By Jarod Santek, Founding & Artistic Director, Write On, Door County
As we welcome in the new year, all of us at Write On wish all of you a year of peace and love, joy and hope. May you never be without a good book to read and may each day bring you inspiration for writing a new line in your journal, starting a new poem, or beginning at last that novel you have been planning. Whether you are a reader or a writer or (hopefully) equal parts both, Write On has much to offer you this year: things that have never been, as well as things that are too good to let go.
Door County Reads
The very first program Write On held, in January 2014, just days after officially becoming a 501(c)3 organization, was a book discussion of Wendell Berry’s The Memory of Old Jack, that year’s selection for Door County Reads. We have been an active partner in the program ever since. This year, I am excited (and, I confess, a bit intimidated) to be in conversation with TJ Klune, author of this year’s selection The House in the Cerulean Sea. I hope you can join us Saturday, January 18, 1 pm, at the Sturgeon Bay High School Auditorium. Whether or not you can make the keynote event, the DC Reads committee has put together an amazing range of programs around this book, two of which will be held at Write On in February. Check out our calendar for more details.
Never Been?
If you have never been to Write On, let 2025 be the year you discover all that we have to offer. Join us on the first Sunday of the month for an afternoon of playing word and literary-themed games or on the third Sunday for Readers’ Cafe, a time to find a quiet place to read. Come explore our trails, whether or not the center is open. A winter walk in the woods can be the inspiration for so many things that have never been or can provide comfort and peace when your mind is racing far too fast.
Share the Excitement
We have so much to look forward to in 2025. Soon, we will be releasing details for our May Writing On The Door Conference: Writing the World, which will be held Friday and Saturday, May 9 and 10, at the Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor, as well as for the Washington Island Literary Festival, which will be Thursday, September 18, through Saturday, September 20, on beautiful Washington Island.
In addition, there are many new programs, workshops, and classes being offered this year. We look forward to welcoming you and to sharing with you things that have never been.
An Afternoon of Poetry and Songs
Singer/songwriter Katie Dahl is joined by two poets from Northfield, Minnesota (home of Katie’s alma mater Carleton College) for an afternoon of poetry and songs. Susan Jaret McKinstry and Leslie Schultz join Katie on Saturday, January 25, at 3 pm for an unforgettable experience. Click here for details.
In unsettled times, Katie Dahl brings us a grounded spirit. – Peter Mulvey
Upcoming Educational Opportunities
- Tuesday, January 14: Cultivating a Creative Practice: On Writing through Difficult Days with Elizabeth Ames Staudt. Find a renewed commitment to your writing practice. Online.
- Tuesday, January 21: The Second Draft: Revising Your Novel with Debra Blake. Helpful approaches to evaluating and revising your manuscript.
- Thursdays, January 23 & 30: Writing Under the Skin: A Spooky Writing Workshop with Sophie Nikitas. Explore writing the uncanny, spooky, and horrific. Online.
- Tuesdays, January 28 – February 25: The Art of Brevity with Robin Sauerwein. Explore flash fiction, micro-memoir, prose poetry and more.
2025 Dick Scuglik Memorial Fellowship Applications Open Now Through January 12
Write On offers the Dick Scuglik Memorial Residency to a writer with demonstrated ability and interest in ekphrastic writing. The selected writer will be paired with a Door County visual artist. Together, each will create new work in response to the work of the other artist. During the residency, the two will engage in a public event in which the new work is shared and a conversation about the creative process takes place.
The residency will be Sunday, June 8 – Sunday, June 15. A small stipend, grocery allowance, and limited travel fund is provided. To apply, please click here.
Free Ongoing Programs for Readers and Writers
| MEMOIR MONDAYS The 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, 10 am – 11 am A one-hour creative lab intended for seniors but open to all who want to write their life stories. First Monday: at the Aging & Disability Resource Center, Sturgeon Bay and at Scandia Village, Sister Bay. Third Monday: Write On, Door County. FUN & GAMES — LITERALLY! First Sunday of every month, noon – 2 pm; drop in anytime Bring family and friends to enjoy a variety of literary- and word-inspired games and puzzles! Did you know?: The games and puzzles are available for you to enjoy anytime we are open! READERS’ CAFE Third Sunday of every month, noon – 2 pm; drop in anytime Need some quiet time to read? Join other book lovers in this reading time for adults. WHAT’S YOUR STORY?: PROSE OPEN MIC Fourth Sunday of every month, 2 – 4 pm Share new works of fiction or essays in a supportive environment. Hosted by Tony Smith and Kathleen Harris. Ten-minute reading limit. ART/SPEAKS Various Fridays, 11 am – noon Take inspiration from visual art for poems and stories. Led by poets Peter and Carrie Sherrill and held at various art galleries and museums. Check our calendar for details. |
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