Enjoying the March
29 reading at BookShop West
Portal are WNBA-SF board
members, from left, Mary
(Shyne) Lunning, Mary E.
Knippel, Joan Gelfand
Allegra Harris and Teresa
LeYung Ryan. Event details
are in
WNBA-SF
News and in
Member
News.
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WNBA-SF News
Effie's
Lecture set for May 9
Javaka Steptoe will present the
annual Effie Lee Morris Lecture
at the
San Francisco Public
Library at 6:30pm on
May 9, with a reception
starting at 5:30pm. His topic
will be "Swan Lake, a retelling
of the story by Walter Dean
Myers and illustrated by Javaka
Steptoe," detailing a different
approach to the traditional
story by a young African
American illustrator.
Established in 1996 by the San
Francisco Chapter, this annual
lecture salutes WNBA-SF
founding president Effie Lee
Morris for her outstanding
contributions to the San
Francisco Public Library and
the children of San
Francisco.
photo by
Earthman
Sunset
Social, Silent
AuctionThe
board members
of
Women's
National Book
Association
cordially
invite
WNBA-SF members
and their
guests
to a
Sunset Social
& Silent
Auction
Enjoy a
stunning
sunset,
compelling
conversation,
fabulous food
&
cocktails, and
sensational
silent auction
on Sunday, May
20, 2007,
5-7pm, at the
ocean-view home
of WNBA
National Vice
President and
WNBA-SF
Secretary Joan
Gelfand, in a
beautiful San
Francisco
neighborhood
(St. Francis
Wood area) with
plenty of easy
street parking
(SF-Muni from
BART
accessible).
Let's raise
a glass to
toast all our
successes and
accomplishments
in the world of
words while we
raise funds to
facilitate the
programs and
events
furthering our
members'
professional
development.
Silent Auction
items will
include an
Executive
Membership with
Bay Area
Business Woman
($795 value),
one-on-one
conversations
with agents,
writing
instruction
from acclaimed
authors,
coaching
sessions pre
and post
publication,
fun vacation
spots,
excellent
wines, gift
certificates,
unique MEK
♥Designs
Jewelry, and
more!
RSVP now by
calling
650-361-0344.
Please give us
your name and
telephone
number (with
area code),
tell us if
you're a
member, and
provide names
of any guests
you'll be
bringing. Or
use our
online
registration
form
to register.
$30/members;
$40/guest. You
can pay online
via PayPal or
mail your check
to WNBA-SF
Chapter, 2261
Market St #164,
San Francisco
CA 94114.
Address of
event will be
given upon
receipt of your
payment.
Space is
limited, please
RSVP by May
12th.
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Volunteer for Fun
Want to have a fun afternoon,
get a sneak peek at all the
terrific auction items and
attend the Sunset Social for
free? Volunteer for special
duties (set up and take down of
auction tables, clearing
cocktail area, clearing buffet
area, and general helping after
the event ends) on the day of
our Sunset Social & Silent
Auction. e-mail Mary at
president@wnba-sfchapter.org
for more information.
Bookstore owner
Neal Sofman, left, welcomes
WNBA-SF members and guests
to BookShop West
Portal
More Readings
Scheduled
Neal Sofman, owner BookShop
West Portal (WNBA-SF's
sponsoring independent
bookstore), was so impressed
with the quality of our work at
our inaugural reading on March
29 (see
Member
News section) that
he will promote our readings on
his website as well as through
flyers and posters featuring
author photos along with book
covers!
Give your words wings. Join
the ranks of the likes of Jane
Hirshfield, Oakley Hall, Cara
Black, and many others who have
held readings at BookShop West
Portal. Our next Writers
Reading is scheduled for
Thursday, June 7 at 7pm.
Readers will have five to seven
minutes in which to read their
work with a one-minute
introduction. Please remember
that we are in a public space
and respect the family setting
in which we are reading. Space
is limited to 10 readers; sign
up by contacting WNBA-SF
Writers Reading Coordinator
Diana@silkroad.org.
