Tag: Ames Writers Collective

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Author

Tom Montgomery Fate

What’s your genre?
Creative nonfiction / memoir / essays

Are you published?
Traditional Publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
My 7th grade English teacher, Miss Herman, asked us to write about “a walk in the woods” we had taken, and then read/record (interpret) it on a cassette recorder. Then we listened to the reading together, while looking at the print, and discussed it. It blew my 13 year old mind.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I read ten of Scott Russell Sanders books while in a writing residency, and learned that my seemingly boring, humdrum life was interesting enough to write about. It was not about WHAT I saw but HOW I saw.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
My Ántonia by Willa Cather
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Dakota by Kathleen Norris

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
Beauty is defined by flaw not perfection. It is uniqueness and difference that defines beauty, not societal expectation.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
There are two things you need to be a writer: passion and patience. These two words share the same Latin root—pati—which means “to suffer.”

Author bio
Tom Montgomery Fate is a professor emeritus at College DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he taught creative writing and literature courses for more than 30 years. He is the author of six books of creative nonfiction, including The Long Way Home: Detours and Discoveries, a travel memoir (Ice Cube Press, 2022), Cabin Fever, a nature memoir (Beacon Press), and Steady and Trembling, a spiritual memoir (Chalice Press). A regular contributor to the Chicago Tribune, his essays have appeared in the Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, Orion, The Iowa Review, Christian Century, Fourth Genre, River Teeth, and many others. Dozens of his essays have also aired on NPR, PRI and Chicago Public Radio. Visit Tom here.

On September 27, Tom will teach a class titled, Writing A Life Into Memoir at the Ames Public Library from 6:30 to 8 PM. Check our calendar for further details.

John Stoddard Cancer Center | An Evening With the Ames Writers Collective

Writing Through Cancer with the
Ames Writers Collective

A safe space is created for attendees to write for timed intervals to writing prompts. Writing prompts inspire stories from our lives. After each timed-writing session, participants will have the opportunity to read their stories to the group, which is healing on many levels.

Facilitator: Ana McCracken, Founder of the Ames Writers Collective

Location: Smokey Row, 1910 Cottage Grove Ave, Des Moines; Off the menu ordering of food, snacks & coffee will be provided

This program is sponsored by
John Stoddard Cancer Center

Categories
In The Media

Founder Featured in Livability Ames “Cost of Living Diaries”

The Ames Writers Collective is proud to have founder, Ana McCracken featured in “Cost of Living Diaries” in the current issue of Livability Ames.

 

 

Click here to view the entire story and issue. Please note that our story begins on page 17 of the digital magazine!

Livability Ames is sponsored by the Ames Chamber of Commerce.

We are grateful for the opportunity to be featured among the awesome businesses and organizations that make living
in Story County, Iowa great.

Writing That Scary Thing—A Women’s Writing Retreat

Writing That Scary Thing—A Women’s Writing Retreat

at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center
in Hiawatha, Iowa

Most of us give little thought to how we would like to be remembered in our obituaries. The thought of writing it may be scary. But writing your obituary does not signal the end of your life. Instead, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect, receive feedback from others, and to plan how you wish to live the rest of your best life. And, wouldn’t you rather be the author of your obituary as opposed to leaving the writing of your life to someone else?

This two-and-a-half day workshop will help demystify writing about ourselves and explore the history of obituaries—both newspaper and online versions. Step-by-step exercises will help each of us gather our own anecdotal and biographical data, and easy writing exercises will produce draft obituaries, both online and newspaper versions. During our final-evening celebration, everyone will be invited to read their obituary to the group.

Join Mary Lou Nosco and Ana McCracken for a fun-filled and reflective writing retreat at Prairiewoods. You don’t have to be “a writer” to join us. During our time together, we will gather in community for walks, good food and conversation, and time to reflect and write. And, of course there will be wine!

Ana McCracken received her B.S and MFA in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University, and she the founder of the Ames Writers Collective. Ana enjoys reading a well-written obituary, and wants to be the author of her own.

 

 

 

Mary Lou Nosco has a B.A. in history, an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, and is a retired Army officer. While in the Army, Nosco wrote too many obituaries for soldiers. Additionally, she has written obituaries for five family members and would like to spare her own family that duty.

 

 

 

DATES
Arrival: October 16 (Noon)
Departure: October 18 (by 1 pm)

COST: $295 includes lodging (single rooms) and meals, materials and wine! Click here for payment instructions or to make inquiry. Pre-assignments and itinerary will be sent closer to the retreat date. Plan to bring a notebook and pen and/or your laptop for writing and taking notes.

Author Spotlight Featuring Joe Geha

Join us for an Author Spotlight featuring Joe Geha, author of Kitchen Arabic. Hear stories about his aromatic dishes and the writing of his book, which is a fabulous holiday gift idea for the “home chefs” in your life.

