Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing
Posts tagged “Amsterdam”
The Literary Death Match. I can easily say that for me it was one of the highlights of 2011, even though it scared the shit out of me. People filed into the theater at the Smart Project Space, more people than I had anticipated. I ducked into one of the reserved chairs in the front row, my back turned to the masses, pretending they weren’t there. My muse and a couple of friends had my back, so I could concentrate on breathing. Breathing? What breathing? I didn’t breathe at all. Todd Zuniga and Megan C. Garr took the stage. They introduced the Literary Death Match and what it was about: 4 readers reading from their work, 3 jurors ready to slash 2 of the…
Two more weeks to go before the second Amsterdam Literary Death Match. You know the drill: 4 writers, 3 judges, 2 rounds and 1 epic finale. I know who I will vote for: Fantasy-fictionista Mina Witteman, author of The Soul Snatcher, The Weed Man and Dark Fiber. Hey? That’s me! Right, it is me! Unveiling just a shred of my strategy to win (and those who know me know that I’m merciless if it comes to winning)… I will be reading from my new and burning YA thriller THE WEED MAN. Prepare for a scare, people! The smell of weed and the stink of burning flesh will linger for a long, long while in the great Old West. Buy your tickets now and let…
Venue? Check! Speakers? Check! Program? Check! Flyers? Check Website? Check In short: The first SCBWI NL conference is now OPEN FOR REGISTRATION Are you interested in writing and illustrating for children and do you need guidance? Are you already writing and illustrating for children, but do you wish to hone your craft with the best teachers out there? Are you interested in how publishing in the Netherlands and in the global market works? Would you like to know about literary agents, about app building, about book making, and above all about writing and illustrating for kids and teens? Now is your chance! On Saturday November 5, 2011 the conference The Netherlands and the Big World Out There: Publishing in the Global Market will be…
It’s nearing, they say, the end of the world. I have no idea who ‘they’ are, but they’re quite convinced that it/us will end tomorrow, May 21. I beg to differ. I think we have a future ahead of us and even a bright one, we just have to look for it and make it work. Last Wednesday Lydia Davis was in Amsterdam. Wim Brands interviewed her and had her tell us where to look. It’s right there, she said. And she told us about the observations she makes at home or traveling; observations that form the source of her ultra short stories. When she looks out of the window and across the street from her home she sees green hilly pastures, a red barn…
Tagged: Amsterdam, Cows, Lydia Davis, SLAA, the end of the world, Wim Brands
Last August was my first time at the annual SCBWI Summer Conference. SCBWI stands for the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. It’s a mouthful and the acronym is not much of a help, but notwithstanding the name, the society itself is a gem. I had never seen so many people together (over 1,100) working towards that same goal: writing and/or illustrating the best possible book. Overwhelming as it was, I let myself go with the flow and learned more in those four days than in the past couple of years sweating at my desk, working on new manuscripts. Needless to say, I left the conference with dozens of ideas for new books, and with dozens of new friends, writers and illustrators from…
Tagged: 40th Anniversary, Amsterdam, hen & ink, John Green, Jon Sciezska, SCBWI, Summer Conference
While I was sitting in my usual quiet corner at Odette’s, enjoying my truffle-cheesed omelette, minding my own business, these two lads came in. Black-rimmed glasses were their main theme today, not just on the nose, but embroidered on their matching grey jeans as well. They peered around and, even though there was plenty of space, they choose to sit in the middle of the room, just next to the goodies fridge and spot-on in my view. I had fled the house and the Poles and THE WEED MAN, but didn’t have any company. That turned out to be a smart move, as it gave me plenty opportunity to listen, to observe and to so not minding my own business anymore. Both lads had…
Mina Witteman 