Blog

Launching in the Time of Covid: A Debut Novelist Speaks

Launching in the Time of Covid: A Debut Novelist Speaks

by Mally Becker, TWC Outreach Coordinator A few authors tell me that I’ve missed out on the “real” book launch experience because The Turncoat’s Widow (Level Best Books 2021), my debut mystery, was published during the Covid-19 shutdown. I can’t compare my experience to anyone…

EVENT RECAP: Wrangling Research with Christina Baker Kline

EVENT RECAP: Wrangling Research with Christina Baker Kline

by TWC Founder/Director Judith Lindbergh   What a pleasure to welcome Christina Baker Kline back to The Writers Circle!  Our conversation on Wrangling Research*, held Sunday, February 21 via Zoom, proved yet again Christina’s wisdom, candor, and generosity. In a whopping two-hour conversation, we covered the gamut from inspiration…

Literary versus Commercial? Art versus “Drivel?”

Literary versus Commercial? Art versus “Drivel?”

by TWC Founder/Director Judith Lindbergh A student recently asked a great question that I think many writers ponder and even worry about: What separates “literary” from “non-literary?” How do you suggest we strive to create “literature,” or not, as my creative writing teacher in college…

Getting Critical with Pop Culture

Getting Critical with Pop Culture

by Lisa Levy Listen: It’s been a long pandemic, and it’s not over yet. One of the ways I have gotten through it—and there is evidence that I am not alone in this—is turning to pop culture. In these days when time feels both slow…

Not the 2020 We’d Expected

Not the 2020 We’d Expected

by TWC Founder/Director Judith Lindbergh Well, this was not exactly the festive 10th anniversary year we’d expected. Yes, back in January 2020, The Writers Circle celebrated its 10th anniversary.  We made a big deal, including a big celebratory party with hors d’oeuvres, live music, speeches,…

Jane Friedman Comes to The Writers Circle (virtually!)

Jane Friedman Comes to The Writers Circle (virtually!)

We’ve been working on it for years, but it took the global pandemic to make it possible: bringing a crowd of nearly 100 (tiny digital faces) to The Writers Circle to learn from publishing expert Jane Friedman. “The Foundations of Getting Published” was just that—an…

Wow, That Was INTENSE! Summer Creative Writing Intensive 2020 Virtual Edition (featuring Hurricane Isaias)

Wow, That Was INTENSE! Summer Creative Writing Intensive 2020 Virtual Edition (featuring Hurricane Isaias)

by Rebecca Kilroy, 2020 Summer Creative Writing Intensive Coordinator In an ordinary world, I would’ve gotten up Monday morning, put on my Summer Intensive t-shirt (after two years as a student and three as an intern, I have a rainbow to choose from), and driven…

On the Precipice of the 2020 Problem

On the Precipice of the 2020 Problem

by Michelle Cameron, TWC Co-Director It happened last night in class. As one of my students read from her work in progress – a contemporary novel—something struck me, so I turned back to the first page and circled the year. 2020 We can’t approach this…

What Writing Means to Me: I Am a Waiting Room

What Writing Means to Me: I Am a Waiting Room

by Lillie Hannon Please trust me when I say that I thought long and hard about how to answer “what writing means to me”. I came up with draft after draft about nonexistent schedules and favorite notebooks and my feral-like obsession with the perfect pen.…

RECAP: Dirty Little Secrets: How Publishing Really Works with Phil Sexton

RECAP: Dirty Little Secrets: How Publishing Really Works with Phil Sexton

by Mally Becker, TWC Outreach Coordinator “How’s the soon-to-be-published author?” someone teased me as I entered MONDO-Summit last Sunday. Thrilled and clueless. That’s how I felt. I had signed a three-book contract with Level Best Books just weeks earlier, with my debut novel, The Turncoat’s…

What Writing Means to Me: Quarter-Life Crisis

What Writing Means to Me: Quarter-Life Crisis

by Abbie Davidson Ironically, it feels almost impossible to put into words how meaningful writing is to me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been a college student for 3+ years, and, because of that, my writing has woefully sat, mostly untouched, in months old Google drive…

Celebrating TEN Years of Creative Writing and Community

Celebrating TEN Years of Creative Writing and Community

January 18, 2020 marked The Writers Circle’s tenth anniversary and we celebrated the day in style.  Here’s a peek at the party we threw at Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, NJ.  Thank you to all the students, family, and friends who came out to make…