Writing Events

Nov 30 2010 - Playwrights Theatre Reading Series -- 16 New Plays - Madison, NJ

2010-11-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

Playwrights Theatre's roundtable reading series FORUM will take place at 7pm each evening on November 30, December 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. FORUM brings playwrights, actors and audience members together to enjoy the creative process of bringing a play to life. Staged readings of 16 innovative new plays by some of the country's best writers with intimate discussions between author and audience following each performance. The readings will be held at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison, NJ. Patrons can attend one reading for $10 or purchase a FORUM PASS which gives them access to the entire festival for $25. Playwrights Theatre's season subscribers receive a FORUM PASS as a free added bonus. Reservations can be made online at http://www.ptnj.org/ or call (973) 514-1787 X10.

We're looking forward to this excellent selection of new work. It's a great mix of writers, from old friends to writers new to us, from nationally recognized writers to writers just getting started,” said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director. “We're especially looking forward to our first week, which features writers from New Jersey, including John Wooten, Artistic Director of Premiere Stages and three writers from the MFA Program at the Mason Gross School, Rutgers University -- Samuel Brett Williams, Lia Romeo and Carrie Louise Nutt. The talkbacks will prove to be very fun and interesting.”

FORUM Schedule:

Tuesday, November 30 -- Auqa by Carrie Louise Nutt

Wednesday, December 1 -- Hungry by Lia Romeo

Thursday, December 2 -- The Fallen by Yasmine Rana

Friday, December 3 -- Revelation by Samuel Brett Williams

Saturday, December 4 -- The Sticks by John Wooten

Sunday, December 5 -- The Thread of Story by Judah Skoff

Wednesday, December 8 -- Trespasser In A Promised Land by Russell Davis

Thursday, December 9 -- Mickey and Jean by Richard Dresser

Friday, December 10 -- A User's Guide to Hell Starring Bernie Madoff by Lee Blessing

Saturday, December 11 -- Texas Boot by Jeffrey Sweet

Sunday, December 12 -- Furies by Matt Bukovac

Wednesday, December 15 -- Artist As A Man by Joe Sutton

Thursday, December 16 -- The Law Of The Monkeys by Ken Scarborough

Friday, December 17 -- Number of People by Emilie Beck

Saturday, December 18 -- Marlowe by James Glossman

Sunday, December 19 -- The Exceptionals by Robert Clyman
Programs are subject to change, based on artistic need. Please visit the website www.ptnj.org for up-to-the-minutes details.

Nov 17 2010 - How to Get the Most Out of Your LinkedIn Connections

2010-11-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

LinkedIn now has 80 million members, which makes it the most important networking site for professionals on the Web. It also makes it the first place where chief executives and hiring managers look for fresh talent and resources to solve business-critical problems. However, few executives really know how to use LinkedIn effectively to be found and to forge new connections. In the November session of Experts Connection (www.experts-connection.com), Jason Alba, founder and CEO of JibberJobber.com and author of "I'm On Linked-In – Now What???," will discuss how to get the most out of LinkedIn, including how to be found, how to find other business-critical contacts, and how to present yourself as an expert in your field. "LinkedIn for Executives: Beyond the Basics" is scheduled for November 17 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. ET, (1:00 - 2:30 p.m. PT), and is sponsored by NETSHARE (http://www.netshare.com/).

Whether you are looking for a new contract, trying to close a sale, thinking about changing careers, or just looking to expand your professional network, LinkedIn is an invaluable resource. This session of Experts Connection will take you beyond the basics of LinkedIn, offering strategies that help you make the most out of your time and how to stand apart from the crowd. Topics to be discussed include:

* How to optimize your LinkedIn profile so you will be found by the right people.
* How to search for key contacts.
* How to best communicate with market influencers outside your LinkedIn network, without paying for an upgrade.
* How to increase the chances your LinkedIn communications will be read and increase your perceived expertise.
* How to make the best use of LinkedIn Groups
* How to promote yourself without seeming self-serving or "pushy."
* How to use the LinkedIn "Answers" sections as a way to build your network and solidify strategic relationships.

"Even the most experienced executives often struggle with making connections to build their business or advance their career," said Katherine Simmons, CEO of NETSHARE and host of the Experts Connection teleseminars. "LinkedIn has evolved as one of the most effective and accessible networking tools to bring professionals together, and Jason has become the acknowledged expert on LinkedIn. In 90 minutes, attendees should be able to learn all they need to know to become masters of LinkedIn."

The Experts Connection teleseminar series gives executives access to leading career experts. The cost of the seminar is $60, $50 for NETSHARE members, and access is provided via web and telephone. For more information, visit the Experts Connection online at www.experts-connection.com.

Nov 10 2010 - Wordsmith Media, Inc. to Conduct National Conference Call With Narnia Executive Producer

2010-11-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

Wordsmith Media, Inc. announced today a conference call with Douglas Gresham, stepson of famed British author C.S. Lewis. Mr. Gresham is Executive Producer of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in theaters December 10th. He has served as a Wordsmith advisor since 2005 and was instrumental in the development of the company's latest project. The call will highlight the preparations for the company's documentary on the shipwreck of St. Paul.

In addition, Lou Reda Productions' Managing Director Scott Reda, along with Robert Cornuke, author of the book on which the production is based, will discuss the documentary ahead of the premiere of Reda's latest production, WWII in HD: THE AIR WAR, airing Wednesday night on The History Channel. The conference call will be held Wednesday, November 10th at 12:30pm Eastern, 9:30am Pacific.

To join the call, dial 1-800-920-7487 in the U.S. with access code 52654578# and internationally 001-404-920-1710. Questions can be submitted prior to the call at conferencecall@wordsmithmedia.net.

Free Podcast on Search Engine Optimization Tips

2010-10-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

Paying attention to search engine optimization is the difference between getting high organic rankings in search engines and not being found by your audience members.

Search engine optimization is the process of improving visibility of a website and its web pages by incorporating your specific keywords in the page's copy. Content marketers and online publishers engage heavily in search engine optimization in order to rank higher in search engines because the higher up in search results a listing appears, the better chance that publisher has of generating new email subscribers and overall revenue for the website.

As an Internet marketing strategy, search engine optimization takes on a few forms. The first aspect of proper search engine optimization involves understanding the audience and the keyword phrases that they search for.

Next, it's important to understand how to engage in SEO copywriting itself. Specific attention must be given to SEO copywriting because simply adding keyword phrases without taking into account the overall readability of a website will not help in search engine optimization. The content needs to be interesting and readable while including the keyword phrases.

Furthermore, after engaging in SEO copywriting, it's important to embark on SEO campaigns so that additional promotion for the webpage or associated products can take place.

For an introduction to search engine optimization, SEO copywriting and SEO campaign management, start with Mequoda Group's free podcast Search Engine Optimization Tips.

To receive a free digital copy of the podcast Search Engine Optimization Tips visit http://www.mequoda.com/podcasts/mequoda-podcast-search-e ... now.

Nov 10 2010 - Line by Line: Fashion Writing Basics - Boston, MA, 02116

2010-10-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Make fashion writing a reality this season at the Boston Center for Adult Education's (BCAE) new class, "Line by Line: Fashion Writing Basics," taught by Boston's own style expert, Erica Corsano, editorial director of STUFF Magazine.

Students will get an insider's look into what's really behind the lines of fashion writing, researching and reporting, as they learn not only what makes a standout piece a show-stopper, but how to develop their own fashion-writing style. Better yet, Erica will offer one lucky student a chance to fast forward their fashion writing career by publishing their work in an upcoming issue of STUFF Magazine.

A nationally recognized style expert, Erica has worked with some of the world's most sought-after luxury brands, including Bottega Veneta, Bulgari, Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo and Carolina Herrera. Erica has also worked as a contributing editor and stylist for Boston's major publications and broadcast outlets including: Boston Editor for Lucky Magazine, Editor-at-Large for Boston Common and a contributing writer for The Boston Globe, Daily Candy and Fashion Boston—and, of course, we all know and love her for her role as the editorial director of Boston's own, STUFF Magazine.

Drawing on her vast experience in the fashion industry, Erica will discuss the differences between local and national publishing, as well as offer general writing tips and tricks for avoiding fashion-writing faux pas! Students will learn how to research and report, write for their target audience, spot and predict the latest fashion trends, and more.

Don't miss it! This BCAE class is haute!

WHERE: Boston Center for Adult Education, 122 Arlington Street, Boston, MA, 02116

WHEN: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 6:00PM - 9:00PM

COST: $40 for Members/Non-members, $30 Materials Cost.

RSVP: Visit http://www.bcae.org/ or call the Boston Center for Adult Education to sign up.

Oct. 27 2010 -Blogging for Writers and Creatives - Morrisville, NC

2010-10-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Creative professionals will learn how to effectively blog at the Wed., Oct. 27, meeting of the Independent Communicators Alliance (ICA). Local writer Alice Osborn will explain how blogging can help professionals grow their businesses and their careers. The meeting will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Skyline Exhibits & Events, 600 Airport Boulevard #1300, in Morrisville. The cost is $10 for ICA members, and $15 for nonmembers. Further information may be obtained at http://www.meetup.com/ica-triangle/calendar/14987586/.

FSU Center for Creative Writing Sponsors Poetry Reading by Nancy Krygowski at Main Street Books

2010-10-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Frostburg State University Center for Creative Writing will present a reading by poet Nancy Krygowski on Friday, Oct. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at Main Street Books at 2 E. Main St. in Frostburg. The reading is free and open to the public.

Winner of the 2006 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for her first book of poems "Velocity," Krygowski is co-founder and assistant artistic director of the Gist Street Reading Series. Her poems have appeared in Prairie Schooner, River Styx, Southern Poetry Review, 5 A.M. and other magazines. She is the recipient of a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship, a Pittsburgh Foundation Grant, awards from the Academy of American Poets and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, plus residencies from Jentel, The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts and Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Krygowski's subject matter deals with major life events.

For more information, contact Gerry LaFemina at 301-687-4024 or glafemina@frostburg.edu.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301.687.4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1.800.735.2258.

Nov 6 2010 - Long Island Poets Ready to Rock the Brownstone Poets in Brooklyn Heights

2010-10-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Two highly respected Long Island poets, Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan and Doreen Spungin, are ready to rock the Brownstone Poets in Brooklyn Heights on Saturday, November 6 at 2:30 P.M. at the Park Plaza Restaurant. Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan is the appointed Suffolk County Poet Laureate for 2009 – 2011. Doreen Spungin taught children with special needs and now serves her own special needs writing poetry.

Park Plaza Restaurant
220 Cadman Plaza West near Clark St. & Pineapple Walk
Brooklyn, NY 11201 - 718 – 596 – 5900
Take the A or C to High Street, 2 or 3 to Clark Street,
4, 5 or R to Court Street, Borough Hall

$3 Donation – plus Food/Drink - Open Mic
Curated by Patricia Carragon

email: pattiekake@earthlink.net
http://brownstonepoets.blogspot.com/
http://patriciacarragon8.wordpress.com/
http://myspace.com/pattiekake8
http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Brownstone-Poets/541314712

Oct 15 2010 - Western Maryland Small and Regional Press Festival

2010-10-10T06:34:00.001-07:00

The Frostburg State University Center for Creative Writing, in partnership with the Allegany County Library System, will host the fourth annual Western Maryland Small and Regional Press Festival on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at several locations on Main Street in Frostburg.

This annual event brings together editors and publishers with writers and educators of the local literary community. Participating journals and presses are provided with tables inside Frostburg's Lyric Theater to display books, submission guidelines and other promotional materials. This year the festival has expanded to several partnering locations on Main Street, including Mountain City Traditional Arts, the Frostburg Public Library and the Lyric Theater. Those locations will be the site of panel discussions and roundtable sessions, which include topics on writing and getting published, teachers and students, blogging and new media publishing, using social media for promotion and multi-genre craft discussions. The festival is an excellent opportunity for members of the local literary community to meet directly with editors and publishers and learn all about writing and publishing.

Some participants this year include Mammoth Books, CityLit Press, Lines + Stars, Kestrel, Gargoyle Magazine, No Tell Books and The Broadkill Review.

The festival will begin with a poetry reading by Nancy Krygowski from the Gist Street Reading Series on Friday, Oct. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at Main Street Books; a reception for press and journal attendees at the Center for Creative Writing from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and a panel discussion on forging a literary community at 7:30 p.m., also at CCW.

Leading up to the festival, interviews and information about participating presses and journals will be featured on the Center's website and Wordpress blog. Visit the website at www.frostburg.edu/cwcenter for more information and a complete list of participants.

Jan 24-29 2011 - 27th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering - Elko, Nevada

2010-10-10T06:23:00.001-07:00

The 27th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, will take place January 24-29, 2011, in Elko, Nevada. As part of its ongoing effort to build understanding among herding cultures worldwide, the Gathering will welcome horsemen, musicians and craftsmen from the Hungarian puszta, the largest contiguous grasslands in Europe, home to the legendary Hungarian horsemen, csikos, who have tended and defended their herds of grey longhorn Hungarian cattle since the Magyars first crossed into the area from the Carpathians a thousand years ago. Renowned for their horsemanship and animal husbandry, they have much in common with the American cowboy.

"We will explore common ground and new ground between these two herding cultures," explains Charlie Seemann, Executive Director of the Western Folklife Center, which produces the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. "Through panel discussions, performances of pastoral music and poetry, workshops and an exhibition about Hungarian csikos, we hope to build a bridge between cultures that may seem very different on the surface, but that share profound similarities."

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is the nation's largest annual celebration of cowboy culture. For six days the community of Elko will welcome thousands of cowboys and cowgirls, poets and musicians, artisans and scholars, rural and city people—all of whom share a love of the American West and the artistic traditions of ranching and cowboy culture. The Hungarians will join more than 60 poets and musicians from the U.S., Canada and Australia, who will perform on eight stages at five different venues throughout Elko. Highlights include a dinner theater production featuring Ramblin' Jack Elliott, who will perform songs from his 2010 Grammy-award-winning recording of traditional blues music, and the youthful Marshall Ford Swing Band, featuring Emily Gimble (granddaughter of Texas fiddle legend Johnny Gimble). They will join many Gathering favorites, including Ian Tyson, Waddie Mitchell, Baxter Black, the Quebe Sisters, Wylie and the Wild West, Paul Zarzyski and Wallace McRae.

Tickets to the 27th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering can be purchased online at www.westernfolklife.org or by calling 775-738-7508 or toll-free at 888-880-5885. For more information about the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, visit http://www.westernfolklife.org/.

Nov 3-23 2010 - The Web's Largest Online Optimization and Conversion Conference November 2010 - ONLINE

2010-10-10T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Landing Page Success Summit is a live web conference designed to help Marketers increase their online marketing profits. Leading industry Conversion Rate Experts will teach Marketers how to save tme and increase sales with cutting-edge website and landing page optimization techniques. The summit covers these hot topics: Online Customer Conversion Rates; Search Engine Optimization; Web Page Analysis; Copywriting; Web 2.0 Strategies; Social Media - Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin; B2B and B2C Case Studies, Search and Social Media Marketing Resources, Tools, Trends and more. The online conference runs from November 3-23, 2010--three weeks of solid, expert-led training completely online.

The focus of the Landing Page Success Summit is to provide Marketers with expert insights, resources, tools and strategies to develop and deploy customer-converting landing pages. The Summit's Founder Mary O'Brien, search marketing (pay per click) industry leader, has trained thousands of Marketers how to drive their bottom line profits using search marketing: Google AdWords/Yahoo Search Marketing/Microsoft AdCenter and other online advertising platforms.

The Landing Page Success Summit registration is open and attendees can get 50% off for a limited time only. To learn more about the Landing Page Success Summit online sessions and speakers, please visit Landing Page Success Summit.

Legendary Author Maurice Sendak to Read Where the Wild Things Are

2010-10-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

Barnes & Noble, Inc. announced legendary author Maurice Sendak will read the classic children's picture book Where the Wild Things Are for the Barnes & Noble.com Online Storytime program (www.bn.com/storytime). Beginning today, visitors can listen to this exclusive narration by Mr. Sendak of his children's classic and celebrate the wild rumpus through his colorful artwork and illustrations.

Barnes & Noble.com will feature a Where the Wild Things Are page with a selection of monster-themed books and toys. BN.com customers will receive a 45% discount on select items, for a limited time. To celebrate the Online Storytime, Barnes & Noble stores will feature Where the Wild Things Are in-store displays for the month of October.

"Barnes & Noble is thrilled to have author Maurice Sendak reading Where the Wild Things Are as only he can. Mr. Sendak's book is imaginative, creative and whimsical -- a perfect fit for our Online Storytime," said Rachel Jarrett, Director of Kids and Lifestyle Products for Barnes & Noble.com. "After more than 40 years and over 20 million copies sold worldwide, children are still wildly enthusiastic about Mr. Sendak's book and we share that enthusiasm as we listen to him tell the tale of Max sailing to the land 'where the wild things are.'"

A monthly feature, Barnes & Noble.com's Online Storytime is perfect for children ages two through six and showcases favorite children's books read by well-known authors and celebrities. To enhance the Storytime experience, illustrations and artwork are brought to life through pan-and-scan technology. Previous selections have included Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly read by author Jane O'Connor; Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; and, most recently, Ian Falconer's Olivia read by SNL alum Ana Gasteyer. In November, author Jan Brett will read his timeless favorite The Mitten and in December Chris Van Allsburg will read his holiday classic The Polar Express.

Oct 25 2010 - Bowers Writers House hosts Richard Jackson - Elizabethtown College

2010-10-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Elizabethtown College Bowers Writers House presents University of Tennessee at Chattanooga National Alumni Association Distinguished Service Professor Richard Jackson. Dr. Jackson, who teaches creative writing and poetry in UTC's interdisciplinary honors program and writing seminars at Vermont College, will read from his collected works at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, in Bowers Writers House.

Jackson is the author of numerous books of poems including Resonance and Ultimate Voyage: The Poems of Giovanni Pascoli (translation), which came out this year.

Other recent books include Half Lives: Petrarchan Poems (2004) and Unauthorized Autobiography: New and Selected Poems (2003). His work has been translated into 15 languages and has appeared in The Best American Poems, among other collections.

Jackson is editor of two anthologies of Slovene poetry, as well as the journal Poetry Miscellany. In addition to dozens of essays and reviews that have appeared in such journals as The Georgia Review, Contemporary Literature, Kenyon Review, and Prairie Schooner, he is the author of Dismantling Time in Contemporary American Poetry (Agee Prize) and Acts of Mind: Interviews With Contemporary American Poets (Choice Award).

Jackson was awarded the Order of Freedom Medal by the President of Slovenia for literary and humanitarian work in the Balkans and was named a Guggenheim Fellow, Fulbright Fellow, NEA Fellow, NEH Fellow, and has lectured and given readings at dozens of universities and conferences. He leads a group of writing students to Europe each May.

Founded this spring, Bowers Writers House at Elizabethtown College, 840 College Hill Lane in Elizabethtown, is an interdisciplinary venue for expression, study, presentation and performance. Created to promote and support a culture of creative curiosity, Bowers Writers House brings to Elizabethtown a new sense of excitement and enthusiasm for intellectual diversity. From dramatic readings to musical performances to interactive panels, the programs offer a dynamic variety of enjoyable and formative experiences.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Website: http://www.etown.edu/

Oct 19 2010 - Free Global Teleclass on "How to Market Your Ebook & Infoproducts"

2010-10-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

Small business owners and entrepreneurs from around the globe are invited to "How to Market Your Ebook & Infoproducts: A Teleseminar with an Expert Writer & a Marketing Specialist" a free teleclass on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 6:00pm PT/9:00pm

More and more small business owners, like healthcare providers, realtors, coaches, consultants, and other service professionals have discovered ebooks and infoproducts as a way to share their expertise and create passive income. Yet, most are unfamiliar with how to write a book or ebook and their time is limited.

"I meet business owners all the time who tell me they've been wanting to write a book or ebook but just can't seem to get started," says Andrea Susan Glass, founder of WritersWay, a ghostwriting and copyediting service. "They seem to have obstacles, distractions, and excuses that keep them from writing that book, ebook, or other infoproduct they say they want to write. Or they've written something but have no clue how to market and sell it," says Glass, an award-winning ghostwriter of over 100 books and ebooks. Her most recent ebook, "Your Info-Product Success System" was just released and is available at http://www.infoproductsuccesssystem.com/.

She decided to team up with a marketing expert to host a one-hour teleclass to reveal the secrets and strategies for ebook and infoproduct success. Along with Glass will be Debra Ward, marketing pro to a global franchise and owner of her own marketing firm.

"Andrea will talk about her areas of expertise such as the motivation behind writing a book, how to identify the best market, and how to write with a market in mind," says Ward. "I'll share top marketing strategies such as developing a marketing plan, using SEO, writing press releases, and social media. I'll also reveal top tips for a successful live event."

Ward and Glass will answer any questions to make the call as interactive as possible. They will offer solid, practical content to help people write their infoproducts and market them successfully. Glass is dedicated to teaching service professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone with the desire to transform their expertise, experience, and education into powerful, valuable products that serve a larger audience and provide passive income. She's also an instructor for UCSD Extension and A Word With You Press.

Registration is free and available at http://www.writersway.com/teleclass. The free event is being conducted by Andrea Susan Glass, an expert copyeditor and award-winning ghostwriter along with Debra Ward, a marketing consultant. For additional information contact andrea@writersway.com. To order a free report and get more information about writing info-products visit http://www.writersway.com/

Oct 9 2010 - Get Paid to Speak and Write - Henderson, NV

2010-10-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Imagine getting paid to speak! If you've ever wanted to write or speak professionally, this is your chance to discover what it takes and how to get paid for doing what you love. Spend a day with some of the most successful speakers and authors in Las Vegas. Robin Jay, award-winning author, speaker, columnist, publisher, and president of the Las Vegas Convention Speakers Bureau is hosting a one-day event on Saturday, October 9th in Las Vegas.

Jay and several outstanding guest speakers will be sharing their experience and coaching audience members through a comprehensive look at what it takes to become a professional PAID speaker and successful author or writer.

Guests will discover that there are three different types of professional speakers and be able to determine which category is right for them. Jay and her experts will share the nuts and bolts of what it takes to monetize their speaking career. If you have ever wondered what it takes to become a professional, PAID speaker, here is your chance to get an insider's view during this information-packed and entertaining seminar.

As president of a speakers bureau in the convention capital of the world, Jay is in a unique position to offer insights from some of the most successful speakers of our time. She regularly works with some of the most popular, successful motivational speakers, including Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Les Brown, Keith Ferrazzi, and more. She is also the publisher of a series of speaker anthologies, "The Power of the Platform," that feature these industry leaders.

Attendees will receive a FREE copy of "The Power of the Platform: Speakers on Success," which features chapters from some of these speaking icons including Jack Canfield, co-creator of "Chicken Soup for the Soul," Brian Tracy, "America's Success Guru," Les Brown, "The World's Leading Motivational Speaker," Dr. Tony Alessandra, creator of "The Platinum Rule," and Marcia Wieder, "America's Dream Coach," along with many other outstanding professional speakers.

The seminar will cover an insider's look at the speaking and publishing industries, as well as presentation skills, marketing materials, and the other tools that speakers and writers need to succeed.

Those interested in getting paid to speak or write can sign up for early bird registration before September 30th, 2010. Early bird registration is just $149 per person. After 9/30, registration will be $199 per person. The program will begin at 9AM and run until 5PM, with breaks for lunch and throughout the day. The event will be held on Saturday, October 9th, at the Hampton Inn & Suites Las Vegas South, at 3245 St. Rose Parkway, Henderson, NV 89052.

For more information or to sign up, please call Robin Jay at 702-460-1420 or e-mail her at Robin@RobinJay.com. Website: http://robinjay.com/

Sept 30 2010 - Simplifying Social Media to Grow Your Business - FREE

2010-09-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

Top business and marketing coaches, Bria and Mark Simpson offer a breakthrough interview event for small business owners and entrepreneurs on Sept 30 with social medial expert, Amy Porterfield.

Amy Porterfield has made a career telling people what they don't want to hear. Her ability to see past the hype, and tell you exactly what you need, has made her the top consultant to some of the largest companies in the world. She has worked with top real estate moguls, celebrity chefs, travel industry executives, and a variety of Fortune 500 companies. She is also the co-author of the upcoming book, "Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies" of the popular For Dummies reference book series.

On September 30th , 2010 Bria and Mark Simpson, founders of Excelerated Success Coaching Company, will interview Amy to get the most up-to-date information on what is and is not working in the ever changing world of social media.

Here are a few of the tips that will be covered:

*The #1 mistake most people make when it comes to social media marketing
*The top 3 strategies to generate cash...QUICKLY
*Best Bang for your Buck - a pros guide to which sites are best for you
*How to make social media easy, fun and highly profitable
*Amy's secret weapon to grow your business

To sign up for this complimentary, fun and lively interview, click here: http://exceleratedsuccess.com/amyp/.

"Social Media is not just a way for your kids to keep in touch with their friends – it's a powerful business building tool. Many businesses last year TRIPLED their incomes because they got online and put a face behind their business. Social networking is THE BEST way to build lasting and trusting relationships with potential clients and customers,"says Mark.

To create a successful online marketing strategy, business owners need to be aware of the new technologies and concepts that are being developed on a monthly basis. As an example, Facebook recently changed rules regarding the layout of the pages on their site that will effect a huge number of Facebook users. Keeping up with this updates and modifications can be a full time job. That is why it is so crucial to have people like Amy Porterfield or Bria and Mark Simpson who keep up with this changes and break them down into language small business owner's can understand.

