Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDST on Saturday, November 2, 2024, for a free workshop with author and audiobook producer George Sirois on the role of audiobooks in expanding your readership.

Our presenter, George Sirois, will join us LIVE, in person for this FREE workshop. We will gather at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131 for the presentation, or you may attend the meeting online. To do so, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.
 
It has been said all across the publishing industry: the future is in audio, and the rising number of audiobooks proves this. With ACX, Findaway Voices, and other platforms, the path for authors to bring their work to readers' ears has never been easier. But it's more than just working with audiobook narrators that makes audio such a wonderful path for authors to explore. Those with a DIY mentality can put their audiobooks together themselves. They can take their passion and run with it in the world of podcasts, either as a host or a guest. Or you can hear your story come to life as a full cast audio drama.

With the resources available to us, how can you get involved? Join author/audiobook narrator George Sirois as he takes you through the process of deciding the best course - or COURSES - of action that's right for you. Whether you are a seasoned author or just starting out, this class promises to offer valuable information that can benefit your publishing journey.
 
George Sirois is the author of the international bestselling young-adult science-fiction novel Excelsior, its two sequels, and the five-part science-fiction / sports serial From Parts Unknown. He served as President of the Missouri Writers Guild from 2017-2018 and is the host and producer of the podcasts Excelsior Journeys and From Duck Till Dark: Outside the Marvel Studios. In 2023, after directing a live performance of an audio drama adaptation of Excelsior, George became the co-founder of the Once Upon a Podcast Network, a group of podcasts meant to motivate, celebrate, educate, and even rejuvenate creatives of all kinds. He is also an audiobook narrator, lending his voice to books of all genres. A New Yorker since birth, George now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and daughter. For more information, please visit www.hesgotit.com.  

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDST on Saturday, October 5, 2024, for a free workshop with author and book coach Yvette Keller on getting book reviews.

Our presenter, Yvette Keller, will join us via ZOOM for this FREE workshop. We will gather at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131 for the presentation, or you may attend the meeting online. To do so, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

Book reviews, particularly on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, can make or break your book’s successful launch. Learn effective strategies to include book reviews in your promotion plan with experience book coach and author Yvette Keller. This online presentation will help you understand how to motivate readers to leave reviews as well as teach you ways to make the process easy. Bring your questions and enthusiasm for sharing your book with the world!
 
Yvette Keller is the planet earth authority on Douglas Adams literary tourism, the 2023 Towel Day Ambassador, and the author of the Douglas Adams’ London guide from Herb Lester Associates. 
Her short fiction leans toward SF/Fantasy at an extravagantly relaxed angle. You can find her work in literary magazines such as Enheduanna, Imitation Fruit Literary Magazine, and The Santa Barbara Literary Journal.
For fun, Yvette time travels in self-made historical costumes, reads constantly, and performs in short-form improv and live storytelling shows. She lives in the world of the television phenomenon, Psych, finding contract work as a business consultant, an industrial voiceover professional, and a holistic detective.

Her ultimate writing fantasy would be winning a prestigious literary award as an excuse to celebrate with a fancy costume dinner. Her chosen guests of honor would be John Finnemore, Guy Gavriel Kay, Patricia A. McKillip, Mercedes Lackey, Neil Gaiman, and a cardboard cutout of Douglas Adams.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDST on Saturday, September 7, 2024, for a free workshop with author/illustrator Ryan Nusbickel and  author Phyllis Wheeler on producing stories for children.
 
Our presenters, Ryan Nusbickel and  Phyllis Wheeler, will join us in-person for this FREE workshop. We will gather at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131 for the presentation, or you may attend the meeting online. To do so, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.
 
Picturing a Career in Picture Books
As both a writer and illustrator, Ryan shares his secrets for creating lively, compelling stories for the young and young at heart.  You'll learn how he comes up with his ideas and puts them all together in picture books.  
 
Children’s chapter books: how to write them and sell them
Thinking of writing for kids? Phyllis Wheeler, local award-winning chapter book author, will define children's chapter books and share ten tips for writing them.  Phyllis has been both traditionally and self-published, so she will share her thoughts about that as well. 
 
Ryan Nusbickel is a former television reporter, who somehow managed to win an Emmy despite spending way too much time drawing cartoons in the news van. As an award-winning feature reporter, Ryan covered everything from hurricanes to Super Bowls. He's since hung up his microphone and pursued his unique brand of illustrated stories, including the hit web comic, Dad Haikus. Ryan now makes his home in St. Louis with his wife, two daughters, and a menagerie of pets. Contact Ryan via his page on Facebook, and follow him on Instagram!
 
