Dear Literary Folk,
Below are some announcements that are top of the news this month. This is followed by the October Calendar of events, and then the news from across the county, calls for submission, new Sonoma County publications, current and upcoming workshops, and ongoing reading series and writers’ groups.
Those of you whose announcements run regularly in the Literary Update may want to consider making a small annual donation to keep the Update going. Details at the end of the newsletter.
Guerneville Poetry Walk this weekend!
Hot on the heels of another fabulous Petaluma Poetry Walk comes the Guerneville Poetry Walk, an extravaganza on the river on Saturday, October 3 from 11 Am to 4 PM. The event is organized by judi Goldberg and Dixie Lewis of PenHouse Ink Press, and features Bart Rawlinson, Bob Jones, Alexandra Ellen Appel, River Ranger & the Stumptown Posse, Pat Nolan, Gail King, judi goldberg, and Dixie Lewis. For details, check the “News from West County” section of the County-Wide Literary News.
Sixth Annual Poetry of Remembrance/Poesia del Recuerdo Community Reading
On Friday, October 23 from 5:30-9 PM, members of the community are invited to the Petaluma Arts Center (230 Lakeville Street) for the sixth annual Bilingual Poetry of Remembrance Community Reading. Those who would also like to be part of the community reading are welcome to read a poem (limited to one page) they have written for the occasion or a favorite poem that expresses their feelings. If you are interested in reading a poem, please contact Terry Ehret at tehret99@comcast.net.
Redwood Writers Conference kicks off with a pre-Conference Dinner with former California State Poet Laureate, Al Young
Al Young is the keynote speaker for the October 23, 2009 pre-Conference dinner event at Santa Rosa’s Flamingo Hotel and Resort, running from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Al’s talk will be “How the Rainbow Works: Reflections on Poetry and Survival.” He recently returned from three days of Smithsonian interviews for their jazz history archives and will have lots to share. Cost for the evening is $30.00 per ticket. The all-day conference follows the next day, October 24. Details about the other featured poets and the conference can be found in the County-Wide Literary News below.
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October Calendar of Literary Events
The monthly calendar reflects announcements that literary folk from the area have sent to me. To get a more complete list of author-events and workshop schedules, addresses and directions to the event locations, as well as bios of the presenters, you can use these links.
Book Passage www.bookpassage.com
Center Literary Café centerliterarycafe@gmail.com
Copperfield’s Books http://www.copperfields.net/
Petaluma Writers’ Forum and Jumpstart Writing Workshops: www.thewritespot.us
Poetry Azul Reading Series edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.
Readers’ Books www.readersbooks.com
Sebastopol Center for the Arts http://www.sebarts.org/index.htm
Sitting Room www.sittingroom.org
Sonoma Arts Literary Calendar www.sonomaarts.com
WordTemple Poetry Series http://www.wordtemple.com
Saturday, October 3, 11 Am to 4 PM: Guerneville Poetry Walk, various locations in downtown Guerneville. Details in the News from West County section below.
Saturday, October 3 at 8 PM: Stories Seldom Told: A feminist retelling of some familiar and not so familiar Biblical Stories. Written and directed by Lizann Bassham. Featuring, West County favorites, Shoshana Geller, Pam Tinnin, Katie Ketchum, Evelyn McFadden, Krissy Campbell, and Michal Victoria. Fifteen characters have the opportunity to speak, and sometimes sing, their own version of the story and share their own experience. Location: Cloverdale Performing Arts Center (Grange Theater). Tickets $10
Saturday, October 3 starting at 8:30 AM: Menocino Watershed Celebration Day & Eco Groups Expo begins with an Open Mic Poetry Reading from 8:30 AM -12:30PM at Alex Thomas Park held in collaboration with the Saturday Farmers’ Market. Produced by Larry Sheehy and Doug Strong. For more information about this and other Watershed Celebration Day readings and events, contact Larry at 485-7072 or ecotopialarry@pacific.net . You can also visit the website at http://watershedpoetrymendocino.wordpress.com/
Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 2-4 p.m Dublin’s Poet Laureate, Ronnie Holland, will host the “Three Muses” event featuring poets Jeanne Lupton, Ruth L. Schwartz and Andrena Zawinski. Location: Old St. Raymond’s Church, 6600 Donlon Way in Dublin. Complimentary refreshments and open mike. Admission $5, free to students with ID. Register in advance (925) 556-4500, or online at www.DublinRecGuide.com.
Monday, October 5, 7-9 PM: Sebastopol Center For the Arts Writers Sampler presents Barbara Baer – SMALL PRESS PUBLISHING, SELF-PUBLISHING, PUBLISHING ON DEMAND. @ SCA, 6780 Depot Street in Sebastopol. Fees: $15 per class; $50 for all four. Call 829-4797 for details
Thursday, October 8 at 7:00 pm. Real Women Have Curves “A Staged Reading ” at the Petaluma Arts Center. A benefit for The Day of the Dead/ El Dia de los Muertos, sponsored by the Petaluma Arts Council. For details and to RSVP, follow the link below:http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=143142214249&mid=12ce97bG3ffb03c8G888c62G7.
Thursday, October 8, 7:30 pm: Rose Black reads from her books Clearing and Winter Light with Rafaella Del Bourgo and Joe Zaccardi at Moe’s Books, Berkeley,2476 Telegraph Avenue. Presented by Poetry Flash.
Friday, October 9, 7 to 9: The Sitting Room presents a Night with Three Writers: Christine Sunley, author of “Tricking of Freya”; Christine Radich, author of “Our Mother’s War: A Biography of a Child of the Dutch Resistance”; and Linda Loveland Reid, author of “ Touch of Magenta.” All of these authors are interested in history, all are interested in STORY, all are interesting….come meet them and hear how they “met” their characters. And for refreshments, we will enjoy pies made by one of our authors! The Sitting Room, 170 East Cotati Ave. Cotati, CA 94931 www.SittingRoom.org
Saturday, October 10 at 7 PM: Pedestal Magazine’s Bay Area Writers/Poets read at Book Passage in Corte Madera. 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, CA 94925-1145
(415) 927-0960.
Monday, October 12, 7-9 PM: Sebastopol Center For the Arts Writers Sampler presents Lizann Bassham – WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE MORE TO SAY: Moving From Short Fiction To The Novel@ SCA, 6780 Depot Street in Sebastopol.Fees: $15 per class; $50 for all 4. Call 829-4797 for details
Tuesday, October 13, 7pm: Rose and Stefanie Freele read their work at Healdsburg Senior Center, Healdsburg, 133 Matheson Street. Presented by Center Literary Café.
Thursday, October 15, 7:00- 9:00 PM: Petaluma Writers Forum presents Clara Rosemarda. “DEEP INQUIRY: A Memoir Workshop” Location: Petaluma Community Center, 320 No. McDowell Blvd. Petaluma. Cost: $15 at the door. For more information: www.thewritespot.us, or contact Marlene Cullen mcullen@comcast.net.
Friday, October 16, 7-9 PM: WordTemple Poetry Series presents Rebecca Foust, Opal Palmer Adisa, devorah major, and Donna Emerson. NOTE: BEGINNING WITH THE FALL 2009 SEASON, THE WORDTEMPLE POETRY SERIES WILL BE HELD AT THE SONOMA COUNTY MUSEUM, 425-7th Street, Santa Rosa. Visit www.sonomacountymuseum.org. For details about the featured poets, visit the website at www.wordtemple.com.
Saturday, October 17, 1:00-3:00 PM: Meet & Greet Sher Lianne Christian at Copperfield’s Books and Music, 176 N. Main in Sebastopol on Saturday, October 17 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 17, 9:00 A M to 3:00 P M: In Search of Lorca’s Duende, Guy Biederman and Ken Rodgers, $75.00, Iota Press, 925-C Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, CA. Details in the Current and Upcoming Workshops section of the Update. guyb@sonic.net, kennetherodgers@msn.com.
Saturday, October 17, 4-8 PM: A coming-out-party hosted by Barbara Baer for Grisha the Scrivener at the Graton Community Clubhouse on the corner of Graton Rd/ N Edison. Music, food and drink with a Russian flavor to welcome Barbara’s novella (Ghost Road Press, Denver) whose dissident protagonist, hack journalist and secret poet Grisha Greogorovich, survives three decades of Soviet dominion by keeping his head down like Melville’s Bartleby, and creating an oasis for an individual to breathe.
Sunday, October 18, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM: Eric Johnson and Iota Press workshop in Printing Poetry. Basics of letterpress. Details appear in the Current and Upcoming Workshops section. For all information on classes, call Eric at 823-6152. iota@sonic.net
Sunday, October 18 , 11:30 Am to 1:00 PM: People, Places and Poetry Discussion Group at Aqus Cafe in Petaluma 189 H Street. Hosted by Geri DiGiorno and Nancy Long of LiveWire Literary Salon. Bring a poem to share (written by your favorite poet or your own!). Writing exercise and reading of your work (only if you want to…)All levels welcomed! No experience required! For more info: Nancy Long at nsasha@earthlink.net or Geri DiGiorno at adageri@aol.com
Sunday, October 18, 12:30-1:30 PM: Third Sunday Poetry Reading & Poetry Open Mic: Featured reader is Gor Yaswen, artist and writer. Hosted by Sher Lianne Christian, poet, accompanied by John Christian on piano & accordion. Share a poem you or someone else has written if you like. The theme is FEAR, how it can titillate us, slow us down, or hold us back. Donation appreciated, $1 to $10. **Note: October location: Sebastopol Memorial Lawn, 7951 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Weather permitting. Bring a folding chair. Costumes welcome. Rain/cold location: Coffee Catz, 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707 829-6600. Sher: 530 277-0147.
Monday, October 19, 5:30-8:45 PM: Soundscapes to delight the senses. Monday, October 19. A private dinner party with poetry and music by Sher Lianne and John Christian Jaquelyn Paull, visualizer and artist from San Francisco will discuss opportunities for artists through various media. Open mic. $7 cover charge includes 25% discount on all purchases of food and beverage, and participation in the art raffle, as well as the drawing of a door prize. Reservations, 415 492.8870. Cafe Arrivederci, 11 G. Street, San Rafael.
Monday, October 19, 7-9 PM: Sebastopol Center For the Arts Writers Sampler presents Ken Rodgers – LYRIC ESSAY: Where The Lyrical Meets The Personal @ SCA, 6780 Depot Street in Sebastopol.Fees: $15 per class; $50 for all 4. Call 829-4797 for details
Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 PM: The Sonoma County Public Library Foundation’s annual Chocolate and Cinema fundraiser features award-winning chocolatiers and the classic film, The Philadelphia Story, staring Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart and Cary Grant. Location: Rialto Cinemas, Lakeside, 551 Summerfield Rd, Santa Rosa. Reservations: $30.00/each or two for $50.00.
Thursday, October 22 at 5:30 PM: The Writers at Sonoma series presents Yusef Komunyakaa and Dara Wier at Sonoma State University in Charles W. Schulz Library, Room 3001. The event is free and open to the public. Yusef Komunyakaa is the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of 16 books of poetry. His most recent collection is WARHORSES. Dara Wier’s just released SELECTED POEMS encompasses work from 1977-2006, drawing from 11 books of poetry.
