CentralOhioWritersCollective

COWC on Temporary Hiatus...

noreply@blogger.com (Central Ohio Writers Collective) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:47:00 +0000

Since neither JD nor I make any money from any of the time or effort we put into COWC, we are unfortunately forced to temporarily pause all COWC activity in order to adequately handle our respective numerous affairs for the time being. We will be back. Stay tuned. Peace!!
-Brad

Tuesday, 8/19/2008, 5pm - Mac's Pub Happy Hour!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:57:00 +0000

JD and I have both been extra busy the last couple of weeks, so little has been done to organize COWC group events/activities. Of course, we are always more than happy to take suggestions for group activities/events from the general Central Ohio writing populace, and, as always, the usual COWC blog-related opportunities for involvement are available 24/7 to anyone interested; submitting works for online public review, commenting on already posted works etc. In lieu of any specific, writery group event or activity in the works for next week, I suggest we at least meet at Mac's in the Short North for drinks and discounted wings. That's right, Mac's offers a special deal on wings every Tuesday. Their happy hour is from 4pm-8pm, but I won't be there until 5pm-ish.

If you are one of the hundreds of people out there who have been keeping an eye on the COWC and have simply been too busy or shy or whatever to post to the blog or attend a group event/activity, this is the perfect opportunity for you to get involved.

See you there!

http://columbus.citysearch.com/profile/map/7864907/columbus_oh/mac_s_cafe.html

Above is a map thingy for anyone who doesn't know where Mac's is.

1st COWC Read-Around, A Mighty Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:16:00 +0000

To those of you were unable to make it, you missed out. There was plenty of wine, and fun to be had by all. Of course original works were shared and discussed as well. I finally had an audience for something I've been working on off and on for years, aside from my cat, that is. It was good to get a couple of different reactions and opinions. We heard and discussed everything from a cheery, columny article about back porch gardens to an intricately devised creation mythology constituting the background for a metaphysical Sci-Fi plot in the works. All in all, a mighty success. We accomplished what we had set out to do and had some fun to boot.

Stay tuned for our next Read-Around event.

COWC Read-Around Tomorrow at 7pm!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:06:00 +0000

See you all there! I will be sharing a couple of sections of a fiction novel I've been toying with for some time now in hopes of getting some inspirational feedback from the group. If you are interested in attending this event and need more information (location, directions etc), email us at centralohiowriterscollective@gmail.com. We'll set you straight, sho' nuff.

2008 Columbus Jazz & Rib Fest is this Weekend.

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:56:00 +0000

I have always loved the Jazz & Rib Fest. Just saying.

-Brad

July Read-Around: 7/29, 7pm

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:37:00 +0000

For lack of any objection, our July Read-Around will be held on Tuesday the 29th, 7:00pm at the gracious Natalie's house on the Northwest side of town. Directions will be delivered soon to all registered members via an email from our COWC google group email account. Please, bring a selection or two of your original works (finished or in progress) for the group to discuss and analyze.

As always, COWC welcomes anyone from the general Central Ohio population who has a genuine interest in what we are doing to participate in any and all of our events and activities, be they online or in person.

Feel free to add a comment to this post or email us with questions at centralohiowriterscollective@gmail.com.

A Poem, By James.....

noreply@blogger.com (James) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Here's a little poem I've been rolling about in my head for a few days.....

Kobolds Ate My Baby

Kobolds ate my baby, on a dark and moonless night;

They came in through the floorboards, and gave me quite a fright.

They gnashed their pointy teeth and swished their lizard tails;

I called for the constabulary, but alas, their courage failed.

I hit one with a rolling pin, I chased one with a broom;

But one creature slipped behind me, and slunk into the baby's room.

A scream of horror escaped my throat as I went through the bedroom door;

A kobold licked his lips and my baby, my precious baby, was no more.

Scheduling the Read-Around

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:50:00 +0000

We are in the process of scheduling our first group Read-Around. If you would like to participate, post a comment with a convenient date and time for you to meet. If you can think of a decent location for this meeting, your suggestion will be very much appreciated. This 'Read-Around' will involve all of us getting together in some comfortable, conducive spot to share with the group selections of our own original works for which we wish to receive feedback and constructive criticism. We will read, discuss, and constructively critique to our hearts content.

