May 2026
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I hope those of you in Michigan are enjoying some warm spring weather. We are running in the upper 90s to low 100s here in southwestern Arizona.
The DWW Board and Members have been busy this past month. Be sure to check out the following:
* Bylaws Vote Results
* Celebrate Success – Highlighting our Members
* Children’s Book Publishers
* Contests and Author Events
* DWW Welcomes Emerging Writers
* 18 Ideas for a Successful Book Launch
* Member Highlights
* Mindfulness, Creativity & Connection Event Announcement
* Newsletter Deadlines
* Notice of Vote on Articles of Incorporation
* President’s
* Save the Date: Next Board Meeting
* Summer Learning Series
* Survey Responses in Action
* Upcoming Vote: Articles of Incorporation
* Welcome New Members
If you have anything to share about personal accomplishments, publications, author readings, presentations, or any other content that may be of interest to other members, please put “newsletter” in the subject line and send to secretary@DetWorkingWriters.org.
Have a great month!
Grace Grogan
DWW Secretary and Newsletter Editor
Hi fellow writers and members!https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/1738087/6qZnboXRL1jmlIewPSJiuuEzMWEmijE32a41Ggly.jpg
Preparing for the annual meeting made me realize how much the board and organization accomplished this past year. In addition to thanking my fellow board members for their enthusiasm, fresh ideas, diligence, and patience, I also want to thank each of you for the support you’ve shown DWW.
Website Refresh
With support from Diane VanderBeke Mager and Linda Sienkiewicz, I have been working on a beautification and functionality upgrade for the website. The improved DetWorkingWriters.org is now live. I encourage you to go and have a look.
Here’s a preview screenshot:
Submit your Books
Speaking of the website, don’t forget that you can submit your book to our website
You can find the book submittal form in the Members Only section of our website.
Dues renewal season is upon us
Thank you to everyone who has already paid their 2026-2027 membership dues. As our only source of income with which to offer member benefits, your membership helps all our writers.
To make sure everyone has a final reminder so we can include them in both our public membership roster and private directory—and so they can vote on the Articles of Incorporation (see Grace Grogan’s article for more information)—I’ll send out a final plea gentle reminder to those who have not yet renewed this week.
Annual Meeting Highlights
We formally adopted the Bylaws which members voted on in April. Because this brings back the Emerging Member category, we also discussed the application criteria.
In addition, we retook a photo of members with our certificate of achievement from National Inspirational Role Models Visionaries.
We appreciate the members who chose to join us on what turned out to be a beautiful Saturday. (Kudos to Linda S., who joined from her car en route to North Carolina.)
With spring finally arriving, I wish you all the joys of the great outdoors and productivity in your writing endeavors.
Laura Hedgecock, President
Registration Link: DWW Mindfulness Workshop
Molly Beauregard Website: www.mollybeauregard.com
Notice of Vote
Amended DWW Articles of Incorporation
Voting Dates: June 18-22, 2026
A motion was made to the DWW Board by the Constitution & Bylaws Revision Committee to accept the updated Articles of Incorporation. The Articles of Incorporation were revised to meet current State of Michigan requirements for liability, inurement, and dissolution. They have been reviewed and approved by an attorney.
The motion passed. In compliance with DWW Bylaws and MCL 450.2611 the DWW Board is providing all members with 30-day notice of the upcoming vote and a copy of the updated Articles of Incorporation for your review. All members have the opportunity to accept or deny adoption of the updated Articles of Incorporation. A voting link will be sent via email close to the open voting period of June 18-22, 2026.
Kathleen Walsh Spencer
Kathleen writes scientific articles, poetry, short fiction, and essays. Kathleen brings extensive education and experience to DWW. Her academic credentials include a BA in Creative Writing, MA in Journalism, and a BSN, MSN and Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Kathleen has 48 years of career experience including as a nurse practitioner and the Internal Communications Coordinator at the former William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. She is the former editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal Plastic Surgery Nursing. She recently retired as Faculty in the School of Nursing and Honors College at Oakland University in Rochester. Her creative works have appeared in many literary journals including Rattle, Raven Chronicles, Rosebud, The Red Rock Review, The Examined Life, and in the anthologies such as Intensive Care: More Prose and Poetry of Nurses, and a chapter in the The Poetry of Nursing: Poems and Commentaries of Leading Nurse Poets.
