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In This
Issue
From Our Chapter
President
Author
Spotlight
Announcements
WNBA National
News
Link to Renew Membership (General
Member - $45)
Link to Renew Membership (Senior/Student -
$25)
Author Spotlight
Sarbjit
Rai, Newest Member of SF WNBA Board, Authors San Fran Fairy
Tale
SF-WNBA's new secretary, Sarbjit Rai, is a
Biotech professional originally from England,
who moved to San Francisco in 2001 to work for Genentech.
Born to Sikh parents, from the Punjab region of North India,
she hails from a large family spread throughout England, India
and Singapore. Writing and the creative arts has always been an
integral part of Sarbjit’s life and moving to SF allowed her to
fully participate in the vibrant local arts scene.
The elfin books were first conceived
during the summer of 2007 when Sarbjit was visiting her family
in England. She delighted her nieces with a fantasy fairy
tale featuring famous landmarks and local traditions of
San Francisco. To add a personal touch, she included the girls
as characters in her story. The resulting creation,
Elfins in San Francisco, is a children’s
picture book that introduces young readers to Amrin, a lively
elfin girl, and her younger sister, Jaya, who live in a
beautiful house called the Red Poppy in the heart of San
Francisco.
Rai first published her book in August
2009 and donated the proceeds to Room to Read, a global
children’s non-profit, based in SF, that promotes literacy and
education in Asia and Africa.
She recently updated her book in March
2010. It is available at the Book Passage in the Ferry
Building, SF, online at Amazon and directly from the
AuthorHouse
website.
Bookworm Interviews the
Author
BW:
When did you start
writing?
SR: I started writing in 2007 when i was taking a
break from work (I am a SAS professional and work in the
Biotech industry for Genentech) and visiting my family in
England. I have always enjoyed the creative arts,
painting, writing and playing the guitar at school and taking
piano lessons more recently in SF.
BW: Why did you choose your
particular genre?
SR: I wanted to write a colorful and
entertaining book for my nieces and nephew who
were 4, 6 and 7 at the time, introducing them to San
Francisco, as they live abroad in England and Singapore, and i
wanted the book to be somewhat educational, introducing them to
the SF landmarks and traditions.
BW: What inspired you to
choose your subject matter?
SR: My nieces really, as they have never been to SF and
always asked me about it. The elfins story came out to
entertain them and for a personal touch I named
all the characters in the book after my nieces and nephews
- Amrin, Jaya, Rhianne, Talvin and Ariana. The book is
really dedicated to them.
BW: How difficult/easy has
your experience been as a published writer?
The writing process has been alot of fun however the
publishing is a little more challenging, and selling is
definitely work!
As a published writer i enjoy talking to people about my
book, and the inspiration behind it and have met alot
of great people... who have been very supportive.
Creating the tools to help promote the book after
publishing (such as the website, postcards etc) has also
been fun as I enjoy being creative and was lucky enough to
have a full time job that allows me to support this
endeavour.
BW: What advice
would you give other aspiring authors?
SR: Keep your day job, join a
writers group, and keep on writing.
BW: Anything else you would like to share with the WNBA?
I found out about the WNBA at the SF Writers Conference and
am really glad I joined this group as they have alot of
great events throughout the year that allow anyone
involved in writing and the book to network,
learn and make new friends, in addition to being part of a
national organisation.
To learn more about the author and
upcoming events, visit www.elfins.vpweb.com
To learn more about Room to Read please
visit www.roomtoread.org
**************************
Member
Events
Summer
Writing Workshops in Half Moon
Bay
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author of the novels
"Love in Translation" and "Midori by
Moonlight," both published by St. Martin's
Press is offering two workshops this summer in
Half Moon Bay:
What: 6-Week Novel
& Memoir Writer's Workshop
Where:Wendy's
house in Half Moon Bay
When:
7/14 - 8/18 - Wed evenings 6:30 -
9:30
Linda Lee , Social
Networking FREE class
Castro Valley
Library
All the experts
agree...anyone who is starting or building
a career of business should have a
professional online presence.
In this FREE class Linda Lee will cover the
whys and wherefores, dos and don't of using
social networks such as Facebook, Twitter
and Linkedin
effectively.
What: How to
effectively use Social
Networking
Where:Castro
Valley Library, Castro
Valley
When:
7/20 -Tue evening 6:00
- 7:45
For more details,
visit
askmepc-webdesign-events
Watch Linda
Lee on "View from the
Bay", July 21st, 3-4 pm, as
she explains how you can create
products and ways to generate
income with your blog or
website.