For Amy Porterfield, her true passion is showing small business owners how to find their "sweet spot" in the social media world to turn their business and their brand into viral gold. This fits perfectly with the vision the Simpson's have of teaching these same entrepreneurs the latest strategies and techniques they need to incorporate into their business and their lives to achieve their goals and reach new levels of success.

The interview will discuss the art of engagement and online community building using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and many other popular social media sites. Amy and Mark, will help demystify social media and will be SIMPLIFYING the entire process for you on this free Call.

Interested entrepreneurs should register for free to find out more:
http://exceleratedsuccess.com/amyp/

The tele-summit is being recorded and copies of the recording will be provided to everyone who signs up.

Sept 30 2010 - Teachers Headline Panel Discussion on 'Writing, Learning and Leading in the Digital Age' - Washington, DC

2010-09-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

WHAT: A panel of nationally recognized teachers will share their innovative best practices of using digital media tools in the classroom. Teachers will offer perspectives on new learning technologies and student experiences, and will present brief videos of in-classroom use.

Welcoming remarks will be provided by Representative George Miller, Chairman of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee. Juan Williams, journalist and renowned author, will moderate the discussion and seek to advance the national conversation around classroom technology and education reform.

This is the first in a series of four Teachers Are the Center of Education events, sponsored by The College Board, which gives teachers a forum to discuss critical issues in education.

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010

8:30 AM - 9 AM Continental breakfast

9 AM - 10 AM Panel briefing

WHERE: Room HVC 215, United States Capitol Visitors Center (Please be prepared to present photo ID)

You can also follow us during this event on Twitter at @writingproject

WHO: Briefing will include teachers featured in Teachers Are the Center of Education: Writing, Learning and Leading in the Digital Age, a report recently released by the two organizations and Phi Delta Kappa International.

Juan Williams, Moderator
Journalist and Renowned Author

Sept 22 2010 - Stony Brook Southampton's Acclaimed "Writers Speak" Series - Southampton, SC

2010-09-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Stony Brook Southampton's MFA Program in Writing and Literature will inaugurate its Fall 2010 " Writers Speak " series in the new Chancellors Hall Radio Lounge on Wednesday, September 22, at 7 pm with renowned author James Salter, who will be reading from the just-released Memorable Days: The Selected Letters of James Salter and Robert Phelps (Counterpoint).

The Fall 2010 Stony Brook Southampton Writers Speak series, launched by James Salter in Southampton on September 22, and in Manhattan on September 27, will also include:

September 29; 7 PM:
Gahan Wilson (Southampton)
October 6; 7 PM:
Diane McWhorter, Pulitzer Prize winning author (Southampton)
October 11; 7 PM:
Andrew Wingfield (Southampton)
October 20; 7 PM:
Best American Poetry series editor David Lehman and Pushcart Prize anthology editor Bill Henderson (Southampton)
November 1; 7 PM:
David Rakoff (Manhattan)

November 10; 7 PM:
Ursula Hegi (Southampton)

November 17; 7 PM:
Matthea Harvey & Rob Casper (Southampton)
December 6; 7 PM:
Julie Sheehan and Ursula Hegi (Manhattan)
December 8; 7 PM:
A Southampton MFA reading (Southampton)

For more information, refer to the Stony Brook Southampton MFA Writers Speak website, or call 631-632-5030. http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/southampton/mfa/

Oct 8 - 2010 - Ray Bradbury Stars in 'Big Rea' at WesternU - POMONA, CA

2010-09-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

Renowned author Ray Bradbury will make a special appearance at Western University of Health Sciences on Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 as part of Pomona's "Fahrenheit 451" Big Read.

Ray Bradbury and Sam Weller, his authorized biographer, will appear at WesternU's Health Education Center, 701 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif., from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 8 to discuss "The Bradbury Chronicles" and the newly released "Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews."

"An Evening with Ray Bradbury and Sam Weller" will feature an interactive program with the two men, and is a rare opportunity to meet one of America's most celebrated authors. A reception will be held at 6 p.m., with a book signing following the program.

Bradbury will sign copies of "Fahrenheit 451," and Weller will sign copies of "The Bradbury Chronicles" and "Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews." No other books, CDs, DVDs or memorabilia of any kind, please.

This event, which is open to the public, serves as the kick-off for Pomona's "Fahrenheit 451" Big Read. Everyone in the community is invited to read the novel "Fahrenheit 451" and share in the numerous discussions, film screenings, art exhibits and other events scheduled throughout October and November. Event details and updates are available on the Pomona Public Library web page (http://www.pomonalibrary.org/) and here (http://www.neabigread.org/communities/?community_id=2024), or call the Pomona Public Library at 909-620-2043.

The goal of the Big Read is to restore reading to the center of American culture and highlight the importance of literature in daily life. The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, aims to directly address the decline of reading for pleasure by providing citizens with an opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their community.

WesternU's Harriet K. and Philip Pumerantz Library, 287 E. Third St., Pomona, will feature a special display of controversial medical books and some consumer health books that have been banned, as well as "Fahrenheit 451" and other fiction. The "Banned Books Display" will remind students and visitors not to take freedom for granted. The display runs Sept. 25 to Oct. 31, 2010.

Sept 23 2010 - How to Develop a Content Strategy for Search and Social Marketing

2010-09-20T04:58:00.000-07:00

On September 23, Compendium CEO Chris Baggott will partner with Content Marketing Evangelist Joe Pulizzi for a compelling webinar on content marketing.

In marketing, content has always ruled as king. Now, however, content is more important than ever as the fuel that feeds search engine optimization and social networking, the two most popular means for online marketing. Titled "Content Strategies for Search and Social Marketing," this webinar will teach marketers how to develop a content strategy that meets the search and social needs of their organization.

Joe Pulizzi is a content marketing evangelist and one of the thought leaders behind the content marketing and social media movement. He is also the co-author, with Newt Barrett, of "Get Content, Get Customers," and a noted public speaker.

Chris Baggott is the co-founder and CEO of Compendium, a social content publishing platform that allows companies to generate and distribute content to search-engine friendly landing pages and social networking sites. Baggott travels widely throughout the U.S. speaking on search and social marketing, and how to develop and deploy the human content that drives both.

With these two industry experts guiding the webinar, attendees will learn proven content strategies to improve their online marketing and acquire new business.

"It's not enough to simply know you need more content," says Baggott. "That's like telling someone they need to drive a car without ever teaching them how…or even providing them with a car to drive. This webinar will show marketers how to strategically create more content for search and social marketing."

The September 23 webinar takes place from 2:00 to 3:00 PM EDT and is limited to 250 attendees. For more information, go to http://landingpages.compendium.com/homeleader-webinar-content-strategies.html.

Oct 7-10 2010 - The 2010 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival

2010-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The largest and most renowned poetry event in North America, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation's 13th Biennial Dodge Poetry Festival, will be hosted this year by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and the City of Newark. The Festival is expected to attract an audience of more than 20,000 people nationally and internationally. The Dodge Foundation will also provide free tickets to more than 4,500 high school students representing 250 schools across the country. The Festival features former U.S. Poets Laureate Kay Ryan, Billy Collins, Rita Dove, and Mark Strand as well as dozens of distinguished poets over four days of readings, discussions, and conversations.

THE 2010 GERALDINE R. DODGE POETRY FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

POETRY SAMPLER AND POETRY SUMMIT

The Festival opens on October 7th with an event unrivaled by any other poetry gathering: a Poetry Sampler featuring back-to-back readings by two dozen major poets, including Kay Ryan, the most recent U.S. Poet Laureate, and former Poets Laureate Billy Collins and Rita Dove, as well as Pulitzer Prize and McArthur "Genius" Fellowship winner Galway Kinnell. The event takes place in NJPAC's 2,800-seat Prudential Hall.

Other notable poets reading in the Poetry Sampler are Amiri Baraka, Kwame Dawes, Matthew Dickman, Bob Hicok, Martin Espada, Dunya Mikhail, Joseph Millar, Nancy Morejon, Sharon Olds, Marie Ponsot, and Claudia Rankine. All poets in the Poetry Sampler will participate in the Festival's subsequent three days of scheduled readings, conversations and discussions. The Festival will culminate with a Sunday afternoon Poetry Summit on October 10th in Prudential Hall featuring four Poets Laureate: Billy Collins (2001-03), Rita Dove (1993-95), Kay Ryan (2008-10), and Mark Strand (1990-91).

Tickets can be purchased by phone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC, in person at the box-office at One Center Street (open Monday- Saturday, noon to 6pm, and Sunday, noon to 5pm), or online at www.njpac.org). As they become available, information and program updates about the 2010 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival will be available at http://www.dodgepoetry.org/.

Sept 23 2010 - SUNY Potsdam Announces Guest Author Book Series

2010-09-12T06:58:00.001-07:00

The SUNY Potsdam Guest Author Book Series, funded as part of the college's five-year, $1.6 million dollar Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant Award from the U.S. Department of Education to promote undergraduate research across the curriculum, will host an inaugural open campus forum on Thursday, Sept. 23, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Raymond Hall 8th floor dining room.

The inaugural SUNY Potsdam Guest Author Book Series event will feature nationally known scholars Dr. Kathyrine Scheuch and Dr. Joy Gaston-Gayles, authors of "Reinventing Undergraduate Education: Engaging College Students in Research and Creative Activities."

"The Guest Author Book Series is a unique opportunity for the campus and community to learn more about national role models in instructional pedagogy and curriculum design that engages both faculty and students in meaningful research, scholarship and creative activity in multiple classroom, community, laboratory or studio settings," said SUNY Potsdam Title III Project Director Gerald L. Ratliff.

Dr. Kathyrine Scheuch, former deputy director of research and director of academic programs and teacher education at the Florida Department of Education, is currently serving as a research analyst for the Florida Department of Education. She earned a doctorate degree from Florida State University and her dissertation examined faculty research orientation, undergraduate research activities and student outcomes. Scheuch's scholarly interests include not only instructional pedagogy and practices but also minority student issues and the history of the honors program movement in the United States.

Dr. Joy Gaston-Gayles, professor in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Adult & Higher Education at North Carolina State University, serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of College Student Development and the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals Journal. She has published numerous articles that explore the relationship between a student's academic and social experience and the influence of college experiences on desired outcomes of education. Gayles earned a doctorate degree from The Ohio State University and her scholarly interests are related to the gendered effects of degree attainment on minorities and women in the sciences.

The campus forum is open to the community and there is no charge for admission. For more information, contact Gerald L. Ratliff, Title III project director, at (315) 267-2107 or e-mail ratlifgl@potsdam.edu. To find out more about the variety of events on the SUNY Potsdam calendar, check out www.potsdam.edu/newsandevents.

Sept 28 2010 - Frostburg State University Presents Banned Book Readings

2010-09-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

The English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta and the Lewis J. Ort Library at Frostburg State University will present an evening of readings from books deemed controversial enough to be banned or challenged. The readings will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. in room 237 of the Lewis J. Ort Library.

This event is held in conjunction with the American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read. This yearly commemoration, as the ALA notes, "reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted."

For more information, contact Dr. Mary Anne Lutz at the FSU Department of English at mlutz@frostburg.edu, or Jeffrey Maehre at the Lewis J. Ort Library at jamaehre@frostburg.edu.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.

Sept 2010 - 100 Day Writing Challenge for Established and Aspiring Writers

2010-09-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

Online writing teacher and top copywriter Angela Booth has created a "100 Day Challenge" to help both professional and aspiring writers to achieve their 2010 goals by the end of this year.

Angela has announced these details on her writing blog:

* The 100 Day Challenge is free. It begins in September, an ends on January 1, 2011.

* The Challenge is for both new and established writers who want to achieve the goals they set for themselves in 2010. Writers who haven't set goals will have the opportunity to set their goals during the Challenge.

* Writers' objectives for the Challenge are essentially to meet their goals for 2010. For example, a writers' goals could include making at least $200 a day more from his writing than he's making now, or making at least $70 an hour from his writing by the end of 2010, or starting or completing a book.

* Prerequisites for writers who want to enroll: a writer needs the determination to commit to the process, and the desire to devote an hour a day to it. Writers will also need to be prepared to have fun.

* Writers will receive twice-weekly guidance and writing training in email messages from Angela.

Angela says: "in a nutshell, writers will achieve their goals for 2010, and will have a great time as they do it. It's my aim that in just 100 days, writers will discover how to build the great writing career they want and deserve."

The mid-September enrollment date for the Challenge will be announced in Angela's popular Fab Freelance Writing Ezine. The enrollment will be limited, and will be open for just five days.

To learn more, writers are encouraged to subscribe to Fab Freelance Writing Ezine.

Sept 21 2010 - Virtual Workshop on Social Media

2010-09-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

Informex, the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications, today announced that it will hold the first of a series of webinars on September 21, 2010. The inaugural webinar, 'Navigating Social Media: A step-by-step guide for promoting your brand,' will run from 2 until 4pm ET and will be led by social media and chemical industry expert, Mary Canady.

The fully interactive session will examine social media strategies and tactics tailored specifically for chemical industry professionals. The workshop will aim to educate delegates as to the best ways to promote their brand via social media. One of the major themes of the real-time seminar will be how to increase the effectiveness of your presence at an event before, during, and after the trade show or conference. Real examples from life science conferences will be used to show what has worked and why, and attendees will receive worksheets and schedules designed to get them moving quickly towards planning a highly successful event presence.

The webinar will take an in-depth look at social media's role in the chemical industry as it relates to: research of industry and competitors, connecting with business partners, developing and maintaining business relationships, leveraging news and announcements and interacting with customers and clients.

The Informex social media webinar will focus on several topic areas to educate attendees in the many benefits of using social media to extend company outreach and engagement, including:

A timeline for how to use social media up to, including, and post trade show/conference

Getting over your fears of social media
How to integrate into your marketing plan
The types of messages and platforms that will be most applicable for your brand
Etiquette 'Do's and Don'ts' of social media
Case study of a firm that has seen the benefit of social media
Investment of employee time required
How to be an active member of the social media communities
Metrics for evaluating return on investment

Entrance to the webinar costs $79 per person or $150 per group and places are limited number to ensure that attendees will have a chance to ask questions, interact and have their concerns fully addressed.

Future topics in the Informex webinar series include 'How to Grow Your Business in Latin America,' 'Waste Management,' 'Organic Chemistry 101 for Chemical Business Professionals' and 'Navigating Drug Delays'. The webinars will allow chemical industry professionals to connect to Informex branded events without leaving the comfort of the office. In times when travel is not always an option, virtual events allow education and interactivity with minimal investment enabling attendees to hear from industry leaders who may not speak regularly at events due to time or travel constraints.

Registration for the webinar series is now open and further information is available at: www.informex.com/webinars.

Sept 16 2010 - What the Pros Know About Writing Well - Willowbrook, Illinois

2010-09-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Barbara Govednik, Writer, Writing Coach, Communication Strategist at 423 Communication, http://www.423communication.com/ visits with West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs, http://www.wswe.org/, a premier educational and networking organization in the western suburbs for women seeking to better their businesses, their communities and the world. Attendee registration at http://www.wswe.org/

Ms. Govednik will be keynoting on the topic "What the Pros Know About Writing Well" on September 16, 2010 at the Ashton Place, 341 75th Street, Willowbrook, Illinois at 8:00 am (CST).

Ms. Govednik says, "Whether you are trying to write a book or trying to write an email, knowing the tips, tricks and skills that professional writers use every day can make your time at the keyboard more efficient, more effective and a lot less daunting."

For more than 20 years, Barbara Govednik has made her living creating content and she shares the secrets for getting started, polishing your message and staying on track with any kind of writing project, big or small.

WSWE's program director, Aileen Gilpin is delighted to have Ms. Govednik participating. "We've managed to attract the top talent in the industry to represent topics that are forefront in the minds of small business owners," noted Gilpin. "The overwhelming success of our unique presentation style allows us to offer live presentations and Q&A to our members, as well as on-demand presentations throughout the year. The opportunities for our speakers to impart their knowledge and expertise, as well as to "get the word” out to other women entrepreneurs in the community is just mind-boggling."

In addition to educational sessions, WSWE attendees are able to develop relationships that become a critical source of support and inspiration, meet women who understand your challenges and can provide encouragement and share practical solutions, learn from experts with the information you need to continue to grow both professionally and personally and make professional connections that will lead to new business opportunities.

For the full event information and registration, visit http://www.wswe.org

Sept 26 2010 - Best-Selling Author Rick Riordan to Speak at Adelphi University

2010-09-07T05:37:00.001-07:00

Rick Riordan will deliver the Rita Diamandopoulos Lecture in Literature on Saturday, September 25, 2010, in the Ruth S. Harley University Center's Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. This ticketed lecture will take place at 4:00 p.m. with a book-signing at 5:15 p.m.

Mr. Riordan is best known for his children's fiction series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. His first book in the series, The Lightening Thief, was a Notable Book of the New York Times in 2005. The Sea of Monsters was named Child Magazine’s Best Book for Children in 2006 and was a national bestseller. His third title, The Titan’s Curse, put the series on the New York Times’ number one bestseller list, while the fourth title, The Battle of the Labyrinth, had a first printing of one million copies. The series ended in 2009 with The Last Olympian, which was also a national bestseller.

With a body of work including highly acclaimed adult fiction, Mr. Riordan won the 1998 Shamus Award and Anthony Award for Big Red Tequila, and the 1999 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original for The Widower’s Two-Step. The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, was another number one bestseller of the New York Times. His newest series, The Kane Chronicles, is about Egyptian mythology and opened in the spring of 2010 with The Red Pyramid.

Mr. Riordan was previously an English and history teacher for middle schools in the San Francisco Bay area and in Texas. In 2002, Saint Mary’s Hall in San Antonio, Texas honored him with the school’s first Master Teacher Award. He now writes full-time and lives in San Antonio with his wife and two sons.

For more information about this and other events on campus, please visit adelphi.edu, or call the Cultural Events Hotline at (516) 877-4555. General admission for this lecture is $15 per person. To purchase tickets, please visit the box office or call (516) 877-4000

Sept 12 2010 - Brooklyn Book Festival - New York

2010-09-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

Now in its fifth year, the Brooklyn Book Festival is one of the top book festivals in the country. With the extraordinary literary heritage, vibrant publishing community and international reading audience of Brooklyn and New York City as its backdrop, the Festival offers the best and brightest stars in contemporary literature.

The hip, huge and free all-star literary lineup includes Salman Rushdie, Naomi Klein, Paul Auster, Venus Williams, Nelson George, Sarah Silverman, Gary Shteyngart, Mary Gaitskill, John Ashbery, Rosanne Cash, Paul Krugman, Colson Whitehead, Francine Prose, Dennis Lehane, Per Petterson, Esmeralda Santiago, Pete Hamill, Jennifer Egan, Russell Banks, Michael Connelly, John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal, Sam Lipsyte, Sloane Crosley, Maaza Mengiste, Paul Harding, Amy Goodman, Marlon James, Sarah MacLean, Jean Valentine, Elizabeth Nunez and many more, as well as children's and young adult lit stars like Rebecca Stead, Sara Shepard, Jacqueline Woodson, Jon Scieszka, Jenny Han, Nina Crews, Mac Barnett, Tad Hills, Chris Raschka, Michael Rex, Matthew Reinhart and Francisco X. Stork.

Locations include Brooklyn Borough Hall/Columbus Park, St. Francis College and the Brooklyn Historical Society. Brooklyn Book Festival is presented by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn Literary Council and Brooklyn Tourism.

"As the creative epicenter of New York, Brooklyn is already home to many of the world's greatest writers, and now we've got a festival that gathers together the rest of the best from across the nation and around the world," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

This year's expansion includes weekend-long "Bookend" events at the coolest venues in Brooklyn, including BAM, Bell House, Brooklyn Bridge Park, The Brooklyn Kitchen, Brooklyn Public Library, Debut Lit, Freebird Books & Goods, Greenlight Bookstore, Irondale Center, Light Industry, Littlefield, Mainspring Collective, PEN American Center, Pizza D'Amore, powerHouse, St. Ann's Warehouse, WORD and more!

The Brooklyn Book Festival "BoBi" award, given each year to an author whose body of work exemplifies or speaks to the spirit of Brooklyn, will go to the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Ashbery.

With a festival this hip, smart and diverse—Brooklyn is indeed Book-lyn!

Visit http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org/ or check out the official Facebook page

Sept 18 2010 - Twelve Poetic Dance works - San Francisco, CA

2010-08-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Twelve Poetic Dance works - a fusion of dance with poetry - by selected Art Dance groups and soloists, embracing poetry as something to dance about, will be featured at the 17th annual Dancing Poetry Festival. Costumes, Music, and Motion highlight this year's festival, which will be held at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor's exquisite Florence Gould Theater, 100 - 34th Avenue, San Francisco, CA, on Sept. 18, 2010, noon - 4:00 p.m.

A delightful and rare fusion of the arts of dance and poetry. Sponsored by Artists Embassy International and featuring the renowned Natica Angilly's Poetic Dance Theater Company, with Poet Laureate Man of Letters, Richard Angilly. For reservations/advanced tickets email dancingpoetry@aol.com or call: 510-235-0361. Information at: http://www.dancingpoetry.com/. $15 General admission, $12 Seniors, $8 Youth. An exciting, fun-filled afternoon for the whole family.

Artists Embassy International expands performance outreach, as it moves poetry from the page to the stage, presenting exceptional local, international, cultural exchanges. AEI is a non-profit tax-exempt volunteer organization, furthering intercultural understanding, friendship and goodwill through the universal language of the arts. Poets, dancers, musicians, visual artists, and arts enthusiasts are invited to this wonderful poetic happening. Tax-deductible donations accepted.

Amy Goodman, Award-Winning Journalist, Opens Calhoun Performing Arts Series, Sept. 27, 2010 - New York

2010-08-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Amy Goodman, best-selling author and award-winning executive producer and host of the national independent news program Democracy Now!, will address the role of independent media in promoting social justice on Monday, September 27, 7pm, in an evening talk hosted by the Calhoun 2010-2011 Performing Arts Series. A Q&A and signing of her latest book, Breaking the Sound Barrier, will follow the talk. Tickets for the event,which is being held in the Mary Lea Johnson Performing Arts Center at The Calhoun School, 433 West End Avenue @ 81st Street, are $5 for seniors and students; $10 for adults, and may be purchased online at www.calhoun.org/reservations.

Ms. Goodman is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award--widely known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize"-- for "developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media." Her reporting on East Timor and Nigeria has won numerous awards, including the George Polk Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting, and the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award. She has also received awards from the Associated Press, United Press International, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Project Censored. Ms. Goodman was one of the first recipients of Independent Media's Izzy Award. PULSE named her one of the 20 Top Global Media Figures of 2009, and she received the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Reporting in 2007 for a weekly podcast syndicated by King Features. Time Magazine named Democracy Now its "Pick of the Podcasts."

The author of four New York Times best sellers, Ms. Goodman's latest book, Breaking the Sound Barrier, proves the power of independent journalism in the struggle for a better world. She co-authored the first three bestsellers with her brother, journalist David Goodman: Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times (2008), Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back (2006) and The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them (2004). For more information about Amy Goodman, see http://www.democracynow.org/.

Sept 11-12 2010 - Women Writers Event Remembers Katrina - New Orleans

2010-08-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2010, five years ago this month. To honor the suffering it caused, and in a year when the eyes of the world are once again trained on the Gulf Coast after the oil spill, the Kentucky Women Writers Conference will feature poet Patricia Smith, the author of "Blood Dazzler," a collection of poetry on Hurricane Katrina. The Kentucky Women Writers Conference runs Sept. 11-12.

"Blood Dazzler," which chronicles the devastation wreaked by Katrina on individual lives, was a National Book Award finalist and one of NPR’s Top 5 books of 2008. Smith’s poems capture the transformation of the hurricane as it approaches shore, from Aug. 23, 2005, the day Tropical Depression Twelve developed, through Aug. 28 when it became a Category 5 storm with its "scarlet glare fixed on the trembling crescent," to the heartbreaking aftermath. Throughout, the book evokes the horror that unfolded in New Orleans as the nation watched on television. Assuming the voices of politicians, the dying, their survivors, and the voice of the hurricane itself, Smith follows the inadequate relief effort and stands witness to families held captive on rooftops and in the Superdome. Of the critically acclaimed collection, South Carolina poet laureate Marjory Wentworth wrote, "'Blood Dazzler' is the narrative of a shameful tragedy, but it is lyrical and beautiful, like a hymn we want to sing over and over until it lives in our collective memory."

Smith is currently working on a dance/theater production based on "Blood Dazzler" with Paloma McGregor, of the Urban Bush Women. The production is expected to premiere at The Kitchen in New York City this fall.

A four-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam, Smith will perform as headliner and serve as celebrity judge for this year's Gypsy Poetry Slam. The opening event of the Kentucky Women Writers Conference, the Gypsy Poetry Slam will be held Sept. 10,. This is the noted poet's second appearance at the slam, and the event's fifth anniversary. Smith will also teach a two-part poetry workshop for conference registrants Sept. 11-12. For more details, visit the event online at http://www.kentuckywomenwriters.org/ or call (859) 257-2874.

Oct 14 2010 - Bonita Richter Presents "How to Raise Your Fees Workshop" - Garlands in Barrington, Ill

2010-08-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Executive Coach Bonita Richter is pleased to announce a groundbreaking workshop where savvy women entrepreneurs can learn how to confidently sell their services and raise their fees. Richter's "How to Raise Your Fees Workshop" will be held on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Garlands in Barrington, Ill. A registration fee of $297 is available through Sept. 15 and includes workshop materials, continental breakfast, lunch and snack; cost is $497 after Sept. 15.

