Lecture: The Pleasures and Perils of a Freelancer's Life "Don't quit your day job." You've probably heard, and perhaps heeded, that practical advice. But what if you decide to throw caution to the wind and become a full-time freelance writer? Margaret Lucke did just that - a move that has led her in some surprising directions. (Southeast Asia, anyone?) She will give you an … [Read more...] about Lecture & Workshop: The Pleasures and Perils of a Freelancer’s Life & The Art and Craft of Writing Short Stories
Past Meetings
Plucked from Air and Error: Finding the Poem That Waits to be Written
Poet Kathleen Lynch is known for her ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and has written moving poems on such topics as crabgrass and breakfast. She will discuss finding sources of inspiration, even in the mundane details of everyday life; using humor in poetry; and the process of writing a poem from the original idea to revision and the final product. Ms. Lynch … [Read more...] about Plucked from Air and Error: Finding the Poem That Waits to be Written
Putting It Out There
What do writing and wishing have in common? Plenty, according to Noelle Oxenhandler, our February speaker and author of the memoir, The Wishing Year. Part memoir, part history, and part metaphysical journey, The Wishing Year is Oxenhandler's chronicle of her year of putting it out there, a concept familiar to writers who experience their own version of putting it out there each … [Read more...] about Putting It Out There
The Long and the Short of Writing an Award-Winning Novel
How long does it take to write an award-winning novel? One year? Ten? Alice Wilson-Fried spent seven years crafting her debut novel, Outside Child. Laurel Anne Hill wrote her award-winning Heroes Arise in seven months. Were these authors' successful approaches to writing different, or the same? Laurel Ann Hill grew up in San Francisco, with more dreams of adventure than good … [Read more...] about The Long and the Short of Writing an Award-Winning Novel
Putting it All Together: How to Research, Write and Market Historical Fiction
Lecture: Janis Cooke Newman This is terrain historical novelist Janis Cooke Newman knows well. Her novel, Mary, about Mary Todd Lincoln, was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist and #3 on the Bay Area Best Seller List in 2006. Janis will explore the unique challenge writers of historical fiction face, and share her personal journey in bringing to life one of the most … [Read more...] about Putting it All Together: How to Research, Write and Market Historical Fiction
