TAKE A LOOK AT OUR 2018 SPRING & SUMMER WEEKEND WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR WOMEN VETERANS & WOMEN FAMILY MEMBERS!

BOOK A WRITING WORKSHOP FOR YOUR GROUP OF VETERANS OR A WEEKEND RETREAT BY CONTACTING INFO@MILSPEAKFOUNDATION.ORG

SPRING & SUMMER 2018

 

MilSpeak Foundation, with support from Wounded Warrior Project®, and working in partnership with Think Broader Foundation, invites all women active duty, veterans, and women military family members to its Spring & Summer On Point Women Warriors Writing Workshops.

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What to expect

On Point Women Warriors Writing Workshops are FREE and taught by an impressive group of women veterans and military spouses who are published authors, professional speakers, and academically qualified writing instructors.Our Tampa and Charlotte workshops begin with a Friday evening welcome reception, 4 to 7 p.m., where you’ll be greeted, introduced to faculty and your fellow attendees, and receive the weekend’s agenda and welcoming package. Bring something to read aloud, if you like, because an open mic for attendees begins at 7.Saturday, we’ll start at 8 a.m. with a Continental breakfast, followed soon after by a keynote address, “It’s My Country Too,” from MilSpeak president and On Point founder, Tracy Crow. The rest of Saturday is chocked full of exciting break-out sessions on poetry, fiction, nonfiction, spiritual writing, op-ed and blogging for advocacy and outreach, as well as inspirational how-tos for those writing from the perspective of a family member.We’ve also included several exciting, provocative panel discussions such as “Writing the War Experience” with insights from combat veteran-authors and veteran-authors without combat experience but who have successfully written about the war experience. This year, we’ve also included what we feel is a much-needed panel discussion we’ve titled,  “No Tears for the Writer, No Tears for the Reader: Writing about Grief, PTSD and MST,” and our panelists will share their personal experiences with these topics, and encourage you to do the same, if you’re ready. And of course we’ve brought back everyone’s favorite panel discussion, “How to Publish: Everything You’ve EVER Wanted to Know about How to Publish Your Writing.”And don’t worry about lunch on Saturday, because lunch is on us!We’ll return Sunday morning at 8:30 for a Continental breakfast and small-group workshops. This is your opportunity to bring 1-3 poems, or 2,000-3,000 words of a work-in-progress for feedback from your assigned faculty instructor and 3-4 of your fellow women warrior writers. (Be sure to bring five copies of your writing to workshop!)

ON POINT workshops are free, but registration is required! Click on one of these to register!

*May 18-20 at The University of Tampa in Florida

*June 8-10 at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina

Meet Our Spring & Summer 2018 On Point Faculty

Jerri Bell, a retired lieutenant commander, is co-author of the history/anthology, It’s My Country Too: Women’s Military Stories from the American Revolution to Afghanistan. She is also the managing editor of O-Dark-Thirty, the literary journal of the Veterans Writing Project, and an instructor with the Veterans Writing Project, through which she developed the first VWP writing seminar exclusively for women veterans. Her fiction has been published in Stone Canoe; her nonfiction has appeared in The Little Patuxent Review and on the Maryland Humanities Council and Military Experience and the Arts blogs. Her writing has won prizes in the West Virginia Writers annual competition and from Words After War. During her military career, Jerri was among the first women to be assigned to naval combatants. Her twenty-year career in intelligence included sea duty on USS Mount Whitney and HMS Sheffield and an assignment as the first female naval attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. For more about Jerri, visit www.presumptionandfolly.wordpress.com.

 

Jane Blair has over 19 years of active and reserve service in the military, and she is currently a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps. She serves as a foreign military advisor and specializes in Middle East issues and speaks Modern Standard Arabic. She also focused on policies regarding women in the military, and served in the Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force – the first ever male and female integrated combat battalion whose goal was to assess women in combat roles with the goal of integrating them throughout the Marine Corps. Jane also served for almost a decade as a diplomat in the foreign service, focusing on a broad range of issues such as Middle East policy and religious tolerance.  She has served as a methandienone cycle solo defense council member in the Truman National Security Project.  Jane has a passion for writing and is the author of Hesitation Kills:  A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq.  She has appeared in numerous national media outlets from CNN to Fox News, and has written articles that have appeared in newspapers such as The Washington Post.