Phyllis Wheeler set a goal at age 13 to write a children’s book, a journey with lots of detours that took many years. She’s written for daily newspapers, worked on airplanes as a mechanical engineer, worked as a publisher and editor, and raised four children, doing some homeschooling along the way. Now she’s writing award-winning time-travel fantasy tales for kids and teens. Get a free short story at her website, PhyllisWheeler.com.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDST on Saturday, August 3, 2024, for a free workshop with author Kathleen Kayembe on Fanfiction and Transformative Works.
 
Our presenter, Kathleen Kayembe, will join us in-person for this FREE workshop. We will gather at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131 for the presentation, or you may attend the meeting online. To do so, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

People have always loved dreaming up their own stories about characters and settings created by other storytellers. These ubiquitous Transformative Works include Shakespeare's history plays (fiction about real monarchs), Virgil's Aeneid (a fan's sequel to The Illiad), Milton's Paradise Lost (retelling with a twist: the villain's point of view), Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (retelling with a twist: what if zombies existed?), and innumerable fairy tale retellings from all over the world. When written by fans for fellow fans of a given work and shared for no commercial gain, we call it "fanfiction." When commissioned by companies wanting new stories about their intellectual property (IP), we call them things like "the newest Doctor Who episode," "The Avengers," and "that Netflix historical drama about the British royals." This workshop will explore ways Fanfiction and Transformative Works can springboard and strengthen our writing while adding a sense of play.
 
Kathleen Kayembe is the Octavia E. Butler Scholar from Clarion’s class of 2016, with stories in Lightspeed, Nightmare, and several Best of the Year anthologies; an essay in the Hugo-nominated anthology Luminescent Threads: Connections to Octavia Butler; and previous publications with Less Than Three Press under her queer romance pen name, Kaseka Nvita. She runs Amherst Writers and Artists writing groups via Zoom, inhales stories on Audible and AO3, and lives in St. Louis with a kitchen witch and a four-legged guardian queen.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDST on Saturday, July 13, 2024, for a free networking event with some of our area’s many writing support organizations and independent bookstores.

Our presenters will include Main Street Books of St. Charles, Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, Sisters in Crime, and many more. We will gather at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. From discovering the perfect support group for your own writing projects to learning how to arrange a book signing or consignment plan, the July program will have something for everyone.

The St. Louis Writers Guild has a lot to offer area writers, but no one organization can address all  needs. However, St. Louis has a wealth of writing and publishing support groups, and we’d love for you to meet our friends.

Join us for a morning of networking and information sharing. Each of our guests will have a booth from which to speak to attendees individually. During the group presentation time, all the representatives will explain their mission and services. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, visit the Guild website: https://www.stlwritersguild.org/.
 
Our Confirmed Presenters:

Eville Writers is a writers’ group based in Edwardsville, Illinois that meets once a month to support each other’s development as writers and professionals.

Literary Underworld is an author and small-press cooperative that supports writers with promotions and book sales online and at speculative fiction conventions.

Main Street Books, St. Charles has a consignment program designed to allow local self-published or non-traditionally published authors space on our shelves in our brick-and-mortar shop.

North County Writing & Arts Network is for writers, poets, and artists in North St. Louis County who are interested in collaborating with other creatives.

St. Louis Poetry Center supports the literary arts in our community through poetry readings, education and community programs, workshops, and more.

St. Louis Literary Award Programs honors distinguished contemporary writers as well as providing writing resources to the community.

St. Louis Publishers Association’s mission is to help our members produce quality products and market them effectively.

St. Louis Writers Group is a support organization for local playwrights.

Sisters in Crime Greater St. Louis Chapter is dedicated to helping every writer achieve the dream of publication. It is a place for men and women to find camaraderie and encouragement.

Spine Bookstore and Cafe is a consignment bookstore stocked exclusively with indie authors and publishers, a café, and a small event space designed to foster conversations and creativity in a safe environment.

Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts serves the creative community by providing free legal and accounting assistance, presenting a wide variety of educational programs, and advocating for the arts and artists. 

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDST on Saturday, June 1, 2024, for a free Zoom workshop with writing coach Stefanie Newell on How to Self-Publish a Book.

