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WNBA-SF 2022-2024 ELECTION

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It’s that time again! Please elect this new slate of officers down below to continue to guide our chapter through the next two years (2022-2024).

We welcome the opportunity for ongoing and new WNBA-SF leadership! (Please note that in accordance with WNBA-SF Bylaws, there are two Vice President positions). The WNBA-SF Bylaws also provide brief descriptions of the officer positions and are attached here for your review:

https://wnba-books.org/members-only/

 

VOTING DEADLINE – APRIL 20, 2022

 

If you wish, you may also nominate an active, qualified WNBA-SF Chapter member as an alternative to this slate with their prior, written consent not later than April 11, 2022.

Many thanks,

Elise Marie Collins, President WNBA-SF Chapter

 

2022-2024 WNBA-SF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTION SLATE

 

PRESIDENT

ELISE MARIE COLLINS

Current WNBA-SF Chapter President, Elise Marie Collins has played major roles in the overall direction and strategy development of the chapter, leading teams to accomplish successful Pitch-O-Ramas, membership drives and mixers, and educational literary presentations. A yoga instructor, health coach, and author with a master’s degree in gerontology from USC, Elise became more in touch with how food and lifestyle affects us spiritually. This knowledge led her to author “An A-Z Guide to Healing Foods, A Shoppers Companion,” and “Chakra Tonics. Essential Elixirs for Mind, Body and Spirit,” published by Conari Press. As a gerontologist, she writes about how to be well and live a long life. Her latest book is “Super Ager: You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, A Better Memory, and Live a Long and Healthy Life.”

 

CO-VICE PRESIDENT

JOAN GELFAND

Author of three poetry collections and a chapbook of short fiction, Joan Gelfand’s reviews, stories, essays, and poetry have appeared in national and international literary journals and magazines. Winner of twenty writing awards, Joan teaches for The Writing Salon. “You Can Be a Winning Writer,” a book for writers is an Amazon #1 best seller. “Extreme,” Joan’s debut novel (Blue Light Press) is set in a Silicon Valley gaming startup and received praise from Katie Hafner of the NYT and Ransom Stephens. A member of the National Book Critics Circle and a Juror for the Northern California Book Awards, Joan lives in San Francisco with her husband Adam Hertz and two beatnik kitties – Jack Kerouac and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.  www.joangelfand.com

 

CO-VICE PRESIDENT

ANNIQUA RANA

Anniqua Rana is a writer and educator committed to eliminating inequities around her.  She has done this in collaboration with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office providing professional development and training to colleges in the Bay Area. She co-founded Aalimocracy.com a volunteer organization providing professional development to educational institutions in Pakistan. She has taught English, ESL, EFL, International Education, and Creative Writing at San Mateo Community Colleges, DeAnza College, University of San Francisco, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan, and Stanford University. Her debut novel, Wild Boar in the Cane Field was shortlisted for Pakistan’s UBL Literary Award 2020. To create a platform for writers she co-founded the blog Tillism.

 

TREASURER

BRENDA KNIGHT

Brenda Knight began her career at HarperCollins, working with luminaries Paolo Coelho, Marianne Williamson, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Knight was awarded IndieFab’s Publisher of the Year in 2014 at the ALA, American Library Association. She is the author of Wild Women and Books, Random Acts of Kindness, The Grateful Table, Be a Good in the World, and Women of the Beat Generation, which won an American Book Award. Brenda is Associate Publisher and Director of Editorial Acquisition at Mango Publishing and has served the immediate past President of the Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter, as well an instructor at the annual San Francisco Writers Conference.

 

SECRETARY

KATHLEEN ARCHAMBEAU

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. Currently, she is on a final draft of her novel, Liberty Street, about a gay presidential candidate and his Quixotic campaign for equal protection.

 

Vote here:

Voting stops as of midnight, April 20th, 2022

April 14th – Looking Back, Looking Forward: A Reading with Jan Beatty and Dana Levin

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Thursday, April 14th, 2022
Looking Back, Looking Forward:
A Reading with Jan Beatty and Dana Levin
5pm-6pm / PT

 

Poets Jan Beatty and Dana Levin will join us for an evening that will celebrate their award winning poetry and celebrate the foremothers who inspired them.  Each poet will begin the evening by introducing the foremother poet who influenced her work.  Then, Beatty and Levin will share their own new work.

 

Participants: 

Jan Beatty is the winner of the Red Hen Nonfiction Award for her memoir, American Bastard (2021). Her sixth book, The Body Wars (2020), was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. In the New York Times, Naomi Shihab Nye said: Jan Beatty’s new poems in “The Body Wars” shimmer with luminous connection, travel a big life and grand map of encounters. Books include Jackknife: New and Collected Poems (2018 Paterson Prize) named by Sandra Cisneros on LitHub as her favorite book of 2019. Beatty worked as a waitress, a welfare caseworker, an abortion counselor, and in maximum-security prisons.

 

Dana Levin’s fifth book is Now Do You Know Where You Are (Copper Canyon, Spring 2022), a Lannan Literary Selection. Recent books include Banana Palace (2016) and Sky Burial (2011), which The New Yorker called “utterly her own and utterly riveting.” She is a grateful recipient of honors, including those from the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN, and the Library of Congress, as well as from the Rona Jaffe, Whiting, and Guggenheim Foundations. Levin teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, and serves as Distinguished Writer in Residence at Maryville University in St. Louis.

