Massachusetts Mensa Writing Group

The Massachusetts Mensa Writing Group meets once a month, the third Tuesday, at 4pm. We have members from both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Please contact me if you're a memeber of Mensa and would like to join us!

Lisa
That's me! You can look through this entire website to learn more about my writing style. I run numerous websites and write all day long, every day. In particular you can review:
Lisa's Writing Content
YouTube Origami Instructions
Weddings & Courtships - a published series

Twitter keeps you up to date on all my various projects:
LisaShea High Volume Twitter Profile (combines all four below)
LisaShea Twitter Profile
LisaLowCarb Twitter Profile
LisaVideoGames Twitter Profile
WineIntro Twitter Profile

Lynn
Lynn runs a hypnosis business and has also taught piano for many years. She is currently focused on the hypnosis!
Silver Lining Hypnosis

Josh
Josh, also known as "Bruce McToose", is focused on a series of videos exploring New England. His TV series has a "cult following" and will soon be visible on many PBS stations throughout New England!
Bruce McToose - World Traveler website
Bruce's Twitter Profile

Tom
Tom is a writer and inventor!
SolarSippers - Tom's winter-friendly bird waterdish
Puddles Blog
Tom Hollyday Author Page
Tom Hollyday YouTube Videos

Alyn
Alyn is fascinated by the world of physics and electricity.
Alyn's Cosmos Blog which he'd like feedback on.
Alyn's Twitter Profile

Dyan
Dyan deNapoli is a penguin expert, author and educator. She has written a book about the historic rescue of 40,000 penguins from an oil spill that will be published by Free Press in late 2010. A portion of the proceeds from The Great Penguin Rescue will be donated to penguin rescue, research and conservation groups.
The Penguin Lady website
The Penguin Lady blog

Dean
Dean works in the world of micro-investing, and is full of fascinating tales of Africa, Asia and other exotic locations! He is finishing a gripping book about his experiences in a hospital setting.

From Dean:

I have been working in the field of international development for over thirty years in nearly seventy countries at every level from the grassroots to senior management. The focus of my work has been in the areas of microfinance, and cooperative development. I have a Masters Degree in Development Policy and Public Administration, which included an emphasis on applied economics. I am fluent in French and have basic knowledge of Spanish and Russian.

By virtue of designing, managing and evaluating microfinance activities in diverse parts of the world I have been intricately involved in product and service development and delivery in a number of environments. This has involved being intimately occupied with planning processes and managing staff in a home office and overseas, as well as successfully developing partnerships with a variety of organizations. In all cases, I have utilized a capacity building methodology, working through existing institutions in a given country with the ultimate objective being impact on individuals. My efforts have also included technical support and the management a number of projects, as well as developing relationships with governments, funding partners and international agencies.

My extensive experience in the field of microfinance has convinced me that the role of external resources should be as a catalyst and support for development, and not in replacement of the resources which poor people can and do create themselves. If assistance is properly directed we can address the real needs of the underserved, instill pride in self-help efforts and provide the tools for “graduation” to the next levels of economies – both for individuals and their communities. Microfinance can and does provide this entrée, by facilitating the provision of such enabling tools as; savings, loans, and microinsurance. Lessons learned in development interventions, if applied, will make a difference. I have experience throughout the globe in developing and implementing innovative pro-poor microfinance programs that work and create sustainable services and systems.

Jefferson
Jefferson is an epidemiologist trying to figure out what he is really supposed to be doing here (and now). Scepticism is a form of curiosity. Epidemiology is the formal study of cause and effect (per se, diseases and their distributions). Go greek or latin on all this and you'll etymologically put it all together. Put a sceptic near a college class that looks for the 'flaw' in someone's reasoned attempt at the truth (of a matter) and you get an epidemiologist. He'd rather be writing. Now, how to pay those bills...

Jefferson's Website

Lewis
Lewis has a long-standing interest in science fiction. He is also trying his hand at the "young adult" category.

Carmen
Carmen is involved in theatrical groups with singing and dance. She is starting a quest to write short, humorous stories about things in her life.

James Weiss
James is a professor at Northeastern University who teaches Humanities in the College of Professional Studies. His interests include European travel and research, writing, cooking, satirical literature and skeet shooting---no blood.

Michael Bleiweiss
Michael received his Bachelor's Degree in Physics from M.I.T. with a minor in Music Theory. He plays flute and enjoys musical composition, mostly in the "classical" style. He has developed a specialty in arranging songs for flute and voice in addition to his original works. For example he has done voice-flute arrangements for Poor Wandering One (from Pirates of Penzance) and Rainbow Connection (from The Muppet Movie). He's written a Lovers’ Rondo for Flute, Violin, & Piano and a Suite for Flute and Viola (or 5-String Violin).

Steve and Martin Wigall
My son, Martin, and I are aspiring writers who live in Lawrence MA. Martin is in the Creative Fiction Program at U. Maine, Farmington. I have only published two journal articles in my field (Spiritual Direction), but am working on the final editing of a text I would like to publish for Church use, and for individuals interested in spiritual exploration. Preliminary title: "A Theology of Joy" My son has one or more stories which I believe are of more than publishable quality. His genre of choice is Science Fiction. To the best of my ability to be objective, as an ex-literature major, I find his writing to be especially emotionally engaging, and his characters emotionally rich.

Tom Elliott
Tom is the published author of "So You Want to Be a Talent Agent?" - you can get his book on Amazon!

So You Want to Be a Talent Agent?
MyTalentAgencyBook.com

Ruth Young
I am a biology professor at Northern Essex Community College and toying with the idea of retirement. I have a PhD from the University of Vermont. I did research for many years on woodchucks and genetically obese rats. Teaching is a second career. Things I do for fun are gardening, reading mysteries, playing with computers instead of getting work done, grooming cats, cooking and baking, and planning to take up oil painting again soon.

Helpful Information for Members:
Setting Up a Website - an absolute must for any author, musician or videographer
OCR and Print Documents - get all your content online
Social Networking - get tons of traffic for your website
Publishing CDs and DVDs - additional revenue streams
Online Degrees

The writing group ran seminars at the 2008 and 2009 Boston Mensa RGs! Here's our write-up:

Lisa Shea and Thomas Hollyday, who run Boston Mensa's monthly Writing Workshop, will discuss such topics as selling your writing on the Internet and maintaining a writing journal. Included will be a question-and-answer period, followed by short readings: Lisa's "Making Money at Home" and a scene from Tom's novel "Magnolia Gods."

Lisa Shea is the published author of a book series on Weddings and Courtships traditions around the world. She has self-published seven romance novels and regularly contributes to several magazines. She owns and runs BellaOnline.com, the second largest woman’s website in the world, which receives over 20 million pageviews each month. She also runs several other high-traffic websites. All told she has over 50,000 articles of her own content on the web. For more information visit LisaShea.com.

A native of the Chesapeake Bay region, Thomas Hollyday has been writing local history most of his life. He attended the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, is a decorated Army veteran of Vietnam, and studied under Michael Curtis in Boston. His published work includes illustrations and poetry in magazines such as Good Housekeeping, historical articles in journals like the Neptune of the Peabody Institute, and several River Sunday thriller romance novels. For purchasing information visit solarsippers.com.

Online Literary Magazines

Lisa Shea's Homepage