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Catherine Gentry is a Houston writer dedicated to compassionate creativity. She holds a BA in English from Princeton University and practiced environmental law in Houston before retiring to raise her three now grown children.
Her essays and stories have been published in The Houston Chronicle, The Princeton Alumni Weekly, and Women Under Scrutiny: An Anthology of Truths, as well as in online publications including Grown and Flown and Literary Mama.
Her short story "Shimmer" was featured in the Journey Into Time anthology and this past month, she was honored to be a guest on the podcast, Her Own Words, discussing her essay, "Not Quite Old".
She enjoys collaborating with local artists on literary and visual arts projects, most recently the WiVLA Entangled collaboration.
As a Writer in Residence with Writers in the Schools (WITS), she enjoys visiting classrooms across the Houston area to teach creative writing and inspire storytelling in unexpected ways.
Catherine loves exploring her city to find new places and inspiration and is an avid accidental gardener.
You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, and read more of her work on her website.
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Who will WiVLA highlight next?
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Each month, a WiVLA member is highlighted in the Newsletter. This is a fun way for us to get to know each other.
Contact the Literary Art Chair or the Visual Art Chair, if you would like your time in the spotlight.
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Margaret Anderson
Book Published about her father.
The Man in The Mirror
an Independent Spirit in a Regimented World
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My biggest news for 2024: publication of the memoir about my Dad's experiences in the Navy in World War II, The Man in the Mirror—An Independent Spirit in a Regimented World. It's not all about fighting, like some military memoirs. Rather, it's about my dad's own unique experiences, and also the unique history of the ship on which he served. Available only on Amazon.
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Catherine Gentry
Essay Winner and In Her Words Podcast Guest
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"I don't have to behave in a certain way. Too many people view aging as something out of control and scary, which it can be, but by clinging tightly to old ways, as rigid and unbending as arthritic joints, they make it even harder."
Catherine's essay, "Not Quite Old," was selected from submissions for the podcast Her Own Words, which works to support and uplift women through inspiring stories. The podcast episode aired January 7:
I share my essay about the impacts of aging, especially on women, and the inspiration I take from my grandmother, also named Catherine and almost exactly 50 years older than I am. She was a former flapper who as a teenager took joy rides in a hearse "borrowed" from a friend's father, climbed out the window to elope and marry my grandfather, and enjoyed strawberry ice cream in celebration of her birthday until she was nearly 97 years old.
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"The Reading Brain" was created by Sarah Sudhoff and developed with Dr. Guinevere Eden, director of the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University. The installation was a feature of the museum during MindWorks which ran through Jan 5, 2025.
The exhibit displays a vibrantly colored, playful organic brain-like structure, which generates a real-time, changing visualization of brain activity produced by dyslexic children reading.
Sarah collaborated with doctors to collect data and make the final piece research-based. Sarah also has a son who is dyslexic and likes sculptures and the color red—things she took into the final design of the exhibit.
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Photograph by Sarah Sudhoff
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Katherine is performing in West Side Story with the Houston Grand Opera Chorus. West Side Story is running through Feb 15, 2025. Tickets available online.
She will also be the featured reader at the Writespace Open Mic Friday, February 23rd. The Writespace Open Mic is 7 to 9:30 on Friday.
Katherine is also the founder, director, and editor of Synkroniciti literary magazine.
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Katherine's Facebook page
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Margo Stutts Toombs
Received a Support for Artists and Creative Individuals grant award
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The Organ-ic Variety Show is funded in part by the
City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.
#HoustonArtsAlliance #HoustonMOCA
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Opening Reception
Saturday, February 1
5 – 8 p.m.
Artists' Talk at 6:30 p.m.
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Melody Locke
Has two photograph successes!
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Melody has adorned one of the 91 12"x12" cradled boards for the Conroe Art League's (CAL) annual CAL 12x12 Art Show and Auction.
The proceeds from this auction support high school seniors in Montgomery County, TX, to help them further their artistic pursuits. The auction opened on January 7 and closed on January 31.
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Melody's second is “Myrtle and Lily” that was juried into the CAL International 2025 show by Zaeed Kala!
She created this piece for the ENTANGLED Collaboration, and it is named for two of her relatives—her great grandmother Myrtle, and her half sister, Lily.
This show will be on view in the Madeley Fine Art Gallery in Conroe, TX from March 4 - 30, 2025
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Amanda Wenger
Amanda has signed with a literary agent to represent her debut novel, WINTER AT CANDLESEND!
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She is now represented by Ashley Lopez at Waxman Literary!
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Kathi Crawford
Kathy's flash nonfiction story, How to Survive Water,
has been published by BULL.
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This story will also be included in a chapbook she is currently submitting for publication.
An excerpt: “Dive deeper into the pool. Feel the spidery awakening. This is how you learn the rapid, shallow breathing of survival. A choice is a fork in the road you cannot return to.”
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Sandi Stromberg
Sandi's poem, "Sixty Seconds of Infinity," is included in the anthology The Senior Class: 100 Poets on Aging
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This is an anthology just released by Lamar University Literary Press and is edited by Laurence Musgrove. It's available from Amazon.
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Theme: The produced writing will respond to and support the work of Leili Arai Tavallaei, winner of the fourth annual Cluley Projects open call.
Entry Deadline: 2/16/2025
Entry Fee: None.
Requirements: Call is only for Texas Residents. Submit Statement of Interest (500 words max), two Writing Samples (1,000 words max each), and a CV/Resume via the linked form.
Published : The winner will produce a text (~ 750-1250 words) to be published in conjunction with the opening of the fourth annual Cluley Projects open call winner exhibition in May/June 2025.
Finalists notified 2/16/2025.
Winner receives $500 honorarium, one-on-one mentorship, and publication opportunities.
Questions about the application can be directed to victoria@erincluley.com.
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hotpoet has launched Equinox, a biannual digital multimedia journal that showcases poets, writers, and artists.
While solstices are the extremes of the year, an equinox is equidistant, poised on the edge of one thing or another, the cusp of change or transformation. With this archetypal significance in mind, Equinox strives to explore the contemplative and motivational power of writers and artists; to celebrate how word and image can create a world and then change it.
We invite you to send us your poems, flash fiction, flash essay, photography, and art. We look for contemplative, argumentative, globally aware, despair-resistant, and apathy-abolishing works.
Theme: Inner Chambers, Secret Rooms
This theme invites you to shift your focus to interior spaces, whether literal or metaphorical. As always, you are free to respond to this theme in any way that is meaningful to you. We are eager to visit the rooms you remember, the chambers you imagine, the havens you invent.
Entry Deadline: 2/18/2025
Entry Fee: $5/submission (3 pieces in any one genre (poetry, flash prose, or image)
Length: Poems, flash fiction, flash essay, photography, and art. We look for contemplative, argumentative, globally aware, despair-resistant, and apathy-abolishing works.
Published : online on hotpoet website
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More opportunities for both Visual and Literary
Accepting Creative Non-Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Reviews and Visual Art
Theme: Open
Deadline: 2/16/2025
Send submissions to bayourevieweditor@gmail.com.
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Yellow Art Journal
Biannual Open Call for their UNFURL (Vol. X, No. 1, spring 2025)
Accepting creative nonfiction and poetry by authors identifying as women.
Theme: Works that explore the process people go through when finding and transforming into their authentic selves. This issue will be a survey of the unique journeys people take when experiencing and undergoing self-transformation, journeys that all start with a little fire, a desire, deep inside.
Opens: 2/1/2025
Send submissions to submissions@yellowarrowpublishing.com
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Monday Mag
Accepting short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art that feels like a dream.
Theme: Works for ghost stories (visual art), Halloween (poetry & visual art), ritual (fiction, non-fiction, & visual art).
Deadline: June 2025
Send submissions to moondaymag@gmail.com |
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All craft artists currently residing in Texas and working in clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and found/recycled materials are encouraged to apply to Craft Texas 2025, the twelfth show in a long-running series of juried exhibitions showcasing the finest in Texas-made contemporary craft.
