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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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Events
The WNBA-SF had a great mixer on October 18, held impromptu at Ramblas Restaurant on Valencia St. Our
sponsoring bookstore, Valencia St. Books, had an unexpected emergency, so we all gathered at the noisy but
appetizing restaurant to chat about the book industry, greet new and enthusiastic members, and share a little
about our writing aspirations, our achievements, and, of course, ourselves! Eight new members showed up, which is
exciting news for our chapter. In addition, Hospitality Chair Vicki Weiland, Treasurer Teresa LeYung Ryan, and
Secretary Christopher Gortner were there.
Please consider joining us soon at one of our events. The networking possibilities alone, not to mention the
chance to make new writer-friends, is what WNBA is all about.
Thursday, Nov. 17: Join Us For the WNBA-SF Author's Showcase
Join us for an entertaining evening with authors. Shop early for your favorite reads. Dine overlooking the
spectacular San Francisco Bay. Savor the conversation between, authors, talented WNBA members and friends.
Place: Swiss Louis at Pier 39, San Francisco
6:00 p.m. Showcase and No-host bar reception begins
6:30 p.m. Dinner
7:30 p.m. Authors Share the Magic and Showcase continues
Fee: $39 for WNBA members; $45 for non-members. $1 of your fee will be donated to the Children's
Literacy Project.
This one's going to sell out, so sign up early. Checks payable to WNBA to Vicki Weiland at PO Box 641796, SF
CA 94164-1796. Or contact Vicki (see below).
Wednesday, Dec. 14: Holiday Celebration
Ring out the old and bring in the new with the WNBA board and membership at this gala event. Check our upcoming
newsletters for updates!
For all the above WNBA events, please RSVP to our Hospitality Chair, Vicki Weiland, at vcweiland-writer@yahoo.com. Or
you can call 415-614-2533.
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Announcements
Choose Your Publisher! Tectonic shifts have shaken the publishing landscape in recent years, crumbling
the traditional distinctions among large, small, and vanity presses. An author's new options include royalty
publishing, co-publishing, self-publishing, managed production and printing.
What does it all mean and how can you benefit? To answer these questions, the American Society of Journalists
and Authors (ASJA) and Nancy Faas have invited some of the Bay Area's leading book editors to a forum discussion.
Our guests include: Roger Freet, Senior Editor, HarperSF; Alan Rinzler, Executive Acquisitions Editor,
Jossey-Bass; Jason Gardner, Senior Editor, New World Library; Lindy Hough, Founder and Copublisher, North
Atlantic Books; Mark Weiman, Founder and Director, Regent Press Printers and Publishers.
The forum takes place Thursday, November 10, 7 p.m. at the University of California, Berkeley, Journalism
Library on campus at the corner of Hearst and Euclid (go to www.journalism.berkeley.edu/directions.html).
Admission to the panel discussion is $5 for the general public, free for ASJA members and UC students, staff
and faculty. Please reserve by sending an e-mail to Laird Harrison at: laird_harrison@hotmail.com.
For more information, call Laird at 510-530-6699 or Nancy Faas at 415-922-6234.
Interested in a little schmoozing before the panel? Meet at 5:00 at La Val's Pizza 1834 Euclid Avenue, near
the corner of Hearst.
Bay Area Writers Conference: Inspiration, encouragement and vital practical tools can be yours at the
annual Bay Area Writers Conference held at Asilomar in Monterey, February 3-5, 2006. Study with Tom Parker and
Ellen Sussman; participate in lectures, workshops. Personal attention for fiction writers at all levels. Not to
be missed! Very limited enrollment! For more information, contact helencaswell@aol.com.
The 1st ANNUAL San Francisco Writers Conference Writing Contest: Writers of all genres are invited to
compete and win in four categories plus one overall grand prize in the First Annual San Francisco Writers
Conference Writing Contest. Open to everyone, the categories are fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children's
books. The Overall Grand Prize is $500 cash, plus a chance for publication as the winner's entire manuscript will
be read by a publishing industry professional. The First Place winner in each category will receive $250 plus a
winner certificate and the Runner Up in each category will win $100 cash plus a winner certificate. The Entry Fee
is $25 per submission.
Materials must be received by December 31, 2005. Finalists in each category will be notified by January 31,
2006. Winners will be announced at the 2006 San Francisco Writers Conference, February 17-19, 2006, at the Mark
Hopkins Hotel on San Francisco's historic Nob Hill.
For further details, please visit www.sfwriters.org or email contest@sfwriters.org.
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In This Issue
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Welcome
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Welcome to the November edition of Bookworm, our monthly Newsletter—news and events featuring San Francisco WNBA
members!
