Workshops with Ransom Stephens

Here are two upcoming workshops given by Redwood Writers member Ransom Stephens.

Tools of the writer and how to use them

To write stories that grab readers - whether fiction or memoir - you have to understand your tools: point of view and characterization, dialog and description, showing and telling, metaphor and simile, pacing and voice, backstory and flashback, repetition and opposition. We examine every tool and see where, why and how they can be put to work constructing great stories. Bring your story idea or manuscript and let's get to work!

Instructor: Ransom Stephens, Ph.D.

• Saturday, March 20, 10a-4pm, Sebastopol: Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

Sign up with this form. $50 Non Member / $45 Member of Sebastopol Center for the Arts + $7 materials fee.

How to Give a Great Reading

You've just been invited to read at a literary event. Don't panic! Ransom Stephens has produced hundreds of readings and wants to prepare you. Choose the right piece for each venue and time allotted and discover your strengths as a storyteller so that you can enjoy this opportunity to develop your audience.

Instructor: Ransom Stephens, Ph.D.

• Saturday, April 3, 1p-4pm, Sebastopol: Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

Sign up with this form. $30 Non Member / $25 Member of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

Upcoming Screenwriting Workshop

The Redwood branch of the California Writers Club will host a

Screenwriting Workshop

Saturday, March 27, 2010

10:00 am to 11:30 am

Petaluma Novak Center (the Senior Center )

211 Novak Drive

Petaluma, CA 94954

(707) 778-4399

On-site registration and check-in for those pre-registered begins at 9:45 am sharp. Cost for the workshop is as follows:

CWC Member Price: $10 Non-member Price: $15

The workshop will be facilitated by Charlotte Cook, President of KOMENAR Publishing, and Hollywood screenwriter Jon James Miller.

The workshop is entitled, Adapting Sideways--The Not-So-Straight-Forward Transition from Screenwriter to Novelist. The process of adapting a screenplay into a novel presents unique storytelling issues. Charlotte Cook and Jon James Miller have been working for a year to adapt one of his award-winning screenplays into a novel. The effort has produced a number of insights, strategies, and techniques for making the transformation. Though aimed at screenwriters, this facilitator pairing has plenty of advice for novelists who want to create novels that could be optioned for the screen. This has become a hot topic because the ‘spec market’ for screenplays has all but disappeared with conventional wisdom in Hollywood that “screenwriters should find a market for their material as a novel first.”

Please visit our website to download a copy of the registration form, fill it out, and mail it in to our P.O. Box with your check or money order, payable to 'Redwood Writers.'

About Charlotte Cook:

Charlotte Cook is president and story editor of KOMENAR Publishing as well as a popular presenter at writers’ conferences and events, and a successful teacher and workshop facilitator. www.fictionwriteideas.com

About Jon James Miller:

Jon James Miller earned a Bachelor of Science in Cinematography and worked for several years in cable documentaries for A&E, Lifetime and The History Channel while writing original feature length screenplays in LA. www.jonjamesmiller.com

Redwood Writers, P.O. Box 4687, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

The Book of Gretel by Zara Raab

Dear friends,

I thought you might enjoy my chapbook, The Book of Gretel, coming out this spring from Finishing Line Press. In this linked set of poems, I tell the story of the lost Gretel, evoking the sensations, perceptions and imagery of a child homeless and at home in nature. If you go to the Finishing Line website www.FinishingLinePress.com, and click on “New Releases,” you’ll see the chapbook there.

“These beautiful and unsettling poems proceed with dreamlike assurance through a landscape fully imagined and brilliantly described. In Raab’s transformative retelling of the folk tale, the northern forest itself joins Gretel as a central character: it is dripping, fog-bound wilderness, a place where “the promises of rain are kept” and homelessness becomes a metaphor for our abiding state of being.”

—Jean Nordhaus, Poet and author of The

Porcelain Apes of Moses Mendelssohn and

Innocence.