Kathleen serves on the Board of Trustees of Guest House in Lake Orion, and is a consultant to the Specialty Treatment Court for 52-3 District Court in Rochester, MI.
We welcome Kathleen as a new member of the DWW.
Dawn Levitt
Dawn is a two-time heart transplant recipient, poet, essayist, and disability rights advocate who writes at the intersection of storytelling and healing. Her poetry chapbook The Bittersweet Gift of Dying Slowly was a finalist for the 2025 Jessie Bryce Niles Award hosted by The Comstock Review and is forthcoming with Finishing Line Press, date TBD. Her poem Reborn Broken was the winner of the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Williams Poems of Disability, Disease, and Healing Award.
Dawn’s essays have appeared in The Bucket, Newsweek, and Insider. Click here to read her poem Prescription for Survival; you can learn more about Dawn and view a full list of her published writing by visiting her website or her Substack.
Survey Responses in Action
In August 2025, the DWW Board surveyed all members to learn what everyone desired from the organization. The Board has been working hard to meet the needs of our members.
The first to jump on the bandwagon was Vice President Diane VanderBeke Mager, who as Acting Programs Chair, now Programs Chair, has begun organizing four events per year, two in person and two online. The first was our in-person 125th Anniversary Celebration, the second was DWW Rings in 2026 online, and our third event will be held in person in June. Check out the Mindfulness, Creativity, and Connection flyer in this newsletter for further information.
DWW Treasurer Bill Rathburg has agreed to serve as Critique Groups Chair. If you are interested in being in a critique group, please contact Bill (rathburgw@yahoo.com) and let him know what genre (non-fiction, novels, short fiction, flash fiction, poetry, journalism, children’s, memoir, etc.) you are interested in and any other questions you may have so he can begin coordinating.
DWW Director at Large Linda Sienkiewicz has agreed to serve as the Mentoring and Accountability Partnerships Chair. If you are interested in participating by being a mentor or being mentored, or if you are interested in being paired with an accountability partner, please email Linda (lindasienk@live.com), and she will try to match you up with another writer.
Linda Sienkewicz (lindaksienk@live.com) has also volunteered to serve as Public Relations Chair, coordinating DWW’s media presence from posts to press releases. She already manages content for the DWW Facebook page and will sync with Director at Large Richard Stiennon, who handles LinkedIn. Please continue to submit accomplishments, published writing, or information of writer interest to Secretary and Newsletter Editor Grace Grogan (secretary@detworkingwriters.org) and she will pass it on to Linda.
DWW President and Webmaster Laura Hedgecock took on an additional role, serving as Chair of an ad hoc Website Design Committee. Laura has redesigned our website with an all-new look! If you haven’t done so already, check out the DWW Website updates.
18 Ideas for a Successful Book Launch
Writer’s Digest has an article available online 18 Ideas for a Successful Book Launch by Author Sylvia Liu. She includes ideas on how to spend the months leading up to launch day, beginning 1-2 years out to post launch.
Member Highlights
Cheryl Crabb’s personal essay, What I Left in Nikko, received Honorable Mention for prose in the 2026 Springfed Arts Writing Contest. Cheryl will be reading an excerpt along with the authors of other winning entries, on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 7 PM at Unity of Royal Oak, 2500 Crooks Rd., Royal Oak, Michigan 48073. The event, hosted by John D. Lamb, Director of Springfed-Arts, is free and open to the public. Coffee and cookies available.
Jean Alicia Elster: In honor of National Book Month and our nation’s 250th birthday, Jean Alicia Elster was invited by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library (Ann Arbor) to give a presentation titled Use Your Voice with Jean Alicia Elster. Jean’s presentation focused on learning and sharing family history through oral histories. She shared portions of the oral histories she obtained from her family and read passages from her Ford family historical fiction trilogy, Who’s Jim Hines?, The Colored Car and How It Happens to show how she used those oral histories to create the narratives in the books. She also offered tips on obtaining oral histories from family members during gatherings such as reunions, holidays and other celebrations. Here is the program link about Jean’s March 27, 2026 presentation via the National Archives website: https://www.archives.gov/calendar/event/use-your-voice-with-jean-alicia-elster?date=2026-03
Linda Nemec Foster presented a PowerPoint program on her award-winning book, The Lake Huron Mermaid (Wayne State University Press) a collaboration with Anne-Marie Oomen and artist Meridith Ridl, for the Lansing Poetry Club on May 17. The event was part of the LPC’s Copper Chimney Poetry Series. Just a few days before the program, The Lake Huron Mermaid was selected a category finalist for the 2026 Eric Hoffer Book Award (one of the top 10% of books nominated). This is the fourth award citation the book has received in the last year.
