Education and Craft

Contests, Grants/Fellowships, and Residencies for Authors

Jeanne Lyet Gassman — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:33:18 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Jeanne Lyet Gassman on 10/8/2025 8:33:18 PM

There are many paths to success for authors beyond submitting your writing to publishers. Contests open the door to both publication and financial awards. Grants and fellowships provide financial support for your work, and residencies offer time to concentrate on your projects without distractions or interruptions.

In this recorded webinar, award-winning writer Jeanne Lyet Gassman discusses the process of entering contests, including how to recognize legitimate contests from scams. She also reviews how to apply for grants and fellowships or to artist residencies and discusses what they can do for your career.

Here are the 3 handouts referenced in the session:
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../2570.ALC-Handout_5F00_Contests-and-More-_2D00_-Resources.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../ALC-Handout_5F00_Grants-_2D00_-Artists-Statement.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../0081.ALC-Handout_5F00_Residencies-_2D00_-The-Letter-of-Intent.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../ContestsGrantsFellowshipsandResidenciesforAuthors2025.mp4

About the Presenter:
Jeanne Lyet Gassman lives in the mountains of New Mexico where she writes & teaches. Her debut novel, "Blood of a Stone" (Tuscany Press), received a Bronze 2015 Independent Publisher Book Award. Her short work has been nominated for Best Small Fictions and the Pushcart Prize. Other awards include fellowships from Ragdale and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Her short fiction, creative nonfiction, & poetry have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, including "45 Poems of Protest: The Pandemic", "Bosque7", "Dear America: Reflections on Race", "Debris & Detritus: The Lesser Greek Gods Running Amok", "The Manifest-Station", "Queen Mob's Tea House", & "Hippocampus Magazine", among many others. Jeanne recently received a New Mexico Writers Grant for her novel-in-progress, a story about a family of downwinders who were affected by the radioactive fallout from the atomic bomb tests in Nevada. You can learn more about Jeanne at her website: www.jeannelyetgassman.com or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JeanneLyetGassman.

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

Contests, Grants/Fellowships, and Residencies for Authors

Author Learning Center — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:30:39 GMT

Revision 4 posted to Education and Craft by Author Learning Center on 10/8/2025 8:30:39 PM

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

Yes, your notes app poetry counts as writing

Chad Sanders — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 21:06:17 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Chad Sanders on 10/6/2025 9:06:17 PM

What counts as writing?

According to Chad Sanders, author of How to Sell Out, just about anything! For more on this critically acclaimed author visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Chad-Sanders/146298445.

www.youtube.com/watch

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

People-Watching is Necessary for Writing

Rob Franklin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:08:42 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Rob Franklin on 9/8/2025 3:08:42 PM

Rob Franklin, in conversation with Emily Ratajkowski, shares why writing in public was necessary for the creation of his debut novel, Great Black Hope.

For more information on this critically acclaimed writer and teacher, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Rob-Franklin/224078581.

www.youtube.com/watch

Tags: fiction, video

People-Watching is Necessary for Writing

Rob Franklin — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:08:26 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Education and Craft by Rob Franklin on 9/8/2025 3:08:26 PM

Rob Franklin, in conversation with Emily Ratajkowski, shares why writing in public was necessary for the creation of his debut novel, Great Black Hope.

For more information on this critically acclaimed writer and teacher, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Rob-Franklin/224078581.

www.youtube.com/watch

Tags: fiction, video

How to Write Memoir That Reads Like Fiction

Julie Ryan McGue — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:21:58 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Julie Ryan McGue on 4/29/2025 8:21:58 PM

For memoir to fully engage readers, it must give readers the sense that they are “right there,” experiencing life’s pivotal moments alongside the narrator. In this webinar, award-winning memoirist Julie Ryan McGue will offer techniques and share concrete examples that will assist writers in crafting memoir that is sure to keep readers turning the pages. McGue will show participants how to borrow elements from fiction by looking at character, plot, scene, dialogue, and voice from the angle of writing compelling memoir that sells.