If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster. —Isaac
Asimov
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Call for Volunteers
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We need your help! The WNBA-SF Board is working hard to make WNBA an organization that supports, promotes, and
assists writers, readers, and the endangered art of literacy. In order to make us even stronger, we need volunteers
interested in writing for our BookWorm; be a liaison correspondent for our national newsletter, BookWoman; and help
staff our events. If you are interested in volunteering, please send us an e-mail at womensnationalbookassoc-sf@earthlink.net and let us know your interest and availability.
Thanks! |
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Membership Dues
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November is our annual renewal time. Membership in the San Francisco Chapter of WNBA entitles you to:
- Monthly e-newsletter
- Access to our website - opportunity to link your own website to ours
- Quarterly receipt of "The Bookwoman" the newsletter of WNBA National
- Opportunity to have your project or book reviewed in "The Bookwoman," which goes to 9 chapters - and
approximately 900 members
- Discounts at all events
For all members who joined before April 2005, please send $45 to 2261 Market Street #164, San Francisco CA
94114
All members who joined in April or after will be alerted to renew in January, 2006. Thank you!
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From Our President
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Do men join the WNBA? The answer is: Yes! In fact, this past year we've enrolled ten new wonderful men. Their
professions range from writer to literary agent and editor, to the founder of Paris through Expat Eyes, Terence
Gelenter. Although WNBA has a long history of advocating for women in the world of books (the first chapter was
founded in 1917 by women shut out of the booksellers convention—hard to believe when you see the profile of the
American Booksellers annual convention now!) we now heartily encourage men to join in the collegiality and
network opportunities at our meetings and events.
In other news, on our national front, in 2006 the WNBA will be announcing the details of "Network Membership"
a new category of membership. The membership will enable people who live fifty miles or more from a chapter to
connect with the writing and literary community. They will be aligned with their nearest chapter by receiving
newsletters and announcements for all chapter events. They will also enjoy benefits from the National
organization. We'll keep you posted on the details.
Also, most importantly, WNBA-SF contributed $200 to the Katrina efforts through UNICEF.
Finally, if anyone is interested in starting a "Book Review" column, please contact our newsletter editor at
wnbaeditor@mindspring.com.
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Member News: Kevin Arnold, Debbie Gisonni
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New member Kevin Arnold announces the Galway Kinnell Poetry Reading, sponsored by San Jose Poetry Center
on November 3rd. For more information, call: (408) 292-3254 or go to: www.sjcpl.com.
 Relax into a Season of Joy AND Save Hours of Holiday Shopping with a special
holiday offer from former WNBA SF President, Debbie Gisonni, author of The Goddess of Happiness: A
Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss.
Publishers Weekly calls The Goddess of Happiness ".... a perfect gift for girlfriends on the go." In 44
dynamic entries, 220 simple and practical suggestions, a 10 question quiz, 44 affirmations, and 44 journaling
pages, you'll discover how to give up guilt forever, create balance in your life, rise above fear, find humor in
any situation, accept yourself, find your passion, and much more!
In addition, Debbie is offering 22 gifts to help you to achieve happiness, inner peace and success in life,
work and home. You'll receive audio interviews, e-Books, music and more from award winning authors and experts
such as Marianne Williamson, Marcia Wieder, and Barbara Rose, PhD.
If you order The Goddess of Happiness from Amazon.com on Nov 16th, you'll receive 22 free gifts worth
hundreds of dollars. And, if you order three or more copies, you'll receive three more bonus gifts and incur no
shipping costs from Amazon.com!
This offer is good for one day: November 16th! For details or to sign up for an e-mail reminder, go to
www.reallifelessons.com/goddessoffer.
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Feature Article: The Magic of Writing in a Group, by Linda Joy Myers
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As many of you know, I teach writing classes in the East Bay. I notice how much writing together in a group
supports the writing process. The following is a brief reflection on the process of writing memoir in a group,
but it applies to any writing in the presence of others.
The sound of pen on paper fills the room as people gather to share their writing. Writing with others is a
powerful technique to break open the core of stories that have been hibernating, waiting for the support of
fellow writers to encourage their birthing. Many of us are not comfortable writing alone—somehow the images are
either too intense or too diffuse to capture successfully. Or we may feel lost in our memories, and overwhelmed
by the complexity of our life. Writing with others enables us to connect on a deep subliminal level—we are all
reaching within to find the source of our story and ourselves. Often when we write we follow the lead of the pen
or the unexpected trail of our own thinking. This may lead us in a direction that does not seem to be of our own
choosing. How many times have you had an idea, put pen to paper, and then found yourself in a whole other tangent
of story? You didn't write what you intended, but somehow the act of writing led you to something you needed to
write about. Often, it leads to a level of the story that had remained unconscious until then.