Linda will also be presenting at the annual conference for the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature held at MSU’s Kellogg Conference Center from May 28-29. Linda’s reading will take place on May 29 (her birthday:) from 10:30 am – 11:45 am. She will be joined on this poetry panel (in honor of the late poet and literary scholar Janet Ruth Heller) by Dawn Burns, MSU Assistant Professor, and Mary Catherine Harper, Defiance College Professor Emerita. For more information, visit the SSML website at https://ssml.org/symposium/.
John Jeffire’s poem “Protocols” has been published in the latest edition of the Sandy River Review (p. 32).
Linda K. Sienkiewicz has a guest article on Author Fairs: The Hidden Benefits Beyond Book Sales: What you gain, what they cost, and how to sell without being pushy on Bad Redhead Media on Substack. Her poem, “As Tall as Tomorrow”, about the relationship between her late mother and granddaughter, is published in Peninsula Poets, the Poetry Society of Michigan’s annual journal.
Children’s Book Publishers
Authors Publish has put out a list of 49 traditional children’s book publishers seeking submissions, no agent required. All of the publishers listed publish children’s books. Some just publish picture books, some publish only middle-grade fiction, and some publish a wide variety of genres aimed at adults as well. Some are looking for educational work, others are open to anything. The article includes a brief review of every publisher, focusing on the essentials. If you click on the heading with their name you will be able to read the full review of the company, for most of the presses. The publishers are listed in no particular order.
DETROIT WORKING WRITERS
WELCOMES
EMERGING WRITERS!
Writers with a minimum of three published works with single authorship or byline (at least one of which is impartially published) are invited to apply for membership in the Emerging Writer category.
Please check out our updated Apply to DWW page for details and share it with prospective applicants.
The Masters Review is offering four live workshops designed to spark creativity and elevate your craft. Each individual workshop costs $20, or you can register for all four workshops for $60. All workshops take place over zoom and a recording will be shared with everyone who registers:
May 21, 2026, 7:30 pm EDT / 4:30 pm PDT
Setting: Place and Space
Taught by Brandon Williams
This course covers the basic literary elements that all fiction possesses (character, plot, point of view, etc.), setting is often an afterthought. In this course we will flip that script, using setting as the conduit for deeper understanding of major story elements. A full course description is on the website.
June 18, 2026, 7:30 pm EDT / 4:30 pm PDT
The Three Cs of Characterization
Taught by Gage Saylor
This course will provide attendees with the tools and resources to shape their characters into their strongest, most complicated selves. Through what I call the three Cs (Context, Contrast, and Contact), we’ll cover the foundations of story and how they inform character before a protagonist even enters the scene. A full course description is on the website.
July 16, 2026, 7:30 pm EDT / 4:30 pm PDT
Navigating Flashback and Backstory
Taught by Jen Dupree
In The Art of Time in Fiction, Joan Silber defines backstory as “the stuff in the past that’s fueling the current story. It is those bits from the characters’ histories that explain the cravings, fears and affinities that run in the present-time plot.” But how do we decide when and how long to leave the present story, what backstory to tell, and how to enter and leave the current narrative? In this workshop, we’ll ask these questions of our own work and we’ll look at examples of backstory in both “Crossings” by Bryan Washington and “Annunciation” by Lauren Groff. A full course description is on the website.
August 20, 2026, 7:30 pm EDT / 4:30 pm PDT
Generative Revision as an Act of Love
Taught by Reena Shah
Revision is perhaps one of the least discussed, most feared aspects of the writing process. It’s also, in Kiese Laymon’s words, an act of love (“We revisit what we love.”). Using this principle, we’ll approach revision as a process of discovery that involves taking risks and being messy, regardless of whether the work is a 2nd draft or a 6th. We’ll examine global revision techniques, such as outlining cause and effect, to more surgical shifts, like playing with points of view. A full course description is on the website.