 

Paula Broadwell, a West Point graduate and NYT best-selling author is the co-founder and director of Think Broader Foundation, a non-profit entity that seeks to empower women’s voices and representation in the media and society. She has published and spoken to diverse audiences around the globe, and to more than 50 corporate leadership and academic groups. Paula has been a guest on CNN, Fox News, Fox and Friends, Imus, Hannity Show, Charlie Rose, ABC, BBC, NPR, CBS, Vanity Fair, and other news outlets on security, veteran, organizational innovation, and gender-related issues. Her travels have taken her to war zones, refugee camps, Bedouin communes, terrorist training sites, Ivy League classrooms, and corporate boardrooms. She has worked at the grass roots level with indigenous populations, as well as with senior U.S. and foreign officials and the private sector in the U.S. and abroad.

 

MilSpeak Foundation president/CEO and ON POINT founder, Tracy Crow, a Marine Corps veteran and former assistant professor of journalism and creative writing, is the author/editor of six military-themed books: the newly released novella, Cooper’s Hawk: The Remembering; the award-winning memoir, Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine; the breakthrough writing text, On Point: A Guide to Writing the Military Story; co-author with Jerri Bell of the history/anthology, It’s My Country Too: Women’s Military Stories from the American Revolution to Afghanistan; the anthology, Red, White, & True: Stories from Veterans and Families, WWII to Present; and the novel, An Unlawful Order, under her pen name Carver Greene. Her short stories and essays have also appeared in a number of literary journals and anthologies. Represented through Women Veterans Speakers, she also delivers keynote addresses about military affairs and aspirational leadership applications. For more about Tracy, visit www.tracycrow.com.

 

Mary (M.L.) Doyle, from Minneapolis, has served in the Army at home and abroad for more than two decades as both a soldier and civilian. Currently, she serves as the chief of media relations for Ft. Meade. Mary is the co-author of two memoirs: I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen–My Journey Home, which chronicles the story of Shoshana Johnson, a member of the 507th Maintenance Company who was captured during an ambush and held prisoner in the early days of the Iraq War; and A Promise Fulfilled: My Life as a Wife and Mother, Soldier and General Officer, that recounts Cleckley’s struggles to care for her children and advance her career despite terrible loss and unspeakable tragedy. Unafraid of genre jumping, Mary has also authored a three-book mystery series and a four-novella erotic romance series.

 

Brooke N. King served in the U.S. Army, deploying to Iraq in 2006 as a wheel vehicle mechanic, machine gunner, and recovery specialist. Her work has been published in the O-Dark-Thirty, War, Literature, & Arts, Prairie Schooner, Hudson Whitman Excelsior Press Anthology, Retire the Colors,Red, White, & True: Military Stories from Veterans and Families, WWII to Present, It’s My Country Too: Women’s Military Stories from the American Revolution to Afghanistan, as well as many other publications and literary accolades. She has also appeared as featured veteran author on the KPBS literary series Incoming. Brooke’s memoir, Full Battle Rattle, is forthcoming in 2019 from the University of Nebraska Press/Potomac Books. She teaches nonfiction writing at Saint Leo University’s MA Creative Writing Program.

 

Anne Visser Ney is a retired U.S. Coast Guard chief warrant officer who makes her home in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Her military memoir and fiction pieces have appeared most recently in The Fourth River, Cargo Literary, and the anthologies, It’s My Country, Too: Women’s Military Stories from the American Revolution to Afghanistan, and Red, White, and True: Stories from Veterans and Families, World War II to Present. She holds a BS and MS in Biology from Georgia Southern University and an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Anne is currently refining a collection of essays about her experiences aboard Coast Guard high endurance cutters on which she served between 1980 and 2002, sailing in the North Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Black Seas.

 

Military spouse, literary editor, and poet Abby E. Murray teaches creative writing at the University of Washington Tacoma and is the editor of Collateral, a literary journal that showcases writing about impact of war and military service beyond the combat zone. Her recent poems have been published in Rattle, Prairie Schooner and Rise Up Review, and her third chapbook, How to Be Married after Iraq, was released in March 2018.