To be included in the extensive
advertising by Bookshop West
Portal, sign up by May 2;
readers signing up after that
date will miss the benefit for
BookShop West Portal's
marketing for the event, but
will still have the opportunity
to read if there is still space
on the roster.
As we all know, getting
publicity is hard work. Here
we're being offered a popular,
cozy, neighborhood bookstore in
which to read our work, and
they will promote the event.
All WNBA-SF members are
encouraged to sign up to
read—published work is not a
criteria; works in progress can
greatly benefit from a public
reading during the writing
process.
Free
Workshop/Forum June 16
WNBA-SF is hosting "A Gathering
of Readers and Writers" from
10am-4pm on Saturday, June 16,
in the Oak Room on the first
floor of the San Mateo Library
(1100 Park Place, San Mateo,
650-522-7800). And best of all,
this members-and-guests-only
event is totally FREE to all
participants (donations
cheerfully accepted).
Join us for a fun-filled day
with speakers, a presentation
by the WNBA board members,
brain gym exercises and more!
Let's get together to meet each
other and share ideas. This is
an opportunity to gain
knowledge on marketing, using
the Web, improving our speaking
skills, learning about a new
computer application, Dragon
Speaking, which types as you
talk and meeting several WNBA
board members, who will give a
panel presentation!
Speakers will include
marketing consultant Pamela
Swingley; Brendan
Murphy of Toastmasters
International; Ted
Maher, Dragon Speaking;
Linda Lee, Books on the
Web; Luisa Adams, Brain
Gym; and a panel featuring
writers Martha Alderson,
Joan Gelfand, Teresa
LeYung Ryan, and Allegra
Harris.
Bring your own lunch, dress
casual, listen to the speakers
and share your views! Admission
is free, but donations will be
accepted. Each member can bring
one guest. This is a great
chance for members of WNBA-SF
to meet each other and share
their skills and
experiences.
Thanks go to Membership
Chair Mary (Shyne) Lunning for
spearheading this event. To
make a reservation or for more
information, contact Shyne at
membership@wnba-sfchapter.org.
Promote
your book at the annual
Sonoma County Book
Fair
Be Booth Buddies
Interesting in exhibiting and
selling your books in the
WNBA-SF booth at the Eighth
Annual Sonoma County Book
Festival in September? This
event is growing in attendance
and popularity each year. It's
a great opportunity to meet
book-oriented folks, from
readers to other writers. In
addition to the booth
exhibitors, there are always
many speakers, readers and
panel presentations.
E-mail Teresa LeYung Ryan at
LiteracyLiaison@wnba-sfchapter.org
by May 15 if you're
interested. The festival will
be held in the Old Courthouse
Square in downtown Santa Rosa
on Saturday, Sep. 15, from
10am-5pm. The cost is $25 to
participate in the WNBA-SF
booth (which includes a canopy,
one 8-foot table and two
chairs). The first eight
members who email Teresa will
have priority.
We need four members to
staff the booth from
10am-1:30pm, and four members
from 1:30-5pm. Your book will
be displayed all day; table
space will be equally divided
to accommodate all eight
members who pay $25 each. For
more information about the
festival, visit
socobookfest.org.
Randall
Weaver, from left, looks on
as Brian Castagne
shows Mary E. Knippel a
program in the Project Read
computer lab
From Our Literacy
Liaison
Dear WNBA-SF Chapter Members,
WNBA-SF President Mary
Knippel and I met with
Randall Weaver, Project Read
Manager at San Francisco Public
Library, to discuss creating a
partnership between
Project
Read and WNBA. It's
all about helping people
helping themselves.
Project Read's mission
statement: To provide free
instruction in basic reading
and writing thereby enabling
adults to access greater
opportunities in their
lives.
