Jan03

From the Desk of Elizabeth Skenes Millen

Beaufort County Library Artist-in-Residence...We have a surprise for you!

ElizabethWorkshops 0123

January 2023 Issue

Dear Readers,

I have a surprise for you, especially those of you who are interested in writing!

This past fall, Lynne Miller, Trustee Liaison, Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County, and Linda Farrenkopf, President of Hilton Head Branch Friends of the Library, put their heads together to create an Artist-in-Residency program at the Beaufort County Library System. They took their idea to Beaufort County Library Director Amanda Dickman, who had been thinking of the same thing. These like minds came together to make this idea a reality.

Thanks to a grant from The Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County, the Beaufort County Library has announced that its first Artist-in-Residency program will begin later this month. I am honored to announce they chose ME as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence.

I am thrilled to have been chosen through an application and interview process to serve as the first resident for this program. Of course, my residency will focus on writing. As most of you know, I am the founder of Pink Magazine, which launched in Beaufort County in April 2004. It has been published every month since—225 issues—and I have been at the helm for every single issue. In addition, I have launched and owned magazines in Atlanta, Charleston and St. Simons Island. Gratefully, I have amassed a large following, especially with my monthly columns “From the Publisher” and “Hissy Fit.” Thank you for all for reading and for your feedback.

What you may not know, is before I started Pink, I had a 17-year career in marketing and held positions which required not only marketing expertise, but also extensive creative writing skills. I held positions at the famed Darlington Raceway (NASCAR) as Marketing and Corporate Sales Director, as well as Director of Marketing for the daily newspaper, The Morning News in Florence, SC. Writing was part of my daily duties in being successful in these jobs.

The residency will be four weeks long beginning January 25, 2023. I will provide four public workshops, as well as scheduled studio hours each week. I will be available to meet informally with patrons to discuss their writing goals and offer helpful suggestions. Please register early for the workshops and/or office time, as space is limited.

The workshops I have created will include instruction and ideas from basic writing, to finding your voice, to elevating descriptions, to learning how to evoke emotion in your writing. After writing and editing for public consumption for my entire career, I have developed a deep understanding of language, word choice and flow, and how important these aspects are in order to get a point across or tell a story in the most compelling way. I can’t wait to share my knowledge with those who are just beginning to write, those who are looking to elevate their skills, or those simply seeking validation or suggestions. My hope is this residency will provide people in the community the space and place to come together with others and have fun writing.

Amanda said, “There’s so many things to be excited about. The Artist-in-Residence program enables Beaufort County Library to fulfill our efforts to provide programs to inform, inspire, and empower people in their pursuit of lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and cultural understanding.”

I have a passion for writing, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to help others. My mission through Pink is empower, inform, encourage, and evoke thought, which perfectly mirrors the goals of this program. My hope is to achieve this mission with each and every participant. Please come join in the fun, and tell your writer friends all about it!

Gratefully Yours,
Elizabeth Millen


Register for Workshops

Interactive Writing Workshops will be held from 10:00 am to Noon at the Hilton Head Branch Library as follows:

Wednesday, January 25th

Let’s Write! This ice-breaker workshop will give attendees a chance to practice writing with fun drills that will get your writing mojo going. Our enjoyable, interactive time will help you hone various skills and overcome the fear of writing it wrong, all while having fun!

Wednesday, February 1st

Chip Off that Writer’s Block! What do you do when you’re stuck? We all can get bogged down and have no idea where to go next. This workshop will teach you the difference in writing from your head versus writing from your heart. This never fails when it comes to writer’s block!

Wednesday, February 8

Get Emotional About It! Are you ready to get real with your writing? If so, this is a don’t miss class designed to help you add emotion to your writing. Emotion is the ultimate hook; it’s what connects readers to characters, it persuades us, and it keeps us turning those pages.

Wednesday, February 15

Writers Don’t Ramble! In this final workshop, participants will be challenged to take a dive into editing, discuss succinctness in words, flow of thoughts and word counts. This class will include time for writing with activities that will demonstrate how to write without rambling, thus holding your reader’s attention.

Each workshop will provide time for writing based on prompts and class assignments. All workshops and office time are free, but space is limited. Please register early by calling the Hilton Head Branch Library at 843-255-6525.

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