One of the perks of being awarded a fellowship is the opportunity to offer free public readings and workshops. (And you have funds set aside for promotional postcards!)

The following are my coming events for October and November, 2016. Some require registration, but all are open to the public.

How to Prepare for an Intensive Month of Writing Workshop, October 8, 2016 from 11:00 – 1:00 at the Newark Free Library, Meeting Rooms 1&2

The workshop offers tips for writers planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month in November–and for anyone looking ahead to a deadline, retreat, or focused writing time. Topics include carving out a time and place for daily writing stints; getting help and support from friends and family; practical issues such as  meal planning and car pooling; and how to begin on November 1 with strategies you start in October. Ages 12+. Register at Adult Reference Desk or call 302-731-7550.

The Writing Hour: a workshop on establishing a productive and pleasing  writing practice, Saturday  October 29 at 3:00 p.m, Kent County Public Library, 497 S Red Haven Lane, Dover, DE 19901

Join the Delaware Division of the Arts’ 2016 Masters Fellowship in Fiction awardee Ramona DeFelice Long for a discussion on how to incorporate writing into your daily life. The workshop will focus on finding your most creative time of day; ironing out the challenges between work, family, and writing; the benefits of writing at the same time, same place every day; and selecting what you really want to write—today and every day. Open to any writer at any level of experience.  This workshop is free and open to the public. To register for this event, please call 302-744-1919 or visit http://www.tinyurl.com/KCPLEvents

Delaware Literary Reading Series – Prose and Poetry reading on Sunday, October 9, at 1:00 p.m. at the John Dickinson Plantation in Dover, DE.

Poets, prose writers, and essayists who contributed to the award-winning anthology CURRENTS: Selected Poetry & Prose form the 2014 Cape Henlopen Retreat Writers will share their work at one of Delaware’s most treasured historical sites. Guests can enjoy the reading, plus a tour of the historic plantation owned by the “Penman of the Revolution.” This reading is free and open to the public.

Readings by the 2016 Delaware Division of the Arts’ 2016 Literary Fellowship  Winners at the Newark Arts Alliance, Saturday, November 9, at 7:00 p.m.

Featured readers will be Ramona DeFelice Long:  Master, Fiction; Siobhan Carroll:  Established Professional, Fiction; Lisa Dill:  Established Professional, Creative Nonfiction; Abby Millager:  Established Professional, Playwriting; Maggie Rowe:  Established Professional, Poetry; Joyce Barbagello:  Emerging, Fiction; and Sherry Gage Chapelle:  Emerging, Poetry. The reading is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a reception.

Unless I get a last-minute offer I can’t refuse, the Newark Arts Alliance reading above will be my final appearance as a DDoA Fellow. I received my first grant in 1990, from the Pennsylvania State Arts Council, and since moving to Delaware, have benefited greatly from the support of the Delaware Division of the Arts, the State of Delaware, and the National Endowment for the Arts. I have tried to use that support wisely, and I am always happy to give back. Bien Merci.