Thursday, October 22 at 7 PM: Diane Hales, author of La Bella Lingua — My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language will read and talk about her explorations of Italy’s language, history, literature, art, music, movies, lifestyle and food — a true opera amorosa — at Trattoria Cattaneo, 2700 Yulupa Avenue (across the street from Safeway). Introduced by Katherine Hastings, Hales will be joined by Sebastopol poet Nancy Dougherty who will read from her new collection of poems, Levee Town, written during a visit to post-Katrina New Orleans. Reservations are recommended: 542-4090
For more information, contact Katherine Hastings at khastings@wordtemple.com
Friday, October 23, 5:30-9 PM: Sixth annual Poetry of Remembrance Community Reading at the Petaluma Arts Center, Lakeville Hwy and D Street, Petaluma, CA. This evening of music, food, and poetry is sponsored by the El Dia de los Muertos Committee of the Petaluma Arts Council. All are welcome to come and share. For information about being part of the reading, contact Terry Ehret by October 16 at tehret99@comcast.net.
Friday, October 23, 5:30 – 9:00 PM: Redwood Writers hosts a pre-conference poetry dinner with Al Young, Armando Garcia-Davila, Mike Tuggle, and more. See information above for details about the dinner or visit http://www.redwoodwriters.org
Friday, October 23, 6:30-9 PM: Come celebrate the release of PanGaia’s first CD, Earth Vein. Join PanGaia for light dinner (Organic soups, pasta, salad..) and a 7:15pm Concert. Location: SUBUD HALL 234 Hutchins Ave, Sebastopol, CA, 95472Tickets @ Door $15-40 Sliding Scale. No one turned away for lack of funds. For Reservations, call 328-1793.
Saturday, October 24, 7:30 Am to 6 PM: Redwood Writers Conference. Conference details are included in the County Wide News below, or visit http://www.redwoodwriters.org
Saturday, October 24, 1-3 PM: International Day of Climate Action poets’ march on the Golden Gate Bridge. Details in “County Wide News.” For more information, check out www.350.org, or contact Phyllis Meshulam at bplucky2@yahoo.com or 707-486-7450.
Monday, October 26, 7-9 PM: Sebastopol Center For the Arts Writers Sampler presents Clara Rosemarda – MEMORY AND IMAGINATION: Writing Memoir @ SCA, 6780 Depot Street in Sebastopol.Fees: $15 per class; $50 for all 4. Call 829-4797 for details
Friday, October 28: Making an Impression: writing & printing—first of 5 meetings with Eric Johnson and Guy Biederman. Details in the Current and Upcoming Workshops section of the Update. For all information on classes, call Eric at 823-6152. iota@sonic.net
Saturday, October 9:00-12:30: Letterpress Basics $50. Learn basics of letterpress…. and design & print a card with type & graphics. Details in the Current and Upcomng Workshops section of the Update. For all information on classes, call Eric at 823-6152. iota@sonic.net
Saturday, October 31, 2:00-3:30 PM: All Hallows’ Eve Poetry Reading & Open Mic. Featured reader, Sher Christian accompanied by John Christian on keyboard. Come in costume and share your gift! Refreshments served. Suggested donation: $5. CSL (Center for Spiritual Living) Petaluma. 921 Transport Way, off of McDowell. Directions at http://www.petalumacrs.org/ CSL Petaluma, 765-1528 or Sher, 530 277-0147. www.lusciouspoetry.typepad.com/
Sunday, November 1, 3-5 PM: Redwood Writers general meeting at Copperfield’s Books, 2316 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa. $5 for nonmembers. Details in the Ungoing Writers Groups section of the Update.
Monday, November 2, 12:00-1:00 PM: Donna Emerson reads from her new book of poems, Body Rhymes, at Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Junior College, 1501 Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Jared Emerson-Johnson will play introductory and closing music on violin and mandolin.
Tuesday, November 10, 7-9 PM: The Center Literary Café presents Novelist Lian Gouw and Poet Sher Lianne Christian. Doors open at 6:30. Open mic. Bring prose or poetry to share. Light refreshments. Donations appreciated. Parking available right behind the Senior Center. 133 Matheson St. (One block east of plaza), Healdsburg, CA 95448.Call Cynthia Helen for info 707 696-1111 or centerliterarycafe@gmail.com
Don’t see your event in the calendar? Check to make sure you sent your announcement by the deadline and in the abbreviated, plain-text format. I am happy to include all announcements, text only (no PDF please), sent to me no later than noon on the last day of each month. Calendar entries are easier to include if they follow the format you see above, and if you can keep the information brief.
County-Wide News
West Ireland Literary Tour and Writing Workshop 2010
Once again, I am offering a twelve-day literary tour and writing retreat in West Ireland in the summer of 2010. The deadline for signing up is November 15, 2009. The trip is limited to 5 travelers. Currently the dates I am looking at are the first two weeks in July.
Participants will stay at a private house or bed and breakfast in the County Clare village of Ballyvaughan. The itinerary includes day trips to various sites in Counties Galway and Clare, including Coole Park, the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, an excursion by boat to the Aran Islands, and W.B. Yeats’s homes at Thoor Ballylee and Sligo. Travel will be by private car/minivan. To cap the twelve-day literary adventure, participants will enjoy a Medieval banquet with Irish song and poetry at Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara.
Ballyvaughan and its neighboring villages of Kinvara (to the west) and Doolin (to the east) are among the most scenic places in Ireland, nestled between the hills of the Burren and the sea, on the southern shore of Galway Bay. We are a short drive from Poulnabrone Dolmen, a burial tomb more than 5,000 years old. The area surrounding Ballyvaughan is a limestone or karst region of haunting beauty.
Besides the tour described above, this is also planned as a writers’ workshop, including eight writing sessions with the chance to share your work in a supportive group.
The cost for the literary tour and workshop is $2,350 for twelve days. The price includes private room, breakfast, lunch, some dinners, transportation, writing sessions, and all the side trips listed above. Air fare is not included in the price, but currently the cost of a round-trip flight in July is around $1,000.
For more information, visit the website at http://www.westireland.wordpress.com or contact Terry Ehret at tehret99@comcast.net.
Chocolate and Cinema Fund Raiser, October 21 at the Realto Theater
The Sonoma County Public Library Foundation’s annual Chocolate and Cinema fundraiser is coming up on October 21.
As always, it will be held at the Rialto and feature award-winning chocolatiers. We will be showing the classic film, The Philadelphia Story, staring Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart and Cary Grant.
This is a fun event for a great cause. Feel free to email me with any questions.
Jenni E. Klose
jklose@abbeylaw.com
October 24 Golden Gate Bridge Walk for International Day of Climate Action
October 24 is an international day of “climate action” intended to motivate world leaders to make decisive policy when they meet in Copenhagen in December for the climate summit.
Here is an action designed to engage poets’ skills in the cause and make use of poetry’s ability to touch hearts and transport people to beloved places. Let’s meet at the parking lot on the north/east side of the Golden Gate Bridge at 1 pm on October 24. But first visit www.350.org and click on “search for actions near me.” By the afternoon of Friday, October 2, I will have posted a sample poetry leaflet, with an environmental poem and a tag that explains the action and the significance of the number 350, the upper limit of parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere for survival of life-as-we-know-it-on-earth. (We are already almost at 390, by the way.) Please feel free to modify this leaflet by adding your own environment poem. (If you use other people’s, you should get their permission.) Then print a bunch up and head for the bridge! I plan on being there from 1 pm to 3 pm that day. Pouring rain would cancel.
To get additional inspiration, you might also come to “An Evening with Bill McKibben” on Friday, October 2, 7 pm at the Sonoma Country Day School near the airport. $10 in advance through www.scdsevents.org, or $15 at the door. Bill is known as the Paul Revere of climate change, a motivational speaker, and the founder of 350.org.
For more information, check out www.350.org, or contact Phyllis Meshulam at bplucky2@yahoo.com or 707-486-7450.
SPEND an AFTERNOON with ALICE WALKER
Sonoma County, CA, August 26, 2009: A Conversation With Alice Walker is being produced by Palm of Her Hand, and is a benefit for the Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation in Kenya, East Africa which works with educating children who have been orphaned by AIDS. Join Alice at the Raven Theater in Healdsburg, on Sunday, October 25th at 3:00 p.m. The afternoon holds live music, tea, chocolate, an art auction, and of course, the gift of hearing from Alice Walker, including poems from her forthcoming book, ‘Hard Times Require Furious Dancing’, as well as a question and answer period.
The founder of the Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation, Kwamboka Okari will be joining Alice and sharing about her work with children in Kenya. Shiloh Sophia McCloud, the founder of Palm of Her Hand, will MC the day. The afternoon will conclude with a reception at Electric Rose Gallery on the plaza, which is donating 20% of proceeds to the Foundation.
“If you have ever heard Alice Walker speak, you will know what I mean when I say that her presence is the very impartation of being “peace” even in the middle of a war zone. Whether that war is metaphoric, personal, or political, the space she holds of how we can continue to choose happiness despite our challenges, is riveting and transformational” says Shiloh McCloud.
Alice Walker, a visionary for our times, continues to share her wisdom and inspire our hearts and minds through a series of conversations happening internationally, and online in her “living book”,www.alicewalkersblog.com. From Mexico to Burma, from Rwanda to Egypt, from Berkeley to Healdsburg, we get to share in her experiences through her teachings on topics all of us can relate to: love/hate, justice/injustice, war/awakening. Through all of her work, central messages emerge that are that ultimately call us to compassionate action.
This event, takes place on the 3rd day of a Visionary Conference called Bountiful which features teachings by Bay Area women visionaries on creativity, transformation and thriving during challenging times.
Ticket sales open today at http://www.palmofherhand.com
We will sell out, so get your ticket now! You can also get your tickets at Copperfield’s Books in Sonoma County locations. Learn more about the Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation at http://www.okarichildren.com.
Visit Alice on-line at http://www.alicewalkersgarden.com
To learn more about the three day Visionary Conference for Women called Bountiful: http://www.cosmiccowgirls.com
LIBRARY HOLDS WRITE-INS FOR NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH
Got the urge to write? The Sonoma County Library is holding write-ins for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) an annual event in which aspiring writers attempt to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.
Several of the library branches will make space, time and coffee available to writers as they sprint through their literary efforts.
Writers are invited to attend a launch event at the Central Branch on Third and E Streets in Santa Rosa on Monday, Oct. 26th at 6:00 p.m. Veteran NaNoWriMo participant and municipal liaison Debbie Koehler will explain the program and talk about the origins of National Novel Writing Month.
Library write-ins will take place in November at the following branches: Central, Mondays 5:00 – 8:30 p.m.; Healdsburg, Mondays 5:00-8:30 p.m.; Rincon Valley, Mondays 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; Petaluma, Tuesdays 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. except Nov. 17th; Sebastopol, schedule varies, please see the calendar at the web site www.sonomalibrary.org
For more information on the Library write-ins call Robin Watters at 545-0831 x539 or see the library web site, www.sonomalibrary.org. For more information on National Novel Writing Month see the web site, www.nanowrimo.org
Redwood Writers Announces Its Conference
The Redwood Writers 2009 Conference takes place on October 24, 2009 from 7:30 am – 6:00pm (check-in from 7:30 – 8:15am), at the Flamingo Hotel and Resort in Santa Rosa, 2777 Fourth Street, 95405, (707) 545-8530. This one-day conference, part of the California Writers Club Centennial activities statewide, will feature agents, editors, and writers from all genres. They will offer their insights and experiences in the craft of writing at beginning through advanced levels, as well as the encouragement of fellow writers in a relaxed and friendly, wine-country setting. Copperfield’s Books is our exclusive on-site bookstore seller.
