Workshop: The Real Life of a Writer
Presenter: CJ Henderson
Description: The co-author of "Breaking into Fiction Writing" has 35 years experience as a published author. He's got some 60 novels/books under his belt along with 100s of short stories and comics and 1000s of non-fiction articles in print. You ... do not. If you want to take advantage of this wealth of information, show up with your questions ready. CJ is prepared to go on at length about everything and anything you might want to know. This will not be a lecture. It will be Q&A. This way, the only words out of his mouth will be of interest to the audience. If this workshop is to be of any use to you, it's up to you to make it so---just like the rest of your writing career.

Workshop: Single Image Poetry
Presenter: Eva Feeley
Description: In poetry, image is everything. Image grounds the poem’s theme in real things. Some of the most powerful poetry has the haiku-like simplicity of a single thought or theme. In this workshop, we’ll learn to jumpstart our creativity by using our senses to notice the exceptional in the ordinary – the rhinestone quality of dew on the morning grass as we walk the dog, a cleverly turned phrase that we overhear in the supermarket. We’ll discuss the process of “reduction” to transform a theme from general to specific. As time allows, we’ll try our hands at a few writing exercises using suggested prompts such as “In a world where opinions are wealth…” or “A mote of dust sails past in a shaft of sunlight…”

Workshop:  Critiquing: The Shared Experience
Presenter: Tobias D. Robison
Description: Constructive critiques can be very painful, even when we're eager to receive them. Writing together works best when everyone understands how criticism should affect the writer. This two hour workshop will raise your awareness of the many types of criticisms we give and receive, how to address each of them, and how to use even the most unwanted critiques to make our writing better. We can't live without critiques, but we can learn: when to take them, when to let them ferment, and when to ignore them.

Workshop: THE “SNAPSHOT” METHOD OF MEMOIR WRITING
Presenter: Eva Feeley
Description: How do we condense an entire lifetime of joy, grief and every emotion in between into a manageable memoir project? How can we possibly relate our treasured memories and explain who we and the people we shared our lives with truly were to future generations without becoming hopelessly overwhelmed? It’s not only possible but enjoyable – and extremely cathartic – using the snapshot method. Snapshot memories are fairly short and very specific. Each snapshot is rich in detail and description and contains representative stories about various periods in our lives and the loved ones who walked our paths with us. In this workshop, you’ll decide on the scope of your memoir and will be prepared to go home ready to write your story!

Workshop: Spice up your Fiction with Culture & Ethnicity
Presenter: Shobhan Bantwal
Description This workshop will focus on using cultural and ethnic elements to write unique fiction,  creating exciting and unforgettable characters, and building an exotic world that captures the imagination and tells a distinctive story.

Workshop: A Journalist's Life
Presenter: William F. Hudgins, Jr.
Description: The Four P’s – patience, perseverance, persistence and personality – can be combined in equal doses to aid the aspiring journalist in great measure. Each of these individual qualities have served me well over time, and each has a definitive purpose for those wishing to excel regardless the specific journalistic endeavor one opts to pursue. They’re essentially the cornerstone of virtually every good journalist, and – when deadlines loomed or writer’s block made it’s calling – they’ve saved me every time.

Workshop: Poetry as Therapy
Presenter: Erika Kelley
Description: This interactive workshop will provide an overview of the theory and practice of poetry therapy.  Participants will write and discuss poetry and explore the ways in which poetry reflects the processes of expression and healing.

Workshop: Character Study and Development
Presenter: Angelica Harris
Description: Angelica Harris is a fantasy writer, however, her stories are infused with the real life issues of abuse, special needs children, and family dynamics. Why? Because Angelica herself suffered at the hands of abusive family members, married a man with multiple mental and emotional disorders and raised a son with Tourette syndrome and ADHD. In her third Book, Excalibur Reclaims Her King, Angelica uses all of her pain, all of her coping tools and all of her hope to create rich characters that travel through the magical world of Camelot and Arthurian Legend. In this 60 minute workshop Angelica will lead participants through 1) the discovery of what messages are most important in their own lives; and 2) in the creation of a world in which those messages can play out in a page turning piece of fiction.

Workshop: She Blogs: Discovering Weblogs and How Women are Creating Communities and Changing the World through the Practice of Blogging
Presenter: Emily Kronenberger
This fun and interactive workshop will blend together a “how to” tutorial on blogging, as well as a discussion on the recent history of women blogging. Over the past few years, the blogosphere has continued to emerge as an invaluable and sometimes virtually immeasurable tool, to connect women and create change within our communities. The workshop will cover the essentials of basic blogging, including popular platforms, how to get started, how to network for your blog, etc. The workshop will also discuss how blogs have become such a popular news and opinion-sharing medium, especially among women, which has led to a surge in political and social activity, and resulted in a seemingly endless array of information to choose from for writers, consumers, and audiences.

Workshop: Back to the Basics: Connecting in the Age of Information Overload
Presenter: Jacqueline Herships
Jacqueline Herships is a publicist, strategist, journalist and the co-founder of Professionals in Media (PIM) - a regional organization of media professionals including writers, editors, publishers, filmmakers, broadcasters, tech and new media people, and PR consultants who meet across professional lines in Northern NJ and now nationally on LinkedIn. In this one hour workshop you will hone your message and practice delivering it to others one-on-one, in small groups and in random, unexpected situations - just like real life. Work on your communications skills and open up to the possibilities inherent in strategic networking. We may be sick of words like message points, pitching, and networking, but life is sales, and that goes double for writers. Publishers don't necessarily promote you at all any more and if you’re self-publishing, it's totally up to you. It’s a new ball game!

Workshop: Effective Dialogue
Presenter: William Horner
Effective Dialogue Description: Authors tend to think of dialogue as something they either write instinctually or can simply copy from real life experiences. On the contrary, there are myriad points to consider if you intend to craft superb dialogue that advances the plot, assists with characterization, and pulls the reader emotionally into the story. With tips and tricks concerning the art and the technical aspects of dialogue, as well as a handful of exercises to try on your own, Horner will take your dialogue to the next level, helping your work to stand out as dynamic and professional.

Workshop: Crossing and Blending Genres
Presenter: Laura Anne Gilman
Description:   The best-selling, most talked-about books and stories today aren’t limited by the ‘traditional’ genre boundaries, but rather take elements from a variety of genres, be it horror, romance, SF, mystery or fantasy. Some are direct crossovers – the romantic fantasy, or SF mystery. Others, however, blend elements of three or more, to create the romantic fantasy mystery, or the SF horror suspense novel.
Why do these work for readers and how can it work for a writer? This hour-long workshop will discuss the appeal of each genre, as well as traditional genre descriptions, and then use specific examples to show how the structure and content of these genres work together –and how they don’t. Each participant will be required to come up with a pitch (either direct crossover, or blended) and explain why they think it will work.

Workshop: How to Get Happily Published: Understanding the Process
Presenters: Roger S. Williams
Description:  Getting a book published in any economic environment is a daunting process. As a sales professional in the publishing industry Roger S. Williams, of the new PUBLISH OR PERISH AGENCY, will outline the process of getting published in today’s challenging marketplace. Mr. Williams will cover such topics as what’s going on inside publishing in these tough economic times, queries and submissions, the editorial process of how manuscripts are selected, and self-publishing.