WNBA-SF presidents past and present attend the Holiday Bash including, standing from
left, Adele Horwitz, Mary Knippel and Joan Gelfand; seated from left, Elizabeth Pomada, Effie Lee Morris and
Andrea Brown. For party details, see Member
News.
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WNBA Events
•All WNBA-SF members who'd like to create new opportunities in 2007 are invited to
bring their passion and ideas to a long range planning session at a special board meeting and brunch Saturday,
Jan 6, 9am-1pm at the home of chapter president Mary E. Knippel. This is the time to help chart the future of
WNBA-SF. We will spend the morning strategizing about programs and future networking opportunities for WNBA-SF.
There will be ample time for a walk on the coastal trail, a wander down to the beach to feel the sand between
your toes, an amble through the quaint shops on Half Moon Bay's historic Main Street, or to go in search of a new
volume of verse at one of the local independent bookstores. If you have something you want addressed at this
brainstorming/organizational meeting, please e-mail maryeknippel@gmail.com by Jan. 4 so she can include it on the agenda.
Always open to all members, WNBA-SF board meetings (except for the January session) are usually held on the
first Thursday of the month from 6-8pm at the Café at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco.
•New Year, New Creative You Workshop on Saturday, Jan 27, 9-11:30am, is a chance to think outside
the box, to nurture a creative new you for 2007. Sponsored by WNBA-SF, this innovative session will be held in
the historic train depot in Half Moon Bay. WNBA-SF president Mary E. Knippel and Luisa Adams will
give you new tools to help get 2007 off to an enthusiastic start. Reawaken the body-mind-spirit connection with
exercises to inspire peak performance in the physical and mental realm.
Luisa is an award-winning writer, educator, workshop leader and Brain Gym® instructor/consultant. Brain Gym®
integrates the body and the mind; enhancing learning and performance in all areas. Luisa will help participants
learn methods to focus, set priorities and relieve stress through self-help activities. This program addresses
the physical components of learning and stresses learning through movement. It builds on what the learner already
knows and does well.
Mary, a freelance writer, editor, artist, long-time journal enthusiast and creativity ally will lead
participants in a creative journaling experience which will include collage and a short writing exercise. A
journal is a record for yourself, about yourself, and an empowering path to self-discovery and change. Writing in
a journal is another connection to working on our inner life and outer relationships. The cost is $20 for WNBA-SF
members and $25 non-members. For more information e-mail Mary at maryeknippel@gmail.com, or call 650.361.0344.
Mail your registration fee by Jan. 15 to New Year, New Creative You, WNBA-SF Chapter, 2261 Market St #164, San
Francisco, CA 94114.
•The WNBA-SF chapter newsletter, the BookWorm, is published the first of every month. We love to
announce members' publications, articles, book-signings, workshops, awards or other milestones. The deadline
for submissions is the 20th of each month; please send items to wnbaeditor@vom.com. (If you don't receive a "got it"
response within a few days of sending your e-mail, please try again.)
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Creating Success
This column shares stories of the role of WNBA-SF in its members' lives
photo credit: Fannie Love, County of Los Angeles Public Library
Effie Lee Morris, left, with Stephanie Sterling Brasley, one of 11 presenters at "Raising Our Voices,
Honoring a Living Legend: Effie Lee Morris"
A Living Legend
Compiled from resources provided by Marsha Lynn Bragg, Billie Frierson and Adele Horowitz
Visionary, advocate, author, San Francisco leader and WNBA-SF founding president Effie Lee Morris was
honored Nov. 12 as a Living Legend at the California Library Association's annual conference in
Sacramento.
"I am proudest to have been a librarian," she said, "a librarian who has made a difference."
At the California Library Association's 108th Annual Conference, the African American Round Table, the
Cultural Diversity Committee and the California Librarians Black Caucus joined together to co-sponsor the program
"Raising Our Voices Honoring A Living Legend Effie Lee Morris." Presentations were made by 11 women. Greetings
were sent to Effie Lee by many people, among them Majority Whip 47th District California State Assemblymember
Karen Bass and California State Librarian Susan Hildreth.
