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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)
WNBA-SF Members and
Guests
are invited
to the
13th Annual Effie Lee Morris Lecture
“Bookjoy:
The Zing of Writing”
Featuring Guest
Lecturer: Pat Mora at the San Francisco Main Library
(100 Larkin, San Francisco)
Koret
Auditorium, Lower Level
Tues., June 2,
2009
5
p.m. reception, 6 p.m. lecture
Please be our
guest on Tuesday, June 2 at 5 p.m. for the 13th Annual
Effie Lee Morris Children’s Lecture Series featuring Pat
Mora at the San Francisco Main Library sponsored by the
Women’s National Book Assn-San Francisco Chapter. Pat Mora
is the writer of over 25 books of poetry, fiction and
non-fiction for children and adults. Mora’s work spans
several genres in two languages (Spanish and English),
however, she admits that poetry is her favorite genre
because it allows her to combine “the challenge of creating
an experience with economy of language.” A tireless
literacy advocate excited about sharing what she calls
"bookjoy," Mora founded the family literacy initiative in
1996, El día de los niños / El día de los libros,
Children's Day / Book Day ("Día") , now housed at the
American Library Association. The year-long commitment to
daily linking all children to books, languages and cultures
culminates in celebrations across the country on or near
April 30th. Book Fiesta captures and promotes the Día
spirit. Her haiku collection about foods of the Americas,
Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico!, won the Américas Award and was an
ALA Notable. Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman
with a Great Big Heart, an ALA Notable which received a
Pura Belpré Author Honor Award in 2006, a Golden Kite
Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and
Illustrators (SCBWI), and the 2006 National Hispanic
Cultural Center Literacy Award.
WNBA-SF
established this free lecture series in 1996 as a tribute
to our founding president, Ms. Effie Lee Morris, and as a
gift to the community in collaboration with the San
Francisco Friends of the Library. During her long career at
the San Francisco Library, Ms. Morris was instrumental in
taking aside books from the children’s collection that
portrayed racist stereotypes and placing those books in a
separate historical collection. Not only did she help to
bring an awareness of racism to the public, but The
Children’s Historical and Research Collections, which Ms.
Morris began in 1964, exists today as an incredible
resource for authors, historians and librarians to use in
their research and writing.
Previous series
participants include:
2008
- Patricia McKissick
2007
- Javaka Steptoe
2006
- Tommie dePaola
2005
- Pamela Munoz Ryan
2004
- Nikki Grimes
2003
- Daniel and Robert San Souci
2002
- Milly Lee
2001
- Thacher Hurd
2000
- Alma Flora Ada
1999
- Ashley Bryan
1998
- Laurence Yep
1997
- Linda Geistlinger, Karey Wehner and Toni
Bernardi
********************
From Our Literary
Liaisons
May 2009
Dear WNBA Members and Friends,
In our efforts to build an alliance with Project Read SF in the
past
year-and-a-half, the biggest reward was getting to work with
Randy Weaver
and Leon Veal.
We are so happy to announce that Leon Veal accepts the position
of Literacy Liaison. If you missed our March column,
spot-lighting Leon and the tremendous work he does at Project
Read SF, we encourage you to ask him yourself the next time you
see him.
We will be stepping into our new roles after elections and the
new board is in place. Teresa LeYung Ryan will be
Member-at-Large and Patricia Costello will be assisting Vicki
Weiland in the Hospitality Committee.
What are you doing to promote literacy in the community?
After elections, you can reach Leon at LiteracyLiaison@wnba-sfchapter.org
Please put "WNBA and Literacy" in your subject line.
Be well!
Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan & Patricia
Costello
********************
Author Spotlight
Bookworm talks to Adina
Sara
The
Imperfect Garden - a memoir (Regent Press 2009) is
Adina Sara’s second collection
of essays and poetry. Her first book, 100 Words Per
Minute: Tales From Behind Law Office Doors (Regent Press,
2006), chronicles her unintentional career as an office
worker, exposing the pressures, dramas and personalities of
boss and employee alike. Also an avid musician, Sara
recorded two CD’s of original songs, Love Song To Myself and
Just for the Song. Her garden column for an Oakland
neighborhood newspaper provided the impetus for her newly
published garden memoir, designed to encourage people to
experiment and explore their relationship to
gardening. Sara’s essays and poetry have appeared in
Peregrine, Cottage Gardener, East Bay Express, Oxygen, Green
Prints Magazine, Restless Me Travel Magazine, Legal
Secretary, Inc. and Lawdragon.
