Greetings!

NOTE: If you are reading this newsletter through your email, it may be clipped at the end. If you don't reach the editor's note, be sure to click "view entire message" at the bottom of this newsletter.

Would you like to be more involved with Redwood Writers? A few volunteer positions have recently opened up and we'd love to have you as part of our team! If you're curious about any of these, email Shawn Langwell at president@redwoodwriters.org.

Below is the slate of officers currently nominated for election at the General Meeting on June 18. Each of the nominees have been contacted and have agreed to serve a duly elected term for Redwood Writers year July 2022 to June 2023.

Judy Baker

Crissi Langwell

Jeane Slone

Nancy Martin

Malena Eljumaily

Book Marketing Mentor Judy M. Baker helps business authors get more bang for their book, turning intellectual property into multiple streams of income with minimal effort. After conquering cancer in 2014, she became an author advocate and self-publishing evangelist. Her memoir/guidebook will be published in 2022. Her workshops and one-to-one mentoring have inspired hundreds of authors to build awareness about themselves, their books, and their businesses. Judy shows how small, strategic action steps build your audience, get attention, grow connections, and help sell more books and services.

Crissi Langwell joined Redwood Writers in 2012 and has served in the past as the club's editor for the past two anthologies, and is currently the club's board secretary, social media manager, and newsletter editor. This year, Crissi published her 12th book, a humorous romance novel titled For the Birds. Several of her short stories have placed in the Redwood Writers contests, and two of her novels won awards in the Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards.

Jeane Slone has been a member of Redwood Writer’s club since 2009. In that time, she has served as board vice president, and chair of Author Launch and the author event at the Sonoma County Fair. She is the owner of ESL Publishing Company and also distributes local author books throughout the county. Jeane Slone is the author of four historical novels: She Flew Bombers, She Built Ships, She was an American Spy and She was a WW II Photographer Behind Enemy Lines, and written a Television Script titled: War Gals: Unsung American Heroines, which has been optioned by a Hollywood producer.

Nancy J. Martin is the author of a memoir From the Summer of Love to the Valley of the Moon, a jeweler working and showing her jewelry collections at both the Arts Guild of Sonoma and Healdsburg Center for the Arts and a docent in the museum at Jack London State Historic Park. Nancy was awarded third place in a short story contest in 2020. In 2021 she had a short story included in Redwood Writers anthology Remember When, and also in Work in Progress, an anthology edited by Mandy Haynes. She is currently the Contest Chairperson in Redwood Writers.

Malena Eljumaily is an award-winning playwright and short story writer. Several of her short plays have been produced around the country. She is an avid mystery reader and also enjoys knitting. She has been a member of Redwood Writers since 2008. Malena lives in Santa Rosa.

Presented by Betsy Graziani Fasbinder

In the forest/trees metaphor, we writers sometimes focus on the leaves. Having a fresh pair of eyes can help us to the bigger picture of our story as a whole.

In this presentation, Betsy Graziani Fasbinder will cover:

For Betsy Graziani Fasbinder, storytelling in all of its forms is nearly a religion. As a therapist for more than 30 years, as a genre-jumping author, as a speaking coach, and in her role as a writing coach, she strives to tell and to help others tell their lived and imagined stories with clarity, candor, and heart. Betsy has helped dozens of clients transform their books from first-draft to submission-ready, helping them find their own voices and the essence of the stories they want to tell. She is the host and producer of The Morning Glory Project, an interview podcast featuring the stories of survivors, thrivers, innovators and trailblazers. She is the author of Fire & Water, Filling Her Shoes, and From Page to Stage: Inspiration, Tools, and Public Speaking Tips for Writers.

To learn more go to: BetsyGrazianiFasbinder.com or TheMorningGloryProject.com

Theme: On Fire

Editor: Cynthia Gregory

Genre: Short Fiction/Memoir

Word Limit: 2500 words

Open Submissions: May 1, 2022

Close Submissions: June 15, 2022

As a writer, what does On Fire mean to you?