Effie Lee's first favorite book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, launched not only her love
of reading but also her career as a children's librarian and children's advocate.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Effie Lee moved with her family to Cleveland when she was nine. A high school
valedictorian, she planned to major in American studies, but her work as a part-time library assistant in the
Cleveland Public Library changed those plans. She earned her first degree from Mather College in 1945 and her
masters in library science in 1956.
She was the first children's specialist at the Library for the Blind in the New York Public Library. She was
the first children's librarian and first African American president of the Public Library Association, a division
of the American Library Association. She was the first coordinator of children's services in the San Francisco
Public Library (SFPL). During her tenure with the SFPL she encouraged the concept of the library as an extension
of the community that should provide books, programs and services to meet community members' diverse needs and
interests.
Her expertise in children's literature afforded her the opportunity to serve on every major children's book
award committee, among them the Caldecott Medal, the Newbery Medal, Notable Books and the Coretta Scott King
Award. Effie Lee wrote the criteria to establish the award to honor Mrs. King's advocacy. Effie Lee has taught
children's literature courses at Mills College, the University of San Francisco, Case Western Reserve, and
Clark-Atlanta University.
She was one of the three founding members of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award committee. Effie Lee is a member
of the 2006 WNBA Anne Heidbreder Eastman Grant committee. The purpose of the award is to help provide funds for a
librarian to take a course or to participate in an intensive institute devoted to aspects of publishing as a
profession, or to provide reimbursement for such study completed within the past year.
The San Francisco Chapter of the Women's National Book Association in partnership with the San Francisco
Public Library established the Effie Lee Morris Lecture in 1996. The annual lecture was created to salute Effie
Lee Morris for her outstanding contributions to the San Francisco Public Library and the children of San
Francisco. The Children's Historical and Research Collection was established in 1964 by Morris and officially
renamed the Effie Lee Morris Historical and Research Collection of Children's Literature in 1981. The collection
was created as a research collection of out dated or out-of-print books deemed important to children's literature
and books containing ethnic stereotypes.
Her awards are numerous, but two that Effie Lee is particularly proud of are the Silver Spur Award for
Dedication to Enhancing the Quality of Life and Economic Vitality of San Francisco, and the Women's National Book
Association's Award for Extraordinary Contribution to the World of Books.
Congratulations, Effie Lee. You are an inspiration to us all.
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WNBA-National News
•Recognizing Perri Klass
by Joan Gelfand, WNBA Vice President
WNBA National President Laurie Beckleman, left, presents the WNBA Award plaque to Dr.
Perri Klass
On Sunday, Dec. 3, I was present in New York City as the Women's National Book Association presented its
prestigious bi-annual award to Dr. Perri Klass. The WNBA board members present, including President Laurie
Beckleman, Immediate Past President Jill Tardiff, Margaret Auer, Katherine Turok, Valerie Tomaselli and myself,
were all beaming with pride at the brilliant introductory speeches and the inspired, impassioned talk delivered
by Perri on books and their influence on children's optimal health. Perri also spoke eloquently about raising her
children as serious readers, her mother's writing, and her personal relationship with the writing process and
learning.
•Gain more internet presence by submitting your book information to the new WNBA
Author Section on the WNBA National web site. To be included, current members of WNBA-SF must send their
information in a Microsoft Word attachment to maryeknippel@gmail.com with WNBA author listing in the subject line. Members should include:
their name (first and last name and middle initial if it has been included in the publication), book title(s),
publisher(s), and date(s) of publication for any book they have written and/or illustrated, a web site address,
and any award bestowed on the work(s).
•The WNBA national newsletter, the Bookwoman, goes out to nine chapters with more than 900 members
nationwide. Joan Gelfand (joangelfand@pacbell.net) is our SF chapter correspondent; please contact her if you have
news you'd like sent to this national newsletter—talks, publications, appearances, awards, reviews or
feature-length article ideas.
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Mission Statement
The Woman's National Book Association is a national organization of women and men who work with and
value books. WNBA exists to promote reading and to support the role of women in the community of the book.
The Women's National Book Association was established in 1917, before women in America had the right to
vote.
The San Francisco branch of WNBA is one chapter in a vibrant organization with over 800 members across the
county. Each branch has its own flavor and lively events to honor books—the creation of books, the world of
books, and allied arts.
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In This Issue
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Welcome
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Welcome to the January 2007 edition of Bookworm, with news and events highlighting San Francisco WNBA members!