Her
latest book, The Imperfect Garden
,
follows one gardener’s journey as she discovers her “trash
heap” of a backyard, unearths bulbs and seedlings buried by
time and neglect, and carves out a whimsical landscape
dotted by decades of successful and failed gardening
experiments. Expanding on the candid reflections of
the author’s gardening column, The Imperfect Garden explores
the elements of determination, disappointment, and surprise
that shaped both her landscape and her
life.
1)
When did you start writing?
I
remember my mother telling me that I started “writing” before I
knew how to write. I would dictate stories to her as a
young girl and she would set them to paper. She saved them
all of course - I found them after she died, and was taken more
by the fact that she valued those childish musings, than by the
words themselves. For most of my life, writing has been a
scattered, undisciplined matter - a place I visit from time to
time to seek clarity, solace, and answers.
2)
Why did you choose your particular genre?
I think
the genre chose me. I am a musician and my first serious
writing was in the form of songs. Songwriting requires
very short, tight use of language, and rhythm is as important
as meaning. I enjoy the sounds that words make and when I write
prose, I am very aware of the cadence of the words. I prefer
writing short pieces - essays and poetry - if it takes me more
than 3 pages to make a point, I feel like I’ve gone on too
long.
3)
What inspired you to choose your subject
matter?
Both of
my books are memoirs - the first one dealt with a more
conflicted part of my life - my unsatisfying career as an
office worker. I had been working in law offices since 1978,
and all along the way, I kept scraps of writing in my desk to
help keep me sane. The work was often demeaning, demoralizing
and frustrating, and writing about it helped make the
experience more tolerable. My newest book is purely a labor of
love - my love of gardening and the relationship that I have
been building, both on a physical and spiritual level, with my
particular patch of land. It is not a “how to” gardening
book. I will never consider myself an expert. Rather, it
is a testament to the gift of having a life long relationship
with nature.
4)
How difficult / easy has your experience been as a published
author?
It has
been neither difficult nor easy - I have always moved slowly
and steadily at a pace that feels right to me. Both of my books
evolved at the pace of nature - there are dormant seasons and
seasons of explosive growth. I don’t expect overnight
success and am thrilled with the positive responses I have
received from readers so far. I consider the true value of my
books to be the ability to inspire and support people who have
similar experiences.
Regent Press is a hybrid press
- they make my book available to book stores, reviews,
Amazon, and in every way act as a publishing company.
The only difference is that I pay to have the books printed,
rather than receiving an advance. I own the rights and
profits from book sales. With the help of a trusted and
sensitive editor, all decisions about style, content, form,
appearance, title, etc. were mine. The experience was not at
all difficult - it was empowering and satisfying. The only
hoops I had to go through were ones I created. No
matter how a book is published, marketing is always in the
author’s hands. It is an ongoing process, like the writing
itself.
5)
What advice would you give other aspiring authors?
Write what you care
deeply about. Let people you trust read it. Allow yourself to
consider their questions and criticisms without losing sight of
your own vision. Do not compromise with yourself. Write because
it is what you have to do - not for recognition and certainly
not for reward - but because you have something you want to say
and no one but you can say it.
6)
Anything else you would like to share with the
WNBA?
Writing
is a solitary act. Getting our creations out in the world
requires an entirely different skill. As writers, we need
each other for support, perspective, acknowledgement and
recognition. It is organizations like WNBA that make the
most difficult part of the journey easier. Thank you
for being there.
My
chapbook, Mom’s Canoe, was just released by Texas Review Press.
It can be purchased at Book Passage or online at the press
at www.shsu.edu,
www.bookpassage.com
,
www.amazon.com ,
www.barnesandnoble.com
,
or www.borders.com . Mom’s
Canoe has already generated a handful of reviews and
was featured in the most recent Women’s Review of
Books.
Save the date for the Book Launch
on Saturday, June 13, 7 pm at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista
Blvd., Corte Madera, CA, with champagne and Rulli’s cookies
served afterwards. the Book Launch on Saturday, June 13,
7 pm at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA,
with champagne and Rulli’s cookies served
afterwards.