 

 

Jan Beatty and Dana Levin will share their most recent work. Audience members will not only learn about these current poets, they will also discover writers from the past.  

 

Sign up for the event below:

Meet the Agents & Editors: Virtual Pitch-O-Rama 2022

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Saturday, April 30, 2022
8:00 am – 1:00 pm 

 

Another year, another round of Pitch-O-Rama! We’ve learned a lot from the last two events, and we are ready to do our utmost to make this year’s Pitch-O-Rama the best one yet. Also, we are adding even MORE agents, so keep checking back in here for the latest updates.

 

Sign up for 2022 Pitch-O-Rama with the link below as registration is filling up quickly:
https://wnba-sfchapter.org/april-30th-virtual-pitch-o-rama-2022/

 

Includes pre-pitch coaching.


$65 WNBA-SF members, $95 Non-members


EVERYONE Welcome!

 

Meet the Agents and Editors for Pitch-O-Rama 2022!

 

These impressive publishing professionals bring years of experience and will provide advice, direction, and next steps for your literary project! 

 

Jim Azevedo is the marketing director at Smashwords, the largest distributor of self-published ebooks, serving over 130,000 independent authors, publishers, and literary agents. Since 2008, Smashwords has helped authors around the world release more than 470,000 titles and distribute their work globally to top ebook retailers, subscription services and public libraries. Prior to joining Smashwords in 2011, Jim built his career in marketing & PR for high-tech companies. Although Smashwords is a self-publishing platform, Jim loves helping authors sharpen their pitches and book descriptions. He credits his journalism education when it comes to guiding authors, and himself, to “get to the point” with messaging. Jim is open to discussing all genres.

 

 

Peter Beren, formerly Vice President, Insight Editions, Publisher of Sierra Club Books, Publisher of VIA Books and an Acquisitions Editor for Jeremy Tarcher. Peter Beren is a literary agent and a book publishing consultant to authors and independent publishers. He is the founder of The Peter Beren Agency, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also author or co-author of eight books, including The Writers Legal Companion (Basic Books), California the Beautiful (Rizzoli) and The Golden Gate (Insight Editions). As a publishing consultant, Peter works with independent publishers, self-publishers, and authors to help them make the most of their publishing opportunities. He represents selected nonfiction projects as a literary agent to help authors obtain publishing contracts. https://peterberen.com/

 

Associate Agent Karly Caserza was born in the Phillipines and immigrated to Northern California as a child. She obtained her Business Marketing degree and has been a Freelance Graphic Designer for over 10 years. In addition to designing a wide range of print and web promotional material for clients. Karly creates book covers for Short Fuse and promotional graphics for Fuse authors. Professionally, Karly began her career in the publishing industry as a reader for Tricia Skinner at Fuse Literary, a role that also included a spot on the production team of Short Fuse. Karly is also the Marketing Coordinator of the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. In her spare time, Karly has a deep love for characters with a strong voice and seeks out stories she can get lost in. Diversity in genre fiction is a major bonus. She specializes in middle grade and young adult genre fiction (fantasy, science fiction, and contemporary.)

 

Leland Cheuk is a MacDowell and Hawthornden Castle Fellow and award-winning author of three books of fiction, most recently the novel NO GOOD VERY BAD ASIAN (2019). Cheuk’s work has been covered in Buzzfeed, The Paris Review, VICE, San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere, and has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, among other outlets. He is the founder of the indie press 7.13 Books, which publishes debut book-length fiction. He is looking for quality works of fiction and short story collections, favoring literary comedies and genre-bending submissions as well as work from the queer and/or POC writing community.

 

M.J. Fievre, B.S. Ed, is a longtime educator whose publishing career began as a teenager in her native Haiti. At nineteen years old, she signed her first book contract with Hachette-Deschamps for the publication of a YA book titled La Statuette Maléfique. Since then, M.J. has released nine YA books in French that are widely read in Europe and the French Antilles, and she is the author of the award-winning Badass Black Girl book series for tweens and teens (in English). As the ReadCaribbean program coordinator for the prestigious Miami Book Fair, M.J. directs and produces the children’s cultural show Taptap Krik? Krak! In addition, M.J. serves as the managing editor of DragonFruit, which publishes high quality children’s books, which connect with readers by paving the way to lifelong learning.

 

Georgia Hughes is editorial director at New World Library, publisher of the Joseph Campbell Library and The Power of Now. She acquires and edits nonfiction books in the areas of spirituality, sustainability, animals, business, women’s issues, and personal growth. Recent acquisitions include Spiritual Envy by Michael Krasny, Dreaming the Soul Back Home by Robert Moss, Dogs and the Women Who Love Them by Allen and Linda Anderson, Right-Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee, and The Practicing Mind by Thomas Sterner. 

 

Jane Kinney Denning is a freelance agent and editor and former president of the WNBA. With over 30 years of experience in writing, editing, and educating, she has worked as an adjunct professor in publishing at Pace University, and has editing books with HarperCollins, Little Brown, CRC Press, and Van Nostrand Reinhold. Jane has also worked as the Acquisitions Editor for Mango Publishing, acquiring notable books such as The Fearless Women’s Guide to Starting a Business, Plan and Organize Your Life, Baker Bettie’s Better Baking Book, and the first three titles of the Baseball Hall of Fame Imprint.

