Our meeting yesterday covered a range of topics, from upcoming author events, to writing scholarships, to the Connecticut Press Club Awards Contest. Check them out!

Here’s an event coming right up! I’ll be at the West Hartford Convention Center this Saturday, November 23, from 10-4 on with 50 other authors for the Connecticut Book Festival – I’ll have my books with me, and if you’re there too, you’ll be able to mix and mingle with other in-state writers! Admission is free. More details here. You can find my other events here.

Former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins will debut his latest book of poems, Water, Water, at 4pm on Sunday, November 24 in the Brubeck Room at the Wilton (CT) Library. It’s a wondrous collection focused on the joys and mysteries of daily life.

The Pequot Library in Southport, CT is holding it’s annual  Black Friday/Saturday Book Sale from November 29-30, 9-5pm. They offer books and media items in “like new” and “gently used” condition, ideal for Holiday gift-giving. With over 10,000 items to choose from, including books and media, there will be something for everyone on your list, including hundreds of CDs and DVDs priced at $1-3 each.

Gotham Writers Workshop in New York City offers the following scholarships for writers of color, each awarded to three winners on an annual basis. It’s their way of helping to tackle the historic underrepresentation of writers of color throughout the writing world. Here’s some more info on each offering: Scriptwriting Scholarship winners will receive a choice of two scriptwriting courses (Online, on Zoom, or in NYC), plus a one-on-one Mentorship after completing the courses, plus the latest version of Final Draft software. Application window: December 1 – February 15. Other scholarships offered include: College Admission Essay Coaching S, Publish a Book Scholarship, and a Creative Writing Scholarship. They have various application dates. Learn more about them here.

Part of the Westport Writers Workshop nonprofit mission is to offer free readings to the public! The final reading of the year is on December 3 from 7-8:30pm at the workshop to hear writers from Chris Belden’s Advanced Fiction workshops read from their manuscripts. Register here or just show up.

Member Libby Waterford kindly pointed out Erin Wright is hosting a great workshop on Trade Reviews and how they help you as an indie author. If you’ve always wanted libraries and indie bookstores to pick up your books without you having to hand-sell to each and every one of them, this is the class for you. It costs $50 and offered  Friday, December 6, or Saturday, December 14 . Sign up here.

My publisher, Atmosphere Press, is running a special Black Friday offer for writers looking for a hybrid publisher–$1000 credit towards any of their publishing services. You need to claim your Atmosphere Press $1000 Black Friday savings by November 30, and use it how you’d like on any of their publication packages. More information here.

List og Land EHF, Artists and Writers Residency in the Westfjords of Iceland recently announced the dates for their writers’ workshop from May 4 to May 10. This is a multi-genre workshop for writers working on memoir/personal essays and fiction. Four days of class instruction will include critical feedback on writing submissions sent ahead of the workshop to be discussed at your one-on-one private conference with the instructor.  Full details here.

Every two years, the Historical Novel Society North America holds a writers conference that attracts historical novelists, readers, editors, agents, and presenters from all over North America and beyond. The 2025 conference will be held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, from June 26 to 28. Registration opens in February. Make sure you’ve signed up here to receive email updates to get all the latest conference information as soon as it’s available.

It’s time to enter the CT Press Club Awards, for work published in 2024. To enter, follow the directions on the contest site (run by the National Federation of Press Women NFPW). Here is a complete list of categories – 63 in all. First-time entrant? Read this. Email the contest director Tom Renner with questions about the contest. Anyone who lives or works in Connecticut is eligible to enter. If you live in another state, check with the NFPW to see whether your state is part of the national contest.  You can submit up to three entries per entrant in any given category and up to ten entries in total across all categories. For CT Press Club members the fee is $25 for the first entry and $15 for each additional entry. The non-member fee is $30 for the first entry and $20 for each additional entry. The Early Bird Deadline is January 29, at noon EST A one-time $25 fee will be assessed to all entrants after this date. Final Book Deadline – February 5, and the Last Chance Deadline is on February 19. In addition to the professional competition, the CT Press Club is holding a High School Communications Contest. Entries must be produced by a current high school student or a recently graduated student who produced the work between February 1, 2024, and January 31, 2025. Learn more HERE. You can join or renew your membership to the CT Press Club here.

I’ll have more stuff for you on Monday!