Denton Writes 2012

It is not too late to enter the Denton Public Library’s 5^th annual creative writing contest, Denton Writes 2012.  Entries must be submitted to the contest email address, dentonwrites2012@gmail.com, and will be accepted through, April 9.

 

Individuals are invited to channel their creative expression through the written word by submitting original, unpublished fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  Easy-to-follow submission guidelines can be accessed through the Denton Public Library’s website (http://www.dentonlibrary.com) and blog (http://dentonlibrary.wordpress.com).

 

 

“Denton Writes continues to grow in popularity every year as writers of all ages look forward to sharing their creativity with the community. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of The Friends of the Denton Public Libraries as they sponsor Denton Writes 2012,” said Kimberly Wells, North Branch Library Manager.

 

 

Local editors, poets and authors will judge the entries for the four divisions: second through fourth grade, fifth through sixth grade, teens and adults.  Depending on the quality and quantity of submissions there will be at least one winner per division, per category.  Contestants are invited to submit one entry per writing category but may not submit more than one entry in any single category.

 

Contest winners will be announced in May.  Winning entries will be published on the Denton Public Library’s blog. Winners will once again be featured in American Library Association READ posters that will be displayed at all three library branches. In addition, through the support of the Friends of the Denton Public Libraries, each winner will receive a complimentary copy of Versifico 2012, a collection of the contest’s winning entries.

 

A congratulatory reception will be held on May 16, 2012 at 7 pm at the North Branch Library to present the winners and unveil their Read Posters.

 

For more information, visit the Denton Public Library, contact Juli Gonzalez at 940.349.8752 or juli.gonzalez@cityofdenton.com or visit the library’s website .  

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For other news items on the City of Denton, visit our website at www.cityofdenton.com, go to Quick Information and click on Press Releases.

 

 

Denton Writes 2012

The Denton Public Library invites readers to become writers with the launch of Denton Writes 2012.  The library system is hosting its fifth annual creative writing contest in celebration of April’s National Poetry Month.

 

Individuals are invited to channel their creative expression through the written word by submitting original, unpublished fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  Easy-to-follow submission guidelines can be accessed through the Denton Public Library’s website (http://www.dentonlibrary.com) and blog (http://dentonlibrary.wordpress.com).

 

Entries must be submitted to the contest email address, dentonwrites2012@gmail.com, and will be accepted through, April 9.

 

“Denton Writes continues to grow in popularity every year as writers of all ages look forward to sharing their creativity with the community. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of The Friends of the Denton Public Libraries as they sponsor Denton Writes 2012,” said Kimberly Wells, North Branch Library Manager.

 

 

Local editors, poets and authors will judge the entries for the four divisions: second through fourth grade, fifth through sixth grade, teens and adults.  Depending on the quality and quantity of submissions there will be at least one winner per division, per category.  Contestants are invited to submit one entry per writing category but may not submit more than one entry in any single category.

 

Contest winners will be announced in May.  Winning entries will be published on the Denton Public Library’s blog. Winners will once again be featured in American Library Association READ posters that will be displayed at all three library branches. In addition, through the support of the Friends of the Denton Public Libraries, each winner will receive a complimentary copy of Versifico 2012, a collection of the contest’s winning entries. Past editions of Versifico are available for checkout at all three branches.

 

A congratulatory reception will be held on May 16, 2012 at 7 pm at the North Branch Library to present the winners and unveil their Read Posters.

 

For more information, visit the Denton Public Library, contact Juli Gonzalez at 940.349.8752 or juli.gonzalez@cityofdenton.com or visit the library’s website .  

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For other news items on the City of Denton, visit our website at www.cityofdenton.com, go to Quick Information and click on Press Releases.

Comic Book or Manga Boot Camp

 

 

Calling All Comic Book and Graphic Novel Lovers!

 

Have you ever wanted to make comic books and/or manga?  The best way is by doing! Join the fun of creating sequential art with graphic novel writer/publisher, David Doub, and fellow creators and comickers, Saturday, September 24, from noon – 6 p.m. at the North Branch Library.

 

Publisher, Dusk Comics, and other creators (TBA) will guide you in the creation of an original comic. You’ll get to be a penciller or writer, letterer or inker and as a group you’ll make a comic by the end of this 6 hour boot camp. 

 

This program is for tweens, teens and adults. Feel free to bring snacks and a sack lunch.

 

Call 940-349-8752 to register.

 

Check back for more details in a few weeks!

