The Writers Guild at Bloomington is an association of writers committed to mutual support and the professional development of their craft. Its mission is to foster interaction among writers as well as other artists, educators, and the Monroe County public, thereby enhancing the vibrancy of the arts and the writing community in the greater Bloomington area.
Events Calendar
The Writers Guild at Bloomington is pleased to announce:
THE RYSER SCHOLARSHIP
Annual support for a writer from South Central Indiana to pursue excellence
by attending a formal workshop or conference in the craft of writing.
The scholarship rotates yearly between a high school junior or senior, a Language Arts Teacher, and a Writer’s Guild member of any experience level. Our 2019 Ryser Scholarship recipient, Jan Tilley, is a Guild Member whose tuition to the 2019 IU Writers’ Conference was paid by the scholarship.
The 2020 Ryser Scholarship will be awarded to a High School junior or senior student in Monroe County, Brown County,
Lawrence County or Owen County.
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Joan Ryser taught American and European literature, creative writing, grammar and composition at Bloomington High School South for 44 years, where she was a beloved mentor for budding writers and avid readers.
When Joan passed away in 2017, she left instructions with her family that instead of flowers, memorial contributions be made to a local organization that promotes writing and literacy. The Writers Guild at Bloomington received the resulting donations and established the Guild’s first scholarship award. The Writers Guild has set up a continuing plan for the award, committing 5% of all membership fees and event proceeds in order to create ongoing support for writers to build their craft.
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The Ryser Scholarship provides $350 towards of a formal workshop or conference in the craft of writing. Events in Indiana include:
- IU Writers Conference — Bloomington
- Indiana Writers’ Center, A Gathering of Writers — Indianapolis
- Midwest Writers Workshop – Ball State University, Muncie
- Writing for Your Life Spiritual Writers’ Conference — Indianapolis
- Women Writing for (a) Change workshops – Bloomington
The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2020.
For further information please contact: ryseraward@writersguildbloomington.com
First Sunday Prose Reading and Open Mic
Presented by the Writers Guild at Bloomington
The featured readers are: Abegunde and Carolyn Geduld
Come early to sign up for Open Mic!
Abegunde
Abegunde is an ancestral priestess, Healer, and Poet. Her fellowships include Sacatar (Brasil), Ragdale, and Norcroft. Her work has been published in toe good, Nocturnes, Wicked Alice, Warpland, and Beyond the Frontier. She is the author of four chapbooks, including Wishful Thinking and Contemporary Urban Prayer. She is the director of The Graduate Mentoring Center and also a visiting faculty member in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at IU.
Carolyn Geduld
Carolyn Geduld was raised in New York City. She moved to Bloomington to attend Indiana University and wound up becoming a permanent resident. In her 20s, she published three non-fiction books, the first of which ranks over 13 millionth on Amazon. (Her best seller ranks just under 2 millionth.) Then she stopped writing to pursue a career as a mental health professional. She has been a therapist in Bloomington for over 40 years. Just over a year ago, she began writing fiction. In 2019, her short stories appeared in 11 literary journals and 4 anthologies. Her novel-in-stories “Take Me Out the Back” is being published by Black Rose Press in August, 2020.
First Wednesday Spoken Word Series
Presented by the Writers Guild at Blomington
The featured readers are: George Ella Lyon, Shayne Laughter, J.T. Whitehead
With Music by Mike Notaro
Come early to sign up for Open Mic!
George Ella Lyon
George Ella Lyon, Kentucky Poet Laureate (2015-2016), has published in many genres, including poetry, picture books, novels, short stories, and a memoir. Her poem “Where I’m From” has gone around the world as a writing model. Her poetry collections include She Let Herself Go (LSU, 2012) and Many-Storied House (Univ. Press of Kentucky, 2013). Lyon makes her living as a freelance writer and teacher. She and her husband, musician and writer Steve Lyon, have two grown sons. For more information, visit www.georgeellalyon.com
Shayne Laughter
Shayne Laughter lives in Bloomington, Indiana. She has lived and traveled in Seattle, New York City, India, and Spain. She has published stories in Bacopa Literary Review, Matador Review, SAND Journal and RebelleSociety.com. Her novel, Yü: A Ross Lamos Mystery, was published by Open Books Press in 2010. Her voice talent work is heard in productions of the Burroughs Century/Wounded Galaxies audio play events. She is moving to India at the end of the this year, so this is your last opportunity to hear her read live.