Here are the 2 handouts referenced in the session:
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Memoir-Summary-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Memoir-Recommended-Reading-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../HowtoWriteMemoirThatReadsLikeFiction25.mp4

About the Presenter:
Julie Ryan McGue is an American writer, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. Her first memoir, Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (She Writes Press), released in May 2021, won multiple awards. Her work has appeared in Writers Digest, Story Circle Network Journal, Brevity Nonfiction Blog, Imprint News, Adoption.com, Adopting.com, Lifetime Adoption Adoptive Families Blog, Adoption & Beyond, and Severance Magazine. Her personal essays have appeared in several anthologies, including Real Women Write: Seeing Through Her Eyes (Story Circle Network), Real Women Write: The Power of Friendship (Story Circle Network) and Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis (She Writes Press). Her collection of essays, Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship (Muse Literary) released in November 2023. She writes a bi-weekly blog and monthly column (The Beacher Newspapers), in which she explores the topics of finding out who you are, where you belong and making sense of it. Her third book, Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood (She Writes Press) released February 4, 2025. Julie splits her time between northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida.

Tags: Self-Help, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Religion & Spirituality, Recorded Webinar, biographies & memoirs

How to Write Memoir That Reads Like Fiction

Author Learning Center — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:20:27 GMT

Revision 6 posted to Education and Craft by Author Learning Center on 4/29/2025 8:20:27 PM

Here are the 2 handouts referenced in the session:
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Memoir-Summary-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Memoir-Recommended-Reading-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../HowtoWriteMemoirThatReadsLikeFiction25.mp4
About the Presenter:
Julie Ryan McGue is an American writer, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. Her first memoir, Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (She Writes Press), released in May 2021, won multiple awards. Her work has appeared in Writers Digest, Story Circle Network Journal, Brevity Nonfiction Blog, Imprint News, Adoption.com, Adopting.com, Lifetime Adoption Adoptive Families Blog, Adoption & Beyond, and Severance Magazine. Her personal essays have appeared in several anthologies, including Real Women Write: Seeing Through Her Eyes (Story Circle Network), Real Women Write: The Power of Friendship (Story Circle Network) and Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis (She Writes Press). Her collection of essays, Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship (Muse Literary) released in November 2023. She writes a bi-weekly blog and monthly column (The Beacher Newspapers), in which she explores the topics of finding out who you are, where you belong and making sense of it. Her third book, Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood (She Writes Press) released February 4, 2025. Julie splits her time between northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida.

Tags: Self-Help, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Religion & Spirituality, Recorded Webinar, biographies & memoirs

How to Write Memoir That Reads Like Fiction

Julie Ryan McGue — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 19:22:29 GMT

Revision 5 posted to Education and Craft by Julie Ryan McGue on 3/10/2025 7:22:29 PM

For memoir to fully engage readers, it must give readers the sense that they are “right there,” experiencing life’s pivotal moments alongside the narrator. In this recorded webinar, memoirist Julie Ryan McGue offers techniques and shares concrete examples that will assist writers in crafting memoir that is sure to keep readers turning the pages. McGue shows participants how to borrow elements from fiction by looking at character, plot, scene, dialogue, and voice from the angle of writing compelling memoir that sells.

Here are the 3 handouts referenced in the session:
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Memoir-That-Reads-Like-Fiction-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Theme-in-Memoir-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Resource-Recommended-Reading-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../HowtoWriteMemoirThatReadsLikeFiction.mp4

About the Presenter:
Julie Ryan McGue is an American writer, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. Her first memoir, Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (She Writes Press), released in May 2021, won multiple awards. Her work has appeared in Writers Digest, Story Circle Network Journal, Brevity Nonfiction Blog, Imprint News, Adoption.com, Adopting.com, Lifetime Adoption Adoptive Families Blog, Adoption & Beyond, and Severance Magazine. Her personal essays have appeared in several anthologies, including Real Women Write: Seeing Through Her Eyes (Story Circle Network), Real Women Write: The Power of Friendship (Story Circle Network) and Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis (She Writes Press). Her collection of essays, Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship (Muse Literary) released in November 2023. She writes a bi-weekly blog and monthly column (The Beacher Newspapers), in which she explores the topics of finding out who you are, where you belong and making sense of it. Her third book, Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood (She Writes Press) released February 4, 2025. Julie splits her time between northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida.

