You are here: Home / 2021 / Archives for June 2021

Archives for June 2021

July 23 – Self Care for Writers and Authors

By

Friday, July 23, 2021

12pm

Personal and professional goals are often intertwined. 

When you feel good – and prioritize self-care – you are happier, more productive, and feel like you can do anything … or at least finish that book, essay, article, screenplay, etc. that you have been meaning to complete!

To help you prioritize self-care, the Women’s National Book Association – San Francisco chapter put together a panel of amazing experts for a Lunch N Learn.

Discover how to:

  • Choose yourself
  • Decide what self-care goals are right for you
  • Find better work-life-writing balance
  • And more

 

Goal-setting expert Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals (2021 IPPY Silver Medalist, Self-Care) and founder of the D*E*B METHOD®, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A professional writer, communications specialist, and project catalyst, she works with individuals and businesses to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. Deb is also the founder of Write On Online, a website and community for writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, as well as host of the #GoalChat Twitter chat, GoalChatLive show, and The DEB Show podcast. She is Vice President of the WNBA-Los Angeles Chapter.

Saeeda Hafiz is a yoga teacher and wellness expert with certifications from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers and the Natural Gourmet Institute. As a holistic health educator with the San Francisco Unified School District, she focuses on sharing her knowledge of physical and mental wellness with diverse groups. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The author of The Healing: One Woman’s Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches. 

 

Dr. Meg Haworth is the founder of The Holistic Academy of Intuitive arts and sciences with a signature course, “Evolving Intuition: Building Self Trust for Life.” She is a transpersonal psychologist and holistic nutritional chef. Holistic medicine is her world and helping people heal the connection between trauma and illness is her specialty. Meg’s latest book is Get Well Now; Healing Yourself with Food and The Power of the Mind. She’s had over a dozen chronic illnesses and traumas that she healed with holistic methods and has had the pleasure of helping thousands of others do the same over the last two decades. 

Mytrae Meliana (pronounced “My-thray-yee”) is a women’s empowerment and spiritual teacher, holistic psychotherapist, trauma expert, speaker, and author. She empowers women to heal from trauma, liberate themselves from patriarchy, and connect with the Divine Feminine so they can live true, bold, inspired lives. Mytrae is also Founder of Temple of Sound Healing, which offers sound healing trainings and Certifications for health/wellness practitioners and social justice community leaders. A WOC immigrant from India, Mytrae shares her story of healing, empowerment, and awakening in her memoir Brown Skin Girl: An Indian-American Woman’s Magical Journey from Broken to Beautiful. She healed from Lyme disease using holistic and spiritual healing modalities

Elise Marie Collins, the current president of the WNBA-SF chapter, teaches yoga online right now and lives in a multi-generational household with her parents. She writes about yoga, Ayurveda and aging (healthfully). Her latest book is Super Ager, You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, A Better Memory, and Live a Long, and Healthy Life.

 

What: Self Care for Writers and Authors

When: July 23 at 12pm PT

Where: Zoom (Zoom link provided via email when you RSVP)

Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay!

Click the button below to RSVP for the discussion; we are limited to 100 total attendees, so please let us know early!

 

WNBA SF Chapter Emphasizes Diversity in Bylaws

By

Black lives matter international activist movement protesting against racism and fighting for justice - Demonstrators from different cultures and race protest on street for equal rights

The Women’s National Book Association would like to formally announce the passage of a preamble to our By Laws. With the help of board members Renee Jadushlever and Sheryl Bize-Boutte, the preamble was penned in late 2020 and officially added to our by-laws in May 2021. The Preamble will be added to our national website in the members’ section: www.wnba-books.org.

Preamble 

The following bylaws shall be governed and executed through an active and demonstrative practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter’s mission. The WNBA-SF Chapter will engage in a continuous commitment and intentional practice of assuring the presence and meaningful participation and celebration of Black, indigenous and people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, historically marginalized identities, and people with disabilities, in its programming, membership and leadership. 

Please take a moment to reflect and remember that the Women’s National Book Association was founded to give voice through the written word to those who have had a history of not having a voice. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder of our chapter, Ms. Effie Lee Morris, a pioneering educator, activist and librarian. We honor her legacy of continuous commitment and intentional practice and celebration of Black, indigenous and people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, historically marginalized identities, and people with disabilities in our programming, membership and leadership. This Preamble, embedded in the bylaws of our organization, serves to assure that the implementation of equity and non-discrimination is included in all WNBA-SF programming, policy and business operations and remains a permanent and integral aspect of WNBA-SF culture. 

Thank you for your continued support of WNBA-SF,

Elise Marie Collins, President

July 9 – How To Be Creative When You Have Depression or Anxiety

By

Friday, July 9, 2021

12pm

Many creative people live with depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Despite common misperceptions, these conditions do not have to prevent artists from engaging in their artforms, producing work for the public, or “put themselves out there.” Award-winning author Nita Sweeney and best-selling author Karen C.L. Anderson, both live with the challenges these conditions present. Join them in this lunch n’ learn where they share tips for creating your work regardless of the story your mind may tell you. 

