June News and Events

Pikes Peak Writers Events

On Saturday, June 7, from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Writing a Fiction Synopsis That Sells: An Interactive Workshop will take place at the Space Foundation, 4425 Arrowswest Drive, 80907. Pam McCutcheon, author of Writing the Fiction Synopsis, is the presenter. Pam will show you how to write a synopsis that will position your piece to rise above rejection and get in front of the right eyes. This is a hands-on workshop and space is limited to allow for one-on-one feedback. 

 Click here to register now!!

The June Write Brain takes place Tuesday, June 17, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. This is an online only class so an RSVP is required to receive the link. This month's workshop is Parlay Your Writing: Your Career as a Story With Subplots presented by Karen Albright Lin. Karen explores learning to reinvent yourself by writing in new genres, writing-for-hire, freelance editing, even teaching on cruises. Send your RSVP to rsvp@pikespeakwriters.com.


June Open Critique is Wednesday, June 18, from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 East Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO. The first eight to RSVP to pikespeakopencritique@hotmail.com can have the first eight pages of a manuscript critiqued.


PPW Writer's Night at Ivywild is Monday, June 23 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The Principal's Office in the Ivywild School, 1604 South Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80905. This is a chance to have writerly discussions along with some fun and fraternization on the fourth Monday of each month. Discussion topics are driven by the participants. 

Further detail on all of these activities is posted on the EVENTS tab.


Other PPW Information (From the NCE Editor)

June marks the mid-point of the year so it's a good time to revisit some other PPW activities:

Quarterly Event Newsletter - We send out a single email once every three months to let you know of upcoming PPW events in the next quarter. We will not use this for any purpose other than this single email. Want the dates in advance so you plan what you'll attend? This is an easy way to do so! Sign up by sending an email to events@pikespeakwriters.com with the heading Quarterly Event Email.

Proposal Portal - Do you have a workshop you'd be interested in presenting for PPW? Whether it's for a Write Brain, Conference, or a Half-Day to Full-Day Workshop, we'd like to hear from you! Simply go to http://proposals.pikespeakwriters.com/ (or go to the "Events" tab on our website and select "Submit a Proposal.") This is open at any time, and your proposal will remain in our files for future use.

Request a Workshop - Have a workshop or speaker you'd like to see? We're interested! The best way for us to know what topics our members are interested in is to hear from you. To send this information in, go to http://www.pikespeakwriters.com/events/request-a-workshop/ (or go to "Events" tab on our website and select "Request a Workshop.") We're always looking for great new speakers, and your feedback is appreciated.


In the Community:

You can't be a great writer without being a great reader. The grand opening for the state-of-the-art Library 21c is June 21 from 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. at 1175 Chapel Hills Drive. The dedication ceremony is at 9:30 a.m. and all-day events include live performances in the 400-seat theater as well as appearances by the Lt. Governor, Joe Garcia, and other local celebrities.

June Letter From the Editor - New Beginnings

June! Fabulous, sunny, green, beautiful June! Soon it will officially be summer (though I tend to consider it summer once school lets out). Various libraries will be launching their summer reading programs (Pikes Peak Library District started theirs June 1, so if you've got kids, hit any PPLD branch to sign them up for some great reading incentives).

June completes the vibrant changes that began earlier in spring. It furthers the new beginnings taking place. And in spirit of June's new beginnings, I'd like to welcome our newest Writing From the Peak columnist, Donnell Ann Bell. You can find a link to her website with her fellow columnists in the right-hand sidebar. Welcome, Donnell! We look forward to your contributions to Writing From the Peak.

We also have some exciting news about our Write Brain programming. Pikes Peak Writers has teamed up with Delve Writing to record our Write Brains so they can be accessed online, in their entirety, within a few days of the Write Brain. If you live too far to come down, weather causes a cancellation, or any other reason you can't attend the Write Brains in person, you'll now be able to watch them online. Not only that, but about once per quarter we'll offer one Write Brain that is broadcast live and recorded entirely online, which means we can now bring in speakers from all over the country, rather than limiting them to Colorado only! And even if you aren't able to get one of the limited live slots to attend that night, you'll have access to it online within a few days.

Want to try this out and see exactly what I mean? Page Lambert's May Write Brain, Manifestation of Yearning: The Flesh & Blood Factor of Good Storytelling, is available online right now! You'll have access to her speaking and her PowerPoint notes, simultaneously. Try it out by CLICKING HERE!

As part of this partnership, Delve Writing will also be providing a quarterly post here on Writing From the Peak. They'll bring you more great content on the craft of writing, and tips and tricks for writers.

Finally, Pikes Peak Writers is now offering a quarterly email with information on upcoming events. The first one will come out soon, and will include details on our June, July, and August Write Brains, and on some exciting events we're offering at the end of June! This is a trial to see how people like it, but quite a few have signed up already. If you'd like to sign up for the quarterly email, send an email to events [at] pikespeakwriters [dot] com, with "Quarterly Event Email" in the subject line, and the email address you'd like it sent to in the body of the email.

Here's to a wonderful month of new beginnings of all kinds for you and yours!

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