Our presenter, Stefani Newell, will join us VIA ZOOM for this FREE workshop. We will gather at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131 for the presentation, or you may attend the meeting online. Go to the events page in the St. Louis Writers Guild website and click the "Join Current SLWG Event" turquoise button.

This workshop will guide attendees through the process of self-publishing a book using Amazon and other platforms such as Lulu. Attendees will learn step-by-step how to prepare their manuscript, navigate the various print-on-demand platforms such as Amazon, and understand the requirements for self-publishing a book.

Stefanie Newell is the go-to writing coach for the first-time writer looking for direction on writing, publishing, and marketing a non-fiction book. Her experience has paved the way for her to coach Hollywood film and television producer Madison Jones, Womeneur founder Sharon Beason, Grammy award-winning music producer S1, and hip hop artist, philanthropist, and politician Rhymefest! In addition to coaching authors through her How To Write A Book program, Stefanie is also a best-selling author who has written several books, e-books, and digital products, including How To Write Your First Book and Write The Damn Book!

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDST on Saturday, May 4, 2024, for a free LIVE workshop with writing professor Aimee Mepham on Narrative Medicine: The Benefits of Close Reading and Reflective Writing.

Our presenter, Aimee Mepham, will join us VIA ZOOM for this FREE workshop. We will gather at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131 for the presentation, or you may attend the meeting online. Follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

This talk will introduce participants to the principles and practice of Narrative Medicine, the international, clinical, and academic movement that recognizes the vital role that story plays in health care. We will examine this interdisciplinary field's core tenets of close reading and reflective writing by reading a short piece together and engaging with a short writing prompt.  

Aimee Mepham is the Associate Director of the Humanities Institute at Wake Forest University and a Part-Time Assistant Professor in the Bioethics, Humanities, and Medicine minor program. She oversees the Humanities Institute’s Story, Health, and Healing initiative, which provides programming in Narrative Medicine to the Wake Forest and Winston-Salem communities. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Washington University in St. Louis and has trained in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. She has taught at Indiana University, Washington University in St. Louis, Salem College, and Wake Forest University. Her fiction has appeared in Hobart, Meridian, River Styx, among other journals, and has also been performed twice by Liars’ League NYC, a live literary journal featuring professionally trained actors reading original short stories by writers.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2024, for a free LIVE workshop with Missouri Poet Laureate David L. Harrison on enjoying poetry as well as writing your own poems aimed at both youth and adult readers.

Our presenter, David L. Harrison, will join us LIVE, in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

David L. Harrison’s talks are informal. He encourages audience exchanges and likes to keep things light. Best known for books for young readers, David is at home with poets who focus on adult readers. As the state’s current poet laureate, his emphasis these days is on poetry for a more general audience.

Part of the workshop will present specifics of writing for children and offer participants a chance to draft some of their own work. The second half will be about some of the many ways that poets approach poetry with numerous quotes and examples from well-known poets across the country. Again, attendees will have an opportunity to think and draft.
 
David L. Harrison is Missouri’s seventh poet laureate. His literary works include poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for young readers and educational books for teachers. His more than 100 books for young people have sold millions of copies worldwide, been included in 200 textbooks and anthologies, translated into twelve languages, sandblasted into the Burton Barr Children’s Garden sidewalk in Phoenix, and painted on a bookmobile in Pueblo, Colorado. In his hometown of Springfield, Missouri, David Harrison Elementary School as well as a conference room at the main library are named after him. His website link is http://davidlharrison.com.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2024, for a free workshop with three publishing industry professionals. Our team of presenters will explore traditional publication, publishing under one’s own imprint, and working with an agent. Attendees can also schedule appointments to pitch their book and consult with book promotion/marketing experts. (The Guild will charge a nominal fee to make these opportunities possible.)

