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As we navigate the busy holiday season, I decided to include fun holiday elements in this month’s newsletter. With that being said, don’t miss the following items:
* Christmas Literary Quiz * Christmas Reading List * DWW Rings in 2026 Registration * Member Highlight: Jean Alicia Elster * Member Highlight: Roberta Brown * President’s Letter * Question of the Month * Upcoming Board Meeting * Welcome Back Member Bios * Welcome New Member Bios * Writing Contests and Events
Do you have something to share or an item that may be of interest to other members? Please send any achievements, publication announcements, or other content to [email protected] for publication in the next edition. Please put DWW Newsletter in the subject line. Thank you!
Grace Grogan Newsletter Editor
Mark your Calendar!
DWW Board Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 2026 7:00 pm via Zoom All members are encouraged to attend Please request a link to attend by emailing [email protected]
DWW Rings in 2026!
Thursday, January 22, 2026 7:00 pm via Zoom
This is a free social event for members to share our achievements from the past year and plans for the new one. Please Register at https://tinyurl.com/RingIn2026
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear fellow members,
As 2025 comes to a close, I’d like to thank all of you for your support of the Board.
It was so wonderful to see so many of you at the 125th
Anniversary Celebration, and I hope to see many of you on January 22.
I
wish you the best for the holiday season, including success in your
professional endeavors, quiet moments to write during the hustle and
bustle, and joy in both big and small things.
As the Germans say, Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr! (A gentle and trouble-free “slide” into 2026)
Laura Hedgecock,
President
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and
love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit,
become a child again at Christmastime.”– Laura Ingalls Wilder, Prairie
Wisdom
Detroit Working Writers Welcomes New Members
Wendy Byard is a newspaper columnist, retired educator, and former journalist and marketing pro with two published books and works in magazines and newspapers. She spent two decades teaching college English and published an inspirational book for educators, Teach and Reach for Classroom Miracles. Wendy is a member of International Thriller Writers, and her debut novel Devil in the Dunes is a page-turning thriller set on the west coast of Lake Michigan. The book has been installed in the prestigious Library of Michigan. Wendy earned her Bachelor and Master of Art degrees from Michigan State University where she worked on MSU’s student newspaper, The State News. She also studied overseas in London as part of MSU’s Journalism program. She has written for On the Town magazine and currently writes the column “Beyond our Backyards” for The County Press. You can learn more about Wendy Byard and her new suspense novel on her author page wendybyardauthor.com.
Neil Thanedar’s first book, Positive Politics
went on sale November 11, 2025, and is already an Amazon #1 best seller. The book shows you how to get into politics using the strategies of people who advanced from complete outsiders to making history. Neil enjoys investigative journalism and nonfiction book writing. He is a nonprofit leader and activist who began his career as a scientist, founder, and angel investor and now has three startups worth over $100 million. Neil is executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a nonpartisan nonprofit fighting dark money in Michigan politics, and found and chairman of Labdoor, the independent worldwide alternative to the FDA. He also served as executive director of the Detroit Partnership and senior advisor to his father, Shri Thanedar, in his campaigns for governor, State House, and US Congress. Neil earned his BS in Cellular & Molecular Biology and BBA for Entrepreneurship from the University of Michigan in 2010. Neil was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri; he and his family have called Michigan home since 2006. Learn more about Neil on his official website.
“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a
person by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and
tangled Christmas tree lights.”– Maya Angelou
Member Highlight: Jean Alicia Elster
Jean Alicia Elster is pleased to share that her interview as a guest author for CanvasRebel Magazine — a publication that highlights conversations with entrepreneurs, artists and creatives — was published in November 2025. https://canvasrebel.com/meet-jean-alicia-elster/
Christmas Literary Quiz
Take this Quiz for fun; answers are found later in this newsletter.
What children’s classic is set in a land where “it’s always winter but never Christmas?”
The protagonist of what novel sets out one Christmas on a long sea voyage?
