Board of Directors
Roger Lubeck
,
President
Robbi Sommers Bryant
,
Vice President
Marilyn Lanier
,
Vice President
Malena Eljumaily
,
Treasurer
Adele Layton
,
Secretary
Judy M. Baker
, Membership Chair
Skye Blaine
, Newsletter Poetry Editor
Joelle Burnette
, Website Editor
Pamela Heck
,
Conference Volunteers
Linda L. Reid
, Speaker Chair
Jeane Slone
, Author Launch
Deborah Walton
, PR/Newsletter Editor
Chairs and Editors
Les Bernstein
, Poetry Anthology Editor
Skye Blaine
, Newsletter Poetry Editor
Fran Claggett-Holland
, Poetry Anthology Editor
Pamela Fender
, Hot Summer Nights
Sher Gamard
, Salon Coordinator
Marie Judson
, Critique Groups
Jeanne Jusaitis
, Author Support
Susan Littlefield
, Historian
Margarite Olmos
, PR Internal
Linda L. Reid
, Writers Circle
Deborah Taylor-French
, Author Support
Deborah Walton
, PR/Newsletter Editor
Tommie Whitener
, 2019 Anthology Editor
Redwood Writers Meetings
are held the second Sunday of the month at the
2777 Fourth Street,
Santa Rosa
Board meetings take place before the general meeting, beginning at 12:30. You are welcome to join us at any time.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING
SUNDAY, MARCH 10
2:00-4:30 pm
Emotion Crafting:
What It Is and Why It Should Be a Focus of Every Writer
Nora Profit
Arrive at 2:00 p.m. to register
and network
before the general meeting, which runs from 2:30-4:30.
We ask for a small fee of $5 from members and $10 from non-members to cover costs.
NEXT MONTH'S MEETING
Sunday, April 14
2:00–4:30 p.m.
|
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!
As a member of Redwood Writers, you have a unique opportunity to meet and mingle with like-minded wordsmiths in all areas of Club activities.
As we enter the busy spring and summer months, we very much need you to step up to help out.
Here are some immediate needs:
- Table host at Sonoma County Fair in August
- Assist with workshop setup
- Greet and register members at monthly meetings or workshops
- Organize an event
- Suggest/find speakers for monthly meetings
- Help with publicity
There are lots of small and big jobs that make this organization work. We need you!
(Speaking of volunteers, see the magic that volunteer Judy Baker pulled off in February in story at right!)
|
|
BOARD NOTES AND NEWS
LET'S CELEBRATE POETRY MONTH THIS APRIL!
by Skye Blaine, Poetry Column Editor
April is Poetry Month! Please celebrate by sending us some strong work. We’d also like to know if you’re enjoying the occasional educational piece on poetry that Fran Claggett is providing. Email
poetrynewseditor@redwoodwriters.org
with your comments. Deadline for submissions is the 15th of the prior month to publication. All welcome!
It’s best if your poems are short to medium length, and certainly not longer than one page. Our aim is to include more than one poem in each issue of this newsletter. The short forms of haiku and tanka are also welcome. Please format all poems in Times New Roman, 12 point, single spaced. P.S. It is difficult to format indents and complicated line spacing within the confines of this newsletter program.
As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions to make our meetings and our club more relevant to you. Just email
president@redwoodwriters.org
. See you on Sunday!
Board Meeting Agenda for March 10, 2019
12:30 p.m. Call to Order – Roger Lubeck
- Approval of minutes from prior meeting.
12:35 p.m. Board Reports
- Treasurer’s Report: Malena Eljumaily
- Membership Report: Judy Baker
12:40 p.m. Committee Reports
- Website: Joelle Burnette
- Speakers committee: Linda Reid
- Academy / workshops: Judy Baker
- Fair: Jeane Slone
1:30 p.m. New Business
1:45 p.m. Adjourn
General Meeting Agenda for March 10, 2019
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Author Support (Deborah Taylor-French)
1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Writers Focus Group (None this month)
2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Networking
2:30 p.m. Welcome - Roger Lubeck
2:35 p.m. Chair Announcements
- Membership: Judy Baker
- Writers Circle: Linda Reid
- Prose Anthology 2019 reminder: Tommie Whitener
- Author Launch: Jeane Slone
- Other chair announcements
2:50 p.m. Member announcements
3:00 p.m. Break ~ Snacks, Networking & Book Sales
3:15 p.m. Presenter: Nora Profit - Emotion Crafting: What It Is, and Why It Should Be a Focus of Every Writer
4:15 p.m. Final announcements:
Meeting April 14, 2019 - Facebook: Tips for Writers - Jula Pereiri
|
This is what we mean by
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS
by Editor Deborah Walton
|
I spent many hours honing an informative and entertaining presentation for our Writers Academy* workshop on February 2nd on PR for Authors. I created and copied handouts, practiced the PowerPoint, and went to bed the night of February 1st prepared and excited.
