Bummer news today… I’ve been looking forward to local poet extraordinaire, Daniel Edward Moore, joining the WOWI Team with the official re-debut of the podcast. Daniel politely messaged me and said he had to decline.
Sadly, this also means we never got to find out what his favourite beverage is to list on his host profile page. Oh well!
But Why?!?
Daniel his thoroughly involved in his writing and the local poetry scene. Previously (and currently?) he has hosted a regular poetry workshop at the Oak Harbor Library. He informed me that he has teamed up with another gentleman with the intention to start a monthly Whidbey Island poetry reading event. Who knows — once it has some legs on it, that could be a great subject for a WOWI interview. In any case, CONGRATULATIONS GUYS, with your involvement I’m sure it will go great — and I’d like to know about when it’s going to happen, too!
So what does this do for the WOWI Team?
This could be you
When co-founder co-host Tom Trimbath moved on from Writing On Whidbey Island, he made a few suggestions for the future of the show — adding to my own ideas. While I thought to recruit a small team of co-hosts, he suggested balancing the show between male and female personalities. In a way, this seemed kind of odd to me, however it also made sense. So …
Writing On Whidbey Island will be looking for a new co-host to add to the team. So far, all of my new recruits have been past guests. While this takes a lot of work out of the ‘talent search’, I don’t view this as an absolute requirement. I have added a page to the WOWI site detailing what I look for in co-hosts. To be entirely frank — with Lauren and Sarah already on board — I will be looking for another gent to join us, and (this may also seem odd) preferably one who lives on the northern half of Whidbey Island*. This may be conducted as a ‘lazy search’, taking time to find the right guy — and at the same time, if a fellow contacts us and something goes together soon… all the better.
* If you get the position, this will be explained later.
What a year for WOWI! Moreover … this Could be “What a year for WOWI coming from my perspective of a busy Spring/Summer 2023!“. Yeah, too long. Let’s go with the first one.
Let’s get current with some updates on where WOWI’s been, where it’s at, and where it’s going… (Settle in — this could be a long one …)
Don playing Scottish smallpipes before Tom presented his book “Walking, Thinking, Drinking Across Scotland” at the Langley Library.
As WOWI fans far and wide are aware, there was a significant change to the podcast earlier this year. My friend, Tom Trimbath — the estimableCo-Founder, Co-Host, & Episode Planner — decided to move on from the show due to work commitments*. After nearly four years of producing Writing On Whidbey Island, we met for our last recording at the Coupeville Library in April 2023. As Tom became our first emeritus co-host, we discussed the future for Tom’s literary creations and for WOWI.
(* Whidbey Island is not free of the gossip network — therefore, to be entirely clear … Tom left the show for work commitments only. In the bigger picture I suspect this could be filed under the heading of ‘Personal Life Balance’; I respect this and find challenges with it myself. There was no conflict between Tom and myself. We are still friends and keep in touch. If you hear otherwise, it’s malarkey.)
So what’s that picture of you two about?!?
12June2023 – Tom and Don at the Coupeville WA library, holding intense business negotiations for the value of the WOWI website with gluten free cookies — Mmmm …. COOKIES!
The WOWI website and domain name have technically been Tom’s property. The site was on his hosting space, and he was paying the annual bill for WritingOnWhidbeyIsland.com (for the record, I’m the one who came up with the clever name). Just in case there ever was any question, Tom felt he needed to ‘sell’ it to me. On record. For at least a dollar. So, in June, Tom and I met again at the Coupeville library (see — everything’s good between us!). “But WHY?!?” Because neither of us wanted to deal with ‘money between friends’, we agreed that I would make and present him with a batch of gluten free cookies. They were Ginger Citrus as I recall. We also sealed-the-deal with a handshake, as gentlemen. One of the librarians was also kind enough to help us with some photo evidence. S0… I am now the ‘sole owner’ of all things Writing On Whidbey Island — the domain name, the website, audio content — everything… ULTIMATE POWER!!!