Finishing Line Press

Post Office Box 1626

Georgetown, KY 40324

Order your copy today by sending $14.00 (check or money order made out to “Finishing Line Press”) to the above address. Shipping is only $1 per copy.

Alternatively, order online at http://www.finishinglinepress.com. Click on “New Releases.”

Booksellers: email Finishing Line Press for information at finishingbooks@aol.com.

Pre-order purchase ships March 26, 2010.

Best wishes,

Zara Raab

www.zararaab.com

Article on Ransom Stephens in the San Francisco Chronicle

Ransom Stephens at the Redwood Writers 2009 Editing Workshops

Read the wonderful, in-depth book review and author profile about Ransom Stephens and his novel, God Patent, in the San Francisco Chronicle!

Ransom will be one of our presenters next Saturday at the second "Craft of Writing" workshop in the series.

Saturday, January 30, 2010 Create Tension
10:00-10:50 Overview: Examples of tension. Why is it important? How can we achieve tension?
Presenter: Ransom Stephens
11:10-12:30 Create tension workshop Brief review of tension and how to create.
Workshop/exercises on creating tension.
Presenter: Stefanie Freele

And Ransom will also be a presenter at the San Francisco Writers Conference in February.

Congratulations to an up and coming writer in our midst!

Kate Farrell

The Craft of Writing: A Series of Revision Workshops

The Craft of Writing:

A Series of Revision Workshops

Presented by the Redwood Branch of the California Writers Club

All workshops held at the Petaluma Senior Center, 211 Novak Drive, Petaluma 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.

Pre-registration is recommended.



January 23, 2010 - Write Tight(ly)
What is tight writing? Why is it important?
How can we achieve this? Examples.

Presenter: Jeanne Miller

Write Tight(ly) workshop
Brief review of tight writing and how to achieve it

Presenter: Jean Hegland

January 30, 2010 -Create Tension

Overview: Examples of tension. Why is it important?
How can we achieve tension?

Presenter: Ransom Stephens

Create Tension workshop
Brief review of tension and how to create it.
Workshop/exercises on creating tension.

Presenter:Stefanie Freele

Saturday, February 6, 2010 - End It Right
What is the right place to end? Not too soon or too late.
Why is this important? Examples of endings.

Presenter: Ana Manwaring

End It Right Workshop
Brief review of right places/ways to end a story.
Workshop/exercises on ending a story.

Presenter: Becca Lawton

You can register online via Paypal or you can print out a PDF form and mail it with a check.

The first 40 people to sign up for the complete series will also receive a copy of Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld

Thank you to many of our local donors for their support of Sonoma County’s literary arts.

Redwood Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Donations for our workshop series are gratefully accepted at www.redwoodwriters.org - just scroll down and click on the ‘Donate’ button.

"writers helping writers"

Special $10 Reservation Price for Redwood Writers

Pamela Gray’s Screenwriting Secrets

Saturday, 7:30 PM JANUARY 9^TH

Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 6780 Depot St. (1 block N. of Hwy 12)

Local screenwriter Pamela Gray was chosen by Variety magazine as "one of ten screenwriters to watch." Now you can not only watch her, but learn how the celebrated screenwriter takes the time she needs to find her story, nurture it along, coax her characters into life, and find the deep truths that won’t emerge using a formulaic, Hollywood approach.

Pamela will illustrate her presentation with clips from her films:

“A Walk On the Moon,” (with Viggo Mortensen and Diane Lane)

“Music of the Heart,”(with an Oscar nomination for Meryl Streep)

“Betty Ann Waters” (with Hilary Swank)

Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movies

"Calm at Sunset," and "Love Letter,"

And even the episode she and Jeri Taylor penned for "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Film Columnist and Redwood Writers President Emeritus, Gil Mansergh will host Pamela on Saturday, and he has made special arrangements with the Sebastopol Center for the Arts so Redwood Writers (and their guests) can get a special $10 advance reservation price by phoning (707) 829-4797.

