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In This
Issue
From Our Chapter
President
Announcements
From Our Literacy
Liaisons
Author
Spotlight
WNBA National
News
Link to Renew Membership (General
Member - $45)
Link to Renew Membership (Senior/Student -
$25)
From our Literacy
Liaisons Dear WNBA Members and Friends,
Happy New Year!
Teresa says: "At the December holiday meeting at Michael &
Elizabeth's, the book exchange was a lovely tradition to end the
year. See you at our other signature events. Saturday,
January 24, 3:00-5:00pm, Patricia Costello and I will be
facilitating a networking mixer in the Rockridge neighborhood of
Oakland. Check home page or calendar page for details and RSVP
please.
"Our new member Marlene Cullen is another pro at creating signature
events; she's the founder of Writers Forum of Petaluma, literary
workshops on the third Thursday night of each month (February
through November). For more information, please visit Marlene's
website at www.thewritespot.us"
Patricia says: "I have been reading a lot of memoirs
lately. Last month I went to the Asian Art Museum to see the
wonderful exhibit on Afghanistan and picked up a few more titles at
their bookstore. I just finished Robert Abdul Hayy Darr's The Spy
of the Heart. Mr. Darr spent many years in Afghanistan during
the 70's and 80's working with famine relief in the northern part
of the country. He does a great job of describing the history
and politics of this country. Anyone wanting to understand
how the U.S. is going to handle foreign policy in this region,
definitely should read this book. Another book I chose was
Istanbul, Memories and the City by Nobel Prize winning author Orhan
Pamuk. I had read My Name is Red years ago and look forward
to reading Mr. Pamuk's description of him hometown."
Check out the calendar or home page http://wnba-sfchapter.org or look
through this newsletter for more information on fun events.
What are you doing to promote literacy in the community? Email us
and we'll showcase you in this column. Please put "WNBA and
Literacy" in your subject line.
Be well!
Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan & Patricia Costello
LiteracyLiaison@wnba-sfchapter.org
******************
Author
Spotlight
Bookworm talks to WNBA National
President, Joan Gelfand
An award winning poet, Joan’s work is published
in national magazines and anthologies. Her books
are: “Seeking Center” Two Bridges Press/2006 and “A
Dreamer’s Guide to Cities and Streams,” San Francisco Bay
Press/2009. President of the Women’s National Book
Association, Joan received her M.F.A. from Mills
College.
Joan will be reading on January 19th, 7pm at Bird & Beckett
Books ( 653 Chenery Street, San Francisco, CA)
http://www.bird-beckett.com/
When did you start writing?
Many years ago! I was inspired by the
poets of my generation - particularly e.e. Cummings,
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Yoko Ono. I started writing as
a young teen - I was 15 when I worked up my first
poem.
Why did you choose your particular genre?
I think poetry chose me!
What inspired you to
choose your subject matter?
I think Poetry grabbed me because I loved that with
just the right words you could not only re-
create a photo of something, but
also the feeling. I’ll never forget “The Coney Island of the
Mind.” I still
have images and feelings from those poems I read 40 years ago.
That’s powerful. Also, the compactness - that it took so few words to
move someone emotionally from point A to point B.
That was exciting to
me.
How
difficult/easy has your experience been as a published
writer?
I’ve had a pretty easy time as
a poet. My new book, “A Dreamer’s Guide to Cities and Streams”
was published with very little effort on my part. After
poetry, non-fiction has been successful. I’ve had many essays,
letters and reviews published. The most challenging has been
fiction.
What
advice would you give other aspiring authors?
Submit your
work, whether to on-line journals, literary magazines or
nationally recognized publications. Create a strategy for
building your writer’s resume. Start small, but submit
regularly. Don’t get hung up on rejection. Success breeds
success.
Anything else you would like to share
with the WNBA?
Make the effort to get to know people in the chapter as well as
nationally. Use the ‘Members Only’ section of the WNBA website
to network with members around the country. I have had very
good fortune through people I have met through WNBA, including
an endorsement from the CA State poet laureate, Al Young. WNBA
colleagues have invited me to be on panels and teach
seminars. It’s all about who you meet and the connections
you make that help you along professionally. I also coach
writers on building their writer's resumes and hold ‘Submission
Support Groups.’ For more info go to www.joangelfand.com.
