New Literature Class for 9-12th graders

A literature class in Strong is being planned, for home school students in the 9 - 12^th grade, to discuss Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road. This critically acclaimed novel, first published in 2006, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and remains a national bestseller. It is considered recommended reading for young adults by the American Library Association.

The novel chronicles the journey of a father and his son after an apocalyptic catastrophe that has destroyed the landscape and most of the world’s population.

The class, conducted over six weeks, will focus on the novel and is being offered by Caroline King of Maine Word. Students will read and discuss the work and write several critical essays about the text, along with weekly assignments. In addition, the class will also meet once in mid-November to see the film and to discuss and compare the movie and the novel.

Students should obtain a copy of the book from their local library (Copies are available at the Phillips, Strong, Farmington, UMF and Wilton libraries) or you may purchase a copy of the book from area booksellers. Students will need to have access to the book for the entire duration of the class.

Students will be expected to read 50-75 pages per week over the course of the class and they will receive a grade for the class based on their classroom participation and their written work over the course of the class.

The class will be held on Thursday mornings from 10 – 11:30 A at the Strong Public Library. The class will meet weekly from September 10 – October 22 (No class will be held on September 24). Advanced registration is required. An additional class will be scheduled for November. The class will be $60 per student and includes six classroom sessions, movie admission and the subsequent discussion in November.

For more information or to register for this class, please contact Caroline King at 207-491-9810.

Maine Word heads to Turner for Fall Classes

Cover Letter Writing
Wednesday 9/30 1P-4P
$36

Open door, insert foot! The cover letter can help you land an interview, but how do you help your letter rise to the top of the pile in this tough job market? Learn creative ways to put together your new cover letter in this quick-fire workshop. Please bring a sample of your resume and a cover letter with you to the workshop.

Aspiring Writers
Mondays 9/21 & 9/28 6P-9P
$78

“I have always wanted to write a book,” so start by writing this class on your calendar. The first step to writing a book is making a commitment to yourself and the rest is simply putting words down on the paper. This workshop will help you find your form, focus your ideas and start the task of writing the words of the next great story.

Write Your Story
Mondays 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9 and 11/16 6P-9P
$210

Tell your story! This class will concentrate on giving you the time and space to focus on your writing, along with the necessary direction to get beyond the blank pages. In four short weeks, you can go from wanting to write to finishing your short story!

Planning Your Novel
Mondays 11/23 & 11/30 6P - 9P
$90

If you have been working on your story for years or just have a vague idea, this workshop will give you a concrete structure and the necessary framework to tackle writing your novel. There are as many ways to write a novel as there are novels to be written, but strategic planning can help you to stay focused on the work ahead.

Small Business Writing
9/30 & 10/7 6P - 9P
$150

In our virtual world, business owners can open their doors from the kitchen table and operate their companies after they have worked their day job. Yet the task of how to tell their unique business story without hiring an expensive PR firm can still loom large for many business owners. This workshop, especially for small business owners, will help you to tell your business story. The class will provide the structure for you to develop a core statement for your business and you will learn how to express the unique benefits of their product or service on the printed page.

All of these classes will be held at the MSAD 52 Adult and Community Education offices in Turner. For more information or to register, please contact Maine Word at 207-491-9810!

Young Writers’ Class

You can create your own world with words during this four-week creative writing class designed for high school students. Students in grades 9 – 12 are invited to take part in a short fiction class with Maine Word this summer. You will learn how to develop a story idea, improve your writing skills and capture your creativity, all while writing a short story.

The class will be held at the Phillips Public Library on Thursday afternoons from 1P – 3P from July 9 - 30. The class costs $40, but scholarship funds are still available to interested students who wish to participate.

For more information about the class or to register, please contact Caroline King at 207-491-9810 or by email at caroline@maineword.com.

New Collaboration with Freshwater Arts

July 25 ($60)
Maine Word will offer a poetry class in collaboration with Freshwater Arts in Waterville. The class has been designed to welcome the new or experienced poet and will feature a balance of instruction, writing exercises and feedback. Participants will have the opportunity to expand their poetic voice with new ideas, poetic starts and inspiration.

Wednesdays in July ($100)
In addition, Maine Word will also offer a short creative workshop on Wednesday evenings in July at the Freshwater Arts complex in Waterville. This class will provide the time and stucture needed to complete your summer writing project.

For more information about these two classes or to register, please contact http://www.freshwaterarts.org/.

Creative Writing Workshop on Deer Isle

If you always dreamed of writing or have written for years, let this be the summer you take your creative ideas to the next level. Maine Word will offer a Creative Writing workshop in Deer Isle on June 27 from 9 A – 4 P. The workshop will focus on energizing your creative spirit and combine strong fundamentals through a variety of writing exercises. The format will to allow you to explore the power of your imagination in an all day workshop and may provide you with the inspiration needed for your next writing project. Caroline King, owner of Maine Word, will facilitate this interactive workshop.

The workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and will provide writers of fiction and poetry time to focus on their own work, as well as interact with other writers though creative group activities. This single-session workshop is a perfect introduction to creative writing or may give you the new sparks your writing needs. The Creative Writing Workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, June 27 at a private Deer Isle residence at a cost of $75 per person.

If you only take one day for your writing this summer, make sure it is Saturday, June 27th. For more information about this workshop or the variety of creative writing classes offered by Maine Word around the state, visit our website at (http://www.maineword.com/) or call Caroline King at 207-491-9810.

Creative Writing Class in Saco

Maine Word will be holding a Creative Writing daylong workshop in Saco on July 18. The workshop will provide participants a great opportunity to energize their creative spirits, join the strong and growing community of writers in Maine and spend uninterrupted day writing.

The workshop will combine strong fundamentals in a fun and supportive environment that focuses on a variety of writing exercises. The format will to allow you to explore the power of your imagination in a fast-paced workshop. The workshop will also include the constructive feedback necessary to build and improve your writing skills during a brief one-on-one session to discuss your work. Caroline King, owner of Maine Word, will facilitate this new workshop in which she has designed a number of smart and intuitive writing prompts.

According to King, “Writing is a solitary act, but this workshop will allow us to come together as writers.” The workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and will provide writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry time to focus on their work.

This single-session workshop is a perfect introduction to creative writing or may give you the new sparks your writing needs to finish that timeless essay about “What I did on my summer vacation” or think seriously about that novel you have been meaning to write all these years.

The Creative Writing Workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2009 from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Holiday Inn Express in Saco and the class size is limited. The workshop will be offered at the affordable early bird price of $95 per person and includes a catered lunch. Early bird registration and payment are required prior to July 2.

For more information about the variety of creative writing classes and workshops offered by Maine Word, including the Creative Writing workshop, visit our website at (www.maineword.com) or call Caroline King at 207-491-9810.

Summer Classes with Maine Word

Maine Word recently announced their summer schedule of workshops and classes. These summer classes concentrate on giving you the time and space to focus on your writing, along with the necessary direction to get beyond the blank pages. This year’s summer workshops will be held in a variety of beautiful locations from the mountains to the coast. These special places are sure to provide you with a dose of inspiration for your summer writing project.
Each of these workshops are all sure to keep you writing about more than … “What I did on my summer vacation.”

Summer 2009
Creative Writing ½ Day and Full Day Workshops
June 1 (9A – 11A) – Smalls Falls, Sandy River Plantation $15
June 14 (1P - 4P) Mountain Counties Heritage Ski Museum, Farmington $35
July 6 (9A – 11A) – Smalls Falls, Sandy River Plantation $15
July 11 (9A – 4P) – Wilson Lake Inn, Wilton $70
July 26 (1P - 4P) Mountain Counties Heritage Ski Museum, Farmington $35
August 3 (9A – 11A) – Smalls Falls, Sandy River Plantation $15

Short Fiction Class
Wednesday evenings: June 3 – July 22 (6P- 8:30P) Strong Public Library $140

Young Writers (9th – 12th grade) – Short Fiction Class
Thursday afternoons: July 9 – 30 (1P – 3 P) Phillips Public Library $40

For more information about the class goals and objectives or to register, please contact Caroline King at 207-491-9810 or by email at caroline@maineword.com. Class sizes are limited, so pre-registration is recommended.

Congratulations to Nathaniel Smith

Nathaniel Smith, a 2nd grader at the Phillips Elementary School, was recently selected as the 2009 Winner of the Maine Word Poetry Contest for his poem Western Maine. As the first place winner, Smith received a copy of Shel Silverstein's poetry book A Light in the Attic. Maine Word would also like to recognize teacher Dawn Maceda for her efforts to encourage her students to participate in this year's contest!

Western Maine
By Nathaniel Smith

Summer is fun.
The rain is gone.
Animals are eating all day long!
Here comes Fall, let's have a ball.
Here comes a scarecrow.
He is so scary.
He'll be stuffed with those leaves
you raked up in a hurry.
Next comes winter,
then comes Spring!
The snow will melt,
out comes the flowers.
Kids play outside for hours and hours.
I think I hear a peeptoad out on a log.
Oh, LOOK! there is a moose out in my bog!

Small Business Workshop - Telling Your Story

In our virtual world, business owners can open their doors from the kitchen table and operate their companies after they have worked at their day job.

Yet the task of how to tell their unique business story without hiring an expensive PR firm or creating a multi-million dollar ad campaign can still loom large for many business owners. Or maybe you have been in business for years, but you are ready to take your business to the next level, change your focus or your product or land that big new client, but you need to tell the world just how good you are with a new blog or a slick brochure.

On Tuesday, May 5, Caroline King will offer her workshop Telling the Story of Your Business designed to help you turn your passion into the words you need to tell the world about your business. The class will be held at the Loon Lodge in Rangeley from 1p – 4p and is offered at the affordable price of only $35.

