Are you a writer looking for a productive way to kick off your 2012? You’ve found it! Join me as New England Horror Writers hosts a day-long, affordable writing workshop—which includes a professional critique for registered attendees and a bag lunch—at Annie’s Book Stop inWorcester,Mass., on Saturday, February 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Writers T.J. May, Trisha J. Wooldridge, and I will run the workshop and provide the critiques.

Here’s the store’s press release with all the details you’ll need:

New England Horror Writers is hosting a writing workshop at Annie’s Book Stop on 65 James Streetin Worcester, MAon Saturday, February 4^th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The class is geared toward beginning to intermediate writers interested in bettering their writing and editing abilities while exploring all the “What now?” possibilities for publishing.

The class will be taught in three parts, writing, editing, and publishing; offer a bagged lunch; and include a professional critique of up to 2000 words of registered attendees’ manuscripts.

Attendees will learn under three professional members of the New England Horror Writers. Kristi Petersen Schoonover is a three-time Norman mailer Writers Colony Winter Resident; her short fiction has appeared in Carpe Articulum, The Adirondack Review, Barbaric Yawp, New Witch Magazine, Toasted Cheese, and others. Her most recent work, Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole, is a collection of ghost stories set in Disney Parks. T.J. May is a writer of dark fiction daylighting as a behavior therapist to children with autism. He is a regular contributor to Shroud Magazine, co-founder of SUMM Publications, active member of the HWA and chairperson of the events committee for the New England Horror Writers. Trisha J. Woodridge is the president of Broad Universe, an international non-profit dedicated to celebrating and promoting women who write speculative fiction. She’s contributed to several anthologies, including the EPIC-award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries series, is an associated editor for Spencer Hill Press, and freelance writes and edits for magazines, independent authors, and academic websites.

As this is the first workshop offered at the 65 James StreetAnnie’s, there is a special price of $30 for the course, or $25 for members of New England Horror Writers, Worcester Writers Collaborative, or Worcester college students.

T.J. May (http://www.tjmay.net/)

Trisha J. Wooldridge (http://www.anovelfriend.com/) on a publishing panel at Rock and Shock, October, 2011.

How to register: In person at Annie’s Book Stop, 65 James Street, Worcester, Mass.; via phone by calling Annie’s at 508-796-5613; via e-mail to anniesbookstopworcester@gmail.com. Payment is in advance by credit card, check, or cash. Attendees must turn in their manuscripts for critiques no later than January 27 (details on how to submit upon registration). Walk-ins, if there is space, must pay full price and will not have a reserved bag lunch nor will they get the professional critique—but they are eligible for a class critique that day.

For more information, contact Annie’s Book Stop via www.anniesbookstopworcester.com, e-mail anniesbookstopworcester@gmail.com, or phone 508-796-5613. Space is firmly capped at 21 participants, so if you’re planning on attending, register soon!