Theme: open
Deadline: 4/30/2025
Fee: None. Submit up to three (3) original works completed within the last two (2) years and an artist statement.
Location: HCCC 4848 MAIN STREET, HOUSTON, TX 77002
Show Dates: September 6, 2025 – January 9, 2026
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The Stephen F. Austin (SFA) Galleries present exhibitions of regional, national and international art to an expanding audience centered in East Texas. The gallery facilitates sales but takes no commission.
Works may be of any medium (except video and performance). All works must be original and completed within the last two years.
Theme: open
Deadline: 2/8/2025
Fee: $35 for up to 3 images of works.
Location: SFA Galleries, Nacogdoches, Texas
Show Dates: April 11, 2025 - June 22, 2025
Awards: 1st - $2,000; 2nd - $1,000; 3rd - $500; Honorable Mentions
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In 1975, the Jung Center opened its non-profit gallery space in Houston's Museum District. The space exhibits a diverse array of artists and a permanent collection by Peter Birkhäuser.
The gallery space presents up-and-coming artists, local artists, Texas based artists, career retrospectives, and established or mid-career artists. Our fine art committee welcomes artists of different backgrounds and abilities to apply to our free annual open call.
Submission Guildelines
Theme: open
Entry Deadline: open between January 1st and April 30th, 2025.
Entry Fee: none
Images for application: up to 10 images representative of the proposal. Also includes artists statement and bio.
Location: The Jung Center 5200 Montrose Boulevard, Houston, TX 77006
Dates: 2025 - 2026
Email entries to: Art and Exhibitions Committee, care of Elissa A. Davis at edavis@junghouston.org.
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The Sugar Land Arts & Music Fest is a two-day festival in the heart of Sugar Land, an emerging hub for the arts. More than 100 artists participate in the event, which is a prime opportunity for them to exhibit and sell their artwork across 14 different mediums. Hosted by the Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation (SLCAF), a 501 c3 organization that strives to promote, connect, and empower arts and culture throughout our diverse community, the Sugar Land Arts & Music Fest is a testament to the positive impact the organization has on our community.
Theme: open
Entry Deadline: 1/15/2025 (Early Bird Deadline); 3/1/2025 (Final)
Entry Fee: $25/application
Images for application: 6 Images. You can submit up to 10 applications for this show.
Location: Smart Financial Centre Plaza, 18111 Lexington Blvd, Sugar Land, Texas (South).
Dates: April 26 & 27, 2025 10AM – 4pm
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The Art Center of Corpus Christi open call for applications for the 2025 Artist-in-Residence Program offered in collaboration with Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi’s Center for Coastal Studies (CCS). This is an extraordinary opportunity to create and reflect amidst the unique ecosystems of the Laguna Madre.
Two Opportunities:
- South Texas Visual Artists: Deadline March 14, 2025 (Stipend: $2,000) Applicants must reside in one of the following South Texas counties: Brooks, Cameron, Duval, Hildalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Willacy, or Zapata
- National & International Artists: Deadline May 16, 2025 (Stipend: $4,000) Open to all national and international visual artists.
The program includes:
- A 5-day immersive stay at the Laguna Madre Field Station, an off-grid research station on a pristine island.
- A 1-week studio residency at the Art Center of Corpus Christi.
- A solo exhibition showcasing your work, highlighting the beauty and conservation of the Laguna Madre.
Theme: Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Photography, Illustration, Book Arts, Ceramics, Paper Arts, Textile & Fiber Arts, Woodworking, Environmental Arts, and more.
Entry Deadline:
o South Texas Deadline: March 14, 2025
o National/International Deadline: May 16, 2025
Entry Fee: none.
For application: Work samples, resume, completed questionnaire, two professional references.
Location: Laguna Madre Field Station built on an island in the Laguna Madre, then studio residency at the Art Center of Corpus Christi.
Dates: Fall 2025/ Spring 2026
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Online Editing Tools
Looking to get your literary works ready for submission?