Around 4 AM I awoke with the most incredible, shall we say, flu-like symptoms. Three hours later I knew I would never be able to leave the house. I called the Academy coordinator, Judy Baker, a little before 8 AM to tell her the bad news -- she'd have to cancel the whole thing.
But not Judy! "Pack everything up! I'll be there in 45 minutes!" She got dressed, drove from her home in Sonoma to mine in Santa Rosa, picked up the projector, PowerPoint and handouts, and made it to the Flamingo for the 9:30 AM start of the workshop! Being a PR pro herself, the presentation went off with nary a hitch.
Thank you, volunteer Judy, for helping our members and
this
writer in particular!
*See more about the Writers Academy series below!
|
|
IMPORTANT DATES
See more details below
Sunday, March 10
Redwood Writers Board Meeting 12:30-2:00
Flamingo Hotel
Redwood Writers Author Support 1:00-2:00
Flamingo Hotel
MONTHLY MEETING
Emotion Crafting with Nora Profit
2:00-4:30
Flamingo Hotel
Friday, March 15
DEADLINE FOR 2019 REDWOOD WRITERS ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION
Saturday, March 16
Redwood Writers Circle
10:00-1:00
Friday-Sunday, March 22, 23, 24
Sunday, March 31
The six winning plays selected for Redwood Writers 10-Minute Play Contest will be performed as a "reading" by a local theater group at three locations. To purchase tickets
https://redwoodwriters.org/play-tickets/.
$15 general; $10 student.
Saturday, April 20
Redwood Writers Academy
CROWDFUNDING with John Sheehy
9:30-12:00
Flamingo Hotel
$30 members; $35 non-members
|
|
Don't forget!
DEADLINE FOR 2019 ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION IS
MARCH 15!
|
This year's theme is
"Endeavor: Stories of Struggle and Perseverance."
The editor challenges members to reflect that theme in their memoir and short story submissions. For complete information and submission guidelines,
|
|
Sunday, March 10
2 - 4:30 p.m.
Flamingo Hotel, Empire Room
|
|
|
|
Emotion Crafting:
What it is and why it should be the focus for every writer.
with Nora Profit
Amateur writers are often unaware that regardless of how well a manuscript is written, if it doesn't impact the reader emotionally, it is all for naught. Description doesn't provide emotional content, neither does it express necessarily what a character is feeling. This lecture delivers the much needed and often neglected information about how emotional impact is achieved. Readers become emotionally involved in a story only when the techniques revealed in this lecture are employed.
|
|
WRITERS CIRCLE
The Circle's mission is to offer members a constructive and enjoyable environment in which to read their works, among the warmth and support of fellow writers, and to include brief evaluations and short talks on craft and other writing-related subjects.
Saturday, March 16
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: TBA
Members who would like to attend should send an RSVP email to Linda Reid at
rwcircle@redwoodwriters.org
. Upon confirmation, you will receive directions to the location.
|
|
CROWDFUNDING with John Sheehy
John Sheehy will share tips and insights from his wildly successful Indiegogo campaign for his new book,
On a River Winding Home: Stories and Visions of the Petaluma River Watershed
. The campaign raised 40 percent of their goal, and the book has already sold out of its first printing!
Saturday, April 20
9:30 a.m. – noon
Cost: $30 for members; $35 for non-members
One more Writers Academy workshops in the series:
Sin and Syntax: June 15, 2019
|
|
|
|
REBECCA SMITH
Profiled by Marilyn Skinner Lanier
As an artist, screenwriter, poet, and songwriter, Redwood Writer member Rebecca (Becky) Smith claims to have taken “
the path less traveled to taste life twice
.” With so many creative pursuits, Becky’s writerly journey reflects an intriguing and very interesting path indeed.
In her inimitably wry way, Becky explains how writing keeps her out of trouble: “
I can channel my angst into my characters and make them do awful things I’d never do in real life
.” How cool is that?!
Becky’s screenwriting, the first of her creative writing ventures, garnered her semifinalist status in the Austin Film Festival, the Boston Film Festival, and the Nevada Film Festival. In addition, her work has emerged in the top 10% of the Nichols Screenwriting competitions. With these competitive awards in her portfolio, it seems only fitting that Becky later decided to try her hand at prose and poetry. She credits the demands of a bout with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and the “
fantastic encouragement
” from Redwood Writers as two important boosts toward an expanded writing career. At this point, Becky favors writing screenplays and fiction.