Richter's systematic and proven approach is designed to help women entrepreneurs raise their fees up to 40 percent. "Most sales training systems employ a masculine approach to selling, which conflicts with a woman's approach," explained Richter. "This is why so many women feel uncomfortable discussing fees."

Richter used the system to build her executive coaching business and found the authentic approach to pricing services and guiding clients through a sales conversation process improved her confidence and produced more sales. "I quickly found myself generating more income, because I was closing 80 percent of my sales calls," added Richter.

Recognizing that the process could also help her clients increase their income, Richter created the "How to Raise Your Fees Workshop," a hands-on experience focused on the specific steps needed to raise fees and win clients. Attendance is limited so that each entrepreneur has an opportunity to receive spotlight coaching during the full day event. Time-saving scripts, checklists, templates and examples make it easy to immediately put the system to work.

The authentic selling system is ideal for women consultants, coaches, copywriters, freelance writers, publicists, web designers, speakers and trainers. For more information or to register, visit http://www.bonitarichter.com/.

Sept 19 2010 - Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention - Los Angeles, CA

2010-08-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention presents legendary Author Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles) on Sunday, September 19, 2010. Ray Bradbury will be appearing 12:00 P.M.-2:00 P.M. to sign Ray Bradbury's Chrysalis, a new Science Fiction film just released on DVD.

Ray Bradbury's writing has inspired generation after generation of writers with his iconic works such as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked this Way Comes, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine and many others. Several of Ray Bradbury's stories have been adapted for film and television. Twenty seven of Ray Bradbury's stories were adapted for the classic EC Comic Books of the 1950s in such titles as Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, Crime Suspenstories, Shock Suspenstories, Weird Science-Fantasy, Weird Science, and Weird Fantasy. Ray Bradbury just turned 90 years old in 2010 and he is still active and involved with creating new works.

Ray Bradbury is appearing in person to sign Ray Bradbury's Chrysalis, a new Science Fiction film based on his short story and just released on DVD. Appearing with Ray for the 12:00 P.M.-2:00 P.M. signing will be Cast Members Glen Vaughan, Corey Landis, Elina Madison, Darren Kendrick, Larry Kirk, Producer Roger Lay, Jr., Composer Brandon Moore, and Creature Effects Designer Lee Romaire. Ray Bradbury's Chrysalis DVD, Poster, and CD will be available for purchase at the Convention.

The Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention will be held at the historic landmark the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center, 700 West 32nd Street, in Los Angeles, across the street from USC College. Also featured is a large Dealer's Room full of Old and New Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Toys, Action Figures, Movie Memorabilia, Trading Cards, DVDs and many other Collectibles available for purchase at over one hundred tables. Show hours are 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. Admission is $8.00, five years and under are free. A Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D Mini-Movie Poster will be given away free to everyone attending courtesy of Sony Pictures. Check http://www.comicbookscifi.com/ or call (818) 954-8432 for more information.

Oct 7-9 2010 - 2010 Mid-Atlantic Black Film Festival - Norfolk, Virginia

2010-08-23T08:11:00.001-07:00

The organizers of the Mid-Atlantic Black Film Festival (MABFF) have announced a final call for submissions for the 2010 festival. The premiere African-American short film festival returns for its fourth year from October 7 - 9, 2010 with three days of screenings and workshops at the historic Crispus Attucks Theatre in Norfolk, Virginia. During the three-day festival, veteran TV and film stars Ted Lange ("The Love Boat", "That's My Mama", and "Friday Foster" with Pam Grier), Judy Pace ("Cotton Comes To Harlem", "Brian's Song", Spike Lee’s "Sucker Free City") and Beverly Todd ("Crash", "The Bucket List", "Lean on Me") will attend as celebrity guests and will each be honored with MABFF's Living Legend Award.

As in previous years, the MABFF is accepting entries in the categories of Short Film, Animation, Documentary, Music Video, and Student Film. This year, the festival is also introducing exciting new categories, including a Screenplay Competition, an Original TV Pilot Competition, and a Web Series Competition. Submission forms and general requirements for all categories can be downloaded online at www.mabff.org or www.withoutabox.com.

The festival will kick off on Thursday, October 7th with a selection of opening day screenings and workshops followed by an Opening Night Ceremony Gala hosted by Beverly Todd and Judy Pace.

Beginning on Thursday, October 7th, Emmy-winning producer/LAWEBFEST founder Michael Ajakwe, Jr. will conduct a two-day Web Series Workshop with informative sessions on Writing, Producing, Marketing and Monetizing Your Web Series.

As part of the festival program, members from the Organization of Black Screenwriters (OBS) will join MABFF in hosting a three-day TV and screenwriting workshop and will also judge the festival’s screenplay and Original TV Pilot competitions. On Thursday, October 7th, OBS will conduct an Intensive half-day TV Writing Workshop followed by an Intensive half-day Screenwriting Workshop on Friday, October 8th. On Saturday, October 9th, the workshop will culminate with a special screening of "For Love of Amy", veteran actor Ted Lange's feature film directorial debut. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with both Lange and the film’s screenwriter/producer/star, Vincent Alston, who will share how he raised the money to complete his first feature film. During the award ceremony later that evening, the two filmmakers will be presented with MABFF’s inaugural Outstanding First Film Award for their achievement.

On Friday, October 8th, celebrity honorees Ted Lange, Judy Pace, and Beverly Todd will join award-winning filmmaker Monty Ross (Spike Lee's "Malcolm X", "Do the Right Thing", "Mo' Better Blues", "School Daze") and Michael Ajakwe, Jr. ("Martin", "Soul Food", "Sister, Sister", "Eve", "Love That Girl", "Talk Soup", "Entertainment Tonight") for ''Black Hollywood Then and Now,'' a blue ribbon panel of industry veterans discussing the state of Black Hollywood and how it has evolved over the last forty years.

Closing night festivities on October 9th will feature finalist screenings of the short film and web series competitions, culminating with the MABFF Award Ceremony at which winners for the various festival competitions will be announced along with the recognition and presentation of awards to this year's distinguished VIP honorees.

For more information about MABFF, please visit http://www.mabff.org/.

Upcoming Literary Events at Kepler's: Aug. 25 - Nov. 7, 2010

2010-08-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

All events are free and take place at Kepler's unless otherwise noted.

Kepler's Books
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650.324.4321

Howard Norman
Wednesday, August 25, 7:00 p.m.
What Is Left the Daughter

Seventeen-year-old Wyatt Hillyer is suddenly orphaned when his parents, within hours of each other, jump off two different bridges--the result of their separate involvements with the same compelling neighbor. The suicides cause Wyatt to move to small-town Middle Economy to live with his uncle, aunt, and cousin Tilda.

Setting in motion the novel’s chain of life-altering passions and the wartime perfidy at its core is the arrival of the German student Hans Mohring. Actual historical incidents--including a German U-boat’s sinking of the Nova Scotia–Newfoundland ferry Caribou, on which Aunt Constance Hillyer might or might not be traveling--lend intense narrative power to Norman’s uncannily layered story.

Norman is a three-time winner of National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and a winner of the Lannan Award for fiction. His 1987 novel, The Northern Lights, was nominated for a National Book Award, as was his 1994 novel The Bird Artist. He is also author of the novels The Museum Guard, The Haunting of L, and Devotion. His books have been translated into twelve languages. Norman teaches in the MFA program at the University of Maryland.

Brad Herzog
Monday, August 30, 7:00 p.m.

Turn Left at the Trojan Horse: A Would-Be Hero's American Odyssey BUY NOW

"Herzog's third travel memoir follows the highways cross-country examining the idea of the hero along the way. He captures stunning details of the American landscape. The hero's return, is irresistible...a near-perfect ending." --Kirkus Reviews

Turn Left at the Trojan Horse has been described as On the Road meets Eat, Pray, Love because it goes well beyond a road trip. More than just a funny and profound narrative of Brad Herzog's cross-country trek toward a college reunion in Ithaca (New York) and more than another reimagining of Odysseus's ancient journey (he visits places like Troy, OR... Iliad, MT... Apollo, PA...), it is a memoir exploring the parameters of a heroic existence - by chronicling the lives of people in America's oft-ignored spaces, by examining the universal truths embedded in ancient myths, and by undertaking a fair bit of self-evaluation. It is the memoir of an Everyman searching for the hero within.

Brad Herzog has been described as a "modern-day Steinbeck" and a "Picasso of the Winnebago," and Lonely Planet has ranked his travel memoirs among eight classics of the genre, along with books like Travels with Charley and On the Road. As an award-winning freelance writer, he has chronicled some of the nation's most unusual and intriguing subcultures, from nudists to North Pole explorers and from Pez collectors to pro mini golfers. Please visit him at bradherzog.com

Discoveries: 'Turn Left at the Trojan Horse'

Discoveries: 'Turn Left at the Trojan Horse'. 54817224-12163112-187104. Turn Left at the Trojan Horse. Add your voice to the mix! ...

discussions.latimes.com/20/lanews/la-ca-discoveries11.../10

"This is how a quest should be done...Herzog's stitching is so good, so seamless — he follows Odysseus' story until it becomes his own." -- Los Angeles Times

September Events

Rick Moody
Thursday, September 2, 7:00 p.m.
The Four Fingers of Death
Montese Crandall is a downtrodden writer whose rare collection of baseball cards won't sustain him, financially or emotionally, through the grave illness of his wife. Luckily, he swindles himself a job churning out a novelization of the 2025 remake of a 1963 horror classic, "The Crawling Hand." Crandall tells therein of the United States, in a bid to regain global eminence, launching at last its doomed manned mission to the desolation of Mars. Three space pods with nine Americans on board travel three months, expecting to spend three years as the planet's first colonists. When a secret mission to retrieve a flesh-eating bacterium for use in bio-warfare is uncovered, mayhem ensues.

THE FOUR FINGERS OF DEATH is Rick Moody's ninth book. He has received the PEN/Martha Albrand Award, the Addison Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Paris Review's Aga Khan Prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Deborah Willis
Thursday, September 9, 7:00 p.m.
Vanishing

This debut short story collection explores emotional and physical absences, the ways in which people leave and are left, and whether it’s ever possible to move on. With a remarkable economy of words, moments of dark humor, and wisdom and dexterity far beyond her years, Willis captures an incredible array of characters that will linger in the imagination, proving that nothing is ever truly forgotten. In these fourteen stories, secrets are both kept and unearthed, and lives are shaped by missing lovers, parents, and children.

“The emotional range and depth of these stories, their clarity and deftness, is astonishing.” --Alice Munro“Short-listed for a Governor-General’s Award, the stories in Vanishing show the magic of fiction at its best: fully realized worlds inseparable from the uncanny fact that they exist as mere words, magnificently strung together. Willis’s creative sleight-of-hand illuminates human intricacies as if tapping directly into your own.” --The Globe and Mail, one of Jim Bartley's Top Five Books of the Year

Deborah Willis, 28, was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. Her work has appeared in various journals and publications, and she was a winner of PRISM International’s annual fiction prize. She graduated from the University of Victoria, and has worked as a horseback riding instructor, a waitress, a short-order cook, a tour-guide in a French castle, a house-cleaner, and a newspaper reporter. She is fluent in French, and currently works as a bookseller at Munro’s Books in Victoria, British Columbia. Shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award and longlisted for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, Vanishing and Other Stories is her first book of fiction.

William Gibson
Friday, September 10, 7:00 p.m.
Zero History

The iconic visionary returns with his first new novel since the New York Times bestseller Spook Country.

Hollis Henry worked for the global marketing magnate Hubertus Bigend once before. She never meant to repeat the experience. But she's broke, and Bigend never feels it's beneath him to use whatever power comes his way -- in this case, the power of money to bring Hollis onto his team again. Not that she knows what the "team" is up to, not at first.

Milgrim is even more thoroughly owned by Bigend. He's worth owning for his useful gift of seeming to disappear in almost any setting, and his Russian is perfectly idiomatic - so much so that he spoke Russian with his therapist, in the secret Swiss clinic where Bigend paid for him to be cured of the addiction that would have killed him.

Garreth has a passion for extreme sports. Most recently he jumped off the highest building in the world, opening his chute at the last moment, and he has a new thighbone made of rattan baked into bone, entirely experimental, to show for it. Garreth isn't owned by Bigend at all. Garreth has friends from whom he can call in the kinds of favors that a man like Bigend will find he needs, when things go unexpectedly sideways, in a world a man like Bigend is accustomed to controlling.

As when a Department of Defense contract for combat-wear turns out to be the gateway drug for arms dealers so shadowy that even Bigend, whose subtlety and power in the private sector would be hard to overstate, finds himself outmaneuvered and adrift in a seriously dangerous world.

Mr. Gibson will sign copies of his older titles if you purchase a copy of Zero History from Kepler's. Please have your receipt with you.

Monique Truong
Monday, September 27, 7:00 p.m.
Bitter in the Mouth

From Monique Truong, the bestselling and award-winning author of The Book of Salt, comes a brilliant, mesmerizing, beautifully written novel about a young woman’s search for identity and family, as she uncovers the secrets of her past and of history.

Growing up in the small town of Boiling Springs, North Carolina, in the 70’s and 80’s, Linda believes that she is profoundly different from everyone else, including the members of her own family. Now in her thirties, Linda looks back at her past when she navigated her way through life with the help of her great-uncle Harper, who loves her and loves to dance, and her best friend Kelly, with whom Linda exchanges almost daily letters.

For as long as she can remember, Linda has experienced a secret sense—she can “taste” words, which have the power to disrupt, dismay, or delight. She falls for names and what they evoke. As with all bodies, Linda’s is a mystery to her, in this and in other ways. Even as Linda makes her way north to Yale and New York City, she still does not know the truth about her past. Then, when a personal tragedy compels Linda to return to Boiling Springs, she gets to know a mother she never knew and uncovers a startling story of a life, a family.

This astonishing novel questions many assumptions—about what it means to be a family and to be a friend, to be foreign and to be familiar, to be connected and to be disconnected—from others and from the past, our bodies, our histories, and ourselves.

John Vaillant
Tuesday, September 28, 7:00 p.m.
The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival

It’s December 1997, and a man-eating tiger is on the prowl outside a remote village in Russia’s Far East. The tiger isn’t just killing people, it’s annihilating them, and a team of men and their dogs must hunt it on foot through the forest in the brutal cold. As the trackers sift through the gruesome remains of the victims, they discover that these attacks aren’t random: the tiger is apparently engaged in a vendetta. Injured, starving, and extremely dangerous, the tiger must be found before it strikes again.

This ancient, tenuous relationship between man and predator is at the very heart of this remarkable book. Throughout we encounter surprising theories of how humans and tigers may have evolved to coexist, how we may have developed as scavengers rather than hunters, and how early Homo sapiens may have fit seamlessly into the tiger’s ecosystem. Above all, we come to understand the endangered Siberian tiger, a highly intelligent super-predator that can grow to ten feet long, weigh more than six hundred pounds, and range daily over vast territories of forest and mountain.

Beautifully written and deeply informative, The Tiger circles around three main characters: Vladimir Markov, a poacher killed by the tiger; Yuri Trush, the lead tracker; and the tiger himself. It is an absolutely gripping tale of man and nature that leads inexorably to a final showdown in a clearing deep in the taiga.

John Vaillant is also the author of The Golden Spruce. He has written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Outside, National Geographic, and Men’s Journal, among others. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

October Events

Stina Katchadourian
Wednesday, October 6, 7:00 p.m.

The Lapp King's Daughter: A Family's Journey Through Finland's Wars BUY NOW

From 1939 to 1945, Finland fought three wars: the Winter War of 1939, when the Soviet Union attacked the country; the Continuation War, when Finland fought the Soviet Union alongside Germany; and the Lapland War of 1944-45 against Germany.

Stina Katchadourian's memoir tells the story of how these three wars uprooted the lives of one Finnish family. The book draws on the author's childhood memories and also on the correspondence between her parents, who were separated during most of World War II, with the father on the front, fighting the Soviets.

Very little has previously been written about Finland's dramatic political history during World War II. How this small country retained its independence despite facing occupation by the Soviet Union or domination by Nazi Germany is told in riveting detail in this eyewitness account, which also includes family photos, maps, historical photos and other unique material from Swedish and Finnish archives.

Katchadourian grew up in Finland as part of its Swedish-speaking minority and moved to the United States in 1966. She is the author of two nonfiction books, Efronia, An Armenian Love Story and Great Need Over the Water, and has published book-length translations of poetry by Märta Tikkanen, Edith Södergran, and Tua Forsström.

Stina Katchadourian also works as a journalist for Scandinavian media. She regularly contributes to a Helsinki newspaper and has made numerous programs for Finnish radio and television.

She holds an M.A. from Stanford University and has been an Affiliated Scholar at Stanford’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender. She has held residencies at the Djerassi Foundation in Woodside, California, and the MacDowell Foundation in New Hampshire. She has served on the Board of the Global Fund for Women and currently serves on the Board of the Bay Area Chapter of the Finlandia Foundation, and is an honorary member of the Finland-Swedish Literature Society. Her prizes include the Leif and Inger Sjögren Translation Prize of the American-Scandinavia Society and the Södergran Prize.

Lan Samantha Chang
Thursday, October 7, 7:00 p.m.
All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost

At the renowned writing school in Bonneville, every student is simultaneously terrified of and attracted to the charismatic and mysterious poet and professor Miranda Sturgis, whose high standards for art are both intimidating and inspiring. As two students, Roman and Bernard, strive to win her admiration, the lines between mentorship, friendship, and love are blurred.

All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost offers a starkly honest portrait of people caught up in the drive to write and of the personal bargains and self-deceptions that such an ambition can entail. Lan Samantha Chang was brave to write this book, to turn her novelist's eye onto a world she knows intimately, and her bravery pays off in the unflinching final scenes. (Adam Haslett, author of Union Atlantic )

What a lovely, fierce book about love, betrayal, loss, and time’s dominion over us all. Fleet, preternaturally attuned to the ebb and flow of personal history, All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost is, well, unforgettable. Lan Samantha Chang sees deeply into her characters, right down to their souls, but she wields her intelligence with the compassion of a master. (Scott Spencer, author of A Ship Made of Paper )

Lucy, Roman, Bernard, and Miranda are characters you won’t soon forget. In their passionate, demanding, wrecked, and joyous literary lives, they thrive on their belief in language’s absolute authority. This deeply affecting--and elegant--novel by Lan Samantha Chang definitely offers what Leonard Cohen calls his whole career in song: All day and night, versions of the erotic. I wish I could live long enough to discover this novel in an attic trunk a hundred years in the future, and exclaim, so this is what ‘poetic education’ really meant. (Howard Norman, author of What Is Left the Daughter )

Lan Samantha Chang's fiction has appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Story and The Best American Short Stories 1994 and 1996. Chang is the author of the award-winning books Hunger and Inheritance. She is the recipient of the Wallace Stegner and Truman Capote fellowships at Stanford University. She also received, from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, a Teaching-Writing fellowship and a Michener-Copernicus fellowship. Her many awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, and she was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She lives in Iowa City, Iowa, where she directs the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Giovanni Tempesta
Monday, October 11, 7:00 p.m.
Acque, Lutulente E Chiare: Waters, Muddy and Clear

The 30 poems collected in Waters, muddy and clear, will let the reader penetrate Tempesta's nostalgic Italian heart. His verses, some in rhymes, are about love, desire, passion and compassion, fear and rejection, and the irony of life in all its aspects.

Translating poetry is an arduous task but he succeeded in recreating in English, the emotional impact of his original poems in Italian. At the end, he even invites the readers to give their own interpretation of the final poem, My Lady. Giovanni is a firm believer that we are all poets in one way or another, and that poetry lives inside of us. Poetry is part of each and every one of us, without exception. It is like a remote and hidden prisoner. He feels that man, like Michelangelo and his David, must do nothing but give it freedom from its imprisonment. Once sent forth, however, poetry belongs to us no longer, thus we often do not feel worthy of it. We hold the doubt that it was really our delivery, that it was hidden inside us for so long.

Giovanni Tempesta has been a Professor of Italian Language and Culture at Stanford University since 1983. Over the years, he has also taught Latin, Greek and French in Northern California and Italy. He was born and raised in Italy and moved to California in 1972.

Meet-and-Greet Signing: Alex Ross
Friday, October 15, 2:30 p.m.
Listen to This
The Rest Is Noise

Ross’s award-winning international bestseller, The Rest Is Noise, has become a contemporary classic, establishing him as one of our most popular and acclaimed cultural historians. Listen to This, which takes its title from a beloved 2004 essay in which Ross described his late-blooming discovery of pop music, showcases the best of Ross’s writing from more than a decade at The New Yorker. These pieces, dedicated to classical and popular artists alike, are at once erudite and lively. In a previously unpublished essay, Ross brilliantly retells hundreds of years of music history—from Renaissance dances to Led Zeppelin—through a few iconic bass lines of celebration and lament. He vibrantly sketches canonical composers such as Schubert, Verdi, and Brahms; gives us in-depth interviews with modern pop masters such as Björk and Radiohead; and introduces us to music students at a Newark high school and to indie-rock hipsters in Beijing.

Ross has been the music critic for The New Yorker since 1996. He is the author of the international bestseller The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century, which was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and won the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award.

NOTE: This is a meet-and-greet booksigning. The author will not give a formal presentation.

Jimmy Carter
Tuesday, October 26, 7:00 p.m.
White House Diary

The edited, annotated diary of President Jimmy Carter--filled with insights into his presidency, his relationships with friends and foes, and his lasting impact on issues that still preoccupy America and the world

Each day during his presidency, Jimmy Carter made several entries in a private diary, recording his thoughts, impressions, delights, and frustrations. He offered unvarnished assessments of cabinet members, congressmen, and foreign leaders; he narrated the progress of secret negotiations such as those that led to the Camp David Accords. When his four-year term came to an end in early 1981, the diary amounted to more than five thousand pages. But this extraordinary document has never been made public—until now.

Jimmy Carter, our thirty-ninth president, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. The author of numerous bestsellers—including An Hour Before Daylight and Palestine Peace Not Apartheid—he and his wife, Rosalynn, live in Plains, Georgia, but continue to travel around the world in support of numerous philanthropic efforts.

NOTE: This is a meet-and-greet book-signing. President Carter will not be giving a formal presentation.

TICKETED EVENT. Please check keplers.com often for details and updates.

Bo Caldwell
Wednesday, October 27, 7:00 p.m.
City of Tranquil Light

Will Kiehn is seemingly destined for life as a humble farmer in the Midwest when, having felt a call from God, he travels to the vast North China Plain in the early twentieth-century. There he is surprised by love and weds a strong and determined fellow missionary, Katherine. They soon find themselves witnesses to the crumbling of a more than two-thousand-year-old dynasty that plunges the country into decades of civil war. As the couple works to improve the lives of the people of Kuang P'ing Ch'eng— City of Tranquil Light, a place they come to love—and face incredible hardship, will their faith and relationship be enough to sustain them?

Told through Will and Katherine's alternating viewpoints—and inspired by the lives of the author's maternal grandparents—City of Tranquil Light is a tender and elegiac portrait of a young marriage set against the backdrop of the shifting face of a beautiful but torn nation. A deeply spiritual book, it shows how those who work to teach others often have the most to learn.

Caldwell is the author of the national bestseller The Distant Land of My Father. Her short fiction has been published in Ploughshares, Story, Epoch, and other literary journals. A former Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing at Stanford University, she lives in Northern California with her husband, novelist Ron Hansen.

November Events

Thomas McGuane
Tuesday, November 2, 7:00 p.m.
Driving on the Rim

From one of America’s most acclaimed literary figures (“an important as well as brilliant novelist”—The New York Times Book Review) a major new novel that hilariously takes the pulse of our times.

The unforgettable voyager of this dark comic journey is I. B. “Berl” Pickett, M.D., the die of whose uncharmed life was probably cast as soon as his mother got the bright idea to name him after Irving Berlin. The boyhood insults to any chance of normalcy piled on apace thereafter. What would have become of this soul had he not gone to medical school, thanks to the surrogate parenting of a local physician and solitary bird hunter?

But there is meaning to life beyond professional accreditation, even in the noblest of callings. Berl’s been on a mission to find it these past few years, though with scant equipment or basis for hope. Hard to say (for the moment anyway) whether his mission has been aided or set back by his having fallen under suspicion of negligent homicide in the death of his former lover.

Fortunately, he will find his deliverance in continuing to practice medicine one way or another, as well as in the few human connections he has made, wittingly or not, over the years. The landscape, too, will furnish a hint in what might yet prove, if not a certifiable epiphany, a semi-spiritual awakening in I. B. Pickett, M.D., the inglorious but sole hero of Thomas McGuane’s uproarious and profound exploration of the threads by which we all are hanging.

Geoffrey Wolff
Thursday, November 4, 7:00 p.m.
The Hard Way Around: The Passages of Joshua Slocum
Introduction by Geoffrey's brother, Tobias Wolff

Joshua Slocum escaped a Dickensian childhood in Nova Scotia in 1860, at the age of sixteen, as an ordinary seaman. Despite his third-grade education, Slocum’s rise through the ranks was mercurial: just a decade later he was commander of his own ship, the first of many. His journey had already taken him nearly everywhere—but his crowning glory was yet to come.

In 1895 he set sail—by himself—in the small sloop Spray. More than three years and forty-six thousand miles later, he became the first man to circumnavigate the globe solo, a feat that wouldn’t be replicated for another quarter century. His account of that voyage, Sailing Alone Around the World, soon made him famous. A decade later, he set off alone once more—and was lost at sea.