Our mission statement: The
Women's National Book
Association is a national
organization of women and men
who work with and value books.
WNBA exists to promote reading
and to support the role of
women in the community of the
book.
Even if WNBA members can't
commit to being tutors for
Project Read, we can support
this awesome organization by
talking about the phenomenal
work these folks do. Talk about
the wonderful services they
provide to English-speaking
adults—from their free
one-to-one tutoring to their
easy-to-use computer lab to
their Language Experience
Technique (whereby an adult
learner tells his/her stories
to the tutor who writes them
down; adult learner then learns
to read his/her own
stories!)
Check out
Project
Read's website.
Under "What's New!" click
on:
Then under "Helpful
Resources" check out:
If you decide to get
involved, I'd love to hear from
you. My email address is
LiteracyLiaison@wnba-sfchapter.org/
Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan
Board Meeting May
3
Everyone's welcome at the
monthly WNBA-SF board meeting
from 6-8pm on Thursday, May 3.
WNBA-SF board meetings (except
for the January session) are
usually held on the first
Thursday of the month from
6-8pm at the Café at the Museum
of Modern Art in San Francisco.
For more details or to add an
item to the agenda, please
e-mail
president@wnba-sfchapter.org.
Filling the BookWorm with
Your News
The WNBA-SF chapter newsletter,
the BookWorm, is
published the first of every
month. We'd love to announce
members' publications,
articles, book-signings,
workshops, awards or other
milestones. The deadline for
submissions is the 20th
of each month; please send
items to
newsletter@wnba-sfchapter.org.
(If you don't receive a "got
it" response within a few days
of sending your e-mail, please
try again.)
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WNBA-National
News
Boston Library to house
WNBA Collection
WNBA-SF authors are invited to
be a part of a new WNBA
collection to be housed at the
Boston Pubic Library. We hope
to inaugurate the collection on
our national meeting weekend,
June 2-4. This is a wonderful
opportunity for WNBA-SF members
to place their work in a
permanent collection and become
part of the circulating
volumes. Individual members may
send one or two copies to:
Laurie Beckelman, 160 Tea Rock
Ln, Marshfield MA 02050.
Supporting
Book Reviewers
The national WNBA forwarded
the following information,
which ran in the Library
Journal.
Last week, the Los
Angeles Times folded its
book review section into an
opinion section, and the
Atlanta
Journal-Constitution
eliminated its book review
position. Not a good week for
book criticism, but not a
surprising one, either: in the
past few years, newspapers from
the Chicago Tribune to
the Dallas Morning News
to the Village Voice
have seen book coverage
shrink.
The National Book Critics
Circle (NBCC) is not taking
these developments lying down.
This week, in an effort to
support book reviews, book
editors, book pages, and book
culture, the NBCC is launching
a Campaign to Save Book
Reviews. Throughout the month
of May, the NBCC is asking
authors and editors,
journalists and publishers--in
fact anyone interested in
literary culture—to speak out
on the value of books and book
reviewing.
The campaign's launch pad is
an effort to save the book
review position at the
Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, held
until last week by Teresa
Wright. Explains NBCC president
John Freeman, "Teresa has the
opportunity to apply for a job
within the company, but it's
not clear what the fate of the
book page will be—whether it'll
be reassigned to an existing
editor, whether it will go
entirely to wire copy, or
whether it will be removed
altogether."
A petition to save Wright's
job has already secured nearly
1,000 signatures, including
those from luminaries as varied
as Michael Connelly, Richard
Powers and Ian Rankin. Those
interested in signing should
here.
Throughout the campaign,
Critical Mass, the NBCC's blog,
will feature Q&As, posts by
concerned writers, and advice
on petitioning the media to
assure continued book coverage.
Current posts include a lengthy
Q&A with David L. Ulin,
editor of the Los Angeles Times
Book Review. Check out
Critical
Mass to join in
these efforts and to track
developments in this ongoing
and important campaign.
