Dear Guild Members:
At the March meeting, I invited published members to stand; then authors whose books are in process of being published; next, aspiring writers; and finally, members who simply love to write.
This last group, whom I call ‘lovers of writing,’ was by far the largest group because it included many writers from the other groups. While our membership spans the spectrum from writing for pleasure to writing for publication, the overall purpose of the Guild is to support its members in all of their writing goals. The Guild does this by offering its members various opportunities to share their successes with other members and with the larger community:
~ Covers of members’ latest books are displayed on the home page of the PSWG website; ~ A Sign-and-Sell event at The River, with 12 participating authors, was held in December;
~ Author tables for members to display a copy of their book(s) will be available at the General Meeting in April;
~ The Crow’s Nest in the Guild Gram is available for members to report a newly published book, a winning story, or another significant event;
~ A “Contests and Writer Events” column listing writing workshops, submission contests, and writing websites is featured in the Guild Gram monthly;
~ The Short Story Contest now has its own celebratory event, the Day of New Works, to celebrate the winners;
~ General Meetings are open to the public, exposing more people to the Guild.
In addition to these varied services, the Guild has been approached by local organizations seeking PSWG authors to sell their books at other events, submit poetry and short stories, speak, and in general, promote the art of writing. Be sure to review these new opportunities and remind your fellow writers to check as well.
Writing may be a solitary experience, but promoting and selling the finished product is made easier with the help of the Guild. Please don’t hesitate to use the support activities to enhance your writing adventures.
Cordially,
Dolores Carruthers
President
Reminders from Your President
Bring one copy of your book to display and to attract readers for the Authors Table at the General Meeting on April 3rd.
Decide if you’d like to be one of the 20 authors selling their books at the K. Hovnanian’s Four Season Book Faire. Go to “Contests and Writer Events” in the March edition of the Guild Gram for complete details.
Join other professionals and list your service on the PSWG Professional Service Providers page. Contact Vicki Mills at vamills@aol.com.
Mark Saturday, April 3 from 2-4 pm to learn about “The Language of Impact” from Justin Sachs, Author and President of Motivational Press, Inc.
Write your Restaurant Review for the March Writers Challenge. The topic is Humor and Fast Food. Check under “Contests” on the website at www.PalmSpringsWritersGuild.org for submission guidelines.
The Crow’s Nest
by Mishael Patton
 Jenny Gumpertz's short story "Victory at Sea" is now online at bigpulp.com. Access it from their front page or by clicking on Adventure. Her story "Bear Weather," published earlier on bigpulp.com, is archived there and can be accessed by clicking on Adventure, then scrolling to the bottom of the page.
In February, Kim Ussery attended the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in St. George, Utah. Her play, Silent Spring, had a reading performed by actors from Utah Valley University. The play explores the story behind Rachel Carson's struggle to write the book that launched the environmental movement. The play transports the audience into a world of fiddler crabs and great blue herons to personify the impacts of DDT pesticide on their lives. The reading received good reviews and Kim made valuable contacts that could result in future performances of the play.
In mid-February, Anthony L. Manne taught his chocolate making techniques to the Trilogy Arts and Crafts Club in La Quinta. In his class, Chocolate Making 101, he demonstrated how to make Peanut Butter Bars, Walnut Delights, Pecan Patties, Marshmallows Enrobed in Chocolate, and the ever favorite Turtle. Students tasted samples of each and had the opportunity to purchase his recipe book Anthony's Chocolates On-the-Go, Done My Way.
In August 2009 Carrie Hudson performed a one woman poetry show, with musical backup by Wade Listerman on guitar, at Water Canyon’s Coffee and Espresso Shop. In November 2009 Carrie was in a staged reading of Dubro V. Nik, in Rancho Mirage, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert. Carrie played Marihana Jelechic, a Croatian tavern owner, in the two act drama about women recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome from the Serbian Croatian War Conflict. And, Carrie has been doing poetry readings at Rattlesnake Jake’s on Wednesday nights in Morongo Valley.
Former Hollywood producer/writer, Frank Furino, held a five week Creative Writing Workshop at the Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs. At the end of the course, each participant was asked to submit a 400-500 word original piece focusing on some aspect of our desert lifestyle. The Grand Prize for the best submission was published in the Desert Entertainer. Dick Mills, a local businessman, and an active Board member of the Palm Springs Writer's Guild, took top prize with his submission entitled, "The Money Shot." The Grand Prize for the best submission was published in the Desert Entertainer and can be found in the Feb. 18-Feb. 24 issue, on page 32.
Got something to crow about? Inspire others by sharing your victories and successes. To be in the next issue, send an email to Mishael.PSWG@hotmail.com
Rancho Mirage Library Writers Event
Meet the Author: Joyce Maynard
Wednesday, April 14, 7 - 8 p.m.
Author Joyce Maynard has established a respected career as a prolific figure in the literary world, beginning in 1973 with the publication of The New York Times Cover Story “An Eighteen Year Old Looks Back on Life.”
In the years since then, she has published many books. Her most recent novel, Labor Day explores family, love, and the painful process of coming-of-age. It garnered warm praise from Publishers Weekly as a “captivating and surprisingly moving tale” with “winningly complicated” characters.
She has appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, and Hardball, among many other television shows.
Maynard is the mother of three grown children, and recently adopted two Ethiopian girls, Almaz and Birtukan. She divides her time between Mill Valley, California, and Guatemala, where she has been running the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop since 2002.