The Change Came at an Awkward Time
Dive work! I’m in the back, my boss in the foreground … er, forewater
Nothing against Tom — he needed to do what he needed to do — but this hand-over of WOWI came at an awkward time. (Somehow I’m guessing you already knew that…) For the past five years I have been performing seasonal work as a SCUBA diver. These jobs have taken me off island and away from home for weeks at a time. This is also the beginning of my busy season as a Highland bagpiper in the local Scottish community. Busy + Busy = BUSY … I’ve done the math! Typically, Tom would take over all administrative aspects of producing the podcast during these months. Communications, booking, and writing blog posts. All I had bandwidth for was showing up to the scheduled session, recording, and getting the finished podcast to Tom for upload.
Don AKA BiscottiDon AKA BagpiperDon
Tom’s departure left me with a choice — wrap up WOWI or continue? As the saying goes … The Show Must Go On! While this podcast is still ‘young’, it has proven to be ‘small-but-powerful’. Not only has it been getting known as a local entity, we have heard from folks afar. I feel it is too important to go away — so until I see otherwise, WOWI Must Go On!
Although, considering what would need to happen for this podcast to continue, it was immediately clear to me that WOWI would need to go on a Spring/Summer 2023 hiatus.
What’s Happened Since — and What’s Yet to Come?
Since
Sarah
To continue Writing On Whidbey Island, I would need to find at least one new co-host. Taking Tom’s suggestion during our last recording session, I felt it would be good to recruit a small team of co-host personalities — and to better balance bringing some women into the lineup. After a short search, contacting past guests I most enjoyed, I got lucky and THREE STELLAR INDIVIDUALS Soon Said YES!
Lauren
Lauren, Sarah, and Daniel will be coming on the show during the coming months. I met with Sarah and Lauren in June and August and recorded two WOWI sessions. One episodes questions the use of Artificial Intelligence in the creative process, the other about taking the active step of retreating for the sake of writing. Those should be posted within the next few weeks. The ‘official’ re-debut of Writing On Whidbey Island looks to happen with a September or October session — hopefully featuring the four of us!
Also, if you’re reading this blog post after mid-September 2023 — then the website has been moved to my webhost, re-launched, and given numerous updates. One more thing for the future of WOWI is falling into place!
What’s Yet to Come…
Daniel
During the last three years Tom and I identified improvements we wanted to make to the show — however we never had the time to implement them. I intend to faze these in along with several several others I have seen as being in the best interest and creative direction of Writing On Whidbey Island.
I am in the process of finding a podcast platform for our sessions. This should help reach a wider audience and bring enjoyment to a greater body of listeners. In the meantime, the most recent episodes will be featured directly on the site. And, since I only have so much hosting space, as a new podcast goes up … the oldest will get take down.
In the coming months look for other additions to Writing On Whidbey Island. I plan to get some original music to introduce and close each episode, along with establishing various social media profiles. How about some official WOWI merch to help support the show — travel stickers, T-shirts, travel cups — what would you like to see? Contact us!
Betwixt & Between – Merriam-Webster.com defines this as “in a midway position; neither one thing nor the other“. While WOWI is on a bit of a ‘summer hiatus‘ as it undergoes some changes … there have been some developments … and it seems like the right time to give an update. This won’t be just any-ol’-update … it will also be coming with a preview.
But What Does That Really Mean?
Ehmm…?
Sometime soon*, I will be meeting with an entity that will be a future WOWI co-host**. My aim for the recording session is to update the listeners of WOWI future plans along with developments***, and to discuss a current Hot Topic**** going on in the writing and publishing world.
* PSST — This is happening tomorrow!
** This is a surprise … well, only sort of
*** This is only slightly a secret for now
**** You’ll have to listen to the podcast, which should publish … ehh, in about a week
Here’s the other thing about all of this … I’M REALLY EXCITED!!!
Of all the things I want to bring to WOWI and its listeners, the first most important thing on my wish-list has turned out every big as good and better than I possibly could have hoped! I’ve been SWAMPED, so most of the rest of my to-do list is still in the planning or research stages. However, long-time-listeners will also see that there has been other bits of progress — like updates to the website!
Watch for the release of this interim podcast episode, and please keep with WOWI as we go forward!
Yes — sad but true — founding host Tom Trimbath has departed from Writing On Whidbey Island. He helped start something great, and he will be missed — first and foremost by me — and I look forward to seeing what develops for him as he continues his writing and publishing journey!
However, you might be asking yourself … What is the future of WOWI?
And I might reply … that I don’t have a whole lot of time to go into that right now — but … as the saying goes … The Show Must Go On!
