The March NorthWords includes:
Notes from the Board Room
Hello Writers,
March is here, which means we’ve started recieving submissions for our 2024 writing contest. Folks seem to be inspired by this year’s theme – Legends – and entries are coming in a bit earlier than usual! The official deadline is March 31, so make sure to submit your poetry, non-fiction, short fiction or short-short fiction by then. Your entry fee is included in your annual $40 membership ($20 for students), so if you haven’t renewed for 2024, make sure to do that soon! Full contest details and a link to renew your membership can be found at lakesuperiorwriters.org.
Submissions are also open for the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA), which is open to authors who have published works in 2023 that focus on northeastern Minnesota history, culture, heritage, and/or lifestyle. Anyone, including the author, can nominate books in six categories – poetry, non-fiction, fiction, memoir, children’s literature and middle grade/young adult. Visit the NEMBA section of our website for more details.
We’ve got a great variety of programs this month, starting with a look at the use of Artificial Intelligence in writing. On Wednesday, March 20, University of Wisconsin-Superior Professor Dr. Dan Lawrence will explore the current and possible future uses of AI in professional and creative writing, and look at the ethical implications of this new technology. You’ll find more on his talk in this issue of Northwords and on our website, where you can register for the event, which will be held via Zoom. The talk is free, but you must register to obtain a link.
On Saturday, March 23, author and master storyteller Loren Niemi will be in Duluth to teach two in person classes at The Depot. The first, Mastering Plot (am session), examines 10 useful plot forms and encourages you to explore them with hands-on writing activities. The second, on Point of View (pm session), delves into the value of choosing the right point of view for your stories and the implications of choosing first-, second- or third person narrators. Both classes are based on books Loren has written on these subjects. Sessions can be taken individually; courses are offered at a discounted rate if you take two. More info available later in the newsletter and registration is available on the website.
We also hope you can join us on Tuesday, March 26, when Linda LeGarde Grover reads from her latest novel “A Song over Miskwaa Rapids” at Wussow’s Concert Cafe. Linda’s work is always a joy to hear read out loud, especially in her own voice. The free event begins at 6:30 p.m. that evening and includes opportunities for questions and answers.
We’ve got even more programming coming your way in April and May, including workshops from Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King’s Daughter, and Carol Dunbar, author of A Winter’s Rime and The Net Beneath Us. And we’ve got two poetry offerings coming your way in April and May – watch our social medial and future issues of Northwords for info on these events.
Wherever you are in your writing journey, we are grateful you’re here with us. Happy writing!
Mary Bode
Interim Board Chair
Lake Superior Writers News & Events
Virtual Writers’ Cafe
March 10: Virtual Writers Café with host author/LSW board member Doug Lewandowski.
Topic: Revision
- What is revision and what are its goals?
- Three things that you think are important about revision?
- Restructuring from feedback in what writer’s groups share.
- What do the professionals say?
Plus a Writing Prompt.
Writing and Artificial Intelligence: Applications and Use Cases for Professional and Creative Writers
March 20, 2024 at 6 pm over Zoom
From designing book covers to drafting social media posts, writers everywhere are starting to use artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with their creative tasks. ChatGPT secured a record as the fastest growing software application of all time in 2023, and currently has around 180 million active users.
But what exactly can these AI tools do, and how can writers use them in an ethical and meaningful way? In this presentation, Dr. Dan Lawrence demonstrates creative applications and use cases for AI writing tools (ChatGPT, Bard/Gemini, NovelAI) and image generation tools (Midjourney) for creative and professional writers, while exploring their ethical complications.
Dr. Dan Lawrence is Associate Professor of Writing at the University of Wisconsin – Superior, where he teaches courses such as Technical Writing, Digital Writing, and a new course on Writing and Artificial Intelligence. His books include Digital Writing: A Guide to Writing for Social Media and the Web (Broadview Press, 2022) and the forthcoming trade book, Disinformed: The History of Humanity’s Search for Truth (Urano World, 2024).
Plot and Point of View with Storyteller Loren Niemi
March 23, 2024 from 9am to 12pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm at The Depot in Duluth
Plot Session
9am to 12pm on March 23 at The Depot
Point of View Session
1:30pm to 4:30pm on March 23 at The Depot
Loren is the published author of six books including the critically acclaimed, Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories (co-authored with Elizabeth Ellis) on the value and necessity of stories that are hard to hear and harder to tell, a poetic memoir A Breviary for the Lost and What Haunts Us winner of the 2020 Midwest Book Award for “Sci-Fi, Fantasy Horror and Paranormal Fiction.