Tags: Nonfiction, Subscriber, Religion & Spirituality, Recorded Webinar, biographies & memoirs

Tricks of the Trade: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Pop

Jeanne Lyet Gassman — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:00:07 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Jeanne Lyet Gassman on 9/26/2024 1:00:07 PM

Did you know there are dozens of little things you can do to make your writing stand out from the crowd?

In this webinar with award-winning writer Jeanne Lyet Gassman, she looks at the tricks writing professionals use to make their prose more polished and dynamic. Some of the topics addressed include dialogue, point of view, setting, description, and pacing. Although this webinar is oriented for fiction, these tips can also be used for memoir and creative nonfiction as well.

Here are the handouts referenced in the session:
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Writing-Tips_5F00_Weasel-Words-ALC-Handout-2024.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Writing-Tips_5F00_Dialogue-Basics-ALC-Handout-2024.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Writing-Tips_5F00_Head-Hopping-ALC-Handout-2024.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TricksoftheTradeWritingTipstoMakeYourProsePop2024.mp4
About the Presenter:
Jeanne Lyet Gassman lives in the mountains of New Mexico where she writes and teaches. Her debut novel, 'Blood of a Stone' (Tuscany Press), received a Bronze 2015 Independent Publisher Book Award. Her short work has been nominated for Best Small Fictions and the Pushcart Prize. Other awards include fellowships from Ragdale and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Her short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, including Clerestory, 45 Poems of Protest: The Pandemic, Bosque7, Dear America: Reflections on Race, Debris & Detritus: The Lesser Greek Gods Running Amok, The Manifest-Station, and Hippocampus Magazine, among many others. Jeanne recently received a New Mexico Writers Grant for her novel-in-progress, a story about a family of downwinders who were affected by the radioactive fallout from the atomic bomb tests in Nevada. You can learn more about Jeanne at her website: http://jeannelyetgassman.com/ or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JeanneLyetGassman.

Tags: fiction, Short Stories, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

Tricks of the Trade: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Pop

Author Learning Center — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:58:18 GMT

Revision 6 posted to Education and Craft by Author Learning Center on 9/26/2024 12:58:18 PM

Did you know there are dozens of little things you can do to make your writing stand out from the crowd?

Tags: fiction, Short Stories, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

The First 3 Chapters: How to Start Your Book so that Agents and Editors will Read to the End

Derek Taylor Kent — Wed, 15 May 2024 14:28:17 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Derek Taylor Kent on 5/15/2024 2:28:17 PM

The first three chapters are the most important part of your book for those who are looking to get published. Agents and editors usually request either the first chapter or the first three chapters and then determine if they want to read the complete manuscript based on that small sample. Some even request just the first page! The importance of starting your book effectively cannot be overstated.

In this webinar, bestselling author Derek Taylor Kent guides you through all the tips and tricks he's picked up that will make your first three chapters involving, enticing, and irresistible.

NOTE: There are tips for both fiction and nonfiction authors in this session!

Here is the handout referenced in the session:
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../First-3-Chapters_5F00_Kent_5F00_ALC-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheFirst3ChaptersHowtoStartYourBook24.mp4

About the Presenter:
Derek Taylor Kent is the author of 19 books encompassing a wide variety of audiences and genres. He has also produced 15 audiobooks to date and has written 6 screenplays. Along with being an instructor for the ALC, he teaches at the Writing Pad in Los Angeles and is a freelance story editor. Derek received a 3-book deal from HarperCollins for his middle-grade book series "Scary School", and his Mystery/Thriller book "Kubrick’s Game" was #1 on Amazon three times and was optioned by Bobby Cohen Films. His middle-grade novel "My Homework Ate My Dog!" was awarded Best Middle-Grade Fiction Book of 2020 by Kops-Featherling Book Awards, and there was a bidding war for his picture book "El Perro con Sombrero", which was published by Holt/Macmillan. In addition, Derek Founded Whimsical World children’s publishing brand with wife, children’s author and ALC speaker Sheri Fink, with a mission to inspire, delight, and educate children of all ages while planting seeds of self-esteem and high achievement. Discover more at www.DerekTaylorKent.com and www.WhimsicalWorldBooks.com.