Pamela Gray on KRCB-FM 7:00 PM January 6^th

Tune in to KRCB 91.1 FM (or streaming online at krcb.org) at 7:00 PM, Wednesday January 6^th for “Word By Word: Conversations With Writers” when Gil Mansergh talks with Pamela Gray about her screenwriting projects and Arlene Mandell provides information about the “Why I Love the Library Essay and Art Contest.”

Temporary problem with our website

Unfortunately our web hosting company did not give us advance notice that our account was coming due. We had paid several years in advance for the service, but nothing was sent to warn us that we would lose our service or any deadline in which to pay.

So this morning we discovered that our account has been suspended.

We will be paying to get our website turned back on as it is an important communication tool to our members and to the literary communities at large.

Until further notice, if you have any messages you want sent to us, feel free to leave a comment here.

Thanks,

Linda McCabe - Membership Chair, Redwood Writers

Redwood Writers Announces Its Poetry Contest Winners

Becca Lawton, photo by Paul Christopulos

October 6, 2009, Sonoma County -- The Redwood branch of the California Writers Club announces the winners of its Poetry Contest, in conjunction with our 2009 Writers Conference.

The contest was, in part, a celebration of the California Writers Club centennial celebration. It was open to all residents living in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Solano, Lake, and Mendocino Counties. All winning submissions were previously unpublished works and they were judged on clarity, originality, and cohesion. One of the judges, Mike Tuggle, Sonoma County Poetry Laureate, reports that, "I'm an imagery poet. All of the poems submitted had strong images, making it hard to choose. I think you'll enjoy reading these winning selections."

Winners were announced at the Redwood Writer's - CWC general meeting held on October 4th. More than fifty entries were received. The following poets won the contest and will read their entries at the pre-conference dinner event on October 23rd:

Place Poet County Poem

First Rebecca Lawton Sonoma Journal

Second B.J. Stolbov Sonoma Ode to a Little Yellow Pencil

Third Jodi Hottel Sonoma Three Roosters

As Rebecca Lawton said of her winning entry, "It's truly exciting to have a poem chosen about a place I so dearly love." Rebecca writes prose and poetry about the canyons and rivers she knows and loves. Her winning entry, "Journal," is from her poetry collection in progress, Swimming Grand Canyon.

B.J. Stolbov is a cook, a nurse, a T'ai Chi and Chi Gong teacher, a bocce player, and is completing his latest poetry collection, Moments.

Jodi Hottel is a retired high school English teacher, who tries to spend as much time as possible grazing in that emerald strip between worry and hurry.

The contest was organized by the Redwood Writers 2009 Conference Committee and judged by Terry Ehret, Sonoma County Poetry Laureate Emeritus and Mike Tuggle, Sonoma County Poetry Laureate.

Press coverage of Becca Lawton's win was included in the Sonoma Valley Sun.

The evening of poetry with dinner on October 23rd is open to everyone aged 18 and over and the cost to participate is only $30.00 per person. Please register on-line at

http://www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html or download a registration form and mail it to the address shown below. Walk-ins are discouraged as space is limited.

The Redwood Writers 2009 Conference, including the evening of poetry is organized by the Redwood Branch of the California Writers Club, celebrating its Centennial. This event is supported, in part, by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.

About Redwood Writers Evening of Poetry:

The Redwood Writers 'Evening of Poetry' takes place on October 23, 2009 from 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm, at the Flamingo Hotel and Resort in Santa Rosa, 2777 Fourth Street, 95405, (707) 545-8530. The cost is $30. Speaker-poets include Al Young, Mike Tuggle, Armando Garcia-Davila, Carolyn Miller, and Lynn Knight. Armando Garcia-Davila is also the emcee for the evening of peotry.

