Last Wednesday’s Writers’ Cafe was a blast, as always. Ina presented the critiques without the writing, and the writers she and Margaret had paired up using the anonymous forms.

For those who don’t know about this… writers  who are members of the non-fee based group, but who communicate with us and/or attend some meetings are invited to submit up to 1500 words as a blind submission for a critique by another writer, not necessarily in the same genre. It was valuable to hear the critiques, which gave each writer something to think about vis a vis our own writing, and our writers agreed that this was what they were looking for. These critiques stood alone from the writing and were handed out to the writer afterwards.

• Quite a bit of bragging, which we encourage,  went on – I think we even made enough to pay for the coffee and cookies…Each step forward means donating a dollar if you want to feel good about your own progress.

The MouseMuse storytelling program, Stories on the Green, (which branched of the original writers artists cafe)  has been picked up for another winter season at the Fairfield Museum and History center. Finalizing all of next season’s dates at various venues and posting them is the challenge for the next two months. A writing contest is in the works. Stay tuned.

We bought stage lights  for our multiple venues which make all the storytellers look wonderful. (These are also available to rent at fabulously inexpensive rates, if you need them. Get in touch with Ina@mousemuse or Rozannegates@optonline.net.  Rozanne is the tech expert should you need one.

Check our mousmuse programs page for updates as they are added www.mousemuse.com

And finally, MouseMuse Storytelling has its own n radio program at WPKN (89.5FM). The show airs Monday, February 27 at 11:00 pm. Bill Bosch and Ina will be hosting live to introduce the programs and the best of our years worth of Storytelling culled from  recordings. MouseMuse will be airing the storytelling recordings and as we progress we will develop on-air readings by writers. Stay tuned as we find our way around this one. We have programming freedom, but planning this requires much attention.

MORE BRAGS

Elsie Ferrara has been asked to contribute to a booklet of Lenten Reflections by her church.

Jane Sherman is working hard on her memoir. An excerpt from it will be published in the next issue of the Weston Magazine (and in all its associated magazines, 8 in total).

Valerie Austin gave us her new favorite word: sesquipedelian, explaining that it means characterized by long words, or long-winded. She’s determined to avoid this in her writing.

Dee Andrian will be joining some 20 other actors/writers to read from her memoir at the Westport country Playhouse in a performance entitled, provocatively, Under the Covers. The performance will take place on may 4 and 5.

Lisa Calderonewas set to launch her new website Mahjongg Memoirs yesterday (Sunday). Designed as a tribute to Lisa’s mother on her birthday, Lisa is now looking fro other memoirs of Mahjong, to publish on the site. She asked writers to look at the site and give her any feedback/suggestions they could. (I’ve seen it; it’s fascinating and I think Lisa could give us all some tips on how to produce a really professional site.)

Sophie Barnes read two minutes of her first ever fiction writing. Until now she’s been writing memoir.

Leslie Chess Feller joined the group and asked who would be interested in starting a grandmother’s writing group. Most of us declined but since Leslie is a new grandmother, we applaud her. If we forgot your brag, please contact us. It’s a voluble group. Fun, vibrant and full of ideas.

Among the more general announcements:

The Fairfield Museum and History Center is presenting Thinking Outside the Box: original 10 Minute Play Fest on March 4 and 11. organized by Jeanine DeFalco, founder of the Falcon Repertory Company these short plays have been written by Connecticut writers. Ina wondered whether our writers might like to stretch their play-writing muscles by trying to write a 10 minute play too.

In addition, Lisa is Founding and Executive Editor of Mason’s Road, the literary magazine of Fairfield University, and announced their new reading period. Submissions have to be in by May 15.

Among the more general information:

Here’s the link to find out more about Poets & Writers submissions database
http://writeconnexion.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/looking-for-somewhere-to-submit/

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 14. See you there

HOW TO BE PART OF THE BLIND CRITiQUE PROCESS : At this particular point we welcome all writers who have attended one or more of our monthly meetings and whose participation within a group has been felt to be positive and adherent to professional standards.

Submission Dates for Writers Artists Collaborative Blind Submission Process:

The Writers Artists Collaborative provides a monthly opportunity to get blind feedback on pieces we’re writing. We submit a piece or work-in-progress anonymously, and that piece is matched with a reviewer who briefly describes what hit the target, was missed or didn’t grab them. Pieces are also rated with a number between 1 and 10 (with 1 being “needs a rewrite” and 10 being “will win a Pulitzer” — well, at least we can dream!) and discussed, time permitting, at our Writers’ Cafe.  Please visit www.mousemuse.com for more details.