********************
**********************
Announcements
(cont.)
"What's Your Tagline?"
Whether you are a fiction or non-fiction author, you
need to build your name and fame and reinforce your
messages before your first or next book is published.
Through role-play, this session will help you:
* Nail down your pitch
* Be prepared for the unexpected
* Plan your vision of success
Elisa and Teresa
have helped hundreds of writers craft powerful
taglines for themselves. Make 2009 your year for
new success! They recommend the
San Francisco
Writers Conference.
Elisa's and Teresa's books will be available at a
special discount.
Marketing Mentor Elisa Southard, author of Amazon
business best-seller Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools
to Propel Your Marketing Message, helps clients power
up their outreach, build their image and recharge their
messages, and plug into a marketing frame of mind.
www.BreakThroughTheNoise.com
Manuscript Consultant and Career Coach Teresa LeYung
Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, helps clients
identify themes and polish their manuscripts, market
themselves to agents and publishers, and map out their
careers. www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com
Can't make the above event with Teresa and Elisa?
Look for the dynamic duo at the Sixth San
Francisco Writers Conference
'Building Bridges to Better Tomorrows' - February
13 -15, 2009. Visit www.sfwriters.org for more
information.
**********************
Have extra children's books
in need of a new
home?
The Children's Book
Project would love your donation.
Visit www.childrensbookproject.org
to learn how you can donate to this worthy
and wonderful organization.
Their
Mission:
"The Children’s Book Project was founded to
help build literacy by providing free, new and
gently used books to children who need them.
Since our beginning in 1992, we have collected
and distributed over 1,000,000 books to San
Francisco Bay Area children and their shelters,
schools, community and daycare centers."
**********************
Writers Forum proudly
presents
Teresa LeYung
Ryan
Petaluma Community Center, 320 No.
McDowell Blvd. Petaluma, CA
Thursday, February 19, 2009 7:00 pm to
9:00 pm
$15 at the door
"Circle of Sharing for Writers SWAP
MEET"
Teresa LeYung Ryan will lead a fun
brainstorming session to take our writing careers
three steps closer to our big goals. "YOU,
talented writers, hold the golden keys to
success," says Teresa, who believes we can make
our dreams come true with the help of friends,
colleagues, and mentors.
Choose two items from the list posted
on http://www.thewritespot.us/
gpage2.html and bring them to the Forum on
February 19 th
. Teresa's bio:
www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com
****************
Lunchtime
Panel Discussion
for Career
Advancement
Thursday, Jan. 29
from 12:30 to 2:30pm at Jillian’s in the Metreon,
101 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA
How Authors, Publicists, and the Media Can
Work Together Best is the subject of a
lunchtime panel discussion in San Francisco on Jan. 29,
co-sponsored by the northern California chapter of the
American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and
the Northern California Book Publicity and Marketing
Association (NCBPMA).
Authors, publicists, and the media all benefit from
good working relationships. Learn to optimize what you
have to offer in this three-way relationship from three
veterans in the field: Isabella Michon, a publicist
with 25 years experience including TV and radio
production; Mark Silverman, producer of the Ronn Owens
radio program in San Francisco and a writer and a
frequent radio guest himself; and Steven Van Yoder,
freelance journalist and author of GET SLIGHTLY FAMOUS:
Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More
Business with Less Effort.
Join NorCal ASJA and NCBPMA in their first joint
meeting on Thursday, Jan. 29 from 12:30 to 2:30pm at
Jillian’s in the Metreon, 101 Fourth Street, San
Francisco. $30 for members of either organization, $35
for non-members; payable at event with cash or check
only. RSVP by Jan. 27 to ncbpma@ncbpma.org with choice
of chicken or vegetarian entrée.
For more information contact NCBPMA at the address
above, or reply directly to this e-mail to contact
NorCal ASJA President D. Patrick Miller.
**********************
Did you
know?
WNBA MEMBER ADVANTAGES:
Do you have a new book or service you would like to
promote?