In this program participants will learn:

  • The role your nervous system plays (because it’s not just a mindset issue)
  • Simple practices for calming and/or moving energy
  • Different ways to think about your mental health condition (this is the mindset piece)
  • A surprising reframe that will help you see yourself and your mental health differently
Your guides for this journey:
  Nita Sweeney is the award-winning wellness author of the running and mental health memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink, co-creator with Brenda Knight of the writing journal, You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration & Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving, and of the free ebook Three Ways to Heal Your Mind. A long-time meditator, three-time marathoner, and former assistant to writing practice originator Natalie Goldberg, Nita founded the group Mind, Mood, and Movement to support mental well-being through meditation, exercise, and writing practice, and The Writer’s Mind, to share how to use writing practice to produce publishable work. Nita also publishes the writing resource newsletter, Write Now Columbus. She lives in central Ohio with her husband, Ed, and their yellow Labrador retriever, Scarlet.

 

Nita Sweeney is the award-winning wellness author of the running and mental health memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink and co-creator with Brenda Knight of the writing journal, You Should Be Writing. and of the free ebook  Three Ways to Heal Your Mind. A long-time meditator, three-time marathoner, and former assistant to writing practice originator Natalie Goldberg, Nita founded the group Mind, Mood, and Movement to support mental well-being through meditation, exercise, and writing practice, and The Writer’s Mind, to share how to use writing practice to produce publishable work. Nita also publishes the writing resource newsletter, Write Now Columbus. She lives in central Ohio with her husband, Ed, and their yellow Labrador retriever, Scarlet.

Karen C.L. Anderson serves smart, creative women in using the difficult relationships they have with their mothers as a catalyst for growth. Author of Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters: A Guide For Separation, Liberation & Inspiration (March 2018); The Difficult Mother-Daughter Relationship Journal (January 2020); and Overcoming Creative Anxiety: Journal Prompts & Practices For Disarming Your Inner Critic (June 2020), Karen incorporates story-telling, journaling, awareness tools, shadow work, and simple energy and somatic practices in her Mother Lode 1:1 mentorship program. Her approach is safe, fun, and effective. Karen recognizes that what is possible personally is what is possible collectively, and that “the Mother Wound” is not actually about mothers, but about systems that oppress all women. She understands the adage, “hurt people, hurt people,” while also acknowledging that cultivating compassion and empathy does not have to equal access, and that healthy boundaries (up to and including going “no contact”) are at the heart of healing. She lives on the Southeastern Connecticut shoreline.

What: How To Be Creative When You Have Depression or Anxiety

When: July 9 at 12pm PT

Where: Zoom (Zoom link provided via email when you RSVP)

Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay!

Click the button below to RSVP for the discussion; we are limited to 100 total attendees, so please let us know early!

 

June 15 – Make a Meaningful Gift for Dads, Grads, Grooms, ’n Brides!

By

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

6pm

It’s summertime and that means you likely need a special gift for a Dad or Grad in your life. Or, you might be headed to a bridal shower or a wedding and want to do something with extra heart — instead of the same ole registry gifts. 

WNBA Member Sherry Richert Belul, author of Say it Now, has a great gift idea that is simple to make and can stand alone or pair with something you’ve already bought. 

Sherry will be leading us in an interactive, joyful, and connecting activity of creating Love List Gifts. 

What’s a Love List? It is a brainstorm of specific reasons you love someone and what makes them unique. A Love List is sweet, funny, sexy, or serious. It can include any number — from five to fifteen to fifty — of loving attributes, characteristics, or memories about someone. It is one of the most simple —yet profound— ways to show someone what makes them unique and why they matter. 

All too often, people wait until funerals to express their love and appreciation. Sherry encourages you to say it now, while the person can hear it. “I believe that what we all want most in life is to know that we make a difference and that we’re loved for exactly who we are,” Sherry says. 

Sherry will be leading us through the process of creating this one-of-a-kind gift. She’ll offer some prompts as we create our Love Lists. So come to the meeting with some paper and a pen. Or, you can download Sherry’s free printable and bring that to fill in as we go: https://simplycelebrate.net/love/

We promise that this will be a joyful process for YOU — and will make a wonderful gift for someone you love! 

What: Make a Meaningful Gift for Dads, Grads, Grooms, ’n Brides!

When: TUESDAY, June 15 at 6pm PT

Where: Zoom (Zoom link provided via email when you RSVP)

Unable to attend? No worries. Register anyway and receive the replay!

Click the button below to RSVP for the discussion; we are limited to 100 total attendees, so please let us know early!