My suggestion for Date/Time/Location:

Tuesday, 7-29 / 7:00pm-? / Not my house until I've finally had a chance to sort out the post-wedding mayhem.

COWC Kick-Off Party, A Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:58:00 +0000

JD and I would like to thank everyone who came out to the Kick-Off party last night to meet, mingle, and learn more about this little collective of ours. We were very pleased with the turn out considering our non-existent advertising budget. Of course, had only one person attended the event, it would still have been a success in our eyes. Fortunately, we were happy to meet with several local writers, even a musician or two, interested in the COWC. Now we are officially off and running and the real fun can begin!

Although Barley's was quite a bit more crowded on a Sunday evening than I had expected it to be (perhaps due to the simultaneous closing of the North Market Food & Ohio Wine Fest., which I was somehow unaware of until last night), we were eventually able to commandeer an eight-top in a sizeable nook near the bar so that we had the option of more than four people sitting together at once. By 10:00pm, however, our gathering had dwindled to only myself and JD, so he and I decided to call it a night. We risked the assumption that since 10pm is relatively late for a Sunday evening that everyone who had intended to show up for the Kick-Off had already come and gone. Our sincere apologies to anyone who came between the hours of 10-11pm and were dissappointed to find no evidence of the COWC Kick-Off party. We truly are interested in your participation and involvement so please, stay tuned for details about future live gatherings, events, and activities.

The COWC is definitely off to a promising start and I look forward to meeting even more prospective members very soon as we begin scheduling more group events and activities. I also look forward to reading any works you wish to post to the blog for public review, which you all may feel free to do at any time, whether you attended the Kick-Off party or not. Simply take a look at our 'REGULAR & RECURRING..." section for instructions on how to submit your work to the blog.

JD and I will contact those of you who we met at the Kick-Off party and left your names and email addresses on our contact sheet by the end of this week to start talking about a convenient date, time and location for our first Read-Around session, which everyone seemed keen on. During a Read-Around we will all take turns sharing our own original work with the group which will then provide direct feedback and constructive criticism.

Below, is a list of planned group events and activities the COWC intends to organize on a regular basis. Please, feel free to add a comment to this post with thoughts and/or suggestions about group events and activities you may be interested in.

Thanks!

List of live, in-person COWC event/activities:

Read-Arounds & Staged Readings
Open Mic Poetry
Group Attendance of Local Lit. and Writing-Related Events (Workshops, Readings etc)
Book Clubs

Tonight! The COWC Kick-Off Party!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:28:00 +0000

7-11pm at Barley's Pub in the Arena district. We hope to see you there.

Big and Hairy - By Brad for Public Review

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:44:00 +0000

(I found this in one of my high school notebooks. I probably wrote it during class while board.)

Big and hairy
Short and scary
None named Larry
They like to go to the mortuary
I read that in the library
The picture in the book was funny to Mary
Because it looked like her brother Barry
They’ll say they like you but on the contrary
Most will bite your derrierey
They are mean because they can’t find work anywherey
Except for the old tooth fairy
She owns a dozen yellow canaries
And buys the best silk underweary
Her favorite snack is chocolate cherries
Once I trapped her in a snarey
She became irate and started to sweary
The words she chose were not ordinary
That is why I tossed her into the airy
And grabbed my pistol and shot her

Yeah for America! And Yeah for the COWC Kick-Off Party this Sunday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Just a reminder...

The COWC Kick Off Party!

July 13th, 7pm-11pm

Barley's Pub Downtown (Arena Dist. by North Market)
http://barleysbrewing.com/downtown

Come prepared to mingle, eat, drink, discuss literature, writing, and upcoming COWC initiatives and events in a completely low-key, no-pressure atmosphere. Meet Brad and J.D. (COWC co-founders) as well as other people like you who wish to have some fun, collaborate, and communicate in the interest of improving as writers.

