Here’s hoping you have all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and are looking forward to moving forward in your writing. 

My goal is to keep this newsletter informative and interesting to all members. For that reason, I am removing the Question of the Month due to lack of participation. I am always open to new ideas to keep the newsletter interesting. 

I appreciate the information some of you have provided me for inclusion in this issue. I welcome anything that may be of interest to other writers, and of course be sure to share your personal accomplishments, including publishing credits, public readings, etc. A link for everyone to view your work online is always a bonus. Please sent all content to [email protected]. Submission deadlines are near the end of this newsletter.  

Content this month includes:

* Author Events, Writing Contests, Writing Conferences
* Board Meeting Registration
* How to Figure Out What Your Character Wants
* How to Find the Right Literary Agent for Your Book
* How to Write an Effective Courtroom Scene in Fiction
* Message From Our President
* 2026 Michigan Notable Book Award
* Newsletter Deadlines
* Welcome Back Elizabeth Buzzelli

Message from Our President

The groundhog may have been afraid of his shadow, but your Constitution and Bylaws Revision Committee is hitting the home stretch.

After eight meetings totaling over twenty hours, we turned over our revised DWW Bylaws draft to a lawyer for review in January. We’ve digested their comments and made further revisions (yep, four more three-hour meetings). Vice President Diane VanderBeke Mager and I will meet with the lawyer next week for a few follow-up questions.

We foresee presenting the proposed revised Bylaws to the Board for approval at the March 19 meeting and presenting the document to the full membership shortly afterward.

Throughout the process, we’ve prioritized transparency, members’ rights, and flexibility for the future. I would like to recognize the hard work of Kathleen Ripley Leo, Michael Dwyer, Grace Grogan, and Diane VanderBeke Mager. In addition to chairing the committee, Diane has spent time offline organizing, proofreading, and tracking changes, which probably tripled the time she’s spent in meetings.

We appreciate your patience as we’ve worked to strengthen DWW’s foundation. Stay tuned—your opportunity to review and vote on the revisions is coming soon!

Regards,

Laura Hedgecock,
DWW President

How to Find the Right
Literary Agent for Your Book

How to Find the Right Literary Agent for Your Book by Emily Harstone. This article covers how to find potential agents, how to research an agent outside of their website, how to evaluate an agent’s website, and a conclusion. You can read the full article here.

DWW Welcomes Back
Elizabeth Buzzelli

Elizabeth Buzzelli writes novels, short stories, articles, and essays. She teaches creative writing at Northwest Michigan College and at Skidmore College for the International Women’s Writing Guild. Elizabeth writes for the Northern Express Magazine, serves on Michigan State Library’s committee to choose the best Michigan books of the year, is a book reviewer with The Northern Express in Traverse City, Michigan, and recently joined Shut Up and Write in Traverse City. 

 Elizabeth received a grant from the Michigan Council for the Arts for a book of essays on northern living and has appeared at writers’ conferences around the country. Elizabeth’s short stories have been published in numerous journals; she has adapted essays into stage pieces and has given readings on Michigan Public Radio. Her writing has appeared in the Romeo Observer, the Detroit News, and the Traverse City Record-Eagle. 

Elizabeth received the Kirkus Reviews Best Mystery of 2012 for her book Dead Dogs and Englishman and was awarded the 2000 Short Story of the Year by Driftwood Review. She has received grants from Art Serve Michigan in 1998, Michigan Council for the Arts in 2014, and has had her work presented onstage by the Birmingham Players in Birmingham, Michigan through a grant from the Michigan Arts Council. Elizabeth has several published books in the mystery genre, including Gift of Evil (1983, Bantam), the Emily Kincaid Mystery series, and the Little Library Mystery series. Under the name Elizabeth Lee, she writes the Nut House Mystery series. To learn more about Elizabeth and her published works, visit her author page.

How to Figure Out
What Your Character Wants

How to Figure Out What Your Character Wants (and Why it Matters for Your Story) – an article by author Jessica James. Jessica shares what it takes to help readers care about your characters. She explains how goals and motivation in a novel need to be clear to the reader. Read her article here. 

Newsletter Deadlines

If you have any content that may be of interest to other members or announcements of readings, events, or your own accomplishments, please email them to: [email protected] by the deadline shown below. Thank you!

March Newsletter — Saturday, March 14, 2026
April Newsletter — Saturday, April 18, 2026
May Newsletter — Saturday, May 16, 2026
June Newsletter — Saturday, June 20, 2026
July Newsletter — Saturday, July 18, 2026

Author Events, Writing Contests,
Writing Conferences

2026 Regional Book Festivals Call for Entries. This link covers the Great Southeast, Great Midwest, Great Southwest, and Great Northwest book festivals. Consideration is given to works in non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, memoir, children’s books, young adult, how-to, history, cookbooks, science fiction, photography/art, poetry, regional literature, spiritual/religious, wild card (anything goes!), self-help, business/technology, unpublished stories and compilations/anthologies. Books published on or after Jan. 1, 2021 are eligible for the competition. Deadline for submissions: February 25, 2026. Click here for details and entry forms.

Reading by New Michigan Author for 25-26, Jim Daniels, will do a virtual reading on February 26, 2026 at 7:00 pm. This event is being offered by collaboration between Michigan Writers and the Poetry Society of Michigan. Jim will give a reading from his new book, offer a moderated conversation, and take questions. This event is open to all members of Michigan Writers and PSM. The zoom link will be sent to members of those organizations around February 23^rd or 24^th.

