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North Carolina Writers' Network Fall Conference 2009
Friday November 20 through Sunday November 22
Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort at Wrightsville Beach, NC
(Use code W42 for special conference rates.)
Featuring Master Classes, more than thirty Classes and Workshops, Critique Service, Manuscript Mart, Faculty Readings, and Exhibits.
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
Fees & Important Dates | Complete Schedule-at-a-Glance
Faculty Biographies
Highlights | Class & Workshop Schedule and Descriptions
Session I | Session II | Session III | Session IV |Session V
Master Classes
Manuscript Mart
Critique Sessions
Conference Fees
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
|Early registration:
|On-site registration as a walk-in:
Member Rates
Nonmember Rates
Other Fees
Refunds and Cancellations
Cancellations must be made in writing and arrive at the Network by 5:00 pm on November 12, 2009, for you to receive a refund of the registration fee, less $150. No-shows or cancellations after November 12 are nonrefundable.
Manuscript Mart, Critique Service, and Master Class fees are not refundable if you cancel. However, if we are not able to find a place for you in the Manuscript Mart or Critique Service, we will return your check(s) for related extra charge(s). (Master Class application fees are nonrefundable, as they are administrative charges.)
Send all refund requests to NC Writers' Network Refund, PO Box 954, Carrboro, NC 27510.
Important Dates
|November 1
|Deadline to reserve hotel rooms at low conference rate
|November 12
|Deadline for Conference Registration (5:00 pm by phone or mail; midnight if registering online)
|November 2
|Received by Deadline for signing up for Master Class (See guidelines)
|November 2
|Received by Deadline for Manuscript Mart submissions (See guidelines)
|November 2
|Received by Deadline for Critique Service submissions (See guidelines)
|November 20–22
|Walk-in Registration available on site ($400, meals not included)
|November 20–22
|Conference in Session
Complete Schedule-at-a-Glance
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
Friday, November 20 though Sunday, November 22
Friday, November 20
5:00–9:00 pm Registration, Exhibitor Tables, Book Sales Tables open
7:30–8:30 pm Welcome Reception
8:30–9:30 pm Keynote Address by Cassandra King
9:30–10:30 pm Book signing and Reception
Saturday, November 21
7:30–9:00 am Continental breakfast available
8:00 am–7:30 pm Registration, Exhibitor Tables, and Book Sales Tables open
8:00–9:00 am Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion: Where Can You Read About Writing?
9:00 am–5:00 pm Manuscript Mart* and Critique Service*
9:00–10:30 am Session I Workshop Classes
10:30–11:00 am Break
11:00 am–12:30 pm Session II Workshop Classes and Session I Master Classes*
12:30–1:30 pm Luncheon with readings from Long Story Short
1:30–2:30 pm Network Town Hall Meeting
2:30–3:00 pm Break
3:00–4:30 pm Session III Workshop Classes and Session II Master Classes*
4:30–5:00 pm Break
5:00–6:00 pm Faculty Readings
6:00–7:00 pm Happy Hour
7:00–9:00 pm Network Banquet with musical performance by Philip Gerard
9:00-10:00 pm Open Mike Readings
Sunday, November 22
7:30–9:00 am Continental breakfast available
8:00 am–1:00 pm Registration, Exhibitor Tables, and Book Sales Tables open
8:00–9:00 am Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion: Editors and Agents
9:00 am–1:00 pm Manuscript Mart* and Critique Service*
9:00–10:30 am Session IV Workshop Classes
10:30–11:00 am Break
11:00 am–12:30 pm Session V Workshop Classes
12:30–1:00 pm Closing Remarks
*by prior appointment only
Faculty Biographies
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
Anthony S. Abbott has taught English at Davidson College since 1964. He is the author of four collections of poetry and two novels. His latest poetry collection, The Man Who, won the 2005 Oscar Arnold Young Award from the North Carolina Poetry Council as that year's best book of poetry by a North Carolinian. He is past president of the Charlotte Writers Club and the North Carolina Writers' Network and also past chairman of the North Carolina Writers Conference. He is a three-time recipient of the Thomas H. McDill Award of the North Carolina Poetry Society. In 1996, St. Andrews College presented him with the Sam Ragan Award for his writing and service to the literary community of North Carolina, and in 2008 he was honored by Central Piedmont Community College with the Irene Blair Honeycutt Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Literary Arts.
Lavonne J. Adams is the author of Through the Glorieta Pass (2007 Pearl Poetry Prize), and two chapbooks, In the Shadow of the Mountain and Everyday Still Life. She has published in more than fifty additional venues, including the Missouri Review, the Southern Humanities Review, and Poet Lore, and been awarded residencies at the Harwood Museum of Art (UNM Taos), The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, and the Vermont Studio Center. She teaches at UNC Wilmington.
Ellyn Bache is the author of nine novels, including Safe Passage, which was made into a film starring Susan Sarandon; Holiday Miracles, a novella that was named to the Publishers Weekly "Recommended Holiday Reading List"; and The Value of Kindness, a short story collection that won the Willa Cather Fiction Prize. After twenty years in Wilmington, NC, she now lives near Greenville, SC.
Danny Bernstein is a hiker, hike leader, and outdoor writer. Her two guidebooks Hiking the Carolina Mountains (2007) and Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Heritage (2009) were published by Milestone Press. She writes for regional magazines including Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain Living and blogs about the outdoors at www.hikertohiker.com. Danny has learned that writing a book is only half the job; the other half is marketing.
Freelance writer Liz Biro and her family came to North Carolina for the expansive beaches, friendly atmosphere, and fresh seafood. Since arriving as a child, she's never looked back at her native New Jersey. A journalist for twenty-five years, she's covered everything from local fisheries to politics. Liz left it all behind for a while to become a chef, and today writes about food and dining for various publications including the Star-News in Wilmington, NC.
Wendy Brenner is the author of two books, Phone Calls from the Dead and Large Animals in Everyday Life, and the recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship as well as the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. Her essays and stories have appeared in Seventeen, Allure, Travel & Leisure, Esquire.com, and other magazines and have been anthologized in The Best American Magazine Writing and New Stories from the South. She is a contributing writer for the Oxford American magazine and has taught creative writing at UNC Wilmington since 1997.
Malcolm Campbell is the author of two adventure travel guidebooks, editor of professional golf instructor Dana Rader's "how-to" book, Rock Solid Golf, and founder of the independent publishing house, Walkabout Press, Inc. In Malcolm's twenty years as a commercial writer, he's written everything from power-tool-accessory catalogues to television commercials to cover/feature stories for national magazines. Malcolm is the 2008 recipient of the Doris Betts Fiction Prize, and he teaches in UNC Charlotte's freshman writing program.
Shea Carver graduated from UNC Wilmington in 1999 with a double major in English (focus on creative writing) and communication studies (focus on advertising). She has worked for Wilmington's alternative weekly, encore, since she graduated, moving up the ladder from intern to editor in chief in only seven years. Shea currently oversees the staff of encore, including all freelance writers, as well as works in design, layout, and advertising. Yet, she enjoys writing most, whether she's covering the latest concert at Soapbox or dishing her opinions on politics, reveling in her latest dining experience or interviewing a local yokel for a human-interest story. In 2005 she started KIDZink magazine—a magazine by kids, about kids, and for kids and their families. The monthly publication focuses on education and organizations that better local youth. It also focuses on their achievements and accomplishments, including a showcase of their artwork, writings, photography, and the like. The magazine hopes to inspire and encourage youth to always reach for their dreams, and enjoy the rewards of self-fulfillment and expression through art.
Nancy A. Collins has had more than twelve novels and fifty short stories published over the past twenty years. The recipient of the Horror Writers Association's Stoker Award and the British Fantasy Society Award, she has made numerous sales to the fantasy, horror, suspense, science fiction, western, and young adult markets.
Ben George is editor of Ecotone and a former editor at Tin House. Previously, while earning his MFA from the University of Idaho, he edited the magazine Fugue. He has worked for Random House and Harcourt as well, and stories and essays he has edited have won the Pushcart Prize and the O. Henry Prize, and have been reprinted in Best American Short Stories, Best American Mystery Stories, Best American Essays, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and New Stories from the South. His published interviews with writers such as Anita Desai, W. S. Merwin, Andrea Barrett, Margot Livesey, Peter Ho Davies, and Rick Bass appear or are forthcoming in Tin House, Fugue, and the Believer. He is also the editor of the anthology The Book of Dads: Essays on the Joys, Perils, and Humiliations of Fatherhood (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2009). He lives with his wife and daughter in North Carolina and teaches at UNC Wilmington.
Philip Gerard has published fiction and nonfiction in numerous magazines, including New England Review/Bread Loaf Quarterly, Creative Nonfiction, Hawai'i Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, and The World & I. His novels include Hatteras Light, nominated for the Ernest Hemingway Prize; Cape Fear Rising; and Desert Kill. His nonfiction books include Brilliant Passage, Writing a Book That Makes a Difference, and Creative Nonfiction: Researching and Crafting Stories of Real Life, which was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month and Quality Paperback book clubs. Maryanne Culpepper, director of story development for National Geographic Television, writes, "It is the manual for nonfiction storytellers … Creative Nonfiction is on every bookcase at National Geographic Television." His most recent book of nonfiction, Secret Soldiers, tells the story of a group of artists who fought the Nazis by creating elaborate scenarios of deception, conjuring phantom armored divisions out of sound effects, radio scripts, pyrotechnics, and inflatable tanks. Gerard has also written television programs, documentaries, and radio essays. He teaches in the BFA and MFA programs of the Department of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington, which he chairs. He is coeditor with his wife, Jill Gerard, of Chautauqua, the literary journal of the Chautauqua (NY) Writers' Center.