Becky started her writerly career at an early age, when she read a story in front of her second-grade class. She wryly notes she “
got sent to the front office
” for turning in a blank piece of paper. That was when her classmates (and surely her teacher) realized she was making up a story “
on the fly
.” Though she got in trouble for her ability to invent a story in her head that day, it undoubtedly has proven a solid foundation for inventing characters and stories to this day.
In fact, Becky likes to explore unknown characters in her head. She believes this process gives her the opportunity to talk with someone while inventing the characters. She explains, this is like “
taking a journey and not knowing the details until I get there
.” It’s like “
peeking into the abyss of the known and pulling out a gem
.” I discern her process as somewhat magical in nature!
It’s not surprising, then, that Becky considers her writing style “
more of a pantser than a plotter
.” She explains, “
I usually know the beginning and how I want it [
the piece
] to end, but the middle is the fun stuff, where the adventure awaits
.”
Becky relies on a wide variety of sources for new writing ideas, including her imagination, her own experiences, newspaper articles, and “
tidbits
” from relatives, friends, or strangers. She acknowledges that she’s “
not opposed to eavesdropping at Starbucks if I hear a juicy conversation.
”
Becky’s considers Redwood Writers a “
fantastic resource
” and clearly appreciates the “
many friends and amazing people
” she has met through the club. She emphasizes how volunteering has made it easy to connect with new friends and lets her give back to the club. She has served RW in many capacities, including PR Director, Board member, conference volunteer, and had fun helping out at the RW table at the Sonoma County Fair.
In 2018, Becky stepped down from the RW Board in order to pursue a master’s in organizational development at Sonoma State University. She eagerly anticipates completion of her graduate program in May. Hooray for achieving such an important milestone! Becky’s RW colleagues are also excited because Becky has graciously offered to lead the volunteer efforts on behalf of the club starting this summer!
Becky will surely enjoy returning to her many other interests this summer, including painting, camping, and “wandering.” She says her trip to Oregon to see the solar eclipse in 2017 was “
trippy. A cold, eerie chill kinda scared me when it was all dark
.” I suspect that experience could be a great source of inspiration for a tale that only Becky, the intrepid author and award-winning screenwriter, can tell!
|
|
No Longer Asks
by Karen Hayes
She no longer asks for pieces of prose
for glimpses of spider shadows
roaming back alleys
questioning
dust bunny memories
fuzzy and unclear
gathering moss and twigs for nests
but never staying home
Aberrations roam
snaring the unwary thought
weaving tight while confidence no longer struggles
gathered strands lead disjointed
back to the origin
while what should be passion
is buried
the cracked structure
crumbles like old bricks
the rubble plundered
by repeated blows
of the wrecking ball
|
|
Th
e Mother’s Poem: to Seth
by Leiah Bowden
I think sometimes that I am not
like other mothers
like normal mothers
like motherly mothers
for whom the name Mother was born.
I look in at you asleep
when you can't ask of me service,
I cheat in and bathe my heart
in your loveliness
and often I chide myself
for the easy tenderness
So easy to be loving now,
so easy to love a passive other
And so I gaze on your
closed eyes and lovely mouth
and hope, as when watching horses,
that in your sleep you'll move,
dance silently and flutter gently,
unaware and unselfconscious.
I love the noises your mouth makes
in sleep,
the close, wet, suck of tiny lips
finding themselves contentedly.
You who come to me now as son,
whom I call Seth,
I feel for you
whatever it is that
makes me want to stay here.
|
|
Submission guidelines: double-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.
|
|
Sunday, April 14
2–4:30 p.m.
FLAMINGO HOTEL
How to Sell More Books and
Increase Your Visibility On Facebook
with
Jula Pereira
Redwood Writers is for everyone, whether you're an accomplished
author or poet, or just wondering if writing is right for you.
|
|
Writers News from Around the Bay
|
|
Writers Forum
March 21, 2019
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Copperfield’s Books, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma
Free and open to the public
Writers Forum presenter Guy Biederman will talk about how to write sinewy prose and stories that charge the moment. We'll explore the art of flash fiction and discuss the principles of the short form.
Guy Biederman
has taught creative writing at College of Marin, San Francisco State, Santa Rosa Junior College, The Sitting Room, and privately at many venues since 1991. Guy is the author of three collections of short work, including the recently published
Soundings & Fathoms
.
|
|
If you have news of interest to our members, please submit copy and a photo if you wish by the 15th of the month prior to
editor@redwoodwriters.org
.
Editor reserves the right to accept and/or edit. Thank you.
|
|
Our mailing address is The Redwood Writer, P.O. Box 4687, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
a
5
01(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Redwood Writers Meetings
General membership meetings are held on the second Sunday of each month (moves one week ahead if a holiday) from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. at the Flamingo Conference Resort and Spa, located at
2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.
Registration starts at 2 p.m.
Copyright © 2019 Redwood Writers. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