Next Generation Short Story Awards accepts original work from writers 13+; if under 13 the writer must have a parent, guardian, or teacher grant permission to enter. Work must be no longer than 5,000 words; no stories that are sexual, political, include hate speech, offensive or vulgar language. Writers retain copyright; a selection of winning stories will be published in an Anthology of Winners that appeals to the general population, including school age students. There are 28 category areas, plus an additional six categories for students and seniors. Deadline for submissions: February 26, 2026. Click here for more information.

Ethos Literacy 7^th Annual Short Story Contest is open to writers ages 14+. Write a story of no more than 100 words on one of the following topics: chicken(s), detour, purple, or something lost. You can submit as many stories as you want, but must pay the $15 submission fee for each story. They will award six prizes, and both winning and honorable mention stories will be published in an e-magazine. Deadline for submissions: March 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm. Click here for more information.

Nirmv.org Poetry Contest is seeking entries from poets age 18+. Poems must creatively address the 2026 theme “Celebrate Your Inspiration,” a focus on people, places, things, or experiences that inspire the imagination. All participants receive a certificate, monetary awards are given for first, second, and third place. Winners and finalists may be featured at an event on April 19, 2026. Deadline for submission: March 9, 2026. Click here for contest rules and details.

Poetry Society of Michigan’s Five-Year Anthology is seeking poems for a five-year anthology to be published in 2026. They are seeking poems that convey the Power of Place. Submissions are open to dues-paying PSM members in at least one of the past five years (2021-2025). Deadline for submission: March 15, 2026. More information available here.

Third Coast Author & Book Festival takes place March 21, 2026 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at The Book Cellar, 8 N 7^th Street, Grand Haven, Michigan. The festival brings together hundreds of local, national, and international poets, authors, illustrators, and publishers. The weekend consists of over 200 authors and the majority of the event is free. Click here for more information and to sign up for email updates.

2026 London Book Festival Call for Entries accepts books in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian. Books may be published, self-published, or independent publisher non-fiction, non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography/memoir, children’s books, cookbooks, compilations/anthologies, genre-based, how-to, photography/art, spiritual, young adult, unpublished, business, wild card (anything goes!), science fiction, self-help and poetry. Books published on or after January 1, 2021 are eligible for the competition. Deadline for submissions: March 25, 2026. Additional information and entry forms are available here.

A Rally of Writers will take place Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Lansing Community College West Campus, 5708 Cornerstone Drive, Lansing, Michigan. Registration for the 39^th annal writers conference is open now; early bird $120 price runs through March 31^st, regular registration after March 31^st is $150. For full information click here.

Dreaming Dirty in Michigan 2026 will be held April 11-12, 2026 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The event features authors and readers from throughout the country and thousands of books to choose from, with over 100 authors in attendance. Additional information available here.

Midwest Literary Walk will take place on April 18, 2026 in Chelsea, Michigan. The single-day event features nationally recognized authors in public venues. Lit Walk is a celebration of literature, reading, and the Chelsea community. All events are open to the public and free to attend. Click here for more information.

PSM Spring Conference 2026 will be held Saturday, May 2, 2026 at the Castle Museum, 500 Federal Avenue in Saginaw Michigan. The cost is $35 and includes lunch and a drink; student rate is $20. Registration and payment available online or you can mail in your registration no later than April 20, 2026.

2026 San Francisco Book Festival Call for Entries to its annual program celebrating best books of the spring season. Consideration is given to non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, biography/autobiography, memoir, compilations/anthologies, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, business, history, wild card, gay, photography/art, poetry, unpublished technology, artificial intelligence, and spiritual/religious works. There is no date of publication restriction. Deadline for submissions: May 25, 2026. Additional information and entry forms are available at San Franciso Book Festival.

Columbus Book Festival takes place July 11-12, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. The event is held inside the main library and in Topiary Park, featuring over 100 authors talking about their newly released books in lively panel discussions. There is also an outside festival marketplace with over 100 authors in the Indie Author Alley tent, over 100 exhibitor tents, family-friendly entertainment, food trucks, merchandise tables, and more. Click here for more information and applications.

Write Michigan Short Story Contest is open to all Michigan residents with three categories of writers: Adult (ages 18+), Teen (ages 13-17) and Youth (ages 12 and under). Adults pay a $10 entry fee. Maximum length is 3,000 words, unpublished in print or online. All winning entries are published in an anthology by Chapbook Press. Submission Dates: September 1, 2026, to November 15, 2026. Click here for more information.

How to Write an Effective
Courtroom Scene in Fiction

How to Write an Effective Courtroom Scene in Fiction by attorney, judge, and award-winning author, Lori B. Duff. Lori has been practicing law since 1994 as a prosecutor, a defense attorney, a civil attorney, and a judge. Who has better knowledge of how to write a courtroom scene than someone who has spent most of their adult life inside one. If you haven’t, you can read the full article here to learn how to make your courtroom scene authentic

2026 Michigan Notable Book Award

Every year, the Library of Michigan selects up to twenty of the most notable books, either written by a Michigan resident or about Michigan or the Great Lakes. The selected books are honored in the year after their publication or copyright date. Each selected title speaks to our state’s rich cultural, historical, and literary heritage and proves without a doubt that some of the greatest stories are found in the Great Lakes State. 

This year’s winner is Susan Wasserman, author of Stepping off the Boat. “Stepping Off the Boat traces how the Great Lakes served as early travel routes for Indigenous peoples and fur traders, shaping the later settlement of North Manitou Island and the broader Midwest. Through stories of lumbering, farming, and the rise of a once-thriving resort community, the book shows how human labor and habitation transformed the island’s landscape and history. Illustrated with hundreds of historic images, including those from the author’s personal collections, it offers a vivid look at the immigrants, workers, and families whose lives are still reflected in the island’s place names and legacy.” Click here for information on purchasing the book.