Carteret Writers’ Quadrennial Conference was an inspiring success!
Over the weekend, the Carteret Writers hosted a wildly successful Quadrennial Conference to celebrate forty years of supporting local writers. Novelists, poets, and essayists came from all over the region, the state, and even from as far as Baltimore to share their talents and learn from one another. From immersive workshops and presentations to an engaging panel, the conference was a testament to the thriving literary community in eastern North Carolina, and I am so proud to have been a part of it!
If you missed out on the conference, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered! I spent most of my time not writing but snapping photos. These are a few of my favorites that capture the excitement and enthusiasm of our faculty and our attendees. There will be more to come as I sift through the hundreds I took.
Edgar-nominated mystery writer and Carteret Writers Quadrennial Conference MC
Two of the masterminds behind the Quadrennial Conference
Sarah is a former president of the Carteret Writers who continues to recruit new members with her enthusiasm and good humor
Conference Committee members excited about the day ahead of them!
These three writers are a source of constant inspiration for me!
Some of the best and brightest writers in the state were here to celebrate with us.
Award-winning novelist, writing coach, and manuscript editor John DeDakis leading a workshop on revision
Mystery writer, graduate of the Durham Citizen Police Academy, and past President of Triangle Sisters in Crime Sara E. Johnson chatting with member Lindsay
Rose Cushing interviews Malaika King Albrecht live for her podcast
Malaika King Albrecht’s Epistolary Poetry Workshop
I did manage to make it to Heart of Pamlico Poet Laureate and author Malaika King Albrecht’s afternoon poetry workshop, and I’m so glad I did! I hit it off with Malaika straight away; it was clear to both of us we were cut from the same hippie wholecloth. However, I’d already suspected as much reading through her latest chapbook The Stumble Fields. I mean, just look at some of these titles:
- “Grave Rubbing with my Daughters”
- “How to Make a Ghost”
- “Why a Ghost Calls Your Name”
And now, read her poem “How to be Haunted” from the same collection to dismiss any lingering doubts that I’ve met one of my long lost soul sisters.
How to be Haunted
Drink alone at night
and dream of a fierce wind
that sends seeds too far
away to gather.
Braid snakes into your hair,
throw a diamond ring in the river,
and watch how all things
are lost to water.
Malaika’s poem suggests that poets are an unruly bunch, given to dreaming fierce winds and braiding snakes into our hair, and she ain’t wrong. To be considerate of quieter genres, we took the poetry workshop outside into the riotous, Capital R Romantic natural landscape of Carolina Home and Gardens. It was a perfect setting for Malaika the Muse to gently shake loose poetry that must have been carelessly baked onto my brain pan a few decades back. She introduced us to epistolary poetry and shared a range of exemplars before encouraging us to write our own using prompts. I left feeling inspired and energized, eager to get back to my poetry writing roots just in time to finish out National Poetry Writing Month with a bang.
Malaika King Albrecht leading a poetry workshop on the grounds of Carolina Home & Gardens
And we’re not even done yet!
You’d think that after all the planning and painstaking care that went into the conference, the board of Carteret Writers would be ready to call it quits for the summer. Nothing could be further from the truth! When Heather Boney, the director of Carteret Community College’s Life Enrichment program, invited us to partner with the school on Hooks & Lines: A Summer Workshop Series, we couldn’t turn down the opportunity to offer a light summer sampler of workshops to inspire, challenge, and ignite local writers’ creativity.
I’ll be opening the series with a workshop on creative play and writing, and I’ll close with copywriting for creative writers. My friend, fellow board member, brilliant essayist, and award-winning songwriter Emily Carter will be leading the poetry workshop and a creative non-fiction workshop. Last but by no means least, Edgar-nominated mystery writer Tom Kies will be leading workshops on fiction and scriptwriting. Tom’s creative writing class at the college had a profound influence on the current CW board and literally changed my life in ways that feel important to me, so I cannot recommend him enough as a mentor, friend, and, of course, author.
More details about Hooks & Lines
If you’re a local writer, don’t miss this fun opportunity to experiment with several genres while enjoying encouragement from experienced writers, practicing your craft, and building your writing community!
- Creative Play and Writing with me: [05/15, 5:30-7:30pm, CCC]. In this workshop, you’ll explore different techniques for sparking creativity and generating new ideas.
- Using Real Life to Inspire Fiction Workshop with Tom Kies: [05/22, 5:30-7:30pm, CCC]. Join Tom for a hands-on workshop on writing compelling fiction, from crafting memorable characters to building suspenseful plots.
- Creative Non-Fiction Workshop with Emily Carter: [06/05, 5:30-7:30pm, CCC]. In this workshop, you’ll explore the art of telling true stories in a compelling way.
- Poetry Workshop with Emily Carter: [06/12, 5:30-7:30pm, CCC]. Join Emily for an exciting dive into the craft of poetry, exploring form, style, and theme.
- Scriptwriting Workshop with Tom Kies: [06/19, 5:30-7:30pm, CCC]. In this workshop, you’ll explore what it takes to make a script and experiment with transforming fiction or creative non-fiction into script form.
- Copywriting for Writers Workshop with me again: [06/26, 5:30-7:30pm, CCC]. Finally, we’ll dabble in the black arts of marketing copywriting to learn how to use your creative skills to promote your writing.
Register for the summer writing workshop series!
Registration for the workshop series is now open, so be sure to sign up soon to secure your spot. To register for the series, call or email Heather Boney at the Carteret Community College Life Enrichment Center. Her phone number is 252-222-6200, and her email address is boneyh@carteret.edu. You can also follow the center’s Facebook group page to get info on all of the interesting life enrichment programs offered, like beekeeping and salsa dancing! Stay tuned for more updates from the Carteret Writers, and feel free to share this post with fellow writers who might be interested in the Summer Workshop Series.
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