Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021
Fact and Truth: Fiction and Nonfiction
Shelley Blanton-Stroud
Shelley Blanton-Stroud will discuss the theme of Fact and Fiction in her novel Copy Boy, historical references that set it in motion, as well as the opportunities and obligations that come with fictionalizing history.
Shelley Blanton-Stroud grew up in California’s Central Valley, the daughter of Dust Bowl immigrants who made good on their ambition to get out of the field. She teaches college writing in Northern California and consults with writers in the energy industry. Shelley co-directs Stories on Stage Sacramento, where actors perform the stories of established and emerging authors, and serves on the advisory board of 916 Ink, an arts-based creative writing nonprofit for children. She has also served on the Writers’ Advisory Board for the Belize Writers’ Conference. Copy Boy is her first novel, and she’s currently working on her second. She also writes and publishes flash fiction and non-fiction, which you can find in such journals as Brevity and Cleaver. She and her husband live in Sacramento with an aging beagle and many photos of their out-of-state sons.
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021
Chair
Jeane Slone
Author Launch 2020-21
Celebrate the success of Bay Area authors at the annual Redwood Writers Author Launch event. Listen to excerpts from new books published by our members, and meet local authors online on Zoom.
Below, click on a book for more information about the book and its author.
Saturday, Mar. 20, 2021
Writing the Image, Drawing the Text
Sarah Rabkin
Sarah Rabkin will use materials from workshops she has led at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology to show us the ways visual and verbal expression can stimulate and enrich each other. She will show examples from the illustrated journals she has been keeping for decades, sharing her experiences and musings as a writer who also makes pictures.
Sarah notes, "Many writers also draw and paint, delighting in the ways these activities complement and enrich each other. Whatever your level of skill and experience in either discipline, jumping the divide between verbal and visual expression can stimulate your creative life in both realms. There's no end to the discoveries you can make by engaging alternately in image and language, or by allowing pictures and text to interact on the page."
Sarah Rabkin is the author and illustrator of What I Learned at Bug Camp: Essays on Finding a Home in the World. A former high school biology teacher, science journalist, and UC Santa Cruz faculty member in writing and environmental studies, she now works as a freelance editor and independent teacher. Her writing retreats and workshops foster creativity and craft, gentle activism, and awareness of the larger-than-human world.
Sarah’s work has appeared in a variety of regional and national periodicals and in numerous anthologies, including How to Teach Nature Journaling; The Way of Natural History; Nature, Love, Medicine: Essays on Wildness and Wellness; A Forest of Voices: Conversations in Ecology; and Storming Heaven’s Gate: An Anthology of Spiritual Writings by Women. She co-edited Cultivating a Movement: An Oral History of Organic Farming & Sustainable Agriculture on California’s Central Coast and Seeds of Something Different: An Oral History of the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Her current book-in-progress is titled The Quiet Activist: How Artists, Dreamers, and Hermits Help Heal the World. She lives near Santa Cruz, CA, with her husband, poet Charles Atkinson.
Saturday, Apr. 17, 2021
Writing Our Way Out of Our Crises
Phyllis Meshulam
Many writers also draw and paint, delighting in the ways these activities complement and enrich each other. Whatever your level of skill and experience in either discipline, jumping the divide between verbal and visual expression can stimulate your creative life in both realms. There’s no end to the discoveries you can make by engaging alternately in image and language, or by allowing pictures and text to interact on the page. Sarah will show examples from the illustrated journals she has been keeping for several decades, sharing her experiences and musings as a writer who also makes pictures.
Phyllis Meshulam is the current Poet Laureate of Sonoma County. She’s the author of five collections of poetry, most recently: Land of My Father’s War, winner of an Artists Embassy International Prize, 2019, published by Cherry Grove Collections. Joy Harjo, Poet Laureate of the United States, said of Meshulam’s book, an “urgency of spirit has emerged eloquently here in these poems of perception and even prophecy….”
Meshulam’s work has appeared in literary magazines from Ars Medica to Teachers & Writers. Meshulam has taught with California Poets in the Schools for more than 20 years and in settings from 2nd-grade classrooms to juvenile hall.
She co-ordinated Sonoma County’s Poetry Out Loud, a nationwide high school recitation program, for 13 years. She also edited CalPoets’ Poetry Crossing, which Poetry Flash called “a joyful collection of lessons and poems.” She has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and her BA from Pomona College. She also has her bilingual certificate of competence from the state of California.
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Memoir: Writing the Call to Action
Heidi Huhn
Roots of Peace is a humanitarian non-profit based in Marin County, California.
In September 1997, Heidi Kuhn had the vision to turn MINES TO VINES—replacing the scourge of landmines with bountiful vineyards and orchards—worldwide.
Over the past 24 years, Roots of Peace has been cultivating peace through agriculture. Roots of Peace supports the world's most vulnerable farmers and traders, removing the remnants of war and restoring agricultural productivity and prosperity. These efforts improve each step of the agricultural value chain. They introduce farmers to new methods and technology, improve export marketing techniques, and create strategies for ramping up food exports to lucrative overseas markets.