Marianne Gingher is the author of seven books, including Bobby Rex's Greatest Hit, which was named a National Library Association "Best Book of the Year" and won North Carolina's Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction in 1987. That novel was followed by Teen Angel and Other Stories of Wayward Love, How to Have a Happy Childhood, A Girl's Life: Horses, Boys, Weddings, and Luck, and Adventures in Pen Land: One Writer's Journey from Inklings to Ink. Her fiction and essays have appeared in numerous periodicals, including the Southern Review, the Oxford American, North American Review, the Washington Post Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Seventeen, O, the Oprah Magazine, and the New York Times Book Review. Her most recent book is Long Story Short: Flash Fiction by Sixty-five of North Carolina's Finest Writers (UNC Press, 2009). She is professor of English and comparative literature in the Creative Writing Program at UNC Chapel Hill where she has taught for twenty-five years and served as director of the Creative Writing Program, 1997–2002.
Charles Heatherly is a former newspaper reporter who has served the state of North Carolina as director of the Division of Travel and Tourism and as deputy state treasurer, among other positions. He is the author of The Courthouses of North Carolina, coauthor (with former state treasurer Harlan Boyles) of Keeper of the Public Purse: Public Finance in North Carolina, and he assisted former North Carolina commissioner of agriculture Jim Graham in writing Graham's book The Sodfather. Now retired, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Writers' Network and is an avid beekeeper.
Ginger Hendricks received her MFA in writing from Vermont College in 2003. She worked in special events planning at Elon University for two and a half years, and worked for four years at Salem College. There, she served as the director of the Center for Women Writers and coordinator of cultural events and taught in the English and creative writing department. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in the Paterson Literary Review, Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley, Skirt!, Birmingham Arts Journal, the Winston-Salem Journal, and others. She serves as the treasurer of the North Carolina Writers' Network Board.
Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, MS, RD, holds a doctorate in health policy and administration from UNC Chapel Hill where she is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, and director of the Executive Doctoral Program in Health Leadership (www.sph.unc.edu/hpaa/executive_drph). A licensed, registered dietitian, her professional interests include food and nutrition policy (domestic and international), dietary guidance policy, cultural proficiency in health services delivery, and health journalism and communication. A professional health writer, she is the author of eleven consumer books, including Living Vegetarian for Dummies (Wiley, 2009) and Get the Trans Fat Out (Random House, 2006). Her diet and health column, "On the Table," appears weekly in the News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and the Charlotte Observer. She is a member of several professional associations and served on the board of directors of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Writers' Network.
Henry Hutton is an experienced professional in the field of online collaboration and publishing, and possesses first-hand knowledge in exploring, developing, and optimizing new market strategies and technologies in the increasingly competitive online space. As founder of nowRECORDING.com in 2001, Mr. Hutton created on online environment for musicians all over the world to create and record music together. After nowRECORDING was acquired by Lulu.com in 2003, Mr. Hutton served Lulu in several capacities including online community director, director of operations, and director of business intelligence. He also served as product manager for Lulu Studio™—Lulu's latest interactive publishing technology. Mr. Hutton has recently started a new venture, Publish and Sell Enterprises, which provides a low-cost, full-service solution for authors to successfully publish, market, and sell their books. You can find out more by visiting his Web site at http://publishandsell.com.
Cassandra King's novels have won the hearts of readers everywhere, especially in the American South. A native of LA (Lower Alabama), she now lives in South Carolina with her husband, novelist Pat Conroy. She is the author of four best-selling novels, Making Waves, The Sunday Wife, The Same Sweet Girls, and Queen of Broken Hearts, as well as numerous short stories and articles. The Sunday Wife was a Book Sense Pick and a People magazine Page Turner of the Week; The Same Sweet Girls a number one Book Sense selection, and Queen of Broken Hearts, a Literary Guild and Book-of-the-Month Club pick. Bridal Falls, a fifth novel, will be released in 2010.
Stephen Kirk has edited approximately 140 books since starting with John F. Blair, Publisher, in 1988. He is the author of Scribblers: Stalking the Authors of Appalachia and First in Flight: The Wright Brothers in North Carolina. His writing has also appeared in The Best American Short Stories series, Sports in the Carolinas, and other volumes. He is especially interested in literary fiction and mysteries set in the Southeast, folklore, travel, cookbooks, biographies, and regional history.
Lisa Williams Kline is the author of three middle-grade novels: Eleanor Hill, which won the North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award, The Princesses of Atlantis, and Write Before Your Eyes from Delacorte Press. She has also published a nonfiction book entitled Floods. Her stories for children have appeared in Cricket, Cicada, Spider, and Odyssey. Her stories for adults have appeared in about a dozen literary journals and anthologies. She earned her MFA from Queens University.
Nicki Leone showed her proclivities early when as a young child she asked her parents if she could exchange the jewelry a well-meaning relative had given her for Christmas for a dictionary instead. She supported her college career with a part-time job in a bookstore, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that her college career and attending financial aid loans supported her predilection for working as a bookseller. She has been in the book business for more than twenty years. Currently she works for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, developing marketing and outreach programs for independent bookstores. Nicki has been a book reviewer for several magazines, her local public radio station, and local television stations. She currently serves as president of the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Writers' Network, and as managing editor of BiblioBuffet.
Peter Makuck grew up in New London, CT, and graduated from St. Francis College in Maine where he studied French and English. After teaching French for several years, he returned to graduate school for a doctorate in American literature and was later a Fulbright lecturer in France. His Long Lens: New and Selected Poems will be released by BOA Editions, Ltd., in April 2010. He has also published two collections of short stories, Breaking and Entering and Costly Habits. Founder and editor of Tar River Poetry from 1978 to 2006, he is distinguished professor emeritus at East Carolina University. His poems and stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in the Georgia Review, the Hudson Review, Poetry, the Sewanee Review, the Nation, and so on.
Priscilla Melchior is an award-winning journalist who has spent more than thirty years working in community newspapers as a reporter, photographer, senior editor, and online producer. She has also worked as a freelance editor and writing coach, and served as an adjunct journalism instructor at East Carolina University. She has been recognized for her writing, layout, and design, her teaching, and her online leadership, winning awards on both the state and national levels. In January of 2009, she retired from the newsroom to work on personal writing projects and to return to school in hopes of developing technical engineering expertise in the online world.
Dave Monahan is an associate professor of film studies at UNC Wilmington. He is the coauthor of Looking At Movies, an introduction to film studies published by W. W. Norton and Company. His work as a writer/director/editor includes Ringo (2005); Monkey Junction (2004); Prime Time (1996); and Angels Watching Over Me (1993). His work has screened internationally in more than fifty film festivals and has earned numerous awards, including the New Line Cinema Award for Most Original Film (Prime Time); and the Seattle International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short Film (Ringo).
Alice Osborn is the author of Right Lane Ends (Catawba, 2006), a former English teacher at Raleigh Charter High School, and she works with the United Arts Council to bring writing and creativity to grades four–twelve in area schools. Alice offers creative writing and business seminars throughout the Triangle and teaches at NC State's Young Writers' Workshop, Meredith College, UNC Friday Center, Duke Continuing Studies, and other learning centers. She also offers editing and writing services to small businesses and creatives through her business, Write from the Inside Out. She is a regular contributor to the Pedestal Magazine and Wake Living and blogs weekly about networking and writing. In addition, her poetry has appeared in Soundings Review, Main Street Rag, the 2008 and 2009 Kakalak poetry anthologies, the Raleigh Quarterly, and more. She serves as the Raleigh regional representative for the North Carolina Writers' Network and is the organizer of the north Raleigh Coffee and Contacts: Power Networking for Women chapter. Alice grew up in the Washington, DC, area and earned a BS in finance from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. She now lives in Raleigh, NC, with her husband, son, and daughter. Visit her Web site at www.aliceosborn.com.
Ellen Pepus has a BA in English literature from Indiana University and a JD from the George Washington University National Law Center. Prior to becoming an agent she worked at various times as a lawyer, investigator, marketer, writer, and editor. She was assistant to agent Jeff Kleinman at the Graybill and English Literary Agency before opening her own solo agency, which in 2009 became Signature Literary Agency when she teamed up with New York agent Gary Heidt. Her clients include mystery author Elizabeth Craig (Pretty Is as Pretty Dies, Midnight Ink, 2009, and an upcoming three-book series from Berkley), DeAnna Cameron (The Belly Dancer, Berkley, 2009), memoirist Dawn Goodwin, Novello Literary Award finalists Marann Mincey and Rachel Mork, blogger and humorist Emma Kaufmann, erotic novelists Kate Rothwell and Bonnie Dee, investigative journalist Nate Ferguson, physician and stand-up comic Dr. Melanie Rotenberg, and many other talented novelists and nonfiction authors. Recent agency sales include Jason Henderson's young adult fantasy series Alex Van Helsing to Harper Collins, A. S. King's Ignore Vera Dietz to Knopf, Dr Melanie Rotenberg's Laugh Yourself Thin to Praeger, Marley Majcher's … But Are You Making Any Money? to Morgan James, and Jess Haines's three-book urban fantasy series Dealing With the Others to Kensington Books.
David Perry is the editor in chief of UNC Press. He serves on the boards of the Village Band of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC, Southern Cultures, and the North Carolina Writers' Network.
Brooks Preik began her writing career in 1993 when she coauthored a guidebook to the Wilmington, NC, area entitled What Locals Know About Wilmington and Its Beaches. Her collection of "true" ghost stories, Haunted Wilmington and the Cape Fear Coast, published in 1995 by Banks Channel Books, is now in its sixth printing. She has published more than seventy-five articles in regional magazines and is former editor in chief and feature writer for Capturing the Spirit of the Carolinas magazine. In June 2008 she launched a new career when she and her daughter, Angela Carr, bought Two Sisters Bookery, an independent bookstore in The Cotton Exchange in Wilmington. She is now a full-time "indie" bookseller.
Linda Rohrbough has been writing since 1989, and has more than five thousand articles and seven books to her credit along with awards for fiction and nonfiction. New York Times best-selling authors are calling Linda a nationally recognized consultant on marketing a manuscript. Her latest book, coauthored with her surgeon, is Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band from Da Capo Press. Visit her Web site: www.LindaRohrbough.com.