 

Teen Writing Workshop

Are you a teen or tween who dreams of being a writer? Do you have stories in your head that you’re having trouble getting on paper? The North Branch of the Denton Public Library is offering a four-part creative writing workshop that will teach participants to carefully craft stories into the written word. The workshop will take place at the North Branch, 3020 N. Locust, on Monday, June 13; Wednesday, June 15; Monday, June 20; and Wednesday, June 22 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Registration is suggested.

For more information, contact Juli Gonzalez at 940-349-8741 or juli.gonzalez@cityofdenton.com.

For other news items on the City of Denton, visit our website at www.cityofdenton.com, go to Quick Information and click on Press Releases.

Denton Writes 2011 Winners !

The Denton Public Library would like to thank all who participated in and those who encouraged others to participate in Denton Writes 2011. This year’s writing contest, which was open to children, teens and adults, received more than 150 entries.

A party will be held to recognize and congratulate the winners Wednesday, May 25 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library.

The winners for each category are as follows:

Adult Poetry

1^st Place – Independencia by Lucas Strough

2^nd  Place – As the light by Beth Honeycutt

3^rd Place – Future of Ice by Febe Moss

 4^th Place – Unconscious Re-membering by Angie Kimmel

Adult Fiction

 1^st Place  – Snow Chains by Michael Drummond

2^nd  Place  – Memories of the Heart by Kellie Goolsby

4^th Place – Valentines Forever by Ryan Barnhart

Adult Nonfiction

 1^st Place  – Arm Wrestling: a memoir by Will Milne

2^nd  Place  – My First Crush by Isaiah Smith

3^rd Place – One Stand Only by John Bartholomew

Teen Poetry

1^st Place  – Blizzard by Kelly Shiflet

 2^nd  Place  – Love and Cucumber Stars by Josie Baker

3^rd Place – He Sees by Margaux Khosraviani

Teen Fiction

 1^st Place  – The House Always Wins by Elena Souris

 2^nd  Place  – Love Conquerers by Danielle Drews

 3^rd Place – A Piece of Mary by Karsyn Lemmons

 4^th Place – A Donkey’s Tale: The First Christmas by Shaina Owens

 Teen Nonfiction

 1^st Place  – Kepler Mission by Varada Salimath

 2^nd  Place  – Unjust Incarceration: Issues and Solutions by Elena Souris

3^rd Place – The Underlying Notion by Kiah Brooks

 Youth Poetry

1^st Place  – Laguna Beach by Erin FitzGerald

 2^nd  Place  – The Library by Ellie-Bea Agawu

3^rd Place – Owls by Victoria Langham

 Youth Fiction

1^st Place  – The Quest by Madeleine O’Brien

2^nd  Place  – The Best Helper by Sidney O’Brien 

3^rd Place – A Lumpy, Bumpy Ride by Cassandra Goolsby

 4^th Place – A Canary’s Crisis by Summer Grady

 Youth Nonfiction

1^st Place  – Pineapple Creek by Victoria Langham

2^nd  Place  – Rain Forest Reaction by Claire Collins

 Children’s Poetry

1^st Place  – Spring by Corrine Hickman

Children’s Fiction

1^st Place  – Rover’s Rescue by Hannah Hickman

2^nd  Place  – The Monster by Jack Massey

3^rd Place – Ashes the Dragon by Caitlyn Tang

4^th Place – The Haunted Laptop by Emily Hickman

Children’s Nonfiction

1 ^st Place  – The Giant Panda by Angelina Gonzalez

Zora Neale Hurston Reconsidered: Urban Stories

Denton, TX – Professor’s Corner, a free discussion group devoted to literary texts, will meet at the Denton Public Library – South Branch on Wednesday, April 13 at 7:00PM.  Dr. Genevieve West, TWU Department of English, Speech, and Foreign Languages, will lead a discussion about three of Hurston’s short stories, two of which have been recently rediscovered.

Zora Neale Hurston is typically known as the author of rural 1930s stories set in her native Florida.  It has been asserted that Hurston’s fiction constitutes an “erasure” of the Great Migration, during which as many as 15 million African-Americans migrated from the rural South to the urban centers of the North and Mid-West.  Recently rediscovered stories by Hurston, which are set in the North and were written between 1922 and 1934, reveal a woman who was very much aware of urban relocation and the challenges faced by those attempting to start life anew in the North.

