Daryl Sznyter

Daryl Sznyter is a poet from Northeastern Pennsylvania who recently released her debut collection of poems, Synonyms for (OTHER) Bodies. She also works as a content writer and SEO analyst. Her blog is part of her larger website, Daryl Sznyter: Poet (https://www.darylsznyter.com/.) 


Daryl Sznyter
https://www.darylsznyter.com/blog

Joe Leonardi's Short Story Scribe

Dr. Joe Leonardi is, among other things, a writer of short stories. Short Story Scribe is his blog featuring both his short stories and his thoughts on writing.

Dear Reader,

I’m a storyteller, one who uses the written word to tell tales. I am not a professional essayist nor English professor. My grammar is not always perfect and my sentence structure not always correct. To me, what is most important, all that is important, is the story.


Short Story Scribe
https://shortstoryscribe.wordpress.com/

Tuesdays with Jan

John Devers, Jr. (his last name rhymes with "fevers" or "nevers," I forget which) is, among other things, a local poet who has two pieces in the Summer 2016 issue of Word Fountain, the Osterhout Free Library's literary magazine. He is also a blogger. His blog is named, inexplicably (or maybe he has an explanation there somewhere that I didn't see), "Tuesdays with Jan." Check it out!

Tuesdays with Jan
https://johndeversjr.wordpress.com/

Does the Poet Choose to be a Boat?

Recently I received an email from my friend Laurel Radzieski, a poet and writer I met through our mutual writing group, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective. She's been working on her MFAW at Goddard College in Vermont, and has also been helping young poets in the northern reaches of NEPA to develop their craft. She wanted to let me know that she has recently started a blog:

Does the Poet Choose to be a Boat?
http://isthepoetaboat.ghost.io/

Laurel describes her blog thusly: "My blog examines the role of the poet in academic and nonacademic environs. I am using the recently introduced Ghost publishing platform." See what Laurel has to say, and what the Ghost platform looks like, on Does the Poet Choose to be a Boat?

They're baaaa-aaaack!

This may be old news to some, but two guys who had taken time-outs from blogging are back.

Tom Borthwick took a sabbatical to run for school board and get married.  He's back to blogging semi-regularly at http://www.tomborthwick.com.  Tom's blog features topics about politics and writing.

Frank Knorek retired his personal blog approximately a year ago.  He's back again with a food review blog called "NEPA Culinary Review" which can be found at http://nepaculinaryreview.wordpress.com.  According to the about page, the NEPA Culinary Review blog is  your source for news and information surrounding the recipes, people, and places relating to good food and drink in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Take a moment and head over to their blogs and give a warm welcome back to the blogosphere.

PA Live! Blog of the Week: Ally Bishop

NEPA Blogs will be presenting a "Blog of the Week" on the WBRE's PA Live! every Tuesday. PA Live! airs weekday afternoons on WBRE from 4:00 to 5:00.

Watch this episode on the PA Live! site:  http://pahomepage.com/palive-details?nxd_id=316722


Our PA Live! Blog of the Week this week is Ally Bishop (http://allybishop.com/).

Ally Bishop is a writer who was born in Florida but is going to school at Wilkes University. She subtitles her blog "Musings of a Former Abject Failure," and she goes into some detail about the twists and turns her life has taken that made her feel that she had earned that status - particularly the "Former" part. She's happier with her life now, but that doesn't mean that her life is free of troubles or hardships. Often, it is those troubles and hardships that form the basis for her posts.

Ally is a writer, one of the many creative people who live in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Her blog provides her with a creative outlet that allows her to practice her skill. Her posts are often quite long, and emotionally wrenching - this isn't a blog you'll just scan through quickly. But if you set aside the time to actually get to know Ally Bishop through her writing, you will find the results extremely rewarding, and know that you have spent your time wisely.


If you have a blog you would like us to link on NEPA Blogs, or know of a blog you think we should link, please let us know! You can always drop us a line at nepablogs@gmail.com!