An acclaimed novelist, essayist, biographer, and critic, Geoffrey Wolff is a prominent voice in contemporary American literature. Educated at Cambridge and at Princeton, from which he graduated summa cum laude, he is Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at UC Irvine, where he was the Director of the Graduate Fiction Program from 1995 to 2006. Previously, he served on the faculties of Istanbul University and Princeton University and has been a book editor at the Washington Post and Newsweek. He received the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1994 and his honors also include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. During 2007, he was a Fellow of the American Academy in Berlin.

Betty Auchard
Sunday, November 7, 2:00 p.m.
The Home for the Friendless: Finding Hope, Love, and Family

Life for Betty and her family is so rich with turmoil that it rivals any present-day reality television. Her parents marry young, but don't know how to stay together. In between their separations and reunions, constant housing changes and job layoffs, Betty, her brother, and her sister are shuffled off to live with a variety of relatives, and eventually, a children's shelter called the Home for the Friendless. Yet despite her circumstances, Betty's irreverent nature allows her to see humor and opportunity. With both candor and charm, Betty narrates this poignant but hilarious story of an uncommon childhood that is filled with resourcefulness, remarkable escapades, and an abundance of love.

Betty Auchard was a retired art teacher when her husband of 49 years died. For her, writing became a way to heal, eventually taking on a life of its own. Her first book was Dancing in My Nightgown, These short, upbeat, inspiring stories tell us how this spunky septuagenarian survives—she decides to dance instead of sitting on the sidelines. Her stories have been published in the Chocolate for a Woman’s Soul series and the San Jose Mercury News and other periodicals.

In addition to writing full time, Betty presents the stories from her life to audiences in California’s Bay Area and beyond. She still lives happily within driving distance of her four children and ten grandchildren.

Pam Grange
Kepler's Author Events Manager
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Direct: 650.856.0978
Store: 650.324.4321
pam@keplers.com
http://www.keplers.com/

Sept 14-18 2010 - Authors and Events for Fall Literary Festival - North Carolina

2010-08-22T05:50:00.001-07:00

On the Same Page, Ashe County's Literary Festival, will feature a complete line-up of authors and events for 2010, including a number of events that preface the festival. Held each year in September, the 2010 festival will start on Tuesday, September 14 and culminate with a luncheon on Saturday, September 18 -- all in West Jefferson, NC. Preface events kicked-off on August 2nd with the start of the Community Read of Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace, a featured author at the festival.

Ashe County's Literary Festival, in its third year, will run from September 14 – September 18, 2010, in West Jefferson, NC.

Preface events kicked-off with a Community Read of Daniel Wallace's Big Fish.

Featured authors include: Fred Chappell, John Hart, Robert Morgan, and Daniel Wallace.

Festival culminates with On the Same Plate Luncheon and Panel Discussion with authors on Saturday, September 18 at noon.

Festival co-chairs Jane Lonon, executive director of the Ashe County Arts Council, and Jim McQueen, director of the Ashe County Library, announced this year's line-up and schedule. In a statement about the festival, Lonon said, "This year we truly have something for everyone. Festival events promote reading, writing, and the pure enjoyment of the written word. North Carolina authors are nationally and internationally known and we have some of the very best joining us to share their writing and insights—particularly concerning how a sense of place influences their writing."

Authors slated for this year's festival include: Fred Chappell, Julia Ebel, Georgann Eubanks, John Hart, D. G. Martin, Robert Morgan, Ed Southern and Daniel Wallace. Authors will read from recent works, participate in Q&A sessions and/or a panel discussion, and will meet in small groups with for "an hour with an author" sessions.

A complete list of festival events and other information is available at www.onthesamepagefestival.org. A few highlights include: Ed Southern, Sports in the Carolinas: From Death Valley to Tobacco Road; Georgann Eubanks, Many Beginnings: a creative writing workshop; Cinnamon Cinema! the 2003 movie: Big Fish; Daniel Wallace, reading and Q&A; Fred Chappell, with Susan Chappell, reading and Q&A; An Hour with an Author sessions; Robert Morgan, reading and Q&A; John Hart, reading and Q&A; Julia Ebel, reading and Q&A; and On the Same Plate Luncheon and Panel Discussion with Fred Chappell, Georgann Eubanks, John Hart, Robert Morgan, and Daniel Wallace, moderated by D. G. Martin.

Once again the recipient of a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the 2010 Festival has received support from Skyline Membership Corp., South Arts, Ashe County, the West Jefferson TDA, the Friends of the Ashe County Public Library, and Caddell Communications, as well as a number of individual contributors.

Ashe County is located in the High Country of northwestern North Carolina and West Jefferson is its largest town. These websites provide information, including lodging and restaurants: http://www.ashechamber.com/, http://www.ashecountyarts.org/, and http://www.visitwestjefferson.org/.

Oct 9-14 2010 - Future of Social Media - San Francisco, California

2010-08-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

Chas Salmore, CEO of Marketingworks, ("MWKS") will be speaking at the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) DMA2010 Conference and Exhibition on the Future of Social Media. DMA2010, the global ROI marketing event will take place October 9-14, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.

Chas Salmore will be offering insight into the world of digital media marketing on October 11th 2010 by presenting The Basics - Social Media Trends & Online Marketing Solutions. Chas Salmore will additionally present A Brand Story: From Idea To Results Using Social Media Marketing and How to Ignite Powerful Viral Effects with Digital Word of Mouth on October 13th, 2010. Thousands of cross media/channel marketing professionals from over 50 countries are scheduled to be in attendance to learn from the remarkable lineup of speakers as well as attend sessions by the thought-leaders behind some of today's most successful household brands.

"With social network marketing spending to exceed $24 billion by 2015, it is imperative that brands and marketers learn the critical do's and don'ts to succeed in the ever-expanding world of social media," noted Chas Salmore, CEO, Marketingworks, ("MWKS"). "The DMA 2010 Conference and Exhibition is the ideal forum to learn from industry leaders cutting-edge trends and tips."

"With the landscape of Social Media changing at such a rapid pace, it's imperative to keep up with the newest technology, platforms, statistics, strategies and techniques", added Salmore.

"DMA2010 will feature hundreds of educational sessions, roundtables, forums, and case studies led by the best and brightest the marketing and media communities," said Paul A. McDonnough, DMA vice president, conferences and events. "We're proud to have Marketingworks be part of such an important event."

For conference information or to register, please visit http://www.dma2010org/.

Feb 12 2011 - 3rd Annual "Business of Pet Writing" Conference - New York City

2010-08-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

The Pet Socialite, Inc. is excited to announce plans for the 3rd Annual Business of Pet Writing Conference, taking place Saturday, February 12, 2011 in New York City. As one of the largest pet writing conferences in the United States, the event brings together national pet writers with leading veterinarians, publishing and pet industry professionals. Together they participate in an intense day of workshops, seminars and one-on-one meetings focused on the cutting edge of pet journalism and the ever-growing popularity of pet-related books.

To compete in the marketplace, pet writers need to be on top of their game learning from industry insiders. The line-up for the conference is a virtual who's who of the publishing world including Folio Literary Management's Jeff Kleinman, 5 time Billboard Magazine Award winner Valerie Smaldone and AOL.com's Chrissy Perisco.

Seminars and workshops include: better blogging, the art of column writing, building your brand with an internet show, book publishing trends, building your freelance portfolio, narrative and creative non-fiction, how to create a saleable proposal and more. Participating writers will have the rare opportunity to meet with editors and agents on a one-on-one basis to pitch book and article ideas. Notable veterinarians and prominent representatives from the pet food industry will assist pet writers with research, book and article ideas. A major focus of the conference will also center around the importance of newer, virtual communication vehicles like websites, blogs and social media.

"Like most industries affected by the fluctuating economy and changing technological developments, publishing is also changing on a daily basis," said Charlotte Reed, President of The Pet Socialite, Inc. and founder of the conference. "I'm happy to present the latest innovations in the pet publishing field from industry professionals in the know."

The Pet Socialite, Inc. is offering a scholarship in memory of Mordecai Siegal, author of 35 pet books including Good Dog, Bad Dog (Henry Holt and Co., revised edition 1991), The Cornell Book of Cats (Villard Books, 1st edition 1989), and UC Davis Book of Dogs (Collins Reference, 1995). Applicants can apply for the scholarship online via: http://www.petwritingconference.com/.

Aug 28 2010 - 26th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards - C.A.

2010-08-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

Twelve winning writers and twelve illustrators from around the globe will be honored during the 26th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards at the Roosevelt Hotel -- the same location where the first Academy Awards were held -- on Saturday, August 28th, 2010.

The highlight of the ceremony will be the announcement of the year's two Grand Prize winners who will each receive $5,000. Quarterly winners also receive cash prizes from $500 to $1,000. Their winning stories and illustrations will appear in the annual anthology L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers and Illustrators of the Future, Volume 26 (Galaxy Press, 2010). Also being released is a special coffee table book edition of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future: The First 25 Years, a photographic retrospective of the 25 years of the contest and containing over 1,000 images.

Participating in the ceremony will be best-selling authors Kevin J. Anderson, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers and Sean Williams who will serve as presenters along with new contest judges Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Eric Flint and Mike Resnick. The evening will include a special presentation from June Scobee Rodgers, Ph.D. Founding Chairman, Challenger Center for Space Science Education.

Throughout the contests' 25-year history, over 600 writers and illustrators have been honored. "By our best estimates," says New York Times' best-selling author Anderson (Dune prequels, The Edge of the World), "contest winners have published more than 700 novels and 3,000 short stories. Many have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, even reaching the #1 slot."

The Writers of the Future writing contest (http://www.writersofthefuture.com/) was initiated by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983 to provide a means for aspiring writers to get a much-needed break -- its winners have gone on to sell an impressive 31 million copies of their works combined. Due to the success of the Writing Contest, the companion Illustrators of the Future Contest was created in 1988.

Oct 7-10 2010 - 2010 Screenwriting Expo - Los Angeles, CA

2010-08-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Screenplay consultant Robert Flaxman, founder of Deep Feed-Back, announced today that he will present his top-rated seminar, "Seducing the Studio Reader," at the 2010 Screenwriting Expo.

The 2010 Screenwriting Expo will be held October 7 - October 10 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport. Flaxman’s informative presentation is on Friday, October 8 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM.

In 2008, the Screenwriting Expo labeled Flaxman "one of the top screenwriting analysts in the world." The "Seducing the Studio Reader" seminar explores multiple techniques that will keep a reader in the screenwriter’s "created reality" throughout an entire script. You’ll study the most common mistakes made by professional and advanced screenwriters.

Reviews from past "Seducing the Studio Reader" attendees include: "Best seminar I attended all weekend. Remarkable! Great presentation. … Great. Dry sense of humor. ... Super excellent ... Great tips!"

About the 2010 Screenwriting Expo

The annual Screenwriting Expo is the biggest, most comprehensive, and most prestigious educational and networking meeting of screenwriters and aspiring screenwriters in the world. Now in its eighth year, the Expo offers more than 200 educational seminars and sessions with writers; the Golden Pitch, the biggest screenplay pitch festival in existence; a prestigious roster of screenwriting Guests of Honor; a unique on-site scene-writing competition for prizes, the CS Open; and a series of evening networking receptions for working and aspiring writers.

Aug 13 2010 - Social Media and SEO Seminars and Events - Pittsburgh, PA

2010-08-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Group will hold a seminar at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh on Friday, August 13th titled, "Search and Social Media: Being Found Online."

The seminar will be the first in an ongoing series of monthly seminars addressing local business needs for education on search engine optimization, social media, and Internet marketing.

Social media network sites like Twitter and FaceBook are playing an integral role in how businesses are being found online and how people are making purchasing decisions over the Internet. This hour long seminar will show business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals how they can integrate social media tools into their Internet marketing strategy. Attendees will also learn how blogging plays a role in being found online, and how to market a blog through other social media channels.

The seminar runs from 11:00 a.m. to noon on August 13th at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, room 730. Although the seminar is intended for Pittsburgh SEO Group members, anyone interested in learning more about search and social media is welcome to attend. The cost of attendance is $35 for Pittsburgh SEO Members and $40 for walk-ins. "Early Bird" registration is $25 and ends August 6th. Membership to the Pittsburgh SEO Group is free.

Jami Broom of Clicks Internet Marketing will be presenting with John Carman of Avenue Design Studios. A ten minute Q & A will ensue.

Attendees may register at http://www.meetup.com/pittsburgh-seo-group/calendar/14253955.

About Pittsburgh SEO Group: The Pittsburgh SEO Group is a free membership group that meets monthly to discuss topics related to search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, social media, and web design. More information can be found by going to http://www.clicksinternetmarketing.com/pittsburgh-seo-group/

Oct 8-9 2010 - James River Writers Conference - Richmond, VA

2010-08-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

"Staggering talent and exceptional expertise," is the shorthand outlook for this fall's eighth annual James River Writers Conference, according to this year's conference chair, Kris Spisak Petroski, a Richmond-based writer and college writing instructor.

Set for October 8 and 9 at the Library of Virginia in downtown Richmond, JRW's signature event "is created by writers for writers, where Richmond's lively literary community meets national publishing luminaries and institutions, where Southern hospitality meets creative drive and ambition," Petroski said.

Headliners will include:

Silas House, New York Times bestselling author and recipient of the James Still Award for Writing about the Appalachian South from the Fellowship of Southern Writers.

Mike Olmert, Emmy Award winning screenwriter.

Charles J. Shields, writer of the New York Times bestselling Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee.

Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling mystery author.

Jacqueline Woodson, winner of the Newbery Honor Medal, the Caldecott Honor, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement, and many others

The conference will also feature one-on-one meetings with literary agents, the popular first-page critique session, and for the first time this year pre-conference Query Writing and Short Story workshops on October 7.

Conference participants will have the opportunity to concentrate on the art and business of writing and to rub elbows with a wide variety of published authors and editors.

In addition to major presentations, break-out groups will examine a variety of genres as well as techniques for crafting dialogue and plot, shaping characters and pacing, and finding out how to get published.

Significant support for the conference comes from Dominion, a national energy company headquartered in Richmond, as well as the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Library of Virginia, which opens its lecture hall and break-out rooms for the two-day event.

Early registration is $175 for both days. After September 1, registration will be $195. Pre-conference workshop registration is $40. Registration and further details, including information on hotel accommodations, are available on JRW's Web site - http://www.jamesriverwriters.org/ - and by calling 804-433-3790.

Aug 23 2010 - Step-by-Step Process to Plan and Write a Nonfiction Book- FREE Teleseminar

2010-08-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

On August 23, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. ET, Melinda Copp of The Writer's Sherpa, LLC, will present "FINALLY Write Your Book--Six Secrets to Getting it Out of Your Head and Written!" a free teleseminar detailing a proven six-step process for writing a book that successfully weaves together the author's personal experiences with the message they want to share.

Writing a book is a great way to share life experiences, attract ideal leads and clients to a business, and establish expertise. However, most aspiring authors never finish their books oftentimes because they don't know how to put all the pieces together successfully.

"Writing a book without understanding how books work and what structure makes them successful is like building a house without a blueprint," said Melinda Copp, who has worked with authors to write nonfiction books on a variety of topics. "Coming up with book ideas is never a problem, but putting those ideas into a structure that effectively leads the reader from one place to another, while keeping them hooked, is much more challenging. It often stops would-be authors from finishing the book successfully."

This call will reveal:
* The secret to overcoming the biggest obstacles holding aspiring authors back from ever completing their book;
* How to design a book to be powerful, unique, and client attractive;
* Why, if a person has a big message to share, writing a book is the best way to accomplish that;
* And the six steps to planning, writing, and finishing a book readers will love.

This free teleseminar will also launch a new home study system that walks aspiring nonfiction authors through the book-writing process, step-by-step.

"I think it's a shame that so many stories are never told, and so many people never get their books completed," said Copp. "This system, compiled over years of coaching books out of clients, is my best solution to that problem."

Anyone interested in sharing their message and spreading their mission by writing a business, self-help, or nonfiction book can sign up for this free call at www.writerssherpaprograms.com/freecall.html.

Aug 19 2010 - The 5th Annual New York''s Funniest Reporter Show - New York

2010-08-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

The 5th Annual New York's Funniest Reporter Show (http://www.nyfunniestreporter.com/) will take place on Thursday, August 19th at 6:00 pm at Gotham Comedy Club (208 West 23rd St).

It will feature eight media professionals each doing five minutes of stand up comedy in order to raise money for the Humane Society of New York (http://www.humanesocietyny.org/). At the end of the night, a winner will be declared.

Appearing on the show this year will be: Wendy Diamond (Animal Fair Magazine), Cooper Lawrence (Cooper Lawrence Show), Ellis Henican (Fox News & Newsday), Meredith Daniels (Newsday), Lauren Sivan (Fox News), Marlaina Schiavo (CNN), and Robert George (New York Post). 2009 NYFR Winner Marianne Schaberg will be performing in the show but, will not be competing.

Judging the competition will be: Judith Regan (Sirius / XM), Jeffrey Gurian (Comedy Writer / Filmmaker), and Tasha Harris (Founder & Editor-In-Chief of StageTime Magazine). The show emcee will be comedian Ryan Reiss.

"In five short years, the show has become a New York tradition. We’ve been so honored to have over twenty six media professionals participate in the event and raise money for worthy charities." Said New York’s Funniest Reporter Show Co-Producer, Ryan McCormick.

The cost of admission is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To make a reservation, please call (212) 367-9000.

The 5th Annual New York's Funniest Reporter competition is produced by Goldman McCormick Public Relations (http://www.goldmanmccormick.com/) and is part of the 8th Annual New York City Underground Comedy Festival (http://www.nycundergroundcomedyfestival.com/).

Aug 17 2010 - Social Media Forum - San Francisco, CA

2010-08-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Incisive Media’s ClickZ announced today that day two of Connected Marketing Week, which is being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, August 16-20, 2010, will feature the Online Marketing Summit (OMS) Social Media Forum. Hundreds of marketing professionals are expected to gather for this one-day social media forum on Tuesday, August 17, to learn about social media best practices, strategies and tactics from leading names in the field.

"We are delighted to include OMS in the Connected Marketing Week agenda," said Matt McGowan, publisher and head of U.S. for Incisive Media. "Whether you are a B2B firm or more focused on B2C, OMS will have the top authors, academics, brand marketers and Internet pioneers to answer any questions you may have about social media marketing. We think that OMS will be a popular attraction at Connected Marketing Week because it is going to cover so much ground in so little time."

"The Online Marketing Summit is excited to provide a full day of social media education at Connected Marketing Week in San Francisco," said Aaron Kahlow, CEO of Online Marketing Connect. "Attendees of OMS sessions can expect to learn how to execute on social media best practices and how to integrate effective social media strategies and tactics into the entire marketing mix."

The Social Media Forum will begin with a keynote by Jeff Hayzlett, the former CMO of Kodak, who will talk about new ways to look at a company's online marketing and sales strategy. He will also focus on some of the newest ways to win with social media, redefine an elevator pitch and transform a business.

B2B Social Media Track:

11AM-12PM "Generating New Business Leads With Corporate Blogging"

This social media workshop will explore the medium of business blogging and how companies can tie their blogs to search engine results.

1PM-2PM "The Ten Imperatives of the Marketing Revolution"

This online marketing session will help attendees overcome challenges associated with proliferation of new channels, ROI pressures and customers' growing appetite for personal relationships with brands.

2:30PM-3:30PM "Case Study: Using Social Media and Lead Nurturing for Demand Generation"

Jon Miller, Marketo’s vice president of marketing, shares his company’s specific tactics they used to drive revenue, content and social media use to generate leads.

3:45PM-4:45PM "The SEO Value of Social Media"

Ray "Catfish" Comstock will explain to attendees how to align a social media campaign with SEO best practices and a good optimization strategy to maximize the ROI of a social media program.

B2C Social Media Track:

11AM-12PM "Social Media is About Socializing!"

Attendees will learn how to use social media to make genuine and lasting connections with their target audiences to drive and measure true ROI, as laid out in practical steps by Harry Gold, CEO of Overdrive Interactive.

1PM-2PM "Closing the Gap on ROI Measurement"

This session will provide actionable insights and methodologies into defining what to measure, how to measure, how to calculate value from online engagement, and how to build a compelling ROI business case.

2:30PM-3:30PM "Using Data-Driven Decisions to Enhance Cross-Channel Marketing"

Participants will hear tips and tactics on how to strategize and execute a cross-channel campaign from Kevin Akerman of Experian Marketing Services.

3:45PM-4:45PM "Panel: Privacy, Trust, Mobile, Social, Local and Emerging Trends"

Audiences will hear from local and national thought leaders on how emerging trends in online marketing are affecting campaign efforts and tips on how to stay ahead of the curve directly from those setting the pace and making the news.

You can register for the OMS Social Media Forum here.

Aug 19 2010 - The Great American Bargain Book Show - Boston, MA

2010-08-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Great American Bargain Book Show (GABBS), an annual industry trade show for the remainder and off-price book resale industry now in its second year in Boston, has announced the addition of two important conference sessions running one each day of the event in Boston.

According to Larry May, founder of GABBS, "The remainder book business is a very important and significant part of the book retail industry, and with the addition of the Industry Perspective Series we are helping attendees and participants learn where some of our market leaders see the business going. The retail sector has been hit as many markets have with the economic downturn, but through the Industry Perspective Series we are highlighting growth areas and presenting thought-leaders from both book publishing and book buying to talk about where growth opportunities may lay, and how to best target growth programs in the coming years."

Joining the program as panelists for the Publisher's Perspective on Thursday, August 19 at 9:00 AM are Michael Friedman, publishing industry consultant and long time publishing executive with Barnes & Noble and Friedman/Fairfax Publishing Company; and Charles Nurnberg, President & Publisher at Imagine Publishing. The Publisher's Perspective will look at how the market for books has evolved and where both independent and larger publishers are seeing the opportunities for books in the coming years.

The Buyer's Perspective on Friday, August 20 at 9:00 AM includes David Strymish of New England Mobile Book Fair and eCookbooks in Newton, MA, one of the most successful independent book retailers in the Northeast; and Barbara Seibert of Purple Turtle Productions, a successful independent online bookseller. The Buyers will talk about how their world has evolved and changed with new channels opening up and product lifecycles moving faster.

The Great American Bargain Book Show runs Thursday and Friday, August 19 and 20, 2010 at the Hynes Convention Center. It is open to the trade only, with online registration at http://www.gabbs.net/. GABBS 2010 will attract several hundred buyers from across the United States, with heavy concentration in the Northeast. Buyers represent off-price retailers, general merchandise and household products retailers, booksellers and online retailers. The Boston area is home to a number of major off-price retail chains. Over 400 seller tables will be included at this event, a slight increase over 2009. The Industry Perspective Series at Great American Bargain Book Show is sponsored in part by World Publications Group, East Bridgewater, MA.

Watch a short interview with Larry May online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cbJ9mcVHTE&feature=channel

Aug 19 2010 - FREE Journal Writing Teleclass

2010-08-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

For too long, stories of the lives and journeys of African Americans have been told by others. With the publication of America I AM Journal, edited by Clarence Reynolds (SmileyBooks, Trade Paperback Original; $11.95) African Americans can now take pride in the creation of their own personal chronicles.

The award-winning America I AM: The African American Imprint traveling exhibition, now on tour in Cincinnati, traces the indelible imprint African Americans have made on America over 500 years. This inspiring volume reflects the themes of the twelve exhibit galleries and presents over 200 historical and contemporary quotations from the minds of great leaders and everyday history makers, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Madame C.J. Walker, Mary McLeod Bethune, John Johnson, Tony Dungy, and Serena Williams. Each page features a powerful image, a stirring message, and an open invitation to readers to record their own unique life story. An avid journal keeper, Smiley believes that "journaling is a perfect place to develop and refine your vision."

In celebration of the American I AM Journal, editor Clarence Reynolds and Cheryl Woodruff, president of SmileyBooks, invite aspiring and seasoned journal keepers to participate with them in a LIVE FREE 90-minute audio journal-writing workshop. The August 19th teleclass will offer pointers on the craft, as well as an introduction to the impact of journaling on personal reflection, political action, and family history.

Register here

Book Writing Workshop on August 14th, 2010 in Plano, TX

2010-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Michelle Prince, Best-Selling Author of "Winning in Life Now," hosts the 2nd "Book Bound" book writing workshop to be held in Plano, TX on Saturday, August 14th 2010. The "Book Bound™" Workshop is designed to help aspiring authors write and publish their own book on a budget. In this all-day live workshop Michelle will teach participants how to write, edit, and publish their own book. She will also disclose her personal tips of on how to do so on a budget.

Prince recognizes the need to assist future authors by navigating through the writing process. Approximately 80% of Americans today say they want to write a book; however the percentage of people who follow through is actually closer to 20%, say Joseph Epstein in a New York Times article. "The writing and self-publishing process was much easier than I thought. I want to share that knowledge so more people can get their own story out", says Prince.

In addition to following one's dream, becoming an author and having your own book has become a proven way to attract speaking engagements, generate residual income and provide a starting point for additional products. In this workshop, Prince will share ways to increase cash flow by writing a book and taking that message to a market.

Participants of this workshop will learn how to get started, the costs and steps involved in the writing and publishing process, and so much more. Each attendee will leave with an outline of their own book to jump start their journey of becoming an author.