********************
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WNBA EVENTS AT A
GLANCE
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When: Thurs. May 7, 2009
5:30pm board meeting; 7:00-9:00pm
Mixer
What: WNBA-SF Board
Meeting, Mixer & Election at Kepler's Books and
Magazines in Menlo Park
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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When: June 2, 2009
What: Effie Lee Morris Lecture
featuring children's book author Pat
Mora
Where: San Francisco
Public Library, 100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
www.wnba-sfchapter.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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Other Events
When: Thursday, May
21, 2009
What: The Northern California chapter of
the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) will
host a panel of five Bay area literary agents speaking on the
subject of "Selling Your Book Idea in Today's Tough
Market."
Where: Join literary peers
in the convivial atmosphere of Beckett's Irish Pub - 2271 Shattuck
Ave, in downtown Berkeley for a light dinner and a chance to
meet some Bay Area agents with a national scope.
Cost:
$25 for ASJA members and $30 for non-members.
Details: This will
be a major event for the Bay area literary community and
reservations are limited to 40 participants. Online reservations
are required.
For more information and to make reservations, go to www.fearlessbooks.com/NC-ASJA-Events.html.
Contact:
NorCal ASJA President D. Patrick Miller
asja@fearlessbooks.com
510 849-4028
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
EDITCETERA
Workshops
EDITCETERA, an
association of freelance publishing professionals,
presents the following workshops beginning in April or
May. For registration and more info: www.edicetera.com;
510-849-1110; also learn about other educational
programs and freelance editorial services.
• Building Your
Editorial Career: Opportunities and Strategies, with
Barbara Fuller
When:
Monday, May 18; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 2407 Dana
Street, Berkeley
Cost: $75 through May 11; $85 after
Details: Learn about the wide range of Bay Area
clients who hire editors. Find out what you can do to
get the work.
• What’s Cooking?
Copyediting Recipes, with Zipporah Collins
When:
Wednesday, May 20; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 2407 Dana
Street, Berkeley
Cost: $75 through May 13; $85 after
Details: Learn what special issues, decisions,
challenges, and pleasures you are likely to encounter
in editing recipes.
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From Our Chapter
President
Dear WNBA-SF
Friends,
May is the
month we celebrate Mothers as well as the ways we move on: college
graduation, high school graduation, 6th or 5th grade promotion -
there is even a Kindergarten Moving Up Ceremony. It is time for me
to move on also. I have enjoyed being able to help guide, nurture,
mentor and encourage WNBA-SF as your president over the past 3
years, but the time has come for me to focus in earnest on my
writing career and workshop business. Rest assured that while my
place on the board may be changing, my commitment to WNBA-SF will
not. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to be a
part of this dynamic organization, and to be entrusted with such an
important role. I am deeply grateful to all of those who have
helped me to serve you. Our next board has my pledge of support and
a tremendous vote of confidence. I wish them well as they embark on
this grand adventure of serving in new positions on the WNBA-SF
Board.
I will
cherish my time as your president and thank you all from the bottom
of my heart.
Be
well,
Mary
********************
Member News
& Events....
Sixth
Annual Meet-the-Agents & Editors Event
2009
WNBA/SF’s 6th Meet the Agents
event was a smashing success. On Saturday, March 28th, over
eighty writers met for face-to-face meetings known as ‘speed
dating’ at Sinbad’s restaurant, a prime location on the
bay. On hand were 10 agents, publishers and acquisition
editors from local literary agencies and publishing houses. For
over three hours, the room was abuzz with writers and authors
pitching ideas, projects and completed
books.
We are still waiting for
feedback from several elated writers who found agents and
editors interested in looking more closely at their work. Other
attendees have reported finding collaborators for book ideas,
and many received important consultations. In addition,
participants learned the ropes for crafting a query or
delivering a succinct “elevator” pitch - the distillation of a
book project into three minutes or less! One member even
reported making a connection with a publisher who expressed
interest in reviewing her newly published collection of
poetry.
We have President Mary Knipple
to thank for being Master (or is that Mistress) of Ceremonies
and keeping the event running on time with the help of a gong!
Vicki Weiland, Hospitality Chair, went beyond the call of duty
to plan everything perfectly down to the smallest
detail.
For those interested in
attending WNBA’s signature event next year, we’ll be back to
give all literary minded individuals, WNBA members as well as
the public, the opportunity, to follow the path where dreams do
come true.
