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7 Ways Authors Can Support Their Author Friends: Kindled Spirits

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By Debra Eckerling, author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals 

As authors, we have an advantage in the online world, whether we realize it or not. Fiction. Nonfiction. Screenwriting. Poetry. Essays. Articles. It applies to all. 

In order to connect with our audience, authors must be active on multiple platforms – websites and social media – as well as on live and virtual stages. This leads to a plethora of opportunities to collaborate, support, and highlight our author friends. 

When Dr. Meg Haworth (author of Get Well Now; Healing Yourself with Food and The Power of The Mind) interviewed me for her YouTube series in June, I noted how in three months, we will have collaborated five times. 

As “Kindled Spirits,” as Dr Meg calls it, we know there is more to come.

Here are 7 easy ways authors can support each other through collaboration: 

  1. Create a Joint Blog. Writers on the Move is a great example of authors coming together to share their knowledge.
  2. Trade Book Reviews. On Amazon, Goodreads, or write one on your blog.
  3. Do Interview Swaps.This can take place on a blog, live show, video, or podcast.
  4. Spread Social Media Love. Make a point to tweet or post about an author-friend at least once a week … once a day is even better. Share their books, an article, or a photo. You can also take the time to comment on their posts.  
  5. Curate Panels and Events.Create events with author friends in mind, so you can ask them to participate.
  6. Send Ideas. Do you receive a newsletter that shares podcast interview opportunities? Are you part of a cool networking group or meetup? Share the deets with author friends who would get the most out of it! 
  7. Refer and Recommend. When someone asks for a referral – whether it’s a speaker for an event, a book for a book club, or an author interview – think of who you know who would be a good fit and make an intro. Keep a list of author friends, along with their specialties. Don’t know what they focus on? Just ask.

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As an author, getting out there is a lot about the power of relationships. Authors’ relationships with other authors: priceless!

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How do you support your author friends? What collaboration opportunities get the best results? Please share in the comments.

 

This article was originally posted on the Writers On the Move Blog: https://www.writersonthemove.com/2021/06/7-ways-authors-can-support-their-author.html

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Goal-Setting expert Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning & Achieving Your Goals (IPPY 2021, Silver Medalist, Self-Help) and founder of The D*E*B Method, which is her system for Goal-Setting Simplified. A professional writer, project catalyst, and corporate wellness consultant, Debra helps entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives figure out what they want and how to get it through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. She is also the founder of the Write On Online community; host of the #GoalChat Twitter chat, the #GoalChatLive show, and The DEB Show podcast; and VP of the WNBA-LA Chapter.

Connect on LinkedIn and learn about Debra’s #SummerGoalChallenge.

July 23 – Self Care for Writers and Authors

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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!

 

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

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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!

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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!

 

June 18 – WNBA SF’s Juneteenth 2021

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Friday, June 18, 2021

12pm

What Juneteenth Means to Me: Readings and Discussion by Black Authors of the SF Bay Area 
 
Join the WNBA SF in celebrating a holiday full of joy, humor, family and history. Juneteenth celebrates freedom, it is June 19th, the day slaves in Texas learned the Emancipation Proclamation had declared them free two years earlier.
 
Invited authors include: 
 
 

     Dr. Kim McMillon is a producer, playwright and contributor to the anthology some Other Blues: New Perspectives on Amiri Baraka (Ohio University Press, 2021). McMillon is the editor of the upcoming anthology Black Fire—This Time to be published by Willow Books (late Summer 2021).  She produced the Dillard University-Harvard Hutchins Center Black Arts Movement 2016 Conference in New Orleans, and with UC Merced’s Center for the Humanities, ASUCM, and the Office of Student Life, Dr. McMillon co-produced the 2014 UC Merced Black Arts Movement Conference, Fifty Years On. McMillon edited the April 2018 special edition of The Journal of PAN African Studies on the Black Arts Movement and has contributed to the Black Power Encyclopedia(1965-1975), a two-volume reference work that explores the emergence and evolution of the Black Power Movement in the United States.

Saeeda Hafiz is the award-winning author of the book, The Healing: One Woman’s Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches. She 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.
 
 

Ellen McBarnette, WNBA SF member and professional storyteller who will perform a true tale from her own family’s history.

Oakland author and artist with more than ten YA novels crafted.

Karla Clark, Oakland native, award winning poet and editor of manga.

 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

What: WNBA SF’s Juneteenth 2021

When: June 19 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!

 

May 22 – 2021 WNBA-SF Board Planning Meeting

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Hi from Elise Collins, President of Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter.

