Every November, writers across the globe take part in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. This internet-based project urges authors to write a 50,000-word novel in just one month, starting Nov. 1 and finishing Nov. 30. While it seems impossible to accomplish such a task under the burdens of a busy college schedule, NaNoWriMo is a great opportunity for young writers to put aside the usual distractions and get their creative juices flowing. Binghamton University students hoping to write the next great novel this month can take advantage of these local resources and events.
Broome County Public Library Writers Group
From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 10, the Broome County Public Library, located at 185 Court St., will be hosting a writers group. Writers are welcome to bring work and hear feedback from other writers as time permits. The group will be facilitated by Valerie Zehl, a professional writer, publisher and editor.
NaNoWriMo Write-Ins
The NaNoWriMo website allows participants to appoint themselves as municipal leaders and organize meetups and events for writers in their area. The municipal leader for the Binghamton area has organized several sessions this month. From 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays in November, Your Home Public Library on Main Street in Johnson City will host “write-ins,” spaces where writers can bring laptops or paper and work while the library provides Wi-Fi, power strips and snacks. From 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton on Riverside Drive will host NaNoWriMo support sessions where writers can share tricks of the trade and discuss their endeavors. From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, the Coburn Free Library on Main Street in Owego will also host write-ins.
Literati Reading Series
Halfway through the month, NaNoWriMo participants might want to take a break from writing and spend some time garnering inspiration from prominent wordsmiths. The Literati Reading Series, hosted in partnership by the Binghamton Center for Writers at BU and the Broome County Arts Council, is an opportunity to do so. This year’s final installment of the series, featuring poets Adam J. Gellings and Leah Umansky, will be held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the Phelps Mansion Museum.
Campus Literary Magazines
If your schedule is too tight to attempt a full novel, or if short prose and poetry is just more your speed, you can celebrate NaNoWriMo by submitting to one of BU’s literary magazines. Ellipsis, BU’s Student Association-chartered undergraduate literary magazine, accepts prose, poetry, art and photography submissions via its email, bingellipsis@gmail.com. Harpur Palate, a literary journal run by graduate students in the English department, also accepts prose and poetry sent through its online submission manager.