Tom has handed Writing On Whidbey Island over to me. With this, I see an opportunity to bring some new elements to the show — many of which are things Tom and I have wanted to do, but just haven’t had the time to develop. I intend to have guest hosts join me to discuss writing topics and to interview individuals from our island writing community. The suggestion has been given to include unique intro and outro music to the show — something I was already looking into! In time, I plan to move the audio to a podcast platform so that more people may become aware of and benefit from WOWI. How about WOWI merch — stickers, T-shirts, etc? I hope to also create and maintain a few social media profiles — probably Twitter and Facebook.
And the future of WOWI will happen … In The Future!
Hello, my name is Don, I’ll be your Highland bagpiper for today.
As you’ve heard in our earlier podcasts — this is the beginning of my annual seasonal work — otherwise known as my Busy Season. Typically, Tom has done most of the heavy-lifting behind the scenes at this time of the year. Right now, I am unable to juggle work and rolling from 50% production of the podcast to 100% management — so I need to take a little break!
My plan is to resume Writing On Whidbey Island later this year — probably around Fall. Meanwhile, I intend to work on my plans above and begin to put these new show elements into place.
Please enjoy the past episodes in the meantime, and I look forward to you rejoining WOWI in the coming months.
More than three years? That’s a fair amount of podcasts / posts / interview / whatever you want to call these things. Which have been most popular? Well, let’s see what the data shows…
As for the podcasts from 2022, give them a year or two to acquire an audience, particularly one that is not subjected to staying indoors during a pandemic.
Thanks for listening; and to our guests, thanks for opening up to the rest of the writing community. PODCAST
Well, that didn’t go as planned; but it may have come out better. Don and I decided to book ourselves for the last interview of the year. Gaps in our schedules coincided, Coupeville Library was nice enough to let us use their meeting room, and the two of us sat down to talk about Don’s books and projects, and my books and projects. We did that, but the conversation drifted over to what life is like for authors in the shopping and selling season.
See Don
We also talked about the value of talking to other members of our writing community. Writing does not have to be a solo venture. Fellow writers can provide insights into how readers perceive a book. The author may have one intent, but readers may find something else that is not obvious to someone who wrote, edited, and repeatedly read the book before it was published. Bicycling books may appeal to RV owners. Travel books may appeal to people from countries that weren’t visited or even mentioned.
See Tom and Don in the library
This podcast has become an unplanned, informal, yet possibly useful resource built from the contributions and interviews of dozens of members of Whidbey Island’s writing community. Book store owners can bring some reality to expectations. Librarians can point to overlooked resources for research or even funding. Writers from your genre undoubtedly have encountered surprises, the good ones the bad ones and the weird ones. Successful and failed campaigns are useful as long as we learn from them. And, of course, writers can support writers simply by listening to frustrations or understanding otherwise obscure celebrations. (You finally found the right font!)
Thanks to everyone who participates by listening, being interviewed, and sharing.
I hope you enjoy the podcast, and I hope your sales treat you well.
The Patriotic Piper Just the military & patriotic Highland bagpipe sheet music Scot-Irish recipe and history book you were looking for — it’s also a FUNdraiser item for his veterans’ Post!
Say the word ‘money’ and people either have their ears perk up or their eyes glaze over. How about if it is money for your projects? Sno-Isle Libraries’ Freeland Library has become one of the few homes for a database of grants, a source of people and organizations who want to fund people and organizations who have projects and ideas, but who don’t have the money they need. We were lucky enough to talk with Katrina Morse, an Adult Services Librarian who has the task of showing artists, creatives, and advocates how to use the Foundation Grants to Individuals (GTI) database. This is for individual people. Non-profits can benefit, too with the Foundation Directory Online. There are over 10,000 grantmakers on GTI, which is a good thing, but it is also why its best to have a guide like Katrina.
Believe it or not, if you have an idea there just might be someone out there who wants to fund people willing to work on that idea. Research a region? Organize a community? Develop a facility or resource? There’s no guarantee, but there is a possibility. Why say no to an idea until you’ve found out if someone has already said yes, at least to financing it?