About Michelle Prince

Michelle Prince is a sought after motivational speaker and best-selling author of, "Winning In Life Now." She has worked for and is endorsed by Zig Ziglar who wrote the foreword to her book. Michelle has been featured on SIRIUS Satellite Radio as well as several syndicated radio shows around the country. She was recently awarded the "2010 Goal Achievement" award by hitting more goals in the last 18 months than 97% of people do in a lifetime. Michelle is a radio show host, Examiner Dallas Life Coach writer, owner of her own publishing company and founder of Prince Performance Group, empowering others to perform at their best. For more information, go to http://www.anyonecanwriteabook.com/.

Sept 26-28 2010 - 2010 Southern Public Relations Federation Conference

2010-08-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

In the world of public relations, the only thing that is constant is change. During the 2010 Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF.org) regional conference, Evolution 2010, to be held September 26-28, attendees will learn about the latest trends, how to maximize their effectiveness in their job, reenergize their career, and network with fellow Gulf Coast practitioners.

The three-day conference, hosted this year by the Public Relations Association of Louisiana, will feature a variety of nationally renowned speakers, media and crisis communication panels, information-packed breakout sessions, as well as student sessions -- a first for the regional conference. The event will be held at the historic and newly restored Hilton Capitol Center in downtown Baton Rouge.

Sunday evening's welcome reception will feature Louisiana native, Kevin Sekhani and his band outside on the Hilton’s pool deck overlooking the Mississippi River. Monday night's Wine Walk and stroll around downtown Baton Rouge at a variety of bars and restaurants will be a great opportunity for conference attendees to network.

National speaker and author, Jean Gatz, addresses thousands each year on improving people performance. As one of Evolution 2010's keynote speakers, she will present Business As Usual is Over, The Survivor’s Guide for Change. Additionally, Evolution 2010 will include an assorted array of breakout sessions that will enable attendees to choose topics most applicable to their job responsibilities or career aspirations. Some of the speakers and topics include: Ed Schipul (Twitter: @eschipul), "Personal Branding Era: Opportunities and Threats"; Michael Gass (@Michaelgass), "A Formula for Fueling Agency New Business Through Social Media"; Stephanie Riegel, "Media Training Refresher"; Greg Cangialosi (@gregcangialosi), "How Email Marketing Augments PR Campaigns"; and Davina Brewer (@3HatsComm), "Kicking the Tires, Vetting the Client: Advice for Solo Independent and Freelance Pros."

For a full list of conference events and to register online, visit http://www.evolution2010.com/. Also, follow us on Twitter at @SPRF2010 and join our "Evolution 2010" SPRF Conference Facebook group for daily and weekly updates and to interact with fellow conference participants. Hotel reservations must be booked directly through the Hilton at 225.344.5866 or 800.955.6962, and mention "SPRF 2010" to receive a special room rate specifically for Evolution 2010 attendees.

Writers' Podcasts for August

2010-08-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

During the month of August, Writers in the Sky will be offering interviews with three authors who are individually writing fiction series, and an business pioneer turned author, who has written a memoir on success in the special event industry.

The month begins with an escape into a paranormal/sci-fi series that will stir creative juices and set the tone for a month of focusing on series authors. Week two takes listeners into the world of children’s series writing; with the following week offering a memoir written by the queen of the special event industry. August comes to completion with a returning and critically-acclaimed author, who will be unveiling book one in a fiction series delving into the world of art and the artistic muse.

On August 6, author Rowena Portch introduces The Protected, the first novel in her Spirian Series. Portch successfully gifts the reader with a heroine and a story that will capture as well as excite the imagination and joins WITS podcast host Vonnie Faroqui to talk about her plans for the series. When author Rowena Portch lost her vision to retinitis pigmentosa, she retired from her successful career as an editor at Microsoft to focus on her healing and writing work. Portch had already been writing professionally for over 30 years, across different genres and for various publications. She will be bringing years of experience and insight into the publishing world to WITS Podcast listeners.

On August 13, author Dawn Menge returns for a third visit to the Writers in the Sky Podcast to discuss the newest book in her series for children featuring the character of Queen Vernita. In this installment, Queen Vernita Visits Sir Heathybean the Astronomer, readers will learn many wonderful details about the planets and other celestial bodies; and, as always when spending time with Queen Vernita, the repetition of months and days of the week is continued as a learning tool. During the interview with WITS team member Sarah Moore, Dawn Menge will be discussing how she is working to expand the interest in Queen Vernita with the release of each new book, the new characters readers can expect to meet in Queen Vernita Visits Sir Heathybean the Astronomer, and perhaps invite a special guest from the pages of the book to join part of the conversation.

On August 20, Faroqui will interview event planner and business woman Andrea Michaels about her foray into writing, Reflections of a Successful Wallflower, a memoir of her experiences. Michaels is an award-winning and highly-regarded leader in the special events industry, a true pioneer, and will be sharing the memories of a lifetime as she reflects on the many lessons learned along the path to success and her decision to write about them.

The podcast series for August ends on the 27th with The Drawing Lesson and an interview with returning guest author Mary Martin. Ms. Martin will share the inspiration behind her latest series A Trilogy of Remembrance, which focuses on the art world, art politics, and creative madness as well as malicious intrigue. Discover the secrets of a fabulous author as she discusses how she changed her writing style from The Osgoode Trilogy, three novels of legal suspense, to create her latest literary art offering. Martin’s Drawing Lesson is already receiving highly-regarded critical acclaim in Canada and is sure to please American readers.

About Writers in the Sky: Writers in the Sky blog, podcast, and newsletter is a three-fold production filled with information about writing, publishing, and book publicity created by Yvonne Perry as part of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services.

Listening to Writers in the Sky Podcast on a computer is easy. Go to http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com. On the right sidebar there is a list of archived shows. Click on the interview you would like to hear and it will open a post that has a link to the audio file.

Oct 8-10 2010 - Southern Festival of Books - Nashville, TN

2010-08-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Southern Festival of Books today unveiled its star-studded literary lineup for the popular annual event set for Oct. 8-10 at downtown Nashville's War Memorial Plaza. Headliners include Mo Willems, Jon Sciezka, Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife), Frank DeFord, Rebecca Skloot, Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, and Hampton Sides.

Also featured as event presenters are former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., former Senator Fred Thompson, and Bryan Batt, an actor who is perhaps best known as Sal from the hit series "Mad Men."

Now in its 22nd year, the Southern Festival of Books is a free, three-day celebration of the written word, providing its nearly 20,000 book-loving guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite authors. Making its debut this year is the much-anticipated Chapter 16 pavilion, which will bring the newly launched www.chapter16.org website of Tennessee literati to life.

Back by popular demand: Southern favorites Rick Bragg; Brad Watson; Marshall Chapman, They Came to Nashville; and Tom Franklin. Click here for the full lineup and information about each author.

Also back by popular demand: the @SoFestofBooks Twitter "Speed Reader" contest, which kicks off today and runs each week leading up to the Festival. @SoFestofBooks will give daily clues abut authors appearing at the Festival. The first person to guess the author correctly wins front-of-the-line book signing privileges for an author of their choosing. Winners and the week's featured author will be announced by 5 p.m. CDT each Friday throughout the contest. Weekly contest winners will receive a Speed Reader pass and a 2010 Festival poster. Must be 18 or older to play. All answers must be submitted as an @reply to @SoFestofBooks. Direct messages will not be considered.

The Southern Festival of Books is presented by Humanities Tennessee, a non-profit organization that promotes humanities education across Tennessee. The Festival is proudly sponsored by the National Endowment for Humanities, the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Dollar General, Nashville Scene, Ingram Book Company, Vanderbilt and the Tennessee Arts Commission. Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @SoFestofBooks.

Website: http://www.humanitiestennessee.org/festival/index.php

Sept 24-26 2010 - 11th Annual Authors' Conference (Valley Forge, Penn)

2010-07-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Infinity Publishing, a pioneer in author-originated book publishing, today announced its 11th annual Authors' Conference, set for September 24-26, 2010.

The Infinity Publishing "Gathering of Authors" will take place at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Valley Forge, Penn., directly across from the famous Valley Forge National Park and approximately 30 minutes from the Philadelphia International Airport. Full registration is $695, and includes meals, two nights' lodging at the Radisson, and all conference activities. For complete conference details and to register for the event, please click here to download the online registration form.

"We are pleased to once again operate this year's conference as a not-for-profit event, redirecting all of the registration fees back into the event itself so we can keep the costs to attend as low as possible," said Arthur Gutch, chief executive officer of Infinity Publishing. "At Infinity, we consider our annual gathering of authors an important extension of our commitment to working with authors on an in-depth, personalized basis."

According to Gutch, this year the company is introducing a new scholarship program to defray the costs of attending the event for authors in a recovering economic climate. The top scholarship award is a full registration for the 2010 Authors' Conference, including travel expenses and a complete publishing package. To apply for scholarship consideration, interested authors must go to www.authorsconference.com, download the "Scholarship Application" and answer three essay questions regarding their desire to attend the conference and publish their book.

The Infinity Publishing conference is open to all authors, regardless of how or with whom they have published their books, as well as aspiring writers who are striving to learn more about how to publish their own works. The event will feature keynote speeches from noted industry professionals and a variety of dynamic discussions on timely publishing topics, such as common book promotion challenges and how to leverage the power of social media to increase book sales.

Infinity Publishing provides the opportunity for authors who are seeking to maintain control over the publishing process, to carry out their visions for their books. Infinity currently has more than 4,000 active authors who have collectively published more than 6,000 titles with the company.

Website: http://www.authorsconference.com/

Sept 25 2010 - 2010 National Book Festival - Washington, DC

2010-07-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

The 10th Annual National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, will be held Saturday, Sept. 25 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 3rd and 7th Streets from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. As the official book retailer for the event, Borders will have a store in the Book Sales Pavilion, so attendees can quickly and conveniently pick up their books before heading over to the Author Signing Pavilions located nearby.

The event will feature a number of authors including Suzanne Collins, Linda Sue Park, Katherine Paterson, Jane Smiley, Scott Turow and Gordon S. Wood with more to sign on in the coming weeks.

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

August 10-31 2010 - A Different Kind of Writer'’s Group

2010-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Creative writing can help you express emotions through putting your thoughts on paper. Hospice at Home/Lory's Place have partnered with the Box Factory to create a new workshop called A Different Kind of Writer's Group.

Lead by workshop leader and writing coach Barbara Simpson, this four week workshop will encourage writing to get out what is inside of you. Whether it takes the form of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, a play or a song, no one can tell your story but you. Healing can occur through writing and the sharing of that writing. In this safe, confidential and non-judgmental writing group, you will have the opportunity to see writing as an art form which belongs to everyone. Attendance at all four sessions of this workshop is strongly encouraged

This program will take place on Tuesdays, August 10 - 31, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Box Factory for the Arts, 1101 Broad St., St. Joseph. There is no charge for this program. Classes are for adults only and size is limited to ten participants on a first-come first-serve basis. Call Lory's Place at 269-983-2707 to register.

Hospice at Home also offers ongoing groups that meet during the evening for adults and children at Lory's Place Grief Healing and Education Center. The groups include regularly scheduled age-appropriate support group sessions that allow children and adults to interact with peers who have suffered similar loss. Groups for children and adults who are anticipating a loss or who have experienced a loss through pregnancy are also available, as well as educational and workplace grief programs. All community bereavement services are provided free of charge thanks to local community contributions.
For more information contact Hospice at Home at 269-429-7100 or 1-800-HOSPICE, or go to http://www.hospiceathomecares.org/ or contact Lory's Place at 269-983-2707 or 1-800-717-3812, or go to http://www.lorysplace.org/.

July 19-24 2010 - New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival Comes To L.A.

2010-07-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Over 600 poets from more than 50 cities will participate in the six-day event, which also will include celebrity guests Common, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper, and others.

Youth Speaks Inc., the nation's leading spoken word organization, is bringing its 13th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival to Los Angeles from July 19 to 24. Convening the top young poets and spoken word artists, aged 13-19, from across the United States and internationally, Brave New Voices 2010 will feature a diverse group of young writers, trendsetters and community and cultural leaders, as well as world-class workshops led by renowned poets and artists. Acclaimed hip-hop artist Common will emcee the event finals, which will be judged by Hill Harper, Rosario Dawson, and other socially conscious celebrities and community leaders. Additionally, entertainment mogul Russell Simmons is producing a compelling new special for HBO about Brave New Voices. As many as 1,000 youth (poets and audience members) from varied parts of the United States and beyond will take part in this one-of-a-kind event.

Having grown bigger each year since its inception in 1998, Brave New Voices presents the voices of 21st Century America and its significant demographic diversity. The festival highlights arts education and performance, local program development and national movement organizing. Through the multiple conference events, workshops, and spoken word competitions, a new generation of artists and leaders can transcend traditional stereotypes by speaking their truths and listening to the truths of others. The 2008 event (and its six-month build up) was filmed by HBO and presented by Russell Simmons as part of a seven-episode series that aired in 2009.

The Grand Slam Finals of the festival will be hosted at the Saban Theater (formerly the Wilshire Theater) on Friday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m.

"Brave New Voices 2010 is going to be a remarkable event that will continue to build our community among an ever-growing number of youth who are returning to literature and reinvesting in education through the power of the spoken word," said James Kass, founder and executive director of Youth Speaks. "This is a special forum that enables a generation of young artists and leaders to speak for themselves and their communities. The ideas espoused through their poetry can help change our world for the better," he added.
Russell Simmons noted, "Brave New Voices is building bridges across radically diverse ethnic, racial and socio-economic lines. This is the future of our global community, and people everywhere should take notice and get involved."

An abbreviated schedule of festival events is listed below:
Monday, July 19, 2010
Opening Ceremonies
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Brave New Leaders Conference
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Brave New Voices Speak Green, featuring Van Jones and Tom Feegel
Quarter-Finals of The Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Semi-Finals of The Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam
Friday, July 23, 2010
Grand Slam Finals of The Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam (at the Saban Theater)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Brave New Teachers Conference

Sponsors for this year's event include the Ford Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Redford Center, US Green Building Council and American Airlines. For more information about Brave New Voices 2010, please visit http://www.bravenewvoices.org/ or contact Jeannine Schechter Jacobi at jeannine@freshpr.net.

July 17 2010 - National Press Club to 'Beat the Deadline' with 5K Charity Race

2010-07-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

The National Press Club, the world's leading professional organization for journalists, goes on the record with its annual "Beat the Deadline 5K," Saturday, July 17, in the heart of the nation's capitol.

"We welcome everyone to have a good time for a great cause," said Richard S. Dunham, president of the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library board. "Our race sponsors and participants play a major role in helping us fulfill our commitment to diversity in journalism and cutting-edge training programs."

The nation's premier race saluting journalists and their news sources attracts national news personalities, media professionals, politicians, and pundits. Among this year's exclusive celebrity lineup are CNN's Jill Dougherty, Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, ABC News' Jonathan Karl and Rick Klein, Washington Post 'MisFits' Vick Hallett and Lenny Bernstein, K Street Kate, and ABC/WJLA's Courtney Robinson.

Race marshal and celebrity fitness guru Tony Horton, creator of P90X Extreme Home Fitness, will lead competitors in a pre-race warm up at 7:45 a.m. The race begins at 8:00 a.m. with a route that winds along Pennsylvania Avenue between the National Press Building and the U.S. Capitol. For the first time at this year's event, officials will implement chip timing for race participants.

Race proceeds go to NPC's non-profit Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library to benefit training and scholarships for journalism. Major event sponsors include Bloomberg, C-SPAN, Kiplinger, McGraw-Hill, Roll Call, Texas on the Potomac, P90X, Sysco, Toyota, State Department Federal Credit Union, All American League of Lobbyists, John Farr Lighting Design, NBWA America Beer Distributors, and Quadrangle.

For complete race details and online registration, visit www.press.org/5K. Participants are invited to a post-race Awards Ceremony and breakfast in the National Press Club. Top finalists will receive cash awards, and all registrants are eligible for door prize drawings.

As part of "Beat the Deadline" weekend, Horton will address a National Press Club Speakers Series luncheon at 1:00 p.m., Friday, July 16. The fitness trainer will call for the development of a functional fitness physical training program within the U.S. military. For reservations, contact reservations@press.org or 202.662.7501.

July 28-31 2010 - Top Industry Insiders Offer Insight And Advice On Getting Published

2010-07-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

What writer doesn't dream of seeing his or her work published? Looking to publish your fiction, nonfiction or poetry, but don't know where to begin?

Let published professionals and industry experts show you how at the fourteenth annual Anhinga Writers' Studio 2010 Summer Workshops in Gainesville, July 28-31 at the Hilton University of Florida Hotel and Conference Center. The Anhinga Writers' Studio offers hands-on instruction in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction taught by top authors, editors and agents.

This year's faculty includes pioneering magazine publisher George Hirsch, self-publishing guru Peter Bowerman, and literary agent Anne Hawkins, along with poets, novelists, memoirists and journalists. Join us this year and let your writing take wing!

Website: http://www.anhingawriters.org/

Nov 13-14 2010 - The Third San Francisco Writing for Change Conference

2010-07-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

The Third San Francisco Writing for Change Conference has a powerful message for writers: Your books can change the world and we can show you how! This November 13 & 14, 2010 at the Hilton (Financial District), Writing for Change will feature two inspiring keynote addresses and over 30 breakout sessions on writing, publishing, technology and marketing. Attendees will have access to agents and editors who can transform a writer's dream into reality. (http://www.sfwritingforchange.org/)

Authors who write about change in realms as diverse as the environment, spirituality, politics, health, technology, personal growth, business and the economy are encouraged to attend. Information and online registration are available at www.SFwritingforChange.org. Call 415-673-0939 or 925-560-1403. The Hilton Financial District is offering an attendee room rate of $119 (based on availability). Attendance is limited to 150 people.

National Press Club to Kick Off Summer Documentary Series on July 7

2010-07-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

The National Press Club is scheduled to kick off its second annual Summer Documentary Series on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 6:30 PM.

Throughout July and August, the Press Club will host a series of documentary films written and produced by journalists, media affiliates and international film fellows, with particular focus on Freedom of the Press issues.

Opening the event on July 7, the Club will screen documentary films from George Washington University's International Emerging Filmmakers Fellowship, a six-week program that provides 20 international filmmakers the opportunity to create documentaries and cross-cultural dialogue.

A panel discussion, including select fellows and Director of GW's Documentary Center, Nina Gilden Seavey, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and Founding Director and Executive Producer for SILVERDOCS: The AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, will follow the July 7 film screening.

The National Press Club Summer Documentary Series is scheduled to run every Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM from July 7 to August 4, 2010. The events are free and open to the public. For more information on the Press Club, please visit http://www.press.org/.

New Media Leaders on Tap at Online News Association Conference Oct 28-30 in Washington, D.C.

2010-07-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Online News Association, the world's largest membership organization of digital journalists, today announced the program for its 2010 Conference & Awards Banquet, the incubator for emerging ideas, media networking and newsroom technology.

ONA10 will officially open Thursday, Oct. 28, with a reception at the historic Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture and end with The Online Journalism Awards Banquet on Oct. 30, celebrating the best in digital journalism.

Among the presenters so far are Bill Alison, the Sunlight Foundation; Anil Dash, Expert Labs; Jim Brady, TBD.com; Qiana Mestrich, Beliefnet; Alicia Shepard, NPR; Andrew Noyes, Facebook; Charles Lewis, Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University; Mark Briggs, Serra Media; Laura Brunow Miner, Pictory; design gurus Roger Black and Jeffrey Zeldman; Tyson Evans, New York Times; David Wright, NPR; Rachel Kaufman, MediaBistro; Marcia Parker, AOL Patch and Chris Barr, Yahoo!.

"There's a reason why our last three conferences have sold out early," said Jane McDonnell, ONA Executive Director. "This is where journalists and their new collaborators come to learn, grow and share excitement and pride in how their profession is evolving."

The pre-conference will kick off at the Marriott Renaissance Downtown Hotel Thursday, Oct. 28, with hands-on digital mentoring and field trips with experts, as well as the third annual Career Summit & Job Fair, and move on to three tracks of journalism, tools and design Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29 and 30. Keynote speakers sharing their visions on media, technology and government will be announced shortly.

New this year: ONA10 J-Camp and Office Hours. Attendees will have a direct line to Google and Twitter geek squads as staff from both companies will be on hand throughout the conference to answer questions and offer tips on how to get the most out of their tools and technology.

Conference sessions will focus on everything from killer apps, mobile, the 10 hottest tech trends, tools for crisis reporting, geolocation, SEO, APIs and Document Cloud to the new investigative journalism partnerships, niche news and the new content providers, news design, data visualization and coding. The program so far is available here; more sessions will be scheduled as ONA keeps an eye on media trends.

To register, or for more information, go to http://www.conference.journalists.org/.

July 11 - 28 -2010 - Writer's Haven in Taos

2010-07-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

Writing the Story of Your Life? Memoir Writing Opportunities Abound at the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference!

And, it’s not too late! A few spaces remain to study with acclaimed writers at this year’s 12th annual Taos Summer Writers’ Conference, taking place July 11-18. Workshops focusing on the craft of memoir, taught by Debra Monroe, Minrose Gwin, Sarah Manguso and Michelle Otero, are still open for registration. These include two weeklong workshops, one weekend workshop and one master class. Workshops are capped at twelve students and take place at the Sagebrush Inn Conference Center in Taos, New Mexico.

Weeklong Memoir Workshops:
Advanced Memoir: Challenges and Struggles (Advanced) - Minrose Gwin

For writers at least halfway through a memoir manuscript, the workshop will focus on the unique craft challenges that memoirists tackle. Minrose Gwin’s recent novel, The Queen of Palmyra, was selected by Barnes and Noble for their “Discover Great New Writers” series. She is also the author of an acclaimed memoir about her mother, Wishing for Snow.

The Search for an Orderly Story in the Disorderly Tangle of Memory: Memoir (Intermediate)- Debra Monroe

How do you translate the rich landscape of memory into a written story? This workshop will guide you through the process of discovering tension and building structure around the stories of your life. Debra Monroe’s new memoir, On the Outskirts of Normal: Forging a Family Against the Grain is receiving rave reviews: Vanity Fair listed the book in its Required Reading list, and Oprah’s Magazine, O, will feature the memoir in its August issue. Monroe is also the author of four works of fiction.

Weekend Memoir Workshop:

Writing The New “Normal”: Memoir When Life Happens (All Levels) – Michelle Otero

One challenge of writing about one’s life is that it keeps happening even as you write. So, this workshop focuses onwriting through life’s transitions. Michelle Otero is the author of the essay collection, Malinche’s Daughter, based on her time living in Oaxaca, Mexico. Otero is a former Fulbright fellow and a tenth generation New Mexican.

Master Class:
Memoir - Sarah Manugso

A workshop for writers who have completed a full-length manuscript. You’ll examine your own writing as well as two published works, and discuss the ways in which omission and repetition function in the craft of memoir. The New York Times Book Review named Sarah Manguso’s most recent memoir, The Two Kinds of Decay, an Editor’s Choice. She has also published a story collection and two books of poetry, and has been awarded a Pushcart Prize and a Rome Fellowship among many other honors.

2010 Taos Summer Writers' Conference Schedule of Public Events

All events take place at the Sagebrush Inn Conference Center,
1508 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, New Mexico.

All readings are free and open to the public.

SUNDAY, JULY 11, 8 PM
Cristina Garcia, Keynote Speaker.
Dreaming in Cuban, was a finalist for the National Book Award; The Lady Matador’s Hotel will be released in September.

MONDAY, JULY 12, 5:30 PM
Jon Davis. Full-length collections of poetry include Preliminary Report, Scrimmage of Appetite, and Dangerous Amusements.
John Dufresne. Novels include Louisiana Power & Light, Love Warps the Mind a Little, Deep in the Shade of Paradise, and Requiem Mass.
Priscilla Long. Author of Where the Sun Never Shines: a History of America’s Bloody Coal Industry and The Writer’s Portable Mentor.
Debra Monroe. Author of the memoir On the Outskirts of Normal: Forging a Family Against the Grain and two novels, Newfangled and Shambles.

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 5:30 PM
Jonis Agee. Author of thirteen books, including five novels – Sweet Eyes, Strange Angels, South of Resurrection, The Weight of Dreams, and her most recent, The River Wife.
Jeff Davis. Author of The Journey from the Center to the Page and City Reservoir
Minrose Gwin. Author of a novel, The Queen of Palmyra, and Wishing for Snow, a memoir.
Jesse Lee Kercheval. Author of the memoir Space, the short novel Brazil and the poetry collection Cinema Muto.

WEDNESDAY JULY 14, 5:30 PM
Dorothy Allison is the author of Bastard Out of Carolina; her novel She Who is forthcoming from Penguin
Jane Ciabattari is the author of the short story collection Stealing the Fire and the president of the National Book Critics Circle.
Sarah Manguso. Author of the memoir The Two Kinds of Decay, the story collection Hard to Admit and Harder to Escape, and the poetry collections Siste Viator and The Captain Lands in Paradise.
Rob Wilder. Author of two books of essays: Tales From The Teachers’ Lounge and Daddy Needs a Drink;

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 5:30 PM
Jill Bialosky. Author of the novels Life Room and House under Snow and poetry collections, Subterranean and Intruder, she is Executive Editor and Vice President at W. W. Norton
Pam Houston. Author of two collections of linked short stories, Cowboys Are My Weakness and Waltzing the Cat and the novel, Sighthound.
Mark Sundeen. Author of two books of creative nonfiction, Car Camping and The Making of Toro, and is a correspondent for Outside magazine.
Summer Wood. Author of the novel Arroyo, her novel Wrecker will be released in Winter 2010.

