Please join us for the 9th Annual NW Book Festival, happening on July 29, 2017, in downtown Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square. Click here to learn more.
Category Archives: Announcements
9 Bridges to Host NW Book Festival
Reply
PORTLAND, OREGON – August 29, 2015 – Today 9 Bridges assumed ownership of the NW Book Festival from the Northwest Writers and Publishers Association (NWPA). The event, which happens annually in Pioneer Square in downtown Portland, Ore, attracts independent authors and publishers from all over the country. Held on the last Saturday in July, it has become a summer tradition in Portland for the last seven years.
NWPA President Veronica Esagui has entrusted 9 Bridges to carry on her tradition with the Northwest Book Festival. “There was no question in my mind when I decided to find a group to carry on the tradition,” she said. “The organizers of 9 Bridges have impressed me with their passion and dedication to the writing community from the first time I met them. Their heart is really in the right place when it comes to supporting authors. I am very pleased that 9 Bridges will continue the tradition of providing self-published authors a platform to share their work through the NW Book Festival.”
9 Bridges Chairman of the Board, Vargus Pike, agreed. “We are here to help writers. The NW Book Festival is one of the few affordable venues for self-published authors to promote themselves. It’s a perfect alignment of our two visions.”
Information about signing up for the festival will be available in the following weeks on 9bridges.org. Space is extremely limited and will be reserved on a first come – first served basis. For more information, please contact 9 Bridges at NWBookFest@9bridges.org or visit our site atthe Northwest Book Festival.
About 9 Bridges Writers Guild: 9bridges.org is dedicated to supporting writers in all stages of their journey to pursue their craft. In addition to providing peer review and support in the form of critique groups, 9 Bridges gives writers access to a wide community through workshops, write-ins, events, online forums and the promotion of events that are interesting and benefit our members.
Contact:
Elizabyth Harrington
9 Bridges Writers Guild
Elizabyth.harrington@9bridges.org
Poetry Workshop in PDX
This month’s seminar will focus on Poetry as April is national poetry month.
Vargus Pike, published poet extraordinaire and 9 Bridges Board Chairman, will be leading a workshop on poetry. Whether you are interested in trying your hand at writing poetry or simply want to understand the medium better so you can feel more comfortable analyzing and critiquing, Vargus will give you the tools you need. The goal of this month’s seminar is to learn the basics of analyzing poems by the process of close reading with a goal towards developing a greater mindfulness of process and meaning when reading other’s works or writing your own. Breaking down a poem using various strategies informs your own construction. Vargus will be going over basic concepts such as Rhythm, meter, tonality and structure.
The workshop starts promptly at 5:45 PM at First Christian Church, Downtown Portland
For more information and to RSVP, please visit our Meetup page. As always, the workshop is free (although donations are always welcome to help cover our rent at FCC.)
9 Bridges Launches New Chapter
authorPasadena, CA. – March 31, 2015 – 9 Bridges announced today that it has opened a chapter in Pasadena, California. The new chapter connects writers from Arcadia to North Hollywood and beyond. It includes critique groups, but will also support other events, such as workshops, discussion groups, write-ins, local conferences, author readings and book signings.
The chapter is headed up by long-time La Canada-Flintridge resident, Rora Melendy, who has spent many years volunteering in local schools, community programs, and managing projects that focus on the arts and literacy. Elizabyth Harrington, Executive Director of 9 Bridges states, “We are excited to have Rora join us. She is a warm, supportive leader who understands how to help creative people achieve their dreams. The Pasadena chapter of 9 Bridges is extremely
lucky to have her.”
Rora is excited about the new chapter. “Creating space for literary artists of all types has always been one of my passions,” she explained. “This opportunity allows me to give something back to the community I love.”
Membership to the not-for-profit 9 Bridges is free and more information about the Pasadena chapter can be found on the chapter’s Meetup page (http://www.meetup.com/9BridgesPasadena/ ). Meetings will begin in mid-April. Members are also encouraged to join the 9 Bridges Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/9BridgesWriters/), a public group that joins all of the chapters together into one community.
About 9 Bridges Writers Guild: 9 Bridges is dedicated to supporting writers in all stages of their journey to pursue their craft. In addition to providing peer review and support in the form of critique groups, 9 Bridges gives writers access to a wide community through workshops, events, online forums and the promotion of events that are interesting and benefit its members. A large part of the organization’s success is through its flexibility – 9 Bridges can quickly adapt to fill a writer’s needs, whether they are just starting out or have published a dozen best sellers.
Contact:
Rora Melendy
9 Bridges Writers Guild
rora.melendy@9bridges.org
Announcing 9 Bridges
PORTLAND, OREGON – March 27, 2015 – The Coffee House Writers Group (CHWG) announced today that it has plans to divest itself of all of its chapters outside of CA. CHWG will continue to support aspiring writers in Southern California through its critique groups but has announced that, at this time, it does not wish to continue serving communities outside of Southern California. All chapters outside of California will be absorbed by the 9 Bridges Writers Guild.
9 Bridges forms a nationwide community of writers, connected through both local chapters and a larger online community. It is headed up by long-time CHWG Board members Mark and Elizabyth Harrington, who served respectively as as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer for CHWG.
9 Bridges will assume leadership over the existing CHWG chapters located in Portland, OR, Missoula, MT, and Phoenix,AZ. During the inception of the new organization, the format of the chapters will stay the same, but the organization envisions an evolution towards serving writers throughout multiple stages of their journey. “There are so many writers groups out there, operating as small islands,” Elizabyth Harrington explains. “Our vision is to unite writers through creating bridges connecting these communities.”
Mark Harrington has accepted the position of Chief Financial Officer of 9 Bridges and will be responsible for the organizational infrastructure and fiscal stewardship of the organization. Elizabyth Harrington, meanwhile, will preside as Executive Director and will be responsible for the day to day operations and growth of 9 Bridges.
Vargus Pike, longtime member of the Portland Chapter and CHWG Board member, will be assuming the position of Chairman of the Board of 9 Bridges. Vargus has been a valuable asset to the Portland group and will continue to bring his leadership skills and vision to 9 Bridges.
Of the future of 9 Bridges, CHWG Founder and CEO, Christine Marie Bryant said, “Mark and Elizabyth have done so much for the Coffee House Writers Group. They have an amazing vision and passion for helping writers, and I know they will do amazing things with 9 Bridges.”
About 9 Bridges Writers Guild: 9bridges.org is dedicated to supporting writers in all stages of their journey to pursue their craft. In addition to providing peer review and support in the form of critique groups, 9 Bridges gives writers access to a wide community through workshops, events, online forums and the promotion of events that are interesting and benefit our members. 9 Bridges is dedicated to flexibility – through community connections we can quickly adapt to fill a writer’s needs, whether they are just starting out or have published a dozen best sellers.
Contact:
Elizabyth Harrington
Executive Director
elizabyth.harrington@9bridges.org