For more information or to register, please contact Caroline King at 491-9810 or by email at caroline@maineword.com. Pre-registration is required for this special event because class size is limited.

Franklin County Business Writing Workshops -- May 2009

Caroline King, local resident of Madrid and owner of Maine Word, will present two business writing workshops Franklin County during the month of May.

On Tuesday, May 5, Caroline King will offer her workshop Telling the Story of Your Business designed to help you turn your passion into the words you need to tell the world about your business. The class will be held at the Loon Lodge in Rangeley from 1p – 4p and is offered at the affordable price of only $35.

Caroline King, along with the Cooperative Extension’s Marc Edwards will present an interactive and results-oriented workshop called Writing for Your Business on Saturday, May 2nd from 9am - 3pm in Farmington. The workshop will help small business owners to develop a mission statement for their business and learn how to express the unique benefits of their product or service on the printed page. Writing for Your Business will be held at the Farmington Town Office meeting room and costs $35 per person.

Caroline King, owner of Maine Word, provides small business owners with the skills necessary to write effective and creative written marketing materials and shares her professional expertise to help small business convey strong written messages and succeed during these tough economic times. Caroline King has been widely published in Maine newspapers and brings a wealth of experience to her diverse clients and students from around New England.

Maine Word (www.maineword.com) provides writing and editing solutions from creating the first sentence to editing your final draft. Our services include creative content for small business and community organizations, editing all of your written materials and coaching you to develop your personal or business writing skills.

For more information or to register, please contact Caroline King at 491-9810 or by email at caroline@maineword.com. Pre-registration is required for these special event because the class size is limited.

Writing for Your Business Class

Caroline King of Maine Word, in conjunction with University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Franklin County Office, will present a Writing for Your Business workshop in Farmington, Maine. The workshop will give small business owners the skills necessary to write effective and creative marketing materials in a quick one-day session.

Caroline King and Cooperative Extension’s Marc Edwards will present this interactive and results-oriented workshop on Saturday, May 2nd from 9am -3pm. Caroline King, a published writer and editor, understands the challenges facing small business. She will share her professional expertise to help small business succeed during these tough economic times. The workshop will help small business owners to tell their business story by developing a mission statement for their business; learn how to express the unique benefits of their product or service on the printed page, and learn how to put this together in a compelling business plan.

In addition, participants will learn to develop and use various marketing materials to promote their business. This hands-on session will teach participants how to create written content for their brochures, websites, and press releases to spread the word quickly and effectively about their business. This informative workshop will cost $35 per person and participants will walk away with written materials for their business, along with great ideas and resources.

The cost will be $35 per person and advanced registration is required. The class will be held at the Farmington Town Office’s upstairs meeting room. To register, or for more information, please call Cooperative Extension at 778-4650 or 1-800-287-8957 (in Maine).

Deer Isle/Stonington Workshop in May

A creative writing workshop, hosted by Maine Word, will provide participants a great opportunity to energize their creative spirits through writing. This single-session workshop is a perfect introduction to creative writing or may give you the new spark your writing needs after a long Maine winter.

The workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, May 9 at the Island Community Center in Stonington. The workshop will be offered at the affordable price of $43 per person.

This workshop is perfect for island residents, a special gift for your mom or a weekend getaway dedicated to your writing.

Lunch and Learn in Rumford

River Valley - The River Valley Technology Center, the River Valley Growth Council and the River Valley Chamber of Commerce are proud to present another great Business Lunch and Learn opportunity. This month’s topic is: “Business Writing”.

The seminar will run from 11:00am to 2:00pm on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at the River Valley Technology Center on 60 Lowell Street, Rumford, Maine. The cost is $10.00 and includes your lunch. River Valley Chamber of Commerce members pays only $8.00. Pre-payment is required; there will be no refunds issued. Pre-registration is required by calling Beverly at (207) 369-0396 or email beverly@rvgc.org by April 17, 2009.

Maine Word (www.maineword.com) provides writing and editing solutions from creating the first sentence to editing your final draft. Services include creative content for small business and community organizations, editing all of your written materials and coaching you to develop your personal or professional writing skills.

Caroline King of Maine Word will present a Business Writing workshop. Caroline is a published writer and editor, who understands the challenges facing small business. During this introductory workshop, she will share her professional expertise to help small business convey strong written messages and succeed during these tough economic times. The workshop will help small business owners to tell their business story by developing a mission statement for their business and participants will learn how to express the unique benefits of their product or service on the printed page.

Caroline King is the owner of Maine Word and has a been widely published in the region’s newspapers including the Original Irregular, Rangeley Highlander, Sun Journal and the Franklin Journal. As a small business owner, she brings a wealth of experience to her diverse clients and students from around New England. Caroline teaches both business and creative writing for adults and works with small business to help them to succeed. In addition, she currently serves on the Boards of the Phillips Area Community Center and the Opportunity Center of North Franklin County and provides in-kind support to the American Red Cross. Most recently, Caroline has taught classes at Franklin County Cooperative Extension, Maine School of Masonry and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

The Lunch and Learn Seminars purpose is to provide information to entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing businesses in an affordable way. Anyone can gather resources and information for long-term success. In addition, the seminars are intended to facilitate networking among businesses or entrepreneurs in similar activities.

