SLO NightWriters general meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at The PG&E Education Center, 6588 Ontario Road, San Luis Obispo, CA, just off Highway 101 at the San Luis Bay Drive exit, 7 - 9 pm. Members and guests are welcome to attend. Our Tuesday, April 10, 2012 Program is described below. We hope that you'll join us.
SLO NightWriters Presents:
Bringing Out The Talent,
Talent, Then More Talent
To Share
The following description was written by Program Director Judy Salamacha.
Stage First:
The San Luis Obispo 2003 Poet Laureate, Kevin Patrick Sullivan, will join us to explain the Poet Laureate selection process, introduce the annual San Luis Obispo Poetry Festival and entertain us with a couple of his poems. He poetic resume is amazing. In 1984, Sullivan co-founded and continues to act as artistic director for the award-winning Annual San Luis Obispo Poetry Festival/Corners of the Mouth, a monthly reading series. He is author of several chapbooks and one trade book First Sight, Mille Grazie Press, Santa Barbara. He has been published in a number of literary journals, including SOLO, Café Solo, ARTLIFE, and HUMMINGBIRD. Two of his poems were turned into chorals performed in the United States and Europe. He is an editor for SOLO Press where he co-edited with Elizabeth Carmo, Solo Café 1, Songs Of The Goddess, A Journal Of Poetry, and is currently co-editing Solo Café 2, Oppression and Forgiveness, A Journal of Poetry, due out in November 2006. He has read his work locally and internationally -- in Berkeley, Venice Beach, festival in London, Bristol England and Santa Barbara. Sullivan has received awards and been commissioned to create his art.
Stage Next:
Sue McGinty, author of two popular mysteries based on the Central Coast, Murder In Los Lobos and Murder At Cuyamaca Beach, is also the Coordinator for the Central Coast Writers’ Conference Lillian Dean First Page Writing Contest. As she mentioned last meeting, a new category has been added to the contest mix to focus on marketing our manuscripts. She will briefly explain the innovations for the 2012 contest and introduce our esteemed panelists who will review your work.
Stage Next:
Agent Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary and nonfiction author Cathe Olson will provide tips on writing a query letter that will get an agent or publisher’s attention, and then will randomly critique the sample query letters that Sue McGinty invites you to bring to the meeting.
Karen Grencik became a literary agent because of a man she admired. She wanted the world to know his story, so she set out to make that happen. Within a year she’d accomplished her goal. Double Luck, Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan, written by Lu Chi Fa with Becky White, went on to win The Parents’ Choice Gold Award for Best Nonfiction. Karen's next sale, George Hogglesberry, Grade School Alien, a picture book edited by Abigail Samoun at Tricycle Press, went on to win the coveted Golden Kite Award for Best Picture Book Text. Karen knew then that she was right where she was supposed to be. In June 2011 Karen joined forces with ex-editor Abigail Samoun to open Red Fox Literary, a boutique agency that represents picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. Karen and Abi look forward to bringing many more award-winning children's books to the bookshelves!
Cathe Olson is passionate about helping parents make healthy food choices for themselves and their families and has three published books: The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook: Whole Foods to Nourish Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women And Their Families, Lick It! Creamy Dream Vegan Ice Cream Yur Mouth Will Love, and Simply Natural Baby Food: East Recipes for Delicious Meals Yur Infant and Toddler Will Love. Cathe is the library technician in charge of an elementary school library, a frequent speaker at schools on the topic of natural foods and eating, the former director of Central Coast Writers’ Conference and former board member of SLO NightWriters.
Finale:
Cast of Characters: SLO NightWriters
Note to SLO NightWriters! Act Three will not go on if you forget your scripts. Bring us a Query Letter –- signed or anonymous –- and Karen and Cathe will demonstrate best practices for snagging an agent or publisher.
Center Stage: Curtain Call and Bow.
As well, please be aware that many of our members who have published books will have those books available at the meeting for your reading -- and purchasing -- pleasure!
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE PG&E CENTER:
1. Heading South on 101: Take San Luis Bay Drive exit (#196); turn right at stop sign, then the first left onto Ontario. It’s a quick left, because Ontario is a frontage road, so keep an eye out. As usual in California, signage isn’t as good as it could be. The PG&E Center is on the right about 1/4 mile from the turn.
or
2. Heading North on 101: Take San Luis Bay Drive exit (#196); turn left at the stop sign and go across the bridge over the highway. Just after bridge ends, after the southbound entrance to the 101, turn left onto Ontario, the frontage road. You’ll find PG&E on the right just a little way down the road. Huge parking lot with lots of lighting.
