Memoir Workshop for Capitol City Young Writers

Here is another upcoming event that features two California Writers Club members and was organized by friend of Redwood Writers, Verna Dreisbach.

On Saturday, March 13th, aspiring young writers and avid readers, from grades 6 thru 12, will mingle with peers, published authors and book industry professionals featuring several guest speakers, followed by a writing workshop. This event will highlight the art of memoir. Guest authors include Patricia V. Davis and Linda Joy Myers.

MEET THE AUTHOR

PATRICIA V. DAVIS -

Harlot's Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece, is an award winning finalist in the 'Multi-Cultural, Nonfiction' Category of the National Best Book Awards 2008, sponsored by USABookNews.

Patricia’s essays, opinion articles and celebrity interviews have appeared in various newspapers and magazines nationally and internationally. She is the author of published poems on women's issues, including,“If This Woman is Being Operated Recklessly” which appeared alongside Laurence Ferlinghetti's work in New Press magazine. Patricia is also the editor-in-chief of Harlots' Sauce Radio, non-partisan e-magazine and podcast at www.harlotssauce.com.

CAREER EXPLORATION LINDA JOY MYERS, PHD -

is a practicing therapist of thirty years in Berkeley, California. She has taught writing as a healing courses to her clients and has trained therapists in this method. She is President and Founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers and author of The Power of Memoir: Writing Your Healing Story.

WRITING WORKSHOP Led by, PATRICIA V. DAVIS

One of the tougher genres to write, memoir combines the truth of non-fiction with the craft of fiction. Not an autobiography, the memoir needs to be carefully considered and constructed. As a painter chooses his scenery, so must a memoirist choose their stories. From traditional to experimental, narrative to fragmented, a memoir has no single form, no specific guideline or method - memoir demands the writer create art. Discover the many forms of this genre, how to avoid the most common mistakes and where to begin. If you have a work in progress, please bring the first page to workshop.

Saturday, March 13, 2010 9am - Noon

Sacramento State University

Forest Suite, 2nd Floor

Student Union

Park in Structure II

For more information about the Capitol City Young Writers organization, please visit their website.

Upcoming events by Patricia V. Davis

On February 12-14, the San Francisco Writers Conference will be held at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in SF, and I will be speaking on Sunday, February 14, at 11-11:45 p.m. in a session titled, Bestseller! What You Need to Know for a Knock-Out Writing Career.

Lots of important information will be covered in this session, including working with retail booksellers, getting attendance at your events, how to blog to raise book sales, bad agents vs. good agents, behind the scenes facts about the industry that you must keep up with in order to make decisions about your career, and more.

Then in April, I will be teaching two separate courses for Marin Adult Education (www.marinlearn.com) They are:

I. Descriptive Writing That Your Readers Can ‘Taste’, ‘Smell’, ‘Feel’, and ‘Hear’ “Cerulean blue water and halcyon days”. “Eyes that sparkle like stars.” Yuck. No one can a picture a location or a character through these clichéd, meaningless phrases. A good writer helps readers truly visualize the setting and the characters they are describing. But portraying the place where our action happens, and depicting people in our story, all without falling into the “been here-done-that-and-it’s-all-so-boring”, is one of the most challenging components of writing. In this workshop, participants will read samples of descriptive writing that overcome the formulaic, and discuss what it is about them that creates a mind image for the reader. Then, with some simple but effective writing exercises, the class will leave armed with new techniques for crafting vivid word visuals of their own. Time and Place: April 6 and April 8, Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7-9 p.m. at Sir Francis drake High School (in classroom 308) Cost: $45.00 II. A Platform and a Blog: What, Why, Where, When, and How? New writers who are looking to publish their first work are told that they need a 'platform', and that an easy way to build one is to create a 'blog'. In this seminar for both aspiring and experienced writers we will discuss what exactly a ‘platform’ is, what a ‘blog’ is and why blogs are so valuable to writers who are seeking to either gain and/or widen their audience. You will learn where the best spots to blog are, when a writer should blog, and most importantly, HOW each individual writer’s blog should vary, meaning what the topics, lengths, frequency, etc., should be. Participants will leave this workshop with a working online blog in place, and concrete knowledge of how, in as little as two hours per week, we can build our platform and readership to help our book sales. Place and Time: April 20 and 22, Tuesday and Thursday 1 p.m.- 3 p.m. at Redwood High School Cost: $45 Hope to see some Redwood Writers at these events! Warm regards, Patricia

Patricia V. Davis
Editor-in-chief, HS Radio e-magazine
"Writing the Sauce of Life"

podcast: www.harlotssauce.com
website: www.patriciaVdavis.com

Publications for sale in the Vintage Voices Shoppe

SESSIONS AND PRESENTERS
The Saturday schedule features three tracks of programming, where experts will talk on the craft, genre, and technology and business of writing.

A number of our presenters have books for sale and they will be sold in the Vintage Voices Shoppe, as well as a number of other books on the craft of writing.

There will be many opportunities during the day to have your copy(ies) signed by the author.

Presenter Publications for Sale in the Vintage Voices Shoppe – Alexander Room

Tamim Ansary

West of Kabul, East of New York

Destiny Disrupted: History of the World Through Islamic Eyes

JUST RELEASED - The Widow's Husband

Catharine Bramkamp

Death Revokes the Offer

Time is of the Essence

Patricia Volonakis Davis

Harlot's Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece

Jody Gehrman

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty

Triple Shot Bettys in Love

B. Lynn Goodwin

You want me to do What? Journaling for Caregivers

Seth Harwood

Jack Wakes Up

Steve Hockensmith

Holmes on the Range

The Crack in the Lens

Adair Lara

Naked, Drunk, and Writing: Writing Essays and Memoirs for Love and for Money

The Granny Diaries

Jordan Rosenfeld

Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time

Write Free: Attracting the Creative Life

Kemble Scott

SoMa

Sower

Mark Sloan

Birth Day

Ann Wilkes

Awesome Lavratt

All book sales are handled on-site by our exclusive bookseller, Copperfield’s Books.

Redwood Writers Memoir Contest

Redwood Writers and “The Memoir Group” host the

Fall Writing Contest

Memoir and Personal Narrative

1^st Prize $100

2^nd Prize $50

3^rd Prize $25

3 Honorable Mentions $5

Winners will be announced on Sunday, January 10^th

Guidelines:

*Entries must be postmarked October 4^th through November 15^{th *}RW Memoir Contest, P.O. Box 4687, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Payment must be received with entry:

Members $10/Non-members $12

*Entries must be 1,800 words or less, 12 pt Serif type, double spaced on one side only.

*Entries must be accompanied by a cover sheet that states name, address, e-mail address, telephone, word count and title of entry.

*Title must be included on each page of entry, but

DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME ON THE PIECE.

*Multiple entries will be accepted in separate envelopes with separate payments.

*Fiction and poetry will not be accepted.

^{Judges Panel includes: Patricia Volonakis Davis, Award-winning finalist in the National Best Books Awards 2008 for Harlot’s Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss and Greece; Mary Lynn Archibald, award winning author of Accidental Cowgirl, Six Cows, No Horses and No Clue; and Ana Manwaring, Memoir and Fiction Instructor, Napa Valley College.}

For information: programs@redwoodwriters.org

A Warning About Price Gouging for the Sower

Patricia Volonakis Davis wrote this note on Facebook and graciously agreed to allow its reprint on this blog.


Compelled by Extreme Irritation to Write this Note

Some of you may not know that Kemble Scott's new novel, "The Sower" was first published on Scribd.com. There is an inspiring story behind that, but his ingeniousness went even further when he entered into an agreement with a number of independent bookshops on the west coast to put the book in hardback as a limited edition and sell it exclusively through amazon.com, indie.com, and their independent bookshops alone.

Those who are not familiar with the mechanics of publishing will not recognize the enormity of this event. A best-selling author, who could have any one of the six giant publishing conglomerates eating out of his hand to publish his book, offers it to the public for TWO dollars on Scribd.com. (On Scribd one doesn't need an e-reader or a Kindle to download a book, you just need two bucks and an internet connection.) This event created more of a ruckus in the industry than the plot of the book itself. (And let me tell ya- it's SOME plot!)

As for the hardback agreement, by working with independent booksellers, he limited the potentiality for distribution by the big book chains, (which can adversely affect his bottom line) but gave something precious to independents that no other best-selling author has yet to give- a chance for exclusivity of his much-desired product. This boosts sales for a group that has always and continues to support new writers who have not yet 'earned' a presence in large book chains. With these two acts alone, Scott became a hero not only to booksellers, but to unpublished writers everywhere who learned through his actions that there's more than one way to get one's work seen than by landing a book contract with the 'Big Six'.

And how is he repaid? Today I learned that there’s some price gouging happening with his new novel, THE SOWER.

The book was released like an indie film “in select cities.” Only the leading independent bookstores in the SF Bay Area are allowed to sell the first editions. This makes the book more difficult to obtain than a normal national release.

Some retailers in Florida and elsewhere have gotten copies of the book and now selling them for as much as $53 a copy. Scott doesn't see that extra money, but equally important, neither do his CHOSEN booksellers

The plea below is from Kemble Scott himself:

Please, please, please… don’t buy from these people. It’s a scam. First editions can still be bought at these indie bookstores:

A Different Light
A Great Good Place for Books
Bird & Beckett Books & Records
Book Passage
BookShop West Portal
Books Inc.
The Booksmith
City Lights
Kepler’s Books
“M” is for Mystery…and More

And additional copies (not first editions, but still the same book) are for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound. There’s even a Kindle version. All of these are being sold at the normal price.

Thanks!

--------------------------

--------------------------
So, there you have it. Any questions, email me at patricia@harlotssauce.com, or to order the book, visit www.kemblescott.com Also, please post this note on your own Facebook page if you are a believer in independent bookshops, and/or simple integrity.