About Redwood Writers 2009 Conference:

The Redwood Writers 2009 Conference takes place on October 24, 2009 from 7:30 am - 6:00pm (check-in from 7:30 - 8:15am), at the Flamingo Hotel and Resort in Santa Rosa, 2777 Fourth Street, 95405, (707) 545-8530. This one-day conference, part of the California Writers Club Centennial activities statewide, will feature agents, editors, and writers from all genres. They will offer their insights and experiences in the craft of writing at beginning through advanced levels, as well as the encouragement of fellow writers in a relaxed and friendly, wine-country setting. Copperfield's Books is our exclusive on-site bookstore seller. Conference web site: http://www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html.

An Interview with B. Lynn Goodwin by Kerry Granshaw

B. Lynn Goodwin was first published in the mid-eighties. Dramatics Magazine printed a number of articles she wrote in the form of the diary entries of a student in a high school drama class. The series was so well received that she drafted a YA novel using the characters she'd created for the articles. As a high school drama and English teacher she was able to confer authenticity to the project.

Lynn writes and journals daily and has an impressive list of publications to her name. An organization called The Other Side of Creativity requested and printed her two short books, From An Author's Point of View: Tips on Writing and From An Author's Point of View: Tips on Marketing. She has also been published in Voices of Caregivers; Hip Mama; the Oakland Tribune; the Contra Costa Times; the Danville Weekly; Staying Sane When You're Dieting; Small Press Review; Dramatics Magazine; Career, Caregiving, Self-Care NCDA Monograph; 24/7—a caregiving anthology (forthcoming); Families of Loved Ones Magazine (forthcoming); Kaleidoscope (forthcoming) and numerous e-zines.

In December 2008, Tate published Lynn's You Want Me To Do What? – Journaling for Caregivers. Journaling helped Lynn when she cared for her mother and she wanted to assist others to process stress by using the same technique that served her well.

She finds that teaching stimulates the creative process. Lynn loves finding ways to introduce new writing techniques to students and to encourage each unique voice. For that reason she has chosen to give a workshop entitled Finding Your Writing Voice at the Redwood Writers 2009 Conference.

Lynn owns the excellent website Writer Advice. New issues are released quarterly and offer author interviews, reviews, information on contests and markets, writing by readers on Flash, and an annual Flash Prose Contest.

To quote Lynn: "No one else has your story to tell, so share your unique experiences with the world.

Editor's Notes:

[1] For more information, visit Writer Advice at www.writeradvice.com. If you'd like to contribute, please e-mail Lynn at Lgood67334 at comcast.net.

[2] Be sure to sign up for the October 24^th Redwood Writers 2009 Conference to hear Lynn and many other excellent conference facilitators. More conference details: http://www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html.

An Interview with Darrend King Brown by Jean Wong

"He taught Simon Says to an entire village of Laotians, is a Class A chess player, and managed to water seven elephants at a Shell Station..." Does that sound like one of our colorful California writers? Actually it's part of a bio of Darrend King Brown, who has been editing for the last twenty-two years. He started writing when he got a grant from The Colorado College to study homelessness, and went on to publish articles and speak on this subject. One of his stories about a tramp got Darrend into the prestigious M.F.A. writing program at the University of Arkansas. Since then, he has written, taught, and done editing work in the United States, China, Japan, Ireland, and England.

Darrend says that his "favorite thing is to watch someone get better at writing. I get so proud." He knows writing can be a lonely task and that "all writers get rejected repeatedly. They have to be self-motivated, disciplined, and good at creating stuff. Then they need to be able to analyze, rework and market their writing, which requires many diverse skills."

Darrend asks writers: "What are you trying to do?" He then guides them to focus on what are the "most important things to work on to get there." He is careful to avoid a judgmental approach. "I'm treating their work with respect and telling them what it needs to meet the standards they've set for themselves." He feels that most writers are very receptive to his suggestions and that certain weaknesses in their writing will come up "more than once, so there's always opportunity to reinforce my point. Sometimes I'll work with writers who are improving very quickly, in which case the critique tends to help their next project more than their current one. That's always a fun place to be."