I wanted to cordially invite you to the WNBA-SF Board Meeting Annual (virtual) Planning Meeting.

Saturday, May 22, 10 am-12 pm.
Zoom link provided when you register.

WNBA Members may attend and listen in.
We will have a time at the end of the meeting for members to ask questions.
At this meeting chairs of various committees will report on events such a Pitch-o-Rama, the Effie Lee Morris writing contest, and more.

If you have wanted to get more involved, get to know our board, or share what other events or activities would you like SF Chapter to sponsor?

Please RSVP to attend.

Keep in mind our mission: WNBA, a national organization founded in 1917, exists to promote literacy, a love of reading, and women’s roles in the community of the book.

We have had a busy and productive year, even while holding all of our events virtually. Please reach out and get involved with our chapter, we have so much to offer and would love to have share your news and support you in the work you do as a “woman of the word.”

Warmly,
Elise

A friendly reminder of our upcoming May and June events (all times are Pacific Daylight Time):

• THIS FRIDAY, 12 pm- 1:00 pm PDT, Restart Your Writing Life with Deb Eckerling.

Sign up Here: https://wnba-sfchapter.org/may-14-how-to-restart-your-writing-life/

• Friday, May 21, 12pm – 1:00 pm: South Asian Author Panel with, Sumbul Ali-Karamali, Anniqua Rana, Mytrae Meliana, and author/moderator Rajika Bhandari.
 Learn what it’s like growing up in India or Pakistan or growing up South Asian in the United States, as well as what kind of writing and books result from those experiences.

Sign up Here: https://wnba-sfchapter.org/may-21-south-asian-author-panel/

• Friday, June 25, 12:00 -1:00 pm Productivity for Writers with Deb Eckerling and Paula Rizzo.

Just what it sounds like! Sign up here: https://wnba-sfchapter.org/june-25-productivity-for-writers-with-debra-eckerling-and-paula-rizzo/

• If you are a member that wants to know more about how to get involved with WNBA-SF or simply want more information about your membership, sign up to talk to me here.

June 25 – Productivity for Writers with Debra Eckerling and Paula Rizzo

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Credit: Storyblocks

Friday, June 25, 2021

12pm

When was the last time you felt productive? 

Do you feel like you never had time for your writing projects, personal projects, or self-care?

Are you in a hybrid-work or work-from-home situation and feel like you have no balance?

As we enter the next phase of the “no longer new” normal, it’s time to embrace a more productive lifestyle.

Join authors Paula Rizzo, Listful Living: A List-Making Journey to a Less Stressed You , and Debra Eckerling, Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals for a Lunch N Learn for the Women’s National Book Association – San Francisco Chapter, on June 25, at 12pm PT.

Paula and Debra will offer their take on the frequently asked questions they get on productivity and time management.

No matter your work- or writing-life situation, one thing is certain: any shift in activity can lead to a change in routine. Changes in routine can lead to chaos. And chaos has a tendency to spiral. And no one wants that!

Let Paula and Debra guide you with their advice and insights, so you can discover how to make the most of your time!

What: Productivity for Writers

When: June 25 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!

Top goal-setting expert Debra Eckerling is the author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals, and Founder of The D*E*B Method, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. DEB stands for Determine Your Mission, Explore Your Options, Brainstorm Your Path, and focuses on that key first step: Figuring out what you want, so you can create achievable goals, make reasonable plans, and set yourself up for success. Debra works with individuals and businesses to set goals and manage their projects through coaching, workshops, and online support. She is also the founder of Write On Online, as well as host of the #GoalChat Twitter chat and #GoalChatLive on Facebook. Debra speaks on the topics of goal-setting and productivity, work-life balance, social media, and networking, and has been featured at the Agorapulse Social Pulse Summit, Greater Los Angeles Writers Society conference series, 140 Conference, and more. Learn about Debra at TheDEBMethod.com. 

 

Emmy award-winning TV producer Paula Rizzo is the founder of the productivity site ListProducer.com and best-selling author of Listful Thinking: Using Lists to be More Productive, Highly Successful and Less Stressed, which has been translated into 15 languages and was featured as one Oprah.com’s “Self Help Books That Actually Help.” She’s also the author of  

Paula is also a LinkedIn Learning instructor with several courses about productivity and optimizing work from home remote offices. She’s also a keynote speaker and has presented at Toyota, HOW Design Live, MA Conference for Women, New York Women in Communications, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), American Society of Association Executives and many others. Go to PaulaRizzo.com for more.