Conference web site: http://www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html.
Contact: Linda Loveland Reid
president@redwoodwriters.org
707-484-4153
The following workshops will be offered:
Craft of Writing
9:30 – 10:30 am Jordan Rosenfeld & Jody Gehrman – How to Structure A Story
10:45 – 11:45 am Mark Sloan – The Art of Efficient Research
2:00 – 3:00 pm Adair Lara– First Person Writing that Sells
3:15 – 4:15 pm B. Lynn Goodwin – Finding Your Writing Voice
Genre
9:30 – 10:30 am Arlene Mandell – Non-fiction Writing
10:45 – 11:45 am Tamim Ansary – Memoir: Your Life as Story
2:00 – 3:00 pm Steve Hockensmith – Fiction Writing: What’s Your Hook
3:15 – 4:15 pm Christine Nora – Children’s Picture Book Writing and Illustrating
Technology & Business
9:30 – 10:30 am Catharine Bramkamp – Self-publishing
10:45 – 11:45 am Laurie McLean – Agents
2:00 – 3:00 pm Gil Mansergh, Seth Harwood, Scott Kemble & Patricia V. Davis
– New Ways to Get Published
3:15 – 4:15 pm Ann Wilkes – Developing Your Online Presence
Three areas of writing – the craft of writing, genre, and technology & business – offer registrants an opportunity to pick and choose workshops that suit their specific needs.
Our morning and luncheon keynote speakers, Tamim Ansary and Steve Hockensmith, will both lead workshops about memoir and fiction, respectively.
Register on-line at http://www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html or download a registration form and mail it to the address shown below. Lunch is included in the price of registration.
About Redwood Writers:
Redwood Writers is one of 17 branches of the California Writers Club, the nation’s oldest professional club for writers, founded in 1909. Redwood Writer’s motto is “writers helping writers.” Early members include Jack London, George Sterling, John Muir, Joaquin Miller and the first California poet laureate, Ina Coolbrith. The Club has more than 1,200 members statewide.
Additional contact information:
http://www.redwoodwriters.org
Redwood Writers, P.O. Box 4687, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Specify “Attention: Conference Registration” if registering by snail mail.
Photos of keynote speakers and workshop facilitators available upon request
The Redwood branch of the California Writers Club presents a talk by Verna Dreisbach.
Verna Dreisbach’s talk, “Perceptions of an Agent,” will discuss how to attract an agent’s attention, how to build an author platform, and identify common mistakes writers often make in trying to secure an agent. She will provide handouts as well as examples of query letters and book proposals, and talk about why most fiction writing doesn’t make it past an agent. Verna represents both fiction and nonfiction titles.
The November 1st meeting runs from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Copperfield’s Book Store in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village (2316 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 95404, 707-578-8938). The general public is welcome. A small fee of $3 for members, $5 for nonmembers, is asked to cover speaking fees and light refreshments.
About Verna Dreisbach:
Verna Dreisbach is an award winning writer who has been featured in books, literary journals, magazines, and newspapers. Prior to founding Dreisbach Literary Management in 2008, she spent nearly two years working for a reputable literary agency and has established numerous contacts in the publishing industry. A frequent traveler to writing conferences, Verna also serves on the board of directors for the CSUS Writers Conference in Sacramento and is the president and founder of the Capitol City Young Writers, a non-profit writing organization for students in both junior high and high school. In addition, Verna serves as an editor to the Calaveras Station, Sacramento State University’s literary journal.
Iota Press has a New Location
Iota Press has moved into a studio in Sebastopol and will operate a letterpress print shop. There is a separate hosting space available for workshops or other kinds of events.
Starting in the fall, classes in letterpress printing will be offered, with an eye to helping writers and artists see (& feel) the aesthetic power of hand-made typography. Check the Current and Upcoming Workshop section of the Update for details.
Although the letterpress work is tilted toward making chapbooks and broadsides, the shop can take on other projects where the unique tactile art of metal type and good paper are desired. Visitors welcome. Call Eric Johnson first at 823-6152; email at <iota@sonic.net>; or look for the shop at 925 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol (by the sign of the Bee).
WordTemple Readings hosted by Katherine Hastings has a New Location, too!
Location, Location, Location. A reminder that the Fall ‘09 season of the WordTemple Poetry Series will be held at the Sonoma County Museum, 425-7th Street, in Santa Rosa. The Museum is located directly across the street from the Santa Rosa Plaza parking garage. Although the Museum initially said all readings would take place in the main gallery, they had to change their plans this week due to exhibit needs; all readings will take place in the newly painted reading room downstairs.
Still Free. All WordTemple events are free, free, free. There is no change here. What has changed is that you will see a receptacle provided by the Museum for “Donations.” This has nothing to do with WordTemple but is a way you can donate directly to the Museum for providing space and staff if you would like.
Copperfield’s. Many people have asked why WordTemple is not being held at Copperfield’s this season. The only reason is that there was a serious scheduling problem, the first in four years. In order to have the readings there, I would have had to ask several poets to cancel their readings; I just couldn’t do this. Everyone has been looking forward to reading at WordTemple for a long time, some traveling from New York and Michigan. Copperfield’s is still our good friend and has offered to advertise WordTemple events this season even though the events aren’t being held in their store. I hope you will continue to support this lovely, community-minded, independent bookstore in Montgomery Village. We definitely don’t want them to go away.
The Sonoma County Musuem
425 – 7th Street
Santa Rosa
(across the street from the SR Plaza parking garage)
On Friday, October 16, WordTemple presents Rbecca Foust, Daughters of Yam (devorah major, Opal Palmer Adisa), Donna Emerson
Rebecca Foust’s book, all that gorgeous pitiless song, won the 2008 Many Mountains Moving Book Award and will be released next year, and her books, Dark Card (Texas Review Press 2008) and Mom’s Canoe (TRP 2009) won the 2007 and 2008 Robert Phillips Poetry Prizes. Her recent poetry appears or is forthcoming in Hudson Review, Los Angeles Review, Margie, North American Review, Spoon River and elsewhere and has received awards and distinctions including two 2008 Pushcart nominations and International Publication Prizes from Atlanta Review in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Daughters of Yam — Poet and writer Opal Palmer Adisa and former San Francisco Poet Laureate devorah major — have performed at Lincoln Center Outdoors Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s, Brava, Oakland Ensemble Theater and many other clubs, theaters and community centers. They have published a book, “Traveling Women” and two full length poetry and jazz recordings, “Fierce//Love” and “The Tongue is a Drum.” In a harmonic blending of voices, they lift poetry off the page yet preserve the integrity of language. They continue in the tradition of the African Griot (storyteller and historian) who gave birth to the Last Poets, Jayne Cortez and Sonia Sanchez, et al.
Daughters of Yam performs poetry, which is cultural, social and political centering on the reality of being of African descent, women, mothers, lovers, human beings in today’s world.
Donna Emerson is a college instructor, licensed clinical social worker, photographer, and writer of poetry and prose. Recent poetry publications include California Quarterly, The South Carolina Poetry Review, Phoebe, and So To Speak, among many others. Recent prose publications include Stone Canoe, Tiny Lights, Crone, and Passager. Her latest award was “Best of the Best” from the California State Poetry Society in December, 2008.Her second chapbook, Body Rhymes, was selected by Finishing Line Press, for publication in May 2009.
Dee Sunshine’s Book Art and Cover Art
I am an artist, illustrator and graphic designer. If you need an illustration for a book cover, or if you need a book jacket design I can offer up my services. I have an online gallery of over 1,000 images that are available for reproduction at http://www.rimbaud.org.uk/artmainpage.html.
I have provided artwork for books by Clarinda Harriss, Kay Green, Janet Buck, David Bircumshaw, Marcy Jarvis, Rupert Loydell and Norman Jope among others; and I’ve had my art published in numerous periodicals including The North American Review, International Poetry Review, Orbis, Ambit, Cimarron Review, Black Mountain Review, Rattapallax and Bayou Review. You can see sample book jackets at http://www.rimbaud.org.uk/jacketmain.html
I work in acrylic, pastel, charcoal, pen & ink, photomontage & collage: each medium having it’s own specific style; and am sure I would have something in stock that would suit most needs. As the works are already completed (rather than produced to commission) I can be flexible about reproduction fees, depending on the budget of your publisher, or indeed your own budget, if you are self-publishing. If you like my work and want to use it, write to me and I’m sure we can come to some arrangement.
Website - www.thunderburst.co.uk
Blogger - http://deerimbaud.blogspot.com
MySpace - www.myspace.com/captainmelted
Facebook - www.facebook.com/captainmelted
News from East County
UniverSoul Reading Series
The first Sat of each month, 6-8 pm is UniverSoul open mike poetry and music at Barking Dog Roasters, 18133 Hwy 12, Boyes Hot Springs, Ca. 95476(near Sonoma Mission Inn) This venue is hosted by Juanita J. Martin, Sonoma County Library Slam Champion and member of Redwood Writers. This venue welcomes poets and musicians to read and perform on open mike. This venue will host featured poets as well. For more info, call Juanita at (707) 435-1807 or email her at freelance@jmartinpoetwriter.com. You may also call the cafe at (707) 939-1905. Parking is limited.
News from West County
Thanks to Pat Nolan and Dixie Lewis for providing this month’s West County news.
Low Power Literary Radio in West Sonoma Co.
There are two monthly book shows on local low power FM radio stations. Nearing its second anniversary, Off The Shelf, airs at 8 PM on the first Sunday of the month on Guerneville’s KGGV 95.1FM. The program is hosted by Peter Andrews and Pat Nolan. KGGV offers streaming at www.kggvfm.org. Book Flaps, the nexus between Books and Life, hosted by Suzanne Lang and Pat Nolan is offered on Occidental’s brand new radio station, KOWS 107.3 FM, on the last Thursday of the month at 5 PM. Previous shows have featured discussions on consciousness and guest poets from the West County.
Brian Martens hosts” The Poetry Hour” on KOWS-FM radio 107.3 fm. Every Wednesday from 5:00-6:00 pm. Poetry is read mixed with eclectic music. The program is also streamed over the internet at: www.kows.fm When you arrive at the site click on the streaming link. Thanks for listening. Feedback appreciated at b-r-m@sbcglobal.net
Third Annual Guerneville Poetry Walk Saturday, October 3, 2009
11:00AM – 4:00PM Guerneville, CA
A literary walk through downtown Guerneville.
Bart Rawlinson
Nexus, 11—11:45
Introduced by Carol Singleton
Bob Jones
River Reader, 12—12:45
Introduced by Mike Tuggle,
Sonoma County Poet Laureate
Alexandra Ellen Appel
Main Street Station, 1:00—1:45
Introduced by Gail King
River Ranger & the Stumptown Posse
Club Yamagata, 2:00—2:45
Introduced by Pat Nolan
Pat Nolan, Gail King, judi goldberg, Dixie Lewis
Sonoma Nesting Company, 3:00—4:00
Introduced by Haley Yount Severe
Reception to follow
About the Featured Writers and Performers
Alexandra Ellen Appel has lived on and off in Sonoma County since 1971. Her work has appeared in a variety of literary magazines, most recently PenHouseInk Press, Volume 5, 2007, and Crosscurrents North: Alaskans on the Environment, University of Alaska Press, 2008. She has been a Scholar at the Breadloaf Writers Conference, the Aspen Writers Conference, and the Squaw Valley Writers Conference where she received a California Arts Council Grant.
judi goldberg is co-founder and co-editor of PenHouseInk Press, which hosts a yearly poetry walk and publishes an anthology of local, and not so local, writing. Her poems have been published in Red River Review, The Dickens: A Literary Journal, in each of the five PenHouseInk anthologies, and she has upcoming publications in Salamander and The Paterson Literary Review. Judi plays Bach on the banjo and is the oldest beginning surfer in Sonoma County.
