May 31st: Marianne Betterly and Other Widow’s Handbook Contributors Read in SF

Widows' HandbookSunday, May 31st, 2015 || 9:30-10:45am
First Unitarian Universalist Society || San Francisco
1187 Franklin Street at Geary, San Francisco ||

Marianne Betterly and other contributors to the Widows’ Handbook: Reflections on Grief and Survival will be reading and speaking on May 31st from 9:30-10:45 a.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco.

The Widows’ Handbook is the first anthology of poems by contemporary widows, many of whom have written their way out of solitude and despair, distilling their strongest feelings into poetry or memoir. This stirring collection celebrates the strategies widows learn and the resources they muster to deal with people, living space, possessions, social life, and especially themselves, once shock has turned to the realization that nothing will ever be the same. As Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says in her foreword, losing one s partner is a loss (more…)

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Workshop: The Plot Thickens with Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Linda Watanabe McFerrin

The Plot Thickens Workshop
with Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Saturday, February 21st, 2015, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925
$120

Register here

Aristotle called plot “the most important element of storytelling.” But to plot properly, you must have a plan, and the plan must give rise to emotion. Does the plot always seem to elude you? Spend a day planning and plotting and find out what you’re missing. Bring your flat-lining fiction and nonfiction and fix it.

Poet, travel writer, and novelist Linda Watanabe McFerrin (www.lwmcferrin.com) is a contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern California guidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Namako:  Sea Cucumber, was named Best Book for the Teen-Age by the New York Public Library. In addition to authoring an award-winning short story collection, The Hand of Buddha, she has co-edited several anthologies, including the Hot Flashes: sexy little stories & poems series. Her latest novel, Dead Love (Stone Bridge Press, 2009), was short-listed as a finalist in the 2007 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Competition and was a Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Novel in 2009.

Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize, served as a visiting (more…)

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Linda Watanabe McFerrin is talking about Writing Sexy Stuff at Redwood Writers

Writing Sexy Stuff with Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Redwood Writers
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, 3-5 p.m., 
Flamingo Hotel, Empire Room
2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
707-523-4745
Fee: $5/Members (of Redwood Writers), $8/Non-members

Does having to write sexy stuff make you a little nervous? It’s time to overcome your trepidation. Whether you write commercial or literary fiction, poetry, screenplays, plays, creative nonfiction or even journalism, there are times when you want to be able to subtly articulate the sensual/sexual realm of experience with greater finesse, humor and originality.

So come and find out how to steam up the page. Tips and techniques for adding spicy, sensual, and sometimes funny sizzle to your work and a very special free write will have you moving from comfort to erogenous zones in no time.

Award-winning poet, travel writer, and novelist, Linda Watanabe McFerrin has also served as the editor for eight literary anthologies and a guidebook. Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize, served (more…)

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Workshop: Expanding Travel Writing to Fiction with Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Expanding Travel Writing to Fiction Workshop
with Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Saturday, February 7th, 2015, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925
$140 (includes copy of Dead Love)

Register here

You love writing beautifully about place, but as markets shrink, you might want to stretch your horizons. The great news is that, in an age where navigating the globe has never been more important, fabulous settings—along with super dialog—have become one of the keys to the best fiction, both speculative and reality-based. So leap into this bold new travel writing terrain.

Join award-winning travel writer and novelist, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, in a workshop designed to show you how to take your writing about place to a whole new dimension that is out of this world. Exciting info on craft, exercises, and work on your individual projects are all part of this day-long adventure.

Students will receive a complimentary copy of Dead Love (with slipcover) on the day of class.

Poet, travel writer, and novelist Linda Watanabe McFerrin (www.lwmcferrin.com) is a contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. Her novel, Namako:  Sea Cucumber, was named Best Book for the Teen-Age by the New York Public Library. In addition to (more…)

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Reminder: Limited Availability – Workshop: Southern Sampler Artists Colony

new southern samplerCharleston, South Carolina. April 15-22, 2015
Southern Sampler Artists’ Colony:  Words and Rhythm – High Notes in the Lowcountry

Write . . . Embrace Music . . . Create Art . . . Relish Culinary Delights . . . Set your Pace to a Southern beat while Celebrating the Charleston New Renaissance.

Be Inspired
• Writing workshops taught by award-winning author, LINDA WATANABE MCFERRIN, as well as individual consults on your literary and creative projects and an opportunity to contribute to the next SOUTHERN SAMPLER anthology.
• HARLAN GREENE, author and historian extraordinaire at the College of Charleston, introduces the Charleston Renaissance. Discover how Charleston “reinvented” itself in the 1920’s.
• Swing low at THE MEZZ: A lunch and special jazz concert with THE CHARLESTON JAZZ INITIATIVE, QUENTIN BAXTER and his quintet.
• Share perspectives with MARY EDNA FRASER, internationally renowned aerial photographer and batik artist. See Mary Edna’s exhibit at City Gallery and create a collective art project at her studio. Music by the Lime and the Coconuts is guaranteed to provide a glorious toe-tapping finale.
• THE GULLAH LADY, aka Sharon Cooper-Murray, and Captain Anton will take you to sea and present a new twist on a Tidal Adventure. Prepare to be surprised!
• Take a Literary Walking Tour through historic Charleston with HARLAN GREENE. Discover where legendary writers, such as DuBose Heyward, lived and worked, catch a Lowcountry creative breeze, and celebrate stories embellished in time.
• Music Café Evening: A potluck of food, wine, friends and, of course, music in the lovely historic home of Charleston friends. Wether you’re dancing the shag or the Charleston that night or simply soaking up the musical vibes, it’ll be a celebration of notes and rhythm like no other.
• Farm to Plate Supper: Be prepared for a gastronomical adventure hosted by renowned chef and chocolatier, DAVID VAGASKY, and popular (more…)