Registration: Early bird registration closes May 20, 2026. Cost: $20 per workshop or all four for $60. Additional information and registration links for all four (4) workshops or each individual workshop is on the Master Review website.
DWW Board Meeting
Please mark your calendar for Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 7:00 pm EST on Zoom. All members are welcome to attend.
The Authors Guild Detroit Chapter:
A Literary Journey at Greenfield Village
Explore the rich literary history of Greenfield Village while engaging in writing and discovery. Stroll through historic homes tied to iconic authors like Robert Frost, Noah Webster, and William Holmes McGuffey. Guest speaker Sonya Julie will provide creative writing prompts. Bring your notebook, curiosity, and love for history and literature.
*Event subject to weather conditions. We’ll meet in front of the gift shop near the entrance.
(Must Purchase regular priced Greenfield Village tickets either on their site or in person) https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/plan-your-visit/admission
Please RSVP Here!
https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSeQDMaJf3odA3…/viewform
If you have any content that may be of interest to other members, upcoming events, author readings, information on your own accomplishments, etc. please email them to: Secretary@DetWorkingWriters.org with “Newsletter” in the subject line by the deadline shown below. Thank you!
June Newsletter — Saturday, June 20, 2026
July Newsletter — Saturday, July 18, 2026
August Newsletter — Saturday, August 15, 2026
September Newsletter – Saturday, September 12, 2026
October Newsletter — Saturday, October 10, 2026
November Newsletter — Saturday, November 14, 2026
December Newsletter — Saturday, December 12, 2026
Contests and Author Events
2026 San Francisco Book Festival issued a call for entries to its annual competition for best books of the spring season. They will consider non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, 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: May 25, 2026; judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions. Entry Fee: $50 for each book. Click here for additional information and submission guidelines.
95th Annual Writers Digest Writing Competition is accepting entries. Categories are Inspirational/Spiritual, Memoirs/Personal Essay, Nonfiction Essay or Article, Genre Short Story, Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Ryming Poetry, Non-ryming Poetry, Humor, Children’s/Young Adult Fiction. The Grand Prize winner receives $5,000 cash, an interview with Writer’s Digest, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference with special trophy presentation at keynote, coveted pitch opportunity, and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com. The First Place winner in each category receives $1,000 cash and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com. For each category Second Place winners receive $500 cash, Third Place receives $250 cash, Fourth Place receives $100 cash, Fifth Place receives $50 cash and Sixth through Tenth Place winners receive $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com Additional gifts are given to all top winners and Honorable Mentions and are listed on their website. Deadline: June 1, 2026. Entry Fee: Poetry $25 first entry; $20 each additional entry; Manuscript $35 first entry; $30 each additional manuscript entry. Almost 500 winners will be selected; winners will be announced in the Nov/Dec 2026 issue of Writers Digest. Click here for more information.
Big Ohio Book Con 2026 is hosted by Black Cat Books & Oddities, 735 Lafayette Road, Medina, Ohio. This is a convention for book lovers, featuring author panels, signings, bookish vendors, meet & greets, and more. Dates: June 5, 2026 4 pm EDT to June 7, 2026 5 pm EDT. Online ticket sales are closed, but tickets can be purchased at the door, $30 for one day or $40 for a two-day pass. A General Admission badge provides access to Breakout Panels at Medina Convention Center, meet 100+ authors, shop vendors, participate in Bookish Activities to win prizes, free onsite parking, and free shuttle service to and from the three Con locations around town. Your ticket also comes with a Big Ohio Book Con lanyard and official badge to enter the Con. Full information is on the Big Ohio Book Con website.
Best Emerging Writers 2026 by The Masters Review is calling for submissions for their 15th anthology. Best Emerging Writers 2026 will showcase a collection of prose from ten emerging writers. Writers with single-author book-length work published or under contract with a major press are ineligible. Entries are open for fiction or creative nonfiction under 8,000 words, previously unpublished. Each of the ten winners will receive a $700 award and a print copy of the book. Deadline: Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 11:59 pm PT. Entry Fee: $20. Submissions receive a response by the end of September 2026; winners are announced in October 2026. Click here for more information.