2024 Writing Contest Open
We are excited to announce the theme of our 2024 Writing Contest: “Legends”
Writers can interpret this theme as broadly as they wish. Submissions will be accepted for this annual contest March, 31 2024 in the following categories:
- Poetry
- Up to 3 poem submissions.
- Short-Short Fiction
- Up to 2 story submissions.
- Word count limit per submission: 500
- Short Fiction
- 1 story submission.
- Word count limit: 500-2,500
- Creative Nonfiction
- 1 story submission.
- Word count limit: 2,500
For more information including submission guidelines, visit lakesuperiorwriters.org/2024-writing-contest
Call for Nominations: 2024 Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards
Lake Superior Writers is excited to organize and host the 2024 Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards for its third year. And we are currently seeking nominations!
NEMBA awards celebrate books that substantially represent the history, culture, heritage or lifestyle of northeastern Minnesota. The six categories are: Nonfiction; Fiction; Children’s Literature; Middle Grade/Young Adult; Poetry; and Memoir.
To be eligible, books must have been published in 2023. Authors are not required to live in northeastern Minnesota in order to have their work considered. The winning book in each category will receive a cash prize of $200. The winning book and the honorable mention in each category will receive a glass plaque and 100 book seals.
To submit a nomination, follow three easy steps: submit an online nomination form, pay a one-time $40 entry fee, and mail four copies of the book to the NEMBA committee. For complete instructions, including eligibility and entry requirements, go to: lakesuperiorwriters.org/nominate.
Entry deadline is May 31, 2024. Winners and honorable mentions will be announced in mid-October.
Please share this opportunity to nominate the incredible work that represents northeastern Minnesota with your friends, colleagues, books clubs, etc.
Questions? Please contact nemba@lakesuperiorwriters.org
Thank you for your help in recognizing writers and books that capture the spirit of northeastern Minnesota!
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Membership Renewals
It’s time to renew or join Lake Superior Writers – and this year there are a number of membership perks worth noting:
- Discounts on workshops and paid events
- Free Writing Contest Entry
- NEW! Online link to member’s latest published work: email writers@lakesuperiorwriters.org with a link to your book
- Discounts at regional bookstores – with 2024 membership printed or e-card*:
- The Bookstore at Fitger’s offers 10% discount on an entire regular-priced purchase, excluding candy and magazines.
- Zenith Bookstore offers 10% discount on 1 item in an order.
- Apostle Islands Booksellers in Bayfield will offer a coupon code for 20% off of one book in a purchase.
- Honest Dog Books in Bayfield will offer a 20% discount in the store with showing of member card.
- *Note: 2024 Membership Cards for current members will be sent out via email over the course of the next two weeks or so. We appreciate your patience as we get caught up.
- LIMITED! Until April 1, 2024, the University of Minnesota Press offers a 30% discount on any of its books ordered through its website – www.upress.umn.edu – using a promo code sent to members (if you’re a member, email writers@lakesuperiorwriters.org for the code).
- SAVE THE DATE: Lake Superior Writers Annual Meeting will be 1:30-3:30 p.m. June 1 in The St. Louis County Depot. Guest speaker: Author/Artist Sam Zimmerman
- SAVE THE DATE: April 10: USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author Karen Dionne, whose novel The Marsh King’s Daughter, set near Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, became a movie starring Daisy Ridley (Star Wars) and Ben Mendelsohn came out last fall. For Lake Superior Writers, she will be hosting a 2-hour virtual workshop on “6 Things I Learned from Writing My Breakout Novel.” Come see the movie for free the week before in a presentation partnership with the Duluth Public Library at the library. Watch Facebook and lakesuperiorwriters.org for updates and details.
Literary Events
Book Signing with Jayson Iwen
March 9, 2024 from 12pm to 2 pm at the Bookstore at Fitger’s, 600 E Superior St, Duluth, MN
Award-winning author Jayson Iwen will be signing copies of his recently released book You Contain Multitudes: Healing Society from Within, which guides readers through poetic and creative arts techniques to help identify and mitigate unconscious bias in oneself.
Book Signing: John McLoughlin for The Irish Pagan Book of Rites
March 9, 2024 from 1 pm to 3 pm at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N Central Ave, Duluth, MN
Meet John Michael McLoughlin, local author of the newly released Pagan Portals – The Irish Pagan Book of Rites: Rituals and Prayers for Daily Life and Festivals, and have your book signed. John Michael McLoughlin is a born-and-raised native of Duluth. A lifelong student of religion and spirituality, McLoughlin studied Theology, Irish Literature and Classical Languages at the University of St Thomas, and has spent the last ten years researching Irish, Germanic and Judaic folkways and spiritual traditions.