If fire ignites your imagination, submit a 2500-word short fiction or memoir entry by June 15. I will soon put out a call for judges and editors as well.

Contact editor Cynthia Gregory at coachcynthia.gregory@gmail.com.

Cynthia Gregory, MFA, is an award-winning author of short stories. Her work has appeared in a range of publications, including The Sun, Glimmer Train, the Briar Cliff Review, Santa Barbara Review, The Ear, and Central PA. She took second place in Writers Digest annual fiction contest, first place in the Glimmer Train Family Matters short story competition, and first place in the Mark Twain Short Fiction Prize. 

Her books, Journaling as Sacred Practice, and What is Possible from Here are available on Amazon. Find Cynthia online at www.cgregorycreativity.com

Please submit poems to: poetrynewseditor@redwoodwriters.org. Submission guidelines: single-spaced, Times or Times New Roman, 12 point font, no all caps, please. Poems are reviewed by a team of poets. We will acknowledge receipt of your work, and let you know if your poem is going to be included, or if we are requesting minor edits prior to inclusion.

Shawn Langwell is the Redwood Writers president, an author, international speaker, and top producing media salesperson. He is the author of the memoir Beyond Recovery: A Journey of Grace, Love, and Forgiveness. This summer he will release Ten Seconds of Boldness: The Essential Guide to Solving Problems and Building Self-Confidence. You can find Shawn at shawnlangwell.com

Redwood Writers is proud to announce our 2022 poetry anthology, Crossroads, is now published!

A special thank you to Les Bernstein and Fran Claggett-Holland for their care and expertise as anthology editors, and to Linda Loveland Reid for working tirelessly as anthology liaison.

And a huge round of applause to all the poets in this wonderful representation of our branch's writing talent. Prepare to be inspired as you read the poems of our club's accomplished poets.

You can purchase Crossroads at any of our general meetings, or you can buy now from Amazon at the button below.

On May 29, our club gathered in Linda's backyard to celebrate the official launch of Crossroads. Guests were treated to poetry readings, food, wine, and friends. It was wonderful to come together again for such a momentous occasion, and to be inspired by so many wonderful poems.

Last month in groups.io I asked members to share about any rituals they have around their writing. Here is what some had to say:

I’m often inspired by the titles of 2 daily poems I receive via email, my first readings of the day.

But I never know when I might get a glimmer of something that then writes itself, so I always have a tiny notebook and a pen in my purse.

I seem to have a pattern to my writing ritual. I might go for a period without composing. But when an idea formulates in my imagination I try to write it down as soon as possible. At the onset I let it flow in order to record the concept. Then daily, or maybe more frequently, I give it a read. Each time I will edit—a little or maybe a lot. I keep doing this until I can read through and not correct with an edit. Then I know that the piece is finished.

I write every day, and have for years. But now, I've taken on a different writing practice—completing a poem every day. It fills the place of a journal. I find poetry takes me deeper because it is, by nature, more spare than prose.

I have a little dance I do. First, I take one step toward my computer, next I think of 10 pressing things to do like weed the milk thistles from under the eucalyptus and wash the coffee press. Then I shower, dress, and read my email, which takes me way too long to answer all the vocabulary quizzes (I ace them—builds confidence) and finally, it's time to host whichever Zoom event is scheduled. Suddenly it's time to make dinner and I have to go. I return to my computer most nights to write at about 9 p.m. and check my calendar for the deadline. It's tomorrow! My ideas have coalesced and the words flow as if by magic. Most of the time! 

P.S. I just learned a word for my ritual. my deadline counts as a HIPPOCRENE!

Just Write.

I just write when I can. If I'm working on a specific project, I grab time when I'm inspired, or I make myself sit and focus on the project. I don't have children to take care of nor a job to go to, so I have the privilege of time to write.

What I really want to say (a great writing prompt) is that I like the idea of using a writing prompt as a warm up before focusing on the work in progress. Or, is it work in process? Well, both work.

