Helping Writers to Rise and Thrive

Events

Now is the perfect time to kick-start your writing and strengthen your skills with our awesome slate of workshops at the Fairfield County Writers’ Studio!! Whether you are a best-selling novelist, a burgeoning blogger, a maybe-memoirist or are completely new to the page, we can help.
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018
Marilyn Allen
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or thereabouts, $30 to pitch, $15 to watch
Back by popular demand: Pitch Party 2018! Get ready to Join us at The Studio for mimosas, coffee and bagels on Saturday, February 3, to pitch your non-fiction work! (Fiction pitch party coming in March.) Pitch your book, or simply listen and learn as others pitch theirs out loud to top non-fiction literary agent Marilyn Allen. Your book can be finished, unfinished, or simply in the concept stage. At the contest, you will read your query letter aloud or, if your query isn’t quite there yet, read your keynote/elevator pitch to Marilyn and audience members. Marilyn will offer gentle (yet effective!) feedback. Three winning pitches will be chosen and sent (when ready) to acquiring editors who have agreed to consider publication. If the winning pitches aren’t yet strong enough to submit they will receive one free editing session. Entry (for those who wish to pitch) costs $30.
Looking for something this holiday season for the special writer in your life? We’ve assembled a couple of dozen gifts that might do the job! Do Not Disturb. Writer at Work Durable plastic door hangar. $6.99 The Sympathizer By Viet Thanh Nguyen. Carol’s favorite novel of 2016. $7.39 Best American Short Stories As selected by Junot Diaz. $8.90 Cocktails for Book Lovers By the most awesome Tessa Smith McGovern. From Jane Austen’s little-known fondness for wine to Hemingway’s beloved mojitos, literature and libations go hand in hand. Perfect for the season! $9.22 Pilot Precise V5 Stick Rolling Ball Pens Blue ink. Extra-fine point. Pack of six. Carol’s favorite pens! $11 Writing Down the Bones Freeing the Writer Within This best-selling guide for writers turns 30 this year. Anniversary edition filled with great tips and insight. $11.28 When Breath Becomes Air By Paul Kalanithi. Carol’s favorite memoir of 2016. $15
A bookstore’s worth of thanks to top agent Marilyn Allen for hosting our query letter master class at the Fairfield County Writers’ Studio on Saturday, January 30. In this hands-on workshop, Marilyn, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Book Proposals and Query Letters,” and the co-founder of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency, showed participants how to craft a successful query letter for their fiction and non-fiction books.