Consider using one (or more!) of these online editing tools to help your work shine! These tools come in both free and fee based versions.
These tools can evaluate much more than spelling and grammar!
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Theme: Open
Reading Period: March 1, 2025 - April 30, 2025.
Entry Fee: $18/submission
Length: 5-10 poems, previously unpublished. Submit all the poems in a single document.
Published : Our Poet of the Year will receive $3000 and a lifetime ONLY POEMS Membership. 4 Finalists will receive $500 each and a year-long ONLY POEMS Membership.
As we do with our Poet of the Week series, we will publish 3-10 poems by all five selected poets alongside extensive interviews. Publication will be between July-November of the same year.
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Women's Fiction Writers Association
2025 STAR Award for Published Women’s Fiction
Women's fiction is defined as a story where the emotional journey of the protagonist is the driving force of the story. The protagonist’s journey must lead to a more fulfilled self.
Women’s fiction is a flexible genre in that it may include romance, or it may not. It could be contemporary or historical and have magical, mystery, thriller, suspense, or other elements.
The driving force of a romance novel is a love story, a mystery's is the exposure of an event, a thriller's is a fear-inducing chase or escape, etc. If your manuscript's driving force best fits another genre, such as romance, science fiction, thriller, etc., it is not eligible for the STAR Award.
The STAR Award has two categories.
A general category for all full-length published women's fiction, regardless of time period of the premise or additional plot element.*
The second category is 'Outstanding Debut.' To be eligible, the entry must be women's fiction and the author’s first ever published work in any genre.
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Theme: Women's Fiction (see above).
Entry Deadline: Opens February 12, 2025. Closes February 28, 2025
Entry Fee: $50 WFWA Members, $60 non-WFWA Members/submission
Length: book-length women's fiction (60k words or more). Books must be written in English with an original copyright date in the calendar year 2024.
Published : Finalists Announced: June 8, 2025 Live on National Women's Fiction Day. Winners Announced: September 26, 2025 at the Albuquerque Retreat.
In addition to the traditional STAR Award trophy and recognition by WFWA, the winner of each category will receive a $500 prize.
Additional Questions? Contact the STAR Award coordinator at staraward@womensfictionwriters.org.
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The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. This long-running series at Symphony Space in New York City celebrates the art of the short story by having stars of stage and screen read aloud the works of established and emerging writers. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast.
The winning work will be performed by an actor in spring 2025, and published on Electric Literature. The winning writer will receive $1000 and a free 10-week course with Gotham Writers.
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Theme: Open
Entry Deadline: March 7, 2025
Entry Fee: $25/submission
Length: 700 words max. We do not accept work that has been previously published in print, online, or any other medium.
Published : see above.
The winner will be announced in spring 2025.
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Theme: An invented word
Entry Deadline: Feb 28, 2025
Entry Fee: $0/submission
Length: 70 words max. Limit one entry per person. Entry must be original and unpublished.
Published : winning entry will be posted at GothamWriters.com. The winner will be notified by mid-March.
Entries will be judged on originality, quality, spelling, and grammar.
Winner receives a free Gotham class of their choosing, excluding any premium classes.
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According to their website, "Duotrope is an established, award-winning resource for writers and artists. We help you save time finding publishers or literary agents, so you can focus on creating. Our publication and agent listings are up to date and full of information you won't find elsewhere. We also offer submission trackers, custom searches, deadline calendars, statistical reports, and extensive interviews."
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According to their website, "For writers, getting your work published and recognized is a step toward realizing your goals as an author. However, finding the right contests or publications can be a challenging and time consuming. Authors now have the opportunity to find and submit their writing to magazines, publishers, and contests through a website called Submittable."
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According to their website, "CaFÉ strives to make art opportunities available to all by offering arts organizations an affordable submission platform and artists an easy way to apply. CaFÉ has an open call for everyone, from competitions to public art calls, to art contests and more. Artists can create an artist portfolio for free and apply to various call listings. CaFÉ also hosts its own call for entry."