Bob Jones has lived in Guerneville since 1965 through floods, fires, and a changing scene. His poems “Prayers for Puppies,” “Aging Autos,” and “Sleepless Nights” were published by Westminster, John Knox Press in 1990. Other work has appeared in Green Fuse, The Christian Century, and Theology Today. Bob has published two books about philosophy and theology, the most recent one in 2005. He has written a column for The Paper since its founding thirty years ago, and writes columns for other news weeklies. Bob participated in the Iowa Writers Workshop in poetry this past summer.
Gail King has been a part of many women’s writing groups in the Russian River area since the mid ’70s. A California native, she writes stories of growing up in the East Bay as well as poetry that often focuses on the California landscape. Gail was the publisher of Doris Green Editions, a small literary press active in the ’70s and ’80s. Boxes & Chairs, published in 2006 by What Leaf Press, is her second collection of poems.
Dixie Lewis, poet, editor, and publisher, is inspired by nature and encouraged by the stories of others. She is a fourth generation Californian, and has been a resident of Sonoma County since 1988. Dixie is a co-founder of PenHouseInk Press, whose mission is the relentless pursuit of courageous creativity. Her poetry and prose have been published locally, and she has read throughout Sonoma County. Dixie is a member of the Poet Laureate Selection Committee for Sonoma County.
Pat Nolan’s poetry and prose have been published in numerous magazines in Europe and Asia as well as North America. He is the author of CARBON DATA, Last Cookie Press (2008) and a selection of prose poems titled Intellectual Pretentions, Editions de Jacob (2009). Pat has lived along the lower Russian River since 1973.
Bart Rawlinson, a native Texan, is the recipient of the Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award, the Robert Browning Prize in Dramatic Monologue, and the Eugene Ruggles Poetry Prize, among other awards. His work has been published in a variety of literary journals including Phoenix, Santa Clara Review, Access magazine, and Ink. He earned his MFA, Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2003 and teaches English full-time at Mendocino College. Bart lives in Forestville with his partner, Bill Boucher.
River Ranger: “Now, poetry pards, here we are again with the seasons turnin’ us to another chance to sharpen the old pencil and scratch up a poem or two to share with you folks in Guerneville. This year should be a real humm-dinger. The posse is rounded up and we’ll see y’all there.”
Stumptown Poetry Posse: River Ranger, Redwood Wrangler, Calamity Kit, Long Tall Sally, Wyomin’ Jim Bodie, Dusty Beatrhymes, Holstein Hester, South Fork Boots, Frenchie Twosaints, Cow-Tow Edy
News from North County
Thanks to Cynthia Beecher and Vilma Ginzberg for providing this month’s North County News.
Center Literary Café
Tuesday, October 13, 7-9 PM:
Book Author Stefanie Freele and Poet Rose Black
Healdsburg resident Stefanie Freele’s short story collection Feeding Strays was published by Lost Horse Press in September. Her recent writing is in Glimmer Train, American Literary Review, Wigleaf, Night Train, Literary Mama, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Frigg, Dogplotz, and Hobart.Stefanie has an MFA from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts: Whidbey Writers Workshop. She is on the editorial staff for SmokeLong Quarterly and is the Fiction Editor for the Los Angeles Review. www.stefaniefreele.com
Rose Black lives by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Oakland, California. Her poetry is in The South Carolina Review, Runes, Wisconsin Review, Hampton-Sydney Poetry Review, Spillway, and Slant. Her books, Clearing (2005) and Winter Light, (2008), were accepted by Yale’s Beinecke Library for the Yale Collection of American Literature.
http://renaissancestone.com/rose-blackWL.html
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 7-9 PM
Novelist Lian Gouw and Poet Sher Lianne Christian
Lian Gouw’s debut novel, Only A Girl, is a finely detailed portrait of three courageous Chinese women finding their way in a world of cultural melding and upheaval as Western progress clatters against customary Chinese mores.
Sher Lianne Christian is the author of Star Kissed Shadows and Divining Poetry. She is co-creator of Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poetry and Music with husband John Christian, who will provide musical accompaniment during her reading.
For all events: Doors open at 6:30
Open mic Bring prose or poetry to share
Light refreshments Donations appreciated
Parking is also available right behind the Senior Center.
Healdsburg Senior Center
133 Matheson St. (One block east of plaza) Healdsburg, CA 95448
Call Cynthia Helen for info 707 696-1111 centerliterarycafe@gmail.com
Healdsburg Literary Arts Guild
As we went to press, the Third Sunday Salon has not sent its announcements for October. For information, contact healdsburgliteraryguild@gmail.com
Sonoma County in Print
If you are a Sonoma County writer with a book or chapbook newly published, let’s help you celebrate! Just send your announcement to tehret99@comcast.net. Be sure to include information on how your readers can find out more about you and your work or order a copy. You’re announcement will run for three Updates.
Pat Nolan’s newest publication is Intellectual Pretensions, from editions de jabob, is a beautifully bound, hand-made collection of prose poems. You can see Pat Nolan at the Guerneville Poetry Walk on October 3.
PANGAIA CD RELEASE-FUNDRAISER IN SEBASTOPOL
Spanish visionary poet Joaquin Lopez de San Roman presents the release of their fist Pangaia CD “Earth veins”, an integration of Shamanic poetry & Indigenous instruments.
Where: Friday Oct 23 at the Subud Hall (234 Hutchins Av), Sebastopol
Time: 6:30-7′15 light dinner followed by concert
Price: sliding scale $15-40
For reservations, call 328-1793
If you want to have a preview of our work, visit www.myspace.com/pangaiaartensemble
New from Iota Press
Iota printed a new chapbook by the elusive & allusive poet, Erst Weill.
It’s called ‘Could Be Verse” and… it could be…. ordered on line at: http://www.iotapress.com/books/index.html . Paypal or credit card….$10
Don’t wait to order…the three scandals swirling around this book will make it a collector’s item. First of all, rumors fly that Mr Weill did not actually LIVE the poems in the book. He did not, for example, “…crimp a jutty cornwolf in a swedenbitter cold.”
Secondly, one of his acolytes in the ancient Non-Sequiturian Order appeared on Oprah and accused him of NOT being truly off-the-wall – yelling at one point: “One thought has led to another! A disgrace!”
Lastly, Mr Weill has authorized us to say that there is no truth to the other rumor : that he is under investigation for using the outlawed versifying software: META4.0 … We quote: “Anyway, they’re all using it now; all the big names are juicing… quiet as it’s kept.” But it is just possible that there will always be an asterisk next to the name of Erst Weill.
Eugene Ruggles’s Collected Works, a posthumous collection of his poems, is in production and readying for publication. Go to www.eugeneruggles.com to see cover mock–up.
Stefanie Freele’s Motel
The innovative new publisher “Bannock Street Books” presents the artbook/chapbook MOTEL: a short story by Sonoma County author Stefanie Freele paired with color photography contributed by Sarah Black.
MOTEL will soon be available on the Bannock Street Books Website. http://www.bannockstreetbooks.com/
In the meantime, signed copies of MOTEL are available from the author:
$7 and $2 ship.
Paypal: Babingas@aol.com
Check:
Stefanie Freele
1083 Vine St. #352
Healdsburg, Ca 95448
www.stefaniefreele.com
Redwood Writers Vintage Voices Anthology Released
Contact: Linda Loveland Reid
president@redwoodwriters.org
707-484-4153
Redwood Writers, the Sonoma County branch of the California Writers Club, has published its fourth anthology, Vintage Voices: Cent’Ani: May You Live 100 Years, (ISBN: 978-0-9816848-2-6). Pre-publication orders may be placed here:
http://www.redwoodwriters.org/vv4orders.pdf.
Jeanne Miller’s On the Brink of Nora
On the Brink of Nora, was chosen by Redwood Writers for a joint publication project with Unlimited Publishing.
Set in the Northern California Wine Country, On the Brink is a true coming of age story. When Nora embarks on a radical journey of self-discovery, her family is called upon to evolve as individuals, and in concert with one another.
jcmillerwriter.com
http://www.unlimitedpublishing.com/miller/
Linda Loveland Reid’s novel, Touch of Magenta,
will be available on May 9 at local bookstores and on Amazon.com. For more information go to www.lindalovelandreid.com
Touch of Magenta explores, through the lives to two women, the right we all have to know our personal history; that all secrets be revealed, all lies untold.
The story is set in Sonora’s California gold country, Chinatown, Italy, Singapore, and England.
Donna Emerson’s Body Rhymes from Finishing Line Press
I am happy to announce to my friends and acquaintances that my poetry collection from Finishing Line Press, Body Rhymes, comes out this spring. Since this is a limited edition collection, you may order now to reserve a copy. The press run will be determined by the number of orders made before April 10.The book, with a color photograph of mine on the cover, will be mailed to you by the end of May.
“Donna Emerson’s poems—each a small, complete world—reveal their tenderness in detail. The poet William Carlos Williams once said ‘Perception is the first act of imagination,’ and with her photographer’s eye, Emerson invites the reader to see, as if for the first time, what is extraordinary even in the most familiar. But as a poet, she also listens, deeply and intently, to her subject, whether it is a landscape, a memory, or one of the unforgettable souls she has counseled, struggling to reconcile themselves with mortality. And it is with a listening heart that the reader feels with her a wonder at the courage she has witnessed, and inspiration at the truth she captures.”
Terry Ehret, author of Lucky Break
“A lilting voice from a new poet. A new daughter is not all that Donna Emerson gave birth to in her 50s. Her poems are loaded with rich imagery and memory.”
Susan Swartz, author of The Juicy Tomatoes Guide to Ripe Living After 50
Books can be pre-ordered through the website at www.finishinglinepress.com. Click on “New Releases and Forthcoming Titles,” scrolling down alphabetically.
Sagittarius Agitprop by Matthew Gavin Frank
Franks collection of poems is available from Black Lawrence Press at:
http://www.blacklawrence.com/frank.html
To see and hear Frank reading from his book, check out this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdOR3_jrx88
www.matthewgfrank.com
Pierette Mimi Poinsett
Rose-Anne Clermont has written an article about my challenges in the Women’s International Perspective e-zine. The photographer who is uncredited is Michi Adams of Rohnert Park Petaluma. Below is the link:
http://thewip.net/contributors/2009/02/living_one_day_at_a_time_in_th.html
Over the last three years, I have been writing creative non-fiction and poetry. Going into “the family business”:) A memoir cookbook is in the works.
Pierrette Mimi Poinsett MD
http://www.snapdiva.blogspot.com
aka the Yayayarndiva on http://www.ravelry.com
Bill Vartnaw ‘s new book, Suburbs of my Childhood, came out on January15th. Bill says, “This is a book of mostly early poems, lots of seventies, a few eighties and a couple of nineties about my mother, 74 pages.” For more information or to order the book, contact Bill at taureanhorn@hotmail.com. Taurean Horn Press’ address is P.O. Box 641097, San Francisco, CA 94164-1097.