 

Brenda Knight began her career at HarperCollins, working with luminaries Paolo Coelho, Marianne Williamson and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Knight was awarded IndieFab’s Publisher of the Year in 2014 at the ALA, American Library Association. Knight is the author of Wild Women and Books, The Grateful Table, Be a Good in the World, and Women of the Beat Generation, which won an American Book Award. Knight is Editorial Director at Mango Publishing and acquires for all genres in fiction and nonfiction, LGBTQ as well as children and photography books. She is the immediate past President of the Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter, and an instructor at the annual San Francisco Writers Conference.

 

Michael LarsenMichael 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 coauthored Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. Mike is co-director of the San Francisco Writers Conference and the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference.

 

Michele Martin is an editor and literary agent specializing in non-fiction and children’s books. Previous experience includes acting as VP for North Star Way (imprint for Simon & Schuster) where she acquired award-winning actress Keke Palmer’s book I Don’t Belong to You in 2017, as well as finding MDM Management, specializing in topics such as business, health & wellness, and self-help.

 

 

Kristen Moeller, MS, is an agent at Waterside Productions, the literary home of Eckhart Tolle, Neale Donald Walsch, Jean Houston and other luminaries. Previously, she was an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing and the executive publisher for Persona Publishing, a self-publishing imprint. With close to 30 years of training and experience in psychology and personal growth, she craves discovering new (mostly female) authors with real and gritty memoir or literary fiction about walking through the fires of life – exploring depths and darkness while maintaining a strong psychological base. A published author and a three time TEDx speaker, she has been featured on NPR, ABC, NBC, Fox News, the New York Times, Huffington Post and Tiny House Nation.

 

Stefanie Molina is an agent and editor who specializes in titles written by authors and for communities of color. Since 2013, she has helped edit various fiction and non-fiction from children’s books to memoirs in order to help authors reach the highest caliber to develop their creative work. Some of her previous experience includes over 5 years as Senior Editor at Brink Literacy Project, whose mission is to share storytelling that empowers underserved communities, and is currently an agent at Ladderbird Literary Agency.  Outside of agenting, she enjoys hiking, swimming, baking, and playing the piano. Her favorite place in the world is Yosemite National Park! You can find her on Twitter @fiction_tech. Stefanie is primarily looking for BIPOC stories inclusive of intersectional identities (LGBTQ+, disability, mental illness, neurodiversity…). She particularly relates to stories centering mixed protagonists. In all genres, she adores stories that incorporate food, animals, the outdoors, and intergenerational relationships. She also loves when stories explore “messy” feelings like rage, fear, guilt, grief, etc. in empowering ways. Please don’t send her books that revolve around abuse (though it can be in a character’s past) or books where the protagonist dies at the end. In picture books, she’s looking for heartfelt stories about family, facing your fears, and/or finding your place in the world. She especially loves brave, quirky heroines. In middle grade and YA, she likes contemporary and urban fantasy and coming-of-age stories. She loves a touch of mystery and is also open to the right high fantasy or romcom. In adult, she’s looking for romcoms, mysteries, thrillers, and urban or contemporary fantasy. She’s also open to high fantasy or historical fiction that empowers BIPOC individuals and communities. Two of her specific wishes are for a mystery or thriller helmed by a BIPOC woman, and for historical fiction centering a BIPOC cowgirl.

 https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/stefanie-molina/

 

Liz Nealon is the founder and president of Great Dog Literary, a publishing company specializing in sharing unique voices for both adults and children. In her previous life, she was an award-winning executive producer and children’s media industry leader who played an integral role in shaping the indelible youth brands Sesame Street, Kidz Bop, and MTV, as well as being the former Publisher of StarWalk Kids Media, an award-winning digital publishing company that she co-founded with author Seymour Simon (2012-2016). Liz has unique and specific experience in children’s digital publishing, with extensive knowledge of the US Schools & Libraries sector. She is a big reader of both non-fiction and literary fiction, and is particularly looking for Modern Women’s Fiction (no fantasy or Regency); True Crime with a strong, literary voice; memorable Narrative Non-Fiction; Art/Illustrated titles for adults; Illustrated Middle Grade (both fiction and non-fiction). She is committed to representing diverse voices and would be over the moon if she could acquire a captivating LGBTQ RomCom for YA readers.

 

Becky Parker Geist is CEO of Pro Audio Voices and has been in the audiobook industry since 1981. As an audiobook publisher and producer, Becky has produced and/or narrated hundreds of titles, helping authors leverage their content through audio – even if it is the first or only format of their book to get publishedTypically working with authors and publishers who are challenged in reaching their widest audience, the Pro Audio Voices team provides audiobook production, including complex and unusual projects, and the Audiobook Marketing Program™ to help authors increase their impact. Committed to leadership, Becky serves as President of Bay Area Independent Publishers Assoc. and a Chapter Leader of Nonfiction Authors Association. proaudiovoices.com

 

Randy Peyser sells non-fiction manuscripts in all genres and speaks nationally about how to get book deals. She also serves on faculty for CEO Space International where she teaches about writing book proposals. She is the author of: The Write-a-Book Program; Crappy to Happy as featured in the movie, Eat Pray Love; and The Power of Miracle Thinking. Her clients’ books have been in Oprah and Time Magazines, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller Lists, in airport bookstores, Office Max and FedEx/Office stores, and on Hallmark TV. Her work is featured in: Healing the Heart of the World; The Marriage of Sex and Spirit; Secrets of Shameless Self-Promoters; and the national bestsellers, Networking Magic, Guerrilla Publicity, and The Profit of Kindness. AuthorOneStop.com.