Lynn
Henriksen, Event Chair
Incoming WNBA-SF Chapter
President
**********************
Upcoming Member
Events
When:
Sat, May 16, 11am - 6pm
What: : 5th
Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
Where: (in
front of the Asian Art Museum on Larkin Street near
McAllister,
San Francisco) www.asianfairsf.com
WNBA member Teresa LeYung Ryan will be at the 5th Annual Asian
Heritage Street Celebration with California Writers Club
members. Please look for her and other authors at the
California Writers Club
booth.
Teresa
LeYung Ryan has been helping writers since her mother-daughter
novel Love Made of Heart was published. Her motto: "Believe in
yourself and you can be happily published too." As a
writing-career-coach, she helps her clients identify their
themes and archetypes, market themselves to agents and
publishers, and map out their success paths. As a community
spirit, Teresa advocates compassion for mental illness and she
helps survivors of family violence find their own voices
through writing. Her website www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com
offers
resources for readers and writers.
**********************
When: June 2, 2009
What: Effie Lee Morris Lecture
featuring children's book author Pat
Mora
Where: San
Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street (at
Grove) www.wnba-sfchapter.org
**********************
Resume-building
Workshop!
When:Class will meet on three Wednesdays: May
6th, June 3rd and June 17th from 7-8:30. See www.joangelfand.com for
more information.
What:
Joan Gelfand,
President of the WNBA, will be teaching
"Building Your Writer's Resume - Getting Down the
Road of Publication" at Bookshop West Portal,
WNBA/SF's sponsoring bookstore. Joan has spoken
on this topic at the SFWC, BAIPA, National
Association of Memoir Writers, blogtalkradio.com
and the San Mateo County Library.
Cost: Class fee: $90.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
Creativity
Workshop
Invest
Time in Yourself = Creative Results!
Wed., June 3 at 9-11:30 a.m.
Convenient Coastside location
Come see what makes $en$e when you take time for yourself
and your Creativity.
$45* Workshop fee (* includes play materials and
refreshments - bring a friend and you both will be eligible
for a special drawing!)
Take a look at that TO DO list on the refrigerator or in
your purse and notice where YOU are on that list. Are YOU
missing? Join a community of like-minded women as we
discuss how to create time in our busy lives for ourselves
and in doing so everyone in our lives
benefits!
Workshop facilitated by Mary E. Knippel,
Creativity Mentor, www.openuptoyourcreativity.com,
Questions? Contact Mary at mekcreativitymentor@gmail.com.
Sign up with PayPal at www.openuptoyourcreativity.com,
or mail check to PO Box 244, Half Moon Bay, CA
94019.
* * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
When: June 13, 2009, 7pm
What: Member Adina Sara will host
a Book Launch for her latest
chapbook release, Mom's Canoe. Champagne and Rulli’s
cookies will be served.
Where: Book Passage, 51 Tamal
Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.
***
When: June 19, 2009, 7pm
What: Member Adina Sara will read from
her work.
Where: Great Good Place for
Books in Montclair, 6120 La Salle Ave.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* 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, 7pm to 9pm,
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
********************
Did you
know?
WNBA MEMBER
ADVANTAGES:
Do you have a
new book
or
service
you would like to
promote?
- Increase
exposure by
linking your website to our SF chapter
siteand
writing new posts on our
Blog.
- Gain ideas from
other members through E-newsletter
Bookworm.
- Check our website
calendar not only for WNBA sponsored events,
but also those with other
organizations.
- Grab opportunities
to provide leadership to the chapter - join a
committee or run for
office.
- List your book on
our National Site - under Author books; List
your name in our national database of
members.
- Have your book
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.
- Ask to present
your book at our Authors Showcase - contact
Elisa Southard.
- Sign up for open
mike at our sponsoring bookstore: Bookshop West
Portal, SF. Contact Pam
Reitman.
- Work with all of
our 8 chapters to network, plan book
tours, build
your platform.
- Have fun! Foster
relationships!
Sign up or renew (only $45!) on our
website:www.wnba-sfchapter.org
and Use
PayPal. **********************
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
***********************
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 President: Mary
E. Knippel
president@wnba
-sfchapter.org
Vice President: Lynn
Henriksen
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: Carole Barrow
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
|
The
Bookworm