Anne Posten translates contemporary German poetry and prose and writes short fiction.  Her translation of Tankred Dorst’s novella This Beautiful Place appeared with Hanging Loose Press in May 2012.  Her translations have appeared in Words Without Borders, FIELD, and Stonecutter Journal and her short fiction was recently featured in the journal -ality. She holds a BA in German Literature from Oberlin College and an MFA in Creative Writing and Literary Translation from Queens College, CUNY, where she also teaches in the English Department.

KGB BAR

85 East 4th Street

between 2nd & 3rd Ave

Saturday, May 11, 6:45 p.m.

Sponsored by Ducts.org

FEATURED READERS:

NICOLE CALLIHAN
Nicole Callihan writes poems, stories and essays. Her work has appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly, Salt Hill, New York Quarterly, North American Review and Cream City Review. A finalist for the Iowa Review’s Award for Literary Nonfiction, she was named as Notable Reading for Best American Non-required Reading and awarded Best of the Net 2010 for fiction. Her nonfiction book Henry River Mill Village which she co-authored with 79 year-old Ruby Young Keller was published by Arcadia Press in July 2012. Her first book of poems will be published by Sock Monkey Press in Spring 2014. Find her on the web at www.nicolecallihan.com.

TIM TOMLINSON
Tim Tomlinson is a co-founder of New York Writers Workshop and co-author of its popular text, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing. Currently he lives in Shanghai. He ran workshops at the 2013 Shanghai International Literary Festival, and he read and taught at the 2012 Philippines International Literary Festival in Manila. In May he’ll appear at the Silliman National Writers Workshop on Negros Oriental in the Philippines. He is the fiction editor of the webzine Ducts. This year, two of his poems have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes. Recent poems and stories appear or are forthcoming in Asia Writes, Caribbean Vistas, The Dirty Napkin, Extracts, The Tule Review and Unshod Quills.

JAMES BRALY
James Braly’s first book, Life in a Marital Institution:20 Years of Monogamy in One Terrifying Memoir, was published by St. Martin’sPress on April Fools for Love Day (April 2). He has contributed autobiographical stories to This American Life, The New York Times and The Moth, where he is the first two-time winner of The Moth GrandSLAM and a featured performer on their national tour, podcast, radio hour and CD collections. His Off-Broadway monologue, Life in a Marital Institution (20 Years of Monogamy in One Terrifying Hour), sold out 59E59 Theaters in New York City, where it was reviewed as “gaspingly funny” (Variety) and “never less than excellent” (The New York Times). The show is touring the country, presented by Meredith Vieira Productions, which is developing it for TV. Learn more at www.JamesBraly.com.

I was until 2008 a daily journalist, the last 30 years at “The New York Times,” covering everything from professional sports, to earthquakes and race riots during a decade as California correspondent, to 9/11 and its long aftermath, to social issues like homelessness, AIDS,  autism, addiction, adoption and aging. After taking a buyout from the Times, I founded and wrote their “Now Old Age” blog for a year, continue to contribute to it, and wrote a book, “A Bittersweet Season: Caring for our Aging Parents and Ourselves” (Knopf 2011) about my family’s experience in the last years of my mother’s life and the nation’s neglect of long-term care.

Most recently, I’ve been lecturing around the country about family care giving and writing personal essays about my own reaction to turning 65: making sense out of Medicare Part D, enjoying cheap movie tickets and deciding when to stop climbing to the roof of my house to clean my own gutters.

Spring Class at the JCC-

This all-levels workshop provides an un-intimidating and concrete approach to the seemingly insurmountable task of writing a novel or memoir. We start in the middle, instead of the beginning, and build our books in short, manageable sections. Whether published writer, or beginner unsure how to start, this course will inspire you.

Jennifer Belle is the best-selling author of four novels, Going Down,High Maintenance, Little Stalker and The Seven Year Bitch, all of which were optioned for the screen. Stories and essays have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. She has helped dozens of authors get published.

6 Mondays, May 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24

7:30-9:30 pm

Spring Class at the JCC-

Prepare your work for publication, whether memoir, personal essay, op-ed piece, magazine article, or nonfiction book. Techniques of narration, description, dialogue and structure discussed. Instructor’s approval required prior to registration. E-mail a 3-5 page writing sample to hoke5@aol.com.

Charles Salzberg is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in GQ, New York magazine, Esquire, Redbook and the New York Times.  He is author of more than 25 non-fiction books as well as the Shamus Award nominated Swann’s Last Song, the sequel, Swann Dives In, and his novel, Devil in the Hole, will be published in July 2013.

Thursdays, 6:30-8:30, May 2, 9, 23, 30, June 6, 13

Spring Class at the JCC-

Instructor: Helen Kaplan

Transcend tinkering, “kill your darlings” and dive deeper into your story and characters. Since there aren’t any good writers, just good RE-writers, learn the art of revision. To apply, submit a screenplay excerpt of no more than three pages along with a one-paragraph summary of your script’s story.

Helen Kaplan’s film “Return to Sender” has screened at over 20 festivals and received many awards. She teaches screenwriting and filmmaking at Barnard’s Pre-College Program and Hunter College.

7-9 pm, Tuesdays, May 7, 21, 28, June 4, 11, 18

Working on a novel or short stories?

Working on a novel or series of short stories? Rigorous yet sensitive critique, every-other-week deadlines, and lively discussions about the elements of fiction–these are the features of this workshop. Work is read in advance of class for discussion. Instructor approval required. Email 3-5 page writing sample to meb4444@gmail.com

Instructor Maureen Brady is the author of Folly: Give Me Your Ear, The Question She Put to Herself and three books of nonfiction. Her recent work has appeared in Cabbage and Bones: Irish American Women’s Fiction (Henry Holt), Intersections: Fiction and Poetry from the Banff Centre for the Arts, Pillow Talk II, and In the Family.

Prepare your work for publication-

Whether memoir, personal essay, op-ed piece, magazine article, or nonfiction book. Techniques of narration, description, dialogue and structure discussed. Instructor’s approval required prior to registration. E-mail a 3-5 page writing sample to hoke5@aol.com.

Charles Salzberg is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Esquire, New York Magazine, GQ, Elle, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times Arts and Leisure, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times Book Review and various other publications. He is the author of From Set Shot to Slam Dunk, An Oral History of the NBA, and On A Clear Day They Could See Seventh Place, Baseball’s 10 Worst Teams of the Century (with George Robinson).

Got a book in you?

The proposal, your first step to selling that book, is an art unto itself; structure, tone, and voice are imperative. We’ll prepare you and your proposal for the next fun step: lunch with agents. For more information, e-mail Emma at emmapea@gmail.com.

Instructor Emma Pearse is an Australian journalist who has lived in New York for 12 years and counting. Her first book Sophie: The Incredible True Story of the Castaway Dog sold to US, UK and Australian publishers and is a bestseller in Australia.

Spring Class at the JCC-

Learn to draw on the elusive aspects of experience that give a poem depth and mystery. Using in-class exercises, objects, outside texts, and personal journals, connect to your deepest material, shaping it into finished works.

Instructor Hermine Meinhard‘s book Bright Turquoise Umbrella, published by Tupelo Press, was a finalist for the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award. She was also a finalist for PSA’s Robert H. Winner Memorial Award and winner of the Sue Saniel Elkind Poetry Award.

Wednesdays, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., May 15, 29; June 5, 12, 19, 26