“Near” if you are in Delaware, that is.
This spring, I will be participating in three programs at three different venues in the Delaware arts and culture scene:
Event #1:
Mindfulness for Creative Women at Newark Arts Alliance
Friday, February 16
Join us for an exploration of ways to be aware and present in the moments of your life, and how to use that awareness to jump start or enhance your creativity. The class will participate in short meditation, journaling, and visual prompt exercises. The goal is to leave with a plan on how to make each day richer and deeper through the habit and benefits of creative awareness.
Friday, February 16. Time: 7–10pm Ages: 18+ Cost: $35 M |$40 NM Register here.
Event #2
Winter into Spring Writers Workshop at the Judge Morris Estate
Saturday, March 3 – 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Event #3:
World War I and America Writing Workshops at the Delaware History Museum
March 3 – May 5, 2018
In March through the beginning of May, the Delaware Historical Society will offer six writing workshops to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The First State at the Front: World War I and the Road to Victorious Peace exhibition will be open through November, 2018, at the Delaware History Museum in Wilmington. The series will begin on March 3 with an opening event and the first workshop offered by Dr. Samuel Hoff. I will offer workshops on April 7 and 21. More info to come on my workshops in the weeks ahead.
This workshop series is offered through the Library of America’s World War I and America program, a “two-year initiative that aims to bring veterans and their families together with the general public to explore the continuing relevance of the war by reading, discussing, and sharing insights into the writings of Americans who experienced it firsthand.” The program is offered with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
A while ago, I had a funny experience in a drug store. Not ha-ha funny, but odd funny. On the one hand, it was a small incident of little significance, but I couldn’t shake it. Naturally, I wrote about it–a brief vignette of a moment that bugged me. 
Last night, after several months of absences, I attended the Open Mic offered by my town’s arts alliance. I did not read. I don’t always have short pieces to share, but that’s okay, because listeners are as welcomed as participants. Readers shared poetry and spoken word, short prose pieces, some novel excerpts, a music duo, and a haiku plus bongos performance. You never know what will happen at an Open Mic, and that’s the fun of it. 
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!)
I attended a food truck party this past weekend, an event to support the local arts alliance where I participate in open mics, enjoy exhibits and classes and, this summer, will offer a 
Writers from all three counties will read works to promote a new anthology showcasing Delaware authors. CURRENTS: Selected Poetry & Prose from the 2014 Cape Henlopen Retreat Writers is a collection of poems, short fiction, and essays from authors who were selected to attend the Delaware Division of the Arts’ biennial writers retreat. Twenty working Delaware writers contributed to the anthology. 
Ramona DeFelice Long 