Robert Anthony Siegel is the author of two novels, All Will Be Revealed and All The Money in the World. He was born in New York City and educated at Harvard, the University of Tokyo, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He teaches creative writing at UNC Wilmington, where he lives in a yellow house with his wife, the writer Karen E. Bender, and their two children, Jonah and Maia. His Web site is www.robertanthonysiegel.com.
Emily Smith is the director of The Publishing Laboratory at UNC Wilmington, a book imprint housed in the Department of Creative Writing, where she teaches courses in book design and publishing arts. She has done freelance editing and book design for several publishing houses and currently serves as art director for Ecotone, the award-winning literary journal of place. With Ben George, she recently founded the literary imprint Lookout Books. Her poetry has appeared in Columbia Poetry Review, Smartish Pace, Tar River Poetry, and other publications. She holds a BA in English from Davidson College and an MFA in poetry from UNC Wilmington.
Costa Rican American poet Mark Smith-Soto is professor of romance languages, editor of International Poetry Review, and director of the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts at UNC Greensboro. Winner of a 2005 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in creative writing, he has published three chapbooks and two full-length poetry collections to date, Our Lives Are Rivers (University Press of Florida, 2003) and Any Second Now (Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 2006). His poetry has appeared in Antioch Review, Kenyon Review, Literary Review, Nimrod, Poetry East, Quarterly West, Rosebud Magazine, the Sun, and numerous other publications. His manuscript Waiting Room was published in December 2008 as the winner of Red Mountain Review's annual chapbook competition. Fourteen of his ten-minute and one-act plays have been produced. Trio, a play in verse (inspired by a visit to the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC) was produced by Theatre Orange of the Arts Center of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, NC, as a winner of their 2003 "Ten by Ten in the Triangle" competition and was published by Dramatic Publishing of Chicago in 2005.
Ben Steelman has been with the Star-News of Wilmington, NC, since 1977, in such roles as feature writer, copy editor, film critic, and assistant editorial page editor. He is currently book columnist for the newspaper and writes its literary blog, Bookmarks. A North Carolina native, Steelman graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. His first book, Wilm on Film (coauthored with Amy Hotz), is scheduled for release this Christmas.
Peter Steinberg worked for eleven years as a literary agent at a number of high-profile boutique literary agencies, including Donadio and Olson and Regal Literary before forming his own company, The Steinberg Agency, in 2007. Peter's clients have been nominated for or awarded Edgars, Quills, the Pulitzer Prize, the Story Prize, the Paris Review Discovery Prize, Borders Original Voices, and National Book Awards. Peter represents a broad range of novels and short story collections and the occasional young adult title. His nonfiction interests include memoir, humor, biography, history, pop culture, fitness, and narrative nonfiction. Peter began his career as a filmmaker and screenwriter with a BA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts' film school. He is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives.
Betsy Thorpe has worked in the book publishing business for seventeen years. In New York, she was an acquiring and developmental editor in the adult trade departments of John Wiley and Sons, Macmillan Books, Broadway/Doubleday, and HarperCollins. For the last eight years, Betsy has operated a freelance editorial business, and co-written three published books. One of her freelance clients is Novello Festival Press, where she serves as marketing director. Betsy's latest book, 365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy, was featured in the New York Times and on The Today Show.
Kevin Morgan Watson is the founding editor of Press 53, a small, independent literary publishing company in Winston-Salem, NC. As a publisher, he has worked with writers ranging from first-time published authors to winners of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. As a writer, his short stories, poetry, and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including the 2002 TallGrass Writers Guild/Outrider Press anthology Take Two—They're Small, where his short story "Sunny Side Up" won first prize. Kevin also serves as an advisor for student adaptation of short stories to screenplays with the screenwriting faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking.
Samm-Art Williams was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Burgaw, NC. After graduating from Morgan State College in Baltimore, he studied with the Freedom Theater's Acting workshop in Philadelphia, under the direction of John Allen and Bob Leslie. As a member of the Negro Ensemble Company, he performed in such plays as The First Breeze of Summer, Eden, and Nevis Mountain Dew. He also wrote many plays, including Home, which received a Tony nomination in the category of Best Broadway Play and toured internationally. He had a lucrative career in television, where he took on roles as an actor, writer, and executive producer for popular shows such as Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin. He has been nominated for two Emmy Awards.
Fall Conference 2009: Highlights
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
Friday, November 20
5:00 pm through Sunday—Exhibitor Tables open
Find out what's going on in the literary world by visiting our exhibitors: magazines, publishers, literary and arts organizations, and other friends of writers.
7:30 pm—Welcome Reception
Yes, an evening stroll on the beach sounds tempting, but wouldn't you rather start getting to know the writers, agents, editors, and other literary types attending the conference with you?
8:30 pm—Keynote Address by Cassandra King
Cassandra King—the best-selling and award-winning author of such novels as Queen of Broken Hearts, The Same Sweet Girls, and the forthcoming Bridal Falls—will deliver this year's keynote address. A book signing and reception will follow.
Saturday, November 21
8:00 am—Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion
Yes, a sunrise jog on the beach is very healthy for you, but run fast so you can exercise your mind, too. Join us in the Lumina Ballroom for a discussion on the present and future of book reviews, and of print media in general. Moderated by columnist and NCWN board member Suzanne Havala Hobbs, this panel will include Wilmington Star-News book editor Ben Steelman, award-winning journalist and NCWN member Priscilla Melchior, and NCWN board president Nicki Leone, bookseller/book reviewer/book commentator extraordinaire. This discussion is open to all conference attendees (except those registered for Sunday only).
9:00 am through Sunday—Publishing Track Workshops
Nothing's wrong with following the Emily Dickinson career track (leaving some of the most brilliant work in the English language in a trunk to be discovered after your death), but most writers prefer to have their work published while they're still around to read it. Sign up for one or more of our Publishing Track Workshops this weekend: "Learn How to Talk About Your Book to an Editor or Agent" with veteran writer and publicist Linda Rohrbough; "Preparing and Marketing for a Book Event" with NCWN board member Ginger Hendricks, the former director of Salem College's Center for Women Writers; "An Editor's Perspective on Proposals for Nonfiction Books" with UNC Press editor in chief David Perry; a panel discussion on "The Ins, Outs, Pros, and Cons of Self-Publishing"; and plenty more.
12:30 pm—Luncheon with readings from Long Story Short
Join Marianne Gingher, editor of the new collection Long Story Short: Flash Fiction by Sixty-five of North Carolina's Finest Writers, and contributors (and Fall Conference instructors) Anthony Abbott, Wendy Brenner, Philip Gerard, and Peter Makuck, as they read their short-short stories.
1:30 pm—Second Annual Network Town Hall Meeting
If you've got questions about the Network, executive director Ed Southern has the answers. Or he'll make up something that sounds good.
5:00 pm—Faculty Readings
You've spent the day listening to their instructions; here's your chance to see if they really know what they're talking about.
7:00 pm—Network Banquet with musical performance by Philip Gerard
After a full day of workshops, discussions, and readings, come join us for our annual banquet and the musical stylings of writer Philip Gerard.
Sunday, November 22
8:00 am—Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion: Editors and Agents
They are editors and agents who've seen many manuscripts through to publication. You are writers with plans, hopes, or dreams of publication. Discuss.
12:30 pm—Closing Remarks
You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.
Fall Conference 2009: Class & Workshop Schedule and Descriptions
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion
Saturday, November 21
8:00–9:00 am
Where Can You Read About Writing?
Suzanne Havala Hobbs, moderator
Ben Steelman
Priscilla Melchior
Nicki Leone
Many newspapers' book sections—often the best (and sometimes the only) places to find out about writers and their latest work—were early casualties in the decline of print media. What is the current state of book pages and book reviews? What does the future hold for news coverage of the literary world? Where can you go to read about writing? This panel will discuss these topics and more.
Session I Workshop Classes
Saturday, November 21
9:00–10:30 am
Finding the Form in Free Verse with Anthony Abbott
In this workshop, we will look at some of the different ways free verse poets have organized their poems. We will look at how they design lines and stanzas within a format that is not measured by meter and rhyme but is clearly measured in other ways. We will look particularly at the work of William Carlos Williams and its striking influence on more contemporary poetry. Bring poems of your own to work on, because we will do exercises involving the restructuring of our own poems.
Panel Discussion
Writing Flash Fiction
Marianne Gingher, moderator
Wendy Brenner
Peter Makuck
What is a short-short story? How do you write one? Join Marianne Gingher, editor of Long Story Short: Flash Fiction by Sixty-five of North Carolina's Finest Writers (UNC Press, fall 2009) and two of the authors who contributed work to this collection for a lively discussion of the unique challenges and rewards flash fiction practitioners encounter and enjoy.
Learn How to Talk About Your Book to an Editor or Agent with Linda Rohrbough
The most important thing prepublished authors learn is how to talk about their work in a way that attracts interest from an editor or agent. That's how they become published authors. But most authors will tell you this is a very different skill set than actually writing the book. This interactive workshop presents a simple, three-step formula for an effective, attention-getting pitch that works for any book, fiction or nonfiction. With compelling examples, award-winning author Linda Rohrbough provides principles for success (including how to manage fear) along with the four things all authors must know about their manuscript. Attendees get all the tools they need to effectively talk about their work to other publishing professionals, as well as to readers and bookstore owners after they're published.
Writing a Novel for Young People: Five Things I Wish I'd Known with Lisa Williams Kline
After I'd already published two novels, I hit a dry spell where I couldn't seem to publish anything I wrote. I had to go back to the beginning and figure out what I had done right with those first two books and what I was doing wrong with the next ones. In this workshop, I'll try to share the five most important things I learned during this painful period of belated growth.
