WLT Members Monthly April 2024

Hello, Writers' League,

Every month, we send this member newsletter your way to make sure you’re in the know about everything going on at the WLT – including special member events, discounts and early registration windows, opportunities to promote yourself and your work, and much more. The monthly offerings you find here are the result of regular conversations we the staff have throughout the year that often, invariably, come back to a single question: What do our members need?

The person asking that question and making sure our WLT members are prioritized in those conversations? J Evan Parks. The person working tirelessly to support our WLT members by being responsive to questions and feedback, curating special events, hosting regular meet-ups and other networking opportunities, and making sure members are able to take full advantage of their benefits? That’s J Evan Parks. (And don’t even get me started on what he does every day to make sure our website is running smoothly!)

Next month marks Evan’s 4^th anniversary as a staff member here at the WLT and I honestly can’t imagine this team without him on it. It feels like he has been here – wowing us with his knowledge of the Criterion collection, raising his hand to help his colleagues at every turn, sharing his infectious laughter (Evan has an amazing laugh), and so much more – for much longer than that. And since he spends so much of his time championing the rest of us, I figured we were overdue for championing him right back.

Which is all to say: Please join me in thanking Evan for everything he does and congratulating him on a much-deserved promotion to Director, Member Services and Digital Content.

Thank you, Evan. You’re the best.

xo,

Becka Oliver

Executive Director

The WLT staff is looking forward to participating in this year's San Antonio Book Festival (Saturday, April 13, 2024), and we're especially excited to feature our members at our booth!

WLT is proud to participate in this year’s San Antonio Book Festival! At the link below you can find information about the Member signing schedule at the WLT exhibitor booth (Booth P, in Exhibitors’ Row located on Augusta St.), and more information about our “Obsessed with Texas” panel at 3:00 PM. So much great stuff to enjoy – we hope to see you there!

See how WLT is involved on our website here.

WLT Off the Beaten Craft: Found Fiction

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

12:00 PM CDT

Live on Zoom

Next month, join us for our next Members only event!

Found fiction is best described by the journal Archive of the Odd as “stories told in a ‘non-fiction’ format, such as letters, transcripts, websites, ‘lost media,’ etc.” Consider a story written entirely within a company’s Slack channel, such as Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke, or a commentary in the footnotes of an academic work like in House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.

Writing found fiction comes with considerations outside of writing typical prose, like the element of discovery and the constraint of your chosen (or found!) form. In this Off the Beaten Craft presentation, Christine Sneed will explore these questions and leave you with a cohesive understanding of how to start your own found fiction project.

Want to see if found fiction is for you? RSVP here!

April Third Thursday: “Now Hear This: A Look at Audio Publishing Today”

Thursday, April 18, 2024

7:00 PM CDT

Online via Zoom

For our April Third Thursday, we’ll be joined by two audio industry professionals - Lance Fitzgerald of Penguin Random House Audio and Mark Pearson of Libro.fm - for a look at the world of audio publishing today – with plenty of time for your questions. Our moderator for the evening will be WLT Executive Director Becka Oliver.

RSVP here to receive the link for this April 18 live webinar.

Sign-ups for April Open Office Hours are now open!

One of your benefits as a WLT Member is access to Open Office Hours, a 30 minute consultation with a staff member about whatever writerly thing you need consulting about. This month's Open Office Hour appointments will be held Wednesday, April 24!

The deadline to sign-up for April's Open Office Hours is Wednesday, April 17 at 5:00 PM CDT.

Sign-up for your 30 minute consultation here.

Jennifer Marchman (Austin) Calling all Austin Indie Authors! Looking for in-person, peer-to-peer support? Join us every third Tuesday, 7pm-9pm, at Black Star Co-op on N. Lamar in Austin. April's meeting will be on the 16th! See you there!

Jennifer Moorhead's (Shreveport) debut thriller, Broken Bayou, is publishing with Thomas & Mercer on July 1, 2024.

Lauren Oertel (Austin) is providing two online generative writing workshops as a certified Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) facilitator this spring. She also offers support for writers in editing and/or submitting their poems, short stories, and essays. Check out these opportunities here.

Peter L. Scamardo II (San Antonio) has released his second novel, The Flyers, a YA fantasy with a Texas twist. Scamardo is kicking off a Texas book tour and would like to invite interested readers to follow along. You can find a full list of dates and locations on his website.

Calais Zagarow Schroeder's (Austin) debut memoir A Life In Between hit virtual shelves on 3/12. A Life in Between is Schroeder's account of her sister's cancer diagnosis and her personal journey through trauma and grief.

Rhea Thomas' (Austin) short story, "The Third Eye", was published in the online literary magazine, Does It Have Pockets.

To submit your news please fill out our Google Form (link below). Announcements should adhere to the following guidelines: third-person, starting with your first and last name, followed by your city of residence, maximum 50 words. We may edit your announcement for style and clarity.

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