 

Leah Pierre is a literary agent and production manager who loves diverse and unique work that is fast paced and has a complex cast of diverse characters. After graduating from Rosemont College with her B.A. in English and History and currently finishing her Master’s in Publishing, she has moved back to the South to begin her next adventure. In addition to searching for the next commercial YA or Adult project that will hook her (or make her cry), Leah is looking for YA/Crossover/Adult fiction across speculative, contemporary, romance, mystery/thriller, and fairytale reimaginings and retellings. She currently works at Ladderbird Literary Agency and is the Production Project Manager at Greenleaf Book Group: https://www.ladderbird.com/leah-pierre.html

 

Marthine Satris is the Acquisitions Editor for Heyday, a nonprofit publisher located in Berkeley, CA. Having worked as an editor and writer for Stanford University Press, Callisto Media, and the Center of the Art of Translation, Marthine’s main goal is to help shape a title with an eye on the fine detail. At Heyday, some of the books she has edited include Charles Hood, Marni Fylling, Mary Clare and Gary Ferguson, John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren, Alex Harris, Jack Gedney, and David Harris, with more to come. Marthine is acquiring prescriptive books, reference books, narrative nonfiction, literary essays, and, for Heyday, quirky books on Californian history, our natural world, and social justice.

 

Brooke Warner is a writing coaching, professional publishing consultant, and WNBA-SF member. She has worked as an acquiring editor in the publishing industry for the past sixteen years, most recently as the Executive Editor at Seal Press. Brooke left Seal Press in May 2012 to pursue the coaching practice and to co-found She Writes Press with Kamy Wicoff. Also, she launched Write-Minded: Weekly Inspiration for Writers in 2018, teaches and facilitates memoir courses through Write Your Memoir in Six Months, co-founded with Linda Joy Myers, President of the National Association of Memoir Writers, and has published three books on writing and publishing. Some genres Brooke is looking for are memoirs, self-help, entrepreneur, and other business-like titles.

 

Viveca Shearin is a co-publisher of Not a Pipe Publishing, an indie publishing house based in Oregon (though she lives and works in NYC). An avid reader since childhood, her tastes in books have changed throughout the years. However, she is still a lover of fantasy, magic, and all things dark and mysterious. As she searches for her new talent, Viveca is looking for YA and Adult fiction projects in these genres: fantasy, speculative, paranormal, supernatural, mystery and thriller, science fiction, and retellings of fairy tales and mythology (Greek and Japanese). Viveca is especially interested in BIPOC representation and acquiring BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices. She’s drawn to stories that feature strong female characters (lead and secondary), stories with a diverse and eclectic cast of characters that all shine in their own ways, stories that feature found families, and stories that stay with her long after the last page is turned. She will not read stories that feature Black trauma, abuse, or anything of that vein. So please do not send these to her. Aside from working for Not a Pipe, Viveca also works as a sensitivity reader.

 

Leticia Gomez is a prominent literary/film/television agent who specializes in bringing culturally diverse voices to the forefront. She has helped her clients secure deals with the largest publishers in the world and has seen several of her projects successfully optioned for TV and film rights. In January of 2007, Leticia launched Savvy Literary Services, becoming one of a highly select group of agencies in the world that specializes in the Latino book market. Savvy Literary is now an industry leader specializing in Self-help, Narrative Non-fiction, Memoir, True Crime, Spiritual/Inspirational, Political/Current Affairs, Suspense/Thriller, Family Drama, and the Young Adult market. Blending her experience as an author, literary/film/television agent and acquisition editor, she is now truly excited to spearhead her very own Hispanic book imprint Café con Leche Books. At the present time, Savvy Literary Agency is interested in reviewing compelling and commercially viable book proposals and manuscripts written in English or Spanish. Fiction areas of interest: adventure, chick lit, fantasy, historical, humor, multicultural, mystery, paranormal, romance, young adult, and middle grade. Nonfiction areas of interest: advice/relationships, biography, cooking, diet, health, history/politics/current affairs, how-to, humor, lifestyle, memoir, parenting, religion/spirituality and true crime. 

 

Tips for Pitching 2022, CLICK HERE!

 

Sign up for 2022 Pitch-O-Rama now!

April 30th – Virtual Pitch-O-Rama 2022

April 7th, 2022 Pitch-O-Rama Prep Workshop & AMA

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Thursday, April 7th

Noon – 1pm, PDT
Online, via Zoom

 Virtual Workshop!

Click the logo above for more information on Pitch-O-Rama 2022!

 

By popular demand, WNBA-SF will hold our 2022 Pitch-O-Rama Prep Workshop & Ask Me Anything (AMA)!