Session II Workshop Classes and Session I Master Classes*
Saturday, November 21
11:00 am–12:30 pm
Master Class in Fiction*
with Robert Anthony Siegel
All too often, when we sit down to write, we tend to think of characters in isolation, even though people in real life usually define themselves in relation to others. In this Master Class in fiction, we will learn how to build vivid, three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood characters by pairing them up with other characters and getting them to interact. In a series of creative in-class exercises, characters will meet, fight, fall in and out of love, get married and divorced—and in the process become compelling, fully formed beings rich enough to people a world of stories and novels.
*by prior appointment only. See Master Class Guidelines
Master Class in Nonfiction*
with Philip Gerard
The successful writer of creative nonfiction must accomplish two things at once: 1) present an accurate, factual view of the world that is informed by diligent, resourceful research and careful reporting; and 2) deliver a larger meaning through personal engagement with the facts. Neither alone can result in a compelling literary work. Through the use of examples culled from participant work and published writing, we'll explore how to meet both these creative demands in the various subgenres of nonfiction—personal narrative and memoir, public history, social commentary, radio essays, etc. We'll look at research as a creative act and discuss ways to integrate research into a riveting narrative through craft: tone, diction, syntax, narrative arc, plot, and texture. Integral to our discussion will be dramatic structure and narrative intelligence, the personality that lives in the lines on the page.
*by prior appointment only. See Master Class Guidelines
Master Class in Poetry*
with Peter Makuck
This class will concern itself with the process of revision and the range of questions that writers of open-form poems must consider. We will read several poems by established authors and critique poems submitted to the workshop. Please submit three poems for discussion. At least one will be talked about in class, and, if time permits, more. The workshop will be critically honest and frank, but supportive and encouraging as well.
*by prior appointment only. See Master Class Guidelines
How to Write How-To with Danny Bernstein and Malcolm Campbell
Good "how-to" books—whether travel guides, cookbooks, or instructional books—should be very straightforward and easy to read. Easy reading, though, is the result of hard writing, and writing a good guidebook is one of the toughest challenges a writer can face. But the challenges are worth it, when you consider that these nonfiction books make up the bulk of total book sales in the United States. Join two experienced guidebook writers as they discuss how to write and market "how-to" books.
Panel Discussion
Cooking Up the Words: Writers on Food and Culture in the American South
Suzanne Havala Hobbs, moderator
Liz Biro
Shea Carver
Pull up a chair and channel a bowl of cheese grits and a slice of pecan pie. Meet leading Southern food writers Liz Biro and Shea Carver, hear their stories, and learn from their experiences. Participants will discuss how they got started, how they're inspired, challenges and opportunities for publishing in magazines, books, and electronic media, and how the environment for their work has changed in the past year.
Preparing and Marketing for a Book Event with Ginger Hendricks
This workshop is now closed
Your book has been published! Now, comes the hard part—planning and preparing for book events where people will (hopefully) attend and buy your book. From the experience of an event planner, suggestions will be shared about how to make each book event a success. Topics will include whom (and how) to contact (bookstores, universities, etc.), promotion for events, payment questions, preparation (including a book event packing list), how to dress, and follow-up after the event.
Session III Workshop Classes and Session II Master Classes*
Saturday, November 21
3:00–4:30 pm
Continued: Master Class in Fiction* with Robert Anthony Siegel
Continued: Master Class in Nonfiction* with Philip Gerard
Continued: Master Class in Poetry* with Peter Makuck
*by prior appointment only. See Master Class Guidelines
Where We're Comin' From: Using Dialect in Writing with Ginger Hendricks
This workshop will explore the use of dialect in both dialogue and exposition and how it reveals regional qualities, class, age, gender, and other aspects of a character. By portraying an accent, using slang, jargon, correct or incorrect grammar, foreign terms, etc., an author gives characters personality and a distinct place in this world, thus they come alive. This lecture will look at how such authors as Doris Betts, Robert Olen Butler, Junot Diaz, Ernest Gaines, Kazuo Ishiguro, Flannery O'Connor, Mark Twain, and Tom Wolfe approach dialect. Also addressed will be how writers can keep from stereotyping characters through dialect. Writing exercises will conclude the workshop.
No Ideas but in Things: Making Poetry Matter with Mark Smith-Soto
Nothing diminishes the impact of our words more than the presentation of ideas, attitudes, and expressions of emotion that are not rooted in the immediacy of sensory impressions. In this workshop, we will explore ways to infuse the breath of life into the language of our poetry. I'll hand out to the participants slips of paper on which I have written the name of some emotional state: mad, sad, glad, frustrated, worried, pitying, etc. Then I'll ask them to close their eyes, relax, and see what images, associations, or sensory details come to mind … and then in no more than three or four lines, to write down in language as concrete and connected to the five senses as possible, one image/metaphor/object that they feel will communicate the emotion to everyone else in the group without it being mentioned specifically at all. Then we'll share what we came up with and see if others can guess what the emotion was.
An Editor's Perspective on Proposals for Nonfiction Books with David Perry
In this workshop (inspired by Susan Rabiner's book Thinking Like Your Editor), David Perry, the editor in chief of UNC Press, will review what an editor looks for in nonfiction book proposals and then will discuss what happens to a proposal inside the publishing house and the dynamics of in-house review and decision making.
Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion
Sunday, November 22
8:00–9:00 am
Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion: Editors and Agents
Ed Southern, moderator
Stephen Kirk
Ellen Pepus
Peter Steinberg
Betsy Thorpe
Kevin Morgan Watson
They are editors and agents who've seen many manuscripts through to publication. You are writers with plans, hopes, or dreams of publication. Discuss.
Session IV Workshop Classes
Sunday, November 22
9:00–10:30 am
Ten Tips for Crafting Your Fiction with Ellyn Bache
This workshop is now closed
When is it safe to introduce background about a character without chasing away the reader? How do you rev up interest in secondary characters? What's a sure way to ruin an action scene, and how do you avoid it? Whatever your level of experience, these fiction tips will help you sharpen and strengthen your work.
Turning Personal Artifact into Story with Wendy Brenner
Beyond the nuts and bolts of basic journalism, the creative writer's relationship with research is intuitive and fluid and mysterious, even alchemical. Sometimes we conduct research, and sometimes the research conducts us. In this workshop we will explore how to develop and shape story out of "raw material" such as personal letters, e-mails, voicemails, tape and video recordings, transcriptions, and even the most incidental-seeming ephemera. Do you still have the note a stranger wrote you on a napkin thirty years ago? Then this is the workshop for you. We will look at an array of research methods—Studs Terkel's cassette tape recorder, Errol Morris's Interrotron, Susan Orlean's short profiles—focusing closely on how writers can integrate and transform the ephemeral into literary art.
The Cover-Up: Book Design Basics for Writers with Emily Smith
What makes a book jacket compelling? Do publishers weigh aesthetics or marketing strategies more heavily? Designer and publisher Emily Smith reveals the essentials of a successful book cover and explains the author's role in the process. Case studies will help illustrate publishers' decisions—from best sellers to blunders. Journal editors and authors considering self-publication will learn how to stretch limited resources to create smart, striking covers.
How to Fit Social Media into Our Busy Writing Lives with Alice Osborn
Are you still trying to figure out what's all the fuss about following, friending, and tweeting? We're moving away from visiting Web sites to find out information; instead, users are more passive and are waiting for information to come to them via status updates, blog feeds, e-newsletters, and more. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube need to be part of your overall marketing plan. Let Alice Osborn, writer, entrepreneur, and editor, help you navigate the world of social media to build your audience, build your brand, and build your credibility. In this workshop you'll learn how to create an effective online profile, manage your online time, learn the grammar/etiquette of social media, and take away valuable tips on e-newsletters and online video posting.
Session V Workshop Classes
Sunday, November 22
11:00 am–12:30 pm
Paperback Writer: Tips and Strategies for the Genre Market with Nancy A. Collins
This workshop will offer practical advice on writing for the genre market and getting your stories sold, including tips on preparing book proposals, finding an agent, locating a publisher, and catching an editor's eye.
Writing for Literary Magazines with Ben George
Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, literary magazines and journals are some of the best places to get your work noticed and to start building an audience. In this workshop, Ecotone and former Tin House editor Ben George will discuss tips and techniques for finding the right magazine for your work, and submitting your work the right way.
Screenwriting for Fiction Writers with Dave Monahan
This workshop will provide an introduction to screenwriting format, craft, and technique designed to help fiction writers adapt their storytelling and style to the particular demands of writing for the screen.
Panel Discussion:
The Ins, Outs, Pros, and Cons of Self-Publishing
Charles Heatherly, moderator
Brooks Preik
Henry Hutton
Self-publishing is an increasingly popular option for writers to see their work in print. But is it the best option for you? This panel will discuss everything writers need to know —the advantages and disadvantages, the opportunities and responsibilities—before deciding to publish their own work.
Stephen Kirk, John F. Blair, Publisher (regional nonfiction, fiction)
Ellen Pepus, Signature Literary Agency (fiction, creative nonfiction)
Peter Steinberg, The Steinberg Agency (fiction, creative nonfiction)
Betsy Thorpe, Novello Festival Press (regional nonfiction, fiction)
Kevin Morgan Watson, Press 53 (short fiction, poetry)
Lavonne Adams (poetry)
Philip Gerard (fiction, nonfiction)
Lisa Williams Kline (children's)
David Perry (nonfiction)
Samm-Art Williams (playwriting, screenwriting)
Master Classes
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
Master Classes offer intermediate and advanced writers a chance to delve more deeply into a particular genre. Master Class is an alternative for Session II and III classes and will be limited to fifteen registrants.
