Meetings

Summer and TVW

August 15, 2011 By trivalleywriters

TVW members have been busy writing, regardless of the obstacles (read Annette Langer’s blog below for proof). The anthology is on-track for publication this fall. It will feature short stories, memoir, poetry and children’s stories from over forty members. The authors have been working all summer on the pieces, while the anthology committee has been preparing for publication and publicity. Watch for more information about readings and other events.

While the club takes a break from general meetings in July and August, critique groups continue through the summer. The stem critique group is open to all members, with smaller groups developing from this one to meet the needs of those working on longer pieces or in specialty genres.

Plans for 2011-12 meetings include an all-day writing conference, lectures, and a critique session. Tri-Valley Writers next meeting will be Saturday, September 17.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: anthology, members, Tri-Valley Writers

Nina Amir, “5 Things Every Nonfiction (and fiction) Writer Needs to Publish a Book”

June 18, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Nina Amir is a seasoned journalist, nonfiction editor, author, consultant, and writing coach and publishing mentor with more than 30 years of experience in the publishing field as well as the founder of Write Nonfiction in November, a blog and writing challenge. Currently, she also serves as the national Jewish Issue Examiner and a staff writer at Grocery Headquarters magazine.

As a publishing mentor, Amir teaches workshops, teleseminars and classes on how to get published. She also speaks to organizations, writing groups and at conferences on topics related to writing, getting published, building platform, and realizing the dream of becoming a published author. She works with individual aspiring authors not only on their manuscripts but on staying inspired as they maneuver their way through the sometimes long and arduous path to becoming published.

Filed Under: Meetings, Uncategorized Tagged With: Nina Amir, non-fiction, Oasis Grille, publishing, Tri-Valley Writers

Chris Baty – No Plot, No Problem

May 21, 2011 By trivalleywriters

A resident of Berkeley, California, Chris is the founder of National Novel Writing Month and the Executive Director of its parent nonprofit, the Office of Letters and Light. With his startlingly mediocre prose style and complete inability to write credible dialogue, Chris has set a reassuringly low bar for budding novelists everywhere. Chris is an anthropologist by training and a freelance writer by trade; his work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Believer, and Lonely Planet guidebooks. When not bossing strangers around, Chris spends debilitating amounts of time in coffee shops. His mercilessly pants-kicking book, No Plot? No Problem!, is available at your favorite bookstore.

Chris started his novel writing project in July, 1999 with 21 participants in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2000, it was moved to November “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather,” and an official website was launched. That year 140 participants signed up for the event, including several from other countries, and 21 completed the challenge. The following year, Baty expected similar numbers but 5,000 participants registered. In 2010, it was 200,000.

But does it work? Ask Sara Gruen, who wrote the first draft of her award-winning best-seller, Water for Elephants, during NaNoWriMo.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Chris Baty, NaNoWriMo, Oasis Grille, Tri-Valley Writers

Tri-Valley Writers Authors’ Spotlight

April 16, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Celebrate the many talented writers in the area with Tri-Valley members reading from their own published work. A variety of genres will be represented by a diverse group of authors. Members’ work ranges from literary fiction, memoir, travel, essays, poetry, children’s literature and genre fiction. Our featured readers are Beth Aaland, Jamna Advani, Annette Langer, Violet Carr Moore, Albert Rothman, Elaine Schmitz, Sharon Svitak, and Hector Timourian.

