DRC Writers’ Conference Starts in Less than 2 Weeks! Slots still available

Posted on by Ryan Collins

MWC and The David R. Collins Writers’ Conference (formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Writers’ Conference) are thrilled return to the campus of Augustana College this summer, June 25-27. Featuring our stellar Conference Faculty leading three-day workshops, two public readings, a concluding luncheon, and more. 

There’s still time to register either by using the registration portal on our site or by making a donation to Birdies for Charity. The schedule of events is below, and complete info can be found on the Conference page. Please contact MWC with any questions: mwc@mwcqc.org or 309-732-7330.

What a Poem Wants: New Poetry Critique Group at MWC, facilitated by Ryan Collins  

Posted on by Ryan Collins

The Midwest Writing Center is hosting a pay-what-you-can poetry critique group for “serious poets” — the next meeting is Wednesday, November 19 at 5:30 p.m. at their office in the Rock Island Public Library – Downtown branch. The group will be facilitated by poet and MWC Executive Director Ryan Collins.  

The group is open to poets who are actively working toward publishing their work and/or developing a new book or chapbook project, who have “a broad conception and appreciation of what a poem can be.” Collins said he hopes the group will be “an opportunity for poets writing adventurous work to engage and help each other find their poems’ most successful shapes.”

MWC Press Bookstore Open for Business!

Posted on by Ryan Collins

After much hassle & delay, our MWC Press bookstore is back up & running! All of our most recent titles are ready and available for purchase today — check out all the info here:

https://www.mwcqc.org/mwc-press/online-catalog/

We’re still updating some titles in our back catalog, but everything will be live soon!

MWC Offers New Writing Group — Memory Keepers: Next Meeting Tuesday 4/21 at RIPL Downtown

Posted on by Ryan Collins

One of the greatest gifts you can give to your children and future generations is to keep your family stories alive. Please join our new Memory Keepers Group as we come together with a common interest and goal to preserve our family stories through the written word.

The next meeting will be Thursday, November 20 from 1:00-2:30pm in the MWC office, ground floor of the downtown Rock Island Public Library, 401 19th St., Rock Island.

“Write a Musical Score within Poems” Workshop led by Sal Marici, May 16 at MWC

Posted on by Ryan Collins

The Midwest Writing Center is hosting a poetry workshop facilitated by Salvatore Marici, author of several collections and chapbooks from Ice Cube Press.

Write a Musical Score within Poems
Music invokes feelings. Musicians have physical tools to create music. Poets’ tools are the skillful arrangements of words and their sounds to convey and reinforce the imagery, meaning that will invoke an emotional response to a poem. Soft repetitive sounds encourage readers to float in a breeze; hard repetitive sounds put readers in a car crash. Rhymes end like nursery rhymes. Rhymes hidden within lines. A pattern of up and down sounds via stress and unstress syllables. We will play with these sound devices. You will write your own score with riffs inside your poem that create imagery, invoke feelings and clarifies meaning.