Sun Journal Article http://www.sunjournal.com/story/311605-3/Business/Lunch_learn_set_for_writing_focus/

Virtual Fiction Class

Virtual Writing Class with Maine Word

Maine Word now offers a virtual Writers’ class with Caroline King. The class has been designed to immerse you in the pleasures and challenges of fiction writing and can serve as a great beginning to the writing the great American story. The class, in eight email lessons, will help you to plan, write, and edit a short story over the next two months. The lessons are all-inclusive and provide writing prompts, ideas and allow you to complete the class on your schedule from anywhere.

If your goal is to write a story – this class will give you the structure and skills you need to succeed. The class will combine strong fundamentals in a fun and supportive virtual environment that provides a variety of writing exercises and feedback as you write your story. If this is your first story or your fifteenth story, the class will conclude with a professional editorial opinion of your work and help you to bring out your story to meet the world. In addition to the lessons, you will have have your own coach to keep you on track and answer your questions during the class.

The email format allows participants to work at their own pace and you can start anytime that is right for you. The cost is $168 and payment arrangements are available. For more information or to sign up, please contact Caroline King at Maine Word (www.maineword.com) or by phone at 207-491-9810.

Lunch and Learn in Rumford

Caroline King of Maine Word, in conjunction with the River Valley Growth Council, will present a Business Writing workshop in Rumford, Maine. This interactive Lunch and Learn workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 22 from 11A – 2P.

For more information or to register, please contact Beverly Crosby at 369-0396.

Maine Word helps out the American Red Cross

Maine Word recently made a donation of $250 worth of programs and services to the Mid Coast Chapter American Red Cross for their annual fundraiser held on March 7. The lucky winner of the Getting Down to Business package will be able to decide what makes the most sense for their business - it might be a new brochure, a press release package or attendance at one of Maine Word's writing classes.

Please join Maine Word in our support of the American Red Cross by making a donation to your local chapter.

Entrepreneurs learn new skills

Maine Word, along with five small business owners in Franklin County, were featured in today's Sun Journal and Daily Bulldog.

Entrepreneurs learn new skills to succeed: http://www.sunjournal.com/story/306234-3/Connections/Entrepreneurs_learn_new_skills_to_succeed/

http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/?p=1686

Entrepreneurs Learn New Skills to Succeed

FARMINGTON--University of Maine Cooperative Extension recently presented the Writing for Your Business workshop series for five Franklin County small businesses. Kim LaRoche (Sunshine Pools), Jean Rouillard (J. & J. Rouillard and Sons), Dick Mitchell (Maine Energy $aver$), Robin Jordan (Robin’s Flower Pot) and Lynn Thurston (Blue Sky Produce) all took part in the three-evening workshop taught by Marc Edwards of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Caroline King of Maine Word.

Writing for Your Business took place in early February and covered a number of topics to help small business owners tell their unique story with words. This workshop gave business owners the skills necessary to write effective and creative marketing materials to use in their growing businesses. Participant created a core statement for their individual businesses and learned how to use that statement other marketing applications.

Dick Mitchell, who is the process of opening his new business, said, “I found better ways to communicate with my customers in print.” While Jean Roulliard’s comments focused on tools that she learned “to distinguish my products and services from my competitors.”
According to participant Robin Jordan, “The class provided me with information on the many resources that are available to promote my business. It also made me look at my business in a different way. Thank you to the Extension for offering this class and Caroline for providing me with many useful tools.”

Kimberly LaRoche said “I found the first class to be especially helpful in getting words out of my head and onto paper where I can use them to create a mission statement and a business plan. This will help us to assemble documents to present to local banks for financing.” According to LaRoche the most significant elements of the class were “the ideas and brainstorming that we were able to do as a class; ideas to advertise for free and how businesses that compliment each other can collaborate to provide support and awareness of each other's businesses to the public.”

Marc Edwards, in his reflections on the class, said, “Having Caroline King, a small business owner herself, partnering with University of Maine Cooperative Extension in providing this program was a large part of its success. The participants really exemplified the entrepreneurial drive needed to succeed as small or home-based businesses, especially in these economic times.”
For more information about future classes, please contact Marc Edwards at University of Maine Cooperative Extension at 778-4650 or Caroline King of Maine Word at 491-9810.

In the News

Maine Word's Writing For Your Business Workshop scheduled for April 10 was recently highlighted in Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association email newsletter.
http://www.mofgastore.org/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=96


In the Morning Sentinel (3/3/09), "Caroline King recently
delivered books to the Phillips Public Library librarian Hedy Langdon as part of an Opportunity Center of North Franklin County project to provide resources to local small businesses."