The National Book Critics
Circle, founded in 1974, is a
nonprofit, tax-exempt
organization consisting of
nearly 700 active book
reviewers nationwide who are
interested in honoring quality
writing and communicating with
one another about common
concerns. It is managed by a
24-member all-volunteer board
of directors. For more
information, please go to
bookcritics.org.
For questions, contact
Barbara
Hoffert,
646-746-6806.
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Mission
Statement
The Woman's National Book
Association is a national
organization of women and men
who work with and value books.
WNBA exists to promote reading
and to support the role of
women in the community of the
book.
The Women's National Book
Association was established in
1917, before women in America
had the right to vote.
The San Francisco branch of
WNBA is one chapter in a
vibrant organization with over
800 members across the county.
Each branch has its own flavor
and lively events to honor
books—the creation of books,
the world of books, and allied
arts.
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In This Issue
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Welcome
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Welcome to the May 2007 edition
of Bookworm, with news and
events highlighting San
Francisco WNBA members!
"It seems to me that
those songs that have been any
good, I have had nothing much
to do with the writing of them.
The words have just crawled
down my sleeve and come out on
the page."—Joan Baez
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From Our
Chapter President
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Dear WNBA-SF
Friends,
This is the
time of year
when summer is
just around the
corner and our
year seems to
speed up. Well,
2007 is no
exception! The
WNBA-SF board
and event
volunteers have
been working
hard planning
wonderful
things for you
in May and
June.
May 9 is our
annual Effie
Lee Morris
Children's
Literature
Lecture—check
the details
under
WNBA-SF
News.
featuring
Javaka Steptoe
at the San
Francisco
Public Library.
The Sunset
Social and
Silent Auction
on May 20,
5-7pm, promises
to be a gala
evening
involving three
of my favorite
things:
friends, food
and
shopping!
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Mary
E. Knippel
Sharie
Cohen
Photography |
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Don't miss our
next
installment of
Writers Reading
event at
BookShop West
Portal on June
7 at 7pm. The
March event was
filled with
powerfully
passionate
writing
representing a
wide variety of
genre. On June
16, 10am-4pm,
WNBA-SF will
host a panel
discussion at
the San Mateo
Public Library,
"A Gathering of
Readers and
Writers,"
offering
strategies on
marketing,
technical
advice and
more.
Looking
forward to
seeing you
soon,
Mary
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Member Profile:
Bookworm talks to Micky
Duxbury, author of Making
Room in Our Hearts
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Micky Duxbury is an
adoptive parent of a daughter
brought to her family through
domestic adoption in 1994. The
author of Making Room in our
Hearts: Keeping Family Ties
Through Open Adoption,
Micky is a licensed Marriage
and Family Therapist who has
practiced in the Bay Area for
more than 25 years. She
specializes in pre and
post-adoption education and
counseling, and works with
adoptive families and birth
parents as they begin, build,
and navigate their ongoing
relationships. She worked for
more than 11 years in the
HIV/AIDS field as a therapist
and continues her work in the
field of life threatening
illness by working with women
and families dealing with
cancer.
A frequent workshop
presenter, her presentations
focus on coping with the
challenges of the adoption
process, raising adopted
children, and navigating open
adoptive relationships. She
developed and taught a course
on The Psychology of Adoption
and offers Raising Adopted
Children workshops. A strong
proponent of ethical and
child-centered adoption
practices, she has worked as a
mediator, therapist, and
educator with all members of
the adoption triad.
When not working, with
family and friends, or deeply
engaged in the First Unitarian
Church Of Oakland, Micky can
usually be found working in her
beautiful garden or hiking,
biking or kayaking in Pt.
Reyes.
- When did you start
writing?
- I started writing my
first book almost four
years ago. The actual
writing of the book was the
least difficult part.
Getting clear on approach,
structure, and chapters was
the biggest challenge.
