Welcome, writers, to our third-ever writers’ reunion! This is a low-key social hour for writers of all levels and genres (or just folks who want to chat with writers!). Buy yourself a beverage (non-alcoholic beverages are available as well) and learn more about our community of writers, or simply reconnect!

Derick Black (guitar, vocals) and 2020-2024 Eau Claire Writer-in-Residence Ken Szymanski (spoken word nonfiction) recreate the life of Mike Teclaw, a long-gone small-town cheesemaker and tavern owner. Teclaw is also Szymanski’s grandfather—one he never knew. Together, through interwoven gospel, blues, stories, and songs, Szymanski and Black will work to turn a tombstone back into a man.

Co-sponsored by the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, and the Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire.

Join Hmong writers and storytellers for an afternoon of live readings and stories of original works. Hosted by poet Suzie Putnam.

This event is co-sponsored with the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association.

How do young adult authors authentically explore the complexity of growing up? And how can their books help teenage readers find a home in the world beyond the page? In this virtual event, join young adult writers Ellen O’ Clover (Seven Percent of Ro Devereux) and Nicole Kronzer (The Roof Over Our Heads) for a candid discussion on what it takes to tap into the modern-day teenager through fiction, and how you can do it, too. A Q&A session will follow the conversation.

Free Registration Required:
https://ev8.perigonlive.com/4-evt168acbb8b5484b7f94c20a33...

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Nicole Kronzer is the author of Unscripted and The Roof Over Our Heads. Unscripted was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association and was a Minnesota Book Award Finalist. Nicole is also a high school English teacher and former professional actor. She loves to knit and run (usually not at the same time). She lives with her family in Minneapolis.

Ellen O’Clover writes stories about finding your people, falling in love, and figuring it all out (or trying to, anyway). She studied creative writing at the Johns Hopkins University. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her reading fiction about big feelings, trying new recipes, or hiking. She lives in Denver with her rocket scientist husband and their perfect bulldog.

Listen as Max Garland reads from his new book of poetry, Into the Good World Again. The poems offer grace, resilience and healing remembrance in the unsettling times of the global pandemic. They not only reflect on the anguish and isolation, but also on the creative and restorative forces to be found.

Light refreshments will be served. Books will be available for purchase. Event is in the Riverview Room, Level 3.

ABOUT MAX GARLAND
Garland’s previous books include The Word We Used for It, winner of the Brittingham Poetry Prize, The Postal Confessions, winner of the Juniper Prize, and Hunger Wide as Heaven, which won the Cleveland State Poetry Center Open Competition. He has received an NEA Poetry Fellowship, a Michener Fiction fellowship, a Bush Artist Fellowship, inclusion in Best American Short Stories, and fellowships in poetry and fiction from the Wisconsin Arts Board. Garland is Professor Emeritus at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, served as Writer-in-Residence for the city of Eau Claire, and is the former Poet Laureate of Wisconsin.

Step right up and prepare to be wowed by songs and stories so shocking, so hilarious, and so heartfelt, that you’ll be left breathless.  This February 21, join storytellers Kaia Simon, Sheng Elizabeth Lor, Billy Felz and Garrett Denney for heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat entertainment like you’ve never experienced before.  Featuring musical artist Jerrika Mighelle.

To celebrate Chinese poetry and music, Xin Obaid--owner of Mingxin Chinese Art and Tearoom--is hosting an afternoon of Chinese-inspired readings and music at Artisan Forge Studios.

Featuring poet Fan Xiaoming, coming all the way from Taiyuan City, Shanxi, China, as well as Dr. Li Xiaohong, a Chinese poet who hails from New York.

Local writers Karen Loeb, Yvette Flaten, Jen Eddy, S.Z. Putnam and B.J. Hollars will also share original work and a favorite Chinese poem.

Chinese music will be provided courtesy of Wanwen Chen, Cixian Lu, and Nninsheng Huang.

This event is free and open to the public

This December 15 at 7 PM, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild is continuing its annual tradition of joining together musicians and writers to charm and delight our region’s citizens with their most wintery songs and stories. This year’s Sound and Stories “Joy To The Word” event will feature storytellers Ken Szymanski, Allyson Loomis, Nicole Kronzer and Justin Patchin, alongside holiday tunes courtesy of The UKE Klub, with special musical guest Derick Black

Come celebrate the sixth issue of Barstow & Grand with us! Featuring a dozen authors with writing in this edition, the evening promises to be an entertaining and welcoming gathering of the Chippewa Valley's literary community. Featuring musical guest Geoff Carter. Pick up your very own hot-off-the-presses issue!

Join beloved mystery writer Victoria Houston for a presentation titled “The Three Major Life Mistakes I’ve Made That Force Me To Write Fishing Mysteries”

Victoria Houston is the critically-acclaimed author of the Loon Lake Mystery series, whose titles include Dead Angler, Dead Creek, Dead Water, Dead Frenzy, among many others.  Her mystery series has been featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and on NPR.

This program is co-sponsored by the Chippewa Falls Public Library and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild and will take place Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at the Chippewa Falls Public Library. Books will be available for purchase.  A signing will follow the presentation.

Join Maggie Ginsberg to discuss her debut novel, Still Life—a story of familial secrets set in small-town Wisconsin. Ginsberg will be joined by fellow novelist Nickolas Butler for a conversation on craft, writing about place, and how to keep readers engaged from the first page to the last. Q&A and book signing to follow.

