Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc. P.O. Box 2026, Garden City, NY 11531

Q2: Can anyone attend The Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc. Workshops or do I have to be a published author?

A: You do not need to be a published author to attend and enjoy the LIWG Writing Workshops. Many members are just beginning to express "the story inside, that they've always wanted to write."

Although the Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc. (LIWG) is proud to count among its members published authors, columnists, and playwrights, our Writing Workshops are open to anyone who has the desire to express himself or herself in the written word and to have fun. The LIWG membership includes poets, short story writers, NYC playwrights, historical essayists, and just about any kind of wordsmith you can imagine. The common thread between these members is a love of writing and a commitment to be better and to help others to be better, as well.

We simply ask a member to be committed to developing his/her writing talent, and to be open to lessons on writing techniques and style. Members are encouraged to read their works-in-progress, and to share supportive critiquing with other members.

You need not be a writer to attend; listeners are also welcome to come and participate. As such, all members are expected to respect each other. Anyone found in violation of this will be asked not to attend any more workshops or LIWG events.

Q3: Does the Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc. have a membership fee?

A: All writing workshops are community based, informal, with no fee involved.

Q4: What is the age limit for attending workshops?

A: There is no age limit. People of all ages are welcome.

Q5: What is the workshop format? What will I learn at a typical workshop?

A: The workshops have the following format:

I. Introduction
Guild members introduce themselves. This helps us to create a friendly, positive learning environment for all members.

Q6: What type of writing is discussed and presented in the workshops?

A: All forms of writing are discussed and presented: poems, novels, essays, non-fiction and short stories to name just a few.

Q7: Will I get a chance to present my work at the workshops?

A: The Presenting and Critiquing session is formatted in such a way to give the most members an opportunity to read. While there typically isn't enough time for every member that would like to present to do so at each workshop, a running list is kept with special consideration for new members.

Q8: Are the workshops geared to writing for profit (i.e. getting published) or are they for fun?

A: It is not a stated goal of the LIWG to get its members published. Rather, we strive to help each member to become the best writer s/he aspires to be, regardless of whether they are writing to publish or for fun.

However, about half of our members are published, and often in our workshops tips and techniques related to manuscripts, cover letters, agents, and the publishing process are discussed.

In addition, our guest speakers frequently add their insights on elements related to the publication process.

Q9: What is the history of the Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc.?

A: The Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc. was founded in 1993, and first appeared in Borders Bookshop, Levittown, New York. The Writers' Workshop was created as an open forum where aspiring writers could meet to discuss techniques, present their works in progress, and encourage each other in their respective literary endeavors.

The community's reaction was overwhelming and to expand our offerings to the community, we increased our workshop schedule to include eight workshops every month at various local libraries.

In 1997, we created our first collection of local writings, Waterwalking. This was followed a few years later by Gifts From Our Circle.

Our latest anthology, 2001: A Long Island Odyssey is published by Xlibris and is available from your local bookstore, the Book Revue in Huntington (www.bookrevue.com), Borders Bookshops (www.borders.com), Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com), www.Xlibris.com, Wal*Mart (www.walmart.com) or www.Amazon.com.

Our fourth anthology, featuring poems, essays and short stories on Long Island towns, will be released in the summer of 2004. It will contain a 911 section featuring local stories of local heroes, in memory of all those who faced the terrors of that infamous day on behalf of all of us.

Q10: Where can I go to attend a Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc. workshop?

Q11: What is the Long Island Writers' Guild, Inc. email usage and privacy policy?

A:
1) All LIWG official broadcast communications to the membership and/or to
the "outside world", including LIWG monthly meeting notices, social event
announcements, individual member's plays' production, book publishings and
other successes, etc., must be reviewed and approved for content and
distribution by the Director of the LIWG and the Technology Advisor prior to sending.

2) All LIWG electronic communications must be free of viruses, worms, etc.

3) No unapproved advertisement may accompany any official LIWG email.

4) No member's personal information (this includes Board of Directors, Anthology Committee members) will be distributed, sold, etc to any organization outside of the LIWG without the member's approval.

5) No member's personal information (e.g. email, phone number, address,
etc) will be distributed to another member within the LIWG without the member's approval.

6) No LIWG email correspondence is to be posted/forwarded on the Internet to where it can be taken by an email spammer.

7) We will not inundate (and thereby possibly alienate) our membership with unneccessary emails each month.