Jeane Slone has just published She Flew Bombers From the Factories to the Bases. People can order it from my web site at www.jeaneslone.com.
Jean Heglund writes, “She Flew Bombers is a fascinating account of one woman’s love of flying and her involvement with the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II. Anyone interested in Aviation History, Women’s History, or the World War II “war effort” will appreciate Jeane Slone’s careful research, as well as her ability to bring this little-know aspect of the US history to life so vividly.”
Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro has just published an anthology entitled Hair Pieces, containing the poetry and prose of 51 of her writing students. Hair Pieces is available for purchase at Copperfields and also at harlmarg@sonic.net. For information about Margaret’s Writing Practice workshops, scroll down to the section “Current and Upcoming Workshops.”
Ann Wilkes’s Awesome Layratt
Ann Wilkes’ first book, Awesome Lavratt (2009) is a tongue-in-cheek space opera with mind control, passion and adventure. Her stories have appeared in online zines and anthologies. She lives in California’s wine country with her husband, Patrick and their youngest son. She’s working on two novels while still cranking out the short funny stories that characterize her writing style. Visit her website, http://www.annwilkes.com, for a full bio, her blog and links to online stories.
Calls for Submission
If you have a call for submission or a contest of interest to Sonoma County writers, send it to tehret99@comcas.net.
If you’d like to explore ways to get your writing out of the drawer and into print, check out the information on the Literary Folk website and on my personal website:
http://literaryfolk.wordpress.com/recommended-northern-california-journals-and-presses/
http://www.terryehret.com/consulting.htm
West Marin Review
West Marin Review is accepting submissions of prose, poetry, and visual art for its 2010 volume. Submissions should be of previously unpublished work. Very important to follow “submission guidelines” at www.westmarinreview.org. (For poetry, no more than 25 lines per poem, no more than three poems per submission.) Submissions for Volume 3 must be postmarked no later than October 7, 2009. Questions? Write to us at info@westmarinreview.org.
Zaum Literary Journal
Sonoma State University’s award-winning literary magazine, ZAUM, is ooking for student artists to submit their work for our upcoming forteenth issue. ZAUM is a very unique magazine in that it is produced solely by SSU students. Not only is ZAUM a vehicle for
Sonoma State students’ artistic expression, the magazine publishes work from students around the world! By combining the creative dynamic of students in the community with that of national and international students, ZAUM consistently presents diverse and unique work in an accessible medium.
ZAUM is named for the symbolic language created by Russian Futurist poets. Its meaning—that which exists above and beyond rational thought—represents the standard of excellence to which we aspire. Therefore, we seek to publish the works of student artists who are
eager to push the limits of their art, and take a few risks with us! Please urge any Undergrad or Graduate students who are interested to send copies of their prose, poetry, or visual art to be considered for our publication. Feel free to check out our website
atwww.zaumpress.net for further details. All selections to be published in ZAUM 14 must be received no later that November 15, 2009.
Sincerely,
Colin Partch
Senior Editor of ZAUM
Ginosko Literary Journal’s Call for Submissions
Accepting short fiction & poetry, audio recordings, creative non-fiction, interviews, social justice concerns for the 9th issue of the literary journal ginosko, the summer issue.
Editorial lead time 1-2 months; accept simultaneous submissions and reprints; length flexible, accept excerpts. Receives postal submissions & email—prefer email submissions as attachments in Microsoft Works Word Processor or Rich Text Format. Copyright reverts to author.
Publishing as semiannual ezine, winter & summer. Selecting material from ezine for printed anthology.
Check downloadable issues on website for style & tone: http://www.ginoskoliteraryjournal.com/
Use latest version of Adobe Reader.
ezine circulation 4500+. Website traffic 750-1000 hits/month.
Also looking for artwork, photography, to post on website and links to exchange.
Ginosko (ghin-océ-koe)
To perceive, understand, realize, come to know; knowledge that has an inception, a progress, an attainment. The recognition of truth by experience.
Member CLMP. Listed in Best of the Web 2008.
Ginosko Literary Journal
Robert Paul Cesaretti, Editor
PO Box 246
Fairfax, CA 94978
USA
MEMOIR (and) Call for Submissions
MEMOIR (and) is an up-and-coming print journal for the exploration of memoir as “the” genre of the 21st century. Our nonprofit mission is to publish traditional as well as nontraditional forms of nonfiction allied with memoir. This includes, but is not limited to, autobiography, personal and critical essay, graphic narratives, narrative poetry, “flash memoir,” autobiographical fiction, alternative histories, journalistic accounts, narrative photography and more. We award four cash prizes twice yearly and charge no entry fee. All work submitted to MEMOIR (and) is eligible to win a prize.
The reading period for Spring+Summer 2010 (Issue 6) is upon us! Accepting traditional and experimental prose, poetry, graphic memoir, narrative photography, lies, and more from 5/1/09 through 8/15/09.
Four prizes up to $500 available for prose, poetry and graphic memoirs. All submissions eligible for contest entry.
For guidelines, contest info and online submissions, visit www.memoirjournal.com.
New Millennium
OK, I know it’s confusing. We hold two competitions annually in four categories (fiction, nonfiction, poetry and short-short fiction). As a result, I often find myself sending emails regarding up to three contests at once. This is just such an email. Here’s the skinny.
1. Judging has begun for those who entered our Summer 2009 Writing Awards program, and we hope to begin announcing winners in October.
2. As previously announced, names of winners in our Winter 2008-09 contest follow Grants & Awards guidelines below.
3. Our next deadline is November 17, midnight, all time zones. In keeping with tradition, this deadline may be extended once only. This is what we call our Winter 2009-10 Writing Awards program. Enter as often as you like at www.writingawards.com or by U.S. Mail or other carrier (postmark ok.) Guidelines Follow.
Grants & Awards
$4,000 in Grants and Awards, plus publication in NMW and at the New Millennium Writings website
$1,000 for best Fiction; $1,000 for best Poem; $1,000 for best Short-short Fiction (1,000-word limit), $1,000 for best Nonfiction
(Nonfiction includes humor, memoir, creative nonfiction, travel, opinion, essay, interview, features, investigative reporting, etc.)
Recipients of NMW Awards are showcased along with interviews, profiles and tributes to famous writers, past and present, such as
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., J. D. Salinger, Julia Glass, Shel Silverstein, Khaled Hosseini, George Garrett, Ken Kesey, John Updike, Lee Smith, Cormac McCarthy, Lucille Clifton, Shelby Foote, Paul West, Norman Mailer, Sharyn McCrumb, William Kennedy, Faulkner, Hemingway, Dickinson, Keats, Percy, Warren and many others. Also, prize-winning stories, poems & articles, humor, graphic arts, writing advice and more.
To Enter, follow these Guidelines, or enter on-line at www.writingawards.com.
1. No restrictions as to style, content or number of submissions. Enter as often as you like. Previously published materials OK if online or under 5000-circulation in print.
2. Winners and selected finalists—including all poetry finalists—will be published in our 2010-11 issue–which all contestants will receive next fall, and on-line.
3. Send between now and midnight of November 17, 2009 (postmark ok). This deadline may be extended once only.
4. Simultaneous & multiple submissions welcome.
5. Each Fiction or Nonfiction piece is counted as a separate entry, and should total no more than 6,000 words except Short-short Fiction (no more than 1,000 words).
6. Each Poetry entry may include up to three poems, not to exceed five pages total per entry. All 20 poetry finalists will be published. If entering online, upload all 3 poems, plus cover page (optional) in a single file, per entry.
7. Include name, phone, address, email & category on cover page or letter only and submit with the submission. If entering online the cover page is optional, as our online site automatically uploads contact information you provide.
8. Manuscripts not returned except in hardship cases. Include email address (preferable) or SASE for list of winners. Yes, we recycle.
9. Include $17 check payable to NMW with each submission.
10. If entering by mail, send to: “NMW” Room EM, PO Box 2463, Knoxville, TN, 37901 (unless entering online). To order our current issue, add $12.
Current and Upcoming Workshops
Many Sonoma County writers offer their expertise and writing support through local workshops, classes, and consultations. Some are day-long, some are ongoing, and some are retreats. Workshops for this month are listed below.
If you have a workshop you’re offering, send a short description (150 words or less) to tehret99@comcast.net.
Sonoma County Writing Teachers and Consultants
Stephen Altschuler www.firstpersonwriting.com
Guy Beiderman www.lowfatfiction.com
Susan Bono sbono@tiny-lights.com
Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro harlmarg@sonic.net
Dan Coshnear dan@coshnear.org
Sher Christian poetrytalks@neteze.com
Marlene Cullen www.thewritespot.us/ or mcullen@comcast.net
Georgette G. deBlois GGdeB@aol.com.
Nancy Dougherty and Geri Digiorno ncaversd@sonic.net
Terry Ehret tehret99@comcast.net
Stefanie Freele Stefanie@stefaniefreele.com
Susan Hagenhagen@womenatgroundzero.com
Eric Johnson iota@sonic.net
Suzanne Murray suzmurr@yahoo.com
Laure Reiche p.reiche@comcast.net
Pauline Reif paulineerh@yahoo.com
Clara Rosemarda rosen@sonic.net
Scott Reid Serkes www.sonic.net/poetry/albany/workshop/intro.html>http: //www.sonic.net
Lisa Shulman www.lisashulman.com.
Shelley Singer http://www.shelleysinger.com
Andrew Todhunter workshops@andrewtodhunter.com
Centa Theresa, m.a.,Writing & Creative Projects Coach
www.centatheresa.com
creatvitycoaching@centatheresa.com
Pat Tyler www.writetoday.net
Stephen Altschuler’s Coaching Service for Non-fiction Writers.
My speciality is personal experience writing, but cover all aspects of the non-fiction genre. I’ve been writing and getting published since 1969. My latest book is The Mindful Hiker (2004), and have written four other books. My website which tells more of my work and this service is www.firstpersonwriting.com .
Stephen Altschuler
stephenaltschuler@mac.com
Workshop with Guy Biederman and Ken Rodgers
In Search of Lorca’s Duende.
October 17, 2009 9:00 A M to 3:00 P M at Iota Press, 925-C Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol
Cost: $75.00
Come and help us find the blood and the skin, the muscle, the tendons of our poetic souls.
Find the flamenco spirit inside our writer’s minds. Come discuss the philosophy of Lorca’s duende. Come write, write write.
Contacts: guyb@sonic.net or kennetherodgers@msn.com
Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro’s Sonoma County Writing Practice
Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro teaches eight week long writing semesters out of her Santa Rosa downtown office. Three different class times are offered each week. Margaret uses poetry and meditation for inspiration and writers are encouraged to read their work in a supportive atmosphere. The memoir is a valuable form for dropping deeper into the self allowing memories to come forth. This process allows space for self-knowledge to occur. For more information or to receive a flyer call (707)575-8820 or email Margaret at harlmarg@sonic.net. The website for Sonoma County Writing Practice is www.handwritingonline.net
Workshops with Eric Johnson and Iota Press
Sunday, October 18: 10:00-4:00 Printing Poetry. $75
Basics of letterpress: typesetting and presswork… but the focus is on the particular art of setting a poem as a graphic experience that heightens the meaning. Bring in a short poem; experiment with leading, fonts & graphic touches. Then print it on the old press.