We are VERY excited to hold this year’s Pitch-O-Rama, which is looking to be a fabulous event with new agents and editors including those from the New York publishing world. And, since it is virtual, we are having many new writers joining us, hailing from all over the country and even a couple of international guests. We have gotten many questions and suggestions which resulted in this debut Pre Pitch and Ask Me Anything (AMA) session.

WNBA-SF stalwarts who have run Pitch-O-Rama for many years will tell you what to expect, tips, and strategies for inspired pitching, and how to get the most from this mini writers conference. Hosted by Madame President, Elise Marie Collins, this event will feature experts who can answer any question you have, so make your list now!

Collins will offer techniques on how to overcome nerves and make your best impression. Past President of WNBA-SF, librarian, author and master storyteller Kate Farrell ran Pitch-O-Rama for years, and can tell you secrets to success from her deep experience. Publisher Brenda Knight will share what editors and agents are looking for, and how to position your project so it will garner real interest from acquiring editors and literary agents. Ellen McBarnette, an attendee from last year’s virtual Pitch-O-Rama will tell you “what she wishes she knew last year and what you should know for this year.”

Every year, writers find agents, get publishing deals and get excellent feedback that advances their writing careers. This year, it can be you!

 

Registration is free for anyone already signed up for 2022 Pitch-O-Rama. If you haven’t, prices are $10 for WNBA-SF members and $25 for non-members.

 

Distinguished panelists:

 

Brenda Knight, author of  Women of the Beat Generation, will read new work and a tribute to “Beat Goddess” ruth weiss. Brenda began her publishing career at HarperCollins. An author of ten books, she won the American Book Award for “Women of the Beat Generation.”  In 2015, she was named Indiefab Publisher of the Year. She is Editorial Director at Mango Publishing and is President of WNBA-SF Chapter.

 

Elise Marie Collins has consulted with small businesses, authors, and alumni associations on social media marketing and believes that a social media plan should be intuitive, fun, and seamless. Helping students and clients form healthy lifestyle patterns is Elise Collins’ passion and life purpose. She has taught yoga for the past 20 years and is the author of several books on healthy living, including her latest, Super Ager: You Can Look Younger, Have More Energy, a Better Memory, and Live a Long and Healthy Life. Elise enjoys sharing yoga wisdom and current scientific research.

Kate FarrellStoryteller, author, librarian Kate Farrell is the author of Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories. Kate founded the Word Weaving Storytelling Project and published numerous educational materials on storytelling. She has contributed to and edited award-winning anthologies of personal narrative, Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the 60s & 70s, and Cry of the Nightbird: Writers Against Domestic Violence. 

 

Ellen McBarnette is a life-long writer whose nonfiction work has been published as testimony, fact sheets and opinion pieces for organizations that include the Sierra Club and the American Bar Association. A professional storyteller, she is a recent transplant from Washington, DC where she ran the Arlington Creative Nonfiction Writers Group. She now runs the Beta Readers and Writers Group and is an active participant in critique groups in the Bay. She lives in Hayward with her partner Ben and their cat Java.
 
 

Register here for the Prep Workshop & AMA:

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March 16th – Feeling Joy + Awe in Difficult Times

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Wednesday, March 16th, 2022
Heart Wisdom Panel:
Feeling Joy + Awe in Difficult Times with Sherry Richert Belul, Allen Klein, and Irene O’Garden
1:30 pm / PT

During the pandemic, we saw the ways that depression and mental health impacted so many people of all ages. Over the last weeks as the violence in Ukraine has continued, it has added to an already-heavy sense of despair in the world. 
 
People need to feel some relief from the grief, fear, and discouragement. We need to be uplifted and reminded of our spirits. 
 
Cultivating a sense of joy and awe can be a great addition to our self-care practices during this time in the world when so many people are filled with grief, fear, disappointment, and heartbreak. 
 
Join us at this week’s Mango Publishing Author Panel to participate in a conversation about ways to uplift ourselves and to bring more joy and awe to others, as well. 
 
Our guest authors, Irene O’Garden (“Glad to Be Human”) and Allen Klein (“The Awe Factor”) will share their own stories and unique ways of living in joy and awe. Everyone who attends is invited to join the conversation if you wish. The panel is facilitated by Sherry Richert Belul (“Say it Now.”) 
 
Mango Author Panels are a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world and what goes on in authors’ heads. They are always interactive, often intriguing, and especially warm and inspiring. 
 
This event is free. However, registration is required. Please use the form below and the Zoom link will be sent to you upon registration. 
 
 
 
 

**Author Bios**

 

Author Irene O’Garden (https://ireneogarden.com/) is an Off-Broadway playwright, an award-winning poet, a memoirist, and a Pushcart Prize-winning essayist whose latest book is “Glad to Be Human: Adventures in Optimism.” 
 
 
 
 
Through his books and keynote presentations, Allen Klein (https://www.allenklein.com/), the world’s only “Jollytologist”, shows people worldwide how to find humor and positivity in their not-so-funny stuff.  Allen is author of  numerous books, including “The Lighten Up Book” and, “The Awe Factor: How a Little Bit of Wonder Can Make a Big Difference in Your Life.” 
 