"I do not like to write—I like to have written."—Gloria Steinem
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From Our Chapter President
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Dear WNBA-SF Friends,
Welcome to 2007! There is magic power in beginnings. The new year offers promise, potential
and possibility. Three hundred and sixty five opportunities to grow, learn and explore,
appreciate; to encourage and inspire; to dream, desire and delight. Our passion belongs to the
future. Some believe your destiny is in the stars. Those of us who write know it is at the end of
our pen as it is poised and ready over the blank page expressing our thoughts, discovering ideas
and sharing stories.
I'm looking forward to all the wonders the coming year will bring and all the adventures we
will have together.
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Mary E. Knippel
Sharie Cohen Photography |
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Be well,
Mary
WNBA-SF Survey note: Thank you for all those who have sent in your survey. We'll be
going over the results at our January board meeting and using your input to plan future events
for WNBA-SF. If you haven't received a survey, we'd still like your input. Please e-mail me at
maryeknippel@gmail.com
to let me know you'd like to participate.
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Introducing Our New Members!
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From the newsletter editor: Oops. Looming deadlines and a family medical emergency mean that I haven't had time to
write/request bios of our newest members in time for this issue of the BookWorm. Forgive me, please, and watch this
space next issue to see all the wonderful people who have recently joined our dynamic group.
—Patricia |
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Member Profile: Bookworm talks to Adina Sara, author of 100 Words Per Minute
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Office work provides the grist for WNBA-SF member and Oakland author Adina Sara's memoir 100
Words Per Minute: Tales From Behind Law Office Doors (Regent Press, 2006). Her book explores the pressures,
dramas and personalities of boss and employee alike. Through essays connected by poetic jabs, Adina details her
25-year career through the legal mine field, offering a raw perspective on the uncelebrated office workers whose
stories are rarely told.
Also an avid musician and gardener, Sara recorded two CDs of original songs, Love Song To Myself and
Just for the Song, as well as a book of poetry, Garden Grown, inspired by the mistakes she has made
in her garden. She writes a regular gardening column, The Imperfect Gardener, for an Oakland neighborhood
newspaper. Her essays and poetry have appeared in Peregrine, Cottage Gardener, East Bay
Express, Oxygen, Green Prints Magazine, Restless Me Travel Magazine, Legal Secretary,
Inc. and Lawdragon. She is currently at work on a collection of essays inspired by her relationship
with gardening. Visit her at www.adinasara.com.
- When did you start writing?
- I always wrote—songs, poems, short essays—from the time I was a young girl. I kept them hidden in drawers
so no one would see them. Once in a while I'd pull something out and read it aloud.
- Why did you choose your particular genre?
- I think the genre chose me. I am a musician and my first serious writing was in the form of songs.
Songwriting requires very short, tight use of language, and rhythm is as important as meaning. I enjoy the
sounds that words make and when I write prose, I am very aware of the cadence of the words. I prefer writing
short pieces like essays and poetry. If it takes me more than three pages to make a point, I feel like I've
gone on too long.
- What inspired you to choose your subject matter?
- I started working in law offices in 1978. I kept scraps of writing in my desk, to help keep me sane. The
work was often demeaning, demoralizing and frustrating, and writing about it helped make the experience more
tolerable, even gave it meaning. At a certain point, I realized I had collected a volume of essays and poems
centered around the dramas of office life. A friend suggested I look at what I had collected over the years,
and that's how I discovered I had already written a book's worth.
- How difficult / easy has your experience been as a published author?
- It has been neither difficult nor easy – I am moving slowly and steadily at a pace that feels right to
me. I don't expect overnight success and am thrilled with the positive responses I have received from readers
so far. The value of my book is its ability to inspire and support people who feel stuck in unsatisfying
careers. There are a lot of talented people out there doing work they have to do. I wrote this book for them
as much as for myself. As long as the book continues to find those readers, I'm in no hurry.
- What advice would you give other aspiring authors?
- Write what you know first. Let people you trust read it. Allow yourself to consider their questions and
criticisms without losing sight of your own vision. Do not compromise with yourself. Write because it is what
you have to do, not for recognition and certainly not for reward but because you have something you want to
say and no one but you can say it.
