Margaret Wagner was kind enough to take notes at the last Writers' Cafe since I couldn't be there. Here's what she wrote:
We had a small but mighty Writers' Cafe on 12/14/11 before the holidays – seven people attended. Here are some of the highlights:
TWO-MINUTE READINGS
We continued reading something we’ve written for two minutes, in an effort to get to know each other better and start the conversation about having people writing in similar genres pair up and work with each other.
We also talked about doing a survey, so we’re clear about everyone’s intentions for being in the group. It should also provide an opportunity for suggestions and determine how to best serve our collaboration. Look for a short online survey in the new year.
BLIND FEEDBACK
No, Mouse Muse is not producing Three Blind Mice! Rather, the group thought it would be helpful to provide a monthly way to get blind feedback on pieces we’re writing. So, for anyone who would like to participate, here’s the process:
We’re excited to offer this, so let’s see how it goes for the first month, and we’ll make refinements from there.
BRAGGING RIGHTS
FUTURE 2012 MEETINGS
Location: Future Writers’ Cafes will be held at Ina Chadwick’s home, 2 Redcoat Lane in Westport, CT (near Exit 41 on the Merritt/Route 15). For directions, please email Ina at: Ina@mousemuse.com. (NOTE: We are no longer meeting at the Westport Arts Center.)
Parking: Please park as neatly as possible in the driveway, and use the second door on the side of the house (the first side door is the entrance to the dentist’s office; the second door is the one at the beginning of the walkway).Time: 12:30pm to 2pm
Options to bring:
Save these dates for future Writers’ Cafes in 2012:
Catch up on what you missed, or just hear it all over again.
It's all filed on the media page, under "audio". Enjoy!
Anthony and Cleopatra fell into a burning ring of fire. Their agonizing and calamitous love affair changed history. As Valentine's day approaches, along with the FMHC's exhibit "Bravo! A Century of Theatre in Fairfield County", that story is felt again by remembering Katharine Hepburn's performance of Shakespeare's Cleopatra--and all the fiery feelings that went along.
Love Hurts. Come hear Tom Lawlor, Max Westhelle, Jeep Halo, Arch Currie, Pete Paatorelli share male-tales. The men outnumber the women in matters of the heart, but they can't out pace, Shannon Walsh and Maureen Hallock who both had experiences with aphrodisiac love. If you have we stories to tell or a longing to be regaled, join us at the FMHC on February 9th, 2012.
Plenty of Westporters filled the seats at the Fairfield Museum and History Center (FMHC) for last night’s MouseMuse Productions “I’ve Got a Ticket to Ride” storytelling program. If you weren’t one of them—not to be the bearer of bad news—you missed an electric show.
Six storytellers stood before the rapt audience and shared 10 minutes stories that ranged from a heartbreaking meditation on loss to a thrilling spy story to uproariously funny adventures all of which, in keeping with the theme, included travel. In MouseMuse tradition, after a brief intermission, three volunteers were pulled at random to tell their stories. Last night’s performers enthralled the audience, who collectively oohed and gasped and guffawed their way through the program. Part of the thrill is not knowing where the next story will take you emotionally but knowing that MouseMuse’s polished performers will take you there in style.
FMHC’s exhibits enhanced the event’s theme. Currently running are the Holiday Express Train Show, featuring the handiwork of the Housatonic Model Railroad Club and the Connecticut G-Scalers Club, and the Station to Station exhibit, which includes memorabilia, a model of the Fairfield train station circa 1903 created by Metro North Railroad employ and Housatonic Model Railway Club member John Valakas, and two lenticular photographs of the Southport train station created by Miggs Burroughs. Deep red curtains trimmed with gold fringe, part of FMHC’s Bravo! exhibit celebrating a century of theater in Fairfield County, draped behind the performers, creating an intimate mood but also an awareness of theatrical tradition, history, and our place in them.
The minutiae of our daily lives have changed dramatically over time, but one thing has remained constant: sharing our stories with those whose lives intersect with our own in ways both profound and peripheral. MouseMuse’s foundation and success lie in this intrinsically human need.
“Get involved,” founder Ina Chadwick urged the crowd at the program’s close. “Because you’ll never know your neighbors unless you know their stories.”
So you missed last night’s show, but what’s the good news, you ask? MouseMuse Productions will be back at FMHC in Feb. for another go around. The theme will be “Love Hurts.”
We had a really great group at the Writers' Cafe on Wednesday. Rather than having a particular topic this time, we decided to ask people to bring a 2 minute reading of something they;'d written. The idea was partly to get to know each other better, and partly to see what genres we were writing in, and whether there were people writing in similar genres who'd like to pair up and work with each other as editor, mentors, and general encouragers. (OK, that's not a word, but you know what I mean.)
The results were interesting.
First, we decided that 2 minutes wasn't quite long enough. And that isn't because we're all narcissists who love to hear ourselves read aloud. (That's just me.) On the other hand, if we'd had a larger group of people reading (we were about 12 people with 9 people brave enough to read) there might not have been time for everyone. We read without explaining what we were reading, when we'd written it, what it was about, and which genre it was in (memoir, fiction, journalism, essay, etc).
We had two writers who were writing memoirs that involved travel, two essays, one journalism piece, two short fiction pieces, and two memoirs.
As it turned out, when it came to bragging time, many people were writing in more than one genre.
Margaret Rumford had a story accepted for the Winter issue of Mused.
Jane Sherman is editing her memoir
Sally Allen is now Westport editor of Hamlet Hub www.hamlethub.com
What she didn't mention (probably because she didn't want to pay the dollar...) is that she also has a great book blog on Open Salon: http://open.salon.com/blog/sally_allen
Robert Steven Williams has had another article published at the Good Men Project. Read it here: http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/money-and-the-moral-compass/
Tricia Tierney sent out two query letters to agents this month regarding her memoir here's her blog: http://triciatierneyblog.com/
Ina is working on a piece about how she found out that her mother had been married before for a New York publication
Margaret Wagner wrote a guest blog on branding for a foodie blog.
Catherine Onyemelukwe is halfway through writing a book proposal and a memoir.
And I finished my NaNoWriMo horrible draft of a first novel, and came second in the EChook 'Tis the Season story contest. Find out how to submit your work here: http://echook.com/submissions/.
Finally, we took a vote on where to continue our meetings, and the overwhelming choice was Ina's house, where her welcome make me, for one, feel like I'm in some famous salon. And the coffee's good too.
So the next meeting will be on DECEMBER 14 - that's only two weeks away. Ina's address is 2 Redcoat Road, Westport. The time is 12.30-2.
In the meantime, keep writing!