###
What: Your
Novel: The Road to Publication - 1-Day
Workshop
Where: Seal Cove Inn in
Half Moon Bay -
When: Saturday, August 7,
10am - 4pm
**************************
Northern
California Storybook & Literature Festival
What: Authors, illustrators, editors,
literary agents and publishers will appear at the Northern
California Storybook & Literature Festival.
Who: Look for Laurel Anne Hill, Margie Yee
Webb, Teresa LeYung Ryan, Verna Dreisbach and other
WNBA members at this event. http://wnba-sfchapter.org/Calendar.html
and http://WritingCoachTeresa.com will
post more current info as festival organizers send
updates.
When: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 10
a.m. - 5 p.m.
Where: Maidu Library & Maidu Community
Center
1550 Maidu Drive, Roseville 95661
For additional details, email library@roseville.ca.us
**************************
Capitol City Young
Writers
What: Join WNBA member, Patricia V.
Davis, and the Capitol City Young Writers for a full day
of talks and workshops by award-winning authors,
screenwriters and editors, including best-selling author
of The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle, screenwriter
and philanthropist, James Redford, and publisher, Jane
Friedman of Writers Digest. Who: Authors David Corbett,
Deborah Grabien, Seth Harwood, Gil
Mansergh, and Patricia V. Davis and many
others.
Why: Capitol City Young Writers is
a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and
educating youth on the art and craft of writing.
Interested adults may sponsor a student for 100
dollars and then attend this conference FOR FREE. The
$100 registration fee includes lunch and attendance for
sponsors, and lunch, attendance and a book for
students. Registration and conference details are
posted to the website at: http://www.capitolcityyoungwriters.org/Writers__Conference.html
***********************
WNBA National Board
Members
President: Mary Grey
James
mgjames@eastwestliteraryagency.com
Past
President:
Joan
Gelfand
joan@joangelfand.com
***********************
Bookworm
Submission
Guidelines
C O N T E
N T
The Bookworm publishes
announcements, events listings and
other WNBA member related news on a
monthly basis.
F O R M A
T
Submissions must be written in
third person and should have a word
count of no more than 300.
Good quality jpegs sized at 200kb
or less, with titles containing
twelve characters or fewer may
accompany any submissions.
Items may be rejected if they do
not adhere to format
guidelines.
DEADLINE
Submissions must be received by the
25th of the month preceeding
publication.
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From Our Chapter
President
Dear WNBA-SF
Friends,
I’ll touch on a few highlights about
what is happening on the WNBA national level that are pertinent to
you, since the 4th of June brought all ten presidents together with
the executive board for our annual three-day weekend meeting. We
had a wonderful time being hosted by the very gracious Detroit
chapter. President Joan (our own!) had a heavy agenda for us as she
presided over her last meeting before turning the reins over to
Mary Grey James.
We
did work tirelessly each day, for which we were rewarded with a
fabulous trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts, as well as an
evening at the yacht club where thunder shook the timbers and
lightning split the sky, as we laughed at the thrill of it all. I
hope the photo isn’t too small for you to see the elated
expressions on all of our faces at the sheer joy of experiencing
Mother Nature’s tempest.
The major redo of our
national website is close to completion. But we are still looking
for the “right” photo for the home page that will depict literary
professionalism, love of books, and community aspect, combined with
the human element. If any of you have a photo you would like to
submit, please send it to me. There is also talk of premium
membership, which, among other things, would allow members to place
a link from the national website to their blog and add their book
covers in rotation on the home page linked to a website of the
author’s choice. Our chapter should have at least one person
assigned to add Twitter information about our chapter on “WNBA
national.” This individual needs to have his/her own Twitter
account and a trail to WNBA. Who would like to volunteer for
that position? (Email me,
please.)
Bookwoman will continue to be issued
three times a year: Winter edition distributed in February,
Spring edition distributed in April, and Summer/Fall edition in
early September. Submission guidelines will be posted on our
website soon.
All chapters are encouraged to implement
drives to get younger people involved in WNBA. I would
appreciate hearing your ideas on how to welcome them into the
fold. And, last but not least, what would each of you like to
see happen in the coming year to make WNBA-SF a more personal
experience for you? Thursday, August 5th is the perfect time for
you to come to our summer board meeting (see below) to make your
ideas known and get actively involved.