In the Sun Journal's March 5th edition, Center donates books to 3 libraries

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/306232-3/Connections/Center_donates_books_to_3_libraries/#

Business Class in Unity

UNITY -- Caroline King of Maine Word, in conjunction with Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), will present a Writing for Your Business workshop in Unity, Maine. The workshop will give small business owners the skills necessary to write effective and creative marketing materials.

Caroline King will present this interactive and results-oriented workshop on Friday, April 10 from 1P – 5P. Caroline King, a published writer and editor, understands the challenges facing small business. She will share her professional expertise to help small business succeed during these tough economic times. The workshop will help small business owners to tell their business story by developing a mission statement for their business; learn how to express the unique benefits of their product or service on the printed page, and learn how to put this together in a compelling and concise ‘elevator’ speech.

In addition, participants will learn to develop and use various marketing materials to promote their business. This hands-on session will teach participants how to create written content for their brochures, websites, and press releases to spread the word quickly and effectively about their business. This informative workshop will cost $35 per person and participants will walk away with written materials for their business, along with great ideas and resources.

To register, please go to MOFGA’s online store, www.mofga.org or call 568-4142. The class size of the workshop is limited to fifteen people, so participants are encouraged to register early.

Opportunity Center Donates Books to Local Libraries

The Opportunity Center of North Franklin County continues to work as a catalyst to ensure the success of our region by supporting entrepreneurs with a donation to local libraries. In their latest project, the Opportunity Center has purchased business books for libraries in Phillips, Strong and Rangeley. The project was made possible by a grant from John Merck Fund and will provide an on-going resource for local entrepreneurs.

In consultation with local business owners, the Opportunity Center developed a book list to meet the needs of both new and existing businesses in Franklin County. The books were chosen to provide general guidance on how to start and manage a business, creative ways to market your products or services and motivational and exploratory books about entrepreneurship. These resource books will be available at local libraries and may also be obtained via inter-library loan.

The books were purchased at Books, Lines and Thinkers in Rangeley. Caroline King, who headed up the Opportunity Center Library Book project, said “We would like to thank proprietor Wes Connally for his generous support for this project. His competitive prices, combined with the considerable discount he gave, made it possible for us to spend the grant money locally.”

The books include:

Rangeley Public Library:
Storytelling for Grantseekers: The Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising - Cheryl A. Clarke
Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's Future - Linda Pinson
The E-Myth Revisited: Why most small businesses don’t work and what to do about it - Michael Gerber
The Four Hour workweek - Timothy Ferriss
The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook - Jay Levinson & Seth Godin

Phillips Public Library:
The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Strategies for Continuously Creating Opportunity in an age of uncertainty – McGrath and MacMillian
Made to Stick: Why some ideas survive and others die - Chip Heath and Dan Heath
The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge - Ted Klontz, Ph.D
Permission Marketing - Seth Godin
Do what you love, the money will follow: Discovering your right livelihood. - Dr. Marsha Sinetar

Strong Public Library
Soul Proprietor - Jane Pollak
Small Business Start-up Kit - Peri H Pakroom and Barbara Kate Repa
Creating a World without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism - Muhammad Yunus
Who’s Your City? How the Creative Economy is Making Where We Live the Most Important Decision of your Life. - Richard Florida
Starting on a Shoestring: Building a business without a bankroll - Arnold S. Goldstein
Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz

Poetry Contest for Students of Phillips Elementary School

In honor of National Poetry month (April), Maine Word will host a poetry writing contest for children in kindergarten through eighth grade at Phillips Elementary School.

Maine Word hopes to inspire students to explore their creativity through poetry and to highlight the diverse imagination of our children. Winning poets will be invited to read their poems at a ceremony for the public on Saturday, April 25th at the Phillips Public Library.

Poetry books donated by Maine Word will be awarded to the contest winners and the authors' winning entries will be placed on the Maine Word website and may appear in local newspapers.

All poems will be on displayed at the Phillips Public Library from April 18 - May 2, 2009.
Entries will be judged in three different age categories (K – Grade 2, Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8). The contest theme is “Living in Western Maine” and the poem may take any form. The submission deadline for the contest is Saturday, April 14. To enter, students should send one poem along with their complete name, grade, address and telephone number to Maine Word, 39 Reeds Mill Road in Madrid, ME 04966.

This event is sponsored by Maine Word and is NOT a school-sponsored event. If parents or students have any questions about the poetry contest, please contact Caroline King at 491-9810.

Hallowell Creative Writing Class

A new Creative Writing workshop at the Cohen Center in Hallowell will be facilitated by Caroline King on April 28th from 9A – 12P. The workshop will focus on a variety of writing exercises to capture your imagination. The format will to allow you to explore the power of your words and build your creative writing skills. The cost will be $15 per person.

Winslow Writing Workshop

WINSLOW -- Maine Word will be holding a Creative Writing workshop in Winslow on March 21st. The workshop will provide participants a great opportunity to energize their creative spirits and join the strong and growing community of writers in central Maine.