Are you a WNBA-SF member and published author? Would you like to share your story with WNBA-SF? Contact
newsletter editor Patricia Lynn Henley (wnbaeditor@vom.com) about the Member Profile section of BookWorm.
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Member News
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Enjoying the Dec. 13 party are, from left, Vicki Weiland, Effie Lee
Morris, Mary E. Knippel and Christine Rosakranse
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Relaxing at the Holiday Bash are, from left, Joan Gelfand, host
Michael Larsen, Teresa LeYung Ryan and Su-Wen Yang
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Holiday Charm
By Mary E. Knippel
On behalf of WNBA-SF, I would like to thank Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen, our gracious hostess and
host, for the wonderful Holiday bash on Dec. 13. They welcomed members to their home filled with holiday
decorations, tasty treats and high spirits. We each brought a book to exchange at the party and I suggested it be
something we loved and share why we chose that particular book.
We all know reading books changes lives (so does writing them!) and my offering, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban
Breathnach, has changed mine. It was originally published in 1995 and is enjoying a 10th anniversary printing.
Affectionately known as, "the pink book," it is a book of 366 essays that encourages women to embrace the beauty
of everyday life.
Everyone who attended this wonderful party had a chance to catch up with current members, get reacquainted
with esteemed members (five past presidents were in attendance), and learn about fresh faces who have recently
joined WNBA-SF.
What a wonderful way to end the WNBA-SF year.
The story "The Plaid Dress" by WNBA-SF member Pamela Reitman was just published in the 2006 issue of The
Griffin. Pamela's story is about an Upper East Side matron with Alzheimer's who regrets the many years of
estrangement from her now middle-aged daughter (an artist and a lesbian) and decides, despite her faltering mind,
to risk a trip to the Lower East Side in order to make amends. The story is a stand-alone excerpt from Pamela's
novel (just completed) in which a woman loses her mind but finds her soul. The story is available online at
www.gmc.edu/i_services/pubs/thegriffin.html.
WNBA-SF Past President (and current national WNBA Vice President) Joan Gelfand will be the featured reader at
6pm on Feb. 5 at the "All Poets Welcome" series at the Gallery Cafe, 1200 Mason
St., San Francisco. Joan will be reading from Seeking Center, recently published by Two Bridges Press, and
from Jubilee, a work in progress. An "open mic" session will follow.
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Classes, Conferences, and Other Writing Announcements
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Prose in a Flash: Writing the Very Short Story
with Michelle Richmond
When: Saturday, Jan 13, 9am-4pm
Where: WNBA-SF member Ellen Sussman's home in Los Altos Hills
Instructor: Michelle Richmond
Cost: $135, lunch included
Registration: ellensussman@gmail.com
(maximum 12 students)
Details: This is one of a series of master classes hosted by Ellen Sussman. How do you develop interesting
characters, suggest a plot and convey meaning in 750 words or less? Workshop participants will read and write
flash fiction, an increasingly popular narrative form that exists somewhere between the traditional short story
and the prose poem. Expect to leave the class with at least two completed flash fictions and a list of journals
that publish short-short stories. Michelle Richmond is the author of the award-winning story collection The
Girl in the Fall-Away Dress, and two novels, Dream of the Blue Room and The Year of Fog
(forthcoming). Her stories and essays have appeared in a number of publications. She publishes the online
literary journal Fiction Attic, which sponsors the annual Flash in the Attic contest. She teaches in the MFA
Program in Creative Writing at California College of the Arts.
Winter Fiction Workshop by Ellen Sussman
When: Feb 8-Apr 12, 6:30-9:30pm, Thursday evenings
Where: WNBA-SF member Ellen Sussman's home in Los Altos Hills
Cost: $500 for 10 classes
Registration: ellensussman@gmail.com
Details: This class will be a mix of critiques of student work, discussion of craft and in-class
exercises.
San Francisco Writers Conference
When: Feb 16-18
Where: Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco
Cost: $595
Registration: www.sfwriters.org
This not-to-be-missed annual event brings literary agents, publishers and editors from the West Coast and New
York to the historic Mark Hopkins Hotel over President's Day Weekend. The weekend will include more than 40
workshops. Among this year's keynote speakers will be Po Bronson, Why Do I Love These People?, Debbie Macomber,
Susannah's Garden and Firoozeh Dumas, Funny in Farsi. Indulge in writing workshops taught by best-selling
authors. Meet editors and agents looking for new talent. Take time to network with other writers. Discover
cutting edge information on publishing. This is a great place to get serous about your writing career. WNBA-SF
members Martha Alderson, Elisa Southard and Teresa LeYung Ryan are scheduled to present at
this conference on Feb 16 and many chapter members will be attending.