As always -
may each of you be warmed by the incomparable Bay Area sunshine,
cooled in her delightful fog, and energized by the remarkable
people that make living in this unique spot on the planet a true
blessing.
Keeping Spirits
Alive,
Lynn Henriksen
President WNBA-SF
I encourage each member to attend
Regular Board Meetings, which are generally held the 1st
Thursday of each month at the San Francisco Main Public Library,
100 Larkin Street, SF 94102, from 6-8 pm. The meeting is off in
July and will resume August 5th.
********************
National News
WNBA Award
Winner
Masha Hamilton has been named
this year's recipient of the Women's National Book Association WNBA
Award, which is presented to "a living
American woman who derives
part or all of her income from books and
allied arts, and who has
done meritorious work in the world of books
beyond the duties or
responsibilities of her profession or occupation."
Hamilton is a novelist and
former foreign correspondent. Her fiction
includes 31 Hours and
The Camel Bookmobile. As a journalist,
Masha
worked for the Associated
Press, reporting from the Middle East, and
for the Los Angeles
Times and NBC/Mutual Radio, reporting on the
Soviet Union during its
final years.
In 2009, she launched the
Afghan Women’s Writing
Project
"to foster creative and
intellectual exchange between Afghan women
writers and American
women authors and teachers."
WNBA president
Mary Grey James
praised "the depth of Masha’s commitment to the world of literacy
and books beyond her own career. She is a sterling example of what
the WNBA Award truly intends to honor--meritorious work in the
world of books beyond her profession."
********************
New Chairperson for WNBA
Pannell Award
The Women’s National
Book Association announces the installation of
a new chairperson to administer the
WNBA Pannell
Award (formerly the Lucile Micheels Pannell
Award), the award given each year at
BookExpoAmerica to two bookstores that have
demonstrated excellence in connecting young
people and books.
Valerie Tomaselli, is the president of MTM
Publishing, a New York-based book producing company
specializing in reference, nonfiction, and
children’s books for the library and trade
markets. She has completed a four-year
term as president of the New York City
chapter of WNBA, and now serves as vice
president/president elect of the WNBA’s
national board.
Ms. Tomaselli’s other professional
affiliations include serving as
treasurer of the American Book Producers
Association and as a member of the advisory
board for the Women’s Media Center.
The Pannell Award was established in 1981 by WNBA,
a 93-year-old national organization of women and
men who work to promote reading and to support the
role of women in the
book community. The award was originally
named in honor of Lucile Micheels Pannell, a
model bookwoman born in the late 1800s, who
worked as a librarian, teacher, and manager of
Hobby Horse Bookshop in Chicago’s Carson Pirie Scott
department store.
The 2010 winners of the award--Little Shop of
Stories in Decatur, Georgia,
and Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta, New
York-- were presented at the Children’s
Authors Breakfast with a $1,000 check and
original framed art by David Diaz and
Gianna Marino. The award is underwritten
by a generous gift from Penguin Young Readers
Group.
********************
Did you
know?
WNBA MEMBER
ADVANTAGES:
Do you have a book or service you would like to
promote?
Would you
like to associate with men and women who work with and
value books and promote literacy in general?
- Increase
exposure by linking your
website to our SF chapter
site and writing new
posts on our Blog.
- Interact with members on our
Bookworm Backdoor forum
- Add your input and 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.
- Represent WNBA at conferences,
book festivals, and other community
events.
- Co-facilitate mixers in your
area.
- Attend board
meetings.
- Assist with "Meet the Agents
& Acquisition Editors."
- Assist with "Authors’
Showcase."
- Assist with database and
elections.
- Assist Membership Chair Mary
Lunning.
- 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.
- Sign up for Members’ Readings
at our sponsoring bookstore: Bookshop West
Portal, SF. Contact Pam
Reitman.
- Work with our 10 chapters
nationwide to network, plan book tours, build
your platform.
- Tell Leon Veal, Literacy
Liaison, how you're promoting literacy in
your community and he will profile you in his
column.
- Have fun! Foster
relationships!
Sign up or renew (only
$45) on our website: www.wnba-sfchapter.org
PayPal
available.
***********************
History
The Women's National Book Association is a
national organization promoting the value of
books and reading since 1917. WNBA exists as a
nonprofit 501(c)(3) to promote literacy 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 in the San Francisco Chapter stands
at 147. 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.
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