 

Sally Parmer, a Cold War veteran, earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Queen’s University of Charlotte following a 20-year career in the United States Marine Corps. She taught literature and composition courses at Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort, South Carolina, created MilSpeak Creative Writing Seminars, and, in 2009, created MilSpeak Foundation. As publisher of MilSpeak Books and MilSpeak Memo from 2009 to 2017, Sally published 16 titles by military people. As Sally Druum, her writing has been published in online and print publications including Gargoyle, The Gettysburg Review and Mythic Imagination, and earned honorable mention in Best American Essays 2005.

 

TEDx presenter and Marine Corps veteran, Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas, is a proven thought leader in the field of peak performance. She is a speaker, college professor, and the author of Brave, Strong, True: The Modern Warrior’s Battle for Balance and Bulletproofing the Psyche. In addition to leading an On Point workshop on how to write for advocacy and outreach, Dr. Kate will provide a luncheon keynote address entitled, “Bulletproofing the Psyche.” Connect with her at www.drkatethomas.com.

 

Laura Westley is a West Point graduate, former Army captain and combat veteran, and the author of the memoir, War Virgin, from which she also created the musical comedy show of the same title. Laura’s book and show have been featured in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, NPR, The Tampa Bay Times, and Broadway World.com. She has also been published in The Washington Post, The Hill, Foreign Policy, Military Times, and is a regular contributor for The Huffington Post. Laura is also a veteran mental health advocate and gives frequent speeches, radio, and television appearances. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in chemistry, a minor in nuclear engineering, and an MBA that she earned while simultaneously serving in the Iraq invasion. For more information about Laura, visit www.warvirgin.com

 

Meet Our 2018 On Point Certified Life Coaches

Have questions about the military-to-civilian transitioning process? Triggered by a memory during one of our workshops, and feel the need for a private chat? We know firsthand how life-changing our On Point events are. That’s why we’re bringing along our life coaches!

Joining us in Tampa will be Libby Oberg, a retired Navy intelligence specialist master chief and a certified professional life coach specializing in military transition. She has published essays in the Tampa Bay Times and in the military anthology, Red, White, & True: Stories from Veterans and Families, WWII to Present. Libby educates businesses on translating military skills into business skills and coaches veterans through the transition into the civilian workplace or academic environment. Libby often refers to herself as “the identity coach” because she believes that when a veteran struggles with the identity crisis that comes after military separation, the veteran also gains an exciting opportunity to re-discover authentic identity by reconnecting with individual passions and creativity. For life-coaching assistance, contact Libby at wbtrainer@yahoo.com.

 

Joining us in Charlotte will be CJ Scarlet, an author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, life coach, and Marine Corps veteran. A survivor of military sexual trauma, CJ is an expert in criminal justice and victim advocacy, and has given speeches and workshops at national and international events, and has appeared on numerous ratio and television programs. She holds a B.A. in political science from Virginia Wesleyan College, and an interdisciplinary M.A. in humanities with an emphasis on human violence and graduate certificate in women’s studies from Old Dominion University. Named one of the “Happy 100” people on the planet, CJ’s personal story of triumph over adversity is featured in several books, including bestsellers, Happy For No Reason and Be Invincible. She is the author of The Badass Girl’s Guide: Uncommon Strategies to Outwit Predators. For more about CJ, visit www.cjscarlet.com.

Our 2018 workshops also receive support from The University of Tampa MFA Program & Queens University of Charlotte

Here’s a preview of our ON POINT sessions and panel presentations!