Here are the ways WNBA
can help:
1: Link your website to
our SF chapter site
2: List your book on our
National Site - under Author
books. The site gets
approximately 4,400 hits/month
(password
required)
3: List your name in our
national database of
members
4: Have your book
reviewed or noted in our National
Magazine, The
Bookwoman.
Published 3x /year The
Bookwoman is sent out to all
chapters and members (700+) and
industry professionals for a
total circulation of
3,000
5: Ask to present
your book at our Author’s
Showcase - contact Elisa Southard
/WNBA/SF
6: SIGN UP to
read/present your book at our
local sponsoring bookstore:
Bookshop West
Portal.
7: Work with all of our
8 chapters to network for
readings/mailings,
etc.
Have fun! Make new
friends and
acquaintances!
Sign up or renew (only
$45!) on our website:
www.wnba-sfchapter.org
and Use
PayPal.
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From Our Chapter
President
 Dear WNBA-SF
Friends,
Welcome to 2009!
The Chinese calendar tells us we are beginning
the "Year of the Earth Ox." Many of us who grew up in
the Midwest are familiar with a very famous Ox - Babe the
Blue Ox who was the side kick of Paul Bunyan.
Babe and Paul are folk heroes who symbolize reliability,
sincerity and strength. Not just brute strength, although
Babe is rumored to have “dug” the Grand Canyon with Paul
guiding the plow, but strength of character and integrity.
Whatever projects or plans 2009 holds for you, I hope you
will remember that in the “Year of the Earth Ox” we all have
the capacity to succeed at whatever we dare to
dream.
For those of you who dream of an opportunity
to read your writing at a public venue, WNBA-SF is sponsoring
a Writers Reading on March 14, 7 p.m. at BookShop West
Portal. We only have room for a limited number of readers, so
sign up NOW if you want to participate. Visit our web site
at www.wnba-sfchapter.org for all the details.
If your plans include finding an agent, be
sure to attend our Meet-the-Agents Event on Sat. am, March
28 at Sinbad’s Restaurant in San Francisco. This is your
chance to get your writing project really on the road to
publication. As an added bonus, WNBA-SF members will coach
you in making your pitch Agent Ready. Check out our
web site at www.wnba-sfchapter.org for all the details.
If your book is published, congratulations!
WNBA-SF would like to help you get the word out and help you
polish your pitch. Join us for the annual WNBA-SF Author
Showcase on April 16 to promote it. Elisa Southard,
the Marketing Queen, is once again chairing this event. She
has unusual and attention grabbing ideas on promotion. You
won’t want to miss what she’ll come up with this year! Watch
our web site at www.wnba-sfchapter.org for all the details.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy new year full
of terrific writing & reading!
Be well,
Mary
********************
Announcements
Promote your work!
WNBA Members Get to
Read
at BookShop West
Portal
Our next event at BookShop West Portal will be on Thursday, March
12, 7:00-9:00 PM, hosted by Pam Reitman. Each reader will get 7-10
minutes at the microphone. After the readings, we will have time to
network. Members who would like to read their published works or
works-in-progress should e-mail Pam, pam@pamreitman.com. The line-up
will be composed of writers on the waiting list and
first-come-first-serve responses to this call. For writers with published works,
this is a chance to sell books! If you don't get on the
roster this time, Pam will add your name to the
waiting-list.
********************
It’s Time to Tap
into
Your Creativity in
2009!
Mary E. Knippel, Creativity Mentor
Featured speaker at the Peninsula Branch of the
California Writer’s Club Meeting
Sat., Jan 17 at 10 a.m. at the Belmont
Library
$15 CWC members, $18 guests
It’s a new year and we’re gonna face it with a brand
new attitude! Join us on Jan. 17at 10 a.m. at the
Belmont Library as we begin 2009 discussing ways to woo,
encourage, entice, pursue and tap into our Creativity.