J.D. and I will literally be sitting at a table (or perhaps the bar) drinking next to a little sign that reads Central Ohio Writers Collective. There will be no raffle, name tags, introduction games, or anything at all like that. If you are curious to know more about COWC, just stop over and say hello to us. We won't bite...hard.

This will be the first public meeting of the Central Ohio Writers Collective. Following this event, COWC will be organizing semi-regular events and activities and updating the COWC blog accordingly. As always, all are welcome to participate in COWC events and activities regardless of publication history, genre interests, experience, race, gender, and so on.

We hope to see you there!

Comm Fest Comments (Post Yours Here)

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:55:00 +0000

Between both the Ohio Scottish Games in Wellington (up near Oberlin) and an OSU Dance Dept. concert I was obligated to attend, not to mention an amazing curry dinner I'm very glad I didn't pass on, inclimate weather, and a few other equally random considerations...I did not make it out to Comm Fest this year. I must say I am more than a little bit bumbed about that.

So, please leave commentary for this post describing your experience at Comm Fest this year. I want to hear all about the bands, workshops, liberated women, drunken debauchery and so forth.

Aaaand, go.

Writers' Block Poetry Update

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:49:00 +0000

Message from Writers' Block Poetry, 6/30/08:

WEDNESDAY: Writers' Block Open Mic!

Bring your or someone else's poems!

Get ready for slam season now!

Next week's show starts the 2008 IWPS season!

http://www.writersblockpoetry.com

Oh yeah: we'll have DJing back this week!

Every Wednesday, 8 PM $5@ Kafe Kerouac,

2250 N. High St.

Open Mic & Poetry Slams

Community Festival Is This Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Although it has very little to do with writing/literature, "Comm Fest" is lots of fun. Here's the 411:

Community Festival (36th), Fri-Sun 6/27/2008 - 6/29/2008

Location: Goodale Park, in and around Goodale Park - Columbus, Ohio

Contact: Community Festival C.L.Watkins

Description: multi arts - music event

Type: Festival. No Admission Fee.

Normal Attendance: 65,000

So Long, George Carlin. You Will Be Missed.

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:41:00 +0000

"LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Comedian-actor George Carlin, known for his raunchy but insightful humor, died of heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 71."

-CNN.com

Thurber House Presents - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Finalist and OSU Professor, Lee Martin

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:00:00 +0000

The following was sent via email earlier today:

Don't miss Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Finalist and OSU Professor, Lee Martin and, River of Heaven

Lee Martin will read from his newest novel, River of Heaven, at the second Literary Picnic of the season on Wednesday, June 25 on the side lawn of Thurber House, 77 Jefferson Ave. (Rain site at State Auto Insurance, 518 E. Broad St.)  

Lee is the author of several books including Quakertown, a story collection, two memoirs, and the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist, The Bright Forever. He has been awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, among many other prestigious awards. He will read from his latest novel, River of Heaven, which is a striking story about the high cost of living a lie, the chains that bind us to our past, and the obligations we have to those we love.

Starting at 5:20, the Thurber House Young Docents will offer special guided tours of Thurber House. Picnicking will begin at 6:15 p.m., guests can order a delicious catered dinner from Party Panache, or bring their own. You can also bring wine. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m.   

Tickets are $25 for the reading and dinner and $15 for the reading only. All dinner reservations must be made by 4 p.m. on Monday, June 23. Reading-only tickets are sold in advance and at the door. For more details, or to purchase tickets, call 614-464-1032 or click on the link below

You can order tickets online here - www.thurberhouse.org/events/tickets.html

More Poetry in the Park Saturday, July 5th at 7:30pm

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:43:00 +0000

Goodale Park (corner of Buttles and Park)
Saturday, July 5th
Featured poet: Charlene Fix at 7:30 p.m. followed by Open Mic Poetry

Read details at http://www.poetryinthepark.com/.

LOOK, WE HAVE SOME NEW LINKS!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:09:00 +0000

We have recently added a few more links to some interesting, local writing/lit. related websites. Check 'em out in our Links section on the left.