Patricia


Post script note:

Both Kemble Scott and Patricia Volonakis Davis will be speakers at our upcoming writers conference. Scott will also bring copies of his novel The Sower for sale that day.

Marin branch Centennial Celebration, Sunday, October 18th

California Authors Celebrate California Authors
with Readings and Song

The Marin branch of the California Writers Club
Centennial Celebration
OCTOBER 18, 2009 at BOOK PASSAGE, Corte Madera
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
$45.00*


Tickets available now through Book Passage. Call 415‐927‐0960, ext 1, go to
www.BookPassage.com, or visit the store.


To celebrate the Centennial of CWC, and Marin branch as a 10 year charter, join us and
your favorite authors and agents in an afternoon celebration of music, food and wine,
readings and books, a raffle, and agent appointments.

Kathi Kamen Goldmark and Sam Barry (of Rock Bottom Remainders fame) and featured
authors join the band Los Train Wreck to sing a song or two.

Peter Beren, Tony Broadbent, David Corbett, Katherine Cowles, Patricia Volonakis Davis, Tanya Egan Gibson, Deborah Grabien, David Harris, Seth Harwood, Ivory Madison, Gil Mansergh, Logan and Noah Miller, Janis Cooke Newman, Brenda Novak, Susanne Pari, Andy Ross,
Kemble Scott, Sheldon Siegel, Ransom Stephens, Wendy Nelson Tokunaga.

*$45 admission includes great music, a buffet lunch with wine, a $15 Book Passage gift certificate, a 3 minute pitch with literary agents, and a raffle with great prizes.

http://www.marinwriters.com/events/centennial/centennial.html

California Writers Club is a 501(c)3 educational corporation with 18 branches state‐wide

President's Message for September

Linda Loveland Reid
President’s Message
Sept 2009

BACK TO SCHOOL



I remember returning to school as a young girl in Healdsburg , on a burning hot September day in which I’d insisted on wearing a new winter outfit, the one I’d picked all those prunes to buy. I was hot and uncomfortable, but I was back.
School years, while they can offer some tough challenges both mentally and emotionally, have always been exciting places for me. I suspect that might be true for most writers. We are proverbial students, always reading and learning. That is why Redwood Writers is such a great “fit” for me. Looking at the line-up of activities for September and October only substantiates my feelings.

First is the Sept 19 Sonoma County Book Festival. RW is proud to be a major organizer this year, handling both the RW Booth and the new Redwood Writers Reading Circle. Many of our authors will be speaking their wares on this glorious Saturday in the sun. Come and meander along the many booths chockfull of books and writing ideas. Hear poetry, see mini-plays, listen to stories, and enjoy food and music.

Sept 13 is our next General Membership meeting at Copperfield's Books in Montgomery Village. Our speaker is Seth Harwood, mystery writer and pod-caster extraordinaire, who will tell us his secrets for success.

Sept 26 is the release of RW’s next anthology, Vintage Voices. Your voices that is, and I can’t wait to hear the readings at North Light Books in Cotati where we will celebrate the launch from 2:00-4:00.

Our biggest event of the year is the Writers Conference on Oct 24, at the Flamingo Hotel. What an accomplishment! Do you know, thinking of the economy, what a good deal this is? I went to the San Francisco Conference last February and it was just under $600 for 2 days. Here you have many of the same great seminars, an opportunity to have your work reviewed by a professional editor, and great speakers all for under $150.

If you’ve not registered yet, do it now on-line at our website: www.redwoodwriters.org (a place you should check out regularly.)

During the first week of September, I will be interviewed on Elaine Holtz’s TV show, Women Spaces, the third most watched local access production in our county. Joining me will be Patricia Volonakis Davis, author of the delightful book, Harlot’s Sauce. Together we will promote the Writers Conference. Please watch your email for airing times.

This brings me to the subject of volunteerism, something Americans do very well. I am proud of the long list of RW members who spend hundreds of hours making our motto a reality: “writers helping writers.”

A big “thank you” to the many who have contacted us to work at the Book Festival or at the Writers Conference. Your support is heartwarming. However, we still need more help, so let me know if you can spare, not a dime in these hard times, but an hour for the Conference, or let Karen Batchelor know if you can work two hours “sitting” the RW Booth at the Festival. You will have fun and help too.

Speaking of hard times, the Festival and most of RW events are FREE!

And, speaking of volunteerism, being an audience for your fellow writer is another way of helping, while at the same time learning and being entertained. What could be better? So, wherever a RW is speaking or reading, bring friends, your family, or heck, bring strangers, or better yet, prospective members!

As to school and learning? Together we are creating a special space:

Of learning, i.e., our recent Tech Workshop;
Of seminars, i.e., all day at the Conference;
Of readings, i.e., Salons and Odd Month Readings;
Of speakers, i.e., each month at General Meetings;
Of writing opportunities; i.e., RW's many contests;

Maybe leave your winter clothes in the closet for a few more weeks, but do indeed join in all the opportunities and the friendships offered at Redwood Writers.