March Deadlines:

• Submit pieces: By midnight on Thursday, 3/1/12

• Anonymous pieces sent to reviewers: Tuesday, 3/6

• Reviewer comments due electronically: by Tuesday, 3/13, 5pm

• Discussion: Wednesday, 3/14, during our March Writers’ Cafe

April Deadlines:

• Submit pieces: By midnight on Friday, 3/30/12

• Anonymous pieces sent to reviewers: Tuesday, 4/3

• Reviewer comments due electronically: by Tuesday, 4/10, 5pm

• Discussion: Wednesday, 4/11, during our April Writers’ Cafe

May Deadlines:

• Submit pieces: By midnight on Friday, 5/4/12

• Anonymous pieces sent to reviewers: Tuesday, 5/8

• Reviewer comments due electronically: by Tuesday, 5/15, 5pm

• Discussion: Wednesday, 5/16, during our May Writers’ Cafe

We are homing in on our agenda for our Writers’ Cafe meetings which have become wonderful sharing points, but many people don’t have the time in the middle of the day. In all fairness to them, we are trying to stick to an agenda that takes the best of the best and helps you all stay in touch at other times.

• 12:30pm to 12:40pm: Arrivals and Making Tea (10 minutes?)

• 12:40pm to 12:50pm/1:00pm: Introductions and Brags… what writing success have you had during the last month (could be about 30 seconds to 1 minute/person, so 10 to 20 minutes?)

• 1:00pm to 1:10pm: Writers Artists Collaborative and Mouse Muse Updates/News (5 to 10 minutes?)

• 1:10pm to 1:40pm: Blind Submissions Discussion (30 minutes?)

• 1:40pm to 1:50pm/1:55pm: Two-Minute Readings (10 to 15 minutes, figure about 5 to 7 people per meeting?)

• 1:55pm to 2:00pm:

Email: Margaret H. Wagner <margaret_wagner@hotmail.com> for submission forms and any other information.

Thanks to all, Ina@mousemuse

Adventures in parenting returns on May 17th, with a theme to be announced. Watch the events calendar for updates regarding time and ticket prices.

Here are some of the highlights:

TWO-MINUTE READINGS

Select people continued reading something we’ve written for two minutes (especially if they haven’t read before).  If you have something to bring to the next Writers’ Cafe on Wednesday, 2/15/12, please let us know ahead of time.  Suggestion: Start reading from the beginning of the piece, not the end.

OTHER NEWS

• ¥ www.MasonsRoad.com will have a $1,000 writing contest — we’ll keep you posted.
• ¥ Contact Dee Andrian if you have a “real” Vagina Monologue piece to submit.
• ¥ Sally Allen is looking for health reporting for www.HamletHub.com
• ¥ We’ve mentioned this service at a previous Writers’ Cafe, but in case you missed it, you may find this author’s submission service helpful — www.WritersRelief.com
• ¥ Come to Mouse Muse’s next storytelling program, LOVE HURTS: Thursday, 2/6/12, 7pm to 9pm, at Fairfield Museum and Historical Center, 370 Beach Road in Fairfield.  This is an opportunity to add our voice to our community and build connections between us.

BLIND FEEDBACK… Starts this month!

We’ll start to provide a monthly way to get blind feedback on pieces we’re writing.  If you already sent us a piece, please don’t resend it.  But, we are offering another deadline for January.  Here’s the process:

• ¥ Written piece length: 1,500 words maximum as a Word document (please use .doc only).
• ¥ Use the attached REVISED cover sheet to identify your piece.  No identification beyond the piece title and page numbers (or piece name as the jpg title) should be on the body of the piece(s).
• ¥ Email the piece and cover sheet as separate documents to ina@mousemuse.com no later than Tuesday, 1/24/12, by 11am.
• ¥ We’ll see what everyone can do to have comments back to you by our next meeting on 2/15/12.
• ¥ If you submit a piece, we’ll assume you will also volunteer to be a reviewer.
• ¥  If you’d like to be a reviewer, but don’t have a piece to submit, please email Ina no later than Tuesday, 1/24/12, 11am.