Who wrote Hercule Poirot’s Christmas?
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, what do the Dursleys give Harry for Christmas?
What
iconic work of American literature was only made possible because
Harper Lee’s friends gave her a year’s salary as a Christmas present so
she could take time off to write?
Which poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow includes the lines, “The words repeat, Of peace on earth, good-will to men”?
Who says “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents”?
What is the actual name of the poem we commonly know as Twas the Night Before Christmas?
True or false, Rudolph was the first reindeer introduced to readers in print?
In which literary work does a man dressed as a woman fall in love with a woman dressed as a man at Christmas?
Look for the same holly image within this newsletter for the answers
“Do give books—religious or otherwise—for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.” ~ Lenore Hershey
Detroit Working Writers Welcomes Back
Denise Sedman is a Detroit born award-winning poet, who earned her B.A. from Oakland University in Michigan. Denise is a board member of the Detroit Writers’ Guild and former member of the Poetry Society of Michigan. She brings writing seminars, a critique group, and open mic to the Westland Public Library. In 2025 she was honored by the city as a Women of the Year for her community involvement. Denise’s writing has been featured in the San Pedro River Review, New Verse News, Nassau Review, and Poets Reading the News. She is anthologized in the 2017 Nasty Women Poets by Lost Horse Press and Abandon Automobile by Wayne State University Press. Denise has published two books. Unbreakable River is a compilation of poetry she wrote from the early 1990s to 2012 self-published in 2012. Her most recent book, The Past Isn’t Done with Me Yet is a poetry book dealing with tough issues like child abuse and mental illness, published in 2023. Denise writes about her bipolar disorder and in 2025 was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease; she plans to write about that journey.
Carolyn Walker started her writing career as a columnist for The Clarkston News, a small-town newspaper. Writing about everyday people homed in her talents and helped her grow her craft to become an award-winning writer of poetry, essays, and memoir. Carolyn has been published in several literary journals, magazines, and newspapers, including The Southern Review and Crazyhorse,The Writer’s Chronicle, Hunger Mountain, Gravity Pulls You In: Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, HOUR Detroit, The Detroit News, and more. Carolyn’s essay “Christian Become a Blur” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and reprinted in the 50th anniversary edition of Crazyhorse. She is a Kresge Fellow in the Literary Arts, has a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is a longtime creative writing instructor for Writers Digest University online, as well as other schools. Carolyn’s book, Every Least Sparrow, is her story of raising a daughter with a rare disability—Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome. Carolyn is currently working on two new books: Questions Counted Like Stars, a memoir about the challenging childhood of her gay, mildly autistic son, and You Live by Luck, the story of growing up with her zany mother and steadfast WWII veteran father. You can learn more about Carolyn on her author Facebook page.
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“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!” ~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers
Member Highlight: Roberta Brown
Roberta Brown’s chapbook “Poetry Now Playing” is now published and available for a donation of $10.00. The chapbook was her Artist Laureate project for the city of Royal Oak and features list poems, erasures, and American lunes; contact Roberta at [email protected] if you are interested in a copy.
Roberta has also had her poetry published in the 2025 Peninsula Poets Member Edition; her poem “Bezos Wedding in Italy: What to Know” won First Place in the Margo LaGattuta Memorial Award category and was published in the Peninsula Poets’ Contest Edition this past fall.
Her haiku was published in the Haiku Society of America’s Anthology of 2025.
Roberta also wrote a video script for WRCJ-FM’s 90.9’s 20th anniversary; she and her husband were then taped in an interview with DJs Dave Wagner and Peter Whorf discussing the radio station’s past and future.
