January 2017 Writing Show: Befriending the Editing Scissors

Ever use ten words when five will do? Ever fear you’re being long-winded? Writers working across many forms and genres understand that editing should go far beyond dotting i’s and crossing t’s. Knowing when to pull out the editing scissors often makes the difference between writing that is okay and writing that is so sharp it cuts straight to the heart.

Date:
Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Time:
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (Meet & Greet at 6:00; program starts at 6:45)

Location:
Firehouse Theatre 1609 West Broad Street

Price:
$12 – Members; $15 Non-members ($5 for students)

SPEAKERS

Nathan M. Richardson is an accomplished performance poet and published author.  His published collections are “Likeness of Being” and “Twenty-one Imaginary T-shirts”.  Nathan teaches a variety of workshops for emerging writers and is the Head Coach of the Hampton Roads Youth Poets a division of the youth empowerment organization – Teens with a Purpose.

Nathan is preparing for his 3rd year of The Frederick Douglass Speaking Tour, in which he delivers a remarkable portrayal of the former slave, writer, orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.  A short list of Nathan’s other affiliations include the Poetry Society of Virginia, Young Audiences of Virginia, and the Suffolk Arts League.

Gretchen Comba‘s fiction has appeared in a number of journals, including Alaska Quarterly Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and The North American Review. She is a recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Prize for Short Fiction and the Yemassee Award for Exceptional Contribution to the Magazine. She received her MFA in Writing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and she teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Larand Lancaster is President for the Richmond chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). She has experience in strategic communication, print publication management, web site management, branding and identity campaigns and graphic design for internal and external audiences. Currently, Larand works at a state government agency where she is responsible for employee communication, the intranet, and digital signage.

MODERATOR

With degrees from the College of William & Mary and the University of Richmond, Kris Spisak began her career as a college writing instructor; however, after six years in the classroom, she transitioned to professional writing and editing. Helping writers sharpen their craft was the driving force behind her book Get a Grip on your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017). Kris is also pursuing the publication of her first novel and is the co-founder of Midlothian Web Solutions.