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According to their website, "For the Artist, Maker and (Forever) Inspired. Artists Network is with you every step of your art journey. Artists Network produces anywhere from three to five major events for visual art enthusiasts each year. We plan and produce different art-making getaways and retreats, art competitions, pop-up learn-ins, Paint Alongs, art talks and tours, and more in locations worldwide."
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Cheryl will be demonstrating at the Feb. 10, 10AM meeting.
Her drawing workshop is Feb. 24, 10AM.
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WHEN: Feb. 24, 10AM
WHERE: Memorial Church of Christ, Family Center, Room 302, 900 Echo Lane, Houston, TX 77024
COST: $40 Members, $60 Non-members
Please register here.
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This 3-day workshop will teach you how to truthfully represent the landscape.
Bruce is a landscape painter working in oil, but the concepts in this workshop work for any subject matter and any medium if your goal is to truthfully represent the subject.
The workshop starts with a lecture about how and what Bruce thinks about while he is painting. To emphasize these essentials, various charts with examples are shown about values, color, composition, contrast and edges. This leads to students asking questions that lead to other topics.
In the morning, color mixing is discussed and demonstrated. Bruce will show how to mix any color using only three primary colors. This covers the whole morning. In the afternoon students paint color and value mixing exercises immediately following my demonstration.
The next two days we look at subject matter and start painting. Bruce encourages everyone to bring several photos to paint. He will also have several photos for students to use.
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WHEN: March 27th to March 29th, 2025
WHERE: Woodlands Art League Studio. 701 Sawdust Rd., Spring, TX 77380.
COST: $500 for WAL Members, $550 for non-members.
Intermediate to Advanced
Please register here.
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Learn the secrets of turning colored pencil into a fine art medium.
You can use your pencils to create works as rich and nuanced as any oil painting.
Award-winning, world-renowned artist, Jesse Lane, guides you step by step, sharing his signature style for creating nuanced skin tones, dynamic lighting, and compelling composition.
Everyone works on the same portrait as Jesse gives detailed demos and works with students one-on-one.
The workshop includes:
- Large-Screen Demos: A video camera on Jesse’s drawing board is projected to a screen so students can easily follow along.
- One-on-One Instruction: Jesse visits each participant, offering encouragement, answering questions, and explaining technique.
- High-quality instructional materials, including a reference photo, a glossy tutorial booklet, and the image outlined on drawing paper.
Since colored pencil is a very slow medium, students will not complete the portrait in this workshop. Students learn the skills to complete the portrait on their own with the detailed, step-by-step workbook. Take your art to the next level in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere!
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WHEN: March 15th to March 16th, 2025
WHERE: Conroe Art League Studio. 127 Simonton St., Conroe, TX 77301.
COST: $345 for CAL Members, $385 for non-members.
All skill levels welcome!
Please register here.
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Many artists struggle with color mixing because there is no one single way to mix a color. In this one day class, you'll learn how to successfully mix oil paint and learn a sure-fire method to replicate any color that you see.
We will discuss color theory, the Munsell color system, warm and cool colors, and mixing realistic flesh tones. We will also discuss how to do small color studies and their use and purpose in your painting process.
The class will conclude with each student doing a small color study and learning how to use this process when figuring out color mixtures for their own works.
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WHEN: Feb 8, 2025, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
WHERE: The DaVinci Studios, 104 Industrial Blvd - Suite Q, Sugar Land, TX.
COST: $150.
All Levels welcome. Please register here.
Robin also offers classes!
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WRITESPPACE is Houston's writing center. Founded in April of 2014, we are a grassroots literary arts organization founded by writers, for writers. At WRITESPACE, we support writers of all genres, including writers of literary fiction, poetry, science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, young adult, and other genres.
We offer weekly writing workshops, manuscript consultations, write-ins, open mics, socials, and more. In the spring of each year, we host a national literary festival, Writefest.