BRAGGING RIGHTS

• ¥ Lisa Calderone, founding editor of literary journal www.MasonsRoad.com, announced the next submission theme is characterization, which will be open from 2/15 to 5/15/12.  Check the Website for more details.
• ¥ Jane Sherman is simultaneously excited and agitated about having the first chapter of her memoir excerpted by the Weston Magazine Group.
• ¥ Catherine Onyemelukwe is a speaker at the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is starting a new blog, Grandma’s Charity Challenge.  She is also working on a memoir about her time as an ex-Peace Corps volunteer.
• ¥ Sophie Barnes is getting her Website up and running for her intuitive health counseling business, which uses Bach Flower Essences.
• ¥ Ina Chadwick has a contributor space named, Trending Now and Then for www.HamletHub.com (edited by our own Sally Allen).  Ina’s pieces will researched essays.
• ¥ Margaret Wagner continues to organize 5Rhythms dance workshops with creative writing — movement opens up the creative pathways.  Next one is on 2/12 and the theme is Moving Love Letters.
• ¥ Dee Andrian, AKA Miss Johnstown, PA of 1954 who had her own TV show, has supported The Vagina Monologue project for the last three years.  The first year, they raised $50,000 and $40,000 the second year for for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, a local organization that offers counseling, legal and housing advocacy services, as well as a 24-hour hotline. For the third year, called “Under the Covers,” women are invited to write and recite their own experiences — director Jill Jaysen is looking for submissions.
• ¥ Elise Ferrara — we wish you well with your upcoming dental implants!
• ¥ Mark Albertson, author of three books, has written articles for an army aviation magazine (yes, you heard that right!) and will be speaking at the Stratford Library o 2/12.  Go to markwrites.com for more info.
• ¥ Shira Linden had a client give her a bonus for her promotional writing business.
• ¥ Sally Allen is looking for submissions to www.HamletHub.com, especially in the health area.
• ¥ Barbara Stokes submitted a piece for our blind submission process, and will be in Myrtle Beach for our next meeting (hope it’s warmer than here!).

FUTURE 2012 MEETINGS
Save these WEDNESDAYS for future Writers’ Cafes in 2012:

• ¥ February 15
• ¥ March 14
• ¥ April 11
• ¥ May 16

Location: Writers’ Cafes are held at Ina Chadwick’s home, 2 Redcoat Road  in Westport, CT (near Exit 41 southbound entrance of 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 door on the side of the house by the walkway (the first doors are the entrance to the dentist’s office).

Time: 12:30pm to 2pm

Options to bring:

• ¥ A piece or portion of a piece to read – we’ll cut you off at the two-minute mark.
• ¥ $1.00 for bragging dollars, if you have any news to share!

P.S.  If you don’t want to be on this list, send me an email with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. We don’t want to be a nuisance!

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:

• Written piece length: 1,500 words maximum as a Word document (please use .doc only).
• Use the attached cover sheet to identify your piece.  No identification beyond the piece title and page numbers should be on the body of the piece.
• Email piece and cover sheet to ina@mousemuse.com no later than Tuesday, 1/3/12, midnight.
• Although it may be possible to have comments back to you by our next meeting on Wednesday, 1/11/12, we’ll see what everyone can do.
• If you submit a piece, we’ll assume you will also volunteer to be a reviewer.
• If you’d like to be a reviewer, but don’t have a piece to submit, please email Ina no later than Tuesday, 1/3/12, midnight at ina@mousemuse.com

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

• Linda Clearwater illustrated four flipbooks for Zonder Kids.
• Jane Sherman will have the first chapter of her memoir excerpted by the Weston Magazine Group.
• Catherine Onyemelukwe, whose birthday was that day, finished the first chapter of her memoir.
• Sophie Barnes won a first prize gold coin and will be printed in the World Poetry Collective.
• Ina Chadwick had “Daddy’s Gunslinging Daughter, JFK, Marilyn Monroe and Me” published by the Weston Magazine Group (check out page 182 of their Fall issue: http://twurl.nl/25lnjk)
• Margaret Wagner organized a writing/dance workshop for 12/30/11.

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:

• A piece or portion of a piece to read – we’ll cut you off at the two-minute mark.
• $1.00 for bragging dollars, if you have any news to share!

Save these dates for future Writers’ Cafes in 2012:

• January 11
• February 15
• March 14
• April 11
• May 16

It’s all filed on the media page, under “audio”. Enjoy!

Love Hurts.

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!

Writers take us to new places in our Deju Vu Contest finale

Is it memory, is it nostalgia, or is it Deju Vu—the feeling that you have been there before?

In a collaborative program between MouseMuse Productions, Writers Artists Collaborative  and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, writers recalled their moments of déjà vu, inspired by the prints and paintings of Jack Boul.

On October 10, winners were announced. We thank all of the generous writers who joined in this attempt to unite the arts.

Déjà Vu Writing Competition–2011

Winning Entries

August on the Porch
Priscilla Whitley

Tonsillectomy 1966
Ivy Eisenberg

Cross Over to a Better Figure
Kate Corr

Honored Writers
Works appearing on all of the judge’s lists.
Each one will be considered for publication in various media.

Door Never Opened
Kitty Burns Florey

Blackberries and Kudzu
Ryan Odinak

The Reluctant Witness
Margaret Rumford

Cape Cod
Marcelle Soviero

Batter Up
Robert Steven Williams

Baby Girl Z
Anne Ziff

My Great Grandmother
Sujeet Rajan

The first three winners  works will be read by professional actors at an awards ceremony, on Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 4 PM. The festivities on  November 30, 2011, are free and open to the public. Wine and Cheese will be served.  The writings will published online after November 30, 2011