May 21 – South Asian Author Panel

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Friday, May 21 2021
Noon – 1pm
Online, via Zoom
May is Asian History Month! Join WNBA-SF for a panel discussion with three South Asian women writers who share their writing and discuss how place, history and cultural identity play a part in their work.
 
What’s it like growing up in India or Pakistan? What’s it like growing up South Asian in the United States? And what kind of writing and books results from those experiences? Come join a conversation with three South Asian women authors: Sumbul Ali-Karamali, Anniqua Rana, Mytrae Meliana, and author/moderator Rajika Bhandari.

 
Distinguished panelists:
 

Rajika Bhandari, our moderator,  is the author of the forthcoming memoir, America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility. A former international student from India to the US and an Indian American immigrant, she is an international higher education expert, a widely published author, and a sought-after speaker on issues of international education, skilled immigrants and migration, and educational and cultural diplomacy. An author of five academic books and one previous nonfiction book, Dr. Bhandari is quoted frequently in the global press, and her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Chronicle of Higher Education, HuffPost, University World News, Times Higher Education, and the Diplomatic Courier, among others. She lives outside New York City.
 

Sumbul Ali-Karamali is an award-winning author and speaker on Islam and Muslims. Sumbul grew up in Southern California and earned her B.A. in English from Stanford University, as well as her J.D. from the University of California at Davis. After practicing corporate law, she earned a graduate degree in Islamic law from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. She has taught Islamic Law and has served as a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law in London. Sumbul serves on the steering committee of Women in Islamic Spirituality and Equality and is a member of the Muslim Women’s Global Shura Council, both of which aim to promote women’s rights and human rights from an Islamic perspective. Her first book, The Muslim Next Door: The Qur’an, the Media, and that Veil Thing,  was a winner of the 2009 Independent Publisher’s Awards. Her third book, Demystifying Shariah: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s Not Taking Over Our Country, was released in August 2020. In her free time, Sumbul enjoys opera, white-water rafting, and watching Star Trek reruns with her family.

Anniqua Rana’s debut novel, Wild Boar in the Cane Field,  was shortlisted for Pakistan’s UBL Literary Award 2020.  She co-founded the blog tillism.com Tillism طلسم – Magical Words from around the World.  Her writings on gender, education, and books have appeared in TNS, Naya Daur TV, International Education, Ravi Magazine, Bangalore Review, Fourteen Hills, The Noyo River Review, Delay Fiction, Listening to the Voices: Multi-ethnic Women in Education, and other publications. Her doctorate in International Education focused on the implications of technology for women of Pakistan in higher education. She has taught at San Mateo Community Colleges, University of San Francisco, Lahore University of Management Sciences, and Stanford University.  She travels, writes, and lives between California and Pakistan.

Mytrae Meliana (pronounced “My-thray-yee”) is a women’s empowerment and spiritual teacher, holistic psychotherapist, speaker, and author. She leads workshops and programs for women that empower them to heal from trauma, liberate themselves from patriarchy, and connect with the Divine Feminine so they can live true, bold, inspired lives. 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“.
 
 

Effie Lee Morris Writing Contest – Date Extended!

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2021 Effie Lee Morris Literary Contest – Date Extended!

We honor and celebrate women authors and diverse writers and hope to include YOU with our 2021 Effie Lee Morris WNBA-SF Literary Contest, launched October 1, 2020 and running through October 31, 2021. 

Effie Lee Morris

The Women’s National Book Association San Francisco Chapter is pleased and proud to continue the Effie Lee Morris WNBA Literary Awards in honor of our founder.

Ms. Morris was a pioneering Black librarian and the founder of this chapter of the Women’s National Book Association in 1968. She became the first female chairperson of the Library of Congress and was the president of the National Braille Association for two terms. She was dedicated to literacy for children as well as children in underserved communities, and those who learn differently.

For full information, rules, and to submit your work through October 31, 2021, please go here:

And now, meet the distinguished judges!

Sharifah Hardie is a business consultant, talk show host and influencer. Sharifah was a Long Beach City Council Candidate in the 2020 March 3rd Primary Election and is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Expert. With over twenty five years of business experience, Sharifah Hardie has positioned herself to become one of the top executives in entertainment, business, politics and a person on the rise. Sharifah is the author of  Signs You Might Be An Entrepreneur – How to Discover the Entrepreneur in You

Lyzette Wanzer’s work appears in over twenty-five literary journals. She is a contributor to The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays (Wyatt-MacKenzie), The Naked Truth, Essay Daily, and San Francisco University High School Journal. A three-time San Francisco Arts Commission and Center for Cultural Innovation grant recipient, Lyzette serves as Judge for the Soul-making Keats Literary Competition Intercultural Essay category. She is currently helming an anthology entitled Trauma, Tresses, & Truth: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narrative.