Please note the time and price change for this special meeting. Lunch will not be included, only dessert and coffee or tea.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Bay Area authors, Oasis Grille, public reading, Tri-Valley Writers

Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Bringing Sensuality to the Page

March 19, 2011 By trivalleywriters

A contributor to numerous journals, newspapers, magazines and anthologies, Linda Watanabe McFerrin is a poet, travel writer, novelist and workshop leader. She has served as a literary arts panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts, and was a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Namako: Sea Cucumber was named Best Book for the Teen-Aged by the New York Public Library. Her collection of award-winning short stories, The Hand of Buddha, was published in 2000, and her most recent novel, Dead Love, is about Japan and zombies. You can visit Linda’s website at www.lwmcferrin.com

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: fiction, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Oasis Grille, the writing life, Tri-Valley Writers, writing technique

Deborah Grossman, Poet Laureate of Pleasanton – Why We Write

February 19, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Deborah Grossman, Poet Laureate of Pleasanton and Tri-Valley Branch member, is the author of Goldie and Me, a book about family, friendship and freedom through the lens of poetry. The book also included poems by her mother. Deborah has won several regional poetry awards. She is an independent food and wine journalist who writes for publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle,Wine Enthusiast, Decanter. Visit her website at: www.deborahgrossman.com

The title of her talk will be: “Why We Write: Is writing a social or solitary experience?”

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Deborah Grossman, poetry, Tri-Valley Writers, writing life

Mark Coker, Smashwords – The Seven Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success

January 15, 2011 By trivalleywriters

Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, will provide an information–packed primer on ebook publishing. Attendees will learn best practices to easily produce, publish, distribute and market an ebook. The presentation draws upon Mark’s experience helping over 11,000 Smashwords authors publish and distribute over 25,000 ebooks. Smashwords is based in Los Gatos. The company operates the world’s leading ebook publishing and distribution platform for indie authors, and distributes its books to Apple, Sony, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Diesel eBook Store, and others.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: ebooks, epublishing, Mark Coker, Smashwords, Tri-Valley Writers

Becky Levine – Building a Strong Critique Group

December 18, 2010 By trivalleywriters

Becky Levine is the author of The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide (Writer’s Digest, 2010) and a freelance writer and editor, living in the Santa Cruz mountains. She has almost 20 years of experience with critique groups and knows both the challenges and benefits of making the critique process work. Becky is also working hard on her own writing projects for children and teens. Read more at her blog & website, www.beckylevine.com.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Becky Levine, critique groups, Oasis Grille, Tri-Valley Writers, writing, writing life

Camille Minichino and Ann Parker – Keep Your Story Moving

November 20, 2010 By trivalleywriters

Camille Minichino (aka Margaret Grace) and Ann Parker will present a 2-hour workshop called KEEP YOUR STORY MOVING on subplotting, character arcs, and wordcraft. The workshop features discussion, examples, exercises, and many useful references.

Camille Minichino has published eight novels in the Periodic Table Mysteries series, and as Margaret Grace has published five novels in the Miniature Mysteries series. As Ada Madison, she’s poised to release a new series, the Professor Sophie Knowles Mysteries.

Camille received her Ph.D. in physics from Fordham University, New York City. She is on the boards of the California Writers Club and NorCal Sisters in Crime. She’s a member of NorCal Mystery Writers of America and SF Romance Writers of America.

Ann Parker is the author of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series Silver Lies, Iron Ties, and (the newest) Leaden Skies. She earned degrees in Physics and English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Western Writers of America, and the National Association of Science Writers.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: Ann Parker, Camille Minichino, Empire Buffet, Margaret Grace, story development, Tri-Valley Writers, writing, writing workshop

Brad Herzog and What’s the Big Idea?

October 16, 2010 By trivalleywriters

Award-winning magazine writer, children’s book author and travel memoirist Brad Herzog contends that the secret to good writing begins before the first line is ever written. It all starts with a good idea — subject matter that generates enthusiasm among students, concepts that capture readers’ attention, stories and angles that are simply too clever for an editor to pass up. He’ll discuss how his ideas are generated and developed amid a wide-ranging discussion on subjects ranging from the Masters of Miniature Golf to “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” to his latest memoir, TURN LEFT AT THE TROJAN HORSE.

Also, meet CWC President Robert Garfinkle at the meeting.

Filed Under: Meetings Tagged With: 10-16-2010, Brad Herzog, Tri-Valley Writers, writing