Starting Oct. 28 Making an Impression: writing & printing 5 meetings $150
Wednesday-evening class, with Guy Biederman leading the writing workshop. We’ll go back & forth from the discussion of literary shapes… to the print shop where even a single letter has a sculptural potency. Each session has some time for writing and evaluating the piece…and then shop time to design, typeset, and eventually print it as a broadside.
Saturday, October 31: 9:00-12:30 Letterpress Basics $50
Learn basics of letterpress…. and design & print a card with type & graphics.
For all information on classes, call Eric at 823-6152…or respond to this email… <iota@sonic.net>
Fiction Writing – Stefanie Freele
This new class is open to the new, the curious and the comfortable short story writer. Prompts and freewrites will generate new and unexpected writing in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. Freele’s goal is to encourage turning ideas into stories. Students will read and discuss examples of stellar short fiction—prim arily stories under 1000 words, fine-tune workshop pieces, and explore the craft of writing: plot, dialogue, point-of-view, descript ion, setting, and voice.
Requirements: a sense of humor, a pen, and a few pieces of paper.
Stefanie Freele is the Sonoma County author of the short story collection, Feeding Strays, published by Lost Horse Press (2009). Her recent and forthcoming work can be found in Glimmer Train, American Literary Review, Night Train, The Pedestal Magazine, Necessary Fiction, Boston Literary Review, Literary Mama, and Hobart. Stefanie has an MFA from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts: Whidbey Writers Workshop. Stefanie is an editor with Smokelong Quarterly and is also the Fiction Editor for the Los Angeles Review.
4 Week session $100
9-11 am Fridays: 10/23, 11/6, 11/13 and 11/20
Location: Plaza Arts Center – Healdsburg
Contact Stefanie – Stefanie@stefaniefreele.com – 707-889-0473
Suzanne Murray
The Heart of Writing – Four-Week Classes with Suzanne Murray
Tuesday Mornings, 9:30 am to noon, October 13 to November 3
$100 paid by 10/6, $115 after, west Santa Rosa
register early limited to 12
Tuesday Evenings, 7:00 to 9:30 pm, October 13 to November 3
$100 paid by 10/6, $115 after, downtown Sebastopol
register early limited to 12
Writing in Nature on Point Reyes (Bear Valley, Olema area)
Saturday, October 24, 10 am to 4 pm, $75 paid by 10/16, $85 after
register early limited to 12
Small supportive group. Good for beginners and experienced writers as well as all styles of writing.
Learn simple, powerful techniques to find your voice, tell your stories, calm your inner critic, enter the creative flow, jumpstart your writing and supportyour creative self. Find support and encouragement and an understanding of the craft of writing and the joyful heart of the creative process.
for more information call or email Suzanne at 707.874.9614 or suzmurr@yahoo.com or website:www.creativitygoeswild.com
What her students say:
Suzanne is more than an excellent teacher. She is an inspiration. Her writing workshops are not only about the craft of writing, but are a journey into the heart of the writing experience. . . – Jill Cagan
Suzanne’s class was tremendously inspiring. She offers a nearly endless variety of tools and creates an atmosphere that is both challenging and unconditionally supportive. She showed me how to side step blocks and let the creativity flow. No question, it is the best writing class I’ve ever taken. – Ed Richards
Suzanne has just the right touch, so supportive and gentle as we birthed our little word babies, she showed us how to see the beauty in them. And it
wasn’t fake! Once she pointed out the beauty, it was there! – Martha Stedman
Suzanne’s knowledge and ability to facilitate the writing process is incredible. – Janice Taylor
Taught by Suzanne Murray. A gifted teacher and creativity coach, now if her eighteenth year offering these classes and workshops, she brings to class a passion for books and working with words and an ability to inspire others to write. An award winning essayist and poet, Suzanne’s work appears in various literary journals including Orion and The Sun.
The North Bay Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Seven Magical Ways to Bring out the Storyteller in You
presented by author Marsha Diane Arnold.
This meeting will be held at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts at 6780 Depot Street, Sebastopol, CA on Sept 21, 7-9 pm and is open to the public. Donation $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
Labeled a “born storyteller” by the media, Marsha wrote the popular, award-winning Sonoma County newspaper column “homegrown treasures” from 1985 to 1995. She has authored eleven picture books including the soulful Ridgway award winner, HEART OF A TIGER, the Smithsonian Notable PUMPKIN RUNNER, based on a real event, and the uproarious ROAR OF A SNORE. Marsha travels nationally and internationally as a speaker and writing workshop leader for schools and conferences. She has taught aspiring authors for nine years, both privately, with the Institute of Children’s Literature, and online with Mediabistro.com. In 2008 Marsha was honored to be the only children’s author ever invited by the Sequoia Parks Foundation to participate in their “Artists in the Back Country” program.
Visit Marsha at www.marshadianearnold.com or at her blog, www.storymagician.blogspot.com.
SCBWI is a professional organization for writers and illustrators of children’s books. For more information contact Charles Markee, charles-t@charlesmarkee.com To find out more about the society visit the website at www.scbwi.org and to learn more about events in the North Bay go to http://www.scbwinorthca.org
Gwynne O’Gara’s Writing Workshops
Lighting Our Own Flames —Writing That Frees Our Genius
How do we address the gift of writing? Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, Genius is the power for lighting your own flame. The Romans believed genius (or for women, juno) to be a guardian spirit that comes to us at birth with the fullness of our undeveloped powers, which it offers to us as we grow. A sense of gratitude moves a person to labor in the service of their genius, which finds freedom through our work.
Each week we’ll warm up with a different poet—T.S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney, Kevin Young, Gabriela Mistral, Sylvia Plath and Eavan Boland. We’ll write and share our own work, and explore how to keep our individual flames burning. Excellent for prose writers as well as poets.
Tuesday Nights, 7—9, Oct. 20—Nov. 24. All levels, genders, and ages are welcome, $75 for all six classes. For more information and to register, contact Gwynn O’Gara at gwynn@sonic.com or call (707) 823-2993.
Gwynn O’Gara is the author of Snake Woman Poems, Fixer-Upper and Winter at Green Haven. Her poems have been published in the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, The Evansville Review and Yellow Silk, and will appear in future issues of Calyx, Sage Woman and descant. Her personal essays have been published in Image Magazine and Tiny Lights.
For more information and to register, call (707) 823-2993 or e-mail gwynn@gwynnogara.com.
The workshops will be held at the Sitting Room, 170 East Cotati, Cotati, CA.
Petaluma Writers Forum
Writers Forum of Petaluma proudly presents Clara Rosemarda
Thursday, October 15, 2009 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Petaluma Community Center, 320 No. McDowell Blvd. Petaluma
$15 at the door
Clara Rosemarda DEEP INQUIRY: A Memoir Workshop
Seven techniques to deepen and expand the inquiry into our lives, will be
the focus of this evening’s presentation. It is not the story but “the depth
of inquiry” says Vivian Gornick, “that guides us into memoir.” Bring
notebooks and pens. We will write from a deep place, and learn how to make
art out of our lives.
CLARA ROSEMARDA, MA, writer, writing coach, counselor, and workshop leader,
has been in private practice in Santa Rosa for over twenty-five years. A
memoirist and poet, Clara works with beginning as well as mainstream
writers, and teaches workshops internationally. She is co-creator and
coordinator of the popular writer’s program, The Writer’s Sampler, of the
Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Her prose and poetry are published in
literary journals and anthologies. Her most recent book, published by
Interlink Books, 2004, is STEEPED: IN THE WORLD OF TEA
For more information: www.thewritespot.us
Marlene – mcullen@comcast.net
Laurie Reiche ‘s Writing Soiree
Laurie leads writing workshops the third Sunday of every month, 3-6 PM at her home.
The focus is generating new work, both poetry and prose. Sliding scale. For more information, call 415-892-9430 or e-mail p.reiche@comcast.net.
Lessen-Reiche has facilitated workshops for many years. She was the 2006 Winner of Lilith Magazine's Second Annual Charlotte Newberger National Poetry Award. Her work has also appeared in magazines such as SUNY Upstate Medical Journal: The Healing Muse, and The Southern Poetry Review.
Scott Serkes Reid
Updraft: An Online Poetry Workshop to Ignite Your Imagination
This long-distance learning adventure is for all ages and levels ofexperience. All you need is the desire to make better poems and a willingness to study the craft of poetry. In this workshop, you have the opportunity to:* Meet poets from around the world * Make new friends * Write a new poem every week * Take a class that fits into your schedule * Have fun We meet online Saturday mornings for guided writing exercises. Studentsengage in brainstorm techniques and writing assignments that focus on various aspects of poetry. Upon finishing the first draft, we post ourwriting to a private discussion board and then
critique follows. Throughoutthe week, we revise and post our second drafts. Students receive peerfeedback as well as individual mentoring from the instructor. Class begins Late October, 2009 and runs for six weeks.
Instructor Scott Reid, MA presents poetry writing classes for children in Sonoma County with California Poets in the Schools. His poems have appeared in Blue Unicorn, The Berkeley Poetry Review, Melic Review, Sow’s Ear and The Dickens, and he has received writing fellowships to the Squaw ValleyWriters’ Conference, Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. As presenter of poetry for adults since 1989, he
hastaught many classes in poetry at the Albany Adult School. The Updraft poetry workshop is starting its tenth year.For information about the class, please visit: http://www.sonic.net/poetry/albany/workshop/intro.html
Clara Rosemarda’s Write Mind™ Workshops
CREATIVE WRITING AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
4 sessions begin:
Wednesday, October 7th, 7 – 9:30pm OR
Thursday, October 8th, 10am – 12:30pm
fee $120 Space is limited.
Contact Clara: 707:579-2081 rosen@sonic.net
Strong attention allows us to drop into deep writing. Creative writing propels the writer into the unknown. Whether you write prose or poetry, letters or fiction, this workshop will inspire your muse to write from a core place. Through meditation, visualizations, and other exercises that quiet the mind and expand the imagination, you will access and activate your creative muse. A comfortable, safe environment is provide for the writer to emerge. Open to beginning, emerging, and experienced writers.
DEEP INQUIRY: An Evening of Memoir
at The Petaluma Writer’s Forum, $15 at the door
Thursday, October 15th, 7–9pm (starts promptly at 7pm)
Seven techniques to deepen and expand the inquiry into our lives, will be the focus of this evening’s presentation. It is not the story but “the depth of inquiry” says Vivian Gornick, “that guides us into memoir.” Bring notebooks and pens. We will write from a deep place, and learn how to make art out of our lives. Location: Petaluma Community Center at Lucchesi Park, 320 No. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, For more information go to the Writer’s Forum site at: http://www.thewritespot.us/gpage2.html
MEMORY AND IMAGINATION: Writing Memoir
Writer’s Sampler: with Clara Rosemarda
Monday, October 26th, 7 – 9pm, $15 at the door
at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 6780 Depot St. Seb., 707:829-4797
Imagination is the vehicle that transports memory. We do not invent our past; we recall it and allow it to emerge through our imagination. The memory of a momentary event can be expanded to include not only the happening but also your reactions to it and its effect on who you have become. Learn to make your memories and thoughts enticing, interesting, and universal. We will write using exercises to invigorate our memories and take leaps into the unknown.