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Workshop: Writing Sexy Stuff with Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Linda Watanabe McFerrin

WRITING SEXY STUFF
with Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Saturday, January 24th, 2015, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925
$120

Register here

Does having to write sexy stuff make you a little nervous? It’s time to overcome your trepidation. If you have trouble steaming up the page, this is the workshop for you.

Spend a day with poet, travel writer and novelist Linda Watanabe McFerrin loosening up and learning the techniques for adding spicy, sensual, and sometimes hilarious sizzle to your work. Whether you write commercial or literary fiction, poetry, screenplays, plays, creative nonfiction or even journalism, there are times when you want to be able to subtly articulate the sensual/sexual realm of experience with greater finesse, humor and originality. The class is full of quick free-writes and entertaining exercises that will have you moving from comfort zones to erogenous zones in no time.

Award-winning poet, travel writer, and novelist, Linda Watanabe McFerrin has also served as the editor for eight literary anthologies and a California guidebook. Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama (more…)

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Ethical Traveler’s Biggest Annual Event

Ethical TravelerThe Ten Best Ethical Destinations Awards
Monday, December 8, 2014
Jeff Greenwald, Executive Director, Ethical Traveler
Malia Everette, Founder, Altruvistas
We’re big fans of the emphasis that Ethical Traveler places on responsible tourism.
One of the best things mindful travelers can do is spend their tourist dollars in countries that uphold core values like human rights, civil society and environmental protection. Every December, Bay Area-based Ethical Traveler (a project of the Earth Island Institute) lists “The World’s Best Ethical Destinations.” The independent non-profit honors 10 countries – all in the developing world – that are protecting their environments and promoting a socially just, sustainable tourism economy. Join the architects of this list, and representatives from the award-winning countries, for a (more…)
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Workshop: Location, Location, Location with Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Location, Location, Location Workshop
with Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Saturday, December 6, 2014, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925
$120

Register here

All the world is a stage, and so is the narrative that frames your characters. Whether it’s poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction, a well-conveyed sense of place is key. Jump on a magic carpet to other places and times in this one-day workshop.

Poet, travel writer, and novelist Linda Watanabe McFerrin (www.lwmcferrin.com) is a contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern Californiaguidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Namako:  Sea Cucumber, was named Best Book for the Teen-Age by the New York Public Library. In addition to (more…)

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Left Coast Writers® Christmas List

Reindeer ManHey guys,

I just put together a Christmas list of books authored or edited by current Left Coast Writers® members. I thought you might like to have it as you consider gifts for friends and family.

Happy Holidays,
Jack Betterly-Kohn
Left Coast Writers® Administrator

 

Left Coast Writers® Christmas List

Books by Left Coast Writers®

 

  1. Amundsen, Adrienne Reclaiming the Apple: Poems from Afghanistan

    Cassandras Falling

  2. Ashdown, Lynne One American Woman Fifty Italian Men: A Journey of Cycling, Love, and Will
  3. Biggar, Joanna That Paris Year

    Wandering in Costa Rica: Landscapes Lost and Found

    Wandering in Bali: A Tropical Paradise Discovered

    Wandering in Paris: Luminaries and Love in the City of Light

  4. Black, Marsha The Accidental Photographer (more…)
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Workshop: Making a Scene with Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Linda Watanabe McFerrin

Making a Scene Workshop
with Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Saturday, November 22nd, 2014, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, CA 94925
$120

Register here

In this one-day workshop, you’ll learn to balance setting, character, and dialogue to create stellar scenes. Some of the exercises have given birth to award-winning work by past participants. Bring your laptop and/or paper and pen and discover how a good writer takes center stage on the page and holds it.

Poet, travel writer, and novelist Linda Watanabe McFerrin (www.lwmcferrin.com) is a contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern Californiaguidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Namako:  Sea Cucumber, was named Best Book for the Teen-Age by the New York Public Library. In addition to authoring an award-winning short story collection, The Hand of Buddha, she has co-edited several anthologies, including the Hot Flashes: sexy little stories & poems series. Her latest novel, Dead Love (Stone Bridge Press, 2009), was short-listed as a finalist in the 2007 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Competition and was a Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Novel in 2009.

Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize, served as a visiting (more…)

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