The workshop will combine strong fundamentals in a fun and supportive environment that focuses on a variety of writing exercises. The format will to allow you to explore the power of your imagination in a fast-paced workshop and it will feature the constructive feedback necessary to build your writing skills. Caroline King, owner of Maine Word, will facilitate this new workshop in which she has designed a number of smart and intuitive writing prompts.

According to King, “Writing is a solitary act, but this workshop will allow us to come together as writers.” The workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and will provide writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry time to focus on their own work.

This single-session workshop is a perfect introduction to creative writing or may give you the new sparks your writing needs after a long Maine winter. The Creative Writing Workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, March 21 at the Living Water Spiritual Center in Winslow from 1pm until 5pm. The workshop will be offered at the affordable price of $32 per person, but class size is limited, so call today to sign up.

For more information about the variety of creative writing classes and workshops offered by Maine Word, including the Creative Writing workshop in Winslow, visit our website at (www.maineword.com) or call Caroline King at 207-491-9810.

Creative Writing Class in Avon

Maine Word will be holding a Creative Writing class in Avon starting next month. The class will introduce adults to a variety of forms of creative writing and can serve as a great beginning to the writing your story in either a fiction or non-fiction format. The class will help you to plan, write, and edit a creative piece during the eight weekly sessions. The Creative Writing class will be on Wednesday evenings from March 18 until May 6.

The class is being taught by Caroline King and will combine strong fundamentals in a fun and supportive environment that provides a variety of writing exercises and feedback as you write your story. This class will give you the structure and skills to succeed in writing your story. The class will conclude with a professional editorial opinion of your work.

The class which starts on March 18 will be held at Country Bumpkins in Avon. The class will be each Wednesday night from 6 pm – 8:30 pm. The tuition for the class will be $127 per person and payment plans are available. For more information about the variety of writing classes and workshops offered by Maine Word, including the Creative Writing class in Avon, visit our website at (www.maineword.com) or call Caroline King at 207-491-9810.

Poetry Workshop in Belgrade

BELGRADE– Maine Word will offer a Poetry Workshop in Belgrade on March 14th from 9A -12P. If your writing has become frozen over the long Maine winter, this workshop is sure to provide you with a fresh perspective and tap into some of the creative energy of spring. The workshop facilitated by Caroline King will offer a mix of structured time with writing exercises and prompts and an opportunity to workshop your poetry. Those in attendance can expect to take away new ideas, poetic starts, and inspiration for the spring.

The Poetry Workshop cost is only $16, but pre-registration is required to ensure your place at the table. The Poetry Workshop will be held at the Lazy Lab Café which is located at 81 Main Street (Route 27) in Belgrade. The Lazy Lab Café offers the perfect relaxed setting for this special event which will be held on the café’s second floor.

For more information or to register for the Poetry Workshop, please contact Maine Word at their website www.maineword.com or call Caroline King at 491-9810.

Coming in March

Maine Word will be offering Poetry at the Lazy Lab Cafe on March 14 from 9A-12p in Belgrade and a Creative Writing Workshop on March 21 from 1p - 5p at the Living Water Spiritual Center in Winslow.

More details will be available soon!

Maine Word featured in the Franklin Journal

Maine Word would like to thank columnist Paula Roy for highlighting two Madrid businesses in her recent column and allowing us to reprint it here for you who might have missed last week's newspaper.

Printed on Friday, January 23 in the Franklin Journal
By Paula Roy

Nothing happens unless first we dream - Carl Sandburg.

Over the past year, two local ladies have been making their dreams come true. Though the outcomes are very different, both began with the same desire to create their own businesses, wishing to develop their particular interests, skills and talents, and benefit their community, as well. Allow me to introduce you to Ginni Robie and Caroline King, both of Madrid.

Ginni Robie and her husband, David, opened the Star Barn Bed and Breakfast last winter. The B & B is the culmination of a several year renovation and construction project, which turned the couple’s 1850s home into the Star Barn Guest House and raised the new 5-bedroom B & B on the site of the property’s original barn. Located high atop the hills on the Reeds Mill Road, 4.5 miles from Madrid Village off route 4, the spectacular view is just one of many highlights of a stay at Star Barn.

Along with the opening of the B & B came Star Barn Uniques Gift Shop. Ginni is especially pleased with the success of this endeavor. Her unique inventory fills the foyer of the B & B from floor to ceiling. Twenty-one vendors, up from just six last year, sold over $1600 worth of “handmade quality” in 2008, with every one selling something. All the money goes right back to the vendors because Ginni takes no commission for displaying their products. She asks just $1 to cover the cost of mailing them their checks. If they come in person to pick up their proceeds, they don’t even have to pay that!