SATURDAY, JULY 17, 7 PM
Annie Dawid. Author of And Darkness Was Under His Feet: Stories of a Family, Lily in the Desert:
Stories, and York Ferry: A Novel.
Joy Harjo. Author of several poetry books including She Had Some Horses, The Woman Who Fell
From the Sky, and How We Became Human, New and Selected Poems.
Pam Houston. Author of two collections of linked short stories, Cowboys Are My Weakness and Waltzing the Cat and the novel, Sighthound.
Valerie Martínez. Author of several poetry books including Absence, Luminescent, World to World, A Flock of Scarlet Doves, And They Called it Horizon, and Each and Her.

Daniel Mueller. Author of a collection of stories, How Animals Mate.
Michelle Otero. Author of Malinche's Daughter.
Mark Sundeen. Author of two books of creative nonfiction, Car Camping and The Making of Toro, is a correspondent for Outside magazine.

Details available online at: http://www.unm.edu/~taosconf/Workshops/special_events.htm

July 16 - 25 2010 - Fairfield University's MFA in Creative Writing Program

2010-07-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

Fairfield University's low residency MFA in Creative Writing, with concentrations in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and screen writing, presents a summer and winter series of public readings by noted authors at Enders Island, where graduate students spend four exciting and rigorous 10-day residency periods during the two-year program.

The readings this summer take place from July 16 through July 25 and begin at 7 p.m. in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption. Bank Square Books in Mystic is partnering with Fairfield to make the authors' books available, with book signings following the readings. Admission is free and seating, which is limited, will be on a first-come, first serve basis.

Access is by way of Mason's Island Road with signs showing the way to Enders Island.

Friday, July 16

Eugenia Kim's debut novel, The Calligrapher's Daughter ( Holt ), won the 2009 Borders Original Voices award, is a Washington Post Critic's Pick and Best Book for 2009, and a Publishers Weekly First Fiction Pick.

Leila Philip, author of three books, including the award-winning memoir, A Family Place: A Hudson Valley Farm, Three Centuries, Five Wars, One Family ( Viking 2001, Penguin 2002 ) which was recently republished by SUNY press as an Excelsior Edition ( 2009 ) with an updated epilogue, photographic essay, and additional historical materials.

Rachel Basch is the author of two novels: The Passion of Reverend Nash ( W.W. Norton ), named one of the five best novels of 2003 by The Christian Science Monitor, and Degrees of Love ( W.W. Norton, Harper Paperbacks ) which was translated into Dutch and German and was a selection of the Hartford Courant's Book Club.

Saturday, July 17

Josip Novakovich, a native of Croatia, has published a novel, April Fool's Day, three story collections ( Infidelities: Stories of War and Lust, Yolk, and Salvation and Other Disasters ) and two collections of narrative essays. His work was anthologized in Best American Poetry, the Pushcart Prize collection, and O. Henry Prize Stories.

Kim Bridgford's books include Undone, Instead of Maps, and In the Extreme: Sonnets about World Records, winner of the Donald Justice Prize. She is working on a three-book poetry/photography project with visual artist Jo Yarrington, focusing on journey and sacred space in Iceland, Venezuela, and Bhutan and was the 2007-08 Connecticut Touring Poet.

Paul Lisicky is the author of Lawnboy and Famous Builder, both published by Graywolf Press. His work has appeared in many anthologies and magazines and he has a novel, The Burning House, from Etruscan Press due out in Spring 2011.

Sunday, July 18

Hollis Seamon is the author of a short story collection, Body Work ( Spring Harbor Press 2000 ), and a mystery novel, Flesh ( Avocet Press 2005 ). Her short stories have appeared in many literary journals and she won the 2009 Al Blanchard award for short fiction.

Wally Lamb, a guest faculty member for the summer with the MFA program, is the author of three New York Times bestselling novels - The Hour I First Believed, I Know This Much is True, and She's Come Undone - of which two were Oprah's Book Club selections. Lamb edited Couldn't Keep It to Myself and I'll Fly Away, two volumes of essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women's prison in Connecticut, where he has been a volunteer facilitator for the past 10 years. His latest novel, Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story, was published in November of 2009.

Tuesday, July 20

Al Davies, who has published two prize-winning collections of stories ( Rumors from the Lost World and Alone with the Owl ), received two Fulbright awards ( to Indonesia and Slovenia ) and a Loft-McKnight Award of Distinction in Creative Prose. He recently completed a third collection of stories and a novel.

Michael White, director of the MFA program at Fairfield University, is the author of six novels: Beautiful Assassin, just published in March by William Morrow/Harper Collins Soul Catcher, A Brother's Blood, The Blind Side of the Heart, A Dream of Wolves, and The Garden of Martyrs. He is also the author of the story collection, Marked Men, and has published 50 stories in national and literary magazines. He was the founding editor of the American Fiction series and is the fiction editor of Dogwood.

Thursday, July 22

Elizabeth Kirschner has published five books of poetry, most recently, Surrender to Light, Cherry Grove Editions, 2009; and My Life as a Doll, brought out by Autumn House in 2008 and nominated for the Lenore Marshall Prize. She has collaborated with many classical composers who have set her poetry to music for both national and international venues and has three CDs out of her work.

Baron Wormser is the author of seven books of poetry and a poetry chapbook. He is the co-author of two books about teaching poetry and the author of a memoir and a collection of short stories. He directs the Frost Place Conference on Poetry and Teaching in Franconia, N.H. and served as poet laureate of Maine from 2000 to 2005.

Da Chen, a Columbia University School of Law graduate who worked for the Wall Street investment banking firm of Rothschilds, Inc., is the author of a memoir, Colors of the Mountain, which was compared to Angela's Ashes and became the object of an intense bidding war among five top New York publishing houses. A New York Times bestseller, it was published in six other languages. His first adult fiction, Brothers, was awarded the Washington Post Best Book of 2006. His next fiction, due out this year, will be published by Crown.

Friday, July 23

Karen Osborn is the author of Patchwork" ( HBJ ), a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Between Earth and Sky ( William Morrow ), and The River Road ( William Morrow/ Harper Collins ). Her poetry has been published in numerous literary journals, anthologies, and magazines.

Sarah Manguso is the author of the memoir, The Two Kinds of Decay, a story collection, Hard to Admit and Harder to Escape, and the poetry collections Siste Viator and The Captain Lands in Paradise. Her writing has appeared in McSweeney's, the New York Times Magazine, the Paris Review, and three volumes of the Best American Poetry series.

Porochista Khakpour's debut novel, Sons and Other Flammable Objects ( Grove/Atlantic ), a New York Times "Editor's Choice," Chicago Tribune "Fall's Best," and 2007 California Book Award winner, is out in paperback. Born in Tehran and raised in Los Angeles, her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, The Village Voice, The Chicago Reader and FiveChapters.com, among others.

Saturday, July 24

Pete Duval's short story collection, Rear View ( Houghton Mifflin ), won the Connecticut Book Award and was a finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His work has appeared in a variety of journals including Alaska Quarterly Review, Northwest Review, Exquisite Corpse, and The Sonora Review. He recently completed a historical novel, Election Day, set along the coast of Buzzard's Bay where he grew up.

Joan Connor is a recipient of several awards, including the Barbara Deming Award and a Pushcart Prize, for her short story collection, "History Lessons," and the Riverteeth Award for her collection of essays, "The World Before Mirrors." Her two earlier story collections are: "We Who Live Apart" and "Here On Old Route 7."

Sunday, July 25

Nalini Jones' story collection, What You Call Winter, was published in August 2007 by Knopf. She is a Stanford Calderwood Fellow of the MacDowell Colony, and has recently taught at Columbia University and the 92nd Street Y in New York. For several years she worked in music, helping produce festivals and concert series in New York, Newport, and New Orleans.

Lary Bloom is the author and co-author of several nonfiction books, including The Writer Within, Lary Bloom's Connecticut Notebook, and the memoirs, Letters From Nuremberg ( with Senator Christopher J. Dodd ) and The Test of Our Times ( with former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge ). As one of America's leading Sunday magazine editors for 30 years, he nurtured writers such as Edna Buchanan, Carl Hiaasen, Dave Barry, Madeleine Blais, David Hays and Susan M. Dodd. He writes a monthly column for the New York Times and Connecticut magazine.

Bill Patrick's works have been published or produced in several genres: creative nonfiction, poetry, fiction, screenwriting, and drama. Saving Troy ( 2005 ) is a creative nonfiction chronicle of a year spent living with the professional firefighters and paramedics of the Troy, N.Y., Fire Department's 1st Platoon, and accompanying them to emergency medical calls, rescues, and fires. His radio play, Rescue, was aired world-wide on BBC 3 in 1997. His book, We Didn't Come Here for This ( 1999 ), is a hybrid of creative nonfiction and poetry.

For more information, visit www.fairfield.edu/mfa or contact Elizabeth Hastings at ehastings@fairfield.edu

July 9 2010 - Literary Magazine Celebrates Relaunch

2010-07-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Intercultural Alliance of Artists & Scholars, Inc. (The IAAS) announced the publication of phati'tude Literary Magazine with its relaunch issue: MULTICULTURALISM: IN SEARCH OF A NEW PERSPECTIVE and its Summer issue, THE LAVENDER ISSUE: LGBT LITERATURE TODAY. Both publications will be available for sale on our website on July 15, 2010 on Amazon.com. Each issue features writers from the U.S., Canada, England, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand

The organization is hosting a premiere party at the Bowery Poetry Club on Friday, July 9, 2010, from 7:30 pm to 9:30pm. The literary event, open to the general public, will feature poetry readings, video screenings and other performances by Tara Betts, Timothy Liu, Angelo Nikolopoulos, Jeffrey Perkins, Devi Lockwood, Jon Sands and Jesus Papoleto Melendez. Special guest David Henderson

The $5 Admission will be donated to the Bowery Arts and Sciences, the non-profit arm of the Bowery Poetry Club. Details are available on both websites: http://www.phatitude.org/ and http://www.bowerypoetryclub.com/.

"We encourage lovers of the written word to attend the event, purchase the book ($18 printed, $10 e-book), visit the phati'tude website, make a donation and spread the word to others as a way of supporting contemporary poetry and literature," added Michelle Aragón, Director, Marketing & Communications. "We want everyone to catch phati'tude and pass it on!"

July 28 - 31 2010 - Anhinga Writers' Studio 2010 Summer Workshops

2010-07-04T06:32:00.001-07:00

What writer doesn't dream of seeing his or her work published? Looking to publish your fiction, nonfiction or poetry, but don't know where to begin? Let published professionals and industry experts show you how at the fourteenth annual Anhinga Writers' Studio 2010 Summer Workshops in Gainesville, July 28-31 at the Hilton University of Florida Hotel and Conference Center.

The Anhinga Writers' Studio offers hands-on instruction in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction taught by top authors, editors and agents. This year's faculty includes pioneering magazine publisher George Hirsch, self-publishing guru Peter Bowerman, and literary agent Anne Hawkins, along with poets, novelists, memoirists and journalists. For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://www.anhingawriters.org/, email info@anhingawriters.org, or call (352) 379-8782. Join us this year and let your writing take wing!

June 29 2010 - 2010 Gerald Loeb Awards Dinner

2010-06-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

WHAT:

The 2010 Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism will feature some of the broadcast industry's most highly regarded journalists as presenters. Representatives from the nation’s most renowned news outlets, including CBS, CNBC, CNN, and Bloomberg, will be presenting awards to business editors and journalists who have made significant contributions to the understanding of business, finance and the economy.

WHO:
Presenters Include:

* Maria Bartiromo, CNBC – News Anchor of "Closing Bell" and Host/Managing Editor of "Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo"

* Allan Chernoff, CNN – Senior Correspondent

* Tom Keene, Bloomberg – Editor-at-Large at Bloomberg News; Host of "Bloomberg on the Economy" and "Bloomberg Surveillance" on Bloomberg Radio

* Melissa Lee, CNBC – Host of "Fast Money" and "Options Action"

* Betty Liu, Bloomberg – News Anchor of "In the Loop with Betty Liu"

* Christine Romans, CNN – Host of "Your $$$$$" and Correspondent for "American Morning"

* Bob Simon, CBS – Correspondent for "60 Minutes"

For presenter bios, please visit http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x32785.xml

WHEN:
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
6:00pm - Cocktail Reception
7:00pm – Dinner & Awards

WHERE:
Capitale
130 Bowery
New York, NY 10013

July 16-28 2010 - Iowa City Book Festival

2010-06-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Iowa City Book Festival ( ICBF ), presented by the University of Iowa Libraries, has announced its schedule for the three-day celebration of reading, writing and books July 16-18. The Festival offers activities for the entire family: best-selling authors, hands-on book arts, kids’ activities, music and festival food.

For its second year, the ICBF has greatly expanded its schedule and has attracted some leading writers and filmmakers, including Jane Smiley, Audrey Niffenegger, Jeffrey Zaslow and Nicholas Meyer.

Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Smiley ( photo, left ) kicks off the festival with the keynote address at the Author Dinner, 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 16 in the Main Library. Tickets for the dinner must be purchased before the event, seating is limited.

On Saturday, July 17, best-selling authors Niffenegger, Zaslow, David Rhodes, and James Galvin join Smiley in the Shambaugh Auditorium Series. The Libraries Special Collections and Iowa Women’s Archives will host a series of authors: Rebecca Johns and Wendy Webb will talk about research for novelists, Hope Edelman and Carl Klaus will discuss memoirs; Ray Young Bear will read from his book, "The Rock Island Hiking Club," and Nicholas Meyer will discuss his memoir, “The View from the Bridge.” Sessions about poetry appreciation, writing children’s books and adult computer literacy round out activities in the Main Library on Saturday. For complete author biographies, see http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/authors.

June 30 2010 - David Zimmerman reads from new novel at Prairie Lights

2010-06-27T10:29:00.001-07:00

David Zimmerman, a faculty member at Iowa State University, will read from his novel "The Sandbox" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, in Prairie Lights Books at 15 S. Dubuque St. in downtown Iowa City. The free event will be streamed live and then archived on the University of Iowa's Writing University website -- http://www.writinguniversity.org/.

"The Sandbox" is a story of a decent man trying to do right under impossible circumstances. Private Toby Durrant, a self-described "broke nobody" serving in Iraq, finds himself in the middle of a far-reaching conspiracy involving insurgents massing in the nearby hills, a secretive member of military intelligence, an abandoned toy factory and a mysterious, half-feral child.

Zimmerman attended Emerson College for film studies and then went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at the University of Alabama. He has worked as a publicist at St. Martin's Press and taught writing at Georgia Southern University, Dilla University College in Ethiopia, South College and the University of Wisconsin, where he was also a fiction fellow at the Wisconsin Institute of Creative Writing. His work includes a novella, "Socket."

June 29 2010 - Practical Ways Educators Can Encourage Creativity

2010-06-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Creativity may be the most sought-after quality in business and academic life; it's frequently cited as important to successful problem-solving. On June 29, at the annual conference of ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) in Denver, an expert educator will conduct a session on practical ways teachers and students can foster and analyze creativity as part of any classroom project.

Candace Hackett Shively, Director of K-12 Initiatives at nonprofit TeachersFirst.com, will present "Dimensions of Creativity: A Model to Analyze Student Projects," demonstrating proven ways to encourage productive, applied creativity in project-based learning. The focus will be on the use of web-based tools to facilitate growth in creativity skills.

Ms. Shively has 27 years' experience as a master teacher and instructional technology specialist. She has designed and taught many undergraduate, graduate, and inservice classes on educational technology, served as a consultant to fellow teachers on creative projects and competitions, and presented at multiple national and regional conferences.

The ISTE session is based on decades of solid research on creativity. It will employ Guilford's model of divergent thinking to show teachers how to choose the best tools to foster fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration (FFOE) in the classroom. Participants in the session will collaborate using online backchannel chat and face-to-face discussion. They will apply their collective teaching experience, their own creativity, and a common creativity vocabulary to examine project ideas and web-based tools.

The session will be held Tuesday, June 29, from 11:00 a.m. - noon. Further information is available at http://bit.ly/cMgAeg.

For those who are unable to attend the ISTE conference in person, TeachersFirst.com will provide live streaming video of interviews and two-way chat, sharing ISTE conference thoughts and discoveries from its booth (#1485) in the conference's Exhibit Hall. The live feed can be accessed at 3:45 Mountain time (5:45 Eastern) on June 29 via a link on the TeachersFirst home page.

TeachersFirst (http://www.teachersfirst.com/) is a service of The Source for Learning (http://www.sourceforlearning.org/), a not-for-profit corporation providing enhanced learning through technology. The Source for Learning is a member of ISTE 100, and is the creator of www.PreschoolFirst.com, www.TeachersAndFamilies.com, and www.GrowUpLearning.com, a new service for the families of children from birth to 66 months.

July 10 2010 - Filmmaking 101 Summer Workshop

2010-06-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

The Lone Star Film Society (LSFS), will conduct its annual summer filmmaking workshop in partnership with the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts. "Filmmaking 101" will be held at the J.M. Moudy Visual Arts and Communication Building on the Campus of Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, July 12-16, 2010. Former director of the Texas Film Commission, Tom Copeland will be the workshop’s producer and veteran Texas filmmaker, Chris Caddel, will serve as director. The course will consist of four ten-hour sessions, plus a bonus day on Friday consisting of industry-focused panels.

"Cultivating the next generation of filmmakers is an important priority for the LSFS," said Dennis Bishop, LSFS director and film industry veteran. "It is our sincere hope that our students will use what they learn as a foundation for their own unique creative expression. We’ve developed sound curriculum and recruited a top-notch faculty to offer the latest thinking in the craft of filmmaking. This is a can’t-miss event for aspiring artists and an exciting opportunity to learn from highly experienced professionals that could lead to a career in this challenging field."

Seasoned professionals utilizing real world tools and techniques will provide in-depth instruction focusing on the prepping, casting, producing and editing of films. The concentrated course of study will culminate in the production of a short film by each student.

Beyond actual production, topics ranging from screenplay development, to the legal and business complexities of filmmaking, will also be explored. The comprehensive workshop is geared towards film students and teachers in high school and college, as well as emerging filmmakers and general enthusiasts. To ensure high instructor/student ratios, registration is limited to 25 participants.

"Filmmaking 101" will conclude on day-five with a variety of interactive panels with additional insight and instruction from industry experts. The workshop is being sponsored by Alcon and the Texas Film Commission with facilities and instructional support from TCU. Early registration fees are $695.00 prior to July 1 and $750.00 until July 10. For more details and registration, visit: http://www.lonestarfilmsociety.com/Filmmaking%20101.html.

Sept 30 2010 - Military Writers to gather in Pittsburgh for Annual Conference

2010-06-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) announced today that Pittsburgh is the site for its 2010 Conference and Award Banquet. Based at the Wyndham University Place Hotel in the Oakland neighborhood, the conference is scheduled for Sept. 30 – Oct. 3.

The conference begins on Thursday, Sept. 30, with a morning ceremony in South Park's "By the Dawn's Early Light Flag Retirement Plaza." Organized by former Marine John Kovach, the plaza, for patriotic reflection, features flags for each of seven military branches as well as the American flag. This ceremony, MWSA's Thursday evening theater production and Friday's Oral History activities are open to the public.

The theater play, "From the Printed Page to Production Stage: Highlighting the Works of Prize-winning MWSA Authors, is set for the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. Staged by Charlayne Henry Productions and MWSA, the authors and books represented are John Takacs of Pioneer, CA, The Take-Us; Mike Angley of Colorado Springs, CO, Child Finder; Erin Rainwater of Lakewood, CO, True Colors; and Kathleen Rodgers of Colleyville, TX, The Finale Salute. Admission is $20.

Two Saturday events at the Wyndham Hotel are free to the public: "Oral Histories" and "Open Mic." For the histories segment, hosted by Georgia's Craig Anderson of "Our History Project," members will spend the day telling stories. "Starting at 9:00 am, someone will take the stage every thirty minutes to tell about a little known historical event or personal experience," Anderson said. "For example, World War II veteran, Tom McGraham, will talk about his 12 days on Iwo Jima, Maggie Abbott will tell the story of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and Carmen Stenholm will describe how she and her mother escaped from East Germany in 1958." That evening at 6:00 pm, continuing with the theme of oral history is MWSA's annual "Open Mic" where each author takes five minutes to read from his/her book, recite a poem, tell a joke, sing a song, and more. MWSA's Vice President, Mike Mullins of Windfall, IN, will emcee.
Highlight of the Writers Conference is the Awards Banquet which takes place on Saturday night, Oct. 2, in the Forbes Ballroom of the Wyndham University Place. Aside from book awards, the organization gives out the People's Choice Award and the William E. Mayer Prize for Literary or Artistic Excellence.

Pittsburgh's Joseph Beth Bookseller, 510 S. 27th St., is the official conference bookseller. The store will carry MWSA members' books and host eight noted MWSA authors for book signings, 1:30 – 4:30 pm, Sunday, Oct. 3. These authors include Richard Lowry of Orlando, FL, New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah; Dwight Zimmerman of Brooklyn, NY, Uncommon Valor; Bruce Gamble of Lynn Haven, FL, Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific, January, 1942-April, 1943; William Peterson of Piney Flats, TN, Missions of Fire and Mercy; Tom Ruck of Rancho Cucumonga, CA, Sacred Ground; Dan Farrinaci of East Northport, NY, Truman and McArthur; and Duke Barrett of Henderson, NV, The Wall of Broken Dreams.

For more information about MWSA, see our new Magazine, Dispatches.

July 10 2010 - Award-Winning Authors to Present at Annual Conference of Ozarks Romance Authors

2010-06-20T06:29:00.001-07:00

A regional writers’ organization will hold its annual conference July 10, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Ozarks Literacy Council.

Ozarks Romance Authors, a non-profit organization founded in 1987, has scheduled “Romancing the Ozarks: Dancing With Words,” to take place 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on July 10, 2010, at The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell Ave., in Springfield.

Ozarks Literacy Council conducts programs including one-on-one tutoring, and outreach events and partnerships with other nonprofits, such as sending free books home with children who are part of Ozarks Food Harvest's backpack programs. According to Nicole Thom-Arens, program director, Ozarks Literacy Council served 97 adults and 8,600 children in 2009.

Conference speakers are as follows:

· Kensington author Kimberly Killion and Harlequin author Megan Kelly will present "The Road so Far: The First Year After the Call."

· Ginger Kolbaba, editor of Kyria magazine and Marriage Partnership magazine, both publications of Christianity Today International, will present "Writing for the 21st Century Woman."

· Mary-Lane Kamberg will present "What's So Funny?" She has more than twenty years of writing experience and is the author of seven books. Her articles have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Marriage and Family Living, Christian Science Monitor, Healthy Kids and many others.

“Each year, our conferences are so inspiring for new and seasoned writers alike, but this year’s lineup of speakers will bring some really talented authors to town,” said Kathy Mullens, president of Ozarks Romance Authors. “We look forward to sharing their expertise with the local writing community, and we’re excited to present this scholarship to Ozarks Literacy Council.”

Register by July 1 for $45. Register after July 1 or at the door for $50.

Ozarks Romance Authors is a non-profit organization for writers in the southwest Missouri region. Monthly speakers help writers of all genres hone their skills and explore writing opportunities.

Meetings are held the first Saturday of each month at The Library Station in Springfield. Visitors are welcome, and more information is available by calling (417) 882-5323 or by emailing ozarksromanceauthors@gmail.com

June 22 2010 - Promoting Books and Authors with Social Networking

2010-06-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

In a recent survey, 94% of authors and independent publishers said that they plan to use social marketing to promote themselves and their books this year. But many authors and publishers aren't quite sure how to use social marketing to its fullest potential.

"Social marketing can be a tremendous tool for promoting books and authors, if it's done correctly," says Dana Lynn Smith, author of The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing. "But authors can waste a lot of valuable time and even alienate people if they don't understand the right ways to use these powerful tools."

On June 22, Smith will share a wealth of tips and techniques for using social networking sites for promoting books and authors. Here are just a few of the topics to be covered in her Social Networking Success for Authors teleseminar:
· How to choose the right networks for promoting your books
· The biggest mistakes people—even online veterans—make while networking online
· How to manage your time so you're not overwhelmed
· The secrets to creating powerful profiles on social networks
· The right (and wrong!) way to attract friends and followers
· How to write Twitter tweets that get results (and a list of 21 things to tweet about)
· How to protect your privacy amid Facebook's controversial new policies
· Secrets to making your Facebook page a powerful marketing tool using custom HTML
· How to use Facebook to grow your opt-in list
· The biggest blunder newbies make on LinkedIn
· Powerful ways to build visibility on LinkedIn with groups and discussions

"The potential reach of social networks for promoting books is staggering," says Peggy Sue Skipper of The New Era Times, sponsor of the teleseminar. "Facebook has 400 million active users worldwide—more than the entire population of the United States. It's important that authors learn to harness the power of social networking."

The Social Networking Success for Authors teleseminar is at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, June 22. Everyone who registers will receive a recording of the session to listen to at their convenience, along with a Learning Guide containing screenshots and resources and a bonus report, 10 Steps to Online Networking Success. For more information and to register, go to http://bit.ly/AuthorSocial.

How To Publish Your Romance Novel Online Class

2010-06-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

Women make up the largest segment of readers and writers of Romance novels. Learn the basic skills needed to write a romance novel in this hands-on course led by Leigh Barbour, a multi-published romance novelist.

Topics covered in this writing course include an overview of the romance publishing industry, types of romance novels, characterization and plots, settings, viewpoints, description, narrative and style, dialogue, sensuality, pacing, revision, available resources, and a look at marketing. Even if you don't intend to write romance novels as a career, this course will provide a goldmine of fascinating insights into a popular genre of literature, and the skills developed in this class can be carried over into other types of writing.

