|
San Francisco Peninsula Writer
January 2017
Writers Helping Writers Since 1909
|
|
President's Message
GOOD BYE 2016 AND
WELCOME 2017
Dear SF Peninsula Branch,
Happy, happy New Year, one and all! Ah, but before we fully step across that threshold, I would like us to reflect on some of the amazing happenings in our branch during 2016!
First of all, our branch members took the helm of the CWC booth at the San Francisco Writers Conference. Second, we threw ourselves a party by celebrating the 50th anniversary of our great club, and in the original clubhouse!!
In June, many of our members participated in the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, which was followed by our own amazing annual stint at the San Mateo County Fair on the "Literary Arts Stage." In July, some of us piled into cars and headed to the annual CWC State Picnic in the Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland!
And in October, eight of our members took part in the NorCal Leadership Conference in Fremont. And, not to go quietly into the dark night of December, we kicked off the month by participating in a Barnes & Noble joint effort where our own authors were able to sell their books and also make money for our club. The grand tally for our part of the sales was close to $2,100, which will go to outreach projects in 2017. Thank you, Bill Baynes.
And what can we say about our Holiday Party this year? Never before have we witnessed such great talent from so many of our CWC members at one time. Eighteen members read from their poetry and short stories, performed music, recited a rewrite of Shakespeare ... there were plays, dramas, and so much more! We laughed, we cried, we ate, we drank, and we celebrated the talents of this great club!
Of course, none of these events arose on their own. They were brought to you by the volunteers who came forward to be a part of each of these projects, including our wondrously vibrant and active Board. Please tell them "thanks" the next time you see them (especially our Hospitality Diva, Michele Jessen, who worked her fingers to the bone to put out all the great food and decorations throughout the year and especially at the holiday party).
With 2017 now on our doorstep, we have so much more we can do! And volunteers are always welcome. We will be posting opportunities shortly, as we have a plethora of new events we are hoping to create for you.
And, have you noticed, I haven't even mentioned a single regular monthly meeting at which you were treated to great and talented speakers? (Thank you, Audrey Kalman.) Nor have I mentioned the Fault Zone anthologies--oh my! (Pat Laurel Anne Hill on the back for wrestling the newest anthology to the mat.) And, stay tuned, as you haven't seen anything yet!! In 2017, our members will have many more opportunities to share their talents, writings, and readings.
Step up and be part of the action! Again, Happy New Year!
--Carole Bumpus, SF Peninsula Branch President
|
|
January 21, 2017
Guest Speaker: Joel Friedlander
Kickstart Your Year by Getting Published:
Author Platform, Branding, and Monetization
|
|
 |
"Writers change the world one reader at a time. But you can't change the world with a book that's still on your hard drive or in a box under your bed."
-- Joel Friedlander |
|
Joel Friedlander (Twitter handle: @JFBookman) is an award-winning book designer, blogger, and writer. He speaks regularly at industry events and is the author of
The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide
. The blogger behind
The Book Designer
, Joel is a columnist for
Publishers Weekly,
and was named by
Writer's Digest
as "one of the 10 people to follow in book publishing."
His website has won the
Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers the last few years and continues to be a resource for writers looking to get their books in print.
We look forward to the January 2017 meeting of the CWC SF Peninsula branch when Joel Friedlander, a.k.a. The Book Designer, presents a not-to-be-missed program for authors entitled "Kickstart Your Year by Getting Published: Author Platform, Branding, and Monetization."
We will learn how to use our expertise to build a valuable online asset, turn our content into a variety of multimedia products using the latest technology, and reach the readers just waiting to find our message.
Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
California Writers Club
FREE to first-timers. $10 members. $15 nonmembers.
$10 students with ID.
|
|
|
|
THE YEAR IN PICTURES
|
|
San Francisco Writers Conference
Carole Bumpus and Ann Foster |
|
|
San Francisco Writers Conference
Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Carole Bumpus, and Bette Houtchens
|
|
|
Open Mic at San Mateo County Fair
|
|
|
NorCal Leadership Conference
Michele Jessen, Carole Bumpus, Bette Houtchens, Pratibha Kelapure, Ann Foster, and Lisa Meltzer-Penn
|
|
|
Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley
|
50th Anniversary Celebration
Michele Jessen, Ann Foster, Lisa Meltzer-Penn, Bardi Rosman Koodrin,
Elise Miller, Carole Bumpus,
Maurine Killough, Bill Baynes, and Darlene Frank
|
|
|
Barnes & Noble Book Fair
Jeannine Gerkman, Kirsten Weiss, Carole Bumpus, Bill Baynes
|
Barnes & Noble Book Fair
Thanks to our enthusiastic volunteers and delightful books, our Book Fair was a roaring success!