Uniques offers a wide variety of items from jewelry, knit caps, hand rolled honeycomb candles, and “body polish” to watercolors, woodcarvings, photographs, and quilts. The only requirement for displaying at Uniques is that it must be made in Maine.
Currently, Uniques’ shelves feature the works of several local creators, including Pat Matulaitus (dried flowers), Lynn Thurston (maple snack boards), and Linda Farwell (drawstring purses), all of Phillips; from Rangeley, Maria Baker (water colors) and Dawn Towey (felted bowls); Jean Richards, Avon (dolls); Anne Baker, Strong (potholders); Linda Hardy (wood burnings and leatherwork) and David Boucher (birds carved in wood), and the Reeds Mill Ladies Sewing Circle (quilts), Madrid; and Sally Iverson, Eustis, (one-stroke paintings on mirrors, tiles, and glassware). Others are from as far away as Vassalboro.

Ginni is always looking for new contributors to Uniques. Contact her via phone or website if you’d be interested in adding your unique creations to her Uniques shop.
If you just want to stop by and check things out, the shop is usually open. That is, unless Ginni is conducting a yoga class, which brings us to the final piece in this success story – the Star Barn Yoga Studio, another special feature of the B & B. Ginni is also a certified yoga instructor. She offers weekly classes at Star Barn, as well as in Weld, Rangeley, Phillips, and Farmington. From the very beginning, a big part of Ginni’s dream included holding a yoga retreat. That dream is coming true next weekend, January 30 – February 1, when Star Barn will host its first ever
Yoga Weekend Retreat, “Beginnings”.

Since Ginni will have her hands full tending to her guests, including doing all the cooking for the weekend, she will not be conducting all the workshops herself. Participants will also benefit from the expertise of professionals, Daria Babbit, Sarah Mulvey, and Sandy River Thomason. Space is limited, so Ginni urges anyone interested to make their reservations as soon as possible.

For more information about the retreat, Uniques Gift Shop, and all the other opportunities offered at Star Barn B & B visit online at http://www.starbarnbandb.com/ or stop by.

If you’re driving out to Star Barn, you’ll pass the home of Caroline King, also the site of her new business, Maine Word. Founded to “meet the emerging need for quality writing and editing services in the region and around the world”, Caroline’s mission for Maine Word is “to improve the quality of the written word presented by individuals and businesses and to aid each in achieving their personal and professional goals though clear communications”. Focusing on creative writing and editorial services, individual writing coaching, writing retreats, and writing classes for individuals and small business owners, Maine Word is the avenue through which Caroline has chosen to combine all the things she enjoys doing into a way to help people improve their writing skills, whether business, fiction, or poetry.

Some of Caroline’s current offerings include classes in Business Writing for Small Business Owners and a New Writer’s Class. The business class is to be offered in three sessions on February 3, 5, and 10 at Franklin Memorial Hospital. This workshop series will give business owners the skills necessary to write effective and creative marketing materials for numerous applications and to how to use creative ideas to expand their business though networking. Co-presenting this interactive and results-oriented workshop series with Caroline will be Marc Edwards of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, co-sponsor of the event.
The series is only $30 and Caroline promises that participants will walk away with written materials for their business, along with great ideas and resources. Call 778-4650 or 1-800-287-1478 to register. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by Friday January 30, 2009.

Her New Writers’ Class also starts in February. Designed to introduce adults to the pleasures and challenges of fiction writing, Caroline says this class can serve as a great beginning to writing the great American novel. The class will help you to plan, write, and edit a short story during eight weekly sessions. The three-hour class will be on Monday evenings from February 9 until March 30. Budding writers will meet at the offices of Mountain Counties Heritage Center at 109 Church Street in Farmington.

Or, for those who would prefer to begin right away and work at their own pace, the class is also available in an email format. The New Writers’ Class, in either format, will be offered for $168.
Maine Word will also sponsor a Winter Poetry Retreat in February, the 20th – 22nd. And guess where? At the Star Barn B & B! (Isn’t it amazing how everything comes together!)

This event, set “amidst the natural beauty and silence of the winter landscape”, has been designed to provide writers from around the region a chance to leave the hustle and bustle of their daily routines behind and find the time to explore and develop their poetic voices. Along with gaining new tools, ideas, and inspirations, special guest, poet Doug Woodsum of Smithfield, will work with Caroline to offer a mix of structured time with writing exercises and prompts, poetry readings, and workshop critiques of your poetry. But rest assured, Caroline says there will be plenty of free time to write and relax, too.

Caroline and her husband, Michael, - and an assortment of furry and feathered friends - live just across the bridge in Madrid Village. Coming here in 2003, Caroline says it’s the first place she’s lived for more than a year since she was in high school. She’s happy to have traded “all that big wide world” for her little corner of western Maine where she hopes to “take what I have, or help someone else take what they have, and make it into something good”. Her commitment to her community is also demonstrated by her service as the vice chair of the Phillips Area Community Center and her membership on the Board of Directors of the Opportunity Center in Avon.

Maine Word “continues to grow every month”, says Caroline. Check it out on her website, http://www.maineword.com/ (by the way, the Sandburg quote at the beginning was taken from there) or call Caroline at 207-491-9810.

