2008
Appearances, Residencies & Events for Writers
August 2008 Publication
Order your copy of the Maryland Writers’ Association anthology. It features two of Laura’s poems. Visit www.marylandwriters.org or www.mwabaltimore.org for more information.
October 16, 2008 Writing Class
CityLit, Write Here, Write Now
Rookie Reporting: Breaking into Freelance Writing
Dreaming of charging $1 a word for articles and working at home in your pajamas? You’ll have to earn your “clips” if you want to lead the glamorous life of a successful freelance writer.
This six-week workshop led by Laura covers how to break into freelancing. Writers will generate articles and essays for local and specialty markets. Each writer will take an idea from initial research to publication-ready story. Along the way, we’ll learn about writing leads, conducting interviews, pitching a story, and creating a compelling read.
Laura is WHWN’s first instructor in the burbs. The class is at the Howard County Arts Council in Ellicott City, MD. 6 Thursdays: October 16 – November 20, 2008, 7-9 PM. Registration Fee: $125
For more information, send Laura an email – laura@laurashovan.com, or visit www.citylitproject.org.
October 20 – 24, 2008 3rd Grade Poetry Residency
Laura is in residence at Fort Garrison Elementary School in Baltimore, MD.
October 25, 2008 SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Annual Fall Conference
Jane Yolen is the keynote speaker! http://www.scbwi-midatlantic.org/events.html
November 11 – December 2, 2008 3rd Grade Poetry Residency
Laura is in residence at Norwood Elementary School in Baltimore, MD.
December 3, 2008 Student Poetry Workshop
Laura is visiting the G/T Writers Guild at Bonnie Branch Middle School, Ellicott City, MD.
December 5, 2008 Poets’ Tea
At Norwood Elementary.
December 5 – 7, 2008 Children’s Authors Writing Retreat
At Blue Mountain Retreat Center in Knoxville, MD. Sponsored by MD/DE/WV SCBWI. Contact Laura if you’d like to be put on the waiting list.
December 12, 2008 Poets’ Tea
At Fort Garrison Elementary.
December 19, 2008 Poetry Friday
Laura is hosting Poetry Friday online at www.authoramok.com. Visit for poetry selections and book reviews by kids’ lit bloggers.
January 30 – February 1, 2008 SCBWI’s National Winter Conference
New York, NY. Registration opens first week in November. Visit http://www.scbwi.org/events.htm
February 20, 2009 Annual Irish Evening
Frank McCourt is coming to Howard County, MD. Sponsored by the Howard County Poetry & Literature Society.
March 3, 2009 Poetry Workshop
CityLit, Write Here, Write Now
An 8-session workshop for beginning & reluctant poets. At the Howard County Arts Council. Look for a class reading during National Poetry Month.
March 7, 2009 Spring SCBWI Conference
McDaniel College, Westminster, MD. Sponsored by MD/DE/WV SCBWI.
March 21, 2009
Laura will be reading at the Roland Park Library 3/21/09 at 2 PM. This is another group reading for the MWA Anthology. Meet Maryland Writer's Association authors who will read from and deliver riveting introductions to their works in a debut anthology, New Lines From The Old Line State: An Anthology of Maryland Writers, that features thirty-six pieces of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Book is available for sale and signing. Laura is a contributor and will be part of the reading and panel.
March 31, 2009 Reading & Author Panel
“New Lines from the Old Line State” at Howard County Central Library, 7 PM
Meet Maryland Writer's Association authors who will read from and deliver riveting introductions to their works in a debut anthology, New Lines From The Old Line State: An Anthology of Maryland Writers, that features thirty-six pieces of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Book is available for sale and signing. Laura is a contributor and will be part of the reading and panel.
March/April, 2009
First Grade Poetry Residency
Laura is in residence at Centennial Lane Elementary School in Ellicott City, MD
April, 2009
It’s National Poetry Month!
Tentative Events:
Laura’s WHWN Class will hold a group reading at the Creative Alliance or the Howard County Arts Council.
Laura & Rev. Beth O’Malley will be hosting a session on “Poetry and the Sacred” at Hood College, Frederick, MD.
May, 2009
3rd Grade Poetry Residency
Laura is in residence at Northfield Elementary School in Ellicott City, MD.
Recent Appearances
May 2008 MSAC Artist-in-Education Residency -- Poetry
Northfield Elementary, Ellicott City, MD
Laura leads a poety workshop at Northfield Elementary
June 23, 2008 Writer’s Workshop led by Laura
Maryland Writers’ Association, Baltimore Monthly Meeting
“Working the (School) System”
Have you got the “My Advance Don’t Pay the Bills” Blues? Many writers supplement their incomes by marketing themselves to schools. Schools are a lucrative market, and you don’t have to be an educator to set up a visit.
Learn how to translate your writing strengths into a hand-on classroom workshop. Get tips from Laura Shovan, Maryland State Arts Council Artist-in-Education for poetry, on making your author visit a success.
7 PM Location TBA
July 19-20, 2008 MD/DE/WV Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators
Summer Conference
Information & registration at http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/scbwi/
Laura led a fiction-writing workshop for children’s authors.
“Animagi and Daemons and Turtles! Oh my! – Using animals to make your characters jump off the page.”
Does your villain slither like a snake or prowl like a wolf? Do conflicts make your hero retreat into her shell like a turtle? From fantasy series like Harry Potter & His Dark Materials, to fiction as realistic as Because of Winn Dixie, children’s authors often build character through animal metaphors. Laura Shovan is a Maryland State Arts Council Artist-in-Education for poetry. She will help you find your character’s inner animal. Be prepared to write.
January 20 Poetry Reading
Little Patuxent Review Spring 2008 Issue Launch
Howard County Nature Conservancy, Woodstock, MD
www.littlepatuxentreview.org
Photos from the reading http://www.mfrostwords.com/lpr.html
February 2 Television Taping, “Ideas in Writing”
University of Baltimore
Ideas in Writing will be aired on public access TV, in schools, and on the internet. This is an ongoing series with University of Baltimore writing instructor & freelance TV producer, Pat Patten. Laura was one of the writers from a variety of genres being featured. For a schedule, or to find out more about the show, visit www.ideasinwriting.com. The program begins airing March 2008 on PBS (Comcast Channel 19 in central Maryland).
February 21 Guest Teacher – Poetry of the American Revolution
Waterloo Elementary, Columbia, MD
Fifth Grade GT Class Read more about this workshop. | Student poems from worshop.
March 8 MD/DE/WV Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators
Spring Workshop: Publishing Books, Graphic Novels & Newbery Honors
McDaniel College, Westminster, MD
Visit our local SCBWI, or register at http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/scbwi/
April 23 6-8 PM Poetry Reading
Laura read at "A Reason for Rhyme" at the Canton Branch Library, 1030 S. Ellwood Avenue in Baltimore. It is co- sponsored by CityLit Project and the Write Here, Write Now workshops, and by the Friends of the Canton Library who will be providing refreshments. This event is a poetry reading for National Poetry Month. Readers will be members of the Maryland Writers Alliance, Baltimore chapter.
Friday, April 25, 2008 Poetry Friday online
Visit www.threeleggeddragon.com. Children’s author and illustrator Tabatha Yeatts posted my poem, “Stanley Cat” with a funky illustration for kids.