The program agenda is:

10 a.m.  Getting the Full Request
               Literary Agent Cole Lanahan of The Seymour Agency

11 a.m.   Traditional Publishing’s New Landscape
               New York Times Bestselling Author Eileen Dreyer

12 p.m.   Publishing Under Your Own Imprint: The Inside Scoop
                New York Times Bestselling Author Angie Fox

Our speakers will appear live, in person. Attendees can participate in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

Consultations: $40 for Non-Members, $20 for SLWG Members - Material will be reviewed ahead of the conference and include a 20+ minute consultation during the event

        LaShaunda Hoffman - Book Promotion

        Matt Davids - Promoting on Amazon

        Jennifer Geist - Editorial Critique

        Ruth Thaler-Carter - Website Review

Pitch Sessions: $20 for 2 pitches for Non-Members, $10 for 2 pitches for SLWG Members: 

        Nicole Lanahan, Literary Agent, The Seymour Agency

        Chris Kennedy, Chris Kennedy Publishing

        Jennifer Geist, owner & publisher, Pen & Publish

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, 2024 for a free LIVE workshop with tax professional Dan Connors on tax strategies for writers, editors, and other creatives.

Our presenter, Dan Connors, will join us LIVE, in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.
 
Tax Season 2024: Tips and Strategies

We will look at income tax filing for writers, creatives, and other self-employed individuals, plus an overview of new tax laws for 2024 and beyond.  There will also be information on general tax filing and mistakes to look out for.  A brief Q&A will follow, so bring your best questions.
 
Dan Connors CPA, EA is a tax professional in Granite City, Illinois. Dan is also a freelance writer and has been published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch numerous times.  He can be reached at Dan@buengeraccounting.com.

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Join The St. Louis Writers Guild Board from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, January 13 to celebrate the Guild Young Writers 2023 Awards. The winning authors will read their stories.

Attendees can participate in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.
 
The Young Writers Awards by St. Louis Writers Guild were started in 2011 to continue the legacy of encouraging tomorrow's authors. The story prompt this year was “When the lights went out…”

This year we're excited to announce all the Winners and Finalists will be published in a collection! The Young Writers Awards Collection is in response to multiple requests to give everyone the feeling of not only having their story honored, but also published!
 
The St. Louis Writers Guild (SLWG) was founded in 1920 by members of the Missouri Writers Guild. By the end of the decade, SLWG was one of the preeminent writers’ organizations in the Midwest. In 1935, a young Tennessee Williams won the yearly short story contest. Membership has expanded through the years, along with programing, benefits, and opportunities for its members. SLWG still holds the core belief of our founders: We are writers helping other writers. “You have friends here.”

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The St. Louis Writers Guild Board presents an In-Person Book Party: Nosh, Shop, and Chat

All area booklovers are welcome to join The St. Louis Writers Guild Board from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, December 9 for an in-person Book Party! We will celebrate the winter holidays with coffee, snacks, networking, and readings. The Book Party will be an in-person only event (no live streaming) at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131.

The Guild will also sponsor an in-person Book Fair and Author Hall during the December 9th Book Party. There is no a table fee for Guild members to sell books. Affiliate organization members can reserve a table for $10. Please email president@stlwritersguild.org with your name and whether you need a full or half table. We will assign tables in the order in which people contact us. Bring your own mechanism to take payments. Sign up at the party to read a short (PG-rated) passage from your work.

The in-person gathering will follow the 2/28/22 St. Louis County Health Advisory. MASKS ARE OPTIONAL, and we will not collect attendee information for contact tracing.

And don’t forget the SLWG Virtual Book Fair (November 25 through December 31). To shop the Virtual Book Fair, visit the Book Fair page at the Guild website. The St. Louis Writers Guild Virtual Book Fair grew out of the pandemic to help Guild members’ books find their audience even though we couldn’t gather together. An online Author Hall facilitates browsing and links to YouTube readings by the authors. Starting in 2021, we were happy to add an in-person Author Hall to our December Book Party at the Des Peres Lodge.

The St. Louis Writers Guild (SLWG) was founded in 1920 by members of the Missouri Writers Guild. By the end of the decade, SLWG was one of the preeminent writers’ organizations in the Midwest. In 1935, a young Tennessee Williams won the yearly short story contest. Membership has expanded through the years, along with programing, benefits, and opportunities for its members. SLWG still holds the core belief of our founders: We are writers helping other writers. “You have friends here.”

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2023, for a free LIVE workshop with author Ciera Horton McElroy on novel drafting.

Our presenter, Ciera Horton McElroy, will join us LIVE, in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

Save the Cat, Save the Story: How Structure Can Help You Draft a Novel in Thirty Days
 
Take a deep dive into National Novel Writing Month with the St. Louis Writers Guild and our guest, author Ciera Horton McElroy. “I'm the kind of writer who used to hear the word ‘outline’ and think...Nope. Meticulous outlining felt forced to me. But I learned the importance of outlining the hard way: by rewriting my debut from scratch several times before it was published.” 

Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, Save the Cat Writes a Novel  by Jessica Brody (based on Blake Synder’s  Save the Cat ) can help you draft that novel and ensure the work hits those major narrative elements. In this workshop we'll walk through the famous Save the Cat Beat Sheet and provide actionable steps toward enhancing your novel writing practice. Bring your notebook and questions for this informative and practical writing workshop!
 
Ciera Horton McElroy is the author of Atomic Family (Blair, 2023). Her work has appeared in AGNI, Bridge Eight, Iron Horse Literary Review, Crab Orchard Review, and Saw Palm, among others. Ciera is a novelist, short story writer, and owner of a boutique consulting agency, Clover and Bee Communications, which serves studios such as Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Pure Flix, nonprofits like Open Eyes, AsOne, and the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. She currently lives in St. Louis with her husband and two children.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2023, for a free LIVE workshop with attorney Kathy Van Voorhees on the business aspects of the creative life.

Our presenter, Kathy Van Voorhees, will join us LIVE, in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

Plotting Your Creative Business for Writers

Join us for a survey of legal and business issues for writers including (but not limited to) entity creation, freelancing, contracting, self-publishing, intellectual property protection, and fair use. Our presenter, St. Louis attorney Kathy Van Voorhees, provides business and legal help for creative entrepreneurs. Bring your questions! 

Kathy helps creative entrepreneurs and small business owners make informed decisions to protect their interests and strategically form, grow, and sustain their businesses. Kathy understands that her clients have limited resources to accomplish their goals and works with them to develop strategies that leverage her services to their best advantage.

Advising clients on every aspect of their businesses, Kathy provides counsel to consultants, artists, and other creative freelancers. Taking the time to learn her clients’ businesses and industries, she custom-tailor solutions and educates her clients.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, 2023, for a free LIVE workshop with poet Ben Gaa on haiku poetry.

Our presenter, Ben Gaa, will join us LIVE, in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

• Please note that September 16 is the third Saturday in September, not our usual meeting week.

Beyond 5/7/5: The Haiku Moment

Missouri is in a haiku moment thanks to Poet Laureate Maryfrances Wagner’s Haiku Project 2023. Learn how to join in the fun at the September St. Louis Writers Guild workshop. We will be taking a look at Contemporary English Language Haiku. We will look at form, function, and the mindset behind reading and writing in this form.

Ben Gaa is your Friendly Neighborhood Haiku Poet and host of Haiku Talk on YouTube. He’s the author of two full-length collections of haiku and senryu, One Breath (Spartan Press 2020), and the Touchstone Award winning Wishbones (Folded Word 2018), as well as four chapbooks, the High/Coo award winner One Note Moon (Brooks Books 2023), Fiddle in the Floorboards (Yavanika Press 2018), Blowing on a Hot Soup Spoon (Poor Metaphor Design 2014) and the Pushcart nominated Wasp Shadows (Folded Word 2014). With over 1000 haiku and senryu published in journals and anthologies around the globe, he enjoys both giving and attending poetry readings and workshops and being part of the literary conversation. 

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, August 5, 2023, for a free workshop with author Gregory Ashe on utilizing your natural writing style, “plotter” or “pantsers,” to tell a great story.
Our presenter, Gregory Ashe, will join us in person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

Writers often divide themselves into two camps: Plotters, those who create a roadmap before beginning the story, and pantsers, those who “fly by the seat of their pants.” How do the mechanics of storytelling differ between these two approaches? How are they the same? And what can these writers learn from each other? Bring your questions to this lively discussion of how to create compelling fiction while honoring your own creative style.
 
Gregory Ashe is a longtime Midwesterner. He has lived in Chicago; Bloomington, Indiana; and Saint Louis, his current home. When not reading and writing, he is an educator. Gregory is a graduate of and instructor for the Odyssey Writing Workshop. He writes the Adventures of Holloway Holmes mystery series (latest novel and a short story collection released in June 2023), as well the Flint and Tinder paranormal series. Learn more at gregoryashe.com.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, 2023, for a free workshop on traditions and rituals in your fictional world building.

Our presenter, Evan J. Peterson, will join us via Zoom. Attendees can participate in person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.
 