It is this magic, and frustration, that sometimes keeps people from writing when they want to. Writing in a
group can be a catalyst for the process, until you develop the ability to write on your own. Writing is a
developmental act. We all start where we can, and follow the trail of ink, or letters on the monitor, to see
where it will lead.
Tips for Writing in a Group:
- Notice the energy of the group. Is it calm, connected, scattered, or is it focused on humor or
reflection, for instance? What are the colors of the group's mood?
- What is your attitude or feeling during this writing moment—are you feeling part of the group or outside
it?
- Notice your willingness to write and to share. Write how you feel about it before you begin.
- What is your history of writing—from grade school onward? Were you encouraged; was it difficult or easy
for you? Write a page about this.
- How did shame or fear of writing and sharing develop in your writing life?
- What techniques or tricks help you to overcome your resistances?
—Linda Joy Myers
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Member Profile: Patricia Lynn Henley, author of The Sugar's at the Bottom of the Cup
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 WNBA-SF member
Patricia Lynn Henley says a quiet tug on her heart led her to becoming the co-author of The Sugar's
at the Bottom of the Cup ($24.95, ISBN 0-9774602-0-7, 364 pages plus recipes and 16 pages of photos).
That tug came when Patricia, a reporter with a Sonoma Valley newspaper, interviewed Elda Del Bino Willitts
for a feature profile. Struck by Elda's eventful life, Patricia proposed a collaboration that lasted almost
seven years. Each week Elda would prepare an Italian meal; Patricia would pour glasses of red wine, and then
place her tape recorder on the table between them. The two would eat, drink and talk about Elda's life.
Patricia transcribed the tapes, organized the files by topic and chronology, and the result was a book
written entirely from Elda's point of view, covering her life from traveling steerage on a steam ship from
Italy at age 7 to living in San Francisco when there were still gas street lights and cattle pastures in Cow
Hollow. The Sugar's at the Bottom of the Cup contains detailed personal memories that will delight
readers interested in both national and Western history, as well as a moving account of the classic immigrant
experience. Elda was 95 years old when their manuscript was completed, so she and Patricia decided to
self-publish the book in October 2004. Elda passed away peacefully at home in January, 2005, a 45-year cancer
survivor.
For more information and to read the book's first chapter, please visit www.patricialynnhenley.com.
BookWorm Talks to Patricia Lynn Henley, author of The Sugar's at the Bottom of the Cup
Having earned a Masters in Journalism from Stanford University at age 40, Patricia spent 10 years at the
Sonoma Index-Tribune. In April, she quit her job to promote her book and pursue a freelance writing career. For
Patricia, the transition has been a learning curve, with highs ranging from delighted readers' reactions to her
book to lows stemming from glitches in dealing with an unfamiliar industry. But it's all been worth it, Patricia
says, because the book lets her share her late co-author's extraordinary life and attitude with readers. You can
meet Patricia in November at our own Author's Showcase event.
- When did you start writing?
- I think I pounded out my first short story on my family's portable typewriter when I was about 11. I
moved on to poetry all through high school and college. Entering the work world, I was always the one tapped
to create form letters, policy and procedure manuals, and anything else that had to be written. It wasn't
until I was nearly 40 that I began to take writing seriously, and applied to the journalism program at
Stanford.
- Why did you choose to co-write another woman's autobiography?
- Elda was one of those people who, when you met her, went straight to your heart. She's never left mine.
It almost didn't seem as if I had a choice—a quiet, inner voice kept telling me I needed to share Elda's
story and philosophy with as many people as possible, and the book was the best way to do that. Also, I truly
believe many ordinary people have had extraordinary lives. Elda was proof of that.
- How did you publish your book?
- Because of Elda's age and health, her son arranged for it to be self-published through a traditional
publishing company that took it on as a paid project. Unfortunately this meant that not all of the paperwork
was done when it should have been. But the positive aspect of that arrangement is we were able to work
closely with their cover designer, typesetter and copy editor, to create an extremely high-quality book.
- How difficult/easy was your launch into the world of the published author?
- The answer to that question really depends on the day you ask me. Sometimes everything works well;
sometimes it doesn't. There's a learning curve, but it's worth the effort it takes to figure things out. I
love the contact with readers; I've made presentations to small book clubs as well as to larger audiences at
bookstores, senior citizen centers, women's groups and more. It's work, but it's fun, too.
- What advice would you give other aspiring authors?
- Follow your heart and keep your mind open. Things may not work out as you plan, but they will work out.
The worst that might happen is you learn how not to do something before you learn how to do it. That's not so
bad, after all.
Are you a WNBA-SF member and published author? Would you like to share your story with WNBA-SF? Contact
Christopher for the chance to be
featured in our Member Profile section of BookWorm!
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