Polly Campbell
October 21, 2006
Time: 12:00 pm—3:00 pm
Location: Neuberger Hall, Room 407
Fee: $60

Most writers have no shortage of ideas, but not every idea leads to a saleable story.

This workshop will explore how freelance magazine writers find and shape marketable story ideas into query letters that sell. We will discuss how writers develop a story focus, research markets and finally write the query. Participants will also learn how to structure a magazine article, work with editors and publish the finished piece. By the end of this intensive workshop participants will have their own well-focussed idea and be ready to write the query.

Half-ton pumpkins, environmentally-conscious entrepreneurs and jail-bound embezzlers are a few of the subjects Polly Campbell has written about during her 12-year career as a journalist and free-lance writer. She's also juggled corporate brochures, annual reports and even ad copy in an effort to earn enough money to feed her cats.

Yet Campbell has survived and thrived as a writer. She is a weekly contributor to The Oregonian and her non-fiction features have been published in The Writer, Pages, American Profile, Family Circle, Arthritis Today and other consumer and trade magazines. Now she shares helpful hints with people who have left their day-job or dream of writing full-time.

Preregistration is required. Print out and mail registration form to:

Sydney Thompson, Program Coordinator
Center for Excellence in Writing
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Phone: 503-725-9422
E-mail: sydneyt@pdx.edu

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Liz Nakazawa
November 4, 2006
Time: 12:00 pm—3:00 pm
Location: Neuberger Hall, Room 407
Fee: $60

This is a workshop for beginning students interested in journalistic, non-fiction article writing who want to learn how to develop ideas for feature articles for magazine and newspapers. We will explore the process of writing query letters to editors, researching, interviewing, and writing and editing final articles. We will also discuss the best ways to approach editors with story ideas. There will be several in-class exercises.

Local author Liz Nakazawa has been freelancing since 1984 and has published over 90 articles on such diverse subjects as food, gardening, education, small businesses and non-profit organizations. Her articles have appeared in The Oregonian, Oregon Business Magazine and PSU Alumni Magazine. She has also published in Psychology Today, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Horizon Air and Northwest Travel Magazine.

Preregistration is required. Print out and mail registration form to:

Sydney Thompson, Program Coordinator
Center for Excellence in Writing
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Phone: 503-725-9422
E-mail: sydneyt@pdx.edu

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Jodi Helmer
November 18, 2006
12:00 pm—3:00 pm
Neuberger Hall, Room 407
Fee: $60

Every writer knows that a well-written query is essential to landing assignments with magazines and newspapers but few writers know how to make their queries stand out: Crafting the Query will change that.

This three-hour class will cover topics ranging from the purpose of a query and the best way to present it to an editor to tips to help writers sell their idea (and themselves). In addition to covering the basics of writing a query, the class will offer tips for taking a query from ho-hum to outstanding using real examples of query letters that have landed lucrative assignments. In-class writing exercises will help writers develop their ideas, sell themselves and make their queries sing.

As a freelance writer, Jodi Helmer has written hundreds of articles on topics including the AIDS pandemic in South Africa, the shortage of male teachers and easy ways to cut calories. Her work has appeared in publications like Entrepreneur, Woman's Day, Parents and the Christian Science Monitor. She is also a frequent contributor to the Portland Tribune. Additionally, she has worked as an editor and taught numerous writing classes both independently and through organizations such as Saturday Academy.

Preregistration is required. Print out and mail registration form to:

Sydney Thompson, Program Coordinator
Center for Excellence in Writing
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Phone: 503-725-9422
E-mail: sydneyt@pdx.edu

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Dawn Weinberger
December 2, 2006
Time: 10:00 am—1:00 pm
Location: Neuberger Hall, Room 407
Fee: $50

The questions asked during an interview can make, or break, an article. This three-hour workshop will equip writers with the ability to generate great interview questions, which will result in more thorough stories. This workshop will cover:

• How to develop solid, leading questions that generate informative answers.
• How to phrase questions in a way that will yield great quotes, as opposed to “yes” and “no” answers.
• The pros and cons of in-person vs. phone interviews.
• Where and how to locate sources.
• Establishing good rapport with sources.
• Getting sources to spill the beans, when they really don't want to.
• How to approach difficult and controversial topics.
• The importance of taking accurate notes and keeping records of all correspondence with sources.