Darrend finds that "straightforward editing of a story's structure and language comes easily, but that the biggest challenge is clarifying the trends in someone's writing. This takes thought and inspiration and if that can be done well, it feels like a victory."

Intrigued by his interest in chess, I asked Darrend if this mindset helped him to look at a work from various angles, so he can see how one part of the structure affects the other or what sections need to be either trimmed or developed further. "Sometimes, yes, I get different insights from thinking of a plot in visual terms. I've noticed chess-playing brains are pretty infrequent in fiction writing. It's not a better way of thinking, but it's a rarer one in this field."

As to his ventures in the arena of authorship, Darrend reveals, "I do write myself. I have a novel I've been working on for a while and I think it's really good. Unfortunately, I have a large editor in my head at all times, so it goes slowly, slowly."

Editor's Notes:

[1] For more information, go to http://www.darrendkingbrown.com/.

[2] Editing is the act of re-visioning --- looking at your written work in a new way. The editor's job is to help you shape your work into its final form and to make you look fabulous. The editor is on your side, trying to make you look the best you can be. Writers and editors are collaborators. Darrend will be one of the editors on hand at the Redwood Writers 2009 Conference on October 24th. More conference details: http://www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html.

An Interview with Seth Harwood by Karen Batchelor

Obscurity, Our Enemy

According to web-savvy author Cory Doctorow, "Our enemy is not piracy, but obscurity." Seth Harwood concurs; he gives away his hard work.

Seth's main character is Jack Palms, a former celebrity who has kicked a drug habit, fled Hollywood and gotten into shape. He finds himself in San Francisco entangled with KGB agents turned cocaine dealers. The story is all action, all the time.

Seth started writing about this character after working on his MFA in Fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Because he loved action movies, he decided to try writing action heroes. Jack Palms was born.

After finishing the first in the series, Jack Wakes Up, he started giving it away. He serialized the story in podcasts—free audio recordings—online to attract a reader base. It worked. The adventures of Jack Palms drew a large audience—large enough to convince print-on-demand publisher Breakneck Books to take a chance on a debut novelist. The POD system creates a higher per-book price, but a much lower risk-to-publish. Since that publication, hit #1 in crime/mystery on Amazon.com, Seth has bought out his contract with Breakneck and signed with Three Rivers Press (Random House), a big, traditional New York publishing house.

Apparently Three Rivers does not agree with the philosophy of both Doctorow and Harwood. Although they will make the first few chapters available free online, the publishers will not allow the entire novel online for readers to download as a PDF. His podcasts, however, are all still free.

Seth is now working on a prequel to the four Jack Palms books (Jack Wakes Up; Jack Palms II: This is Life; Jack Palms III; Czechmate) and he is podcasting as he writes, once again intending to create a large fan base before the book is even available in paper.

The wave of the future is lapping the shores of the present. Seth sees our new markets expanding into e-books, iPhone applications, Kindle-readable, whole books to download in a PDF format online and audios. But he doesn't think the book of paper will ever go away. It's still his favorite way to read.

Seth is a busy guy. Not only does he write, but he also teaches, and he will be teaching us October 24 at our 2009 Conference at the Flamingo Hotel. He is on a panel with others who understand new and different ways to move books from obscurity to the limelight.

Editor's Notes:

[1] Seth Harwood was our guest speaker at the Redwood Writer general meeting on September 13.

[2] Seth Harwood spoke at a Writer's Digest conference in New York September 18-19 and this fall is teaching an online creative writing class for Stanford University. Check out www.authorbootcamp.com or find out more about him and download his podcasts at www.sethharwood.com.

[3] Seth Harwood is part of a four-member panel at our October 24^th conference. Joining him are Gil Mansergh, Kemble Scott, and Patricia V. Davis on the topic of "New Ways to Get Published." Their session is slated for 2:00 – 3:00 pm in the "Technology and Business" track. For more: http://www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html.