The discussion will focus on the short stories “She Rock,” “The Country in the Woman,” and “Muttsy.”

When:             Wednesday, April 13, 7:00 pm

Where:           Denton South Branch Library, 3228 Teasley Lane

 For more information, contact Fred Kamman at 940-349-8726 or Fred.Kamman@cityofdenton.com.

DENTON WRITES 2011

Denton Writes 2011 Guidelines

Enter your original, unpublished work by April 20, (11:59 pm).
Email your entry as a Word doc. or rtf. attachment to: dentonwrites2011@gmail.com
 
You may only enter once per category.  All entries should include the following:
Full Name
Email Address
Telephone Number
Grade (children and teens only)
Category of Writing -
 * if Poetry, indicate Free Verse or Form; if Form, please specify the form
 * if non-fiction, indicate essay, article or memoir
 
Writing Categories – Adult and Teen (7th – 12th grade)
 Fiction: 1000 – 4500 words (literary or genre)
 Non-Fiction: 350 –2500 words (articles, essays, memoirs)
 Poetry: Free Verse or Poetry: Form (poet stated)
  Min. line count 5– Max line count 50
 
Writing Categories – Children (2nd – 6th grade)
 Fiction: maximum words 1500
 Non-Fiction: maximum words 1500
 Poetry: Free Verse or Poetry: Form (poet stated)
  Min. line count 5– Max line count 30

Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears

 The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears is an Historical Fiction/Mystery novel that interweaves three distinct historical periods all set in the same locale: Avignon, France and its environs. The three periods share the confusion and anxiety that accompany major shifts in politics and culture: The Fall of the Roman Empire in Gaul, the arrival of the Black Death during Pope Clement VI’s reign in Avignon and the fall of France to the German occupying force in WWII.

Dream Cover

Two main threads  run through each story: questions of ethics and morals in the affairs of men and anti-Semitism. In the first, a Classical philosopher named Sophia becomes mentor to Manlius Hippocratus, who has been elected Bishop. He seeks to protect his region from invasion by Germanic tribes and to preserve some remnants of his beloved Rome. Sophia is a hard task master and deals in pure philosophy and ethics.

In the second story, a student and poet attached to a bishop in Clement’s Papal administration, Olivier, has been researching the history of Manlius’ Gaul and Sophia. He falls in love with another strong female, Rebecca, and is forced to deal with the weightiest questions of right and wrong.

Finally, Julian is also researching both Olivier’s poetry and Manlius philosophy during the advent of WWII and becomes enamored with an artist who is Jewish and must balance the competing demands of friendship, politics and loyalty.

It was difficult for me initially to get used to the author’s style, although the stories were fascinating, but I’m so glad that I kept on with it. Far more going here than I am describing. Highly recommended!

posted by Chuck

Denton County Writers Workshop

Writers can learn strategies for getting their work published at the Denton County Writers Workshop presented by the North Branch Writers’ Critique Group on Saturday, June 5.  This half-day event at the North Branch Library will present a schedule of published authors. 

Wendy Lyn Watson, author and teacher of constitutional law, will talk on finding your voice.  Britta Coleman, award-winning author and essayist, will provide insights to the publishing industry and offer strategies about focus, planning, and continuing despite time constraints.  George Getschow, award winning author and principal lecturer at the University of North Texas, will speak on creative non-fiction and the Mayborn Conference.

There is no charge for this event, but registration is required.  Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m. with the first session starting at 9:30 a.m. Refreshments will be served.  For more information, please visit www.NorthBranchWriters.webs.com.

For more information, contact Carmen Grant, Public Services Librarian at 940.349.8778 or carmen.grant@cityofdenton.com.

For other news items on the City of Denton, visit our website at www.cityofdenton.com, go to Quick Information and click on Press Releases.

Third Annual Authors Forum

The third annual Authors’ Forum will be held at the Emily Fowler Central Library on Sunday, April 18, from 2:00 to 4:00.  Area writers will be on hand to talk about their experiences and adventures in writing their books and getting through the publishing process.  Among the authors will be Cheryl Crouch, Wendy Wilson, Ronald Brueckmann, and Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe of Denton as well as John Aubrey Anderson of Sanger and Lori Jordan-Rice of Saginaw.  The authors will have copies of their books with them for sale and autographs.  Refreshments will be served and a drawing will be made for a door prize.

 For more information, contact Mary Cresson, Public Services Librarian, at 940-349-8753 or at Mary.Cresson@cityofdenton.com