TOPPER’S HAIR SALON POETS
A Poetry Reading at Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Thursday, October 29th, 7:30pm, Free
THE NEXT LEVEL: A Revision Workshop
with Clara Rosemarda, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts
4 sessions begin:
Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17, & 24
10am to Noon. Fee $100
Have you been filling notebooks with writings that get tossed in a box and are crying to get out? Are you ready to pull some of your prose and poetry out of those voluminous notebooks, polish them up, and take them to the next level? Then, this is the workshop for you. Class size will be limited. Contact Clara: 707:579-2081 rosen@sonic.net or SCA 707:829-4797
Private consultations with writers by appointment.
CLARA ROSEMARDA, MA, writer, writing coach, counselor, and workshop leader, has been working with writers for over twenty-five years. A memoirist and poet, Clara works with beginning and emerging writers as well as mainstream authors, and teaches workshops internationally. In 2008 she was nominated for the Sonoma County Artists Awards Program in Literary Arts. She is co-creator and coordinator of The Writer’s Sampler, of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Her essays and poetry have been published in literary journals and anthologies including Tiny Lights; The Dickens; ZEBULON NIGHT; JASMINE NIGHTS & MONKEY PLUCK. She is co-editor and co-author of the anthology, STEEPED: IN THE WORLD OF TEA. Clara has been in private practice in Santa Rosa, California as a counselor and healer for thirty years.
Sebastopol Writer’s Sampler Sampler XXl
Lively, homework-free workshops for writers. 7-9 pm @ SCA, 6780 Depot Street in Sebastopol.
Fees: $15 per class; $50 for all 4
Call 829-4797 for details
The Writer’s Sampler XXI is supported by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.
October 5: Barbara Baer – SMALL PRESS PUBLISHING, SELF-PUBLISHING, PUBLISHING ON DEMAND
The publishing business has gone from simple to very complex in the thirteen years since I established Floreant Press, but the writer’s desire to create and publish has not changed. From my experience with Floreant Press you will learn about genre, subject matter, and good distribution prospects with a small press or a self-published book. I also offer a never-give-up story about re-writing and shopping a small book for decades and finally finding a home with a medium-small press that puts out a small print run and then offers more by Print on Demand.
Barbara Baer has won a national journalism prize from Columbia Missouri. Forthcoming from Ghost Road Press, GRISHA, a novella; Inclusion in anthologies: 125 Years of Writing in The Nation; America’s Working Women, and more. Stories and essays in Redbook, The Nation, The Progressive, North American Review, Orion Magazine, Traveler’s Tales and other publications. From Floreant Press: CARTWHEELS ON THE FAULTLINE; SALTWATER, SWEETWATER; THE HORSE ORCHARD; POMEGRANATE ROADS and more.
October 12: Lizann Bassham – WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE MORE TO SAY: Moving From Short Fiction To The Novel
The idea of sitting down to write a novel or book-length memoir can be daunting. In this workshop, we will look at (and practice) several forms of writing, as a way to help aspiring novelists break the process down into pieces and steps that can make it feel less overwhelming. The workshop will help writers explore how poetry, journal writing, flash fiction, theater, and even emails can be helpful in constructing a novel.
Lizann Bassham writes in several forms including novels, plays, curriculum, songs and poems. Parts of both her novels,BAREFOOT and ONE OF ANOTHER were workshopped with Frank Conroy at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2004. Her play, STORIES SELDOM TOLD was revived this year and performed in several venues in Sonoma County. Once, quite by accident, she won a salsadance contest in East L.A.
October 19: Ken Rodgers – LYRIC ESSAY: Where The Lyrical Meets The Personal
We will investigate the border regions where the writer embraces both the personal and the lyrical. Where how it felt, smelled, looked, sounded like supersedes the fact of the matter. Where poems and experience bang up against each other. We will look at form and
style and language in an attempt to give our work the essential force that allows us to fracture our narrative essays.
Ken Rodgers received an MFA from USF where he also did post-doctoral work in teaching and writing. He was awarded the Duncan Fraser Creative Writing Award from SRJC; was nominee for Best New American Voices, USF; placed second, twice, in essay
contests in Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Essay. His poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction have been published in numerous journals and anthologies. Ken is the author of two books of poetry: TRENCH DINING, and BARSTOW AND OTHER POEMS.
October 26: Clara Rosemarda – MEMORY AND IMAGINATION: Writing Memoir
Imagination is the vehicle memory travels on. We do not invent our past; we recall it and allow it to emerge through our imagination The memory of a momentary event can be expanded to include not only the happening but also your reactions to it as well as its effect
on who you have become. Learn to make your memories and thoughts enticing, interesting, and universal. We will write using exercises to invigorate our memories and take leaps into the unknown.
Clara Rosemarda has taught creative writing for over two decades. She has worked with emerging writers as well as published mainstream authors. In 2008 she was nominated for the Sonoma County Artists Awards Program in Literary Arts. Her essays and poems have been published in various literary journals and anthologies including Tiny Lights; The Dickens; ZEBULON NIGHT; JASMINE
NIGHTS & MONKEY PLUCK. She is co-editor and co-author of the anthology, STEEPED: IN THE WORLD OF TEA.
Andrew Todhunter
A Writers’ Workshop in Paris
October 12th through 16th, 2009 – Paris, France
Open to all writers, this five-day intensive workshop concentrates on strengthening the fundamental elements of strong, clear writing in fiction and non-fiction.
While suitable for newer writers, the Paris workshop also serves experienced and published writers who wish to develop the stylistic and structural principals at the heart of their craft.
The workshop format is highly interactive and includes lecture, written exercises, group editing exercises and extensive Q & A.
Andrew Todhunter’s Paris Workshop is lively and deeply collaborative. Participants return engaged and inspired, with closely revised material and renewed passion for the written word.
About the Instructor:
Born in Paris, raised in the US and educated at UC Berkeley, award-winning author and participatory journalist Andrew Todhunter has been teaching writing for more than fifteen years, including appearances at the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference and workshops in Paris. His work has been published in numerous journals and periodicals, including The Atlantic Monthly, the Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, National Geographic and the Washington Post Sunday Magazine. His subjects range widely, from ice climbing in the Scottish Highlands to animal rescue, French cuisine and early medieval history. He is the author of three books, including the San Francisco Chronicle bestseller Fall of the Phantom Lord and the PEN USA Award-winning A Meal Observed. His work has been translated into Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Italian.
“Andrew’s warmth, his sincerity and his ability to create an inspirational learning environment all combine to make him an excellent workshop leader… His dedication to his students is inspirational.”
—Charlotte Gullick, Director, Mendocino Coast Writers Conference
“Andrew is a born public speaker and a superb presenter… Whether speaking to a group of ten or two hundred, he is riveting in his honesty, his insight and his ability with words.”
—Steve Mandel, President and Founder, Mandel Communications
Course Tuition: $1195
(Includes 5 days of instruction, a personal coaching session and lifetime email support)
Friend Discount: Any student who brings a paying friend will receive a $100 discount, one discount per person. Larger groups of friends may “chain” this discount to maximize savings.
Deposit: $500 due by September 1, 2009.
Class Size: 8-12 Students.
Other Features: Optionally, participants may gather in the evenings at a neighboring watering hole or stroll beloved Parisian neighborhoods with Todhunter as their guide.
Travel, Lodging and Meals: To control costs, travel, lodging and meals are not included in the course fee. When the classroom location is finalized, several hotels, restaurants and cafes within walking distance will be suggested.
For more information on the Paris Writers’ Workshop, or to register, please email:
workshops@andrewtodhunter.com
Centa Theresa: Creative Projects Coaching/Consultation for Artists & Writers
THE POD: ART & WRITING
workshops & monthly creative projects coaching circle…
Centa Theresa, M.A.
www.centatheresa.com 707-478-5903 vicenta@sonic.net
CREATIVE PROJECTS COACHING: Whether you have a manuscript in the making that
you can¹t seem to finish, a body of artwork that needs more of your time, an
idea you¹d like to see manifest but have no plan, etc., I help you to
clarify the vision, identify challenges, claim successes and keep
accountable for stated intentions. Private sessions held in my home
office/studio in Santa Rosa. Call for further inquiry.
ART/WRITING PROCESS: Through dialogue, meditation, free-writing exercises
and the exploration of various art media, focus on a question or theme of
present concern and let the process unfold. Come one time or for a
predetermined series of private sessions in my home studio. Call for further
inquiry.
Call for free consultation. 707-478-5903. www.centatheresa.com
<http://www.centatheresa.com> . vicenta@sonic.net
Centa Theresa M.A. has exhibited her art in Bay Area galleries & had poems
appear or are forthcoming in such journals as Harpur Palate, Eclipse, The
Hurricane Review, Tiny Lights, and DrumVoices Revue. Centa has authored the
letterset edition, Blameless Recognition of Natural Light. She currently
teaches art at Napa State Hospital and has trained in ³creativity coaching²
with Eric Maisel.
Writers’ Connections
If you’d like to invite others in the literary community to join your writers’ group or network, send an announcement to tehret99@comcast.net.
WESTWORD SECOND SUNDAY SALONS @ SEBASTOPOL, 4-6PM
All poets and writers are welcome to hear and read at monthly gatherings in the quiet comfort of the Center’s west-corner Library Room. Come hear and share home-grown literature, and your writing process, problems, and motives with colleagues in our sessions facilitated by Gor Yaswen, for $1 donation to the Center. Listeners also are cordially invited to these-smoke-and-fragrance-free meetings. For info. call: 707-829-1549
Location: SEBASTOPOL CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 6780 DEPOT STREET (@ BROWN ST. & behind Seb. Deli.)
GOR YASWEN
YASWEN@AOL.COM
Blog with me about: “Inspiring Young Children to Read”…
Reading aloud to young children yields benefits aplenty. The NAE sez it this way:
“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required
for eventual success in reading – is reading aloud to children.”
– Commission on Reading of the National Academy of Education
There are five well defined ‘Facts, Advantages and Benefits’ to reading aloud
that I’ve summarized here in relation to Ocean Rudee & Company’s program offerings:
https://www.oceanrudee.com/what.is.ocean.rudee.and.company.html#readaloud
I’d love to hear other thoughts and ideas (from any of you within the Sonoma County
Literary Update universe) in relation to your experiences, ideas and outlooks toward
the future – in regards to reading, books, reading aloud, inspiring young children,
early childhood education, multi-media programming, literacy and the like.
My blog is located here: http://oceanrudee.blogspot.com/
I await hearing the sounds of your keystrokes and absorbing your insights accordingly.
Responsively Reading Aloud I am,
Paul Ennis
pwe@ oceanrudee.com
Sitting Room Book Discussion Group
We meet 2-4 on the third Wednesday of every month, skipping December, at The Sitting Room and are always open to new readers. For more info, email Joanne Page at jpage@sonic.net. (The January 21 book is Pat Barker’s first novel in her trilogy about World War I, “Regeneration.”)
The Redwood Branch of the California Writers Club.
Redwood Writers is one of 17 branches of the California Writers Club, the nation’s oldest professional club for writers, founded in 1909. Its motto is “writers helping writers.” Early members included Jack London, George Sterling, John Muir, Joaquin Miller and the first California poet laureate, Ina Coolbrith. The Club has more than 1,200 members statewide.