In class exercises, including writing out questions for sample stories and engaging in mock interviews, will allow writers to put their knowledge to the test.

Freelance writer Dawn Weinberger frequently hears “that's a great question” from sources. A full-time freelancer since 2002, Dawn has written for a variety of trade and consumer publications, including Women's Health, USA Weekend and Fresh Cup. She can be contacted her through her web site, www.dawnweinberger.com.

Preregistration is required. Print out and mail registration form to:

Sydney Thompson, Program Coordinator
Center for Excellence in Writing
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Phone: 503-725-9422
E-mail: sydneyt@pdx.edu

PRINT REGISTRATION FORM

Cornelia Seigneur
January 20, 2007
Time: 10:00 am—1:00 pm
Location: Neuberger Hall, Room 407
Fee: $60

If you've always dreamed of writing for newspapers and magazines, but not known where to start, here's your chance to learn the nuts and bolts. This workshop teaches the ABC's of journalism in a day, plus offers tips on making your work shine.

Journalism 101 is an overview of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of newspaper writing. This hands-on workshop will cover the basics, such as interviewing and note-taking; writing the lede, nutgraff, transitions, and body of a story; researching an article, checking for facts and organizing a story; and weaving action verbs and descriptive language into articles. In-class exercises will hone these and other writing skills.

We will examine various types of newspaper stories, such as features, news and editorials, and how they are written and researched. In the workshop we will analyze real newspaper articles, both local and national, to see how stories are structured and how the writer made the information both understandable and interesting.

In addition, we will touch on the life of a freelance journalist, and how to approach editors with story ideas that will grab their attention to land assignments.

Freelance journalist and editor Cornelia Seigneur, M.A., pens Real Life Mom, a monthly family column for The Oregonian's Southwest Weekly section. Since 1996, she has written feature stories for the paper's Living, Metro, Religion, and community sections, and her work has appeared in other publications as well, including Portland Magazine, Twins and Parents. Cornelia is a member of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication and National Communication Association.

Preregistration is required. Print out and mail registration form to:

Sydney Thompson, Program Coordinator
Center for Excellence in Writing
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Phone: 503-725-9422
E-mail: sydneyt@pdx.edu

PRINT REGISTRATION FORM

Cornelia Seigneur
March 10, 2007
Time: 10:00 am—1:00 pm
Location: Neuberger Hall, Room 407
Fee: $60

“Just get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do with it.” ~ Maxwell Perkins

Oprah's book club selection, James Frey's memoir A Million Little Pieces, created a buzz about memoir writing. How much of the truth of our lives can we embellish when we share our stories? No matter which side we fall on the Frey debate, one thing is for sure — memoir writing is here to stay.

As we write down our story, we discover its relevancy and begin to understand ourselves and the way we relate to the world. It's through the art of writing that our stories are preserved and thereby touch others.

This memoir writing workshop is designed to inspire you to write your story; either segments of it or in its entirety, using various writing prompts that help participants discover their personal voice and unique story.

Participants will:

• Use memory joggers and writing prompts to write parts of our lives.
• Focus on certain elements of their lives to recall life-changing details.
• Analyze their writing to find life themes.
• Draw on personal monuments to help tell their stories.
• Use sensory exercises to capture dialogue, musings, and scenes.
• Read passages from published memoirs.
• Begin to find relevancy to others in their life stories.
• Touch on basics of the freelance publishing world.
• Read out loud from their writing to gain valuable feedback.

Freelance journalist, editor and instructor Cornelia Seigneur, M.A., pens Real-Life Mom, a family column which appears the second Thursday each month in The Oregonian's Southwest Weekly magazine. She has been a regular contributor to The Oregonian for 10 years, and her work has appeared in other publications, including Parents and Portland magazines. Having kept journals and diaries most of her life, Cornelia enjoys inspiring others to write, both for themselves and for publication.

Preregistration is required. Print out and mail registration form to:

Sydney Thompson, Program Coordinator
Center for Excellence in Writing
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Phone: 503-725-9422
E-mail: sydneyt@pdx.edu

PRINT REGISTRATION FORM