Roberta edited a script by Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra Music Director Mark Douglass for the “Noonday Witch” by Antonin Dvorak which she then read during the performance of the work in October 2025. She also performed in the orchestra for its December 5, 2025 concert, which featured Detroit Symphony Orchestra soloists Hannah Hammel Maser, Principal Flutist, and Alyssa Katahara, Principal Harpist, as well as soprano soloist Emily Douglass. A link to this concert of classical and popular holiday works can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/live/zi5xIvi9eb0?si=EZgJ83NwMnRr3tH8
“Christmas always rustled. It rustled every time,
mysteriously, with silver and gold paper, tissue paper and a rich abundance of
shiny paper, decorating and hiding everything and giving a feeling reckless
extravagance.”– Tove Jansson, Sculptor’s Daughter
Answers to October and November Question of the Month
I’m happy to announce that we received responses to both our October and November Questions of the Month. I’m sharing those questions and responses below:
Answers to October Question of the Month:
Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym and why or why not?
1.I’ve never used a pseudonym because I’ve always believed that I should use my real name and be proud of getting my work “out there,” wherever “out there” might be. That said, I recognize that there are times when it might be a good idea. The most pseudonymous author I’ve ever heard of is the English author John Creasey. I first encountered him as a teenager when I read his detective and crime novels, but he also wrote science fiction, romance, and westerns. Prolific (he wrote over 600 novels), he used twenty-eight different pseudonyms. I can understand why he might want a different name for a different genre, but 28? Maybe he thought that having multiple names would make readers think he wasn’t competing with himself when multiple books were published at the same time. I’ll never know why he chose so many. I will never write 600 novels, so that’s not an issue. I’m writing my few novels and my name’s going on them, hopefully in large letters…Aline Soules
************************** 2. I never considered a pseudonym, but I added my maiden name, Bartley, even though I’ve only used my married name, Lenz, for most of my adult life. Kristin Bartley Lenz was a lot to squeeze on my book cover (and sign!), but it felt important to honor my Bartley family. My parents nurtured my love of reading throughout my childhood, and that’s when I first dreamed of being a writer…Kristin Bartley Lenz
************************** 3. I have never wanted to write under another name. I was a community opinion columnist in the past, and wrote about some hot topics back then, so I’m not concerned about having my personal name attached to anything I write now…Grace Grogan
************************** 4. I did create a pseudonym at an editor’s request for a particular poetry project. The South Florida Poetry Journal (SoFloPoJo) had a call out for poets to help create a cento—a poem made entirely of individual lines from different poets. However, the guidelines required that you use a pseudonym—complete with an imaginary bio note. They received several hundred submissions and only accepted 23 lines by 23 imaginary poets. I was pleased and honored to be included in the cento—it was a lot of fun.
Here is my line that I contributed along with my pseudonym and “bio note.”
Btw, Erwin Glastonbury is a combination of the street where my parents bought their first house in Maple Heights, Ohio (Mary Oliver also lived in that Cleveland suburb) and the street where my husband and I bought our first house in Detroit. Enjoy!!
Imaginary Poets Project…Line: “Oh, the shore, the shore, the shore and the crashing waves that sing to it.” (from my poem, “Land’s End”)
My imaginary self: Erwin Glastonbury
Imaginary bio: Erwin Glastonbury, a British poet born in the south of England, currently resides in Cornwall. His poetry explores the themes of the natural world and our connection with it. Glastonbury’s work has appeared in numerous print and online publications such as Yorkshire Literary Review, The North Row, Traitor’s Gate Journal, and Quarry. He is the editor of Land’s End: A Celebration of Cornwall Poets. His nine books include The Mist Over the Field, Hearts Adrift in Cornwall, and The Miners of Truro (a play in verse). Glastonbury has been short-listed for the prestigious T.S. Eliot Prize…Linda Nemec Foster
What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
1. If you’ve got an idea, first you’ve gotta put your arse in a chair and either write it with pen/pencil or type it. Don’t edit. WRITE. Writers write. Know that the first draft is called a variety of things, including: sloppy first draft, shitty draft, vomit draft, etc. Remember that every sloppy, shitty, vomit draft is a worthwhile draft. It means you’ve got the bones of your story/novel/poem/memoir down. In subsequent drafts, you can expand, delete, and edit. Good luck! You’ll need it ’cause writing is hard work….Nancy Solak
