POETRY for the PEOPLE Sept. 25 in Front Royal

Come on out to a reading and OPEN MIC in Front Royal, VA on Saturday, September 25 at 3:00 PM.

The event will be held at the Samuels Public Library at 330 East Criser Road. All are welcome. Bring a poem to share. Refreshments will be served.

The featured readers, Jose Padua and Julia Campbell Johnson, will be followed by the open mic.

Reader Bios:

Julia Campbell Johnson, a Tennessean by birth, was raised in the southern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Following a 12-year career in public relations in Tennessee, she entered the Master of Fine Arts program at American University in Washington, D.C. Her poems have appeared in Southern Poetry Review, Poet Lore, Timber Creek Review, Prairie Journal and Tundra, among others. Her chapbook, The Tea of the Unforeseen Berry, was a finalist in the 2007 New Women’s Voices Award competition.

José Padua’s poetry and fiction have appeared in Bomb, Salon.com, Exquisite Corpse, Another Chicago Magazine, Unbearables, Crimes of the Beats, Up is Up, but So Is Down: New York’s Downtown Literary Scene, 1974-1992, and many other journals and anthologies. His poetry manuscripts have been finalists for the Many Mountains Moving book award and the Autumn House book award. With his wife, he writes the blog Shenandoah Breakdown.

OPEN MIC
Featured readers will be followed by an open mic. In the spirit of June Jordan’s belief that poetry belongs to all people, members of the public are welcome to come and read a poem or two. Teens and those who have never read before are especially encouraged.

Workhouse Arts Center Poetry Open Mic on Sept. 26

Poetic Art Open Mic on September 26!

Don't miss the POETRY OPEN MIC with special guest host David "Granmadave" Schein. Reverent or raw, rhymed & metered or free verse, all poets, spoken word performers, professional and rookie alike, are invited to step up to the mic with your original poetry or slam. Please join us for a lively poetic journey on Sunday, September 26 from 2-4pm. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.

http://www.workhousearts.org/events/351/poetic-art-open-mic-on-september-26!/

My Poem "Casino" Wins AIW Poetry Award

Was surprised recently when American Independent Writers chose "Casino" for their 2010 Poetry Award. Received a swanky plaque on Saturday in front of 200 people, where I also told them all that I am pregnant. The poem "Casino" is about gambling on pregnancy later in life.

Read it here at Exhale Magazine: http://www.exhalezine.com/magazine/?page_id=127

Poem Featured in On the Issues

On the Issues Magazine is featuring my poem "From Armenia" in their current issue here: http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2010winter/2010winter_poetry.php

This issue focuses on Passion, Freedom & Women. Check out the amazing stories, essays, and poems about strong women.

Winding River Writers Mentioned in NoVa Daily

The writing workshop I've been running for the past 2 years has an official name now: Winding River Writers. We're a group of about eight regulars who meet once a month to read each other's poetry, fiction, plays, and nonfiction. We're all advanced writers intent on publishing.

If you have some experience as a writer and would like to join us, please contact me at hdavis67@gmail.com.

The Northern Virginia daily just mentioned us in an article about local writers' groups:Pen Pals: Writing Clubs Help Members Push Themselves

It's great to see so many groups springing up. There's also now a regular readings series and open mic at The Book of Knowledge on the downtown walking mall in Winchester. It takes place on the first Friday of each month at 7 PM. It's a great store and the audience is very supportive. Check it out!

Shenandoah Breakdown: The Blog

Check out our new blog Shenandoah Breakdown for observations of local people, culture, cuisine, and varieties of monster truck. We break down the pros and cons, the ups and downs, the funny, the sad, and the scary aspects of living in the Shenandoah Valley and, specifically, of life in the confounding little town of Front Royal, VA.

Hint Fiction Anthology: Call for Submissions

This sounds like a great exercise to try. I imagine many of these turn out to be quite poetic. Check out the guidelines here:
http://www.robertswartwood.com/?page_id=8
Tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2010, W.W. Norton will publish an anthology of Hint Fiction. What is Hint Fiction? It’s a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story. The thesis of the anthology is to prove that a story 25 words or less can have as much impact as a story 2,500 words or longer. The anthology will include between 100 and 150 stories. We want your best work.