When you have completed this course, you should be able to:

• Turn an idea for a romance novel into a manuscript worthy of publication
• Develop the confidence and skills required to write romance fiction
• Understand the unique features of each sub-category of the romance fiction genre such as Historical Romance, Regency, Contemporary, Inspirational, and Paranormal Romance
• Recognize how romance themes have progressed and how characters in romance novels have changed over time
• Gain an insider glimpse into the Romance Fiction marketplace, current industry trends, perennial favorites, and which genre are thriving or fading
• Discover your true writer's voice and allow it to come to the surface in refreshingly original prose
• Refine your ability to create authentic and lively dialogue
• Avoid common mistakes of bad grammar, awkward dialogue, stereotypes and over-use of metaphors
• Better understand how to infuse sensuality into your prose
• Know how to create dynamic friction and passion between your protagonists
• Write stimulating narrative that will make your story come alive
• Construct an effective plot that will impress publishers and prompt your readers to turn the next page
• Understand the technique of "deconstruction-reconstruction" and learn how to take apart an existing plot or story and rebuild it into a new story of your own
• Learn what is meant by "writing for the market"
• Know what publishers such as Harlequin, Silhouette, and Harper Collin expect to see in a romance novel
• Understand why it is important to follow publishers' guidelines and tip sheets
• Write a winning query letter that will entice a publisher to review your manuscript

Instructor, Leigh Barbour is a published romance novelist. Her works include Zebulon, Raquel's Abel, and Dreams of Chimborazo. Leigh earned a Masters in English Linguistics at George Mason University and a Bachelors in Geography from Radford University. Being fluent in Spanish, she won the prestigious Fulbright Fellows Award as an English Teaching Fellow. In 1994, she spent one year instructing teachers in Arequipa, Peru. After traveling extensively in Latin America, Leigh settled with her husband in Durham, North Carolina, where she spends her days reading, writing, teaching, and tending her Japanese garden and Bassett hounds.

Enrollments begin in Summer 2010 and continue throughout the year. Unlike a traditional class, there is no waiting for classes to begin- students can enroll and start learning the same day and students can work at their own pace in their spare time from the comfort of their home or office. Tuition is $20 and includes 2 CEU credits, no textbook purchase is required. Further details about this writing course and how to enroll online can be found by visiting http://ksurf.net/vu/catalog/342.html

August 21 2010 - National Poetry Awards Ceremony

2010-06-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

Around the country, millions share the love of creative thought and writing. Now, North Carolina will have the opportunity to host those same brilliant minds.

On August 21st, the National Poetry Awards takes the stage at the Progress Energy Performing Arts Center in Raleigh, NC. Hosted by Michael Guinn from Irving, Texas & Co-Hosted By our very own Nikki Nicole from K97.5 FM Radio. This event is sponsored by Yo! Raps Magazine, International creative publication Tribes Magazine, Big Tyme TV, Shelly B, Lexi B. Net, Creative Impowerment, Truth DVD Magazine, Silent Myndz Entertainment, Sapphire Entertainment, Eclectic Media & O ENT Inc.

The awards ceremony will provide the scene to recognize poets and spoken word artist as a whole. Bringing all these beings under one roof brings much to those whose craft are the simple instruments of pen and paper.

"I am excited that this art form [poetry] has come to the forefront and is being honored," said Omar J. McCallop, Director of the National Poetry Awards. "Not since Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam has poetry had this type of international audience."

With open mics, coffee house venues and other artistic venues being highly popular in this day, it only seemed proper to give those who are known for their work a place and time to be recognized and honored for being at the root of music culture.

"The National Poetry Awards has been a dream of mine for years, I am excited that it is coming true and everyone is so supportive," said Troy "Poet" Lewis, Founder of the National Poetry Awards.

Nominations begin on March 15th - June 15Th. Nominee voting begins June 20th – July 20th.

The National Poetry is still looking for Presenting, Major, & More Media Sponsors. Donations are also accepted. You may also purchase tickets from ticketmaster.com.

For more info: nationalpoetryawards@gmail.com or call Troy Lewis directly (919)884-5525. Time is almost here and they really need your help. Please support the dream of artists.

Hollywood Screenwriter To Teach Online Class

2010-06-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

Veteran screenwriter and author Skip Press will teach an online course on screenwriting for beginners at KSURF's Virtual University. The course will be taught online using KSURF's state-of-the-art e-learning platform to create a virtual classroom and discussion forum where students can interact with the instructor, ask questions, and share their writings.

Enrollment for the course is now open. Unlike a traditional classroom, there is no waiting for classes to begin -- students can enroll and start learning the same day. The instructor's "office" is open 24/7, and students can work at their own pace in their spare time from the comfort of their home or office.

"Your Screenwriting Career" will give aspiring screenwriters an insider view of the business, as well as an overview of industry trends, historical perspectives, and a first-hand knowledge of how a screenplay is structured. Participants will learn insider tips on breaking in to this glamorous and lucrative market.

Topics covered in the course will include: The Life of Hollywood, The Evolution of Screenwriting, Inside the Hero's Heart, Inside the Villain's Brain, Making the Perfect Screenplay Better, Reading, Polishing and Reality, and Getting Your Script Out to People Who Matter.

The course includes 24 lessons as well as interactive quiz modules, an easy-to-use discussion forum, and an optional final exam which can be taken by students desiring a formal grade in the course. Those who complete the class can earn CEU credits. While most educational sites charge for these credits, KSURF issues and maintains a permanent record of CEUs free of charge.

KSURF's Virtual University been offering free and low-cost courses online since the early 1990s and is an established pioneer in the online learning field.

Hollywood screenwriter and multi-title author Skip Press developed this course and will teach it at KSURF. Press began teaching at UCLA Extension Writers Program in 1992. For the past eight years, his screenwriting course was offered through an extension program at 1,500 colleges around the country and was attended by thousands of writers.

Over the 25 year span of his Hollywood career, Press has written television episodics, produced stage plays, and worked as a staff writer for United Paramount Network. He wrote the award-winning "Woman's Guide to Firearms" and developed the first draft of Jan Stephenson's gold-certified "How to Golf" video. He also wrote for the TV series "Phenomenon: The Last Chronicles." As vice-president of the Independent Writers of Southern California, he wrote and directed a "Scriptathon" event that was featured on Showtime and in international broadcasts.

Press published three editions of "Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors and Screenwriter's Agents," which became a Hollywood how-to bible for aspiring screenwriters and put him in touch with hundreds of aspiring writers around the world. He then wrote "Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting" which was reviewed as best of its kind by the Writers Guild of Canada.

Press, a single dad, lives in on the outskirts of beautiful downtown Burbank, California, with his teenagers.

Further details about the screenwriting course and how to enroll can be found by visiting the class home page at http://vu.ksurf.net/catalog/305.html

For information about many other online courses offered at KSURF, visit http://vu.ksurf.net/calendar.html

Hollywood ‘Freedom Writer’ Will Speak June 26 2010

2010-06-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

An Original Freedom Writer, Manuel Scott, whose story is told in the Hollywood movie, Freedom Writers, starring two-time Academy Award winner Hillary Swank, is going to New Orleans June 26, 2010 to kick off and blow the minds off of aspiring teachers at the National Education Association Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

"Freedom Writer" Manuel V. Scott, one of the students whose story is highlighted in the film, rose from a life of violence under the guidance of his 11th-grade English teacher, Erin Gruwell.

"I was once dismissed as 'unreachable' and 'unteachable,' and classified as an 'English as a Second Language' student," says Scott. At the age of fourteen, Manuel dropped out of school, and began to fulfill the awful prediction that he would either be dead or in jail by the age of eighteen. His use of drugs and alcohol eventually led to his involvement in criminal activities. However, due to an amazing transformation, Manuel has defied all the odds stacked against him.

"Something special happened, and now I get to share that message with others." The once high school dropout now holds a degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a graduate degree from Trinity International University.

His message: "One single act by a teacher can change the trajectory of an entire life." He has received several awards for his commitment to transforming lives. "I do not share my story to impress people," Scott explains, "but to impress upon them some invaluable lessons that could literally change the quality of their lives forever."

"When I speak, I am absolutely committed to make sure that audiences are crystal clear about how to transform their classrooms, departments, or organizations." Scott's presentation, Leadership in the Face of Adversity—We Can Overcome Anything With the Right Support, will light a big fire under aspiring future teachers after the recent explosive debates over reforming America's worst-performing schools ignited in Rhode Island where the Central Falls High School staff was fired for failing to do their jobs.

On Saturday at 7 p.m., June 26, 2010, Manuel Scott will be the keynote speaker for the event scheduled to open the eyes of the student teachers of today and the professional teachers of tomorrow to more than 1,000 people convening at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans to kick off the NEA's 148th annual meeting.

Scott is a nationally recognized speaker whose bold story encouraged him to rethink rigid beliefs about himself and others and to rechart his future and become a citizen for change.

His presentation Saturday evening will include a clip from the movie about the original Freedom Writers.

To learn more about Manuel and see clips of his dynamic presentation, visit ManuelVScott.com

http://www.neastudents.org/

Regional Non-Profit Writers' Group’s Annual Conference

2010-06-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

A regional writers' organization will hold its annual conference July 10, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Ozarks Literacy Council.

Ozarks Romance Authors, a non-profit organization founded in 1987, has scheduled "Romancing the Ozarks: Dancing With Words," to take place 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on July 10, 2010, at The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell Ave., in Springfield.

Ozarks Literacy Council conducts programs including one-on-one tutoring, and outreach events and partnerships with other nonprofits, such as sending free books home with children who are part of Ozarks Food Harvest's backpack programs. According to Nicole Thom-Arens, program director, Ozarks Literacy Council served 97 adults and 8,600 children in 2009. For more information, visit http://www.ozarksliteracycouncil.org/.

Conference speakers are as follows:

* Kensington author Kimberly Killion (kimberlykillion.com) and Harlequin author Megan Kelly (megankellybooks.com) will present "The Road so Far: The First Year After the Call."

* Ginger Kolbaba, editor of Marriage Partnership magazine (christianitytoday.com/mp), a publication of Christianity Today International, will present "Writing for the 21st Century Woman."

• Mary-Lane Kamberg (kansascitywriters.com) will present "What's So Funny?" She has more than twenty years of writing experience and is the author of seven books. Her articles have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Marriage and Family Living, Christian Science Monitor, Healthy Kids and many others.

"Each year, our conferences are so inspiring for new and seasoned writers alike, but this year's lineup of speakers will bring some really talented authors to town," said Kathy Mullens, president of Ozarks Romance Authors. "We look forward to sharing their expertise with the local writing community, and we're excited to present this scholarship to Ozarks Literacy Council."

Register by July 1 for $45. Register after July 1 or at the door for $50. For more details about the conference, visit www.OzarksRomanceAuthors.com.

Ozarks Romance Authors is a non-profit organization for writers in the southwest Missouri region. Monthly speakers help writers of all genres hone their skills and explore writing opportunities.

Meetings are held the first Saturday of each month at The Library Station in Springfield. Visitors are welcome, and more information is available by calling (417) 882-5323 or by visiting OzarksRomanceAuthors.com. Become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/OzarksRomanceAuthorsor follow the group on Twitter @OzarksRomance.

June 10 2010 - Blogging Best Practices with Capital Region Marketers

2010-06-06T06:11:00.001-07:00

A panel of top Capital Region bloggers will discuss the ins and outs of blogging at the June luncheon of the New York Capital Region Chapter of the American Marketing Association (NYCRAMA). "Blogging: Best Practices and War Stories from the Trenches" will take place on Thursday, June 10 at the Italian American Community Center.

Are you interested in starting a blog for your company, or for yourself? Want to learn best practices, and how to successfully integrate a blog with your other marketing efforts?

Already a blogger? Are you curious to find out how other bloggers grow their audiences and manage their online communities -- including dealing with member anonymity and negative comments?

What are the best ways to work with a well-known blog and the person(s) behind it, so they can help you promote your event or business, or get your message out?

Come to NYCRAMA's June 10 luncheon for answers to all your questions and more! A panel of expert bloggers will address these issues in a lively discussion format:

Daniel B, creator of the FUSSYlittleBLOG.com food blog
Jimmy Vielkind, Capitol Confidential blogger for the Times Union
Mary Darcy, co-editor of AllOverAlbany.com
Michael Huber, Interactive Audience Manager for the Times Union, will moderate the panel
There will be plenty of opportunity for Q&A during the panel discussion. Attendees will take away great ideas that they can implement right away! Register online at www.nymarketing.org.

WHAT: The NYCRAMA June 10 Luncheon

"Blogging: Best Practices and War Stories from the Trenches" – A panel of top Capital Region bloggers will discuss best practices and more for blogs.

WHEN: Thursday, June 10th, 2010 from 11:30am – 1:15pm

WHERE: The Italian American Community Center, 257 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NY 12205

HOW: Register online at http://www.nymarketing.org/

A Summer of Short Story Thrills, Chills, and Adventure

2010-06-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

Where The Short Story Lives -- celebrates the summer reading season by presenting 90 short stories in 90 days, from June through August. iPulp delivers stories for all ages in a spectrum of genres including classic pulp heroes and heroines, mysteries, horror, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, and more.

The site features exciting, original short stories and exclusive reprints by contemporary writers such as J.A. Jance, Bill Crider, Ed Gorman, Hugo Award-winning authors Ben Bova and Orson Scott Card, and National Book Award winner Pete Hautman.

iPulp's authors also include middle grade and young adult luminaries such as Royce Buckingham, Bruce Coville, David Lubar, and Vivian Vande Velde. Recently, iPulp published its first graphic novel, "Cobweb Detective Club," by up-and-coming artist Dug Nation.

Whether on the beach or on a coffee break, readers will find it easy to escape into iPulp stories. iPulpFiction.com can be accessed from any web-connected device, ranging from a desktop computer to a smart phone. Also, iPulp is optimized for the Apple iPad.

There is no charge to register on iPulp and registration gives readers immediate access to a selection of free stories. iPulp's original stories and exclusive reprints are affordable, ranging in price from just 25c to $1.

iPulp libraries are designed to be shared by families. Parents can create accounts for young readers, and iPulp's filters will only display age-appropriate content.

There's something for everyone at iPulpFiction.com, so let the summer reading season begin!

June 9 2010 - How To Build A Ridiculously Successful Career, Without Losing Yourself In The Process

2010-06-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

Today's business and job markets are highly competitive and the ones gaining ground have mastered the art of staying top of mind and bolstering their credibility. In the growing information economy, successful entrepreneurs and professionals use the power of their knowledge to attract lucrative businesses to them, saving them time, stress, and money.

On June 9, 2010 at 6:00 pm PST, at the Savvy Business Women Meetup, Technica Communications President Lisa Ann Pinkerton will share the tips and tricks to increase cash flow through personal brands that are recognizable, respected and magnetic.

"The information economy demands experts," said Lisa Ann Pinkerton, President of Technica Communications. "Professionals are a wealth of valuable information and their ability to share it with the larger community increases their exposure in the marketplace, develops higher levels of credibility and drives opportunities towards them with very little effort."

Through the power of the internet and social media channels, today's professionals are always just one connection away from that next great job or golden client. During "How To Build A Ridiculously Successful Career, Without Losing Yourself In The Process" Pinkerton will cover everything necessary to attract respect and credibility in today's competitive market. She will cover how to transform expertise into a personal brand, as well as the pitfalls to avoid and how to generate passive income through one's identity.

"How To Build A Ridiculously Successful Career, Without Losing Yourself In The Process" will be held at Silicon Valley Pad in Menlo Park, California, on June 9th from 6:-8pm. More information can be found at http://www.meetup.com/Savvy-Business-Women Meetup site or by contacting Ana Lucia Novak, 650-771-0777.

June 13 and 19 2010 - Tell Your Story: Once in a Lifetime Writing Workshop Comes to Louisiana

2010-06-06T06:07:00.000-07:00

Award Winning Author/Actor Markrois will return to his home state of Louisiana to present a series of writing workshops this summer. The workshop series aims to help aspiring writers reach their publishing goals. Workshops have been organized for adults and youths.

The adult workshops (June 13th and 19th) will expose attendees to methods for improving their writing skills, publishing their work, and getting into the retail marketplace. Those wishing to attend the workshops can register online (print application also available) at http://www.markrois.com/. Each workshop lasts approximately 3 hours and is segmented into three sections that focus on various elements including pre-production, marketing, and retail operations. Cost to register for the workshop is $200 per individual and covers:

Entry into the Your Story Writing and Publishing Workshops, which will direct you step by step through your book creation process. Workshops will educate, motivate, and pave a clear path for you to follow during your writing and publishing process.

A one-page web page within the I.D. Publishing website to promote you and your book.

Guaranteed publishing of your completed novel, poetry collection or short story collection through I.D. Publishing, with your book on sale through Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and 25,000 additional retailers.

100 Promotional Fliers to Promote Your Book.

Support throughout your writing/publishing process.

Event Dates, Times, & Locations:

Sunday June 13th- New Orleans, LA - 3pmAdams St. Cultural Development Center 1801 Adams St. New Orleans, LA. 70118
Saturday June 19th - Baton Rouge, LA - 1pmRamada Inn 10045 Gwenadale Avenue I-12 @ Exit 2B Baton Rouge, LA 70815

June 30 2010 - IABC/DC Metro Hosts Writing Workshop

2010-06-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

IABC/DC Metro will host a three-hour writing workshop with acclaimed writer, teacher and presenter Ann Wylie on Wednesday, June 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Johns Hopkins University. Sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and MarketWire, the workshop will feature a custom-designed presentation of two of Wylie's most popular seminars, Think Like a Reader and Cut Through the Clutter. Interested? Register via IABC/DC Metro's website.

With more than 60 communication awards, including two Gold Quills, under her belt, Wylie has been designated an "IABC Recommended Speaker" for her top ratings at IABC International conferences. She also serves as the Public Relations Society of America's national writing coach.

"Business communicators aren't in the business of getting the word out," said Wylie. "We are in the business of creating communications that sell -- not only products and services, but programs, plans and positions, as well. To accomplish this, we need to think like a reader or position our messages in the audience's best interests (since most communicators position their messages in their organization's best interests.)"

"Communication is constantly evolving; it's almost breathtaking to watch what's changing day by day," said Shonali Burke, ABC, president of IABC/DC Metro. "But what hasn't changed is the need to communicate effectively -- regardless of whether you have 140 characters or 140 words to do so. That's why I'm so excited about Ann's workshop; effective writing is a quintessential skill business communicators need to refine, especially in 'an age of now.'"

Registration fees range from $109 for students to $139 for members and $189 for non-members, with rates increasing after June 15. Walk-ins will be accepted the day of the workshop if space permits. Register now!

Hollywood Screenwriter to Teach Online Class at KSURF's Virtual University

2010-06-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

Veteran screenwriter and author Skip Press will teach an online course on screenwriting for beginners at KSURF's Virtual University. The course will be taught online using KSURF's state-of-the-art e-learning platform to create a virtual classroom and discussion forum where students can interact with the instructor, ask questions, and share their writings.

Enrollment for the course is now open. Unlike a traditional classroom, there is no waiting for classes to begin -- students can enroll and start learning the same day. The instructor's "office" is open 24/7, and students can work at their own pace in their spare time from the comfort of their home or office.

"Your Screenwriting Career" will give aspiring screenwriters an insider view of the business, as well as an overview of industry trends, historical perspectives, and a first-hand knowledge of how a screenplay is structured. Participants will learn insider tips on breaking in to this glamorous and lucrative market.

Topics covered in the course will include: The Life of Hollywood, The Evolution of Screenwriting, Inside the Hero's Heart, Inside the Villain's Brain, Making the Perfect Screenplay Better, Reading, Polishing and Reality, and Getting Your Script Out to People Who Matter.

The course includes 24 lessons as well as interactive quiz modules, an easy-to-use discussion forum, and an optional final exam which can be taken by students desiring a formal grade in the course. Those who complete the class can earn CEU credits. While most educational sites charge for these credits, KSURF issues and maintains a permanent record of CEUs free of charge.

KSURF's Virtual University been offering free and low-cost courses online since the early 1990s and is an established pioneer in the online learning field.

Hollywood screenwriter and multi-title author Skip Press developed this course and will teach it at KSURF. Press began teaching at UCLA Extension Writers Program in 1992. For the past eight years, his screenwriting course was offered through an extension program at 1,500 colleges around the country and was attended by thousands of writers.

Over the 25 year span of his Hollywood career, Press has written television episodics, produced stage plays, and worked as a staff writer for United Paramount Network. He wrote the award-winning "Woman's Guide to Firearms" and developed the first draft of Jan Stephenson's gold-certified "How to Golf" video. He also wrote for the TV series "Phenomenon: The Last Chronicles." As vice-president of the Independent Writers of Southern California, he wrote and directed a "Scriptathon" event that was featured on Showtime and in international broadcasts.

Press published three editions of "Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors and Screenwriter's Agents," which became a Hollywood how-to bible for aspiring screenwriters and put him in touch with hundreds of aspiring writers around the world. He then wrote "Complete Idiot’s Guide to Screenwriting" which was reviewed as best of its kind by the Writers Guild of Canada.

Press, a single dad, lives in on the outskirts of beautiful downtown Burbank, California, with his teenagers.

Further details about the screenwriting course and how to enroll can be found by visiting the class home page at www.vu.ksurf.net/catalog/305.html

For information about many other online courses offered at KSURF, visit www.vu.ksurf.net/calendar.html

Stratford-upon-Avon Poetry Festival celebrates 57th year

2010-05-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

The Stratford-upon-Avon Poetry Festival celebrates its 57th year when it takes place this summer from Wednesday 14 July - Sunday 1 August. Presented by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Festival is a celebration of poetry in the town of the greatest poet and features a range of superb events with well known actors.

Highlights will include a special evening in celebration of the Holy Trinity Church 800th anniversary, a Poetry Mass, a special evening with RSC director Greg Doran and ends by opening the door of the Mermaid Tavern on Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

A 'Young Person's Poetry' evening will take place on Wednesday 14 July (6.00pm) at The Shakespeare Centre featuring poems written by local school children to celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday. The poems, along with some Shakespearian stories will be read by David & Ali Troughton, members of Stratford's most distinguished theatrical family.

Anton Lesser and Janet Suzman will give a recital at a 'Soul of the Age: A celebration of 800 years of Holy Trinity Church' on Sunday 18 July (6:45pm) at the Holy Trinity Church. The evening will feature verse, prose and music drawn from early and recent times in the life of Holy Trinity Church. The superb church organ will make a resounding contribution, along with choirs from the musical life of Stratford.

A Poetry Writing Workshop, presented in partnership with Writing West Midlands and professional writer Roz Goddard will take place on Tuesday 20 July (2pm - 4.30pm) at The Shakespeare Centre. Using creative writing games and exercises, the workshop will help new and experienced poets develop their art and craft in a friendly and constructive atmosphere.

Wendy Freeman, a local writer and artist, will present a Local Poets' Evening on Tuesday 20 July (7.30pm) at The Shakespeare Centre. Local poets are invited to come along and share their own work or read a favourite poem by any writer.

Poetry Mass will take place on Thursday 22 July (7.30pm) at The Guild Chapel with The Reverend Helen Cameron. The evening will celebrate Holy Communion based largely on a liturgy of appropriate poems by writers over many centuries.

Greg Hicks, Mariah Gale, Jane Lapotaire and Richard Griffiths come together for Candles in the Wind on Sunday 25 July (7.30pm) at The Shakespeare Centre. Candles in the Wind was especially devised by Roger Pringle for the Festival and Amnesty International. The evening is a recital of many moods from Shakespeare to the present which reflect Amnesty International concerns.

RSC director and Shakespeare writer Greg Doran will reflect on his favourite passages of Shakespeare in conversation with Paul Edmondson at Shakespeare and I on Thursday 29 July (7.30pm).

Roger Pringle will give a talk on 'Michael Drayton: Poet of Warwickshire' on Saturday 31 July (7.30pm) at St Helen's Church in Clifford Chambers. The evening, which is co-presented by The Hosking Houses, will see Roger talk about Michael, Shakespeare's contemporary and a resident of Clifford Chambers for many years.

To end the Festival, Rory Kinnear and Kelly Hunter will present a recital entitled "Inside the Mermaid Tavern: Shakespeare and his Fellows" on Sunday 1 August (7.30pm) at The Shakespeare Centre. Devised by Stanley Wells C.B.E, the evening will look at how Shakespeare interacted with others in the tavern and workplace.

Director of the Festival, Dr. Paul Edmondson, said: "The Festival caters for all ages and poetic tastes and is a great opportunity to enjoy the magic of words. Poetry speaks to the heart and mind in a really special way, especially when it's read well. The Festival really is a celebration of poetry in the town of the greatest poet of them all".

For full details visit: www.shakespeare.org.uk/poetryfestival.html

Freelance Camp Expands To San Francisco

2010-05-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

The Global movement of Freelance Camp takes a new twist this June.

The 9-5 grind is gone. How independent professionals work, who they work for, and when they do it are more flexible, but also more complicated. That's why two freelancers from Santa Cruz, Shane Pearlman and Margaret Rosas put together the first Freelance Camp back in 2008.

Freelance Camp's mission is simple, help independent consulting professionals be in business for themselves, not by themselves.

The one-day un-conferences, organized independently and run from the barcamp.org playbook have taken place on three continents for three years and the organization is proud to announce that San Francisco's own Freelance Camp will take place on June 5th at the NextSpace Coworking San Francisco, 28 2nd Street, 3rd Floor. Tickets are available on Eventbrite http://freelancecamppro2010sf.eventbrite.com/.