Joe Geha, Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University, is also the author of Through and Through: Toledo Stories, and Lebanese Blonde. His poems, plays, essays and short stories have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies. His work was granted an NEA award, Pushcart Prize, and the Arab American Book Award. 

Copies of Kitchen Arabic, perfect for your holiday gift-giving, will be available for purchase and author signing.

 

 

 

 

This event is held in partnership with the
Ames Writers Collective and KHOI Community Radio.

Author Spotlight Featuring Gary Eller

Join us for an Author Spotlight featuring Gary Eller, author of True North.

Eller’s previous collection of short fiction, THIN ICE AND OTHER RISKS (New Rivers Press) was well-received and described by one reviewer as “reminiscent of Raymond Carver’s best work.” In addition to many short stories, he has published nonfiction articles on various topics such as commercial fishing in Alaska, rare museum collections, and post-divorce life. He has also published interviews and several articles on the craft of writing. His focus in the nonfiction genre, however, has been on baseball, one of his many loves.

His writing awards include the River City Award in Fiction, the Fowler Prize, and a Minnesota Voices Award, among others. He is a former Pushcart Prize nominee and recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has also taught fiction and nonfiction at Iowa State University and lectured widely on aspects of creative writing.

Copies of True North will be available for purchase and author signing.

 

 

 

This event is held in partnership with the
Ames Writers Collective and KHOI Community Radio.

Author Spotlight Featuring Dr. Douglas Gentile

Doug Gentile
Doug Gentile for LAS. (Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)

Join us for an Author Spotlight featuring Dr. Douglas Gentile, author and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University. A Zen Buddhist monk and meditation teacher, he wrote and narrated the best-selling audiobook Buddhism 101: How to Walk Easily over Rough Ground and Finding the Freedom to Get Unstuck and Be Happier. He has been featured on such radio shows as National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, To the Point, the BBC World Service, and his work has been reported on CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Jo Frost’s Extreme Parental Guidance, as well as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times.

Copies of Buddhism 101: How to Walk Easily over Rough Ground and Finding the Freedom to Get Unstuck and Be Happier will be available for purchase and author signing.

This event is held in partnership with the Ames Writers Collective and KHOI Community Radio.

John Stoddard Cancer Center | Writing Through Cancer

Writing Circle Mondays are open to cancer patients and cancer survivors who have completed treatments and who are served by the John Stoddard Cancer Center.

Each evening during this 8-week session, a safe space is created to write and respond to each other’s writing. Stories and/or poems are inspired by writing prompts. Sharing stories with the group is healing on many levels.

“I’ve come to regard Writing Through Cancer writing circles as an integral part of my cancer treatment. As much as I appreciate the efforts of my medical team and support from family and friends, I still feel an “aloneness” in this journey. Writing Through Cancer writing circles has proved a convenient opportunity to air my worries, concerns, hopes and fears that only another cancer patient can truly fathom. It is a safe space to share insights, tears, and laughter.” – NJ

These writing sessions are held on Zoom to enable individuals to write from the comfort of their home. A reminder and Zoom link will be sent prior to each session.

We will meet on:
Oct 9, 23, & 30. Nov 13, 20, & 27. Dec 11 & 18.

This program is sponsored by John Stoddard Cancer Center as part of the Charlie Cutler Healing and Wellness Program

Swift Youth Writers Group – Writing for Teens

Teens in 6th – 12th grade are invited to escape into creative writing and connect with other teen writers. Each month on the 2nd Sunday (unless otherwise noted) attendees will be led through prompts and exercises to help develop and stretch their creative writing skills. Attendees will be given a chance to share their work and have a chance to support others. No experience is necessary so all skill levels are encouraged to attend. At the end of the school year, writers will be asked to submit 1 to 3 pieces (depending on genre) for inclusion in an anthology, and a celebratory reading will be held.

Registration is not necessary. Writing Sundays are FREE! For more information, click here.

Provided in partnership with the Ames Writers Collective and the Ames Public Library

Swift Youth Writers Group – Writing for Teens

Teens in 6th – 12th grade are invited to escape into creative writing and connect with other teen writers. Each month on the 2nd Sunday (unless otherwise noted) attendees will be led through prompts and exercises to help develop and stretch their creative writing skills. Attendees will be given a chance to share their work and have a chance to support others. No experience is necessary so all skill levels are encouraged to attend. At the end of the school year, writers will be asked to submit 1 to 3 pieces (depending on genre) for inclusion in an anthology, and a celebratory reading will be held.

Registration is not necessary. Writing Sundays are FREE! For more information, click here.

Provided in partnership with the Ames Writers Collective and the Ames Public Library