Wyoming Valley Wordsmiths

Another NEPA writing group blog, this one coming to us through the email and prompted by a spot on PA Live!

One of the members of our group told me to watch the feature on TV about writing groups in the area. It brought your blog to my attention. We've started up a blog for our writing critique group. We'd love it if you would list this on your page. There's more information about the Wyoming Valley Wordsmiths on the blog. 

Wyoming Valley Wordsmiths
http://wyomingvalleywordsmiths.blogspot.com/

From their introductory post:


Wyoming Valley Wordsmiths is a critique group of writers from the Wilkes-Barre area of northeast Pennsylvania. Our interests are diverse as are our writing styles. We welcome all genres but concentrate on fiction. 

We come from many backgrounds and include professional journalists, published authors, educators, and students. All of us are interested in making our writing better. We've seen a tremendous amount of success in the few years we've been organized. We've completed manuscripts and published articles, stories, and books. 

We welcome new members. Our meetings are held on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the Barnes and Noble Wilkes-Kings in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Our meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

Feel free to contact us through this email address for questions and to be added to our mailing list: susandenney@gmail.com

Check out their blog - and if their meeting times fit your schedule, stop by and see what they're about!

PA Live! Blog of the Week: Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective

NEPA Blogs will be presenting a "Blog of the Week" on the WBRE's PA Live! every Tuesday. PA Live! airs weekday afternoons on WBRE from 4:00 to 5:00.

Watch this episode on the PA Live! site:  http://pahomepage.com/palive-details?nxd_id=307622

Our PA Live! Blog of the Week this week is Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective (http://nepwc.blogspot.com/.)

Northeastern Pennsylvania is full of talented artists, writers, poets, and playwrights, creative people who practice their skills individually or in groups. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective is a writing group based in Scranton's Vintage Theater. It's one of many writing groups in the area, and with a history stretching back forty years possibly one of the oldest. It's also one of the only writing groups to have a blog, or a dedicated website of any sort. (Full disclosure: I created and maintain the blog, and have been a member of the group for the past year.) On the Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective blog you'll find news and announcements about the group and its upcoming events, writing prompts, writing tips, basic information for people thinking of joining, and lots of links to writing blogs and other blogs of interest to writers.

Many groups could benefit from having a website of some sort for keeping in touch with members, advertising events, and attracting new members. But too often people are discouraged from creating a website because they feel they will need to take on the expense of buying a domain and hiring someone to design, build, and maintain the site. With a blog you can go from idea to execution in just a few minutes with no technical knowledge, and you can continue to update and revise your site without having to hire anyone else to do it for you. The site and space are free if you use a service like Blogger or Wordpress. At no expense anyone can set up a blog for their group and let the world know what they're all about. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective blog is an example of this sort of do-it-yourself group website. How many other groups are just waiting to make their presence known on the internet? Free publicity is just a blog away!


If you have a blog you would like us to link on NEPA Blogs, or know of a blog you think we should link, please let us know! You can always drop us a line at nepablogs@gmail.com!

Wilkestype

I learned about this blog through a Leadership Wilkes-Barre classmate on Facebook.  Lisa Reynolds alerted me to a very cool blog called "Wilkestype", a typography blog by students at Wilkes.  

http://wilkestype.wordpress.com 

This blog is an exercise for the students of Cross-Media Typography at Wilkes University. In it, you’ll find samples of type that we’ve found a deemed awesome. So browse through, and feel free to agree or disagree with our opinions!

You may have never thought about it before, but typography is an art form.  I know that I haven't.  It's one of those things that we may see every day and not give second thought to.

Typography is defined as (from the Greek words τύπος (typos) = form and γραφή (graphe) = writing) is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), adjusting the spaces between groups of letters (tracking) and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning).  Source = Wikipedia


We hope that you enjoy the word art that Wilkes has to offer.
Happy Sunday!

~Michelle

PA Live! Blog of the Week: Ink for Blood

NEPA Blogs will be presenting a "Blog of the Week" on the WBRE's PA Live! every Tuesday. PA Live! airs weekday afternoons on WBRE from 4:00 to 5:00.