- What inspired you to
choose your subject
matter?
- We adopted our daughter
in what was originally an
open adoption that became
closed when she was two
years old. I began work in
the field and became aware
that although many adoption
professionals promote the
idea of openness, they do
not provide the pre and
post-adoption education and
counseling that can ensure
its success. I wanted to
help others address their
fears and concerns by using
real-life stories of
families that had been
successful. I especially
wanted to make a strong
case for a child-centered
view of openness, as it is
the child, teen, and then
adult who is left to
grapple with questions of
identity because of
separation from their
biological parents.
- How difficult / easy
has your experience been as
a published
author?
- It was challenging to
find a publisher. When the
book was about 30% formed,
I sent a book proposal to
50 carefully selected
agents and publishers. I
got back mostly form
letters, but also several
complimentary letters. I
returned to make more
progress on the manuscript,
then sent a query letter to
hundreds of publishers via
a local service: Publishers
and Agents, (which I would
highly recommend). I
received a dozen requests
for the proposal and
ultimately got two offers.
The most challenging and
sometimes painful part of
the process has been having
a very different set of
expectations of what the
publisher would be able to
do in terms of PR for the
book.
- What advice would
you give other aspiring
authors?
-
- Work within a
support group of
some kind. Get some
folks who are also
trying to complete
a manuscript and
/or find a
publisher so you
have ongoing
support and are not
operating in a
vacuum.
- Get someone to
review your book
proposal and get it
out there well
before you are half
way through
completing the
manuscript.
- Use a service
to get the widest
possible screening
for the
proposal...well
worth the
money!
- Talk with your
publisher about the
specific
marketing/PR plan:
What exactly will
they do? Put it in
the contract if
possible. Make sure
you are choosing a
publisher to best
represent your
intentions for the
book.
- Get educated
about the demands
of doing adequate
PR: the time,
expertise, and
money it takes.
Make sure you have
the stomach to
start a part-time
job doing PR, or
figure out how to
pay someone else to
do it.
- Anything else you
would like to share with
the WNBA?
- I would welcome sharing
what I have learned with
other aspiring first-time
non-fiction writers and
look forward to hearing
from you.
Are you a WNBA-SF member
and published author? Would you
like to share your story with
WNBA-SF? Contact newsletter
editor
Patricia
Lynn Henley about
being featured in the Member
Profile section of the
BookWorm.
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Member News
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WNBA-SF
member
Danna
Willberg
reads
from
her
first
novel
at the
Writers
Reading
event
in
BookShop
West
Portal
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The Joys of
Reading
Stories of romance so sweet you
could feel the tenderness,
adventure so thrilling you
found yourself listening for
the sound of gunfire, family
drama so touching you found
yourself reminded of your own
familiar dilemmas, and poetry
delivered with skill, panache
and passion—all these were
presented to an enthusiastic
audience at the first Writers
Reading at BookShop West Portal
on March 29.
Participant Danna
Wilberg shared her thoughts
about the experience:
Someone asked, "What did
you want to be when you were
eight years old?"
"I wanted to be a
writer," I answered.
I never dreamed I would
be invited to the BookShop West
Portal in San Francisco, to
listen to stories and poetry
read by extraordinary authors,
let alone be invited to stand
at the same podium to read my
own work. I felt as though I
was having an 'out of body'
experience! Is this really me?
I asked myself, shaky,
nervous.
I hope so!
WNBA-SF member Diane
LeBow will be reading from
her story, "Dancing on the Wine
Dark Sea, at 7pm Thursday, May
17, at Get Lost Books, 1825
Market St. in San Francisco
(415-437-0529) with a few other
contributors to the new Seal
Press anthology, Greece: A
Love Story: Women Write about
the Greek Experience (Seal
Press). Diane, president of the
Bay Area Travel Writers and
winner of the recent Travelers'
Tales Solas Gold Award for Best
Story of a Romance on the Road,
tells the tales of three visits
to the land of Homer over a 25
year period, writing about
love, death, visits to the
sites of ancient Athenian
fertility cults, and much
more.
