. Want to access our online recordings of the past few Write Brains? Go to the Events tab and look for Delve Writing Events. Also on the Events tab, you'll find information on upcoming Write Brains, Open Critiques, and Writer's Nights, as well as other special events. Find out anything you need to know about The Zebulon on the Contest tab. Bonus: if you forget where this blog is, you'll find it on the new Blog tab!

In addition to the website changes, we now offer you the ability to propose a workshop online. Whether you wish to present it or suggest someone else, there is now an easy way to do either. Want to present a Write Brain or conference workshop? Go to our new Workshop Proposal Portal. You'll have the option to choose a length and describe your workshop or panel, as well as anything you need to go along with it. And it's easy to do!

Not interested in presenting a workshop, but have something to suggest? Maybe you saw someone present elsewhere, and you'd love to see them again with Pikes Peak Writers. You can Request a Workshop. Both this capability and the Workshop Proposal Portal can be found on the website under the PPWC tab or the Events tab.

Another change was to our Facebook page. It has been switched from a regular account, which you had to "friend," to a business page. If you haven't already, please pay us a visit and "like" us. Unfortunately, we had to change, because we were at our limit for friends. The only way to continue welcoming new folks was to switch to a page. The new url is https://www.facebook.com/PikesPeakWriters. We post our events on the page, and it's a great way to keep up to date on everything going on, or to chat with fellow writers.

Finally, we've changed the Pikes Peak Writers Fiction Writing Contest. It's now named The Zebulon. As in years past, the winners will be announced at Pikes Peak Writers Conference (you don't have to be present to win). For more information on The Zebulon, see the Contest tab.

A note on the blog: we are looking for a columnist, as Cindi Madsen has had to resign. We're sad to see her go, but happy for her that the reason has to do with the hustle and bustle of the published life. For those interested in the position, please email me at editor@pikespeakwriters.com. We ask for one blog post per month, with the deadline being the 25th of the month prior to your post date (so August 25 is the deadline for September posts). This is not a paid position, but we'll link to your personal blog or website in the sidebar, and your bio will be shared at the end of each of your posts.

We're also looking for someone to handle our Sweet Success posts. You'd be responsible for posting reminders for people to contact you with their Sweet Success information, gathering the information you'll need for their posts, and compiling that information. Again, if interested in this position, email me at editor@pikespeakwriters.com. This is also not a paid position, but we'll link to your blog or personal website in the sidebar.

Let us know what you think about all the changes!

~Shannon Lawrence
Managing Editor, Writing From the Peak
NCE Director, Pikes Peak Writers