Saturday, November 21
11:00 am–12:30 pm & 3:00 pm–4:30 pm
Master Class in Fiction*
with Robert Anthony Siegel
All too often, when we sit down to write, we tend to think of characters in isolation, even though people in real life usually define themselves in relation to others. In this Master Class in fiction, we will learn how to build vivid, three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood characters by pairing them up with other characters and getting them to interact. In a series of creative in-class exercises, characters will meet, fight, fall in and out of love, get married and divorced—and in the process become compelling, fully formed beings rich enough to people a world of stories and novels.
Master Class in Nonfiction*
with Philip Gerard
The successful writer of creative nonfiction must accomplish two things at once: 1) present an accurate, factual view of the world that is informed by diligent, resourceful research and careful reporting; and 2) deliver a larger meaning through personal engagement with the facts. Neither alone can result in a compelling literary work. Through the use of examples culled from participant work and published writing, we'll explore how to meet both these creative demands in the various subgenres of nonfiction—personal narrative and memoir, public history, social commentary, radio essays, etc. We'll look at research as a creative act and discuss ways to integrate research into a riveting narrative through craft: tone, diction, syntax, narrative arc, plot, and texture. Integral to our discussion will be dramatic structure and narrative intelligence, the personality that lives in the lines on the page.
Master Class in Poetry*
with Peter Makuck
This class will concern itself with the process of revision and the range of questions that writers of open-form poems must consider. We will read several poems by established authors and critique poems submitted to the workshop. Please submit three poems for discussion. At least one will be talked about in class, and, if time permits, more. The workshop will be critically honest and frank, but supportive and encouraging as well.
Participants are admitted on the strength of a writing sample submitted in advance of the conference. While publication credits are not required, you should submit a brief cover letter summarizing your writing background and highlighting publication credits if applicable.
Include a payment of $30 (nonrefundable processing fee).
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: November 2, 2009 (RECEIVED BY DATE).
When you register for Master Class, please choose another class as a backup in case you are not admitted to the Master Class.
Submission Guidelines for Each Genre
- Fiction. Submit a cover letter and no more than ten double-spaced pages of fiction, 12-point type (short story or novel excerpt). Mail two hard copies to NCWN Fiction Master Class, PO Box 954, Carrboro, NC 27510.
- Nonfiction. Submit a cover letter and no more than ten double-spaced pages of nonfiction, 12-point type (essay or excerpt). Mail two hard copies to NCWN Nonfiction Master Class, PO Box 954, Carrboro, NC 27510.
- Poetry. Submit a cover letter and no more than five single-spaced pages of poetry, 12-point type. Mail two hard copies to NCWN Poetry Master Class, PO Box 954, Carrboro, NC 27510.
Two weeks before the conference, you will be notified about your enrollment status.
Manuscript Mart
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
Manuscript Mart provides writers with the opportunity to pitch their manuscripts and get feedback from an editor or agent with a leading publisher or literary agency. A one-on-one, twenty-five-minute pitch and Q&A session will be scheduled for you, to take place on Saturday, November 21, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm or Sunday, November 22, between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
Note: Manuscript Mart sessions are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. You must register for Manuscript Mart by mail, with manuscript and payment enclosed, by November 2, 2009 (RECEIVED BY DATE).
- Submit a one-page query letter and twenty double-spaced pages of your fiction or nonfiction manuscript (for book-length projects, you must include a one-page synopsis of the work as a whole). You may include a book proposal or query letter as part of your twenty pages. Make sure your name is on each page of your submission. NUMBER YOUR PAGES.
- All submissions must be double-spaced with 12-point font, on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, 1 inch margins.
- You must be registered for the conference for your Manuscript Mart session to be scheduled.
- Download and print the Manuscript Mart Cover Sheet, which you may download from the "Online Registration" form listed at ncwriters.org. Mail it with two hard copies of your submissionto:
North Carolina Writers' Network
Manuscript Mart
PO Box 954
Carrboro, NC 27510
- Checklist: two copies of manuscript; registration form; check to cover Manuscript Mart ($150) (and a separate check to cover all other conference fees if you are registering for the conference through the mail).
- NOTE: If Manuscript Mart fills, your check will be returned to you, minus related charges.
Manuscript Mart Reviewers
From the names below, select your first, second, and third choice on your registration form. We will try to accommodate your first choice; if we cannot, we will select an appropriate editor or agent for you. You will be notified two weeks before the conference as to your assigned editor or agent, and the time and location of your session.
|Manuscript Mart
Download Manuscript Mart Cover Sheet
Saturday, November 21, 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Stephen Kirk, John F. Blair, Publisher (regional nonfiction, fiction)
Critique Service
Register online here | Download a registration form
Advanced Registration is now closed. Walk in registrations will be available on site starting Friday, November 20th at 4 pm.
The Critique Service provides writers with in-depth literary critique of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays, from a seasoned faculty member writer. A one-on-one, twenty-five-minute review session will be scheduled for you, to take place on Saturday, November 21, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm or Sunday, November, 22, between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
Note: Manuscript Critiques are schedules on a first-come, first-served basis. You must register for a critique by mail, with manuscript and payment enclosed, by November 2, 2009 (RECEIVED BY DATE).
- Submit twenty double-spaced pages of your fiction, nonfiction, or screenplay manuscript (for book-length projects, you must include a one-page synopsis of the work as a whole), or ten pages of poetry. Make sure your name is on each page of your submission. NUMBER YOUR PAGES.
- All prose submissions must be double-spaced with 12-point font, on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, 1 inch margins; poetry submissions should include no more than one poem per page.
- Download and print the Critique Service Cover Sheet, which you may download from the "Online Registration" form at ncwriters.org. Mail it with two hard copies of your submissionto:
North Carolina Writers' Network
Fall Conference Critique Service
PO Box 954
Carrboro, NC 27510
- Checklist: two copies of manuscript; check to cover Critique Service ($150). You must be registered for the Fall Conference before we schedule your critique.
- NOTE: If Critique Service fills, your check will be returned to you.
From the names below, select your first, second, and third choice. We will try to accommodate your first choice; if we cannot, we will select an appropriate critiquer for you. You will be notified two weeks before the conference as to your assigned critiquer, and the time and location of your session.
Critique Sessions
Saturday, November 21, 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Lavonne Adams (poetry)


text:
Grassley repeatedly referred to the measure as the "Restoration of Marriage Act," instead of the "Respect for Marriage," and said it would not accomplish "restoration of any rights," but rather create "new rights that same-sex couples have never had under federal law.
He also said there is a "universal religious view" that marriage is "about procreation and child-bearing."
"To me, this debate is about stable families, good environments for raising children, and religious belief," said Grassley. "It is not about discriminating against anyone. No society has limited marriage to heterosexual couples because of a desire to create second-class families."
He rebuffed the argument of many, including the bill's chief sponsor, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), that the fight to repeal DOMA is reminiscent of the fight to repeal laws that barred interracial marriages. Quoting Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Grassley said such comparisons can be "deeply offensive" to African Americans.
Log Cabin Republicans President R. Clarke Cooper offered some support for Grassley's concerns about "priorities" but "what marriage means in America today."
"Today's hearing was a principled discussion about the meaning of federalism, the priorities of our nation in a challenging time, and what marriage means in America today," said Cooper.
The bill's chief sponsor, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) noted, in her remarks Thursday, that a large group of corporations filed a legal brief recently highlighting the ways DOMA burdens them with red tape and requires they treat employees differently if they are gay.
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesman, issued a statement saying, "President Obama applauds today's vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve the Respect for Marriage Act, which would provide a legislative repeal of the so-called 'Defense of Marriage Act.' The President has long believed that DOMA is discriminatory and has called for its repeal. We should all work towards taking this law off the books. The federal government should not deny gay and lesbian couples the same rights and legal protections afforded to straight couples."
Evan Wolfson, head of the national Freedom to Marry group, noted that support for the Respect for Marriage Act has grown to 31 co-sponsors in the Senate and 133 in the House.
"The historic growth in support among lawmakers for repealing DOMA mirrors the growth in public support for the freedom to marry to what is now a solid majority nationwide," said Wolfson.
Recent polling has begun to show a consistent trend in public opinion supporting the right of same-sex couples to get married. A survey of 1,001 adults nationwide by ABC and the Washington Post in July found 51 percent "think it should be legal for gay and lesbians couples to get married."
Supporters of the legislation will need 60 votes to overcome will almost certainly be a filibuster of the legislation should Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid bring it to the floor. Politico.com noted that Feinstein acknowledged to reporters after the hearing that the bill does not have those 60 votes and that she has not spoken to Reid about the bill.
Top photo: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (via leahy.senate.gov)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'm the FIRST to admit this: living with another human being, especially of the opposite sex, day in and day out, has its drawbacks. In fact I could probably fill up a book with all the things that make me at times want to strangle my spouse. Here's just a smattering…
(Photo courtesy )
1. The toilet situation. Men and their use and abuse of the toilet — between leaving the seat up at 2 am (so you, in your sleepy stupor, fall bum first into cold toilet water), and their uncanny ability, at mid-life, to still manage to miss the bowl. Plus the fact that sometimes, walking into the bathroom is akin to walking into a lion's den.
2) Then there's the hair. The chin, nose, ear hair which, as a woman, if you clip, wax, tweeze or pluck, you do it in the most cleanliest of ways, whereas your man will leave his whiskers EVERYWHERE.
3) The smell test. I have a one-day rule for the bulk of the clothing I wear — as in, I wear, it and at the end of a long day I place it in the hamper and proceed to launder it. Unfortunately, after 17 years of marriage I've learned my idea of dirty and my husband's are on two OPPOSITE ends of the spectrum. Arguments ensue over my "obsessive need to be clean" — or in other words, my belief that you should WASH clothes you've worn vs. my husband's rule of thumb that first you should smell them and if they pass the sniff test, you don't need to wash them. I know — EWW!
4) The dishes. I have a dishwasher. It's installed, bought and paid for. I want to use it, not because I want to waste water, but because I can't possibly hand-wash a dish as well as a machine can. On the other hand, my husband believes you use a dish, rinse it under water, and babe, "it's good to go!"