Everyone has the ability to be creative and Creativity Mentor
M.E. Knippel will share some ideas about getting the juice
back into our writing. We will also do some brainstorming
about ways that have worked for fellow California Writer’s
Club members. Bring your imagination, ideas for inspiration,
and enthusiasm. Don’t forget to invite your inner child along
for some play time! Following the morning’s program, Mary will be the
Guest Mentor for the CWC Mentoring Session. The topic of
Creativity will be expanded with Creativity Mentor
M.E. Knippel leading the participants in a hands-on fun,
playful collage and writing exercise to tap into getting those
creative juices flowing. Collage, from the French
"to stick" is regarded as a work of visual arts made from an
assemblage of different forms, creating a new whole. It often
combines images and words resulting in stories rich in
imagination and depth. Journal writing is a creative,
empowering path to self-discovery and change as well as a
connection to working on our inner life and outer
relationships. It is a safe place to vent and a trusted friend
who always keeps confidences and a tool for healing your body
and mind.
********************
2009 San
Francisco
Writers'
Conference
Building Bridges to Better
Tomorrows
February 13 - 15, 2009
The 2009 Conference will feature nearly 100 agents, authors
and editors. Attendees have access to more than fifty
"how to" sessions, panels, and workshops taught by authors you
know and love. Speed Dating
for Agents and Ask
a Pro are unique one-on-one opportunities to pitch
your work directly to these publishing professionals. Celebrity
book signings and social gatherings with other writers add to
the excitement of the event.
Remember to register early for next year's conference. Visit
www.sfwriters.org for more
information.
******************
WNBA
MIXER in OAKLAND
What: Women's
National Book Association MIXER. Network with members,
plan your year for success, and support DIESEL, A Bookstore in
Oakland.
When: Saturday,
January 24, 2009, 3:00-5:00pm
Where: DIESEL, A
Bookstore in Oakland
5433 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618, (510) 653-9965
(0.2 miles/ 4 blocks from Rockridge BART station)
Cost: $5-$10
suggested donation (to fund future mixers) when you arrive
RSVP: Email
Teresa and Patricia at: literacyliaison@wnba-sfchapter.org
by Jan. 20th
**********************
WOW! - Women on Writing
Conference
An International Women’s Day Celebration
Sat., March 7, 2009, 8
a.m.-5 p.m. at Skyline College
Keynote Speaker:
Julia Whitty
Author of: The Fragile Edge: Diving & Other
Adventures in the South Pacific (2008 Kuriyama Prize for
nonfiction, 2008 John Burroughs Medal for outstanding natural
history, 2008 Northern California Book Award for creative
nonfiction)
Book Talk Panel Featured Writers:
Yiyun Li: The Vagrants and A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
Nona Caspers: Heavier Than Air and The Blessed
Micheline Aharonian Marcom: The Daydreaming Boy, The Mirror in
the Well and Draining the
Sea
Conference Fee*:
Early Bird $60 by January 30
$60, General $85 by February 24, At the door $100 (space
available)
For conference information: call 650-738-4324, or visit them
on the web at www.SkylineCollege.edu.
*Conference fees (includes speakers, author panel, break out
sessions and lunch)
WOW! 2009 is the 7th annual conference celebrating
International Women’s Day. WOW! has demonstrated that
participants come from a wide area -from the nine Bay Area
counties and beyond - bringing together a remarkable range of
ages from 11 to 90-something. More then 300 readers and
writers typically attend the conference. Skyline College is a
center for the intellectual nurturance of women of all ages,
extending far beyond the numbers who regularly enroll in
courses. The conference brings together faculty, staff,
students and community members with culturally diverse writers
and artists who introduce new ideas and pedagogies associated
with women’s studies curriculum in colleges and
universities.
Sampling of break out
sessions:
- “High-Tech Storytelling”
with Ellen Lee
- “Freeing Your Life with
Words” with Susan
Wooldridge
- “Women in Transition: The
Power of Writing” with Marcy
Alancraig
-
“Passionate Attention:The
Art and Practice of Writing from Our
Every Day” with Katharine
Harer
-
“Weaving Fact and the
Imagination; Using Historical
Characters” with James
Tipton
-
"Slow Down. Fast Forward.