Sumbul Ali-Karamali, a former corporate attorney with an additional degree in Islamic law, is an award-winning writer and speaker. She grew up in California, answering questions about her religion, which is why her books engagingly introduce readers to Muslim beliefs and practices and include The Muslim Next Door: The Qur’an, the Media, and that Veil Thing and her just-released Demystifying Shariah: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s Not Taking Over Our Country.

Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer. Her autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry have been described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020. She is also a popular literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator and emcee for local events.

Fourth-generation native San Franciscan, Kathleen Archambeau, is an award-winning writer and LGBTQ activist. She is author of four nonfiction works, Climbing the Corporate Ladder in High Heels (2006), “Seized,” an essay in The Other Woman (2007), edited by Victoria Zackheim, Pride & Joy (2017), and We Make It Better (2019), with gay dad, Eric Rosswood. Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black wrote the Foreword to Pride & Joy and endorsed We Make It Better. Archambeau’s work has been favorably reviewed in global and national literary publications and she has been a featured speaker at national and global Pride literary events. Her book was included as part of the Oakland Museum of California store’s Queer California Exhibit and she is a founding member of the James Hormel LGBT wing of the SF Public Library.

Michael Larsen co-founded  Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in 1972. Over four decades, the agency sold hundreds of books to more than 100 publishers and imprints. The agency has stopped accepting new writers, but Mike loves helping  all writers. He gives talks about writing and publishing, and does author coaching. He wrote  How to Write a Book Proposal and  How to Get a Literary Agent, and co-authored  Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. Mike is co-director of the San Francisco Writers Conference and the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference.

Rose Castillo Guilbault is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir Farmworker’s Daughter: Growing Up Mexican In America. Her essays have been published in dozens of textbooks and anthologies. She also wrote the book The Latina’s Guide to Success In the Workplace. Rose was the first Hispanic columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle; her column “Hispanic USA” was honored by a number of journalistic and community organizations. A longtime television journalist, she was awarded an EMMY for her work. Ms. Castillo Guilbault was featured in the award-winning book Latinas and Their Muses. Her community activities include Chair of the Commonwealth Club of California’s board of directors and serving as a judge on the Book Awards Committee for several years.

May 7 – Standing on Your Writer’s Platform with Betsy Fasbinder

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7 Simple Mind-shifts that Transform Introverted Authors into Dynamic Speakers

Building a platform for promoting a book is vital to its success, but the most important element of your writer’s platform is you. 

This session provides mind-shifts, and a few simple skills that even the most introverted writer can employ to be a more dynamic, engaging public speaker. Whether you’re just a little nervous or downright phobic about public speaking, it pays for writers to develop the ability to speak about their book or subject with confidence, passion, and sincerity to a single listener or an audience of hundreds. Build your platform? Certainly. But be sure to remember that you’re the one who is going to be standing on it. 

In this session participants will:

  • Learn simple mental shifts and instantly applicable skills to transform author events, readings, and talks from “presentations” to “conversations” where listeners feel connected, engaged, and eager to hear more
  • Gain understanding about why people attend author events, and how to give them more than they came for
  • Learn to utilize what we already know about writing stories, and bring that knowledge to the microphone in order to captivate listeners 
  • Learn tips for presenting via ZOOM or other virtual platforms that will instantly improve your “virtual” presence.

When: May 7 at 12pm PT

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

Betsy Graziani Fasbinder is an award-winning author, a licensed psychotherapist, and an in-demand communications trainer. She has coached public speaking for the reluctant and the downright phobic in Fortune 500 companies throughout the U.S. and abroad. She coaches others to conquer their stage fears, connect to listeners, and never again allow a fear of public speaking to be an obstacle.

Betsy overcame her own terror of public speaking by learning a set of simple techniques. She now shares these skills with writers and other creatives, helping them to inform, entertain, influence, and inspire audiences of any size. Betsy is the author of a debut novel, Fire & Water (2013) Her memoir, Filling Her Shoes: A Memoir of an Inherited Family, (2017) was honored with a an IPPY Gold Medal, and a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award. Her newest book From Page to Stage: Inspiration, Tools, and Public Speaking Tips for Writers received a Booklist Starred Review.