So, I just got up from a nap, inspired to go through emails and here we are. Me rambling. And y'all reading (if you have gotten this far).

If you need a writing prompt, there are tons to choose from on The Write Spot Blog.  thewritespot.us/marlenecullenblog/category/prompts

My writing ritual includes the element of chaos.

I am often struck with epiphanies when crisis hits or overwhelming joy envelops me. Depending on the type of writing I’m going to do I’ll set the scene and create a ritual.

Hurt, anger, self pity followed by a whopping , “oh, yeah?“ attitudes sends me into a tizzy. I’ll stomp around cleaning the house or I’ll sweep the walkway cursing that’s how first sentence strikes. It won’t leave my mind — the words become a chant until I can get up to my computer and pound the keys with my side of the story.

However if I’m writing about fond memories, nature, or something a small child did or even my kids, then my ritual for writing becomes a mission of peace. I caress the keyboard capturing flowery words—sometimes sappy and sweet as my whole heart bleeds onto the page.

The office must haves are: everything needed to make a fresh pot of coffee, The Roget’s International Thesaurus, (because sometimes choosing the just the right word makes all the difference), my “Best Auntie Ever” coffee cup full of my favorite pens, and a notebook open to a fresh page.

Then—in both cases—I begin with a fortified swallow of coffee, rub my palms together and then let my fingers fly!

I'm an early riser (5 - 5:30 a.m. generally), and find that I'm most productive in the morning with a cup of fresh coffee. I try to write every day, but this doesn't always happen. Fridays are my days off from work, so usually I can write in bigger chunks on this day. I took Jessica Brody's Productivity Hacks for Writers which had great suggestions on getting into a routine (in fact, I'll have to go back and watch it because I feel like I'm getting side tracked a bit). I'm very deadline-oriented so I feel more productive when I have a deadline. I can't write with music, but find that I can really get in the groove with nature sounds. I LOVE thunderstorms which we don't get much of in California, so I have an app where I can play the sound of thunder and lightening with heavy rain in the background.

And answering last month's question, What is your definition of Literary Success:

So, too, with me. I find joy in the creative effort itself: conceiving the story, bringing the characters to life on the page, describing the setting such that the reader can picture it and enjoy it as a sensory experience, finding the mot juste. These aspects of the craft are what motivates me to continue this journey through the ninth inning when the book is published and available to share with readers. At that point, literary success is defined as the moment a reader lets me know how much they have enjoyed the read. That’s a more-than-sufficient reward for my hard work!

Want to participate in next month's callout? Keep an eye on groups.io!

Each month, the Redwood Writer will feature an exercise to help inspire your writing. This can be an exercise you do on your own, or you can send your 300-word (or less) piece to editor@redwoodwriters.org for possible publication in the newsletter.

Flash fiction is a genre of fiction, defined as a very short story. While there is no set word count that separates flash fiction from more traditional short stories, flash fiction stories can be as short as a few words (while short stories typically run for several pages). Flash fiction is also known as sudden fiction, short-short stories, microfiction, or microstories.

Flash fiction stories share a number of common characteristics.

Information provided by www.masterclass.com.

In honor of our upcoming prose anthology, On Fire, this month's writing exercise has a theme of "on fire." Write a 300-word or less flash fiction piece about something that falls under the "on fire" theme. It could be about passion, a heated debate, an infatuation, a fever dream...or even literal fire. Your imagination is the limit!

Have you submitted your On Fire story to the anthology yet? If not, this exercise could be a good start. Remember, the submission window for this year's prose anthology ends June 15.

P.S. If you like what you wrote, feel free to share it in next month's newsletter by sending to editor@redwoodwriters.org.

Starting July 1, Redwood Writers members with published books will be able to sign up to sell their books at this year's Sonoma County Fair. Participating in the fair is a HUGE benefit to all Redwood Writers members. Our club subsidizes the fee, and we make friends, develop contacts, and get lots of exposure from the general public.