Working with Narrative Time” with
Kathleen de Azevedo
-
“Your Life as Story - Part
2” with Tristine Rainer
“Writing as a Way of
Healing" with Sharon Bray
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“WOW! Open Poetry Slam” with
Meliza Banales "The World Split Open:
Telling Poetry's Truths" with Elline
Lipkin
-
“What’s The Plot? Finding
the Heart of Your Play” with Joan
Holden “Inspiration Comes From the
Most Unexpected Places with
TBA
-
This Isn't the Story I
Planned to Write ” with Wild Writing
Women
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“From Script to Screen:
Writing the Movie of Your Dreams”
with Laurel Minter
-
“A Primer on Publishing”
with Amy Rennert “The Art of Writing Memoir”
with Maureen Murdock
WNBA-National
News
One of the benefits of being a WNBA-SF member is that
you are connected to seven chapters nationwide.
Here a few benefits the National organization has for
you:
1: Permanent Collection of WNBA member books. In 2007
the Boston Public Library set aside a section for a
permanent collection of all WNBA authored books. Please
contact Katherine Dibble to have your book included in
the collection: kdibble@att.net
2: Have your book listed on our National Web
site/WNBA Author's page. National web site member
password is included in your membership kit.
3: Get published in WNBA's National Newsletter, The
Bookwoman. Send us a short article on a favorite book
you read while traveling for our "Have Book Will
Travel" section. Contact Joan Gelfand for more
information about The Bookwoman: joangelfand@pacbell.net
4: Nominations for our bi-annual WNBA award are
due in May. Please nominate your favorite
'bookwoman' for the award. See www.wnba-books.org for more
information on the WNBA Award.
Lastly, tell us about your successes with WNBA for our
endorsements page.
Joan Gelfand
National Women's Book Association
joangelfand@pacbell.net
Blog: http://jg.typepad.com/ciel
WNBA: http://www.wnba-books.org
********************
Writers' Forum
in Petaluma
Writers Forum was founded to bring writing
information to
participants. A variety of speakers talk about
the craft of writing and the business of
writing.
We meet the third Thursday of each month, 7 pm
to 9 pm, at the Petaluma Community Center in
Petaluma. $15 at the door. No rsvp
necessary.
More info: www.thewritespot.us
Interested folks can contact Marlene at
mcullen@comcast.net
********************
History
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 San
Francisco Chapter of WNBA was founded in 1968 by Effie
Lee Morris, then coordinator of Children's Services for
the San Francisco Main Public Library.
Membership has ranged from sixty to one hundred. Our
members are writers, booksellers, agents, editors,
publishers, publicists, librarians, graphic designers,
career coaches, marketing specialists, conference
planners, aspiring authors and avid readers.
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.
The Women's National Book Association has been a
Non-Governmental Organization member of the United
Nations since 1959. An NGO is defined as "any
non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is
organized on a local, national or international level.
Task-oriented and driven by people with a common
interest, NGOs perform a variety of services and
humanitarian functions, bring citizens' concerns to
governments, monitor policies and encourage political
participation at the community level."
In effect, WNBA members are to be ambassadors for the
UN. Our organization disseminates information about the
United Nations through all the means at our disposal,
especially through our national and chapter
publications and monthly programs.
************************
WNBA-SF Chapter Board
Members Co-Presidents: Mary E. Knippel and
Linda Lee
president@wnba
-sfchapter.org
Vice
Presidet: Lynn H enriksen
vicepresident@wnba
-sfchapter.org
Treasurer: Allegra Harris
treasurer@wnba-sfchapter.org
Secretary: Sara
Cassella
Literacy Liaisons: Teresa LeYung Ryan and Patricia
Costello
literacyliaison@wnba-sfchapter.org
Membership Chair:
membership@wnba-sfchapter.org
Newsletter Editor: Sara Cassella
newsletter@wnba-sfchapter.org
Publicity Chair: Barbara Whittaker
Hospitality Chair :
Vicki
Weiland
Founding Member: Effie Lee Morris
WNBA
National Board Members
President:
Joan Gelfand
joan@joangelfand.com
Past
President: Laurie Beckelman
lbeckleman@aol.com
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The Bookworm