Katrina did a great job of teaching Don and I about some aspect of the database tool then listening to us start playing with ideas. Could there be some way to travel to an area that’s going to be in your next book? Someone might care about that region, wherever it is. We’re hearing about writers seeking writers groups. That might be something to organize on more than a volunteer basis. Do we writers need a coworks or a sound studio or a meeting place? That might be handy, and maybe someone wants to encourage the arts in places that aren’t in ‘The Big City’. And maybe not. But maybe.
It is obvious that Katrina can get introduced to lots of passionate people, and funnel them to a source that is otherwise not readily available. This is something that has to be accessed onsite, a bit old-fashioned in that regard; but imagine what this service was like recently, when lots of it was bound and printed and only available by traveling to central locations like Seattle. To get access on Whidbey is a great improvement.
Listen in to what she has to say, and maybe contact her directly about how she can help. Imagine finding funding for organizing classes – or maybe even a writers conference. We won’t know until we ask.
Guidestar, the nonprofit directory: – https://guidestar.candid.org/profile-best-practices/
Candid (the nonprofit that oversees the Foundation Directory) – https://learning.candid.org/training/.
One example of a writers group: Third Thursdays Online Writer’s Group through Sno-Isle Libraries: – https://sno-isle.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?q=third%20thursdays%20writers
Writing on Whidbey Island (WOWI) episode 40 – Katrina Morse – Adult Services Librarian, South Whidbey
Katrina Morse – Adult Services Librarian, South Whidbey
Wait — WHAT — WOWI is 3 years old?!? Yeah — that’s right — 3 years ago Tom and I sat down and recorded our first Writing On Whidbey Island episode! I remember it fondly … a beach in Coupeville … with waves, and seagulls, and jets. This past Wednesday, Tom and I sat down — this time at a picnic table (we’re moving up!) — meeting for our 3 year anniversary show … with seagulls and near the water of Oak Harbor … with the potential for overhead jets … so, actually, not much has changed.
Oak Harbor’s newly remodeled Windjammer Park served as our backdrop. Our audience was a flock seagulls, while our special effects were ash and smoke that smelled like charming pipe-tobacco emanating from the southern Washington forest fire.
Tom and I discussed how the show has grown over 3 years, where it’s going, what we each have been up to in writing lately (*See Links Below*), and our upcoming From Inspiration To Publication workshop . This 1-day workshop will be co-presented in Coupeville WA October 15th 2022 by Tom and myself — See You There!
Tom has two new books recently published! Check out …
Don’t judge a book by its cover, except people do. Joe Menth has helped many of Whidbey’s writers by helping them fix their covers, polish the graphics inside, produce posters and cards and plenty of other marketing materials. Joe’s shop, Feather and Fox which is owned and operated by him and his wife, is in Langley, but if you follow local writers or local artists you’ve probably seen his work.
Writing On Whidbey Island is about the writing community, which previous episodes have shown to be about the support network that wraps around the writers. Librarians, booksellers, editors, publishers, etc. add to the unofficial community that already includes hundreds of writers, poets, and screenwriters. Some writers can do it all, but many of us call for help because we don’t have those skills, or are already so busy that hiring a professional for an hour can save a day’s (or a week’s) effort.
Joe talked with the two of us in a conversation that had to wander around what he does and what he’s asked to do because his skills are so varied. His skills are so varied that sometimes he has to be reminded of them. (Personal note: He’s helped me with at least ten books, so far. Insides, outsides, and marketing besides are demonstrations of more than hitting print.)
Welcome back to a virtual call because, as the pandemic has proved, sometimes the only way to get three busy schedules to align is by having everyone phone it in. Hopefully, you find the episode more engaging than that.
Tom and I recently decided to wrap up 2021 the same way we started WOWI — meeting together and talking about what’s up in writing as we know it! This may be our longest recording session yet — jam-packed with reflection and looking forward into 2022 and beyond.
Among other things, in this session we find out that Tom is working on a sci-fi novel with potential for being a series with sequels and spin-offs. He’s also bringing his book on tea to fruition — sure to be filled with local flavour!
As for me … I have 3 new recipe books nearly complete, publishing sometime in (Fall?) 2022. Just as soon as those are done, I already have 3 half-complete projects to move up from the back burner. Depending on how those go … I might publish 4 new titles in 2022. I’m also taking steps to become a professional audiobook narrator.
Enjoy! ~ Don
Honorable Mentions & Handy Weblinks From This Episode of WOWI