5) The crunchy underfoot carpet issue. We have two dogs which is why there are little crunchy pieces underfoot through almost every square inch of my house, as well as the usual foot traffic dirt which accumulates. And so, I vacuum, probably twice a week. In doing so, I need to contend with my husband's grimacing and endless quips that I have a vacuum addiction. Whereas I feel I simply like to walk on a surface where I am not perpetually crunching pieces underfoot.
Seriously I could regale you with at LEAST 10 more sticking points my husband and I have to contend with and how living with the opposite sex on a regular basis could, perhaps drive someone to drink … A LOT.
So getting back to my original question, do you think your marriage would be better if you lived apart?
In my opinion, when it comes to the grooming / cleaning habits — yes. But in terms of intimacy, and really seeing and dealing with one another in your most glorious and not so glorious states … NO! I think the glue that truly holds a marriage together are these moments, these intimate experiences — as extremely annoying as they can be. These arguments, the hated and silly ones, learning to acquiesce and compromise to appease the other — these are all things you need to experience in your marriage to strengthen your bond. And honestly, if you don't live together, well, you'll miss out on all of it … plus those nighttime extras — the snuggling and, well, you know the rest!
Tell us: Would more marriages do better if spouses lived apart?


text:
For Release in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East: February 2014
Release Number: 40PR14
Caterpillar introduces an innovative approach to helping customers monitor, control and manage equipment while increasing jobsite efficiency. Cat® Equipment Management Solutions (EMSolutions) is a comprehensive portfolio of services built to help manage equipment assets and lower operating costs—whether the customer performs maintenance tasks or the Cat dealer handles the details.
EMSolutions is enabled by Product Link™ technology that collects data directly from equipment and provides access to valuable information via the VisionLink® Web application. These technologies enable better and faster decisions based on equipment location, fuel burn, alerts and more.
The five levels of EMSolutions are progressive, ranging from basic connectivity to machine electronic control modules (ECMs) through dealer-delivered condition monitoring services such as fluid sampling, and on to complete, proactive management of the fleet.
Using these defined service levels, customers can work with participating Cat dealers to choose the support they want to help manage their equipment and improve their bottom lines. For more information about EMSolutions, contact the Cat dealer in your area.
# # #
Press Inquiries
Cat Trade Press Media Representatives
Sharon Holling: firstname.lastname@example.com
Johanna Kelly: email@example.com
Europe, Africa, Middle East
Francine Shore: firstname.lastname@example.com
Reader Requests


text:
About Remnants Antiques
Remnants Antiques Gifts & Consignment is a unique venue of opportunity. Shoppers may visit us in Historic Downtown Anderson S.C. We are located at the corner of Church Sreet & 300 South Main Street. Remnants is an eclectic mall of dealers retailing antiques, furnishings, giftware and art. The mall is 6000 sq feet accommodating 45+ vendors. Remnants' mission is to financially support Shalom House Ministries Inc, a non-profit ministry for women battling alcohol & drug addiction.


text:
Lake Pleasant Immigration Lawyers
Springfield, MA 01103
New England Law | Boston
Postal Address 785 Williams Street, No. 185
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Cornell Law School
I have a law degree from the University of Istanbul; a Master of Law from Cornell University, and a Master of Business Administration from Simmons College Graduate School of Management. I am fluent in English, Turkish and French.
I started my legal career as a corporate attorney at White & Case, Istanbul, Turkey. When I moved to Boston, in 1999, I started to experience the many facets of the US immigration system. As I dealt with the immigration system, I became very frustrated. During 14...
Suite 1000
Worcester, MA 01550
Worthington, MA 01098
Suite A
Easthampton, MA 01027
University of Connecticut - School of Law
Worcester, MA 01608
Worcester, MA 01606
585 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Boston University School of Law and Boston University School of Law
Suite 401
Framingham, MA 01701
Washington and Lee University School of Law
Boston, MA 02110
Massachusetts School of Law
Concord, MA 01742
Suffolk University Law School
PO Box 469
Malden, MA 02148
Boston University School of Law
Suite 800 South
Boston, MA 02109
New England Law | Boston
John and his profession team focus on getting immigration benefits for clients. If you need an employment card, a Legal Resident/Green card or if you want to apply for U.S. citizenship, John and the Foley Law Offices team want to help you through the process.
Over the years, Foley Law Offices has developed step by step...
Framingham, MA 01702
Western New England University School of Law
Loyola University New Orleans
Suite 20
Stoughton, MA 02072
University of Massachusetts School of Law - Dartmouth
3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110
Suffolk University Law School
A native Spanish speaker, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Attorney Carrasquillo has extensive international experience. He conducted graduate level research in San Jose, Costa Rica and Havana, Cuba while completing an M.S. in International Relations with a...
Suite 5900
Woburn, MA 01801
New England Law | Boston and Suffolk University
Dayna was born in Flint, Michigan. She moved to Boston halfway through her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University. After studying one year at Suffolk University, Dayna participated in an honor's study abroad program at Univerzita Karlova in Prague, Czech Republic. Dayna graduated from Suffolk University (Magna Cum Laude) in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Criminology, and Law. She then earned a Juris Doctor from New England Law I Boston in May 2013.
Dedham, MA 02027
Suffolk University Law School
Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109
Massachusetts School of Law
Concerning my immigration practice,...
Boston, MA 02110
Independent Colleges and University of Northumbria
Boston, MA 02108
Boston University School of Law
Suite 206A
Brighton, MA 02135
Massachusetts School of Law
Massachusetts immigration attorney and sole proprietor of KZ Law Offices, Kat Shnayder applies the highest standards to every case and passionately help clients overcome the challenges of immigration transactions and disputes. Attorney Shnayder promises to build strong attorney-client relationships based on trust, understanding, and support, promptly...
Suite 225
Boston, MA 02108
Suffolk University Law School
7th Floor
Boston, MA 02109
New England Law | Boston
Attleboro, MA 02703
New England Law | Boston
Suite 1800-18020113
Cambridge, MA 02142
The George Washington University Law School
Andover, MA 01810
Northeastern University School of Law
Dorchester, MA 02122
Massachusetts School of Law
She is a member of REBA and an agent for Catic, New England's largest domestic title insurance underwriter, and represents many clients in the purchase and sale of residential and commercial properties.
Attorney Huynh also focuses on family based immigration, helping...
Westwood, MA 02090
Emory University School of Law
Attorney Brown received her J.D. from...
201 Washington St. #2600
Boston, MA 02108
University of London, UK (LB with honors).
Suite 2600
Boston, MA 02108
New England Law | Boston
Natalia represents clients in all aspects of immigration law, including family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, asylum and deportation defense. Natalia represents both corporate and individual clients before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Natalia is admitted to practice state law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and she can practice immigration law throughout the...
Salem, MA 01970
Suffolk University Law School and New England Law | Boston
Mansfield, MA 02048
Stanford University
Stanford Law School in 2013; experience in one of the nation's top 100 law firms in the energy and environmental group; worked in San Diego on water quality and public utility rate issues, and later began own firm. In my independent practice, I have litigated to cause local governments to reinstate permits and licenses for small businesses that were improperly suspended, successfully sued homeowners associations on behalf of individuals harmed by negligence, and filed numerous petitions with both the immigration court at...
Ste. 205
Taunton, MA 02780
Roger Williams University School of Law
North Andover, MA 01845
Suffolk University Law School and Massachusetts School of Law
Related Practice Areas
Need immigration help?
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are components of the Department of Homeland Security and handle the processing, enforcement, and adjudication of U.S. immigration matters. U.S. immigration laws treat persons as either citizens or aliens. The law classifies aliens according to immigration status, with each group afforded different rights and obligations, such as the right to reside in the United States, the right to sponsor relatives, and the right to work in the United States. Aliens may be lawful permanent residents (i.e., green card holders), immigrant visa holders, temporary lawful visitors, or undocumented persons.
Immigration lawyers represent persons seeking visas or green cards, which allow them to enter or remain in the United States. Two common types of visas are employment-based visas and family-based visas. Employment-based visas grant a non-U.S. citizen the right to work in the United States. Spouses and children may sometimes accompany employment-based immigrants. Family-based visas confer lawful permanent resident status to a foreign national based on an immediate relationship to a U.S. citizen.
Immigration attorneys also handle deportation/removal, naturalization (citizenship) and asylum matters. Because immigration proceedings are often complex, an immigration attorney is invaluable to those dealing with immigration issues.
Deportation/removal: The formal removal of an alien from the United States when the alien has been found removable for violating the immigration laws. Removal (formerly called deportation) is ordered by an immigration judge without any punishment being imposed or contemplated.
Lawful permanent resident: Any person not a citizen of the United States who is residing in the U.S. under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residence as an immigrant.
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Cubs shaken early in bid to square final set
Jackson exits with lat discomfort; Rizzo's homer spoils shutout bid
ST. LOUIS -- Edwin Jackson's final start of the season ended sooner than expected.
Jackson was pulled after 2 2/3 innings in the Cubs' 6-2 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday at Busch Stadium because of discomfort in his right side. His only good news is that he'll have a few months to heal.
"It's just a crazy year, man," said Jackson, who took his Major League-leading 18th loss. "If I had the answer, I would've changed a long time ago. It's one of those years where you forget it, but still learn from it. It was a [bad] year to sum it up. There's a lot of things to take from it."
The Cardinals continued to tune up for the postseason. Matt Holliday hit a two-run home run and Yadier Molina drove in two runs off Jackson to back Adam Wainwright in front of 42,520 fans. St. Louis clinched the National League Central title with a 7-0 win on Friday night, and now is battling Atlanta to determine the top seed in the NL playoffs.
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said the plan was to have Wainwright go long enough to not only prep for Game 1 of the NL Divisional Series but get the win and be saluted by the fans.