Watch this episode on the PA Live! site: http://pahomepage.com/palive-details?nxd_id=275802

Our PA Live! Blog of the Week this week is Nikki Mascali's Ink for Blood (http://nikkimmascali.wordpress.com/.)

Nikki Mascali is a writer. Not just professionally - not just someone who earns her living by writing. No, a writer is someone who cannot not write, who is compelled to write something, somewhere, every day. Nikki is like that - which is where the phrase "Ink for Blood" comes from. Nikki's blog is about writing: her adventures as a professional writer, the novel she's working on, her writing goals, snippets of interviews, and even reviews of things she's read.

Nikki is also a professional writer, and she wrote the definitive articles on the Spring 2012 Blog Fest and the first-ever Pecha Kucha Night in Scranton for the Weekender. She also has another blog called Run, Nikki, Run on her "journey to become a runner – or, at the very least, an exerciser again."

Not everyone can write. Not everyone is called to be a writer. Not everyone is driven by a passion to write every day, a compulsion to write that cannot be ignored. But Nikki Mascali is. That's what she does.  And that's what she blogs about on Ink for Blood.

What's your passion? Do you want to share it with others? Share it with the world? If you do, a blog is an excellent way of communicating your passion. Check out all the blogs at NEPA Blogs and see who might share yours - and then consider starting a blog of your own!

UPDATE: Since I first wrote this, Nikki has accepted a position in New York City. While this has forced her to leave her position at the Weekender, she intends to keep her current blogs going - and has even added a new one, Nikki & New York, that documents her experiences there!

If you have a blog you would like us to link on NEPA Blogs, or know of a blog you think we should link, please let us know! You can always drop us a line at nepablogs@gmail.com!

Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective

Here's a brand-new blog. I know it is, because I just finished getting it in shape!

Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective
http://nepwc.blogspot.com/

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective (NEPWC) is an open writing group that will be meeting at the new location of the Vintage Theater (now known as The Vintage) at 326 Spruce Street in Scranton every Saturday from 1 to 3 PM. (We used to meet at the old Vintage Theater from 12 to 2, and then did the same at the Northern Light Cafe during the transitional period.) Membership is free, and new members are always welcome.

While the design of the blog may change over the next few weeks, for now it lists announcements, writing prompts, and general information about the NEPWC. I've also added a set of links to other related sites, including the NEPWC Facebook page, the website and Facebook page for The Vintage, and blogs belonging to other local writers and writing groups. I'd also like to add writing resources to the site as recommended by members of the group.

If you're a writer in NEPA who would like to participate in a writing group, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Writers' Collective is a great choice! Check out the blog and consider joining us!

To All a Good Write

Submitted via email, here's a blog about writing and how to do it better:

To All a Good Write

http://www.toallagoodwrite.blogspot.com/

This is the forum of To All a Good Write, a freelance-editing business in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Here, I provide observations, opinions and advice regarding the use of words and grammar in writing, editing and speech. At times light-hearted, at times a bit cynical, this blog’s goals are to simplify the complicated and make an often-dry subject more appealing.

About the blogger, Mike Liechty:

I'm a freelance editor with my own business, To All a Good Write, based in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. I provide editing, proofreading and tutoring for businesses, nonprofit organizations, students and authors. Find out more about me and my services at www.toallagoodwrite.com. 

Anyone can write, but writing well is a skill that takes effort to develop. Check out Mike Liechty's To All a Good Write blog for tips on how to improve your writing! And while you're there, check out the links to Mike's Facebook page, and his business website!

Uncharted Frontier EZine

Allan Kaspar, of the DnA Project Band blog is starting a new project that involves a blog.  I interviewed him about the new endeavor via text message.

Me:  "What's this new thing you are doing?"

Al:  "I'm starting a free ezine for short fiction writers, artists and photographers who are not yet mainstream.  It will distribute through all smart phone bookshelves/libraries.  Going to be an awesome creative venture."

