Writing the 10 Minute Play

Hi!   Last week, I asked “why do you write?” Here's what you all said: “As an outlet” “For fun” “Freedom” “Getting emotions out” “Release” “Otherwise I'll die” “I feel the most safe” “Sanity maintenance” “Self expression” “Stories I'd want to read” “To process" And, my personal favorite, “Scream into void” Keep in mind that the polling app I used has very limited characters, thus the short replies. Regardless, the overarching theme was catharsis. The sample size was small, but I think this is probably true for a lot of writers, particularly those who feel compelled to create in times of crisis.    One more question: I typically write little notes to the community at the top of these newsletter, but I'd like to mix it up once in a while. Which of the following would you most like to read here? (Select one) Student writing Craft tips Advice column No chatter, just event links SHOUT OUT Congratulations to Blue Stoop co-founder Emma Copley Eisenberg, who has won the Athenaeum 2024 Literary Award for Fiction for Housemates! From the press release:    With its vivid depictions of West Philadelphia life and timely narrative of love and art, Eisenberg’s Housemates was one of The Athenaeum’s most widely-circulated titles of the year. On receiving news of the award, the author said, Housemates was born in part from a desire to render Philadelphia as the complex, artistically fertile, politically significant, and racially stratified place that it is, and to highlight Philadelphia's deep queer community, so it is especially sweet and meaningful to receive this recognition from the premiere literary prize in my home city.” Eisenberg, who is also a cofounder of the literary organization Blue Stoop, added, “Housemates also raises the question, ‘What is the point of making art in times of great uncertainty and struggle?’ This award, and the fellowship it represents, feels like a partial answer.” ON THE STOOP Wednesday, 4/16, 3:30 – 5:30 pm ET: Creative Coworking, both on Zoom and in-person at CultureWorks in Center City, Philadelphia. Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. Write, edit, read, daydream, or do whatever best serves your literary life. We'll open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Registration required. (FREE/HYBRID)   Thursday, 4/17, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET: Thursdays on the Stoop presents "Writing a 10-Minute Play" with Toby Tieger. Successful short plays can captivate the audience in mere minutes. In this free, hour-long workshop, we'll cover the basics of writing 10 minute plays — the key elements of dramatic scenes, strategies for streamlining stories, crafting compelling characters — and begin outlining new scripts of our own. (FREE/VIRTUAL)   Saturday, 4/26, 11:59 pm ET: Last day to register for From Query to Collaboration: How to Get an Agent, a 90-minute online class. Fiction is all sold out, but a limited number of seats remain in the nonfiction section. Financial aid is available! ($20–25/VIRTUAL) In solidarity,   Julian Shendelman Co-Director   P.S. Looking for more local literary connections? Check out our community calendar and resource pages. SUPPORT BLUE STOOP CLASSIFIEDS Got an event, organization, business, or book to promote?  Blue Stoop offers affordable ad space here and on our website.  BEYOND THE STOOP   Here's an excerpt from our community calendar. Adding an event is easy and free! ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, "The Politics of Sorrow"   Start time 4/16/2025 6:30pm   Location Main Point Books 116 N. Wayne Ave Wayne PA 19087   Description Main Point Books welcomes Tsering Wangmo Dhompa with her new book "The Politics of Sorrow: A Story of Unity and Allegiance Across Tibetan Exile." She'll be joined by guest host Lisa Sewell. The event will be in our lower level event space. Reservations are requested via Eventbrite; walk-ins are welcome as space allows.   About the Book: The Politics of Sorrow tells the story of the Group of Thirteen, a collective of chieftains and lamas from the regions of Kham and Amdo, who sought to preserve Tibet’s cultural diversity after the exile of 1959. They established settlements in India in the mid-1960s with the goal of protecting their regional and religious traditions, setting them apart from the majority of Tibetan refugees, who saw a common tradition as the basis for unifying the Tibetan people   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tsering-wangmo-dhompa-the-politics-of-sorrow-tickets-1302647807659?aff=BlueStoop   Contact info events.mainpointbooks@gmail.com   Cost free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Wild Indigo Poetry with Saida Agostini, Candice Iloh, and special guest Frederick Joseph   Start time 4/20/2025 5:00pm   Location Young American Hard Cider, 6350 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144   Description April is National Poetry Month, y'all! And Wild Indigo is coming to you with a spectacular program of three nationally celebrated poets: Saida Agostini, Philly's own Candice Iloh, and special guest Frederick Joseph! Uncle Bobbie's Bookstore will be giving away a copy of Fred's book We Alive, Beloved to all in attendance! Sunday, April 20, 5-7pm, at Young American Hard Cider & Tasting Room, with a shorter open mic this month, open to community. Come out and share your truth! The venue is wheelchair accessible and Wild Indigo is mask friendly. Masks will be available at the door.   Link https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries   Contact info wildindigo.poetry@gmail.com   Cost $5 suggested donation - more if you can!   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Free Library of Philadelphia Monday Poets 30th Anniversary Season   Start time 4/21/2025 6:00pm   Location Parkway Central Library Skyline Room   Description Join the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literature Department in celebrating the 30th Anniversary season of Monday Poets. This year’s theme is Sankofa (SAHN-koh-fah), a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana which loosely implies that to move forward, one must “go back and get it”. In that spirit we will be celebrating at each event a past Monday Poet and introduce a new one. Each month from September 2024 to April 2025 a new Sankofa pair will read at a new library. Monday Poets exists to inspire and connect poets and community members across the city of Philadelphia. This program will take place in the Skyline Room on the 4th Floor of Parkway Central and is free and open to the public. The event will be led by Philadelphia's current Poet Laureate, Kai Davis.    Previous Monday Poet: Lawrence Dugan New Monday Poet: Gabriel Ramirez   Link https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/141067   Contact info ereflit@freelibrary.org   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Poetry and Open Mike Reading with Ahmad Almallah   Start time 4/22/2025 6:00pm   Location Seeds of Al Bustan, 310 West Master Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122   Description A reading by Palestinian poet Ahmad Almallah. Ahmad currently lives in Philadelphia where he is an artist-in-residence in Creative Writing at the University of Pennsylvania. He will be reading from his new book Wrong Winds published by Fonograph Press, followed by an open mic reading.    Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-open-mic-reading-by-ahmad-almallah-tickets-1291461328599   Contact info Veronica Knell, Marketing, Communications and Events Manager, marketing@albustanseeds.org   Cost Free admission   ~~~~~~~~~ VIEW MORE EVENTS 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences