Putting Actions Into Words
Join Art Spark Texas and Lancer Legacy Ranch for a one-day writing conference featuring lectures and hands-on workshops from local and Texas writers. This interactive creative writing session is designed for Veterans, but open to anyone interested in learning to tell their own story.
Register Here: https://puttingactionsintowords.eventbrite.com
Texarkana Writing Conference: Putting Actions Into Words
Lancer Legacy Ranch, 4538 County Road 1202, Maud, TX 75567
Designed for Veterans
This event is available at No Cost for Veterans to attend. We are asking for a suggested $10 donation from Civilians to help support our Veteran programs.
Saturday, June 20, 2020 from 10 am–5 pm
Presentations
Morning Presentation
- “Beyond the After-Action Report: Putting Actions into Words” – Thomas Morrissey
We’ve all been there, done that. Now what? Selecting the point of departure, necessary for reaching the objective, is the next governing step. The act of defining the context in which we will proceed, knowing where we are headed and why. Beyond an idea, the point of departure includes audience identification. Shaping the narrative into something others will want shared. Being flexible, and finally… knowing when we are done and the objective is reached. This workshop offers a flexible framework participants will apply to creative writing and other creative endeavors.
Lunchtime Presentation (lunch provided)
- “Create Your Story”– Elizabeth Decker
Express your story with powerful words and bold colors! Reflect, create and connect to your personal story through freestyle stream-of-consciousness style writing exercises. Then, transform your words into images by using a variety of art supplies, all provided.
Afternoon Presentation
- “Taming Trauma: The Art of Telling Your Story”– J. Matthew Fisk
Mr. Fisk will demonstrate how to take a traumatic event and present it as a historical narrative. We will discuss research techniques, interview skills, and how to shape the raw data into a compelling narrative. You will learn how to maintain mental health while writing and how to use the process as a path to healing. Then, what every author wants to know: Mr. Fisk will share his experiences to help writers navigate the process of dealing with publishers in tandem with the entertainment industry. - Reflections – Michael Hawron
As a writer, one strives to create characters, plots, and scenarios that nudge the reader from their comfort zone into a state of reflection. While input from the story and various data may increase one’s knowledge set, it is only through purposeful reflection that wisdom, discernment and critical thinking skills are gained. The application of critical thinking is crucial to the healthy maintenance and growth of all aspects of human society. The presenters’ material at this conference and the guidance in the discussions that follow should provide a rich source of food for thought.
Presenter Bios
Elizabeth Decker is a celebrated artist, author, poet, teacher, documentary filmmaker, certified Mediator, and personal creative story guide. Her work is about helping others remove blocks that hold them back, while passionately moving forward rediscovering and redefining who they are.
Her popular workshops are booked in Austin, LA, and NYC. She has been a guest speaker for the Episcopalian Veterans Fellowship and her illustrated book of prose, The Melancholy Girls, has helped inspire others to create and share their honest story of self.
J. Matthew Fisk is an Army Veteran with a degree in Criminal Justice. He is the Founder and Director of Lancer Legacy Ranch and author of Black Knights, Dark Days: the True Story of Sadr City’s Black Sunday.
Michael Hawron is a northeast Texas author who has published several novels and holds a Masters in Adult Education from Texas A&M, Texarkana Campus. He is a member of the Texas Authors Association, the East Texas Writers Association and the Northeast Texas Writers Organization. He is the 2018 winner of the Jory Sherman short story contest for his sci-fi satire, “The Device.”
Thomas Morrissey is a US Army helicopter pilot with the 117th Assault Helicopter Company, Vietnam (1970-1971). Tom graduated with an MFA from the Herberger Institute School of Fine Arts at Arizona State University. He recently retired as Professor Emeritus from the Community College of Rhode Island and now lives in Texarkana where he is an Adjunct Professor of Speech/Communications and Art at Texas A&M University, Texarkana Campus. He is the author and photographer of Between the Lines, Photographs from the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He is President of the VHPA (Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association) Authors Chapter and is currently working on an autobiographical novel and fictional work based on his life story, centered on his year as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam.
Register Here: https://puttingactionsintowords.eventbrite.com
Questions? Contact April Sullivan, Artworks Director: [email protected] or 512.454.9912
Support our Veterans Programming by making a donation to Art Sparks Texas