J.T. Whitehead
J.T. Whitehead earned a law degree from Indiana University, Bloomington. He received a Master’s degree in Philosophy from Purdue, where he studied Existentialism, social and political philosophy, and Eastern Philosophy. He spent time between, during, and after schools on a grounds crew, as a pub cook, a writing tutor, a teacher’s assistant, a delivery man, a book shop clerk, and a liquor store clerk, inspiring four years as a labor lawyer on the workers’ side. Whitehead was Editor in Chief of So It Goes: The Literary Journal of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, briefly, for issues 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. He is a one-time Pushcart Prize-nominated short story author, a five-time Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, and was winner of the Margaret Randall Poetry Prize in 2015. Whitehead’s work has appeared in over 100 publications, most notably The Lilliput Review, Slipstream, Left Curve, The Broadkill Review, The Iconoclast, Gargoyle, and Wabash Magazine. His book The Table of the Elements was nominated for the National Book Award in 2015. Whitehead lives in Indianapolis with his two sons, Daniel and Joseph.
Writers Guild Annual Meeting and Potluck
We’ll be having elections for officers and reports for 2019.
Plus an open mic and reading.
Please bring a dish to share, ideas and something to read
Parking around the back.
For more info, contact Joan at – contact@writersguildbloomington.com
First Sunday Prose Reading and Open Mic
Presented by the Writers Guild at Bloomington
The featured readers are: Darrell Stone and Eric Rensberger
Come early to sign up for Open Mic!
Darrell Stone grew up in Greater Boston, with an artistic passion for storytelling. She holds a masters degree in social work from Indiana University
and a bachelors degree in theatre from Northeastern University. In addition to her love for writing, Darrell is a free lance photographer, actor and director. Writing complements her love for being an observer of human behavior and our environment. Her pieces are additionally rooted and expressed from the foundations of her professional careers in social work and theatre. Darrell’s essays are known for simply pausing on a moment which can be stunning, hopeful, or meaningful to the human experience. Writing prose, snapping pictures, capturing moments, telling stories: each reveals the relationship between design, nature, people and place. Every moment has a story and Darrell calls us to bear witness and share that truth. Ultimately, Darrell Stone hopes her writing provides the reader or listener with a keen eye into the soul of the world around us. She is currently working on a collection of essays for publication.
Eric Rensberger is a local poet who has been performing his work around Bloomington for about 40 years. The same 3 poems, over and over. He 
never tires of them. While it is true that he has read many other poem-like items, none of them are really finished. Only the 3. And he won’t tell you which ones they are. A large selection of his work is available on his website, ericrensbergerpoetry.net. In addition to his poetry, he also writes the occasional essay, story, or lengthy lie. And sometimes he just talks to you, which he believes qualifies as spontaneous prose work.
Discussion with author Raymond Fleischmann
This is a Coffee with Friends literary event presented by the Friends of the Monroe County Pubic Library. 
Sunday, Jan 19
2 to 4 pm
In the Auditorium at the Monroe County Public Library
303 E. Kirkwood Ave.
This program is free and all are welcome.
— Michael Koryta, New York Times-bestselling author of How It Happened
Writers Guild Monthly Business Meeting
Join us for our monthly business meeting to discuss what we are doing and what we are doing next. Bring you ideas! Bring your voice to add to the discussion.
We meet at the Monroe County Public Library in room 214.
An evening of Spoken Word and Experimental Music
Cut up and collage inspired spoken word and improvisational poetry.
Joan Hawkins
A reading of Samuel Beckett’s stage poetry piece Not I. As with so much of Beckett’s writing, content correlates completely with form in Not I; in fact, form to a large extent is content.
Saint Bloom
Alex Cunningham – violin (St. Louis)
Kyle Quass – trumpet
Damon Smith – bass (St. Louis)
Joe Stone – drums
Damon Smith studied double bass with Lisle Ellis and has had lessons with Bertram Turezky, Joëlle Leandré, John Lindberg, Mark Dresser and others. Damon’s explorations into the sonic palette of the double bass have resulted in a personal, flexible improvisational language based in the American jazz avant-garde movement and European non-idiomatic free improvisation. Visual art, film and dance heavily influence his music, as evidenced by his CAMH performance of Ben Patterson’s Variations for Double Bass, collaborations with director Werner Herzog on soundtracks for Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World, and an early performance with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
Alex Cunningham is a violinist, improviser, and visual artist based in St. Louis, MO. His work explores free improvisation, drone, noise, and minimalist composition.
Boxops
Don Marvel – live electronic looping of electronic sound sources