If you know of any websites, organizations, or resources that could be interesting and/or useful to writers in Central Ohio, please leave a comment and let us know.

Thanks!

New Poem Only Open Mic at Kafe Kerouac - Friday, June 20th

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:29:00 +0000

The following was posted to Downtown Writers Network on June 14th:

It feels like the middle of summer already, but we're actually at the end of spring. This year's summer solstice occurs Friday evening, the 20th, at 7:59 p.m.Celebrate the occasion with other writers, by going to the Writers Block New Poem Only Open Mic. It starts exactly one minute into summer at 8:00 p.m., at Kafe Kerouac. It's $3 at the door.

Brad's Back in Town and Hitched!

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Hey everybody! My first eight or so days of married life have been fun and eventful. Things will be pretty busy for a while yet as my wife gets moved into my/our crib. But, I will be continuing to post news and info. as it crosses my path now that I'm back.

Don't forget, you may submit your works for Online Public Review anytime you wish. Send them as attachments to our COWC email address centralohiowriterscollective@gmail.com. We will post them to the blog from there. Please, take some time to read and comment on works already posted to the blog as well.

Me and J.D. are also VERY excited about the COWC Kick-Off Party next month!! At this point, we are aware of at least one or two COWC-ers who will be there besides me and J.D. We hope you will join us on July 13th as well for community and libations. Read more about the COWC Kick-Off event in our Upcoming Events section.

PEACE-OUT!

C-BUS on CNN.com

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:31:00 +0000

A little high-profile national recognition is always nice. Check out this article on www.cnn.com:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/getaways/05/30/columbus.ohio/index.html

EPILOG FEATURES GRADUATING MFA WRITERS MAY 30th

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:39:00 +0000

EPILOG FEATURES GRADUATING MFA WRITERS MAY 30

The OSU Writers’ Guild and the Creative Writing Program are hosting “Epilog: An Evening of Poetry, Fiction and Creative Nonfiction” at 7 p.m. Friday (5/30) in Roy Bowen Theater in the Drake Union. The event honors graduating MFA creative writers and will feature readings by the graduates from portions of their work. The event is free. Contact: bierschenk.1@osu.edu

-Article from OSUToday, May 28 2008

A Couple of Readings This Week

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:12:00 +0000

The following is taken directly from Downtown Writers Network's weekly events announcement:

"A glorious May ends with two readings that central Ohio writers will want to take note of.The first happens Sunday evening, when the monthly get-together of the Peripatetic Poets present featured readings by Dotte Turner and Doug Rutledge, 7:00 at Areopagitica Books (3510 N. High St.).The second will be Friday, in Nestor Hall on the Columbus State campus, where writers from the student body and the community at large will gather to sample one another's work in a free-wheeling open mic. The fun begins at 7:00. Don't miss it."

If you attend either or both of these events, add comments to this post to tell your COWC brothers and sisters all about it.

Poetry in Goodale Park - Saturday, June 7 at 7:00pm

noreply@blogger.com (Brad) — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Hey there, COWC people. I just received the following email about a poetry event being held at Goodale Park on Saturday, June 7th that sounds quite interesting. I will have just been married and will be engrossed in my reception that evening, otherwise I would go and check it out for myself. I recommend you all attend on your own. Bring a poem to read aloud. Tell me all about it afterward. After the official COWC Kick Off in July, maybe we can form a group event around the next poetryinthepark event.

"Hello, I found your blog and would like to invite you to a Gallery Hop Saturday writers' event.

I am the event coordinator of Poetry in the Park (www.poetryinthepark.com) and would like to invite you and everyone in your group to come to our next event, Saturday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Our featured poet is Jerry Roscoe, the former poetry editor of The Columbus Dispatch. We will also have music by Chris Davis, a very talented musician and lyricist.

This event takes place in beautiful Goodale Park at the corner of Buttles Avenue and Park Street. It is free to the public. Open mic will begin around 8:00 p.m. and everyone is invited to share their work.

Hope to see you soon.

Best regards,
Shanna
Shanna Harrell
Event Coordinator, Poetry in the Park
info@poetryinthepark.com"