An Interview with Susan Bono by Tricia McWhorter

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down to lunch with gifted editor, publisher and writer Susan Bono. Everyone I talked to in my pre-interview information-gathering phase told me that Susan is extremely talented, funny and delightful. They were absolutely correct.

In addition to running an editing and coaching business for writers, Susan is the intrepid publisher of Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Narrative, a literary magazine currently in its fifteenth year of publication. Tiny Lights appears twice a year in hard copy and has an on-line presence as well. [1]

Susan started out teaching high school, but when her children were born, she left teaching in order to stay home with them. When they reached the ages of nine and seven she returned to college at Sonoma State and took classes in the personal essay from Gerry Haslam, whom she credits with helping her find her way into editing and publishing.

Susan told me that her work as an editor combines her love of teaching and writing. It felt like a way to blend the two, since the collaboration between editor and writer is much like the dynamic between student and teacher, where one is coaxing the very best from the other. Publishing seemed a good way to combine all these interests, since having an audience for the work is something all writers need. Susan said that her life works best when she maintains a balance between editing, publishing and writing.

I asked Susan what tips she could give aspiring writers. Here are a few of her favorites:

1. Jump on every opportunity you have to get your name out there by being published. Don't worry if the publication is large or small. The important thing is to build credibility. (I'll give a plug here: check out Tiny Lights if you write personal essay. You may want to respond to one of the prompts listed on Searchlights and Signal Flares Tiny Lights on-line writers' exchange at http://www.tiny-lights.com/searchlights.php .)

2. If you have a blog or website, be sure to note that at the bottom of all of your correspondence and submissions; otherwise you're wasting an opportunity to get your name in front of people.

3. Be organized. If you want to make money as a writer you also have to think of it as a business. Keep track of your submissions: who, what, where and when you send things out. Calendar upcoming submission and contest deadlines and think ahead so you'll be ready to send in your work. [2]

4. Let publishers know if you are sending out simultaneous submissions. If you hear one of your pieces is being published, let the other publishers know so they don't waste time reviewing your work. Susan said that she has been in the position of having chosen a story as the winner of a Tiny Lights writing contest only to discover that the piece had already been published elsewhere with the stipulation that it not be republished. The writer had wasted her time as well as her judges' time.

5. Publishers are busy. If you submit something and don't hear back, don't assume it was because they hated your work. It's possible the publisher loved what you wrote but was too busy to respond immediately. They may have gotten distracted and your story might have become buried under the mountains of paper on their desk or lost in their inbox. There could be lots of reasons why you haven't heard anything. It is okay, and smart, to politely follow up.

6. The most important thing of all? Just write.

Susan Bono can be reached at www.tiny-lights.com. You can also follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petaluma-CA/Tiny-Lights-A-Journal-of-Personal-Narrative/125809459485.

Editor's Notes:

[1] Go to Susan Bono's website at www.tiny-lights.com to find out about contests and submission guidelines.

[2] This point was underscored by our October 4^th guest speaker, Stephanie Freele. She suggested the minimum items to track regarding submissions on a spreadsheet are as follows:

Title Market Date Date Date Redone Comments

Sent Rejected/Accepted

[3] Editing is the act of re-visioning --- a way of looking at your written work in a new way. The editor's job is to help you shape your work into its final form and to make you look fabulous. The editor is on your side, trying to make you look the best you can be. Writers and editors are collaborators. Be sure to come on out and say hi to Susan on October 24^th at the Redwood Writers 2009 Conference.

More conference details: www.redwoodwriters.org/conference.html.

[4] Be sure to find out more about Tricia on her blog Thought Threads at http://www.triciamcwhorter.com.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Redwood Writers Conference

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can I attend the poetry evening and not the all day conference?

A: Yes. The poetry evening is just $30 per person AND can be paid by check or
money order and sent to our PO Box:
Redwood Writers
P.O. Box 4687
Santa Rosa, CA 95402.

Q: I noticed that lunch is provided during the all-day conference. What
about breakfast?