The Redwood Writers 2009 Conference takes place on October 24, 2009 at the Flamingo Hotel and Resort in Santa Rosa. Our one-day conference, part of CWC Centennial activities statewide, will feature agents, editors, and writers from all genres. They will offer their insights and experiences in the craft of writing at beginning through advanced levels, as well as the encouragement of fellow writers in a relaxed and friendly, wine-country setting.
Additional contact information:
http://www.redwoodwriters.org
Call for Scriptwriters on Weekly Radio Show
Are you an accomplished scriptwriter looking for a long-term project to sink your creativity into? Ocean Rudee & Company of Sebastopol is in the process of pulling together a team of 4 to 6 ‘scriptors’. Project responsibilities will include: the development of an ongoing series of radio serial dramas and related multi-media programs for children from 4 to 8-years of age (as well as their parents, teachers and primary caregivers).
Prior experience writing for children is not necessary. An understanding of how to write for continuity, how to maintain and adhere to a well developed set of character profiles, the ability to function well as a team player, a love of children’s literature and an abiding commitment to the muse – are essential.
If this is you, please visit Ocean Rudee’s website (www.oceanrudee.com) and send them off an e-mail expressing your interest in learning more.
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Join the Staff of First Leaves
If you have ever wanted to be on the staff of an energetic, literary journal and learn the process of compiling a publication, plan to join English 80 (3 unit, CSU transferable) for the Spring ’09 semester. Students enrolled in English 80 are involved in all aspects of producing a literary journal (with the guidance of the instructor), from approving submissions to putting the actual journal together. Evaluating other people’s work is a great way to learn your own strengths and weaknesses. The class is fun, collaborative, and project-based: we will produce a high-quality, well-designed magazine. We welcome the participation of people throughout the North Bay, including mature working adults, young adults, teens and retirees.
Contact Instructor Abby Bogomolny for more information: (707) 522-2779
Have You ‘Jacket-Flapped’ Lately?
JacketFlap is an international social networking community where you can connect with upwards of 5,000 published authors and illustrators of books for Children and Young Adults. Paul Ennis of Sebastopol reports: “I’ve been a member of JacketFlap (http://www.jacketflap.com/profile.asp?member=OceanRudee) since late-June of 2008. My efforts to produce audio books for children and source read-aloud materials for my radio program production project (targeting an October 2009 broadcast premiere) have been greatly enhanced by the people I’ve been able to meet through JacketFlap. It’s FREE to join, the community is a vibrant one that does not seem to generate junk e-mails to any great degree and the atmosphere is very professional. If you are ready to network with folks around the world in the children’s book publishing industry this is an online community you need to be a part of. Their membership includes: children’s book authors, illustrators, editors, agents, publishing companies, designers, publicists, booksellers, librarians, teachers, students and just plain old ordinary folks who love children’s literature. Check it out – you’ll have fun in the process!”
The International Women’s Writing Guild
The IWWG is a network for the personal and professional empowerment of women through writing. As such, it has established a remarkable record of achievement in the publishing world, as well as in circles where lifelong learning and personal transformation are valued for their own sake. The Guild nurtures and supports holistic thinking by recognizing the logic of the heart—the ability to perceive the subtle interconnections between people, events and emotions—alongside conventional logic. For more information about how to join the IWWG, contact Caroline Brumleve: e-mail iwwg@iwwg. org or visit their website at www.iwwg.org.
Ongoing Writers’ Groups and Open Mic Readings
SUNDAYS
First Sunday of the month: The Redwood Branch of the California Writers Club general meetings are held on the first Sunday of the month, (except for holiday weekends), from 3-5 pm. at Copperfield’s Book Store in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village (2316 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 95404, 707-578-8938). A small fee of $3 for members, $5 for nonmembers is asked to cover speaking fees and light refreshments. For more information see www.redwoodwriters.org or call Linda at 707-484-4153.
Second Sunday of the month: Westwood Second Sunday Salons, 4-6 PM. All poets and writers are welcome to hear and read at monthly gatherings in the quiet comfort of the Center’s west-corner Library Room. Come hear and share home-grown literature, and your writing process, problems, and motives with colleagues in our sessions facilitated by Gor Yaswen, for $1 donation to the Center. Listeners also are cordially invited to these-smoke-and-fragrance-free meetings. For info. call: 707-829-1549. Location: SEBASTOPOL CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 6780 DEPOT STREET (@ BROWN ST. & behind Seb. Deli.) For more information, contact GOR YASWEN YASWEN@AOL.COM
Sunday afternoons at 2 PM: Poetry Azul Reading Series – Ed Coletti’s popular reading series (formerly “Sococo At the Toad”) has moved to Cafe Azul located at 521 4th St. in Downtown Santa Rosa. Following the successful first reading at the new location in July, future scheduled Sunday 2PM readings include Sept 13, Nov. 8, Jan 10, and March 14. Admission is free. 573-5935. For further information contact director and emcee Ed Coletti at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net
Third Sundays 11:30-1:00pm: People, Places and Poetry Discussion Group at Aqus Cafe in Petaluma 189 H street, hosted by Geri DiGiorno and Nancy Long of LiveWire Literary Salon. Writing exercise and reading of your work (only if you want to…)All levels welcomed! No experience required! Last month, twelve people showed up and we had a great time! Couldn’t drag myself out of there! For more info: Nancy Long at nsasha@earthlink.net or Geri DiGiorno at adageri@aol.com
Third Sundays12:30 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Poetry Reading & Open Mic: Coffee Catz
Poetry Reading. Donations Appreciated. 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707 829-5643.
Fourth Sundays 4-6 PM. An open reading the 4th Sunday of each month is taking place at the Saint Rose Cafe, 9890 Bodega Highway, Sebastopol, from 4 to 6 pm. The next reading will be Sunday, August 23rd. Come and read your latest work.
Last Sunday of each month, 6-8:30 PM: Poetry, Pints, and Prose at Maguires Pub 145 Kentucky Street in Petaluma. Hosted by Michelle Baynes, the readings begin with a featured reader, followed by open-mic. For more information, contact Michelle at 707-326-3773 or Catherine at 707-338-1554 or e-mail them at PoetryPintsProse@aol.com.
MONDAYS
First Monday of the Month: Unitarian Universalist Congregation Santa Rosa (UUCSR) Writers meet in the “New Room”, Unitarian Universalist Congregation Santa Rosa, 547 Mendocino Ave.Santa Rosa, Ca 95401, 707-568-5381 or http://www.uusantarosa.org/ Meetings are held in the afternoon, 4 – 6 pm, and again in the evening, 6:45 – 8:45 pm. Focus: Whatever your creative endeavor: memoirs, letters, history, biographies, the Great American novel, poems, essays, song lyrics, reports, term papers, cook books, web pages, blogs, etc., our focus is to provide an atmosphere where you can improve and hone your writing skills.The UUCSR Writers is open to the novice, the more experienced, and the published author. Membership at UUCSR is not required. UUCSR Writers, Georgette G. deBlois, GGdeB@aol.com, http://uucsrwriters.blogspot.com
TUESDAYS
Second Tuesday of each month 7-9 PM: The Center Literary Cafe hosts a featured writer and an open mic reading at the Healdsburg Senior Center 133 Matheson St. (one block east of the Plaza). Light refreshments are served. Admission is free ($5.00 donation encouraged). Contact: Cynthia Helen Beecher (707) 696-1111.
SATURDAYS
The first Sat of each month, 6-8 pm is UniverSoul open mike poetry and music at Barking Dog Roasters, 18133 Hwy 12, Boyes Hot Springs, Ca. 95476(near Sonoma Mission Inn) This venue is hosted by Juanita J. Martin, Sonoma County Library Slam Champion and member of Redwood Writers. This venue welcomes poets and musicians to read and perform on open mike. This venue will host featured poets as well. For more info, call Juanita at (707) 435-1807 or email her at freelance@jmartinpoetwriter.com. You may also call the cafe at (707) 939-1905. Parking is limited.
Intermittently Scheduled Events
ODD Month Readings is sponsored by the Redwood Writers Club. The readings are open to non-members, but are not open mic format. Contact Ann Wilkes at critiquegrpcoord@redwoodwriters.org or 707-792-1704 to get on the list or for more information. Redwood Writers roves the county with talented writers for your listening pleasure.
Haiku Poets of No. California. Join us for our free quarterly readings & workshops. A featured reader, often longtime HPNC members, will present a short reading of haiku and/or other Japanese genre poetry. Each meeting also offers a lengthier program (usually a presentation or workshop related to one of the Japanese forms). There will be one or more round-robin readings, where all attendees have an opportunity, open-mic style, to read and share one or more haiku and tanka. Also news and announcements, including upcoming events, submission calls and brief introductions of any new books of interest, as well as time for socializing and refreshments. A book table is set up for the sale and purchase of HPNC and other books (you may bring your own publications if you have some to sell). Our meetings and special events, which are open to both members and nonmembers, are held quarterly at San Francisco’s Fort Mason, building C, room 235, from 1 to 5 PM. For more information, or to become an HPNC member (which includes a subscription to our renowned semiannual journal Mariposa and a quarterly newsletter) go to the HPNC website at www.haiku-poets-northern-california.com.
How to List Your Announcements in the Literary Update
General Information
The Literary Update is a compilation of announcements which I receive from members of the Sonoma County literary community about workshops, readings, ongoing literary and writing groups, calls for submissions, and contests. Events should be primarily literary in nature, and should be located in, or within an hour’s drive of, Sonoma County.
I aim to make the monthly updates as inclusive as possible. If you have a workshop, event, contest, or call for submission to announce to the Sonoma County literary community, please send it to me as an e-mail message by noon on the last day of each calendar month. Any notices received after this deadline will not be included, but may be added to the next month’s Literary Update, if still relevant.
Here are the basic guidelines for announcements.
1. Include the words “Literary Update” in your subject heading.
2. Make sure your announcement is concise, carefully proofread, and copy-edited. Also keep in mind that I can only include announcements that are plain text and presented in the e-mail message (no flyers, PDF’s, or attachments with special formatting please). Retyping text and reformatting special fonts from flyers takes time, sometimes causes errors, and may result in announcements being left out of the Update.
3. If you have an event or workshop you want included in the monthly calendar, as well as listed in another category of the Update, please include an abbreviated version of your announcement in the following format:
Day, Date, Time: Event title, featured authors, cost (if any), location, contact information.
4. Suggest the category where you’d like it placed. These are listed here:
- County-Wide Literary News (general interest announcements)
- Sonoma County in Print (new books/chapbooks/CDs by Sonoma County writers)
- News from East County (Sonoma area)
- News from North County (Healdsburg area)
- News from West County (Occidental/Guerneville area)
- Writers’ Connections (invitations to join groups, formal or informal)
- Upcoming Workshops and Conferences (current workshops you are offering)
- Call for Submissions (local literary journals, magazines, contests)
- Ongoing Writers’ Groups and Open Mic Readings
- Monthly Calendar of readings, events and workshops
- Sonoma County Workshop Leaders (e-mail and website contacts)
- Details about Workshops, Calls for Submission, Contests (information that is too lengthy to include in the short features or calendar listings)
Deadline
The deadline for announcements is noon on the last day of each calendar month. If your event is early in the month, send it two months ahead to make sure it gets in the calendar in a timely fashion
Donation
For those who regularly announce their workshops, readings, or services here, a donation of $10/year is appreciated to keep the update and its website going. Donations from regular readers are welcome, too! If you’d like to find out how you can help, please contact me at tehret99@comcast.net.
