IWC's 2015 in Review

by

Sarah White

President, Indiana Writers' Consortium

 

Friends, it’s that time again.  Time to take a look back at another great year.  The Indiana Writers’ Consortium had a fantastic 2015!  Many thanks to all of the people who worked so hard to make our year a success.  We are an organization that is growing by the day, by the week, and by the event.  We have grown from 23 members in 2013 to our current 66 members and counting.  As many of us know, this community of writers is an invaluable resource to our region.  We share our work, our passion for writing, and come together to help expand our artistic (and necessary) presence in Northwest Indiana and beyond.  We provide excellent professional development opportunities and amazing experiences for those writers who choose to be involved in our many activities. This year, we hosted two Paper Fields Creative Writing Workshop events—conducted by award-winning writers— and eight Stream Line Readings in our special collaborative series with Purdue Calumet and Paul Henry’s Art Gallery.  Each one has been rewarding. I participated in one on Flash Fiction/Nonfiction, and it was a warm and edifying experience.  We conducted our regular Eat & Exchange Series (6 total discussions), and 3 Saturday Workshops.  Also, we hosted our always popular Literary Pub Crawl, introducing new voices to our organization. 

Once again, our Steel Pen Literary Conference brought many well-known writers to Northwest Indiana.  It was a full day of presentations and networking—a true celebration of writing!  Much appreciation to those who made sure our conference was the crowning achievement of our year, especially the efforts of the tireless Janine Harrison. 

In addition, each year, we sponsor the P.O.P.P. (Our Power of Poetry Project) for young children.  This year was particularly special because we offered the Tom Spencer Award.  Tom Spencer was a talented poet and great friend to the IWC who passed away this year.  He was a combat Engineer with the US Army, served during Vietnam, and a past Commander of the Lowell American Legion.  He was a member of Tri Creek Historical Association, Friends of the Library, Gleaners, IWC, Write On Hoosiers, NWI Poetry Society, IN and National Federation of Poetry Clubs.  What an amazing man and great supporter of writing.  Tom is truly missed.

Friends, thank you for your continued support of the Indiana Writers’ Consortium.  Thank you for making our organization such a wonderful community of artists.  As we continue to grow, our hope is to continue to build and strengthen our literary community here in Northwest Indiana, providing a showcase for the incredible wealth of talent our region possesses.

Here’s to a great 2016!  May all our writing dreams come true!