 
 
Sherry Richert Belul (simplycelebrate.net), author of “Say it Now: 33 Creative Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life,” is founder of Simply Celebrate, a business dedicated to helping people live colorful, connected, creative lives of love and appreciation. 
 
 

 

Register for the Heart Wisdom panel below:

Sorry! Registration is closed, so we can manage the list of attendees.

Heart Wisdom Panel – March 9th – The Power of Prayer and Manifestation: Creating Peace

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Wednesday, March 9th, 2022
Heart Wisdom Panel:
The Power of Prayer and Manifestation – Creating Peace with Sherry Richert Belul, BJ Gallagher, and Sam Beasley
1:30 pm / PT

 

During these challenging times of war, illness, and violence, many of us are seeking new ways to manifest peace – in our lives and in the world. 

We are asking ourselves how to deal with grief, fear, heartbreak, helplessness … and yes, even horror. How do we find peace within ourselves, in our families, in our neighborhoods, and in our world? 

Join us at this week’s Mango Publishing Author Panel to participate in a non-denominational (and unconventional) conversation about the power of prayer and manifestation. 

Our guest authors, BJ Gallagher and Sam Beasley, co-authors of “Your Life is Your Prayer” will share some practical guidance and helpful insights about how to use prayer practices and manifestation methods in everyday life. 

The session will be facilitated by Sherry Richert Belul, author of “Say it Now.” 

Come join us in this timely, lively conversation! 

Mango Author Panels are a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world and what goes on in authors’ heads. They are always interactive, often intriguing, and especially inspiring.

This event is free. However, registration is required. Please use the form below and the Zoom link will be sent to you upon registration. 

 

**Author Bios**

 
BJ Gallagher (http://www.bjgallagher.com) is an inspirational speaker and prolific author. She writes business books that educate and empower, women’s books that enlighten and entertain, and gift books that inspire and inform. Her business fable, A Peacock in the Land of Penguins is an international best-seller, published in 23 languages worldwide. Her newest book, (co-authored with Sam Beasley) is Your Life is Your Prayer. 
 
 
 
Sam Beasley (mango.bz/sambeasley) is a successful entrepreneur speaker and workshop leader who uses spiritual principles to establish build and run his businesses. His latest book (co-authored with BJ Gallagher), is “Your Life Is YourPrayer.” He has also co-written (with Suzanne Lorenz, LCSW) two books on compulsive spending and debting.
 
 
Sherry Richert Belul (simplycelebrate.net), author of “Say it Now: 33 Creative Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life,” is founder of Simply Celebrate, a business dedicated to helping people live colorful, connected, creative lives of love and appreciation. 
 
 
 

Register for the Heart Wisdom panel below:

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Heart Wisdom Panel – March 2nd – Journaling as a Discovery Tool

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Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022
Heart Wisdom Panel:
Journaling as a Discovery Tool with Sherry Richert Belul, Lisa McGuinness, and Lily Dulan
12 pm / PT

 

During the pandemic, many people leaned into self-reflection in a brand new way and discovered the importance of getting to know ourselves better and connecting to our values, our spirits, and the people we love. 
 
Journaling is a powerful self-reflection tool to enhance awareness, to bring more mindfulness to our lives, and to spark creativity. It can be a great addition to our self-care practices during this time in the world when so many people are filled with grief, fear, disappointment, and heartbreak. 
 
Join us at this week’s Mango Publishing Author Panel to participate in a conversation about these and other ways to use journaling as a practice for learning more about ourselves, the people we love, and the world we live in. 
 
Our guest authors, Lily Dulan (“Giving Grief Meaning”) and Lisa McGuinness (“Mother Daughter Activity Journal”) will share their own stories and unique ways of using journaling in daily life. Everyone who attends is invited to join the conversation. The panel is facilitated by Sherry Richert Belul (“Say it Now.”) 
 
These author panels are a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world and what goes on in authors’ heads! They are uplifting, fun, and conversational. Almost like a book-lovers’ social club!
 

About the Authors

Lily Dulan, author of “Giving Grief Meaning,” is an MFT Psychotherapist with a master’s degrees in Psychology, Creative Writing and Teaching.  She is a certified Heart of Yoga Teacher and the founder of The Kara Love Project who drew on her studies of both Eastern and Western disciplines to create a heart centered system of healing and moving through trauma that she calls The Name Work®.   
 
 
Lisa McGuinness is the founder of Yellow Pear Press. A veteran of the

 publishing industry she has worked on books for Chronicle Books Running Press Barefoot Books and Accord Publishing as well as custom publications for Starbucks Gap the Exploratorium and more. She is the author of the “Mother Daughter Activity Journal: Connecting Better with Each Other.” She is co-author of several children’s books including the New York Times bestseller “Bee & Me” and “Baby Turtle’s Tale.”
 
 

Sherry Richert Belul, author of “Say it Now: 33 Creative Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life,” is founder of Simply Celebrate, a business dedicated to helping people live colorful, connected, creative lives of love and appreciation.
 
 

Register for the Heart Wisdom panel here:

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April 15th – Women Writing True Crime

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Friday, April 15th, 2022

Women Writing True Crime with Mitzi Szereto, Joan Renner, and Cathy Pickens

12 pm / PT

FREE Virtual Event

 

A panel discussion featuring Mitzi Szereto, editor of The Best New True Crime Stories series, and her contributors Joan Renner and Cathy Pickens from her new book release, The Best New True Crime Stories: Partners in Crime. 