We sold more than twice what the bookstore expected and
raised over $2,000 to use locally to help our community!!
In total, our authors sold over 40 of their own books, encouraged patrons to use their coupons to spend more on other tomes, established a relationship with our local Barnes & Noble at the Hillsdale Mall, and showed we are a force to be reckoned with. A huge thank you to Bill Baynes for successfully orchestrating this event! Great job!
|
|
|
|
CWC SF Peninsula Calendar
Wednesday, January 18
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Open Mic
10 a.m. Joel Friedlander presents:
Kickstart Your Year by Getting Published: Author Platform, Branding, and Monetization
441 Seaport Court
Redwood City
Saturday, January 21 - Think Tank
FREE. MEMBERS ONLY. Immediately after the January program, Megan Clancy will be leading the Think Tank: "Can you have a character of a different culture in your work and write it well?"
Maximum of 10 members.
|
Upcoming Meetings
February 15, 2017 - Open Mic
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
144 W. 25th Avenue, San Mateo. FREE
February 18, 2017 - Speaker:
Susan M. Osborn
Stoke Your Creative Fire: Three Ways to Revitalize Your Writing
Storyteller Susan M. Osborn will talk about putting yourself in a creative state of mind, imagining and inventing new content, and experimenting with innovative forms.
February 18, 2017 - Think Tank:
Ann Foster
FREE. MEMBERS ONLY. Immediately after the February program, Ann Foster will be leading the Think Tank.
It will be a mini writing workshop based on a suggestion found in Janet Burroway's
Writing Fiction.
SF Peninsula Branch now meets at:
441 Seaport Court
Redwood City
$10 members. $15 nonmembers.
$10 students with ID.
|
|
|
San Mateo Critique Group
2nd and 4th Friday each month, 10:30 to noon.
The Peninsula Regent, 1 Baldwin Avenue, San Mateo, rear of the large meeting room opposite the elevator.
Bring at least 5 copies of your no-longer-than-6-page manuscript to hand out. For more info, contact Karen Hartley at
[email protected]
or (408) 315-0271.
|
|
Start Working on Your San Mateo County Fair Literary Entries
Now
!
It's that time of the year again: the 2017 San Mateo County Fair is just around the corner. We're getting everything ready so that you can participate in the contests and enjoy our numerous Literary Stage events. We should have the contest registration open and ready to accept your submissions sometime in January, so be smart and prepare your literary entries sooner rather than later!
Currently you can go to
www.sanmateocountyfair.com and sign up for the newsletter that will tell you all about the Fair. Keep checking the COMPETE option in the green banner at the top of the website page to know when to upload our contest guidelines. In the meanwhile, make an early New Year's Resolution to create your best work. If you win a contest (first, second, third, or honorable mention) you will be published in our annual
Carry the Light anthology (thanks to Sand Hill Review Press), so edit, and then edit again!
Don't get caught in an April's Fool deadline dilemma.
Get ready, get set, go!
Bardi Rosman Koodrin
Literary Director for the San Mateo County Fair
|
|
|
|
Think Tank
"Can you have a character of a different culture in your work and write it well?"
Coordinator: Megan A. Clancy
Immediately after our January meeting, Megan will be heading up our first 2017 Think Tank. A maximum of 10 participants (members only) may attend, so be sure to sign up as soon as you arrive. Megan's familiarity with diverse locales and cultures makes her ideal for this Think Tank.
Megan A. Clancy is a writer of literary and upmarket women's fiction.
She has a B.A. in English from Colorado College, a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Melbourne, and has worked as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer. She loves travel and has lived and worked in Australia, Nepal, and the United States.
Come prepared to share and learn!
|
Women's National Book Association - San Francisco Chapter Presents a Special Centennial Program Event
The Woman Warrior in All of Us:
Maxine Hong Kingston in Conversation with Vanessa Hua
When: Saturday, January 7, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Women's Building, Andre Lorde Room, 2nd Floor
3543 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Cost: Members Discounted Price: $15
Non-Members: $20
Door Price: $25
Limited to the first 70 confirmed tickets
Admission includes a glass of wine (21 and over) and refreshments.
Book sales and signing to follow with titles by Kingston and Hua.