Al:  "The ezine is located at http://unchartedfrontier.com"

Al:  "It'll be in ebook format going through smashwords so it'll convert into .mobi, .epub, etc formats."

Me:  "When does it launch?"

Al:  "As soon as I finish putting up the preview story."

Me:  "Ok, sweet!"

Al:  "Well the website anyway, issue 1, I'm hoping for beginning of August."

From the About:
Uncharted Frontier Magazine focuses on the best fiction and art from the creatively talented albeit undiscovered. We seek to provide a vehicle and voice to those we feel should be heard! Do you have the passion to create a good short story? Do you have a budding talent for photography and want to show the world? See our Submission Guidelines for details!

Undiscovered Frontier aims to be the best FREE fiction e-zine made specifically for mobile devices! We aim to have the ezine published on the Amazon Bookshelf, iTunes, and all major digital distribution outlets aimed at the smartphone and tablet audience!

Thank you for reading, and welcome to the Frontier!

--

So there you have it, head over to http://unchartedfrontier.com and check out the preview and look for the first free issue at the beginning of August.  

~Michelle

Infected Vegetables

Infected Vegetables
http://infectedvegetables.blogspot.com/

A blog by mv swiderski of "wilx bear, NEPA", whose introductory post starts off with:

Hi. 


I write. 
This is a place for me to show you what I write.
And for you to read what i write if you want to

What could be more straightforward?

It's actually hard to describe this blog beyond that. Is it free-form poetry? Fiction? Creative non-fiction? All of the above? It's something you'll have to read and then decide for yourself!

Amye Archer's new blog

Amye Archer tweeted yesterday about a new blog that she started.  You may know her from her other self-titled blog on Wordpress or from her award winning performance at the first Scranton Story Slam (video below)...

Amye Barrese Archer ‏@AmyeArcher

I've started a new blog... please check it out. It's a baby! http://thefatgirlblog.com

From the About:


What this is:  As I was working on my book, Fat Girl, Skinny, which chronicles the time period in which I lost a hundred pounds using the Weight Watchers plan, I realized that even though the numbers got smaller, the pain inside of me remained.  I think once you are “the fat girl,” even if it’s only for a short amount of time, even if it’s only in your head, it stays with you forever.  It colors how you see the world, how you imagine the world sees you.

I’ve arrived at two simple truths:

1.  Being “the fat girl” is as much about what’s on the inside as the outside.
2.  I could send someone to college with the money I’ve spent on Weight Watchers (re)joining fees.

With The Fat Girl Blog, I wanted to create a space to talk about body image and what it means to be The Fat Girl.

What this is not:  A place where we celebrate unhealthy behavior.  Even though I may lose the battle from time to time, I never retreat.

What this most certainly is not: A diet blog.  Don’t expect me to be whining about how I’m on the wagon this week and off the next.  That gets boring real quick, especially in my world.


Amy is an amazing storyteller, and I am very excited to read this new blog.

~Michelle

Thelibrarywordfountain's blog

Here's another blog I found on the Scranton Zine Festival's list of participating zinesters. (Turns out Michelle had found out about it via different channels shortly before me!)

Thelibrarywordfountain's blog
http://thelibrarywordfountain.wordpress.com/


From their "About" page:

Word Fountain is a cut-and-paste Zine originating from some creative minds within the Osterhout Free Library. Word Fountain was born in 2009 and has since expanded.


Staff:
Rachael Goetzke
Iris Johnston
Ed Lupico

As of this writing, the Word Fountain zine is still accepting submissions for a special Hurricane Agnes edition. But hurry - cut-off date for submissions is the anniversary of the Flood of '72 - June 22nd! See here for more details.

Edit by Michelle on 07/31/12:  I found that the deadline for this submission has been extended via the 570Writers blog.  

You have until August 8 to get your submissions in for the Agnes/Irene flood issue of Word Fountain. From the Word Fountain post: “We hope to collect donations for this issue to create a special fund for flood victims. We are also looking for sponsors for this special project.”

