We had a great meeting yesterday, with lots of discussion about roads to publishing, writing critique groups, and places to submit. I mentioned a couple of upcoming events where I’ll be a featured speaker. (If I can’t do that here, where can I?)
The Written Word group
in Milford, CT, is a writing group that welcomes poets, authors, and playwrights on the first Wednesday of each month at 7PM at the Firehouse Gallery in Milford. Those looking for a critique group might find this helpful. Members comment on your work and share thoughts and ideas about the written word. This is an open invitation for a friendly and spontaneous evening of networking, brainstorming, and sharing of ideas. The next meeting is on March 5 at 7pm. The group also hosts poetry open mic nights at the Milford Arts Center, located in the old waiting room of Milford Station. If you’ve been looking for somewhere to share your poems, or poems you love, this is the place. The next event is on April 13 from 4-7pm.
Member Libby Waterford has written an interesting article on How to Get More Words on the Page. She’s also teaching a two-hour workshop on How to Write a Romance Novel, on March 15, 10-12pm. Romance is one of the best-selling fiction genres because readers love knowing the main characters will get a happy ending. But writing a romance doesn’t mean simply tacking on “and they lived happily ever after.” If you’ve ever wanted to write your own romance novel, start with this comprehensive and encouraging workshop. The class will be hybrid – online or in person at the Westport Writers Workshop in Westport, CT. Libby knows what he’s talking about – she’s published over twenty novels and novellas.
Woodhall Press is publishing the Connecticut Literary Anthology for 2025 and is open for submissions from Connecticut residents. They’re looking for prose of up to 3500 words (flash fiction, nonfiction, fiction, and essays), and poetry: up to three poems per entrant. Submissions are open to all genres of new and unpublished writing. Submit by emailing ctlitanthology@gmail.com with a brief cover letter and your work in the body of the email. You may submit in multiple genres, but only one submission per genre. Deadline: Midnight on March 15.
On March 20, I’ll be one of two authors reading from my work and answering questions as part of the Sleeping Giant Reading series, which takes place at Best Video Cultural Center in Hamden, CT. The venue is unusual, and it features a bar and coffee shop. After the reading, there’s a writers’ happy hour, where you can mingle with other writers – always fun.
I’ll be running a series of three memoir classes at the Ferguson Library, on March 29, April 5, and April 12, from 10-11:30. I’ll be sharing strategies and tips on how to begin writing your memoir or how to restart a memoir that’s stalled. In this three-week class, you’ll learn the best ways to get your memories on the page, why writing badly is a great way to get started, and what to include and exclude. Bring your questions, some paper, and your favorite writing instrument. Suitable for beginners and experienced writers. Free If you’re interested, email me and I’ll put you on my list.
Great news for indie authors – The Indie Author Project (IAP) Annual Contest, run by librarians, is back with an exciting, genre-focused format designed to spotlight the best in independent publishing. Submissions open on April 1. This year’s competition invites indie-published ebooks from authors across the U.S. and Canada, offering a unique opportunity to gain recognition, reach new readers, and connect with library audiences. This year, the awards will honor the best indie-published ebooks in eight genres: mystery/thrillers, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, general/contemporary fiction, memoir, and YA. One winner and two honorable mentions from each genre will be selected. Each genre winner will receive $2,500 and honorable mentions will receive $500. Out of all of this year’s winners identified by librarian judging committees, one Indie Author of the Year will be chosen by a team of industry professionals. Submissions are open from April 1-May 31 and authors can learn more and submit their book(s) (for free).
This list from Authors Publish focuses on nine publishers open to submissions this month. Some are only open for a short period of time, others will be open the whole month and beyond. Please note that if a publisher doesn’t have a specific submission window they can close at any time, and publishers that use Submittable can close at any point because of submission caps (although these publishers generally reopen to submissions at the end of the month).
Jane Friedman ran this post by Dennis James Sweeney about places to research submissions recently, and since people regularly ask me for suggestions, I’m including it here.