A Day of Sex and Autobiography
When: Saturday, Feb 17
Two Sessions: 9am-noon, The Joy of Learning to Write Sex Scenes
1-4pm, Writing Fiction From Your Own Live: Truth, Lies, Geography and the Memoir Matter
Where: Ellen Sussman's home in Los Altos Hills
Instructor: Elizabeth Benedict
Cost: $60 per workshop, bring a bag lunch if attending both
Registration: ellensussman@gmail.com
(maximum 12 students)
Details: This is one of a series of master classes hosted by Ellen Sussman. Join best-selling novelist and
seasoned writing teacher Elizabeth Benedict, author of Almost, The Practice of Deceit, and The
Joy of Writing Sex: A Guide for Fiction Writers, for two three-hour workshops on subjects that cut to the
core of much contemporary fiction and memoir writing. Come with an open mind, a list of quandaries and questions
you want to explore, and a willingness to share them with fellow writers.
Writers Weekend at Asilomar
When: Mar 2-4
Where: Asilomar resort in Monterey
Instructors: WNBA-SF member Ellen Sussman and Tom Parker
Cost: $525 for a shared room, $645 for a single room
Maximum: 24 students
Registration: $100 non-refundable deposit, $250 more due by Feb. 1 and the balance on arrival. Make checks
payable to Tom Parker; mail to Helen Caswell, 3089 N. Tracy Blvd. #402, Tracy, CA 95376. Include your e-mail
address (essential), request for single or double, and phone number where you can be reached. For more info:
contact ellensussman@gmail.com or
helencaswell@aol.com.
Details: Develop a sense of community and share writerly concerns through a weekend of workshops, lectures,
readings, walks on the beach and writing. Everyone gets a chance to work with Tom Parker and with Ellen Sussman,
and have their work critiqued by one of the two. There will be workshops to read and discuss student work as well
as evening presentations to explore skills and techniques. On Sunday agent Randi Murray, of the Randi Murray
Agency, will join participants for a discussion about what to do when you're ready to find an agent.
WOW! Women on Writing
When: Mar 3
Where: Skyline College, San Bruno
Cost: $60 until Jan. 26; $85 until Feb. 23; $100/door, Students $25 thru Feb 23
Registration & more information: www.smccd.net/accounts/skywow
WOW! 2007 is the fifth annual conference celebrating International Women's Day. This year's keynote speaker
will be Ayelet Waldman, author of Love & Other Impossible Pursuits, Daughter's Keeper and
The Mommy-Track Mysteries.
Among the many workshops and panel discussions will be "Transforming Grief Into Potent Writing by WNBA-SF
members Teresa LeYung Ryan (Love Made of Heart), and Lynn Scott (A Joyful Encounter: My
Mother, My Alzheimer Clients and Me).
Conference participants come from the nine Bay Area counties and beyond, bringing together a remarkable range
of ages from 11 to 90-something. Skyline College is a center for the intellectual nurturance of women of all
ages, extending far beyond the numbers who regularly enroll in courses. The conference brings together faculty,
staff, students and community members with culturally diverse writers and artists who introduce new ideas and
pedagogies associated with women's studies curriculum in colleges and universities.
Jack London Writers Conference
Sponsored by San Francisco Peninsula Branch of California Writer's Club
When: Mar 24
Where: Crown Plaza Hotel, Foster City
Cost: $150 ($125 CWC members), $95 full time students
Registration & more information: www.sfpeninsulawriters.com
Spend one incredible day with successful authors and teachers, including WNBA-SF's Ellen Sussman. Among
the 16 workshops will be: Finding Your Writer's Voice, First Draft/Second Draft, Creating Blockbuster Plots
(presented by WNBA-SF's Martha Alderson) Romancing the Page, Moving the Plot Through Dialogue, Writing for
Children, Creating Characters that Leap off the Page and more.
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