Topics to be discussed include:

  1. True crime and how writing it is different from other genres.
  2. True crime and its appeal to women writers and readers.
  3. Individual approaches to true crime.
  4. Writing responsibly and ethically.
  5. How to catch the editor’s eye.
  6. Researching and getting the facts right.

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Mitzi Szereto (mitziszereto.com) is an author and anthology editor whose books encompass multiple genres, including those in her popular true crime franchise The Best New True Crime Stories, to date the volumes Partners in Crime; Crimes of Passion, Obsession & Revenge; Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals; Small Towns; and Serial Killers. She has the added distinction of being the editor of the first anthology of erotic fiction to include a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She’s appeared internationally on radio and television and at literature festivals, and has taught creative writing around the world. In addition to having produced and presented the London-based web TV channel Mitzi TV, she portrays herself in the pseudo-documentary British film, Lint: The Movie. The sixth volume in her true crime series, The Best New True Crime Stories: Unsolved Crimes & Mysteries, will be published in September 2022. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @MitziSzereto.

 

Joan Renner (www.derangedlacrimes.com), writer, social historian, and true crime expert, is the author of The First with the latest: Aggie Underwood, the Los Angeles Herald, and the Sordid Crimes of a City. She contributed to the Los Angeles Times bestseller LAPD ’53, written by James Ellroy and Glynn Martin. She has appeared in a previous volume of The Best New True Crime Stories. Joan lectures on historic Los Angeles crime and appears on true crime TV shows and podcasts. She is currently writing a book for University Press of Kentucky about Los Angeles during the Prohibition era.

 

Cathy Pickens (cathypickens.com) has written crime fiction, starting with the award-winning Southern Fried (St. Martin’s), and a regional historic true crime series, starting with Charlotte True Crime Stories (History Press). The latest is Upstate South Carolina True Crime Stories. She’s served as national president of Sisters in Crime, on Mystery Writers of America’s national board, and as true crime columnist for Mystery Readers Journal. A lawyer and former college professor, she also wrote CREATE! Developing Your Creative Process (create-update.com), works with prison inmates, and coaches writers and others in creativity workshops. Her work has appeared in a previous volume of The Best New True Crime Stories.

 

Register for event here:

Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte

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Interview by B Lynn Goodwin

In honor of Black History Month, WNBA-SF proudly shares this author interview of Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte, author of Betrayal on the Bayou.

WNBA-SF Chapter engages 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. 

This interview first appeared on the website WriterAdvice.com and is reprinted with permission.

Cover or a book with words and an image of trees and a swamp

Betrayal on the Bayou

Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte’s Betrayal on the Bayou is a fascinating novel that delves into some heartbreaking issues around race, justice, and the noir code in the fictitious Louisiana town of Tassin.

In the midst of the Louisiana Bayou in the 1800s, there was a three-tiered culture: slaves, free people of color, and whites. When a young, white widower from Paris arrives with his daughter he marries a Tassin woman, who has money and power,  and then takes a Creole lover. After a while he builds his lover, Margot, a house identical to his wife, Marie’s, and sets them side by side. He encourages feuds, discord, and his personal superiority. As the story unfolds we learn about the injustices a white man could perpetrate without consequences in the 1800s. Readers will be left wondering how much has changed today in this fast-paced debut novel.

Bize-Boutte is an award-winning writer, poet, and Pushcart Nominee. In this interview she talks about her experiences.

BLG: Tell us when you knew you were a writer. Who encouraged you to tell your stories? 

SJBB: I am from a family of storytellers and voracious readers, so writing was a natural addition to that portfolio.  I knew I was a writer at 12 years old when my parents bought me a Smith Corona typewriter and I wrote my first story. I had imagined stories before then and wrote a few things down in pencil, but my passion was not solidified and off to the races until I was gifted that typewriter.  Incidentally, my first story was about pencils.  

BLG:  Are there real experiences you’ve observed or heard about woven into your novel? Can you give us a couple of examples? 

SJBB: As you know, fiction is always informed by lived reality and for Betrayal on the Bayou that is an embedded fact.  I tell people my imagination has always been my best friend and so, the combination and sometimes hybrid presentation of fact and imagination are present in the novel.   

As an example, one of the lead characters, Margot, is a mixture of the personalities, essences, physical attributes, occupations, and unfathomable heartbreak of several of the most important women in my life, the women who shaped me. In Margot, people who know me will see my mother who never completely overcame her tragedies and yet was a woman of incomparable substance and will, my aunt who made clothing, from the hats to the shoes, for Hollywood’s famous, my great-aunt who flourished in the Jim Crow south despite the restrictions on her very being, and me, a Black woman in America, and all that means. Those who don’t will discover my truths in this work of fiction.

Another example is the phrase, “the rain she come, the bsic pass on you,” from a story my father told us as children.  I took that phrase and re-imagined it as connected to my novel and gave it a new and different life with a more expansive meaning within the Creole and code noir culture I was describing and a commentary on how a myriad of things may have been in the fictional Louisiana town I built. In other words, I did what I do when I write fiction. I took a speck of something, added a dose of imagination, and blew it up into a story all its own. 