To kick off the WNBA Centennial's Regional Lecture Series, the San Francisco Chapter will honor the contributions of Maxine Hong Kingston on the 40th anniversary of her seminal work,
The Woman Warrior.
|
|
Member News
Laurel Anne Hill's
Book Launch is on February 4th!
THE ENGINE WOMAN'S LIGHT
866 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-8203
Eva Barrows' television review of
"Good Girls Revolt: The Upheaval Continues," was published on the arts and entertainment blog,
www.unhealedwound.com, December 18, 2016. Eva enjoyed learning about real women who took a stand to be treated equally in the workplace and made society change for the better. Eva is described thusly:
[Guest blogger ... San Francisco Bay Area freelance writer and editor of Imitation Fruit, a literary and art journal. Visit her writer website at
www.evabarrows.com
and her literary journal at
www.imitationfruit.com
.]
Carolyn Curtis had an article published in the California Rare Fruit Growers bimonthly magazine, The Fruit Gardener, Vol 49, #1: "Fun With Sambucus."
Congratulations, everyone!
|
|
|
Submission Opportunities and Local Events
SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES:
Chicken Soup for the Soul.
You will be paid $200 ($100 for devotionals) and receive ten free copies of the book your story or poem appears in. Several categories of books are open, with deadlines between now and January 31, 2017.
38th Annual Nimrod Literary Awards is accepting submissions January 1 to April 30, 2017:
The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry and The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction.
Nimrod submissions.
Nimrod biannual literary journal.
Nimrod International Journal
is seeking poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction pieces that explore ideas of home--both leaving home and finding home--for their
Spring/Summer 2017 issue,
Leaving Home, Finding Home.
Imitation Fruit Literary Journal, an annual online publication, is looking for fun and upbeat short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, and artwork. Send up to 5 poems or 15 pages of prose. Submission deadline is April 1st of each year and publication is in late Fall. For more information, please see the submissions page at
www.imitationfruit.com.
2017 San Francisco Writers Conference will be
on February 16-19...plus a la Carte Classes on February 16 & 20.
Go to
www.SFWriters.org
for details.
|
|
Letter from the Editor
I am thrilled to be your new Newsletter Editor. All my life, my reason for living has been to help others. Feeling and sharing joy also gets me up in the morning. So, when I was asked by Maurine Killough to step in (her life had gotten too hectic
to continue as editor) and help, I was happy to oblige. As a Realtor with Coldwell Banker, I've been writing (and editing) my own newsletters for some 20 years, so I'm comfortable in that role.
Many of you have been writing since you were youngsters, but I never thought that would be my destiny, and didn't realize I had such a fire burning inside me until about five years ago. As some of you know, I took care of my mother-in-law in our home. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, vertigo, osteoporosis, and could not leave her bed. She required 24-hour care and cried out "Help Me" continually unless asleep or actively engaged. She shook constantly, didn't know who we were, didn't know she'd been married or had had children; she couldn't even answer a question. It frustrated her when the words she wanted to say were ever so elusive. My heart went out to her, and I tried to figure out a way to help her communicate and to bring her comfort.
Through trial and error, I found that reading rhyming children's picture books aloud was the ticket. When I read these books to her, she would be calm, laugh at the same places, and feel joy and comfort. So I made up silly rhymes to talk to her. Amazingly, when prompted, she could come up with the word that rhymed. That delighted both of us and unlocked a secret part in my brain that allowed me to write in verse. It was through poetry that I came to join the CWC and meet many of you.
As your new editor, I will be continuing with past traditions
and
adding a bit of fun. Who knows? Maybe even including some poems. I look forward to a wonderful 2017 and wish the same for you and your dear ones!
--Jeannine Gerkman, Newsletter Editor
|
|
|
|
|
Guidelines for Submitting Articles to This Newsletter
Want to see your article published here?
We often have room for one or two short
articles.
Please follow these guidelines when submitting your piece:
- You must be a current member of the club.
- Your article must be related to writing.
- 350 words maximum. (Please indicate the word count at the top of the article.)
Format requirements:
-
Submit your article in a Word or .rtf file.
-
Double-space your manuscript.
-
Use Times Roman font, 12 point.
-
Put only
one space at the end of a sentence. (Two spaces is a relic from typewriter days. One space is the current publishing standard.)
-
Use the Tab key, not the space bar, when you indent.
-
Edit and proofread carefully before you submit.
Send submissions to:
Include the words "CWC Newsletter Article"
in your subject line. Deadline is the 25th of the month. Earlier is encouraged! Thank you.
|
|