See the details here: http://thelibrarywordfountain.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/but-wait-theres-more-time-left-to-submit/

bareing skine

The good folks at the Scranton Zine Festival have included a list of the people who will be presenting their zines (and other creative works) at the New Visions Studio & Gallery in Scranton on June 9, 2012. The list is impressive; people from near and far will be there. Some of the "zinesters" are from Northeastern Pennsylvania, and a few of them have blogs connected to their zines. Here's one of them:

bareing skine
http://bareskine.tumblr.com/

by Rachel Dispenza, Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
creator of the zines progression: part one and progression: part two

My name is Rachel Dispenza. I made the first page of what will soon be my first zine on November 1, 2011, and after that is done, I’m going to keep making more. On this blog you may find some pages, typed up excerpts from my own journal, and anything else that just seems to fit. I write frequently and think feverishly and hope my words affect you in some small way. They’re all I have to call my own.

Check out Rachel's blog to get a taste of what her zine is like. You can order copies of it online, or just come to the Scranton Zine Festival to meet her in person and purchase a copy directly!

Jason Miller Playwrights' Project

Jason Miller Playwrights' Project
http://nepaplaywrights.wordpress.com/

From their "About" page:
The Jason Miller Playwrights’ Project is a collective of regional stage and screen writers who conspire under the stewardship of Scranton Public Theatre at The Olde Brick Theater in Scranton to actively challenge and encourage each other in the creation of viable new scripts. The project currently operates without subsidization thanks to the support of volunteers dedicated to the development and preparation of work by local playwrights for professional production.

PA Live! Blog of the Week: All the Right Notes

NEPA Blogs will be presenting a "Blog of the Week" on the WBRE's PA Live! every Tuesday. PA Live! airs weekday afternoons on WBRE from 4:00 to 5:00.

Watch this episode on the PA Live! website: http://pahomepage.com/palive-details?nxd_id=243522

Our PA Live! Blog of the Week this week is Brian Fanelli's All the Right Notes (http://brianfanelli.wordpress.com/).

All the Right Notes is a blog by poet/writer Brian Fanelli, who was voted "Best Local Author in Lackawanna County" in the Electric City "Best Of 2011" poll. All the Right Notes is his personal blog. Brian is intensely involved in the large and thriving writing and poetry communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania as a writer, a poet, and an organizer. His blog is loaded with information for aspiring writers, as well as announcements of upcoming writing and poetry events and recaps of events that have passed.

Brian was among the many bloggers who came out to the Spring 2012 edition of BlogFest at the end of March, where he revealed that he is one of the people behind the 570writers.com site, a combination blog and calendar site listing upcoming writing and poetry events - meetings of writers' groups, poetry readings, open mic nights, and visits from renowned writers and poets to Northeastern Pennsylvania. If you're someone who feels you have a story or two in you, or if there's poetry in your heart clawing to get out, or if you'd just like to go out for an evening and hear other people read their poems and prose, check out Brian Fanelli's All the Right Notes!


If you have a blog you would like us to link on NEPA Blogs, or know of a blog you think we should link, please let us know! You can always drop us a line at nepablogs@gmail.com!

From the Mailbag: Gabrielle Bisset: A Writer's Blog

Gabrielle Bisset (gabriellebisset@gmail.com) writes to us with the following request –

Hi,

I found your blog about NEPA blogs, and I'd love to be listed. I'm an Amazon

bestselling romance author and a proud NEPA resident. You can visit my blog from
the link in my signature line. Thank you for the opportunity to reach some of my
fellow Northeastern Pennsylvanians. I look forward to hearing from you.

Romance...from sensual to decadent...whatever your desires

Website: Gabrielle Bisset (http://www.gabriellebisset.com/)

Blog: Gabrielle Bisset: A Writer's Blog (http://gbisset.blogspot.com/)

[Facebook][Twitter][Amazon Author Page]

My books:

• Blood Avenged-Available now
• Blood Betrayed-Coming May 24, 2012!
• The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy
• Destiny Redeemed

Enjoy!!

~Michelle