Learn about her memoir writing process and the value of her book-writing journey.
Heidi Kuhn is the Founder and CEO of Roots of Peace, a humanitarian-nonprofit organization founded in September 1997, with a vision to transform MINES TO VINES—replacing the scourge of landmines with sustainable agricultural farmland. Her pioneering work empowers families living in war-torn regions with hope leading to the economics of peace through export and trade.
With a simple toast in her home's living room, a global initiative was established following the death of the late Princess Diana who in her lifetime catapulted the issue of landmines to the forefront of the international agenda.
Roots of Peace has impacted over one million farmers and families, spanning eight countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, and Vietnam.
Heidi’s work has facilitated the increase of agricultural exports in Afghanistan from $250 million in 2014 to over $1.4 billion in 2020. Roots of Peace has facilitated removing over 100,000 landmines and unexploded bombs, restoring the land for agricultural bounty.
She is a graduate of the University of California and recipient of the Cal Alumni Award for Excellence and Achievement.
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Online Book Marketing Demystified
Matthew Félix
Author and Book-Marketing Strategist Matthew Felix will discuss some of the many options available to authors for developing an online marketing strategy, including the specific components that comprise his own strategies, and those he uses with clients. From key considerations to think about up-front, to the importance of finding your niche and building a platform, to the pros and cons of social media, to the ins and outs of Amazon, and more, Matthew will discuss essential principles, common questions, and frequently underutilized techniques for developing a successful online marketing strategy.
Matthew Félix is an author and the program manager and host of the San Francisco Writers Conference Podcast. He is also a book-marketing consultant, indie publisher, and speaker.
Five years ago, Matthew didn’t have—or even want—any online presence: no website, no Facebook page, no Amazon profile. As he went to publish his first book, he knew that absence had to change. So began an ongoing exploration of and experimentation with the many approaches, platforms, and tools available for online marketing for writers.
Matthew’s hard work immediately paid off. His first book, With Open Arms, topped the Amazon Africa category, as well as the Morocco one four times. Matthew’s novel, A Voice Beyond Reason, which Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Prize called “(a) highly crafted gem,” and his latest, Porcelain Travels, have had similar success. In addition to being a bestseller in four Amazon categories, the latter won Gold for Humor in the 2019 Readers’ Favorite Awards and was a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year finalist.
Matthew works with authors and publishers on every aspect of book marketing and publishing, from editing to interior and cover design, to going live on publishing platforms, to developing and executing comprehensive marketing strategies.
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Page 1 Critique Fest
Chuck Sambuchino
This class is a chance to get your first page read (anonymously—no bylines given) with the speaker commenting on the submission. Get expert feedback on your incredibly important first page, and know if your writing has what it needs to keep readers’ attention. All attendees are welcome to submit pages to the event for this session, and we will choose pages at random for the workshop for as long as time lasts. All submissions should be novels or memoir—no prescriptive nonfiction or picture books, please.
Chuck Sambuchino is a bestselling humor book writer, a freelance editor, and a former editor for Writer’s Digest Books for many years. During his time with WD Books (until 2017), he edited the Guide to Literary Agents as well as the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. His Guide to Literary Agents Blog was one of the biggest blogs in publishing, averaging more than 350,000 page views each month. He was named by Forbes as one of the top influencers in publishing in recognition of his personal Twitter.
He loves connecting with writers and helping them get published and sell more books. As of 2021, he is the executive director of Writing Day Workshops, which plans regional writers conferences all over the country (and some online conferences open to anyone, anywhere). Writing Day Workshops has helped dozens and dozens of writers find literary agents.
His first humor book, How To Survive A Garden Gnome Attack, was featured by Reader’s Digest, USA Today, Buzzfeed, Wired, the New York Times, AOL News, and many more media outlets. The film rights were optioned by Sony and director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future). The book was translated into several languages. His newest humor book is When Clowns Attack: A Survival Guide (Ten Speed Press), which was mentioned by New York magazine.
In addition, Chuck has also written three other writing-related titles: the third edition of Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript, as well as Create Your Writer Platform. His latest writing guide is Get A Literary Agent.
Chuck is a former staffer of several newspapers and magazines—most notably Writer’s Digest. During his tenure as a newspaper reporter, he won awards from both the Kentucky Press Association and the Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists. He is a produced playwright, with both original and commissioned works produced. During the past fifteen years, more than 700 of his articles have appeared in newspapers, magazines, and books.
Read more about Chuck and his work at his website, ChuckSambuchino.com.
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Storytelling Through Graphic Novels
Brian Fies
In recent decades, graphic novels have matured from disreputable comic books to literature that wins Pulitzer and Newbery awards. They demand different storytelling abilities from both their creators and readers, excel at communicating through metaphor, and have been especially effective as memoir. Brian Fies will discuss graphic storytelling in general—how words plus images add up to more than the sum of their parts—and how Brian used comics to tell the story of our community's trauma and renewal during recent fires in his latest book, A Fire Story.