Run by a local team of volunteers, and always organized for the benefit of the local freelancing community and not for profit, all proceeds (net of expenses) are donated to the organizer's nonprofit of choice. So far, all the events have included breakfast, a working lunch and an after party.

Freelance Camp take a wide view on who exactly a freelancer is: if you're a developer, designer, blogger or bookkeeper, great. Same story if you work as a realtor, lawyer, carpenter, engineer, or inventor. The un-conference is set up to help anyone who needs more information on the issues that confront independents.

Due to popular demand, the organizers of Freelance Camp San Francisco 2010 have created a new sub-brand, Freelance Camp PRO. This “unconference” will target attendees who have been running a freelance business full time for a year or more. The event will be smaller (+/- 100), topics more advanced, and participation is expected to be at a higher level than the past camps.

The morning will kick off with coffee and pastries, and a brainstorm of desired topics. Participants with something to contribute or a specific topic idea generate the breakout sessions which are then scheduled throughout the rest of the day. Freelance Camp PRO will culminate with an after party to further the networking and knowledge exchange in a casual, social setting.

Throughout the event, Freelance Camp PRO will share live tweets and updates to the Wiki page, so the fun and learning can be followed outside of the space.

Join other independent professionals on June 5 at NextSpace Coworking San Francisco, 28 2nd Street, 3rd Floor. Attendees will receive free schwag from Speck, a leading iPod, cell phone, satellite radio and electronic accessory products company based out of Palo Alto, California.

Oct 1-3 2010 - Inaugural John Updike Conference slated for Reading, Pa.

2010-05-30T04:42:00.000-07:00

Acclaimed author Ann Beattie and nationally recognized painter Lincoln Perry will be the keynote speakers of the first John Updike Society Conference held Oct. 1-3, 2010, at Alvernia University in Reading, Pa., John Updike's birthplace. The biennial international conference celebrates the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and his work, an honor reserved for the most revered authors. This first conference is devoted to Updike's masterwork, Rabbit, Run, which marks its 50th publishing anniversary in 2010.

The keynote presentations, as well as panels featuring Updike family members and classmates, will be free and open to the public. John Updike Society members will also be treated to academic sessions featuring papers by 24 scholars from seven countries; and area tours related to Updike's life and literature.

Beattie is the author of more than a dozen novels and short story collections. Her story, Janus, was selected by Updike to be included in his Best American Short Stories of the Century collection. Updike once wrote: "Miss Beattie's power and influence ... arise from her seemingly restless immersion in the stoic bewilderment of a generation without a cause." Beattie will talk about Updike's short fiction from the perspective of a short story writer. Perry has exhibited 20 paintings inspired by Updike's Rabbit collection. His work has been featured in both solo and group exhibition around the country. He is a Distinguished Visiting Artist at the University of Virginia.

The first John Updike Conference uses the Berks County, Pa., area where Updike spent his youth as a backdrop for the gathering of scholars, critics, and enthusiasts who will share recent research and critical studies of the author's work. Born in Reading, Updike was raised in Shillington for the first 13 years of his life, and lived on the family farm in Plowville until he left to attend college at Harvard, spending three summers working as a copy boy for the Reading Eagle. His novel Rabbit, Run, which gave readers the iconic character Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, is set in Brewer, a fictional town based on Reading.

The John Updike Society, which formed shortly after Updike's Jan. 27, 2009 death, has members from around the world including scholars, professors, college students, high school and middle school teachers, book collectors, and the "just plain readers" Updike had in mind when he wrote his novels. Its mission is to promote awareness of John Updike's works. Alvernia University is a private, Franciscan liberal arts university located in Reading, Pa. It was founded in 1958, the year Updike saw publication of his first book, The Carpentered Hen and Other Tame Creatures.

Conference registration is $85/person by July 1; $120/person after. New members are welcome to join the Society for the conference; Society membership is $25/year for regular members and $20/year for retirees and students. For more information about the conference, visit www.alvernia.edu/johnupdike or the Updike Society website for a full list of events and complete bios on keynote speakers.

Contact: James Plath, John Updike Society president,
jplath@iwu.edu, (309) 556-3352.
Brad Drexler, Alvernia University, associate vice president, Marketing and Communications, bradley.drexler@alvernia.edu, (610) 796-8376.

June 10 2010 - Nonfiction Book Coach Presents Free Teleseminar for Aspiring Business and Self-Help Authors

2010-05-30T04:40:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult parts of writing a book is getting started, especially for coaches, consultants, and other professionals who are busy running their business. On June 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EDT, Melinda Copp, The Writer's Sherpa, will present "Jumpstart Your Book--Six Steps to Getting Your Best Book Out of Your Head and Into the World!" a free teleseminar for aspiring business and self-help authors struggling to write a high-quality book that will attract their ideal clients, increase their visibility, and help spread their message to bigger audiences.

"When you have a business to market and run, we tend to focus on what's urgent, rather than what's important," says Copp, who started her book coaching business four years ago. "No matter how much a person wants to write a book, they may struggle to get it started because they have so many other things to do."

This call will cover:

* The biggest obstacles holding aspiring authors back from ever completing their book;
* Why a good book can't be written in a weekend;
* Why writing a book is one of the most powerful means of communicating big ideas;
* And the six steps to planning, writing, and finishing a book readers will love.

Participants will be motivated to take action and start their book, no matter how long they've been thinking about writing it, and they'll get book coaching on Melinda's signature Summit Book Writing System. Any aspiring business, self-help, or nonfiction author who wants to write a book to establish expertise on a topic can join this free teleseminar by signing up at http://www.writerssherpaprograms.com/freecall.html.

Melinda Copp, The Writer's Sherpa, is passionate about helping coaches, consultants, and aspiring nonfiction authors with a message to share write great books so they can start living their big mission. As a writer, she's passionate about words and helping her clients master them in a way that lets them share their message in the most powerful, compelling way possible. She is the creator of the Summit Book Writing System, and every week she publishes an e-zine with book writing, marketing, and publishing tips, available at http://www.finallywriteabook.com/

May 25 2010 - Canadian Journalism Foundation presents "Keeping an Eye on Journalism"

2010-05-23T16:47:00.001-07:00

Is a news ombuds still needed these days? The Canadian Journalism Foundation is hosting a panel discussion to answer that question and more called "Keeping an Eye on Journalism". The event takes place at Innis Town Hall at the University of Toronto on Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m. After the presentation, there will be Q&A with the audience followed by a reception in the adjacent café where panelists and guests can continue the discussion.

WHAT
Keeping an Eye on Journalism (panel discussion)
Wikis, bloggers, media critics... or ombuds? Which is better? Is the
watchdog function more effective inside or outside a media organization?
The New York Times, the Toronto Star and the CBC have ombuds or public
editors. The public says it trusts a media organization with that
position. So why don't more newspapers and broadcasters follow? A CJF
Forum asks the question -- is an ombuds still needed these days?

WHO:
CBC ombuds Vince Carlin
Toronto Star public editor Kathy English
National Post assistant managing editor John Racovali
Ryerson journalism professor Jeffrey Dvorkin will moderate.

WHEN:
Tuesday, May 25, Presentation 6:30 p.m., Reception 8:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave., Toronto

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit
http://cjfombuds.eventbrite.com/
To view past CJF Forums, visit http://cjf-fjc.ca/programs_past.htm

30th Annual Hemingway Days Celebration Slated for July 20-25, 2010

2010-05-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

The legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who lived and wrote in Key West throughout the 1930s, is to be celebrated Tuesday through Sunday, July 20-25, during the island's 30th annual Hemingway Days.

Festival standouts include a look-alike contest for Hemingway imitators, a leading American short story competition directed by Ernest's author granddaughter, a one-man play exploring Hemingway's adventures and a three-day marlin tournament recalling his passion for deep-sea angling.

More than 125 burly, bearded contestants are expected to compete in the "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, to be held at Sloppy Joe's Bar, 201 Duval St. Preliminary rounds are set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 22 and 23, with finalists facing off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 24.

Sloppy Joe's also spotlights the bearded brotherhood in the annual "Running of the Bulls," a quirky take-off on Pamplona's famous run, outside the bar at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 24.

Before the bull bash, at noon look-alikes will be on hand for "Photos with Papa." Afterwards, they plan to serve a birthday cake in a slightly belated celebration of Ernest's July 21 birthday.

Visit www.sloppyjoes.com for contest registration and additional information.

The festival's foremost literary event is the announcement of the winners of the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, which awards $2,000 annually to emerging fiction writers.

Author Lorian Hemingway, whose books include the critically acclaimed memoir "Walk on Water," is to introduce the first-place story at an 8 p.m. reception Friday, July 23. The awards gala traditionally takes place at Casa Antigua, 314 Simonton St., where Ernest Hemingway stayed in 1928 during his first visit to Key West.

For contest information, visit http://www.shortstorycompetition.com/.

June 10 2010 - Harper's Magazine Presents Death: A Literary Celebration of the Bitter End

2010-05-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Harper’s Magazine presents "Death: a literary celebration of the bitter end," a reading featuring selections from the magazine and work by Harper's contributors Joseph O'Neill, Diane Williams, and Elif Batuman.

WHEN: Thursday, June 10 at 7:00 P.M.

WHERE: Housing Works Bookstore Café, 126 Crosby Street, New York City

WHO: Joseph O'Neill is the author of four books, most recently the novel Netherland. His story "The World of Cheese" appeared in the February 2009 issue of Harper's Magazine.

Diane Williams is the author of six books of fiction and the editor of NOON, the literary annual. Her story "My First Real Home," published in the January 2009 issue of Harper's Magazine, was awarded a 2010 Pushcart Prize.

Elif Batuman is the author of The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them. Her article "The Murder of Leo Tolstoy: A forensic investigation" appeared in the February 2009 issue of Harper's Magazine.

Additional selections will be read by the staff of Harper's Magazine.

HOW: Admission is free. Attendees are asked to consider bringing a book to donate to the venue. One hundred percent of the bookstore's profits go to Housing Works, Inc., an organization committed to ending AIDS and homelessness. For more information or to set up interviews with any of the writers, contact Kathy Park Price.

Founded in 1850, Harper’s Magazine (http://www.harpers.org/) is the oldest continuously published general-interest monthly in America.

June 3 2010 - Third Annual Verse~Converse Poetry Festival

2010-05-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

For the third year, poets from all over the nation will converge on Taos for the Verse~Converse Poetry Festival this June 3-6. Produced by Open Hearth Arts, the festival brings poets and fans together to build a community of shared language and vision . This year's festival theme "Celebrating the Sacred Word is designed to dovetail with this year's Taos theme "Celebrating Sacred Places." With the goal of creating an event which draws from all styles and welcomes poetic diversity (including poets primarily from page and from stage), the festival organizers have decided this year to delve into new formats, expanding the festival in dynamic ways.

Among the new events this year is the First Annual Verse~Converse Festival Award for Film. With the popularity of poetry related cinema growing exponentially through film festivals and independent screenings, the organizers felt that it was time to recognize the film-makers at the forefront of this new movement. On Friday June 4th the festival will present a special, pre-release screening of the film "Spoken Word" co-written by Joe Ray Sandoval, an iconic member of the northern New Mexico poetry community. Also the subject of the film, whose themes include losing your voice and finding it again, Joe Ray will accept the award in person, followed by a question and answer period. On Saturday June 5th, Joe Ray will also be featured on the festival’s main stage, alongside multi-award winning NYC poet Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai and Albuquerque’s native daughter, Jessica Helen Lopez, a member of the nationally renowned Macondo foundation started by Sandra Cisneros.The main stage this year will be held at the Kachina Lodge Cabaret Hall at 7:30 pm.

Ms. Tsai and Ms. Lopez will also be among those facilitating workshops for festival goers on Saturday before the main event, also at the Kachina Lodge. Workshops will address poetic writing, creativity, performance skills and more; Examples include everything from writing sestinas to "Pop Goes the Culture" a workshop on incorporating or destroying pop culture in verse led by Oklahoma City Poet Rob Sturma.

Sturma and eleven other spoken word artists from around the country will also descend in a whirlwind of verse and passion on Friday June 4th for The Taos Invitational Poetry Championship, a regional poetry competition that will take competitors through six exacting rounds of demonstrating performance, improvisation and craft. The winner of this competition takes home $500. The event will draw together poets from Oklahoma City, Seattle, Taos, Denver, and Albuquerque, including last year’s defending champion Christian Drake, a nationally recognized spoken word artist who makes his home in New Mexico.

"We want to recognize the true breadth of the poetic diversity that makes up the poetic community at large", states Festival Coordinator Zachary Kluckman. "There are hundreds of amazing young writers out there who are sharpening their craft at an early age and we want to make sure they have equal representation here"

In keeping with that ideal, the festival opens on Thursday June 3rd with the Youth Bracket of the Invitational. This will be a team competition that will offer young poets from the region a chance to compete in a "poetry Olympics" event where they will be judged on performance, craft, and the ability to interpret their work for an audience. The winner of this event will be given a chance to share the stage Saturday night with the headliners as well.

The Festival concludes on Sunday, June 6 for an open poetry circle in Taos Plaza. All poets and fans are welcome to share poetry and light refreshments, 10 am to noon. There is also a final screening of "Spoken Word" on Sunday at 1 pm (venue TBA) to gently unwind from the weekend of verse.

For more details on registration, lodging and schedules, please visit the website at www.wix.com/physicalpoet/VC-page or on Facebook. You can also contact Zachary Kluckman directly at (505) 730-9544 or by e-mail at zgkluckman@msn.com.

May 25 2010 - "Keeping an Eye on Journalism"

2010-05-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

Wikis, bloggers, media critics...or ombuds? Which is better? Is the watchdog function more effective inside or outside a media organization? The New York Times, the Toronto Star and the CBC have ombuds or public editors. The public says it trusts a media organization with that position. So why don't more newspapers and broadcasters follow? A CJF Forum asks the question -- is an ombuds still needed these days?

Join our panellists -- CBC ombuds Vince Carlin, Toronto Star public editor Kathy English and National Post assistant managing editor John Racovali -- as we answer this question and more. Ryerson journalism professor Jeffrey Dvorkin will moderate. After the audience Q&A, there will be a cocktail reception where guests and panellists can continue the discussion.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 25, 6:30 p.m.; Reception 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave., Toronto
Tickets are $15 or $5 with student ID. Visit the EVENT PAGE (http://cjfombuds.eventbrite.com) for more details and to buy tickets.

Thank you to CJF Forums Exclusive Series Sponsor: BMO FINANCIAL GROUP

***

THE CANADIAN JOURNALISM FOUNDATION
13th ANNUAL AWARDS GALA
JUNE 10, 2010 Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto

May 18 2010 - Top Copywriting Secrets to Convert More Coaching Prospects Into Buyers

2010-05-16T06:04:00.001-07:00

Web Copywriter Beverly Bergman of http://www.copywritingforcoaches.com/ is hosting a new teleclass for coaches who want to expand their online business to 6 figures. Discover how to write copy that will have your raving fans knocking down your door to get in line.

"Up Your Game: Writing Copy That Sells - Now on Steroids" is a five-week teleseries starting Tuesday May 18 at 1:00pm PT and then on the following Tuesdays: May 25, June 1, June 8, June 15.

"This teleseries is jam-packed with all the juiciest copywriting secrets the pros use - with absolutely nothing held back! This "Writing that Sells" class is now on steroids based on the expertise I've gained working with a specialist in researching how the primitive brain works," said Bergman.

Here are the 5 topics covered in the teleclass that anyone who markets online needs to know:
Week 1. Copy Is Still King and Headlines Are the Crown Jewels
Week 2. Squeeze Page Juice: #1 Lead Generation Strategy
Week 3. Websites That Do the Selling For You
Week 4. Sales Pages: The Secret to Short vs. Long
Week 5. SEO: Testing, Tracking & Tweaking Your Way to Wealth

Discover the secrets to writing copy that sells for you so you don't have to work so hard at making sales. Immediately reserve your spot and lock in the early bird price now by going to http://bit.ly/acH1bv

"As a result of my partnership with her, my website is more compelling, and I have a system for creating and distributing an electronic newsletter regularly and with minimal energy. I give Beverly the highest recommendation to any coach or consultant seeking to make their marketing more effective," said Tim Link, MA, MCC Master Certified Coach, Wichita, Kansas.

The class will be given over the phone -- simply call the number provided when you register. Normal toll charges from your provider apply.

June 3 2010 - Science Writers Invited to June 3rd Astronomy Conference in Washington, D.C.

2010-05-16T06:03:00.001-07:00

The National Science Foundation (NSF) invites journalists to attend Future Science: The Frontiers of 21st Century Astronomy. This science writers' conference will be moderated by Miles O'Brien, managing editor of Space Flight Now's "This Week in Space," and former chief technology and environment correspondent at CNN. Panelists will explore the current state of our understanding, the most recent results of ongoing research, and the future trajectory in this field. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute (Search for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) will be the lunch speaker. His talk is titled, "Searching for ET: the Agony and the Ecstasy."

What: Future Science: The Frontiers of 21st Century Astronomy

When: Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where: University of California (UC), Washington Center, 1608 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

RSVP: Please send your name and affiliation to Cindy Holloway, chollowa@nsf.gov.

Free Virtual Book Publishing Conference May 12-14, 2010

2010-05-09T06:57:00.001-07:00

Those who want to learn more about book publishing no longer have to worry about flight delays, security lines, scary shoes, plastic bags, safety cards, luggage fees, or cramped seats. At the Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC), authors and publishers can learn from 15 publishing experts from the comfort of their home or office May 12-14, 2010.

Many of the speakers at the Self-Publishers Online Conference usually speak at large industry events, such as Book Expo America. For those who can't afford or don't want to travel to New York City, SPOC offers a reasonably priced alternative: it's free.

Participants can register for the Self-Publishers Online Conference at http://www.selfpublishersonlineconference.com/.

A free Basic attendance pass gives participants live call-in access to the teleseminars and a login for the exhibit hall and seminar handouts. Paid Standard and Premium passes offer access to the seminar recordings and bonus materials.

May 11 2010 - Free Press Summit: Ideas to Action

2010-05-09T06:56:00.001-07:00

Free Press will host its second annual policy summit, Free Press Summit: Ideas to Action, on Tuesday, May 11, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

The summit will feature Senator Byron Dorgan, (D-N.D.), FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn; BBC Director of Policy and Strategy John Tate; journalists Farai Chideya and Jose Antonio Vargas; Frontline Executive Producer David Fanning; Josh Silver of Free Press; and Jehmu Greene of the Women's Media Center, among others.

At the event, Free Press will release a new policy paper on how to create a world-class public media system in the United States. Interactive breakout sessions with policymakers, leading thinkers and community organizers will examine ways to build "informed communities" throughout the country.

Members of the media interested in attending the summit should RSVP to Jenn Ettinger at 202-265-1490 x35, or by e-mail at jettinger@freepress.net.

FREE PRESS SUMMIT: IDEAS TO ACTION

When: Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Where: The Newseum 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20001

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The free, one-day event is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
For more information, visit: www.freepress.net/summi

Summer Writing Workshops for Budding Young Writers

2010-05-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Doodles and Scribbles' is a creative writing workshop for children between 7 to 12 years of age organised by Chillibreeze and will be hosted at the Oxford Bookstore at the Leela Galleria in Bangalore on the 15th of May. With tips and tricks to improve writing skills, fun exercises and creative writing techniques the 3 hour workshop is designed for children who enjoy writing.

In addition participants will receive feedback on their writing techniques and an exciting suggested reading list, compiled by writers from the network and the Oxford Bookstore. A select few budding writers may even see their work published online through Chillibreeze or in an e-book of stories by children for children!

The workshop will be conducted by Meenakshi Venkat who is a former literature teacher and an experienced book editor based in Bangalore. Meenakshi says, “I am keen to nurture young talent and help stimulate dormant imaginations through this creative writing workshop. This activity aims to stimulate creative thinking and writing using visual prompts.”

Vilasini Kumar, the COO of Chillibreeze says, "This workshop is in keeping with our commitment to serve the community of Indian writers - the established ones, those who are exploring the possibility and even the very young 'potentials' who are yet to find their calling! We hope to see 'Doodles and Scribbles' ignite a creative spark in the participants and to get their ideas to flow!"

For registration email writers@chillibreeze.com or visit the http://www.chillibreeze.com/ website for more details.

July 8-11 2010 - The 4th Annual Book Passage Children’s Writers & Illustrators Conference

2010-05-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

Book Passage is pleased to announce the 4th Annual Book Passage Children’s Writers & Illustrators Conference, which will take place July 8-11, 2010 at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925.

Just 15 minutes across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco,
this conference brings together some of the best writers and illustrators of children’s books and young adult literature in the country. The conference is appropriate for writers and illustrators at all levels—those both seasoned and those just starting their careers.

The Conference will cover all aspects of writing and illustrating for children—from developing ideas to honing skills to finding a publisher. Students will work closely with other writers and illustrators, as well as with agents, editors, and publishers. The conference is designed to meet the differing needs of those who create for different age groups. Students will choose an area of emphasis for the morning sessions, such as writing for picture books, early readers, young adult books or illustration, and then work with a teacher in a workshop setting. In the afternoon, students choose from panels of common interest, such as working with editors, working with agents, marketing and promotion. There will be many opportunities for faculty and students to talk, laugh, and exchange ideas in classes, lunches, and evening events.

This year’s Conference boasts an outstanding faculty of writers, illustrators, agents, and publishing professionals including, author-illustrator Jon Agee, world-renowned author Isabel Allende, Mac Barnett, Alexandra Boiger, Newberry Award-winning Gennifer Choldenko, award-winning YA author Ying Compestine, Newberry Honor author Jennifer L. Holm, Chronicle Books editor Naomi Kirsten, PR guru Jill Lublin, Marissa Moss, Amy Novesky, Lissa Rovetch and many more!

Each Conference day is structured to provide an intensive writing and/ or illustrating experience. In the mornings and afternoons there are panels & workshops, and special presentations in the evenings.

Mornings: Students select an area of interest, such as writing for picture books, middle readers, young adult books, or illustration. Each morning is spent with a single teacher or team of teachers on that subject.

Afternoons: Students attend panels and seminars on topics such as:
* Collaboration between Writers & Illustrators
* Round Table Critique Group
* Writing & Illustration for Magazines
* Working with an Editor
* Finding an Agent
* Getting Your Book Published
* Promotion, Publicity & Marketing

Evenings: Each evening features events and activities with faculty members. The opening evening includes dinner.

The cost of the four-day Conference is $450. Optional 30-minute private consultations are available for $95.

For complete details, a full schedule, faculty list, accommodations, or to register, please visit the Conference homepage on the Web at:

http://www.bookpassage.com/content.php?id=263.

You may also contact Conference Coordinator, Kathryn Petrocelli, by phone at (415) 927-0960, ext. 239, or email bpconferences@bookpassage.com.

May 22 2010 - LEARN TRAVEL WRITING ONLINE

2010-05-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

Gotham Writers' Workshop to present online Travel Writing workshop in collaboration with The New York Times Knowledge Network.

Aspiring travel writers can now learn their craft from any location on the globe - so long as they have an Internet connection - when they enroll in Gotham Writers' Workshop's 11-week Travel Writing workshop presented in collaboration with The New York Times Knowledge Network.

This comprehensive online class will be taught by Colleen Kinder, author of the guidebook Delaying the Real World (Running Press), and features a week-long visit with Michelle Higgins, the "Practical Traveler" columnist for The New York Times.

During the first 10 weeks of class, the instructor covers the full spectrum of travel writing from newspaper and magazine articles to guidebooks to travel memoirs and essays. Students learn how to choose destinations and story angles, research ideas, utilize travel resources, craft compelling travel pieces, tailor work for the marketplace, and more. During the final week, the guest columnist answers student questions in a week-long Q&A.

Gotham's online writing classes, selected "Best of the Web" by Forbes, feature everything one would find in the school's popular New York City workshops--lectures on craft, class discussions, writing exercises, and personal feedback from a professional writer. The small class size, only 16 students, facilitates discussion and extensive student-teacher interaction.

Appropriate for the beginning travel writer or an experienced professional, the school's travel writing workshops help participants take their writing to the next level. Busy writers and travelers appreciate the online format that fits any schedule, allowing students to participate in class from home, the office, or an Internet cafe in some distant land.

This Travel Writing workshop begins on May 11, 2010. Early enrollment is recommended as class size is strictly limited. Additional workshops are offered throughout the year.

Interested students can obtain additional information or enroll by visiting NYTKN.WritingClasses.com or calling 1-877-974-8377 toll-free.

Gotham Writers' Workshop also offers a five-week How to Freelance online seminar and eleven-week Article Writing I, Advanced Article Writing, and Food Writing workshops in collaboration with the Knowledge Network.

May 12-14 2010 - Authors Learn the Latest in Book Publishing

2010-05-02T06:10:00.000-07:00

The book publishing industry is evolving, but one thing remains constant: the need to get the word out about new titles. Independent publishers, authors, and self-publishers can learn the latest about self-publishing and receive promotional discounts by attending the Self-Publishers Online Conference May 12-14, 2010.

The second annual Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC) encourages aspiring authors to "Live Long and Publish" during a three-day virtual event that features a total of 15 expert speakers, including Dan Poynter, Fern Reiss, Mark Victor Hansen, and 12 others. At SPOC, attendees can listen to presentations, browse the online exhibit hall of book industry vendors, and participate in Q&A roundtables and online discussions all from the comfort of their desk.

Attendees can register online at http://www.selfpublishersonlineconference.com/.