Saturday, July 7, 2012

Rose State Short Course with William Bernhardt!

Rose State College is offering a two-day short course on writing September 15 to 16 at a remarkably low rate.  This weekend conference will feature more than twenty speakers from all across the nation, including major bestselling authors like Phillip Margolin.  The people at Rose know that times are tough for those in the artistic community, so they've made the short course available for only only $99, the lowest conference registration fee I've seen anywhere.  And for teachers and students, it's only $39.  (For students at Rose State, it's free.)

That price includes programming for the serious professional writer, one-on-one meetings with agents, editors, and writers, the Saturday night program/awards ceremony, food/drink at the Saturday evening reception/booksigning, and all contest entries.

Rose State sponsors five contest categories: fiction (short stories or novel segments), nonfiction, memoir, poetry, and writing for children. You can enter every category, if you want, at no additional cost. This is the first year Rose has held this program, so there may be a chance to get into a contest that isn't inundated with entries yet.  The winners in each category will receive cash prizes that start at $100 for first place, so you could walk away with more money in your pocket than you paid for the conference.

Register for the conference one of three ways: 

By Phone with a credit card by calling 405 733 7392.

In Person at Rose State College, Community Learning Center, 6420 SE 15th Street, Midwest City OK 73110.

By Mail by sending your name, address, phone, and email address with payment to: Rose State College, Community Learning Center, 6420 SE 15th Street, Midwest City OK 73110. Please make checks payable to:  Rose State College.

And after registering, send your contest entries to this address: Contests, Rose State Short Course, Community Learning Center, 6420 SE 15th Street, Midwest City OK 73110.

You can find more details about the short course and the contest submission guidelines at the Rose State website: http://www.rose.edu/writing-short-course or at Bernhardt's website: http://www.williambernhardt.com/rose_state.php. If you have any questions about the seminars, just shoot him an email (willbern@gmail.com) or call (405 683 2881).

Monday, June 25, 2012

Manda Panda helps me tutor!

Panda Bear
This week, for my tutoring lesson, I decided to create something special for my student to read. I bought some panda-themed paper and wrote her a letter from "Manda Panda" using words she knew or was learning. I put the letter in an envelope, addressed it to the young lady and placed a pretend stamp on it. She was so amazed that Manda Panda knew her address and couldn't wait to read the letter! This is a fun way to get your reluctant reader to practice reading.


One warning - don't give your child the letter until after the lesson! Once she read the letter, she lost her motivation!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Tutoring

I started tutoring in the month of June and LOVE IT! I've been working with a woman who is re-entering the workforce and needs to learn how to run a computer. We set up her new computer, got her email running, got her on the Internet and Facebook, and now we’re learning about Windows 7.

I’m also working with a young lady on her algebra skills. She needs to pass the EOI test to graduate high school. I’ve had to brush up on algebra, as I haven’t had it for five years, but it’s coming back!

I’m also working with a very young girl who is learning to read. It was so exciting to see her read her very first book! That was special, indeed!

I am so excited that I’m getting to use my interests and skills to teach instead of working in an office! 

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Rob's Ranch is online!

You can read my latest article about Rob's Ranch on the Oklahoma Living magazine website.

Click on the digital magazine and scroll to page 12: Rob's Ranch: Where Hope Begins  

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Exchange Students

This month, I'm working on an article about exchange students in Oklahoma. I loved this assignment! I got to interview students from China, Italy, Spain and Montenegro. It was so fun hearing about their adventures in the United States and learning something about their culture at the same time.

They shared some of the fun things they did, what they learned here and how they interacted with their host families. You won't want to miss this one! 

Look for Exchanging Cultures in Oklahoma Living Magazine in August 2012. I made the cover!




April Writing Project

In April, I traveled to Purcell, Oklahoma, to interview the staff and residents of Rob's Ranch for an article that will be published in June issue of Oklahoma Living Magazine.

I was really impressed with this organization. They provide a long-term treatment program for men with alcohol and drug addiction. If you know someone who needs help, I highly recommend this organization.

I'll post a link to the article when it's available.

New Article-Retirement: Time to Ham it Up!

My latest article, Retirement: Time to Ham it Up, was published in the May 2012 issue of Oklahoma Living Magazine.

You can read the entire issue on the company's website (May 2012 issue, page 30-31) or just my story on my website