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Project Management for Writers
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Poetics for Prose
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Writers Worldbuilding Like a Pro
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Fantastic Characters in Speculative Fiction Writing is Like Running
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Editing Poetry
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Writing Rapidly to find your Gems
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Short to Long - Expanding on Ideas
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Secondary Characters - Reflections
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Art in the AM: notsuoH
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Protagonists that Break Down Walls
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Details, Details, Details; Filling your World with Life
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February Community Reading
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The Houston Writers Guild is a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization working to create a community of writers of all skill levels. Together we strive to improve our writing craft and help each other build successful careers through education, collaborative marketing efforts, and camaraderie.
The Guild offers a myriad of programs for both published and unpublished writers. It creates opportunities to build careers through networking, as well as, opportunities for author book sales throughout the Greater Houston area and neighboring communities. The Guild is also a place for hobbyist authors to enjoy writing in a relaxed and fun environment.
Critique Group
Writer's Room - several offerings
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Inprint envisions Houston, Texas as a city where the literary arts are a defining resource. Thousands of Houstonians, recognizing the value and impact of the written word, join in Inprint programs to write, read, and support the literary arts. The community is enriched by some of the nation’s top emerging writers, who study at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program and teach at Inprint and various local community centers, schools, and universities.
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The WRITER'S LEAGUE of TEXAS (WLT) is the largest literary arts organization in Texas, a statewide nonprofit offering programs and services to writers at all stages of their writing careers, from just getting started to publication and beyond.
Founded in 1981, the organization’s mission is to provide a forum for information, support, and sharing among writers; to help writers improve their craft and understand the business of publishing; to promote the interests of writers from diverse cultural, economic, sexual identity and orientation, ethnic, and religious backgrounds; and to elevate the art and enterprise of writing, including supporting and growing the Texas literary community at large.
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The International Women’s Writing Guild (IWWG) is dedicated to building a worldwide community where storytelling connects, inspires, and uplifts voices across cultures. We celebrate the richness of diverse traditions, histories, and perspectives, recognizing that every writer contributes to the shared human experience.
All IWWG workshops are listed in ET (Eastern Time).
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TWO SYLVIAS PRESS is an independent press located in the Seattle area. We publish poetry, memoir, essays, books on the craft of writing, and creativity tools, such as The Poet Tarot, The Daily Poet, Everything is Writable, PR for Poets, Demystifying the Manuscript, and the bestselling resource for poets, The Weekly Muse.
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Additional Resources for Writers
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* Collaboration Catalogs Available! *
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We have another excellent collaboration on the books!
Each member who participated in the ENTANGLED Collaboration received a copy of the catalog containing all the artwork and literary pieces. Melody still has a limited supply of copies in her studio that you can purchase for $15.
In addition, you can also purchase additional copies of the REFLECTION catalog from the 2022 Collaboration for $5.
Stop by Studio 320 at Silver Street Studios to purchase additional copies of either catalog. Silver Street Studios is located in the Main Yard of Sawyer Yards. Call ahead at 713-851-0134 to ensure that she’ll be in the studio when you arrive.
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Remember to check the WiVLA Calendar for exciting events, such as field trips, studio visits, workshops, and other fun activities.
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Save the Date(s)
March 18th: Member Meeting. Check the WiVLA Calendar for details and updates.
April 5th: Reception for Melody Locke's exhibit, DREAMSCAPE: The Garden of Your Mind at the Jung Center from April 5 - May 15.
April 26th: "Afternoon Art Salon" at the Jung Center for a small reception and a chance to meet the artist, our Melody Locke!
WILVA "Rise" Exhibit: July 18th - August 31st, 2025, at Sabine.
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WiVLA Needs Your Expertise
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Do you have special skills, talents or knowledge to share with other WiVLA members? Now is a good time to volunteer ~
- Serve on a committee
- Speak at a monthly meeting
- Lead a workshop.
- Be creative
Don't be shy. We have a lot to learn from each other.
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We'd love to celebrate your good news. If you are interested in sharing, please send your items to newsletter@wivla.org. The deadline for inclusion in the next month's newsletter is the 20th. Thank you.
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