"You want to have some good positive momentum going into his next start, which will be on Thursday," Matheny said. "And we get a bonus that he's efficient, and we can stretch him out for five innings to get him an opportunity to take that 19th win. That's a good day."
The Cubs lost for the 13th time in their last 17 games, and are simply trying to wrap up a disappointing season in which they will finish last in the division.
"We only have nine innings left this year," said Chicago's Anthony Rizzo, who hit his 23rd home run leading off the ninth. "Hopefully, those nine innings get us going and we can go into the offseason on a high note."
The Cardinals didn't take batting practice on Saturday, but it didn't seem to matter. Jon Jay singled with one out in the first and Holliday followed with his 22nd home run and second in as many days.
With one out in the St. Louis third, Jackson walked two batters, and both scored on Molina's double. One out later, Pete Kozma hit a ground-rule double that bounced into the Cubs' bullpen, and Jackson intentionally walked Adron Chambers to face Wainwright, who hit a RBI single.
Cubs manager Dale Sveum and athletic trainer PJ Mainville then went to the mound, and Jackson was pulled after 65 pitches. The right-hander said the problem began during warmups and continued as the game progressed.
"It pretty much sums up how [the season] went," Jackson said. "At the end of the day, I've got three more years to look forward to. I definitely look forward to changing things and turning things around."
It's been a roller coaster ride for Jackson, who was 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA in July, then 0-3 with a 5.97 ERA in August. He joins the Brewers' Wily Peralta as the only pitchers this season with at least 15 losses and 14 quality starts.
"He hasn't had the year he wanted or anything like that but [Travis Wood] has pitched really good and [his record is] under .500," Sveum said. "[Jackson] has kept us in some games. He's been a .500 pitcher his whole career. Obviously, you don't want losses, but at the same time, the games we've been in, we don't seem to win or get a lead."
Since Jackson reported to Mesa, Ariz., for Spring Training, he's been asked about the four-year, $52 million contract he signed with the Cubs, his first long-term deal. Maybe his struggles were related to putting too much pressure on himself with a new team?
"He handles everything really well and he's ready to come back next year and prove himself," Sveum said. "I think a lot of things go into it pressure-wise -- you get a contract like that, you're with a new team. I think next year he'll be a lot more comfortable and settle in and have a good year."
That's the goal, according to Jackson.
"I don't feel like I pressed as far as playing," Jackson said. "There were times when I was over analyzing things and thinking too much, and not allowing myself to go out and do what I'm capable of doing athletically. As far as pressure with the new contract and new team and all that, I didn't feel like there was a lot of pressure.
"When you're not pitching well, it's easy to make excuses and point out things that could be happening," he said. "It's the craziest year I've had in baseball for a long time. You just look forward the working in the offseason and coming back and turning it around."
The Cubs avoided being shut out for a second straight game when they tallied in the ninth against Edward Mujica. Rizzo led off with his first home run since Sept. 13 and second of the month. J.C. Boscan doubled and scored one out later on Donnie Murphy's double.
On Sunday, the Cubs close the 2013 season. The players will head home, and Sveum will find out if he's coming back next year on Monday.
"At the end of the day, the manager can't play for us," Jackson said. "The 25 guys who go on the field, we have to produce and play baseball like we know we can. I think we're capable of doing that. It takes everyone to believe we can win games and go out and play like that."


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Indicative Rate * AU$130 to AU$190
McNevins Maryborough Motel is the perfect base for corporate and leisure travellers in the Fraser Coast region. They are located a few minutes walk from Maryborough's central business district, on the road to popular Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. The Brolga Theatre and beautiful riverside parklands are a short stroll away.
The McNevins Maryborough Motel is ideal for groups, holiday makers and business travellers. With 50 spacious suites and rooms, licensed Sails Restaurant, Glasshouse Breakfast Café and conference facilities, they can cater for large leisure and business groups. Their large, comfortable rooms and friendly atmosphere make the Maryborough Motel particularly popular with business travellers.
Their in-house restaurant and function room "Sails" provides modern cuisine in an elegant setting, and is an ideal venue for special occasions and celebrations. Meeting and conference facilities are also available. AUSTAR television is provided free-of-charge and high speed wireless broadband is available throughout our property.
They have ample space for parking for all cars, coach tours and sporting groups.
Due to current health advice on social distancing, please contact the business for the most up to date information regarding opening times and services.
Again you will be surprised and delighted with these spacious family suites, sleeping up to six. A beautifully appointed home away from home. Separate bedroom with a queen bed and in the main living area there are two single beds and a double pull down bed. Kitchenette with microwave, bar fridge, electric fry pan, tea/coffee making facilities, toaster and free Austar.
Executive King room with king size bed. Triple sheeted! Large 80 centimetre LCD television! Free internet, Austar, minibar. They also have a Breakfast Cafe and a fully licensed restaurant. Room service is available. Undercover parking is available.
The spacious Spa Suites are luxuriously appointed and are perfect accommodation for discerning travellers and corporate guests. Features include separate bedroom, queen sized bed, lounge/dining room, bar area, mini bar, sunken spa bath, wi-fi, plasma television and Austar.
Very comfortable rooms with queen size bed and single sofa bed (sofa only suitable for children), and own patio. The poolside units are very popular with guests. You will be pleasantly surprised with the beautifully appointed rooms. Sit on your own private balcony and enjoy the pool view and a drink from the mini bar. Free Austar on 80 centimetre LCD television.
The Deluxe rooms are very spacious and the most popular. Bedding is a queen and a single bed. Free Austar and 80 centimetre LCD television. High speed free wi-fi is available.
Their Small Family rooms are spacious, they consist of a queen and single bed and also a single murphy bed, free wi-fi and Austar.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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I really have nothing to say about Macmillan, Apple & Amazon, apart from some small degree of surprise that I even own a Macmillan book: Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex (which of course I mean to read). I'm not even sure I have anything sensible to write about the entire e-book v. e-reader v. e-vendor v. e-author situation. But let's find out the hard way, shall we?
Let's start with my non-Luddite credentials. Here's some technology I adore: the DVR (TiVo, etc.; ours is attached to the machine that translates our satellite feed: it records two programs at once, both in HD, and has up to 200 hours of programming -- I love it); the MP3 player (iPods and the like; just the option to take all my music with me is amazing, even if I still only listen to five things over and over); and the GPS (we use it a lot, but had to program it to have an Englishwoman's accent; the American woman was too grating). We have satellite radio in the car and a weather band radio in the house. We have at least five computers (one's going back to the UK as a gift, but yeah, that's more than two people have any rational need for), three printers, two scanners, a fax and a dog. Wait. How'd the dog get in there?
But no e-reader. I'm not a complete e-reader virgin: I got to first base with a Kindle once. I have a good friend who adores hers so much I joke she would grab her Kindle from the burning house, provided she'd already rescued the husband, dog and cat. When we visited them in October, she proudly presented her Kindle to me so that I too could fall madly in love with it. Erm. Didn't quite happen that way. I wasn't used to the way the controls work, so I kept moving a page ahead or a page back when I didn't want to, or out of the book entirely.
Truthfully, I'm not sure I'd have fallen in love in any event. There's no convenience in an e-reader for me. I read one book at a time. I know that's insane, but it's also a true statement. So the old "no longer have to pack a zillion books for each trip" argument is unpersuasive for me. If I even take three books on a trip, I come home with maybe one book finished. Paperbacks just don't weigh that much that I worry about them cluttering up my luggage.
Next, while I love having all my music in a little box smaller than a deck of cards, I'm not sure I'd enjoy having my TBR pile completely disappear. Admittedly, it's untidily spread out on a bench in plain view of any visitors, but we don't have many visitors. And isn't that what tote bags are for? Shove everything into a bag when company comes and then take it all out again when they leave -- works for me!
While the TBR piles (yes, plural) may look untidy and disorganized to others, they represent choice and variety and anticipation to me. Reduce them to pixels and stick them all into a gray box? It's not aesthetically or psychologically attractive enough to lure me across the digital divide.
But none of these is a good reason not to have an e-reader. Here are two good reasons: I asked Keira Soleore -- who tweeted recently that she took 50 pounds of books when they traveled for a month over the holidays -- why she doesn't have an e-reader. She has two good reasons: it would give her migraines, and she's not eager to introduce technology to her school-aged child, who's such a good reader that two-thirds of the books for their trip were kid-lit chapter books.
And there are no bad reasons for having an e-reader if the desire and funds are there. Well, none but the fact that the industry is in an uproar and can't collectively find its digital ass with both hands.
Okay, so if e-readers are great, and digital publishing is a wave of the future, and everyone wins, why are we having technology wars?
Because no one yet has figured out how all this can work as a win - win - win - win for the four broad categories of interested parties:
- Manufacturers/vendors of e-readers and purveyors of digital content; e.g., Amazon, Apple, etc.
- Publishers
- Authors
- Readers
But readers have been getting the short end of the stick all along. Sure, the technology is great -- but it's not yet perfect. It's not perfect if by selecting one reader you discover you can't buy digital books that are only published in a format incompatible with your device. Or you download a book and the next time you sync with the mothership, that book is gone. Or the anti-piracy software screws up, or the book you want isn't available in your corner of the planet. Or the book's out in the marketplace -- you can even see it in a big box store -- but you can't buy it yet because they're delaying the digital publication. (Which is the stupidest thing of all. As several people have pointed out: just charge more for the digital publication on the same day as the hardcover release, then lower the e-price on the day you were planning to release the digital publication. You won't lose money, you'll gain good will.)
I know these things will get worked out, but here's the part that bothers me. Why do I get the distinct impression that no one is advocating for the consumer? And are readers, a fairly responsible & respectable bunch overall, failing to put the sort of economic pressure on a hidebound industry that Napster & illegal file-sharing put on the music industry a decade ago?
