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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Budding Writers Can Get A Confidence Boost At Three-Day Workshop

There must be some reward for writing. After all, so many people try to do it.

Money is limited, so that can’t be the main lure. Publication is rare, so that can’t be such a big draw either. Self-expression offers only limited satisfaction to writers who feel the need to share their words with the world.

So maybe it’s hope that keeps people scribbling. Hope for money, for publication, for the chance to have others read their thoughts but mostly for appreciation.

If you want to write yet lack the confidence, you might want to check out the three-day writer’s workshop that will begin Friday at Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington. It will be taught by poet Nance Van Winckel and short-story writer Patricia Henley.

The Inland Northwest Writer’s Workshop, as the three-day affair is called, will offer a variety of classes, hands-on writing periods, and it will culminate in a weekend-closing open reading.

Fees are $110 for all three days, and walk-in registrants are encouraged. For further information, call 458-6429 or 838-0206.

Measuring your words

Speaking of Nance Van Winckel (see above), you may be asking yourself: What does she have to offer a potential poet?

Fair question. And you might find what you’re looking for in her latest poetry chapbook. Van Winckel, editor of the Eastern Washington University literary journal Willow Springs, is the author of “A Measure of Heaven” (Floating Bridge Press, 31 pages, $6), which was completed with the help of a National Endowment for the Arts grant and a faculty research grant from EWU.

More measuring

If you’re in Seattle for the weekend of July 26-28, and you happen to be a writer wannabe, you might consider attending the 41st Annual Pacific Northwest Writers Conference.

Not only will there be some 20 book editors, literary agents and publishers on hand, Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright August Wilson will address the prize banquet on “Why I Learned to Read” and some 40 workshops will be held in various subjects such as Writing Challenges in Today’s Market and Turning Your Book Into a Movie.

Registration fees ranges from $150 to $320. For further information, call (206) 443-3807. The e-mail address is: pnwsritersconf@halcyon.com.

Literary surfing

Boise author Rick Just isn’t satisfied with just having written his first novel. He wants people to have access to it before its official Sept. 2 publishing date.

That’s why he’s serializing it, chapter by chapter, on the Internet. Titled “Keeping Private Idaho,” the novel is Just’s attempt at warning Idaho residents about the dangers of overpopulation.

“This is a cautionary tale about Idahoans’ reaction to growth and tourism,” Just said in a recent press release. “Because of the book’s depiction of monkey-wrenching, I expect some criticism. I hope readers will understand that I wrote the book because of my love for Idaho.”

Each new chapter of the book, which began its Internet run on July 1, will be available on a daily basis.

Communications program manager for the Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation, Just has the following Internet address: http://www.privateidaho.com.

Tune in for fun.

A time to sign

Dorothy Dahlgren and Simone Kincaid, co-authors of “In All the West No Place Like This: A Pictorial History of the Coeur d’Alene Region” (Museum of North Idaho, 254 pages, $34.95, $24.95 paperback), will sign copies of the book’s new edition from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Book & Game Co. in the Silver Lake Mall.

The new edition includes a chapter on the town of Harrison. For further information, call (208) 664-3448.

The reader board

Gary Ferguson, author of “The Yellowstone Wolves,” will read from his book at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington.

David Quammen, author of “The Song of the Dodo,” will read from his book at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Auntie’s Bookstore.

Stephen J. Lyons, author of “Landscape of the Heart: Writings on Daughters and Journeys,” will read from his book at 7 p.m. Wednesday at BookPeople in Moscow, 512 S. Main.

Randall Clifford, author of “Castling,” will read from his book at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Auntie’s Bookstore.

Patricia Henley, author of two collections of short stories and one of poetry, will read from her recent fiction at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Auntie’s Bookstore.

Nance Van Winckel, author of several collections of poetry, will read from her recent chapbook “A Measure of Heaven,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Auntie’s Bookstore.

, DataTimes