Fall Meeting and Workshop Schedule
UPCOMING WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR NOVEMBER
Writing Workshop on Plot Development and Narrative Voice:
Friday, November 8, 1830-2030
(Hybrid: face-to-face at Ramstein Education Center, Bldg. 2104, Room 100, and on Zoom, link available on request to Judith.McNeely@UMGC.edu)
This two-hour workshop will include an interactive presentation on plot development, narrative voice, and strategies for persevering through an extended project such as writing a novel or a memoir. The workshop will combine presentation, writing activities, and discussion to help participants persevere in ongoing projects and increase the power of their narrative voice.
Writing Workshop on Craft and Perseverance:
Friday, November 15, 1830-2030
(Hybrid: face-to-face at Ramstein Education Center, Bldg. 2104, Room 100 and on Zoom, link available on request to Judith.McNeely@UMGC.edu)
This two-hour workshop will expand on prior work to advance fiction-writing techniques and to share strategies for persevering through an extended project such as writing a novel or a memoir.
Feedback Workshop:
Monday, November 18, 1900-2100, Zoom only
Do you have poems, a story, a memoir, or a novel chapter you'd like to share with others for feedback? This workshop is for you! Email Judith.McNeely@UMGC.edu for access to a shared folder and the workshop Zoom link. All writing genres are welcome. Please help your readers by keeping to a limit of four double-spaced pages (approximately 1000 words).
Fall Workshop: Adding Humor to Your Writing and Scenes
Hosted by Erin Crouch and Amy Smolinski
Friday, November 22, 1800-2100
(Hybrid: face-to-face at Ramstein Education Center, Bldg. 2104, Room 100, and on Zoom, link available on request to Judith.McNeely@UMGC.edu)
Are you a writer or playwright interested in the role of humor in writing and dialog, as well as those with ideas or pre-existing work that needs a humorous element injected? All creative ideas are welcome in the space.
Workshop outline:
1. Laughter on stage: why we laugh, write, and perform humor in the theater. Laughter is a social emotion, behaviorally contagious, and it is associated with bonding, agreement, affection, and emotional regulation.
Amy Barron Smolinski is an award-winning actress, director, and voice artist who has recorded over 100 audiobooks on Audible.com. She has been involved in community and professional theatre since childhood and has taught theatre for all ages since 1996. At KMC Onstage, she has directed Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Frozen Jr, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Greater Tuna, The Woman in Black, The Lost Language of Wifflesplatch, and has developed and teaches Beginning and Advanced Directing Workshops. She has appeared onstage in Henry IV, The Spitfire Grill, Into the Woods, Medea, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Young Frankenstein, The Guys, Mary Poppins, Love Letters, and Noises Off. She is the Managing Artistic Director at KMC Onstage, the mother of four boys, and the wife of an Army Reservist stationed in Germany. www.amybarronsmolinski.com
Amy will discuss the history of humor and laughter and the role of comedy in dramatic theater, offering suggestions for timing in scenes and providing a list of recommended plays and scenes for future reference.
2. Writing humorous pieces and adding jokes in dialog.
Erin Crouch is an American comedian living in Germany, producing monthly shows on two US military bases. She recently opened for Netflix comedians April Macie (USA) and Enissa Amani (Germany). Fulfilling a lifelong dream, she was paid by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs to tell jokes about Germans in 2024. In addition, she has hosted and featured at the Cologne International Comedy Festival (October 2024), Boom Chicago Amsterdam (2021 and July 2024), Utrecht International Comedy Festival (2022), and Summer Comedy Marathon festival in Ohrid, N. Macedonia (2023). She co-produces Festrogen, the annual women's comedy festival in Luxembourg (2021- present). In addition to performing, Erin has had several short humor pieces published by well-known outlets, including Medium and two-fiftyone.net.
Erin will cover prompts for writing headlines/short articles in the style of the Onion, Reductress, and more, as well as suggestions for adding a lighter touch to existing writing.
3. Student sharing/brainstorming/individual writing/editing with Amy and Erin.
Email Judith.McNeely@UMGC.edu for access to this workshop Zoom link.
And remember our weekly writing support meeting:
Write Together Thursday, 1300-1400, Zoom