This year, our club will participate only on the weekends: Aug. 4, 5, 6 and Aug. 12, 13, 14. The RW booth will be in the Garrett Building, 1350 Bennett Valley Rd, Santa Rosa, near the Brookwood entrance and attached to the Kraft Building. Cost to participate is $20 per author, and free for volunteers. Space is limited to 12 authors each day, plus 2 volunteers to sell RW merchandise and hand out RW material. Each author will be assigned to a table spot, and a day manager will be there to ensure a smooth and successful event.

Mark your calendar for July 1 to sign up for this wonderful event. If you need more information or want an email reminder to sign up, contact fair chairperson Jeane Slone at info@jeaneslone.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the fair!

Salon is a good place to practice your reading skills, try out the sound of a new piece, or just enjoy the company and talents of your fellow writers. Come join us for this writers’ potluck of readings as well as snacks and drinks.

Register on the Redwood Writers website or email Robin Gabbert if you would like to read or attend.

Please join us in person to chat about writing, listen to the challenges of others, and share resources. All levels of writers can benefit from participating. Published authors enjoy this group as well as beginning writers. This is a forum where you pick the topics and questions to be discussed. Discuss the challenges of writing fiction, memoir, or nonfiction. Find new ways to handle rejection, writers' block, or to start a critique group.

The following are announcements from a few of our fellow CWC branches. To see all branch events, visit the CWC events calendar at calwriters.org/events-month.

To enter for a chance to win these free tickets, email Shawn Langwell at president@redwoodwriters.org by June 12.

For more information about this year's conference, click the button below.

Through June the Marin Branch is offering their meetings free to members of any branch and only $5 for non-members. Here's the upcoming lineup.

More info at cwcmarin.com/events

The Mendocino Coast Writers' Conference is a three-day festival of workshops, seminars, readings, and other celebrations that bring writers together from all over California, the West, and the world. Our 2022 program runs from August 4-6, 2022 and in addition to Naomi's workshop includes workshops taught by Lydia Kiesling (Novel), Jean Chen Ho (Short Fiction), Pablo Cartaya (Middle Grade/Young Adult), Claudia Castro Luna (Poetry), Ayize Jama-Everett (Speculative Fiction), and Anastacia-Reneé (Emerging Writers Workshop) as well as a full slate of seminars and talks by agents, editors, and industry professionals. Our keynote speaker is the iconic author Karen Tei Yamashita.

Worshop seats are going fast! Registration is open to all and does not require a writing sample or application. Please visit our website at mcwc.org and register today!

The deadline to submit to the next issue of The Bulletin is June 1. All submissions should be sent to editor@calwriters.org.

For new book releases, short stories, poems or articles, or news of literary honors. 50 words or less. Put “Member Spotlight” in the Subject line. Send a copy of your book cover in JPEG format as an email attachment.

Articles on writing craft, marketing and publication: Send a proposal by email. Contributors will receive a short blurb to promote their books and/or services.

Photographs: JPEG format, sent separately (not embedded in a Word doc or PDF). Please provide complete details in the caption, including names of people pictured.

Note: This is separate from the Redwood Writer newsletter. To submit your news or articles to this newsletter, please email editor@redwoodwriters.org.

If you have news to share about your writing, an award, an appearance, or other writing-related news, send a 100-word or less announcement to editor@redwoodwriters.org. Photos encouraged. Deadline for consideration in next month’s newsletter is the 15th of this month.

Here it is, finally! Jing Li’s memoir, The Red Sandals, a born unwanted Chinese peasant girl’s real life surviving journey of resilience and strength – escaping jaws of death, living through the world’s worst manmade famine, surviving crippling diseases, emotional and physical abuse at home, and Mao’s brutal Cultural Revolution, while growing up in the city’s blue-collar dirt yard. Against all odds, Jing’s love for school, books and learning enabled her to fight her way to China’s scholastic top ... pioneering alone in America for five years as a heartbroken mother and lonely wife ... Was her sacrifice worth it?

