by Katy Jensen

Years from now, we will probably remember February 2011 for the monstrous winter storm that turned Houston into a skating rink and gave Chicago schoolchildren their first “snow day” in 12 years. From New Mexico to Maine, millions of people struggled to maintain their daily schedules, only to realize the situation was beyond their control. Eventually, millions of people decided to put down the snow shovel and curl up on the couch with a blanket and a good book.

by Lori L. Lake

If I told l you I saw a cat in a morgue, would you believe me?

It’s true. One April, I attended the Mad Anthony Mystery Conference in Hamilton, Ohio. As part of that event, participants toured the Hamilton Police, Fire, and Coroner’s departments.

by Jocey Hale

If you are like me, you are looking at the Loft’s creative writing offerings with a mixture of fear and excitement. I joined the Loft in 1998 and would anonymously lurk over the catalog, conflicted about which class I should take. My emotions were all over the map.

I worried that someone would demand a writers’ identification card when I entered the building. I was sure that I had no talent. Who was I to write? But after many seasons of lurking, I finally got up the nerve to take a class and I’ve never looked back.

Still, I wish there had been a weekend just for beginners like me, who were tentatively making their way to pursuing their dream of writing. The good news is that there is a weekend coming up in February just for you, the beginner, and you, the intermediate or advanced writer who would like to try your hand at genres you have not written in before. And it is also the perfect gift for the writer in your life who needs help getting started (or getting a fresh start).

The Loft’s Writing Buffet for Beginners is a low-cost sampler of all the genres taught at the Loft, including fiction, nonfiction, screenplays, teleplays, children’s literature, and graphic novels. From our à la carte offerings, you can mix and match a weekend just for you or make a gift of this special weekend for that special writer in your life.

Experienced writers, too, are welcome at the table. Perhaps you are an accomplished poet who wants to try her hand at novel writing. Or maybe you are a published short story writer who is considering adapting your work for the screen, but don’t know where to begin. There is something at the buffet for all.

I’ll see you February 20 and 21 at the Writing Buffet.

Your pal in literature,
Jocey Hale

Have you always wanted to write a screenplay or a novel? A book for children or a poem? . . . but you don’t know how to begin? Well, this one’s for you. Join acclaimed author Selden Edwards and many other noted writers at the Loft’s à la carte: Writing Buffet for Beginners on Saturday & Sunday, February 20 & 21, 2010. à la carte Weekend Writing Conference Home