And don’t forget to dream your own dreams!

Written in Stone

In collaboration with the Maine School of Masonry, Maine Word will teach a new class called Written in Stone. The class will focus on business writing for new masons as they prepare to launch their own small businesses later this year. The class will help students to write for and about their business and develop a low-cost marketing plan to grow their business.

Do you have a specialized need, Maine Word can custom design a class for your students or employees. Contact Caroline King today to discuss your ideas or find out more information!

caroline@maineword.com or 207-491-9810

Maine Word in the News

Sun Journal:
http://www.sunjournal.com/story/300426-3/Franklin/Word_up_Madrid_womans_business_requires_creativity/#

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/300711-3/Business/Small_businesses_workshops_set/

Daily Bulldog:
http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/?page_id=8

Winter Poetry Retreat

Winter Poetry Retreat in Madrid

MADRID – Maine Word will offer a Winter Poetry Retreat with guest poet Doug Woodsum of Smithfield in February.

The Winter Poetry Retreat will be February 20 - 22 at the Star Barn Bed and Breakfast in Madrid. This special weekend retreat will allow writers from around the region to explore and develop their poetic voice.

The retreat will provide poets a weekend to focus on their writing amidst the natural beauty and silence of the winter landscape at the Star Barn Bed and Breakfast.

The Retreat will offer a mix of structured time with writing exercises and prompts, poetry readings and workshop critiques of their poetry, along with an opportunity to meet individually with published authors Doug Woodsum and Caroline King and plenty of free time to write and relax during a weekend dedicated to poetry.

Those in attendance can expect to take away new ideas, poems, inspiration, and tools from the weekend and will have the opportunity to improve their existing work and to expand their poetic network.

For more information or to register for the Winter Poetry Retreat, please contact Maine Word at their website http://www.maineword.com/ or call Caroline King at 207-491-9810.

Writing for Your Business

The Story of Your Small Business

FARMINGTON -- University of Maine Cooperative Extension will present a Writing for Your Business workshop series for existing small and home-based businesses starting on February 3, 2009 at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington. This workshop series will give business owners the skills necessary to write effective and creative marketing materials for numerous applications and how to use creative ideas to expand their business though networking.

Marc Edwards, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and Caroline King, founder of Maine Word will present this interactive and results-oriented workshop series. Caroline, a published writer and editor, understands the challenges that face small businesses and will share her professional expertise to help your business succeed during these tough economic times.

The workshop series Writing for Your Business will be three sessions held in early February and will cover a number of topics to help small business owners. Telling Your Business Story will be Tuesday, February 3 from 6 – 9 PM. Participants will develop a mission statement for their business; learn how to express the unique benefits of their product on the printed page, and how to put this together in a compelling and concise ‘elevator’ speech.

Developing and Using Marketing Materials to Promote Your Business will be the focus of the second session on Thursday, February 5 from 6 – 9 PM. This hand-on session will teach participants how to create written content for their brochures, websites, and press releases to spread the word quickly and effectively about their business. Topics to be covered will include how to write for the Internet, development of printed materials for brochures and rack cards and how to write a basic press release. In addition, participants will also get an introduction to the many low or no cost marketing opportunities.

On Tuesday, February 10 from 6 – 9 PM, the final session of the series is entitled the Marketing Power of your Network. This session will remind participants that their small business in Maine is not an island! Participants will learn how to use their personal and professional networks to grow and expand their businesses. Participants will also learn about working with other small businesses to package their products and services.

This informative workshop series is only $30 and participants will walk away with written materials for their business, along with great ideas and resources. Please call 778-4650 or 1-800-287-1478 to register. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by Friday January 30, 2009.

Write Your Story

Don’t let another day go by before you start writing your story!
New Writers’ Class will start in February

FARMINGTON -- Maine Word will be holding a New Writers’ class with Caroline King in Farmington. The class has been designed to introduce adults to the pleasures and challenges of fiction writing and can serve as a great beginning to the writing the great American story. The class will help you to plan, write, and edit a short story during the eight weekly sessions. The three-hour class will be on Monday evenings from February 9 until March 30 in Farmington.

If your goal for 2009 is to write a story – this class will give you the structure and skills to succeed. The class will combine strong fundamentals in a fun and supportive environment that provides a variety of writing exercises and feedback as you write your story. If this is your first story or your fifteenth story, the class will conclude with a professional editorial opinion of your work and help you to bring out your story to meet the world.

The class is available in both a traditional classroom format, which starts on February 9, and an email format that allows participants to work at their own pace and can start anytime. The New Writers’ Class, in either format, will be offered for only $168. The classroom format will be each Monday night from 6 pm -9 pm for eight weeks, while the email format is available to start anytime. The class will be held at the offices of Mountain Counties Heritage Center at 109 Church Street in Farmington or you can start today by signing up for the virtual class.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Caroline King at Maine Word (www.maineword.com) or by phone at 491-9810.