Jing Li, retired San Francisco teacher, award winning writer long time member of Redwood Writers, and author of The Red Sandals is now a published writer. She's very excited, of course, and has much to say about the experience.

For many years—I don't know how many—Jing Li traveled to Redwood Writers meetings to read her latest chapter. She made many friends, and found much support and encouragement from members of Redwood Writers.

Since completing and publishing her book, Jing is now making gifts of The Red Sandals—the book, not the shoes.

Congratulations Jing on your accomplishment!

Have you heard about the Sonoma County Literary Update? Published by Jo-Anne Rosen and Terry Ehret, this free online publication is sent out once a month as a service to writers and those interested in writing-related news and events. For submission guidelines, visit socolitupdate.com.

Marie Judson keeps an ongoing list of RW members interested in joining or creating a writing group. If you would like to find a critique group, or add more members to an existing group, send your genre(s) and contact information to mariejudson@gmail.com. You'll receive an email with the subject line, "Writers seeking writing groups." You can then either reply to all or select specific writers to contact. This has been an ongoing free service for Redwood Writers members for nine years.

I'm going through a bit of a drought in my writing life. I just published a book in March, which was exciting after a two-year hiatus in the publishing world. And after every book I publish, I tend to experience an energy slump that lasts a month or two. So, that's where I'm at. Luckily, this time I was ready for it, anticipating the break my brain and body would demand after toiling away on this book for over a year.

And while taking a break is understandable, I'm treading on dangerous ground. Getting back to my writing feels hard, almost impossible. When I take weeks off writing, those negative voices chime in, making me doubt the quality of the story I'm writing and my abilities as a writer. But the few times I have forced myself to write, I'm reminded of how much I love writing and how excited I am about the piece I'm currently working on.

Is this your experience, too? Then this message is for you (and for me).

The only way to combat doubt and negativity about your writing is to write. Period. Even if you don't want to. Even if it feels hard. Even if you come to the laptop or notebook and can only write three words. Great! You're three words closer to a full story.

It might feel impossible to write, but with daily practice, it gets a little easier.

So, if you're going through a writing drought like I am, let's get through this together. I'm cheering you on, and I feel you cheering me on, too (thanks for that, by the way).

***

This month in Redwood Writers is one for the books—anthologies! The first exciting news is that Crossroads, our poetry anthology, has been published! The second is that there's still time to submit your prose story to our On Fire anthology—but only until June 15, so don't delay. Find out more about these anthologies by scrolling up in the newsletter.

Other exciting news is that we've been invited back to the Sonoma County Fair. Get ready to reserve your spot as a presenter if you are a published author. Sign ups start July 1.

Finally, you won't want to miss Betsy Graziani Fasbinder at our next general meeting on June 18. A respected writing coach, Betsy will offer tips and guidelines to help finesse your writing project.

All this and more in this month's newsletter! Happy reading, and happy writing!

P.S. My sincere gratitude to Shawn Langwell for serving as a wonderful president of our branch. Yes, I know I have a small bias toward our president 😉, but I truly enjoyed having Shawn at the helm. This has not been an easy couple of years, and Shawn did an excellent job of pivoting when the world came to a standstill and so many changes were necessary. As we look forward to our next president, it will be with great fondness for all the ways Shawn led our club. Thank you, Shawn!

Want to be a part of the newsletter? Here's the cheat sheet to the different sections of this newsletter and the word count requirements:

Please do your best to adhere to word count limits! Send your articles and news by the 15th of the month to the newsletter editor at editor@redwoodwriters.org. Send your poems by the 10th of the month to the poetry editor at poetrynewseditor@redwoodwriters.org. Submission guidelines may apply, read section for requirements.

If you're interested in advertising in the Redwood Writer newsletter, contact the editor at editor@redwoodwriters.org for submission requirements and guidelines.