Sssh! Do You Hear Her?

Whether on stage or sitting in front of a computer, whether oral or written, the female voice is powerful, insightful full of humor, wisdom, sorrow and joy. That is why during the month of November, LAWTF is recognizing both the performing artist and the aspiring author as we celebrate the voice of women.

Celebrating the oral...

LAWTF sends a big shout out to 2010 LAWTF Festival performer Ingez Rameau who is presenting her solo performance "BURN" at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York. "BURN", a one-woman play, based on true events, is a searing portrait of a journey to personal freedom and transcendence; the coming-of-age of a little girl locked in a desperate struggle with her mother for sanity and love in post-WWII German Displaced Person's Camps. Living amidst the rubble of lost souls and perverted civility, "BURN" is a looking glass of shame, a beacon of love and courage - forcing our eyes to see, our hearts to feel and forgive.

Written and performed by Ingez Rameau, directed by Michael Phillip and produced by Ingez and LAWTF Board member Lynne Conner-Smith, "BURN" is going from Hollywood to Broadway, for one night only on November 10, 2011 at 9:00 p.m., in the United Solo Theatre Festival at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street, New York City.

The 2nd Annual United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, presents a lineup of seventy-seven local and international productions invited to perform at Theatre Row on 42nd Street in New York City between October 20 - November 20, 2011.

Visit www.ingezrameau.com for historical footage and press clippings documenting Ingez's journey.

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Celebrating the written…

November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo) an annual internet-based creative writing project which challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a new novel between November 1 and November 30. Started in July 1999 with just 21 participants, the event now attracts over 200,000 people - writing a total of over 2.8 billion words. 

Participants must first register on the project's website (http://www.nanowrimo.org), where they can post profiles and information about their novels, including synopsis and excerpts. Word counts are validated on the site, with writers submitting a copy of their novel for automatic counting. Municipal leaders and regional forums help connect local writers with one another for holding writing events and to provide encouragement.

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The Writer's Well Literary Retreat for Women is another opportunity for aspiring writers to let their voices spring forward and have their works critiqued in a week-long retreat with LAWTF Executive Director and Board President, Adilah Barnes. Located in Sharpsburg, Georgia, The Writers' Retreat offers a peaceful and scenic safe haven for female writers who want to activate their literary voices. Located on a sprawling southern property of 1.8 acres in Sharpsburg, this serene and private place provides the perfect natural setting for serious writers to create without distraction. Georgia pines, oaks and maple trees embrace the retreat, fashioning a woodsy serene environment for writers to walk, breathe and write.

The Writer’s Well is part of the Writer’s Retreat network at www.writersretreat.com. It is the largest and most influential network of residential retreats in the Western world, specializing in helping writing mentors and retreat operators implement, promote, and support residential retreats for writers - regardless of the literary genre in which they work. Thus, poets, novelists, science fiction writers, essayists, journalists, book reviewers, short story writers and "self-helpers," are equally welcomed at the residential retreats.

"The Writer's Well is very close to my heart. Writing is my first love. I feel strongly about offering a space for writers to hone their craft and move their literary projects further. The Writer's Well allows that. I get the satisfaction of knowing I provide a space that allows writers’ works to be developed. I enjoy goal-setting with my writers for their stay when they first arrive. I also provide a critique of 15 pages of their sample writings so that they are able to gain valuable feedback on where their writing is and they may aspire to.”

Adilah Barnes

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The Writer's Well Literary Retreat for Women in Sharpsburg, GA is accepting entries from women writers for its Third Annual Literary Contest, WRITING FROM THE WELL. Writers may submit a two page double-spaced writing sample that can be from the genres of memoir, autobiography, short stories, novels, or poetry.

Submissions must include a cover letter, writing resume (if available), and a list of three references. The winner of this literary contest will win a one week stay at The Writer's Well during 2012. Please visit the Writer's Retreat at www.writersretreat.com (Georgia location) for more details on this very serene, woodsy and beautiful property. 

Submissions must be received by December 31, 2011 at

The Writer's Well

c/o Adilah Barnes

P.O. Box 363

Sharpsburg, GA 30277

For more information, call (770) 254-9888.