Category Archives: Events & news

The Rochester Writers’ Conference

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Autumn is the perfect time of year to get serious about writing — and there’s nothing like a day-long conference to recharge your creative batteries. On October 20, I’ll be joining a terrific group of Michigan authors, speakers, and educators at the 11th Annual Rochester Writers’ Conference at Oakland University, Rochester, MI.

In my workshop, Freeing Your Personal Mythology, I’ll discuss how to identify and release the cultural and family stories that define your life and shape your viewpoints. If you’re looking for material for your memoir or new topics for personal essays, this workshop will help you get started.
Other presentation topics at the one-day conference include:

*Top 25 publishing trends

*How to prepare for a reading of your own work

*Twitter for writers

*How to determine your genre

*Tips for producing a podcast

*What to do before you publish your book

*Literary agent panel

*Magazine editor panel …. and more.

For complete details and to reserve your space, please visit The Rochester Writers’ Conference site here. 

Things that make me happy

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Cindy La Ferle

If you’ve followed my Sunday columns in The Daily Tribune and Michigan Prime (in the Sunday Detroit Free Press), you might enjoy my personal blog. Featuring my photography, inspirational quotes, discoveries, and occasional essays, Things that make me happy is updated almost daily. I started the blog after I deactivated my Facebook account, and use it in lieu of other social media.

Starry nights and summer adventures

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Celebrating the magic and wonder of our favorite season in the Great Lakes State, the June issue of Michigan BLUE is now available in bookstores and on newsstands. Whether you’re mapping out a weekend road trip or spending an afternoon in your favorite lawn chair, this issue will inspire your summer plans. In addition to a gorgeous photo story on stargazing by Howard Meyerson and a piece on national wildlife refuges by Leslie Mertz, it features an essay I wrote on the art of collecting beach stones — one of my favorite summer pastimes. I’m always proud to have my work published in this beautiful magazine. ~CL

Where to buy my book

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My essay and column collection, Writing Home, is available locally at Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley and Paper Trail Books in downtown Royal Oak. (You’ll find a few used copies on Amazon — but new copies are sold only in retail stores and writing workshops.)

Written during the years I worked at home while raising my son, the collection includes 93 pieces that were previously published in national magazines and newspapers. The book has been dubbed “a love letter to home and family life,” and won several non-fiction awards, including one from Writer’s Digest and another from Midwest Independent Publishers Association.

 

“Details, Details” workshop

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Mixed-media art by Cindy La Ferle

Join me at the Royal Oak Public Library on Wednesday, May 2 (7:00 – 8:30 PM) for an evening workshop focusing on how to identify and describe the colorful specifics that editors look for in personal essays, columns, and feature stories. Discover how to make your writing sparkle and stand out from dozens of other submissions. This free program is designed especially for new writers. Registration is required to reserve your space: 248-246-3715 or visit the Royal Oak Public Library web site for more information.