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “MY LOVE IS A CACTUS: USING METAPHOR TO WRITE YOUR SELF INTO POETRY” All of us have stories to tell, and these narratives are part of our identities; they reveal where we have been and what we have witnessed. Our stories—our selves—can also be told in poetry. In this craft talk, participants will engage with powerful, accessible, narrative poems that use unlikely metaphors to create self-portraits in poetry. We will discuss these pieces as we build community, then participate in a few creative prompts to get some ideas rolling onto the page. New and experienced poets welcome. (ABBY E. MURRAY)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “WHERE’S MY STORY?: HOW TO VIEW LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF A STORYTELLER” This memoir workshop provides fundamentals on the insight and practical applications for organizing the writing of our life stories through the identification of pivotal storytelling moments with timelines, essential storytelling techniques, and expressive writing. This workshop explores how writers create themselves, and others, as characters on the page, and how they develop a story from opening to resolution. (SALLY PARMER)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “WRITING BLOGS AND OP-EDS FOR ADVOCACY, OUTREACH, & PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT” During this workshop, we’ll examine the basics of translational nonfiction writing to move minds, inspire change, and build professional credibility as a subject matter expert. Learn to research well, craft a pitch, and write a powerful short piece for a general audience in blog or op-ed form. Participants are asked to bring pitches/blogs to workshop and personal platform components to discuss. (PAULA BROADWELL & KATE HENDRICKS THOMAS)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “FROM ROMANCE TO SCI-FI: USING GENRE FICTION TO TELL YOUR REAL-LIFE STORY” In fiction, the adage is to write what you know. No one knows your truth better than you, but your truth may not be easy to tell. In this session, we’ll use writing prompts that may open the door for you to see your real-life story unfolding in a fictional (feel safer!) narrative. You’re encouraged to bring a laptop or pen and paper to capture the certain spark of creative flow! (MARY DOYLE)

PANEL DISCUSSION: “WRITING THE WAR EXPERIENCE: WHERE’S OUR FEMALE JARHEAD?” Our panelists, who are combat veteran-authors and accomplished war-writing veteran-authors without combat experience, will examine and discuss the ways in which women’s war writing differs from war writing by men, and the areas in which women and men appear to find commonality on this subject. Missing, too, from our HERstory — past and present — are stories written and published by women of color. We’ll discuss the importance of future inclusion, and share our insights on how to create better publishing pathways for women’s war stories. (JERRI BELL, JANE BLAIR, MARY DOYLE, BROOKE KING)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “THAT’S MY STORY (AND I’M STICKING TO IT!)” From caveman campfires to Breaking Bad binge-watching, humans have turned to storytelling for a deeper understanding about humanity and for pure entertainment. But what makes a good story great? One thing is narrative structure. Knowledge of plot helps writers turn early drafts into memorable short stories, memoirs, and novels. This cross-genre session will review three commonly used plot structures with emphasis on Christopher Vogler’s “Mythic Journey.” Bring something to write with — and a character who is ready to discover something about herself and the world. (ANNE VISSER NEY)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “JOURNEY TO THE SOUL: A (SHAMANISTIC) WRITING MEDITATION” In her bestselling book, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert encourages us to see ourselves as co-creators with innate abilities for tapping into the mysterious, metaphysical well of creative inspiration. In this session, we’ll explore the various pathways that lead us to that well—meditation, nature, journaling, sacred geometry, music, etc. Along the way, we’ll even debunk a few myths, such as all good writing is hard work and all good writers write every day. Truth is, writing equals bliss once we accept ourselves as co-creative vessels for the well of divinely-inspired creativity. For this workshop session, you’re asked to bring your most curious, expansive self! (TRACY CROW)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “PHANTOM LIMB: SOLDIERS’ LOVED ONES WHO WRITE AND PUBLISH” This seminar begins with thoughts on what it means to be indirectly impacted by war—the deployments and redeployments, reintegration, self- discovery and challenges faced by military spouses, significant others and family members. Those of us who do not deploy are also processing the impact of war. Military spouse, literary editor, and poet Abby E. Murray will discuss how military life has influenced her writing, and then provide participants with discussion points and creative prompts that get us making connections, creating new work, and thinking about publishing opportunities. (ABBY E. MURRAY)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “FINDING OUR STORIES FROM PHOTOGRAPHS & ART” It’s called Ekphrasis, but we won’t judge if you’ve never heard of this Greek word that refers to  finding story from art, because most of us at On Point have never heard of it until today—and we’ve been using this exciting technique for years. For this enlightening, fun workshop, you’re encouraged to bring a photograph from home or a photo of a piece of art—painting, sculpture, etc. We’ll explore how writers not only draw writing inspiration from other forms of art but how they more fully understand themselves through the process of writing about art. (JERRI BELL)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “CROSSOVER COMMUNITY BUILDING—WHERE DO WE GO FROM ”HERE? This workshop session provides insight and inspiration for working with other military people across writing genres and art forms to bring storytelling to life through presentation and workshop. Learn how to weave your story with others to create performance art, or how to start a workshop in your community. Learn how to build bridges between your local community and those with military experiences. This workshop session will include staged readings by volunteers and a fun group exercise. (SALLY PARMER)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “FACING VIOLENCE ON THE PAGE” Writing about violence doesn’t have to be complicated; it doesn’t have to be one-sided. And you certainly don’t need to be a victim of violence to write about the subject or what violence does to the human condition. In this session, we’ll look at writing about violence (and sometimes not in the traditional sense of the word), explore the world of writing through guided exercises, and learn how to get past the imaginary blockade that we’ve placed in our minds about violence. It’s time to lean in to the page in front of you, instead of leaning away. (BROOKE KING)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “NOTHING IS TABOO: HOW WRITING ABOUT GENDER & SEXUALITY LEADS TO EMPOWERMENT” This session explores the ways in which several women veteran authors have chosen to present gender or sexuality on the page. Brace yourselves for a lively discussion with War Virgin author, Laura Westley, who will lead this seminar and workshop about the power, pitfalls, and pleasures related to writing candidly (or not!) about gender and sexuality. (LAURA WESTLEY in Tampa; TRACY CROW in Charlotte)

