Have an unfulfilled writing dream or ambition? Want to do something new, special, remarkable with your writing? Here are some opportunities to fulfill your (almost) every wish.
1. Perform your poetry on the air. The
Speakeasycafe Open Mic Poetry Show on blogtalk radio give you the chance to perform your poetry for a radio audience. This two-hour program is a great way to get performance experience, let your voice be heard–and enjoy the work of your fellow poets. Simply call in and take the mic.
2. Become a star. The Pop Montreal International Music Festival and Matrix Magazine team up every year for the innovative LitPop Awards Competition. “Can’t decide whether to become a pop star or a famous writer?” their website asks. “Be both!” This search for dynamic, original new voices among emerging poets and short story writers offers winners publication in Matrix plus a night of celebrity.
3. Write on a beach in Hawaii. Ever dream of a writing at a tropical getaway with swaying palms, secluded beaches, and a gentle, turquoise surf? Here’s your chance. Poet and spiritual teacher Kim Rosen offers nine-day retreats on the big island of Hawaii. Accompanied by cellist and composer Jami Sieber, Rosen’s retreats combine poetry, song, chant, and communion with nature in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth.
5. Become a travel writer. Or a food writer. Or both. For almost two decades, Book Passage Bookstore has been offering an annual four-day conference on travel and food writing (and photography) in pretty Corte Madera, California, just across the bay from San Francisco. Learn one of the most lucrative and fun ways to earn a living as a writer, and enjoy a host of workshops, panel discussions, and presentations by publishers, magazine editors, writers and photographers. This year’s
Book Passage Travel, Food, & Photography Conference is August 12-15, 2010.
6. Blog for dollars. Imagine spending your day in your sweats and a T-shirt, setting your own hours, blogging away—and getting paid for it. Okay, it’s more complicated than that. But it can be done.
Freelancewritinggigs.com has some excellent advice and information on how to become a professional blogger. How do you attract hits to your blog? How do you make money doing it? Find out answers to these and many other questions about blogging for money.
7. Help others. Want to use your talents to help people? Volunteer your writing skills and change the world. Volunteer opportunities depend on where you live, where you’re willing to go, and how much time you have. The New York Writers Coalition trains volunteers to lead creative writing workshops for at-risk youth, homeless and incarcerated people, veterans, people with disabilities, immigrants, seniors and others. Volunteers with The Literacy Network help adults and children in the Greater Los Angeles area. Transitions Abroad is an international organization with a wealth of information about volunteering overseas, including some opportunities for writers. To volunteer in your area, try Volunteermatch.org which has an extensive database of local volunteer opportunities throughout North America.
Don’t sit at your computer wishing you could expand your horizons. Get going on that “far-fetched” dream and make your writing life an adventure.