CRAFT 2026 First Chapters Contest is open to all fiction writers; CFAFT is a market for literary fiction. The CRAFT First Chapters Contest encourages novelists to harness the energy of their openings for the opportunity to win a $2,800 award, excerpt publication, and a full manuscript critique by Artful Editor. The annual contest is designed to reward and encourage the diligent novelist. You may submit excerpts of up to 5,000 words of book-length fiction. No short stories or nonfiction essays. Your manuscript need not be complete for you to enter your first chapters. First place receives $2,000 and a full manuscript critique of the novel or novella, up to 1,000 words by Artful Editor; second and third place winners receive $500 and $300, respectively. Additional prizes for the top three winners, including publication in CRAFT. Deadline: June 28, 2026. Entry Fee: $20 per submission. Everyone who submits will receive a 10% discount from Artful Editor on any editorial services. Click here for full information on the contest and submission guidelines.
Columbus Book Festival will be held July 11-12, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. The free two-day festival takes place in downtown’s historic main library and Topiary Park. Hear popular authors talk about their newest books, check out panel discussions, author talks and presentations, and get your books signed. Shop local by buying featured authors’ new books from the Official Festival Bookstore and get used books at the Friend of the Library Big Book Sale tent. Topiary Park is where you will find entertainment, food vendors, exhibitors and new and used book sales. Meet and greet 100 independent authors at Indie Author Alley. Ticket Sales: begin Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 10:00 am. Visit the Columbus Book Festival website for more information.
9th Annual Detroit Festival of Books will be held at the Eastern Market, 2934 Russell Street, Detroit, Michigan from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, July 19, 2026. Entry is free for attendees and features over 300 vendors selling books, records, creative arts, and more. Vendor Fees: $60 for 1 table; $120 for 2 tables; $240 for 4 tables; $250 for a vehicle cart. If interested in becoming a vendor click here for more information. Please be aware we are already beyond the first application deadline so act quickly if interested.
2026 Hollywood Book Festival has issued a call for entries. Grand prize for the 2026 Author of the Year is a $1,500 appearance fee for their gala awards ceremony in Hollywood. The 2026 Hollywood Book Festival considers published, self-published and independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, young adult, how-to, spiritual, wild card (anything goes!), self-help, unpublished stories, science fiction, biography/autobiography, sequels, genre-based, business and history. Deadline: July 25, 2026; judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions. Entry Fee: $75 per book. Entry forms and additional information is available online.
Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo 2026 will be held August 8, 2026 from 12 pm to 4:30 pm EDT at the Aladdin Shrine Center, 1801 Gateway Circle, Grove City, Ohio. This book fair is open to the public and features works of fiction and non-fiction. Tickets: General Admission and parking is free but requires ticket; Author Registration/Table Fee for a single author is $60.00 plus $4.29 fee. Tables for this year are sold out, but you can join a wait list. Click here for more information.
2027 Southern California Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual competition honoring the best books of the fall. It considers published and unpublished works in fiction, non-fiction, biography/autobiography, memoir, how-to, compilations/anthologies, photography/art, children’s, cookbooks, poetry, spiritual, young adult, self-help, business/technology, unpublished manuscripts, wild care (anything goes!), nature/animals and regional lit. There are no date of publication restrictions. Deadline: November 25, 2026. Judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions. Entry Fee: $50 per book. Full Information and Entry Form available here.
2026 New England Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual competition. They will consider non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, memoir, children’s books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, photography/art, poetry, gay literature, regional literature, spiritual, wild card (anything goes!), business books, unpublished stories and compilations/anthologies. Deadline: November 25, 2026. Judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions. Entry Fee: $50 per book. Full information and submission guidelines are available online.
Harbor Springs Festival of the Book is a three-day event featuring traditionally published authors and illustrators across eight genres—fiction, nonfiction, mystery/thriller, cookbook, poetry, young adult, middle grade, and picture book/early reader. The submission window for the September 25-27, 2026 festival has closed. The 2027 festival will take place September 24-26, 2027, and will feature approximately 45 presenters in panel discussions. For the 2027 Festival, hardcover or paperback releases published between October 2026 and September 2027 will be considered. Deadline: Submission period for the 2027 Festival is January 1-31, 2027. For more information or to subscribe to their newsletter for information on upcoming festivals, events, and tickets visit the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book website.
Thank you for Reading!
Grace Grogan
DWW Newsletter Editor