WNBA-SF Secretary Joan
Gelfand reports that
Persimmon Tree, an
independent online magazine
associated with Mills College,
seeks submissions from women
over age 60. They are looking
for work revealing the
diversity and richness of
women's experiences and the
variety of their perspectives.
The magazine welcomes
previously unpublished short
fiction, novel excerpts,
performance pieces, and
nonfiction under 5,000 words.
Please go to
their
website for
submission details and
guidelines.
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Announcements
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Gold Rush Writers
Retreat
When: May 4-6
Where: Historic Hotel Leger,
8304 Main St, Mokelumne Hill
CA
Cost: $125-$145
Registration:
www.goldrushwriters.com
Details: WNBA-SF Member
Kevin Arnold is part of
the faculty for this workshop
featuring best-selling authors,
award-winning writers, and
university professors, among
others. They'll lead small,
interactive workshops in short
story, poetry, novel, memoir,
young adult fiction,
nonfiction, flash fiction and
biography. The three-day event
also includes luncheon and
dinner speakers. Participants
should bring their latest
writing to share in the
workshops. Everything starts
with an evening picnic in the
magnificent Victorian garden
home of best-selling author
Antoinette May.
Writing and Your
Health
When: Four Sundays, May 6
and 20, and June 3 and 10,
7-8:30pm
Where: Bookshop West Portal
(WNBA-SF's sponsoring store),
80 W Portal, San Francisco
Cost: $80 (limited to 8
participants
Registration: 415-564-8080,
bookshopwestportal.com
Details: Research has shown
that the writing process is
useful as a therapeutic tool
for people living with medical
conditions. This is for those
with healthcare concerns who
would like to share their
experiences through writing.
Dr. Abby Caplin, a
physician specializing in
mind-body medicine, will guide
participants through a process
of reflection, allowing time
for writing and sharing if
desired. No writing experience
is necessary. Just come with an
open mind and a notebook.
Write From Your
Heart
When: Saturday, May 12,
9:30-11:30am (a continental
breakfast will be served at
9am)
Where: Foster City Recreation
Center, 650 Shell Blvd., Foster
City
Cost: $20 Foster City
residents; $25 non-residents
(space is limited)
Registration: Please send
checks by May 4 payable to City
of Foster City (write "May 12
writing workshop" on the check
as well), to 650 Shell Blvd,
Foster City CA 94404. For more
information, call
650-286-3380
Details: Whether you're
writing articles, short
stories, or books, WNBA-SF
Member Teresa LeYung
Ryan will help you identify
the themes and give you
resources so that can get your
work published. For the first
90 minutes of this class you'll
focus on your current project
by examining themes and
archetypes. The last 30 minutes
Teresa will answer questions
about the publishing arena.
Please bring publications
(including books) that you
enjoy reading and your current
project. Teresa is a career
coach for writers. Her
mother-daughter novel, Love
Made of Heart, is now
archived at the San Francisco
History Center and recommended
by the California School
Library Association and the
California Reading Association.
Teresa says, "I want to see
everyone step into their
dreams." For more information
about Teresa, go to
www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com.
Best American Short
Stories
When: 9am-noon, Saturdays,
May 19 and 26, June 2 and
9
Where: TBA
Cost: $55 per class
Registration:
ellensussman@gamil.com
Details: WNBA-SF member
Ellen Sussman is leading
four seminars using the 2006
edition of Best American
Short Stories, edited by
Ann Patchett. As in the past,
the group will read five
stories for each class and
discuss the tales in terms of
what can be learned from them
as writers. Ellen will provide
the bagels and coffee for these
Saturday-morning sessions.
Participants can sign up for
one, two, three or all of the
classes. These classes usually
fill quickly.
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