On Saturday, Sept. 6, I attended the Writer’s Center Open House. OK, I had an ulterior motive because I recently won a book for entering their caption contest and had to pick up my prize, but it was still fun. I ended up selecting Selected Poems by Rita Dove, a former Poet Laureate in the 1990s.

I received a free copy of Poet Lore and a $50 off coupon for a multi-session workshop. Should this provide me with an additional incentive to sign up for another workshop at the center, probably. Let’s just hope I can scrape up the cash to attend another workshop before the year ends.

As you can see from the photo, this year’s open house attracted a great number of participants even though Tropical Storm Hanna’s remnants were sweeping through the area. There were refreshments, drinks, and a silent auction for a number of items, ranging from a dinner for two to a basket or books.

Mingling with other writers is always a highlight of the open house, but this year’s open house was a treat. I got to meet Kyle Semmel, who is one of the Writer’s Center’s blog authors. We had an interesting set of discussions about the blogosphere and book bloggers as well as BBAW, which he supports. He also suggested that I help advertise BBAW in the local media. Kyle is enthusiastic and I have to say it is contagious. It was great to meet the man behind the blog.

***Sticky Post***

Have you ever wanted to be on the front lines, issuing the latest details of phenomenal events you experience on a daily basis? Have you been writing stories in your head as you walk down the street, ride the subway, or drive your car? Have you ever just wanted to express your opinion or explain why politicians are wrong about their proposal or simply wanted to have your say about a piece of literature, a news article, a television show, or other event?

If you have even thought about these stories or situations in the remotest way, you could earn cash and prizes for your story simply by becoming a part of the Field Report community.

Unlike reporters in the field, writers in the Field Report community are entertainers even though they are telling true stories about their lives. Writers, however, cannot just focus on their own stories and writing in this community, they also must review the writing of their fellow community members.

Ok, you’re wondering what the catch is or what the sign-up fee is. Here’s the best part, it is FREE to join and your only obligation is to review the writing of others. You must review five field reports on a scale of one-to-ten. This a dream come true for a writer–you can earn money and you can read the writing of fellow writers.

All community members are subject to a “blind” review process, which propels the best stories to the top of the heap. There are a number of different categories from breaking news to animal reports, and $1,000 is awarded every month to those writers selected in one of 21 categories.

A grand prize of $250,000 will be awarded to the finalists on Dec. 1, 2008 to one of the monthly winners.

So are you ready to share your life with thousands of other writers in a community? I say get started and earn money. If you have further questions about Field Report, check out the FAQ. Or check out the Quick Start Guide.

A postal worker in Oregon won $20,000 for her Field Report. What can you win?