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Writing Workshops and Seminars

Join UMGC Europe's Military Community Writers (MCW) for creative writing support, including no-cost interactive writing seminars, feedback workshops, and weekly meetings.

UMGC Europe’s Military Community Writers invites you to join us for no-cost interactive seminars and writing workshops throughout the year.  We host special events during the months of November (National Novel Writing Month) and April (National Poetry Month).  Meetings, presentations, and activities are designed not just to correspond to these annual writing events, but they also aim to support writers working in other genres.  Our goal is to encourage and support people looking for inspiration and support with the writing life.

Annual Events

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is celebrated each November as a tradition for people who want to write a novel. The goal is to write a total of 50,000 words over a 30-day period. NaNoWriMo encompasses an extensive online community and includes many resources to help authors meet the challenge of completing a draft of a novel in one month. You can learn more about the NaNoWriMo community, its resources, and their tips for writing a novel in one month at NaNoWriMo.org.  National Poetry Month, recognized each April, is supported by the Academy of American Poets as a way to celebrate poets and poetry’s role in public life.  Like NaNoWriMo, National Poetry Month has become a global phenomenon.

UMGC Europe’s Military Community Writers Welcomes You

UMGC Europe’s Military Community Writers (MCW) welcomes writers of all genres and levels of experience; we welcome members of the UMGC student community along with members of the American military community in Europe. Our goal is to encourage each of you to be at home in the world of words and to infuse that world with your own stories, whether those stories be organized as prose or poetry, fiction or memoir, essay or lyric.

 

Please email Judith.McNeely@UMGC.edu for more information.

Coming Soon

Spring 2024

 

Friday, April 6, 1800-2000 CET, virtual on Zoom

Creating Writing Workshop  

Night Owls and Cold Feet: A Writing Workshop Exploring Metaphor

Led by poet and UMGC professor Eva Heisler

 

Tuesday, April 9, 1800-2000 CET, virtual on Zoom

Feedback Workshop

Two-Page Tuesday

In this meeting, we will exchange drafts of two pages (maximum) of writing (any genre) for feedback from fellow writers.  

 

Friday, April 12, 1230-1330 CET, In-Person Event

Reading of Creative Work

A Thread of Poetry

In Celebration of National Poetry Month and Pushcart Prize Nominee Mervyn Seivwright’s recently published collection of poetry, Stick, Hook, and a Pile of Yarn, we are hosting a reading of his work at the Ramstein Air Base Library.  Please help us celebrate his accomplishment by joining us in-person for a reading and Q&A with Mervyn on April 12 from 1230-1330.  

 

Friday, April 19, 1800-2000 CET, Face-to-Face and on Zoom

Creating Writing Workshop

A Dimensional Journey: A Workshop Focusing the Sensory Layers When Writing

led by Pushcart Prize nominee Mervyn Seivwright

 

Sunday, April 28, 1300-1430 CET, In-Person Event

Reading of Creative Work

Diamond Jubilee Reading: A Celebration of Writers, Words, and Worlds

As part of UMGC Europe’s 75th Anniversary commemoration and commencement weekend, we invite submissions of your original creative works for a live, in-person, reading event on Sunday, 28 April (Event location: Muehle am Schlossberg. Time 1300-1430 CET). We invite writing genres, including prose, poetry, and performative, to be read by the author.  Students, faculty, staff, and local military community members are encouraged to submit for this event. Readings will be 5-10 minutes in length. Please submit your contributions by 10 April. Submissions should be sent to: Readings-Europe@UMGC.edu.  

 

Tuesday, May 7, 1800-2000 CET, virtual on Zoom

Feedback Workshop

Two-Page Tuesday

In this meeting, we will exchange drafts of two pages (maximum) of writing (any genre) for feedback from fellow writers.  

 

Thursdays, weekly through May 16, 1300-1400 CET, virtual on Zoom

Write Together

These weekly meetings provide opportunities to chat with other writers.  While not a formal feedback workshop opportunity, here we discuss what we are working on and look for ways to support each other through problem-solving and encouragement.

 

All times are Central European (CET, Berlin).

All virtual events may be accessed through Zoom; please email Judith.McNeely@UMGC.edu for links.

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