Chuck Jaffee

“Writers Write.”  That’s pretty much what Chuck Jaffee is going to say when you come to see him as part of the Sierra Writers speaker series.  The session begins at 6:30PM, Wednesday, June 9, in the Community Room of Madelyn Helling Library in Nevada City.

Around a fundamental theme of what makes writers writers, Jaffee will weave samples and purported wisdom from his decades of output.  Bring a pen and paper.  Providing cues from his unpublished book called “Startlets,” he will prod you to do what writers do.

His writing ranges from about 100 movie and movie related reviews in The Union newspaper to more than 30 years of Academy Awards related newsletters; from three published volumes of poetry to his latest book which has been 95% complete for four years; from online help systems to books full of computer procedures and explanations (technical writing was the profession that paid the bills); from barely started projects to scads of completed things that have barely seen the light of day.

One thing that will become apparent from this session: if you write lots of short things, after a while, it becomes an estimable body of work.

Still very active in the Sierra Writers organization, Jaffee was President for three years.  He continues to help orchestrate the Young Writers Contest that encourages Nevada County teens.

The six speakers that Sierra Writers arranges annually are free to members and non-members.  For more information, check www.sierrawriters.org. For links to Chuck Jaffee’s movie reviews, go to www.startlets.com.

Ann Keeling

Writing Workshop: Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction, taught by Ann Keeling. Want to find out more? Check out the flier on this website. Or join a teleconference on April 19th at 7 pm, for members of Sierra Writers. Discover if this workshop is for you. You’ll have a chance to meet the instructor and ask any questions. Check the site now… or call for more info. 530-210-1100.

See Flyer on this website.

Diane Dean-Epps

Following a diverse career in television broadcasting, Diane Dean-Epps, versatile writer of mysteries, poetry, humor and essays, will speak to the Sierra Writers on March 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at Madelyn Helling Library.  She will recount her journey into the world of the written word, how she got published and how to stay motivated. Dean-Epps will read from her work in progress, a book of poetry entitled Quiet Boundaries, and answer questions from the audience. There is no charge for attendance. The monthly speaker program is a service to the community from Sierra Writers.

Where:         Valentina’s Bistro and Bakery
1041 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 530-272-4470
When:              Saturday, January 30th,   4-6pm
Gather at 3:30 for food and drink. Reading begins at 4:00
Admission is free!
Food and beverage available at the Café

Who:
Reading for this Chase-the-Winter-Blues-Away Celebration:
·      Elizabeth Appell
·      Shirley DicKard
·      Dianna Henning
·      Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
·      Julie Valin

For more information contact:
Patricia Miller, 530-265-5165, email dovepat@oro.net or
Betsy Fasbinder, 530-613-9947, email bgf2u@sbcglobal.net
Our special thanks to, Valentina Masterz for hosting this event.

a workshop
with Sandra Rockman

This workshop will place one of the most useful items in
your writer’s toolbox – skill with dialogue. Whether or not
playwriting is your main endeavor, every writer who
integrates monologue or dialogue in their journaling,
memoir or fiction will benefit from this meaningful focus
and enjoyable practice.
Workshop Goals:
• Learn playwriting fundamentals
• Create actable monologues
• Craft sparkling dialogue

5 Thursdays
February 4 – March 4, 2010
7:00 – 9:00 PM

For additional information about this or her acting workshops, email
sandrarockman@sbcglobal.net or call 530-265-6514.

Birdsong: A Writing Practice Group

Learn how to do “Writing Practice” (based on Natalie Goldberg’s books Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind), a cumulative series of short, easy exercises. This technique will help you quiet your inner critic, delve into your unconscious, go deeper into your writing, and increase your creativity. Writing Practice can be used for beginners to learn to write, for a daily warm-up, to improve your writing, to overcome writer’s block, or for experienced writers to work out specific issues in their current project. Please bring plenty of paper and pens, and a firm writing surface. For both beginning and experienced writers.

The Art and Craft of Memoir:  Creative Writing Class

Begin your story or work on a draft-in-progress.  Learn how to access your memories, to use specific craft techniques to bring your story alive, and to shape the story into a work of art.  Class will include in-class exercises, gentle feedback, and optional at-home assignments.  For beginning and intermediate students.

Polish the Moon: Advanced Manuscript Workshop

For fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir.  Work on revising your current work-in-progress. Learn how to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your writing, and how to give and receive useful feedback.  A structured workshop format where you will receive gentle in-depth critiques from your fellow writers and the teacher. Class will include homework, exercises, and discussion of specific writing techniques (for example, dialogue, scene, character, setting, metaphor), in order to improve the art and craft of your writing.

For more information or to register for classes,
contact Patricia Dove Miller, dovepat@oro.net, 530-265-5165

Phylis Warady

Long time member of Sierra Writers, the tireless and dedicated Phylis Waraday will speak at our next meeting, on Wednesday, January 13 at 6:30 p.m.

By her own account, on those rare occasions when Phylis Waraday is at a loss for words, she is re-energized by the framed 2003 Ray Bradbury Creative Writing award for her short story entitled, “A Neat and Tidy Crime” that hangs on her office wall. The award certificate, signed by the famed Sci/Fi author is all the reassurance Phylis needs to move forward.
In her January talk, her main topic will be “The Writing and Markering of Short Fiction.” Sharing, her insights on the writing craft and career, Phylis Waraday will also expound on the pitfalls and joys of entering contests, savvy ways to track down publishers and the value of online workshops to hone one’s craft.
Her award-winning short fiction appears regularly in anthologies, literary journals and magazines in the USA and Canada. Her most recent credits include “God Bless Marilyn” in The Creative Writer: “A Deathly Chill’ In Fresh! Literary Magazine and “All the Way to Heaven” in the 2009 Oasis Journal. Her recent longer works include “The Persistent Suitor” and “Virtue and Vice”. Both may be acquired as either e-books or trade paperbacks.
Don’t miss this!

The Sierra Writers website is undergoing a metamorphosis — and it’s being a somewhat more difficult process than we had anticipated. Please bear with us as we build this new website.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Madelyn Helling Library Nevada City, CA

The Open Read Meeting of Sierra Writers will be the last opportunity this year for all writers to receive a free read and criticism on work in progress, fiction or non-fiction, short stories or poetry.

Works submitted anonymously will be read aloud and tactful, constructive criticism will follow. Most long-time members of
Sierra Writers are published authors and readers committed to helping new writers with their projects.

To participate, please submit one unsigned work of about 500 words in easy to read typeface, printed single-sided and double-spaced. Everyone is welcome.

Please note:

We will be adding more information, pages, resources and a new look in the coming days and weeks.

In the meantime, if you need further information about Sierra Writers, please contact Babette Donaldson , president.

Tom Durkin, Webmaster