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
Playwriting and Screenwriting Workshop
J.S. Brinkley Class
This eight week course is being offered to both playwrights and screenwriters on Sundays from Sept 15 through Nov 3.
The class will focus on the core elements of each discipline such as structure, character development and dialogue. The intention is to clarify the varying components of stage versus film and to work toward solidifying the writer’s voice in either medium. Over the course of the workshop, class participants will create a one act play or short film script, as well as the beginning of a full-length project—premise, outline and opening scene—depending on their artistic interest.
Please contact us at BrinkleyClass@gmail.com for an application. All applicants will be asked to submit a writing sample
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: James Dorr and Andrew Hubbard
Come early to sign up for Open Mic!
James Dorr’s most recent book is a novel-in-stories from Elder Signs Press, TOMBS, A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF 
EARTH. Working mostly in dark fantasy/horror with some forays into science fiction and mystery, his THE TEARS OF ISIS was a 2013 Bram Stoker Award® finalist for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection, while other books include STRANGE MISTRESSES: TALES OF WONDER AND ROMANCE, DARKER LOVES: TALES OF MYSTERY AND REGRET, and his all-poetry VAMPS (A RETROSPECTIVE). He has also been a technical writer, an editor on a regional magazine, a full time non-fiction freelancer, and a semi-professional musician, and currently harbors a Goth cat named Triana. He invites those interested to stop by his blog, http://jamesdorrwriter.wordpress.com
Andrew Hubbard was born and raised in a coastal Maine fishing village. He earned degrees in English and Creative Writing from Dartmouth College and Columbia University, respectively. For most of his career he has worked as Director of Training for major 
financial institutions, creating and delivering Sales, Management, and Technical training for user groups of up to 4,000.
He has had four prose books published, and his most recent books, collections of poetry, were published in 2014, 2016, and 2018.He is a casual student of cooking and wine, a former martial arts instructor and competitive weight lifter, a collector of edged weapons, and a licensed handgun instructor. He lives in rural Indiana with his son, his wife, a giant, black German Shepard, and a gaggle of semi-tame deer.
Writers Guild Spoken Word Series
The Power of Words Author Event with Margaret MacMullan
The Monroe County Public Library announces its Power of Words event for the fall:
“An Evening with Margaret MacMullan”
This event is FREE and open to the public, All Ages
MacMullan will be reading from her latest book, Where the Angels Lived: One Family’s Story of Exile, Loss and Return. It is a moving look at the author’s family’s relationship to the Holocaust (Shoah), their exile in Hungary, and the redemptive power of know and writing your own story.
For more information contact: https://mcpl.info/pow
And for an Extra Event:
The Power of Words: Gala Author Reception – This is a ticketed event.
Enjoy premium reserved seating to McMullan’s free Power of Words talk, followed by food and champagne, live music, and the Sources of Light Photography Exhibit at the Main Library Gallery.
Reception tickets are $50 and can be purchased online, at the Friends of the Library Bookstore, or from the Friends office at the Main Library (M–F, 10 AM–5 PM). All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Library to help support library programming.
All ages
Saturday, November 9
8:30–10 PM
Monroe County Public Library
Main Library Atrium & Gallery
BLONK/BISHOP/SMITH/WALTER quartet
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