Christmas in Narnia: Creating Traditions for Fictional Cultures

Every human culture has rituals, many of which correspond to certain times of year. When building a fictional world, tradition and ritual are essential to a complete, rich culture. Whether you’re writing about alien religions, secular cyborgs, or ancient Atlantis, this class will show you how to create fascinating festivals, holidays, and other traditions to deepen your fiction’s folklore and customs.
 
Evan J. Peterson is an author, game writer, and Clarion West alum. His latest book is METAFLESH: Poems in the Voices of the Monster (ARUS Entertainment), and recent work includes Drag Star! (Choice of Games), the world’s first drag performance roleplaying game, and The Road to Innsmouth: Arkham Horror (Asmodee/Fantasy Flight). Evan edited the Lambda Literary Award finalist anthology, Ghosts in Gaslight, Monsters in Steam: Gay City 5, and his writing appears in Weird Tales, PseudoPod, Tales to Terrify, Queers Destroy Horror, Boing Boing, and Best Gay Stories 2015. Evan's serial novel, Better Living Through Alchemy, will be published in 2024 by Broken Eye Books. Evanjpeterson.com can tell you more.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, 2023, for a free workshop with literary agent Bonnie Swanson on the journey to publication. Bonnie is also a successful YA and children’s author, publishing as BB Swann.

Our presenter, Bonnie Swanson, will join us in person. Attendees can participate in person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website. **Please note that the Zoom passcode has changed to scribe.
 
From First Draft to Published Book: Tips, Tricks, and Tidbits

You’ve written a book—now what? From editing to querying and beyond, agent Bonnie Swanson from the Purcell Agency outlines the next steps in the journey to publication. Unsurprisingly, it’s not a one-size-fits-all process. So, come prepared to take notes and ask questions!
 
Bonnie Swanson (BB Swann) is a twenty-seven-year veteran elementary teacher who writes books for children and young adults. She is also a literary agent at The Purcell Agency in Chicago representing a diverse group of authors that write picture books through adult manuscripts. Her issue-driven stories focus on characters who face difficulties most readers can relate to, and how they succeed through perseverance, ingenuity, and hope.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2023, for a free workshop with author Lenore Greiner on travel writing.

Our presenter, Lenore Greiner, will join us via Zoom. Attendees can participate in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

Are you an avid traveler with a passion for storytelling? Whether you've explored the open road on a motorcycle or savored the wines of Tuscany, learn how to share your travel experiences with the world.
 
Join award-winning travel writer and author Lenore Greiner as she guides you through the process of developing your expertise and finding your niche in the exciting world of travel writing.
 
You'll receive practical advice on crafting compelling story angles, navigating writer's guidelines, pitching your work to publications, and even securing press trips for free travel opportunities.
 
Lenore will also cover today’s digital opportunities available to travel writers, from print articles, blogging, social media, and even authoring your own travel memoir.
 
As a bonus, Lenore will share a free e-workbook with forty-five travel writing prompts, examples of article structures and ledes, a sample writer's guideline, a story pitching guide, and more.
 
Don't miss your chance to bring your travel stories to life and captivate readers with your adventures. Join Lenore for this engaging session.

Find out more at LenoreGreiner.com.

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Join the St. Louis Writers Guild from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, 2023, for a free workshop with author Lisa Wysocky on creating outstanding characters for your stories.

Our presenter, Lisa Wysocky, will join us via Zoom. Attendees can participate in-person at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131. The event will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website.

The in-person gathering will follow the 2/28/22 St. Louis County Health Advisory. MASKS ARE OPTIONAL, and we will not collect attendee information for contact tracing. No food or drinks will be served.

Developing Fabulous Characters

Attendees will learn the five necessary traits of each major character in fiction and then collaboratively will work to develop each character. Finally, attendees will discover how these characters will influence plot.

Lisa Wysocky is an award-winning fiction and non-fiction author and editor. Her award-winning book with Brad Cohen, Front of the Class, was a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie and was recently named by the Internet Movie Database (IMBD) as the best Hallmark movie of all time. Front of the Class was also a popular and award-winning movie in Bollywood called Hitchi. 

Hidden Girl, written with Shyima Hall, is the true story of a child slave here in the United States and was a Junior Library Guild selection. It is in pre-production for film in Brazil and Portugal. 

Lisa also writes non-fiction books about horses and horse training. When not writing or editing she is a popular speaker and book editor and runs the nonprofit Colby’s Army, where she teaches people with disabilities to ride horses.

Find her at LisaWysocky.com

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