Chattanooga Writers Guild Newsletter
December 18, 2022
Ray Zimmerman, Editor ray.zimmerman@chattanoogawritersguild.org
Guild events are well covered on our events page, so this is an excellent place to present some extras. I have heard that local and regional contests are more productive for writers than national contests, despite the large prizes for national competitions. Simply put, your chances are better in smaller contests with fewer entrants.
Writers of Grace Contest
Writers of Grace will hold their annual Writing Contest in January and February 2023. Categories include poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The submission window runs from January 1 to February 28, 2023. Writers of Grace is centered in Oak Ridge. Full details are available on the web page https://www.writersofgrace.org/writing-contest/.
January Jumpstart XXIII Workshop
Tennessee Mountain Writers will hold their Jump Start XXIII workshop on January 14-15, 2023, at the Comfort Inn in Oak Ridge. The workshop includes a poetry track and a fiction track https://tmwi.org/january-jumpstart-xxiii/.
TMW Annual Conference: Let the Words Flow
The Tennessee Mountain Writers will hold their conference April 7-9 at the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Ridge The conference includes Workshops, Contests, Networking, Manuscript Evaluations, and Book Signings. The workshops include songwriting, flash fiction, writing for younger people, and other topics. Please find more information on their website. https://tmwi.org/2022-annual-conference-let-the-words-flow/.
Poetry Society of Tennessee Festival
The Poetry Society of Tennessee will hold a virtual festival on April 15. They are also soliciting submissions for their anthology. The PST is a Statewide organization. See their website for more information https://www.poetrytennessee.org/annual-festival-and-contest.html.
Chattanooga Writers Guild Announces a New Contest Series
We have a new contest series for 2023. Our board members designed this series after meeting with each of our writing groups and asking them what they wanted from the organization. You can find more information about the contest on our guild website. https://chattanoogawritersguild.org/2022/12/13/announcing-our-new-contest-series/.
Chattanooga Writers Guild Merchandise
Our website offers new merchandise, including CWG T-Shirts, mugs, totes, notebooks, and more. https://chattanoogawritersguild.org/2022/12/14/check-out-our-new-t-shirts-and-more/.
CWG Writing Groups
If you need a writing group, please look at our list of groups and connect with one. The ekphrastic poetry group is a generative workshop devoted to helping writers create new poems. The others help with the revision process, and one publishes occasional fiction collections. Some are online, while others are in person. https://chattanoogawritersguild.org/writing-groups/.
CWG Events Calendar
For upcoming meetings, programs, and events, check the events calendar. https://chattanoogawritersguild.org/calendar/.
Other local organizations
The Open Mic at Barnes and Noble is on yearly hiatus until January 27. KB Ballentine coordinates this group which meets on the final Friday of the month except in November and December. The group meets at 7:15 at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Hamilton Place Mall.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosts the annual Meacham Writers Workshop each spring and fall with public readings and critique sessions in Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction. https://www.meachamwriters.org/index.htm
Rhyme N Chat holds regular events for performance poets and spoken word artists. They also produce poetry anthologies. You can learn about upcoming events on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/rncpoetry/
Chattanooga poet Christian Collier organized The Plug Poetry Project to offer regular poetry readings and workshops here in Chattanooga. He also produced several local poets’ video presentations, which are available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU6gx0647sNdHMAiN9vOsMA. Look for The Plug Poetry Project on Facebook. The logo is an electric plug aimed at an outlet.
After holding a weekly open mic for several years, the Open Mic at the Well has ceased holding public open mics. Our founder moved to Savannah, Georgia, which motivated a change in the organization.
A few images from Last Spring
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