BLG: I’ve been fascinated by Creoles since I found a reference to them in a poem in my 7th grade reader. What inspired you to write about Creoles and their struggles in Louisiana? 

SJBB: My father was a Creole from Louisiana. I did not want to write a biography; I have already done many published stories and articles on my parents.  Yet, I was compelled to write something about the Creoles and one day, after ten years of procrastination, all the stories I had been told over the years, all the summer visits, all the food and the joy, and the deceptions came together with imagination and boom, it was all just there, fully formed, the words hitting the pages like magic.   

But the book is not just about the Creoles. Far from it. There are many human and structural characters woven into the novel. In addition to the people in the story, I explore aspects of colorism, elitism, gender bias, inequality, sexism, and what I consider other “betrayals” in the world I created inspired by a culture with which I am familiar.  I put it all in.  I let it all out. 

BLG: Which characters and events were hardest to write about? Why? 

SJBB: The hardest was Margot’s heartbreak.  It is a horrifying cruelty born of racial hatred.  It was the scene that took me 10 years to be able to write.  It was extremely difficult and written through a torrent of tears. Once I knew I could write the passage, I knew the rest of the book would just fall out.  And it did. Another difficult character was Marie.  Her torment was inspired by the life of a close relative, who floated on the surface to avoid destruction.   

BLG: How did writing poetry influence your process? 

SJBB: My penchant for the poetic often results in uniquely formed prose in my story writing.  In poetry, I believe that every line is a poem, and my stories are heavily influenced by that. It also means that in my story writing, I do not always adhere to traditional grammatical and phraseology conventions, which can be misunderstood or unaccepted by some and cause “editors” to pull out the red pen and provide “corrections.”  But it is my voice, and I will always be true to it. Because the ultimate gift to me as a writer is reaching those who can “see” my writing.

BLG: I admire your confidence. Has teaching improved your writing? How? 

SJBB: I don’t think teaching has improved my writing, but I do feel strongly that sharing what I have learned with others is a part of the circle of writing.  By that I mean, I am comfortable with the way I express myself with words and I teach to help others feel the same and to share what I know, what I have learned and what I am still discovering. 

BLG: What do you hope readers will take from  Betrayal on the Bayou? 

SJBB: That there are many stories of people, particularly Black people, that some may not know.  That we are complex beings.  That colorism and racism are cruel and not always visible. That just because you don’t know about something, doesn’t mean it did not happen.  That things that went on, pairings that occurred, are not new things, but existed long ago in different and sometimes, the same, settings. That there are some very bad people in this world.  That there are angels. That we must save and nourish the angels among us.

BLG: Was it always your intention to publish the book independently or did you submit to agents first? What advice can you give readers about independent publishing?  

SJBB: When an unplanned opportunity arose to “pitch” the story to a traditional publisher, I took advantage of it, but I knew there was no interest when their eyes glazed over and they said, “Well it sounds like a story worth telling.” Since I had always wanted to publish on my own to protect my “voice,” I took that route, and I am happy that I did.  I feel I told the story I wanted to tell in the ways that I wanted to tell it, without interference or lack of understanding by an outside party. 

My advice for independent publishing is twofold: 

Make sure you carve out adequate time to market your work. People need to see you and your writing in as many venues as you can reach. 

Invest in a good editor. I thought I had, but unfortunately, I had not.  The bad thing is copies got out with mostly punctuation errors.  The good thing is, since my independently published book is print on demand, I was able to get the mistakes corrected and have the book re-posted.  But I also have to say that some of the strongest and best reviews I received were on the early uncorrected copies, proving that for some, even the worst editing job can’t get in the way of a solid story.  Even now, I suspect we did not catch all the errors, but neither did Ernest Hemingway, Walter Mosley, or Sue Grafton, and many other famous, best-selling authors.  I consider myself to be in good company and am happy about the response to my book. 

BLG: What are you working on now and where can people learn more about you?  

SJBB: In a bit of a departure from Betrayal on the Bayou, which is, at times, dystopian, I am in the process of writing a sci-fi novel. The first chapter won an award in the 2021 San Francisco Writers Conference Writing Contest and is published in their 2021 anthology.   

You can read more about me and what I am up to at: www.sheryljbize-boutte.com. Thank you again for this interview opportunity. 

BLG: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I agree that your voice comes through loudly and clearly. You’ve done a great job of sharing a part of the culture that many people would like to know more about.

Looking for a book that is both historical and timely? Looking for a fast-moving story that will grab and hold you? Get a copy of Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte’s Betrayal on the Bayou.

February 11th – How to Write a Love List: Valentine’s and Galentines Celebration with Sherry Richert Belul!

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Friday, February 11th, 2022
How to Write a Love List:
Valentine’s and Galentine’s Celebration with Sherry Richert Belul
12 pm / PT

 

 

It’s February and that means you likely need a special gift for the loves in your life.

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! 

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Sherry Richert Belul, founder of Simply Celebrate, helps people find creative, intentional and impactful ways to celebrate life and to express love for family and friends. As a certified high performance coach, Sherry supports people in living their best lives, full of joy, success, engagement, and meaningful relationships. She is the author of Say it Now. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Town + Country, and The Wall Street Journal.

 

 

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