What it looks like to me -- and I don't have a dog in the fight, obviously, as the old paper paradigm continues to meet my needs -- is that it's too bad that the people who make and sell the e-readers are also the people who sell the e-books. I'm no antitrust expert, but that's starting to sound like bundling, which is when the sale of one thing is conditioned upon the sale of a second thing. (For a more precise discussion of tying and bundling as antitrust concepts, you can read about it here.) You can buy a digital book at Amazon, but only if it's being loaded onto their Kindle, which you also buy there. Even if that is not an antitrust violation, it's too narrow to be completely helpful to consumers -- and it allows Amazon to do things like remove Macmillan from its direct sales.
With apologies to my younger readers for sounding like the old fogey I am, it used to be you bought a "record player" and then bought whatever records you wanted to play on that player. All records were the same groovy vinyl, so any stylus and turntable would do. People picked their stereo components based on price and quality -- not on which records could be played on it. Ah, the good old days.
I own an iPod, but I don't believe I've ever bought anything from Apple's iTunes store. I generally buy the CD (I'm probably stupidly old skool that way, but habits die hard) and load that onto my library. I would love to do the same thing with books (if I were going to have an e-reader): have the whole library stored back home and take just a few books with me on an e-reader that then fit better into a handbag: something the dimensions of a slim category romance, say.
If all e-readers could be made to conform to certain basic standards, then digital books could be read on all e-readers. No more bundling or quasi-bundling. No more poaching by Apple, side deals by Macmillan, or economic blackmail by Amazon: if someone wanted a Macmillan book in digital format to read on their Kindle, they could buy it elsewhere. And if someone wanted a Macmillan book to read on their iPad but didn't want to pay $15, they could maybe get it cheaper elsewhere.
But it's not working out that way, and I don't see any economic pressure building on the horizon to make it work out that way. So for now readers continue to squawk about the technology glitches and vendor arrogance and how no device does it all, ad nauseum. And I just sit here reading a paperback book.


text: Foot board - Enhance every scooter's look! Made of brushed stainless steel and matched exactly to the underbody. The CNC-machined cut-outs give the foot boards a premium look and the optional Ultra-Grip inserts provide optimum grip, even in wet weather. Is mounted using the stainless steel screws included directly to the existing mounting points on the foot well trim panel of the scooter Ultra-Grips are not included and must be ordered separately if required.


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Northwest CT Arts Council looks for feedback from local communities
TORRINGTON >> After 10 years, the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council is doing a check-up in the form of a survey designed to examine the cultural fabric of the 25 towns covered by the council.
The arts council, located at 40 Main St., sent out their 2013 Cultural Assessment Survey at the beginning of March and will close it on April 1.
The survey encourages people to, "Take just 10 short minutes and help shape our region's cultural future."
Council Executive Director, Amy Wynn, said that the organization did a similar survey when they were first forming a decade ago, called their Regional Cultural Assessment.
"We asked everyone who is out there and what are they doing?" said Wynn. "What do you think this area needs to thrive? And they told us."
Wynn said the council had to work very hard to get responses for the first survey because they were a new council that no one had heard of. It was a lot of work but Wynn said the gathered information was very useful and helped the council define their mission statement.
According to the council's website the mission of the arts council is to, "promote the arts and cultural resources of Northwestern Connecticut as integral contributors to the quality of life in the region, to assist all artists and cultural organizations in their efforts to thrive, and to inform the general public about, and give access to the arts and culture of the region."
The council promotes all kinds of arts including fine arts, performing arts, literary arts, culinary arts, film and heritage education, according to Wynn.
"There are so many things going on," said Wynn. "We feel it's important to double check that we are still relevant. We want to continue and improve."
This latest survey will allow the council to see what they're doing well and areas they can improve.
"We want to redirect precious resources, and we do think they are precious, towards things of real importance," said Wynn.
When the council issued their first survey 10 years ago, they received 300 responses. Wynn said that was a good number at the time for an organization that no one had ever heard of.
Currently, the council has received nearly 450 responses, said Wynn. She hopes to get hundreds more before the end of the surveying period.
"We have heard from all of the 25 towns at least once," said Wynn. That's a step up from the last survey, but Wynn said she's concerned about an imbalance between the towns.
Last time around, the responses were Torrington and Litchfield heavy, said Wynn.
"They're still heavily represented," said Wynn of this survey.
Wynn said she hopes the organization hears more from small towns like Thomaston and Norfolk.
"There's a week more for us to hear loudly and proudly from all the towns," said Wynn.
Wynn said there is a possibility of extending the response deadline or conducting focus groups to "complete the picture."
Once all of the responses are collected, Wynn, her staff and a task force of volunteers called ambassadors will read over all of the surveys. Wynn said the statistics that people fill out will be the easy part. It is the narratives that people write in response to some of the questions that will take the most time to read and analyze.
Wynn said that the arts council has no problem taking critique. They are hoping this survey will help the council, local businesses, organizations and locals understand the region better.
Wynn urged everyone to go online and complete the 2013 Cultural Assessment Survey.
"We really need feedback," said Wynn.
Visit telluslikeitis.org to fill out the survey.
Reach Kate Hartman at 860-489-3121, ext. 343.


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Since its establishment in 1987, the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) has vigorously promoted technological development. July 2002 saw the opening of their newest research centre in Komaki in southern Japan.
With a responsible focus on the environment, the new facility incorporates ecological technology in a number of applications, including solar power, cogeneration and ice storage.
The Situation
The 20 hectare complex in Komaki contains over 12,500 square metres of office space, large-scale test equipment, an outdoor test track, a wind tunnel, a Shinkansen Bullet Train driving simulator as well as global environment conservation facilities.
The global environment conservation facilities were to include a 560kW energy-saving cogeneration system. JR Central wished not only to make a contribution to conserving the global environment, but also to be able to pursue technical development in the field of new energy sources.
The Grundfos Solution
Over 50 multistage CR pumps have been installed, playing an important part in the centre's cogeneration system. In cogeneration, heat energy and electrical or mechanical power is produced from the same fuel in the same facility. Here, waste heat (as in steam) can be used to produce electricity or employed as a heating source.
The Outcome
JR Central presently enjoys low energy consumption, a large amount of free floor space and elegant installation where Grundfos is incorporated into their systems.
Grundfos pumps provide high-quality, reliable operation within hot water circulation, as just one example. The vertical pump category furthermore suits the Japanese market well, where land is sparse.
Efficient operation - Energy savings - Integrated system solution
The Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central)
- Efficient operation
- Energy savings
- Integrated system solution
- 51 CR/CRN pumps
Site designer Takeshi Ushikoshi says: "First of all, the Grundfos CRN multistage pump has an outstanding efficiency and superior running cost parameters. The high efficiency suits our energy saving demands. Moreover, designing the pump installations was facilitated by their in-line design, where we also saved valuable floor space."
If you need a similar solution, please contact us for further information.
If you need a similar solution, please contact us for further information.


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Cartoon NBA Players
On one occasion, I was surfing on a Chinese website and I found these interesting cartoon pictures of NBA players. Many famous NBA players are included, such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron Jame and Kevin Durant, etc.
The cartoon author created the NBA players in an exaggerate way, and all the figures are portrayed to the life.
|PowerPoint: Cartoon NBA Players
|Video: Cartoon NBA Players
|Download PowerPoint Presentation
|Watch on Youtube


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Coffee mug is made from the high-quality food-grade stainless steel and coated with porcelain enamel in a two coat process that results in a smooth surface preventing it from altering the flavor of coffee or tea. The mug is camp-friendly and takes very little space while holding just enough coffee to get you up in the morning before the drink gets cold. It can also hold a cold drink or a beer at your best friend's pool or after a long drive to the mountains.
The original artwork is melted into enamel surface at over F400. This process ensures that your favorite mug is going to stay as is without having to worry that the image washes off or gets scratched. All the production is done locally in Arizona. We work hard in our small shop rain or shine to create the most unique drinkware for your special travels or an everyday morning lift-up.
This mug is stovetop and dishwasher safe. Enamelware is not intended for microwave use.
Although you are more than safe to use the dishwasher to clean your mug, a clever old-school tip that we learned was to use a mixture of the good-old baking soda and a bit of water to clean stains on the inside (should any appear due to the high coloring content in coffee or black tee)
- 3.5 Inch Diameter - Stands 3.25 Inches Tall
- Beautiful Solid White with Chrome Trim Finish
- Stovetop and Dishwasher safe
- Enamelware is not intended for microwave use
- Locally made in Arizona, USA
Mug pricing varies. Quantity rates apply.
- Orders 1-10 mugs with original artwork design: $14.50
- Orders 10-50 mugs with original artwork design: $10.50/mug
- Orders 50+ mugs: $7.50/mug + $150 artwork flat rate fee


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- User Name: - Apple
- Member Since: Sunday, January 29, 2006, 3:19 AM
- Name: Alexis Santos
- Location: British Columbia, Canada
- Last Login: 2010-06-12 22:14:07
- Forum Info: Profile Posts (55)
- Journal: Last entry made on 2008-10-07 19:40:56
- Usefulness: 87.9 with
8 opinions
[average 119.5 of 231694 opinions; standard deviation 432.2 ]
- Profile: HIIIIIII (:
My name's Alexis. Most people just call me Apple X3. I'm a little 5'1, 16 year old Filipino girl from Canada. I don't go here that much and I'm not popular but every so often, I make random forum and journal posts...just cause. (:<
Special acknowledgement to my senpai-sama, my lovely boyfriend and fiancee who got me into editing. None other than the Fuze. He's the best. I love him a lot =D. I don't take this hobby all that seriously, but when I fall in love with an amv-able song and I find anime that goes with it, I will try my best to make a video that does justice to both. I love sentimental amvs and songs. I also love drama, stuff that makes me feel. (Mostly sad stuff...)
But I'm no hipster/homo/emo. I just love things that can move me. I'll be going here a lot more often (I hope) since I have almost completed my Kanon/Air video.
"The Fold"--COMPLETED.
Watch for the upload...coming very very soon (;