**************************
2. Don’t write in a vacuum. Find your community. Get feedback. Don’t rush to publish. Many times, I thought it was ready, only to learn through rejection from agents and editors that I still had work to do. When I was querying agents for Love and Other Incurable Ailments, a handful of agents told me that they loved the premise, the writing, the setting, etc. but they couldn’t relate to Serenity, the main character. Typically, agents don’t offer feedback when they say no, so I knew enough to stop and give things a second look. I reached out to an editor for help, and—wow!—that made a huge difference. I got offers from five different publishers: a hybrid press, three small presses and a traditional press….Linda K. Sienkiewicz
**************************
3. I would say to have fun with the first draft and don’t get caught up in researching the publication process. Know that your book will need revising, you’ll learn from workshops, a writing community is very helpful, and the time will come for choosing a publishing path, but before all of that takes up space in your brain, have fun with the flow!…Kristin Bartley Lenz, LMSW
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4. I haven’t completed my first book. I’ve been working on a combination memoir/non-fiction about my now deceased husband’s and my attempt to adopt our two grandchildren who were taken by CPS (Child Protective Services). The emotional aspects of it make it easy to walk away, but the need to tell the story keeps drawing me back. My recommendation is don’t give up, it is okay to walk away and come back to it as needed. I’m only partway through my first draft, so it has been a long process, but I’m not giving up….Grace Grogan
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5. I self-published my first book in 2019. The biggest issue I explored was whether to seek a publisher or go the self-publishing route. I chose the latter, which was the right choice for me. It’s a worthy reflection for any writer, as there are pros and cons to each approach in this ever-changing publishing world. Thanks for the opportunity to offer advice!…Betsy Hemming
Thank you to all who participated in the above!
??? December Question of the Month ??
The idea for the Question of the Month is to help members get to know and learn from each other by submitting answers to a monthly question. Answers are shared in the following month’s newsletter, along with a new question.
December Question: If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose and why?
Help keep this feature going: Email your response no later than January 17, 2026 to [email protected]
CHRISTMAS READING LIST
I decided to kick off the holiday season by reading a couple of holiday novels from previous years. That made me wonder: how many Christmas themed books have been written for the 2025 season? It’s a lot! I did notice they have one recurring theme—romance. It makes me yearn for the wholesome Homecoming of days gone by. There are four in the list below that incorporate our literary world with characters that are a journalist, a book hunter, two authors, and a reporter. Here are a few found on recommended reading lists:
A Little Merry Christmas by Elizabeth Standish—Amanda is a perfectionist in the advertising field who is crushed when a promotion she deserves goes to someone else. To secure a co-director spot she must successfully run a pro bono campaign, which is conducted with a local animal shelter. While planning the perfect campaign she falls in love with both a Labrador and the shelter’s vet.
Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah—Joy Candellaro is having a hard time with a messy divorce and feeling alone when an unexpected detour lands her alone deep in the woods of the Olympic rainforest. She meets a six-year-old boy experiencing his first Christmas without his mother, and they form a deep and powerful bond.
The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan—a book hunter is hired to find a priceless missing book hidden somewhere in a crumbling Scottish castle, but her rival shows up to help in the search. A snowstorm traps them over Christmas, and they work together to solve the treasure hunt, mixing a bit of mystery and romance in a book about books.
I’ll be Home for Christmas by Jenny Baylis—Frederica returns to her hometown of Pine Bluff after a breakup and eviction and is swept back into her family’s Christmas cracker business and an unexpected romance with a charming journalist. It’s a cozy holiday story about coming home, healing and finding love.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter—A mystery with holiday vibes that combines the best aspects of a locked room mystery with the delightful charm of romance. Two author enemies both accept cryptic invitations to a Christmas house part on an English estate, and they are surprised to find their host is the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley.