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

The First 3 Chapters: How to Start Your Book so that Agents and Editors will Read to the End

Author Learning Center — Wed, 15 May 2024 14:26:29 GMT

Revision 3 posted to Education and Craft by Author Learning Center on 5/15/2024 2:26:29 PM

In this webinar, bestselling author Derek Taylor Kent guides you through all the tips and tricks he's picked up that will make your first three chapters involving, enticing, and irresistible.

NOTE: There are tips for both fiction and nonfiction authors in this session!

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

Start Your Story Right

Jennifer Crosswhite — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 16:50:38 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Jennifer Crosswhite on 2/7/2024 4:50:38 PM

The Five Foundational Questions You Need to Answer Before Writing Anything

Good stories intrinsically have a structure our brains are looking for. With these 5 key questions, you can make sure you hit those key points on an idea you have, your work in progress, or a book you've already written.

Here is the handout referenced in the session:
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Start-Your-Story-Right_5F00_ALC-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../StartYourStoryRightthefivefoundationalquestions.mp4

About the Presenter:
Jennifer Crosswhite is owner and CEO of Tandem Services, an author services company that empowers influencers to harness the transformative power of story to spread their message, create an impact, and leave a legacy. Her twenty years’ experience spans both sides of the publishing desk, from managing editor to author of 20 books and counting.

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

Start Your Story Right

Author Learning Center — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 16:49:01 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Education and Craft by Author Learning Center on 2/7/2024 4:49:01 PM

The Five Foundational Questions You Need to Answer Before Writing Anything

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

To Be a Writer You Have to Be a Reader

Rebecca Caprara — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:09:36 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Rebecca Caprara on 12/18/2023 2:09:36 PM

Rebecca Caprara's Best Writing Advice

Critically acclaimed writer and illustrator Rebecca Caprara discusses first drafts, and the importance of reading widely for writers wanting to improve their craft.

The Song of Achilles and Circe get a sapphic, young adult twist in this retelling of the myth of Arachne spun in moving verse. You can learn more about Spin and critically acclaimed writer and illustrator Rebecca Caprara here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Rebecca-Caprara/185145293.

www.youtube.com/watch

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

To Be a Writer You Have to Be a Reader

Rebecca Caprara — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:07:42 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Education and Craft by Rebecca Caprara on 12/18/2023 2:07:42 PM

Rebecca Caprara's Best Writing Advice

www.youtube.com/watch

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Degree Programs Offered Through the Communication Department at Taylor University

Donna Arthur Downs — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 19:03:30 GMT

Current Revision posted to Education and Craft by Donna Arthur Downs on 8/18/2023 7:03:30 PM

Since 1987, Professor Donna Arthur Downs has been teaching students in the Communication Department at Taylor University. Taylor is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the United States. There are currently four majors offered through the Department - communication, multi-media journalism, professional writing, and public relations. Downs primarily teaches in public relations, but has taken courses in the other majors to enhance her own writing knowledge and craft.

Graduating students of Taylor's Communication Department find success in all types of careers, Downs says, including journalism, editing, publishing, public relations agencies, communications specialists, and more. She believes if you teach people to write well, think well, and improve their interpersonal skills, they will go on to be successful in any field. As a professor, downs pursues critical thinking and emotional intelligence with her students, and lets them thrive wherever they go.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheDegreeProgramsOfferedThroughtheCommunicationsDepartmentatTaylorUniversity.mp4

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Degree Programs Offered Through the Communication Department at Taylor University

Donna Arthur Downs — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 17:55:22 GMT

Revision 4 posted to Education and Craft by Donna Arthur Downs on 8/18/2023 5:55:22 PM

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Degree Programs Offered Through the Communications Department at Taylor University

Donna Arthur Downs — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:51:59 GMT

Revision 3 posted to Education and Craft by Donna Arthur Downs on 8/18/2023 4:51:59 PM

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video

The Degree Programs Offered Through the Communications Department at Taylor University

Donna Arthur Downs — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:35:29 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Education and Craft by Donna Arthur Downs on 8/18/2023 4:35:29 PM

Since 1987, Donna Arthur Downs has been teaching students in the Communication Department at Taylor University. Taylor is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the United States. There are currently four majors offered through the Department - communication, multi-media journalism, professional writing, and public relations. Downs primarily teaches in public relations, but has taken courses in the other majors to enhance her own writing knowledge and craft.

Tags: fiction, Nonfiction, video