CRAFT WORKSHOP: “EMBRACING THE QUIET LIFE: FINDING ARTFUL MEANING IN THE SIMPLE, SWEET, & SUBTLE” Fiction writing allows us to use our imagination for developing engaging dilemmas to be overcome by our characters. But what if we’re drawn toward self-expressive writing, yet our lives haven’t been enormously affected by drama or trauma? What do we write about, and who would care? In this session, we’ll examine short passages from various texts and discuss the creative mechanisms writers use to keep their readers engaged with self-discoveries of a less-dramatic life experience. (JERRI BELL)

PANEL DISCUSSION: “NO TEARS FOR THE WRITER, NO TEARS FOR THE READER: WRITING ABOUT GRIEF, PTSD, & MST” Three writers share the various ways in which writing has helped them better understand and heal from trauma: Anne Visser Ney will discuss how writing many years after the loss of her young son brought her to a deeper understanding of the event and how it shaped the rest of her life; Brooke King will discuss her journey of post-traumatic stress and domestic abuse, and the role that writing played in her recovery process; Tracy Crow, editor of the newly released memoir and winner of the Deborah Sampson Prize for Women’s Military Writing, Darker Than Navy Blue, by MST survivor, Nicole Strong, will discuss the process of helping this new author transform her 600-page manuscript of unrelenting anger into a 208-page memoir that reflects the author’s resiliency and hope. (ANNE VISSER NEY, BROOKE KING, & TRACY CROW)

PANEL DISCUSSION: “EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PUBLISHING” It’s All Hands On Deck! for this On Point Saturday finale! Our featured presenters will share their personal publishing experiences, and will answer all your questions about self-publishing vs. traditional publishing; how to find an agent, and when you really need one. We’ll also discuss the alarming lack of diversity with respect to stories written and published by women of color, and too many other silent voices, and what we can do as a tribe to ensure a more inclusive HERstory!  (ON POINT FACULTY)

On Point Alumni Speak Out

Your feedback is important to us. In fact, your feedback shapes our entire program. So when you attend an On Point event, please take a few moments to complete our surveys at the end of each workshop or panel discussion.

“Tracy’s On Point writing workshop is really a self-awareness wake-up call!”

“I recommend this workshop be taught to veterans with PTSD.”

“This was my first On Point event, and I know this would be useful to veterans who are transitioning from the military to civilian life. I highly recommend this event to others, and I would be honored to attend another On Point event! Make it a whole weekend next time!”“The On Point event was great, and it was great, too, hanging out with other sister-servicemembers!”“Thanks to Tracy and her On Point workshop, I feel like I can go forward now!”“Excellent presentation! Tracy and her team are a delight. The info she presented is invaluable and done while providing a loving/safe environment manner.”“I love the positivity and team/tribe messaged throughout the On Point event, very inspiring!”“There’s always room for improvement; at least I thought so. But not in this case. Great job, On Point!”