Date Night in December by Jaqueline Snowe—Laney Reynolds escapes to her hometown of Cherrywood Creek to mend her broken heart after being neglected by her work-obsessed husband. Conner isn’t ready to let her go, so he shows up in the small town, with only a month to prove he’s changed.
A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber—When taking a ferry to a Seattle-adjacent island Avery becomes frustrated when the ferry breaks down in the middle of Puget Sound. Turning lemons into lemonade, she strikes up a friendship with Harrison, who has been in the Navy for several years, plus story lines with other passengers. A story about blessings that can come from the unexpected.
Yours for the Season by Emily Stone—Could a fake relationship with your ex over Christmas in Scotland be the perfect opportunity for revenge, or a second change at love? One woman finds out in this charming holiday romance.
Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb—A chef and reporter that are old friends cross paths each year as they take part in the Sandringham Christmas celebrations with Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s.
A Spell for Midwinter’s Heart by Morgan Lockhart—A holiday romance with an enchanting twist. A magic-averse witch returns home to save her small town’s beloved winter festival in time for the holidays with the help of her estranged coven and distractingly handsome childhood rival.
A Christmas Stranger by Richard Paul Evans—Paul lost all will to live three years after his family died on Christmas Eve. A stranger appears and challenges him to find a reason to live, leading to a series of interconnected, tragic, and seemingly unrelated incidents.
Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer—Jill wakes up to a hometown filled with jolly neighbors, covered in snow, and seasoned with the smell of peppermint. To get out of this bizarre world Jill must act out a picture-perfect holiday romance with the one that got away, all while her ex-watches on.
False—he was the last. In the 1823 poem, a Visit from St. Nicholas, readers met Santa’s other reindeer before Rudolph arrived in the 1930s.
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
“Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing
that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in
the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become
entirely alive.” –Robert Lynd
Writing Contests and Events
Winter Short Story Award for New Writers December 1, 2025 to February 1, 2026 This Winter Short Story Award for New Writers has connected emerging writers with some of the industry’s top literary agents. They seek stories in either fiction or narrative nonfiction, up to 6,000 words. Submissions must be previously unpublished, including personal blogs, social media accounts, and other websites. Jim Shepard will serve as this year’s guest job, selecting the top three finalists from a shortlist chosen by the editorial team. The contest is open to any writer who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press. The first place winner will receive a $3,000 grand prize; second and third place winners receive $300 and $200 respectively. All winning pieces are published online and all winners receive agency review from their six partnered agencies. All entries are considered for publication in New Voices. The entry fee is $20; simultaneous and multiple submissions are allowed but each requires a separate entry fee. Every submission will receive a response by the end of May 2026, winners are announced by the end of June 2026. Further information available on The Masters Review Platform for emerging writers. Deadline: February 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) 14th Annual Conference February 20-21, 2026 – Virtual/Online Only Event Attendees: Independent publishers, author publishers (self-published authors, hybrid publishers interested in advancing their book publishing know-how). Exchange knowledge, resources, strategies, solutions, and more. Cost: IPNE Member early bird $70; Non-Member $145, Group: three or more people from the same organization can receive a $20 per person discount on either rate. Conference ticket includes: Access to all conference sessions, all breakout sessions, six-weeks access to video recordings of all conference sessions. Click here to obtain all Conference Information including program schedule, presenters, and registration information.
AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference & Bookfair March 4-7, 2026, at the Baltimore Convention Center Join thousands of writers, teachers, students, editors and publishers for the premier annual gathering of the literary community. Enjoy hundreds of events and exhibitors, four days of connection, inspiration and celebration. Your In-person registration for AWP26 includes admission to all events, readings, panel discussions, meetings, the bookfair, and public receptions over the days of the conference. All in-person registrations include an AWP Anywhere Pass; meals, lodging, and travel are not included. In person Member Rate for registering November 25, 2025 to March 3, 2026 is $260; Non-Member rate is $380; Senior Rate $110. See website for full information.
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