Beachside Writers

For the past several years I've been fortunate to be a guest teacher at Beachside Writers at Yachats, Oregon. Yachats is a small beach town and a great place for a writer's weekend. The founder of this inspiring weekend, Bob Welch, has been a columnist for the Eugene Register Guard for 14 years and is a terrific speaker, teacher and author. I get to work with him again next February 28-March 2. Opening night we do a little reading of our own after some intensive writing activities to get the juices flowing. That's me reading with Bob dying to say something that I know will make us laugh....
     Bob was my first writing instructor back in 1982 teaching a class I took at the local community college. Great opportunities can be found in community colleges! It was there I learned what a funny, wise and wonderful man Bob is. We do a lot of laughing at Beachside and the entire weekend is made memorable by Bob's wife Sally and her ability to create an ambiance of invitation and by friend Ann the most incredible cook ever! Add the rest of Bob's family members and Jerry and Ann's husband Jason and the crew becomes part of the experience. Trust me. And the attendees...you couldn't ask for a nicer group of people, every single year!
    In his recent newsletter, Bob posted this opportunity for some lucky student to receive a scholarship to the 2014 event. We can count nearly a dozen writers who have gone on to complete their projects and get published after attending one of Beachside workshops. But every attendee has come away with inspiration - that act of breathing in - taking away a bit more of what they needed to take the next step in their writing life. So have I. I'm inspired by the creativity I witness and by the stories people share. "Words carry weight" wrote another teacher - Ken Meyers - and so they do. Beachside is meant to help you bring your words to their full magnitude.
     Here's Bob's announcement...And at the end you may also get more information about Beachside registration. Hope to see you there whether on scholarship or not!

Free Beachside registration

Deadline for Doc Stenstrom Scholarship Dec. 31


Applications for the first “Doc Stenstrom Beachside Scholarship” are now being accepted. The “full ride,” good for the $319 Beachside/Yachats event Feb. 28-March 2, is named in honor of Dr. Bill Stenstrom, 90, of Vida, who died last Feb. 18.
 
At the time of his death, Stenstrom had attended a record seven Beachside events and had registered for an eighth.
 
The scholarship will be given to a person expressing a passion for writing, a passion for learning and a legitimate financial need in an essay not to exceed 400 words. Essays must be sent as Word attachments or e-mail text to info@bobwelch.net by midnight Dec. 31, 2013. Write “Doc Stenstrom essay” in the e-mail’s subject box. A five-person panel — including Stenstrom’s daughter, Milly Gagnon, of Minnesota — will make the decision, which will be announced by Feb. 1.

Questions: info@bobwelch.net.