"LEGEND OF THE LIMERICK"
By Dawn Spitz
An Irish poet once came upon
A spell cast by a leprechaun
And so “himself”
Wrote like an elf
In limericks from that time on.
MEMBERS: MEET YOUR PEERS “IN THE SPOTLIGHT”
by Dodie Cross
In the Spotlight with Brad Oliver
Our new member this month, Brad Oliver, comes to us from the state of Michigan. Brad has a Master’s degree in Special Education. He taught in this field for seven years, continuing on as an administrator for twenty-seven more years.
After vacationing in Palm Springs every Christmas for fourteen years, Brad knew he would make the Coachella Valley his home when he retired. He moved here in 2006 and never looked back.
Brad tells me that during his working years in Michigan, he became involved in community theatre. Once retired, Brad decided to try his hand at something he’d always thought about but never had the time for: writing. He joined the Jocelyn Center writing group and began to hone his skills. He says writing has become his creative outlet.
Brad heard about the Guild while at Jocelyn, and promptly joined. He obviously has some talent as he won the Guild’s October “Writing Challenge” for Horror Story. He told me he would never have written in that genre, but he thought, “Hey, it’s only 500 words, and it certainly will be a challenge.” He continues to participate in the Guild’s contests.
Brad is now working on several short stories. One of them, he told me, was from the prospective of his dog. He found the dog after it had been bitten by a coyote, and abandoned. He promptly adopted it, hence his story. It sounds like something I’d like to read.
Welcome, Brad Oliver!
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In the Spotlight with Kim Ussery
Another new member to our guild is Kim Ussery. She grew up as a navy brat in San Diego and Hawaii. She was a science major in college, and then worked for a private environmental planning firm in San Diego. She is married and has two children.
When her husband, also a teacher, could not find work in San Diego, he moved the family to Palm Desert. He currently teaches geography at La Quinta High School.
Kim earned her teaching credential in secondary science and language arts, and currently teaches 7th grade science and English at John Glenn Middle School in La Quinta. Last year she graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from the UC Riverside, Palm Desert campus. She tells me she is near completion of a novel, tentatively titled Crescent City, and will seek publication.
Along with this busy lady’s schedule, she also managed to win the regional competition for a play she wrote about Rachel Carson and her book, Silent Spring. The play opened at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Utah in February 2010 and was in contention for placement in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Kim did attend the festival but did not win. She says it was “an amazing experience with fantastic writing workshops and college theater performances.”
Kim heard about the Writers Guild through one of our members, Mishael Patton, who is a mentor for the Junior Writers Guild in Kim’s class at John Glenn Middle School. She joined the Guild in December, 2009.
2nd Annual Book Faire
K. Hovnanian’s Four Season at Palm Springs is seeking authors to speak about and sell their book at the 2nd Annual Book Faire. The event will be held on Saturday, April 24 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. If interested contact by March 20, 2010 Cindy Hayward at 760.323.3008 or Michele Fuller at 760-904-5941
Contests / Writer Events
by Jack McLaughlin
“The Coachella Review,” the online literary journal for UCR-Palm Desert, is seeking submissions for poetry, fiction, nonfiction and video entries. Submission deadline is May 15, 2010. Information is available at the http://www.coachellareview.com on the submit page.
Willamette Writers Conference Home Page
The 2010 Willamette Writers Conference is August 6-8th at the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel.
http://www.willamettewriters.com/wwc/3/
Las Vegas Writers Conference
Sams Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
April 15-17, 2010
http://lvconference.mergentsquared.com/
The Guide to Writers Conferences and Workshops
http://writing.shawguides.com/
The Muse OnLine Writers Conference
Free online conference in October. Donation requested. Good free stuff on the site.
http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com./
WordCup (c) a Championship of Words
A global event for all who love words, for the way they illuminate our minds, spark our imagination, and brighten our world
http://www.espindle.org/wordcup/index_new.php
The Bridport Prize
Short Story and Poetry Competition
Non UK writers welcome; open to all.
http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/?gclid=COud-PzyiKACFRFbagodwH7elw
A "Bonanza" Website for Writers
Found! A just-about-everything for writers: writers who want to decipher colloquialisms, idioms, jargon, identify abbreviations, make conversions, obtain word definitions, phrases, synonyms, zip codes, and references, all in a single website. Amazing! www.phrases.net has it all.
Monthly Writing Challenge
The winner of the February Writers’ Challenge, with the theme of Romance, is Brad Oliver, for his story “Always on Sunday.”
Short Story Contest
Thank you to everyone who entered the Guild’s Annual Short Story Contest. The manuscripts are now in the hands of the judges. Plan to attend the 2nd Annual “Day of New Works” on Saturday, May 1st at the Rancho Mirage Library from 2 to 4 p.m. to celebrate the winners. Special guests will give readings of the three stories. Cash prizes of $200, $300, and $500 will be awarded the authors.
Congratulations are due each of you who entered. You now have a finished, polished story. Why not submit your piece for possible publication? If, for example, you Google “Literary Magazines,” browse through Writer’s Market, or check the “Call for Manuscripts – Magazines” column in Poets & Writers Magazine, you may find a fit for your story. Simply follow the publication’s submission guidelines.
Watch for more information on “The Day of New Works” as May 1st draws closer.
Carol Mann
Annual Short Story Contest Chair
Jack McLaughlin shares this interesting statement attributed to Abraham Lincoln:
"Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eye, is the great invention of the world . . . enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space."
~ Special Thanks to our March Guild Gram Writers ~
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