MY WRITING JOURNEY

When I decided to seriously pursue my career in writing (books for children and adults) as well as pursuing poetry and playwriting, I knew educating myself was the best way to go in order to become a better writer and to learn more about publishing. This is a listing of many of the events I have attended in that pursuit.

Member of:

Hudson Valley Story Scribblers (HVSS) critique group
Hudson Valley Writer's Workshop (HVWW) critique group
Willow Bookshop Writer's Group
Hudson Valley Writers Guild (HVWW)
Romance Writers of America (RWA)
Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Writers (RWA group)
Rattle
Poetry Foundation

2026:

2026: Arts Mid-Hudson Artists Respond to Poetry poet

2026: HVMOCA's Writing the Walls The Black Box Chronicles: Dramatic Disturbances Play Festival monologist

2025:

Hudson Valley MOCA's Writing the Walls poet (2 poems selected and performed)

2024:

2024 Hudson Valley Museum Of Contemporary Art's Writing the Walls (3 poems selected by a juried committee and performed)

2024 HVWG Poetic License poet

2019:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

Monthly: attends local SCBWI Shop Talk meeting in Poughkeepsie

2019 Scott Meyer Award First Place Winner (Picture Book)

2017:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

Monthly: attends local SCBWI Shop Talk meeting in Poughkeepsie

2016:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

2016 Pages From the Heart Finalist (RWA)

2016 On the Far Side Finalist (FF&P, a RWA group)

2016 Hudson Valley Writers Guild Honorable Mention (short story)

2016 Scott Meyer Award Finalist for Short Story (Millbrook Literary Festival annual award)

Monthly: attends local SCBWI Shop Talk meetings in Poughkeepsie

JUNE: Children's Writers of the Hudson Valley Conference, Poughkeepsie, NY (4th year attending)

SEPTEMBER: Day of the Living Dead Workshop : Write Stronger Horror/Mystery/Suspense with Kat Brzozowski, Monica Odom, & Micol Ostow at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (SCBWI Metro-NY event)

2015:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

Monthly: attends local SCBWI Shop Talk meetings in Poughkeepsie

JUNE: Children's Writers of the Hudson Valley Conference, Poughkeepsie, NY (3rd year attending)

AUGUST: Unicorn Writers Conference, Purchase, NY (6th year attending)

2014:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

Monthly: attends local SCBWI Shop Talk meetings in Poughkeepsie

MARCH: Unicorn Writers Conference (CT, 5th year attending)

JUNE: Children's Writers of the Hudson Valley Conference

JUNE: Millbrook Literary Festival

NOVEMBER: First Impressions Event (Children's Writers of the Hudson Valley, Hyde Park, NY)

2013:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

MARCH: Unicorn Writers Conference (CT, 4th year attending)

JUNE: Children's Writers of the Hudson Valley Conference (Poughkeepsie, NY)

AUGUST: Novel Writing Workshop with Eileen Charbonneau (Millbrook, NY)

AUGUST: Toolbox Workshop with Christopher Cheng (Hudson, NY)

SEPTEMBER: Eastern NY SCBWI Regional Conference (Fishkill, NY)

NOVEMBER: SCBWI Eastern NY Falling Leaves Writers Retreat, Master Class for Novel Writing (Lake George, NY, 3rd year attending)

2012:
Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

APRIL: Unicorn Writers Conference (CT, 3rd year attending)

JUNE: Millbrook Literacy Festival/Tricks of the Trade Children's Book Writers Workshops

JULY: Novel Writing Workshop with Eileen Charbonneau (my 3rd year)

AUGUST: Author Event: Eileen Charbonneau at EFCL

SEPTEMBER: Writing Workshop with Author Sandra Kitt at EFCL

OCTOBER: Cheryl Klein's Master Class in Plot all day intensive (Albany-SCBWI event)

2011:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

MARCH: Unicorn Writers Conference (CT, 2nd year attending)

JUNE: SCBWI Eastern NY Conference (Pok)

AUGUST: Novel Writing Workshop with Eileen Charbonneau (my 2nd year)

2010:
Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

APRIL: Unicorn Writers Conference (CT)

MAY: Millbrook Book Festival
JUNE: SCBWI Eastern NY Conference (Pok)
JULY: Summer Writers Institute at Marist College (NY/Novel Writing-3rd year attendee)

JULY: Novel Writing Workshop with Eileen Charbonneau (at Merritt Bookstore-my 1st year)

OCTOBER: Rutger's One-On-One Plus Conference
NOVEMBER: SCBWI Eastern NY Falling Leaves Writers Retreat, Master Class for Novel Writing (Lake George, NY, 2nd year attending)

2009:

Weekly: East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

JANUARY: Started a Children's Book Writers group at EFCL (meetings on the second Tuesday evening of each month.

JANUARY-MARCH: First Pages Revisions Boot Camp w/ Eileen Robinson and Harold Underdown (online)

JUNE: SCBWI Eastern NY Conference (Pok)
JULY: Summer Writers Institute at Marist College (Novel Writing-my 2nd year)

2008:

JANUARY: Joined the East Fishkill Community Library's Women's Writers Critique Group

SPRING: The Basics of Writing Picture Books with Karen Orloff & Della Ross Ferrari

JUNE: SCBWI Eastern NY Conference (also joined the SCBWI)

JUNE: Women's Writers Group Reading. Read first chapter of Everlast.

JULY: Summer Writers Institute at Marist College (Novel Writing-1st time attendee)
AUGUST: Writing and Selling the YA Novel Workshop with K.L. Going (Merritt Bookstore)

SEPTEMBER: How to Get into Publishing Children's Books workshop at EFCL

OCTOBER: 3 Literary Agents, 3 Opinions Workshop (NY, NY)
NOVEMBER: SCBWI Eastern NY Falling Leaves Writers Retreat (for Novelists--1st time attendee)

DECEMBER: Winter Words Writers Conference at the Fairfield Public Library (CT)