Read Out Loud

Via Zoom

This monthly writers forum is for beginner and seasoned writers who write for children and young adults. If you are interested in sharing your work for gentle critique and feedback, this monthly group may be just for you. This is a great opportunity to share your work with fellow writers in a positive, non judgmental format.

Please try to keep pieces to 5 pages, doubled spaced.

***Remember that you never need to make an edit to your piece just because someone suggested it. Your piece is your own.  You only need to take what is most helpful to you.

Admission is complimentary.
The Writer’s Forum is limited to 8 participants.

Tina Tocco’s writing for children has appeared in Highlights, Highlights High Five, Cricket, AppleSeeds, Humpty Dumpty, Turtle Magazine for Preschool Kids, Pockets, and other children’s publications. She is the author of the children’s poetry collection The Hungry Snowman and Other Poems (Kelsay Books, 2019). Tina’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have also been published in various literary journals and anthologies, such as New Ohio Review, Crab Creek Review, Potomac Review, River Styx, Harpur Palate, Ovunque Siamo, Best Small Fictions 2019, and Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana. In 2019, she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in fiction. Tina earned her MFA in creative writing from Manhattanville College, where she was editor-in-chief of Inkwell, the college’s national literary journal.

A Six-Week Multi-Media Series on Zoom

Independent study: Videos between classes

The craft of writing requires study and application. In this six-week workshop, Nancy McMillan and Tina Tocco team up to create a multi-media series, providing a deep dive into six central elements of the writing craft.

The weekly workshops include:

• Setting: More Than Just a Backdrop!
• Creating Character (and Its Buddy, Point of View)
• Dynamic Dialogue: Say It Like You Mean It!
• The Powerhouse Parts of Speech: Nouns/Adjectives/Verbs/Adverbs
• Gritty Grammar and Comma Clarity
• Story Openings: Beyond “Once Upon a Time”

This class is delivered in two parts. Each week, you’ll receive a short video (15 to 20 minutes) covering the basic concepts of each craft element. The video can be watched at your convenience and includes optional at-home exercises.

During our Wednesday class time, we’ll review and discuss the weekly craft element. Then, you’ll write to prompts to apply the new techniques you’re learning. Students can also apply these concepts to their own works-in-progress.

The fee for the six-week class is $240 and the class size is limited to six.

Via Zoom

You’ve got a few pieces you’re proud of, but how do you get started in the world of submissions? What are the mistakes you want to avoid? In this workshop, you’ll learn where to find publications that are looking for work, proper manuscript format, and submission etiquette. You’ll also draft a cover letter bio appropriate for submissions. And we’ll even talk about those dreaded rejections. You’ll walk out with all the basics to get started submitting — plus a cover letter you can continue to build on.

Topics:

1)  Finding open calls and publications

2)  A look at a journal’s website

3)  A look at Submittable

4)  Submission etiquette

5)  Submission format

6)  Rejections

7)  Cover letter

The fee for the one-day workshop is $50 and is limited to 8 students.

All students must register by Wednesday, February 2nd to receive the Zoom link.

Read Out Loud

Via Zoom

This monthly writers forum is for beginner and seasoned writers who write for children and young adults. If you are interested in sharing your work for gentle critique and feedback, this monthly group may be just for you. This is a great opportunity to share your work with fellow writers in a positive, non judgmental format.

Please try to keep pieces to 5 pages, doubled spaced.

***Remember that you never need to make an edit to your piece just because someone suggested it. Your piece is your own.  You only need to take what is most helpful to you.

Admission is complimentary.
The Writer’s Forum is limited to 8 participants.

Tina Tocco’s writing for children has appeared in Highlights, Highlights High Five, Cricket, AppleSeeds, Humpty Dumpty, Turtle Magazine for Preschool Kids, Pockets, and other children’s publications. She is the author of the children’s poetry collection The Hungry Snowman and Other Poems (Kelsay Books, 2019). Tina’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have also been published in various literary journals and anthologies, such as New Ohio Review, Crab Creek Review, Potomac Review, River Styx, Harpur Palate, Ovunque Siamo, Best Small Fictions 2019, and Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana. In 2019, she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in fiction. Tina earned her MFA in creative writing from Manhattanville College, where she was editor-in-chief of Inkwell, the college’s national literary journal.