Brian Fies is a writer and cartoonist. The day after he and his wife, Karen, lost their home in northern California’s Tubbs fire, Brian began writing and drawing A Fire Story. Posted online, the comic went viral and was seen by more than 3 million people. Brian expanded A Fire Story into a full-length graphic novel published by Abrams ComicArts in 2019; an updated edition was published in 2021. His other graphic novels are Mom’s Cancer, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow, and The Last Mechanical Monster.
Brian’s work in comics has received several honors, including the comics industry’s Eisner, Harvey, and Inkpot awards, as well as the American Astronautical Society’s Emme Award, Germany's Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, and a television Emmy Award. He lives in his rebuilt home north of Santa Rosa.
Read more about Brian and his work at his website, BrianFies.blogspot.com.
Saturday, September 18, 2021
Short Stories for Fun and Profit
Jeff Somers
A discussion of short stories from both a craft and a business POV - how they can help you improve your writing, and how they can be a powerful part of your career.
Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has published nine novels, including the Avery Cates Series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com), the darkly hilarious crime novel Chum from Tyrus Books, and most recently tales of blood magic and short cons in the Ustari Cycle, including the novel We Are Not Good People from Pocket Gallery (www.wearenotgoodpeople.com). He has published over forty short stories, including “Ringing the Changes,” which was selected for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories 2006, “Sift, Almost Invisible, Through,” which appeared in the anthology Crimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris, “Three Cups of Tea,” which appeared in the anthology Hanzai Japan, “The Company I Keep,” which appeared in the anthology Life is Short and Then You Die edited by Kelley Armstrong, and “Zilla, 2015,” published by the Lascaux Review. He also writes about books for BookBub and about the craft of writing for Writer’s Digest, which published his book on the craft of writing Writing Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.
Saturday, October 16, 2021
A Tour of Redwood Writers Groups & Offerings
A Panel of RW Leaders
A Redwood Writers roundtable panel discussion, "A Tour of RW Groups & Offerings," is set for Saturday, October 16. Panel members will each have 3–5 minutes to provide an overview of their group's meeting purpose, periodicity, and schedule.
This special event will bring all RW members up-to-date on the spectrum of our chapter's offerings currently available—either on the Zoom format or hybrid (a mix of in-person and Zoom).
- Linda Reid: Writer's Circle & RW Poetry Anthology
- Robin Gabbert: Salon
- Deborah Taylor-French: Author Support Group
- Marie Judson: Critique Groups
- Shawn & Crissi Langwell: RW Anthology
- Jeanne Slone: Author Launch & Sonoma County Fair booth
- Tina Deason: Writing Contests
- Shawn Langwell: Biennial Conference
Do you have questions about our chapter's benefits? We hope everyone will use this membership meeting to get answers while taking advantage of this excellent chance to hear from the Redwood Writers members who lead these writerly opportunities.
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Children's Authors Panel: Paths to Publication
moderated by Natasha Yim
featuring
Mitali Perkins, Mae Respicio, and Meera Sriram
Mitali Perkins is the author of many award-winning books for young readers, including Between Us and Abuela, Forward Me Back To You, You Bring the Distant Near, and Tiger Boy, all of which explore crossing different kinds of borders. Her middle-grade novel, Rickshaw Girl, was adapted as a film by Sleeperwave Productions and Half-Stop Down. Mitali was born in Kolkata, India before immigrating to the United States, has lived in Bangladesh, India, England, Thailand, Mexico, Cameroon, and Ghana, studied Political Science at Stanford and Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley, and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. More information at mitaliperkins.com.
Mae Respicio writes middle-grade novels full of hope and heart. She’s the author of The House That Lou Built, which won an Asian/Pacific American Libraries Association Honor award, was an NPR Best Book, and was named to many state reading and “best of” lists. Her most recent novel is Any Day With You, and her latest book is How to Win a Slime War, released in September 2021 from Wendy Lamb Books/Random House Kids. Mae lives with her husband, two children, two pet rats, and one rascally puppy in the suburban wild of Northern California. Learn more at MaeRespicio.com.
As an Indian American, Meera Sriram has lived almost equal parts of her life in both countries. Previously an electrical engineer, she now enjoys writing for children and advocating for diverse bookshelves. Meera is the author of picture books, The Yellow Suitcase, and A Gift for Amma, winner of the 2021 South Asia Book Award and the Foreword Reviews Indies Silver Award. Her 2021 titles include Between Two Worlds, a biography of the Indian-Hungarian artist Amrita Sher-Gil, and Dumpling Day, a counting book that celebrates food, community, and cultures. Meera has also co-authored several kids’ books in India. She believes in the transformative power of stories and likes to write about people, places, and experiences less visible in children’s literature. For more information, please visit MeeraSriram.com.
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Member Appreciation Day & Holiday Party
hosted by
Redwood Writers Board Members
Happy Holidays! It's that time of year when we gather together to celebrate our members and volunteers during our annual holiday party.
Celebrate the people who contribute their time and expertise to Redwood Writers. We are honoring the individuals for their service and generosity. Awards for volunteering. Longevity of membership. Leadership. Plus, expect a few surprises! Admission is free.