Book Launch for Sister Lumberjack by Candace Simar
March 17, 2024 at 2 pm at Northland Arboretum, 14250 Conservation Dr., Brainerd, MN
Please celebrate the launch of Sister Lumberjack, an historical novel based on a Duluth Benedictine nun who sold hospital tickets to lumberjacks in the 1890s.
Book Signing: Jayson Iwen Presents You Contain Multitudes
March 30, 2024 from 1 pm to 3 pm at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N Central Ave, Duluth, MN
Meet Jayson Iwen, author of the newly released You Contain Multitudes – Tackling Unconscious Bias Using Poetry, Creative Writing, and Psychology. Jayson will be at Zenith Bookstore to sign copies of his new book.
Book Launch: Leif Enger Presents I Cheerfully Refuse
April 2, 2024 at 7 pm at Ursa Minor, 2415 W Superior St, Duluth, MN
Zenith Bookstore is thrilled to host the launch of Leif Enger’s new novel I Cheerfully Refuse. Join the award-winning Duluth author of Peace Like a River and Virgil Wander at Ursa Minor Brewing for an evening of discussion, book readings, music and celebration. I Cheerfully Refuse epitomizes the “musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling” (Los Angeles Times) for which Leif Enger is cherished. Joining Leif at Ursa Minor will be Duluth musician and songwriter Jamie Ness. Event is free and open to the public. Books can be pre-ordered at zenithbookstore.com/enger .
UPPAA Spring Conference
May 18, 2024 from 9:30 am to 4 pm at Peter White Public Library, 217 N Front St, Marquette, MI
The annual UPPAA Spring Conference is a great opportunity for writers to learn more about their craft. Whether published or not, all writers are welcome to attend our full day of breakout sessions that include children’s books, self-publishing, romance writing, staying motivated and enjoying writing, finding your writer’s voice, and effective in-person appearance. https://www.uppaa.org/2024-conference-schedule/
Author Kent Krueger Presentation
June 12, 2024 at 1 pm at the Community Building in Hackensack, MN
Kent Krueger will be giving a author talk. The title of his presentation is The Importance of Books in a Time of Chaos. This event is free but preregistration is necessary at northwoodsartscouncil.org and space is limited.
Opportunities
Grand Marais Art Colony
The Art Colony offers writers’ residencies from 1 – 4 weeks in length. Guest suite lodging available. Visit: http://www.grandmaraisartcolony.org to learn more.
KUDOS – News about our members
The Thunderbird Review at FDLTCC selected one of Timothy Dorr‘s poems, Reasons, for publishing and reading at the April 18 release party.
“Songs, Blood Deep,” a collection of poems by Gwen Nell Westerman and published by Holy Cow! Press, has been selected as one of four finalists in the poetry category for the 2024 Minnesota Book Awards. The awards ceremony takes place on May 7th at the Ordway Theater in downtown Saint Paul. For further information, please visit thefriends.org
Debbi King, Solon Springs, WI, is starting work on next books: Love in the Time of Sheep, and a possible cookbook spinoff from her popular farm memoir Gravedigger’s Daughter -growing up rural. She is also preparing for her 49th year of judging 4-H fairs in Wisconsin, and for spring shearing of their fluffy Sunny Cove flock of registered Icelandic wool sheep.
Tom King, Solon Springs, is finishing beta version of his newest personal Northland anthology, BOOTS BLOOMS BARKS & BAAS! 692 pp. He also composed newest folk songs, spoken word & instrumentals, and is recording at Pinnacle Pointe Studios, Duluth. Tom & Debbi help sponsor annual UW-Eau Claire International Poetry Reading, April 10. Tom will read in two languages this year, probably Icelandic and Modern Morse Code.
Tim Moder‘s poetry chapbook was published with Seven Kitchens Press 02/24/24 as part of their Rane Arroyo Chapbook Series. https://sevenkitchenspress.com/rane-arroyo-series/tim-moder-american-parade-routes/
Lin Salisbury has been awarded a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board for 2024-2025.
Lake Superior Writers Blog
Lake Superior Writers invites members to submit guest posts for possible inclusion on our blog. Please visit our blog information page for more details: https://lakesuperiorwriters.org/blog/blog-submission-guidelines/
Our blog currently features A Poem’s Revision
Lake Superior Writers 