A: Breakfast is not included. A hearty lunch of grilled salmon Caesar salad will
be served. Mid-morning, coffee, tea and water service will be available. In the
afternoon, soft drinks and cookies will be provided.

Q: I can’t eat or meat or milk products. What can I do?

A: At check-in in the morning, be sure to ask for a special vegetarian, non-dairy
lunch to be made available. The Flamingo Hotel will accommodate your dietary
needs.

Q: Can I pay for the Conference by check instead of credit card?

A: Of course, make the check or money order payable to 'Redwood Writers.' The
online PayPal was provided as a convenience. About half of our attendees
registered online with credit card.

Q: Can I still see an editor?

A: Sorry. All slots were filled as of the August 15th deadline.

Q: When is the last day I can register for the Conference?

A: October 19th. The final head count is being submitted to the hotel.

Q: I was registered for the Jack London Conference (JLC). Can I come to
your Conference now?

A: Yes. You should have received your refund from the SF/Peninsula organizers by
now and can apply it towards the Redwood Writers 2009 Conference registration.
Not only that, but the board of the Redwood Branch of the CWC has authorized
the reinstatement of the early bird rate to make it easier for JLC registrants to join
us on October 24th. So, for any CWC member that was registered for the Jack
London Conference, the Redwood Writers will honor the early bird discount of
$125.00 for CWC members to attend the Redwood Writers 2009 Conference.
This results in a $20 savings for CWC members across the State.

Q: I have to cancel owing to a last minute trip. Can I get a refund?

A: The refund policy states “Requests postmarked prior to August 30, 2009 at fee
paid less $50. Requests postmarked after August 30, 2009 receive no refund.”
However, you may choose to send a substitute. This has worked well in the past
for both people involved.

Q: Can I bring friends to the Poetry event?

A: Yes. Poetry dinner event attendees may register for the “Evening of Poetry,”
even if they cannot attend the all-day Conference. Registration deadline for the
$30.00 “Evening of Poetry” is also October 19th.

Q: Can I just attend the Conference for the keynote addresses?

A: Sorry. This is not an available option.

Q: Does the Flamingo Hotel have WiFi?

A: Yes, the hotel has WiFi, however, there is a charge for access to the Internet.
WiFi fees are $4.95, $7.95, and $9.95 for 4, 8, and 24-hour windows,
respectively. That means that if you use your credit card for 4-hours of WiFi to
check e-mail, and you started at 7:30 am, then the WiFi access will only last until
11:29am. WiFi access is offered in windows across a fixed time period, NOT as a
cumulative use of time.

Q: Is there a charge for parking?

A: No. Parking is offered at no charge. Due to the number of attendees expected
for the Saturday conference, overflow parking is provided by the Long’s (now
CVS) Drugstore across the street.

Q: Will the presenter’s have their books for sale.

A: Yes. Be sure to come to the Vintage Voices Shoppe where the bookstore will
be in operation, managed by our exclusive bookseller, Copperfield’s Books.

Q: How can I qualify for a free conference pass?

A: There are no conference passes available.

Q: Can I stay overnight at the Flamingo Friday night at a special rate?

A: Yes, since our 1-day conference starts early (7:30 am check-in) and people
may be attending the “Evening of Poetry” or driving for over an hour to arrive
from the Bay Area, we have special hotel rates established at the Flamingo Hotel
for the Friday night:
"Special rates of Deluxe King or Double/Double $99, Executive King $119, and
Suites $199 have been arranged for the conference eve. Please call the
Flamingo hotel directly at 800-848-8300 or 707-545-8530 and mention the
Redwood Writers for the discount. You may wish to enjoy a great evening of
poetry on the 23rd, relax at the hotel and be up early for the all-day conference
on the 24th."

Q: How much wine does Sonoma County produce?

A: Sonoma County’s 260 wineries produce eight percent of California’s total wine
output. Sixty thousand of the county’s one million acres are planted with
winegrapes.

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