Actor/writer Byran Cohen maintains website www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com.  He has put together a rich and varied collection of 1,000 writing prompts available now through his website for a penny each!

These prompts will work for memoir and fiction: Here are two sample prompts,  “250. You give the best presentation of your life about the thing you care about the most in this world. Write down the presentation as if you were actually going to present it.” And: “925. Strange things begin to happen in your house. Lights turn on and off. Furniture moves on its own. You may have an angry spirit in your house. What do you do to deal with this odd problem?”

I’ve taught with Susan Wingate. Her words are worth reading regularly:

http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/susanwingate/

Emerging Voices < http://penusa.org/2011EVApplication > is a literary fellowship program that aims to provide new writers, who lack access, with the tools they will need to launch a professional writing career. Over the course of the year, each Emerging Voices fellow participates in: a professional mentorship; hosted Q & A evenings with prominent local authors; a series of Master classes focused on genre; and two public readings. The fellowship
includes a $1,000 stipend. Participants need not be published, but the program is directed toward poets and writers of fiction and creative nonfiction with clear ideas of what they hope to accomplish through their writing. There are no age restrictions. Applications are due on or before August 31, 2010.

I had the privilege of teaching with author Susan Wingate  at the Whidbey Island Writer’s Mini Conference. I am pleased to share this information about her helpful blogs and her new books:
http://susanwingate.wordpress.com/muscle-up-the-gut-of-your-novel-writing-instruction/ Her  website blog
http://blogs.sanjuanjournal.com/susanwingate/ The PNWLocalNews.com & the SanJuanJournal.com blogs.
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/susanwingate/ Her blog on PublishersMarketPlace.com

She’s had three new books released this past spring and summer. They are:
· RAVINGS OF A MAD GENTLEWOMAN: More Madness, <http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1449956548/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link>

· <http://stores.blackrosewritingbooks.com/-strse-77/A-Falling-of-Law/Detail.bok> A FALLING OF LAW, and

· EASY AS PIE AT BOBBY’S DINER <http://www.book-hub.com/eaaspieatbod.html>

Check out http://hillhousewriters.com/ for info and rates. It sounds lovely!

Opportunity to hear Pema Chödrön as she teaches how to befriend our fears and find peace in our lives. Through teachings inspired by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s recently published book, Smile At Fear, Pema will show how to work with our fears and anxieties using gentleness and inquisitiveness. Publisher is giving away one ticket for all 3 days, Fri-Sun, October15-17, to one lucky person.  You have to get yourself there, travel expenses aren’t covered, but it’s an  opportunity to immerse yourself in teachings. Visit Chögyam Trungpa blog, and leave a comment at the end of the blog post with your answer to this question: What do you think it means to smile at fear?  The winner will be selected by random draw on Monday, August 9. The weekend event will be held at the Craneway Pavilion overlooking the San Francisco Bay in the Marina District of Richmond, California.

Reading period is August 1, 2010  through October 31st, 2010. Every entrant receives detailed response to their poem or essay  from Sheila Bender within two weeks of entering, and every entrant may then re-enter a revision of that entry by November 15 for final judging by a selected guest editor. Please visit our contest website for a complete description of how the contest works and for submission guidelines.

The Seattle-based Author-Editor Clinic exists to provide effective and reasonably priced editing for your book project. We believe in working with you to shape your manuscript into its best possible form. Thoughtful, respectful communication is at the core of our philosophy, and we strive to make the editing experience positive and encouraging. Our editing services have been used by satisfied authors of literary and commercial fiction, memoirs and travel tales, as well as other works of nonfiction, since 2004. We work with writers in the Northwest and around the country. We provide substantial critiques that can help take your book project to the next level. We are now accepting manuscripts for our Fall manuscript Session, September 24 ˆ October 29, 2010. Application Deadline: September 10. Please see our website for more details. www.authoreditorclinic.com <http://www.authoreditorclinic.com> .

Sponsored by Pacific Northwest Travel Writers Conference
Saturday, June 26, 2010, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Tacoma, WA
Seminar fee: $145 ($155 at the door), includes lunch & snacks

Registration/Information: www.travelwritersconference.com

This one-day seminar gathers together some of the most successful members of the region’s travel writing community and tourism industry to provide writers with an opportunity to sharpen skills and develop new and effective strategies for selling travel stories in a changing industry.

Take a look at  http://www.quote-review.com .