Presenter Info: Maggie Ginsberg is an editor at Madison Magazine and a long-time award-winning contributor to city, regional, and national magazines. She grew up on the edge of the Driftless Region and spends her free time running Wisconsin's trails and reading books by her favorite authors, one of whom happens to be Nickolas Butler. Still True is her first novel.

Nickolas Butler was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and educated at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop. He is the internationally best-selling and prize-winning author of one collection of short stories and four novels. He lives in rural Wisconsin with his wife and their two children.

To celebrate National Poetry Month, join visiting writers Abraham Smith and Mark Ehling, along with local poets Xin Obaid, Sara Bryan, Asha Sen, Alexander Zitzner, Katy Hackworthy, and Patricia Hawkinson, for an unforgettable evening at Artisan Forge. Featuring live music by Lee Mynett and visual art by Mindy Huntress.

OPEN MIC OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL! Bring a piece (4 minutes of fewer, please) to share!

Co-sponsored with Artisan Forge and the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.

Whether you are an experienced poet or just trying your hand at the genre, you might find yourself wondering where to start with a new poem. You may be looking to write new kinds of poems, break through writers’ block, or find fresh inspiration. Maybe you have an idea in mind that is just too daunting to begin. Join for a discussion on the benefits of experimenting with form, how form can hold your poem tightly, and how it can free your mind from overthinking. Together, we will look toward forms (both experimental and rule-bound) to revive our poetic energy. We will explore contemporary poets using such techniques, including Mag Gabbert, Cameron Awkward-Rich, and Terrance Hayes, among others. We will try our hand at forms like the ghazal and the sestina, and play with found poetry through centos and erasure. You will come away with writing materials, inspiration, and generative revision strategies.

Saba Keramati is a Chinese-Iranian writer, editor, and educator from the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds degrees in English and Creative Writing from University of Michigan and UC Davis, where she was a Fellow for Creative Arts and taught creative writing. Her poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net and Pushcart prizes, and supported with fellowships from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, the UC Davis Humanities Institute, and Seventh Wave. Saba’s work is published or forthcoming in Michigan Quarterly Review, AGNI, Passages North, and elsewhere. Currently, she serves as Poetry Editor for Sundog Lit. You can follow her work at www.sabakeramati.com.

Co-sponsored with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.

What’s it like to write for TV and films? And how do you get your foot in the door? Join screenwriter Cameron Squires for a conversation on writing for the big screen and beyond. Moderated by B.J. Hollars. Co-sponsored by the CVWG and L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.

Cam Squires is currently rewriting the next STAR TREK feature film for Paramount / Bad Robot and just served as Co-Producer for Disney+ / LucasFilm’s upcoming Star Wars series THE ACOLYTE created by Leslye Headland. He was notably on staff of Disney+ / Marvel’s Emmy-nominated series WANDAVISION and will be a Producer on Marvel’s AGATHA spin-off series. He previously served as Story Editor on Netflix’s upcoming animated series AGENT KING and Staff Writer on TBS’s animated series FINAL SPACE. An Indiana native who played collegiate baseball at Yale, Cam moved to LA to pursue writing. He got his start in the ICM mailroom before getting a crash course in comedy working with Ed Helms.

Click here for our Facebook event.

Amid the hopelessness, we found hope. Amid the heartbreak, we found love. This February 10, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild is joining forces with local musicians for an evening of reflection, mourning, and celebration of the human spirit. Enjoy songs and stories created during the pandemic, and let the healing begin. Featuring stories by Katie Venit, Karly Grice, Rebecca Mennecke and Cait McGarvey, and with music by Cait McGarvey, Soren Staff, Derick Black, and Parker Reed.

This December 16, as part of our city’s annual “Joy to the Word” program, local musicians and writers are joining forces to charm and delight our region’s citizens with their most wintery songs and stories. This year, we're featuring storytellers Jeff DeGrave, Emily Twesme, Eau Claire writer-in-residence Ken Szymanski, and a jointly told tale courtesy of Olga Diaz and Neal Griffin. And with holiday tunes courtesy of The UKE Klub and Derick Black! Dust off those sleigh bells, bundle up tight, and join us for the in-person show of the season! Hosted and produced by B.J. Hollars and Jonathan Rylander.

Want to see the freshest local literature out there? On November 17 at 7PM, join writers and editors from Barstow & Grand at Lazy Monk Brewery as we celebrate the publication of issue #5! Grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy some of the best stories, essays, and poems from our regional writers.

Click here for more!

Join CVWG writers for a live reading from their original work as part of the River Prairie Celebration of Art! Writers will take the main stage at River Prairie from 11-1PM on Sunday, September 12. Featuring: Deb Peterson, Charlotte Gutzmer, Jesse Peterson, Jackie McManus, Debbie Campbell, Amy Renshaw, Dan Lyksett, Connie Russell, Patti See, Bruce Taylor, and Julian Emerson. Pop by and enjoy the show, and the wider festival! Read more here.

For more visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/934802800450241

Hey writers, remember the good ol' days when we'd gather in a room and chat writing among friends and supporters? We'd like to try that again...

On August 29 at 6PM, join us at Modicum Brewing Co. (3732 Spooner Ave, Altoona, WI) for a relaxed, safe environment to reunite with one another in person. There is no agenda. We just want to say hi.

If you're unvaccinated, please take all necessary precautions to ensure safety, including wearing a mask, remaining at a social distance, washing hands regularly, etc., etc.

Grab a drink with us and enjoy the private back room at Modicum! If we grow too great in number, we'll spill out into the larger room to ensure proper distancing.

Please RSVP so we can track numbers. Click here for more.

Be seeing you soon!