SCN members often make the news by publishing books, articles, essays, poems, dramas, and art. They also make presentations, lead workshops, facilitate groups, and organize programs. Here are some of our members achievements this year.
If you're an SCN member, please let us know (by sending email to ) about your magazine, book, and on-line publications. If you're not a member, why not join us? Maybe you'll soon be able to post your news on this page!
(And if you've had a book published, please let us know, so we can add you to our SCN Authors page!)
| Judy Fettman has recently desk-top published her third book, Life Stories. Her first two, Chorus Stories and Homespun, were collections of stories she wrote in her Internet Chapter e-circles. This latest book is longer (65 pages) and contains 20 memoir pieces, along with family photographs. She is now planning a second volume, Life Lessons. |
—01/02/09 |
| Robin Edgar was interviewed in the Charlotte Observer-Post. |
—11/29/08 |
| Susan J. Tweit has received a three-month fellowship to work on the first part of her book Rooted, a sequel to her memoir, Walking Nature Home: A Life's Journey, which will be published by the University of Texas Press in March, 2009. She was selected for the fellowship because the private foundation that awarded it admired the idea of the book, which Susan describes as "re-learning a positive role for our species by learning to root ourselves in nature and community right at home, wherever we find ourselves." |
—11/29/08 |
| Pat Flathouse of Austin, TX just self-published her book, Growing up in the Texas Panhandle, a collection of stories about her growing-up days in small-town Texas in the 1940s and 1950s. |
—11/24/08 |
| Pat Hoglund of Seattle, WA just self-published her first book, Have I Got a Story for You, a collection of her personal life lessons. It can be purchased at amazon.com, iuniverse.com, or from Pat's website. |
—11/13/08 |
| Colorado's Governor Ritter is taking several cartons of Colorado Scenic Byways: Taking the Other Road, Susan J. Tweit's latest book, a collaboration with photographer Jim Steinberg, to Japan and China to distribute as part of a U.S. Trade Mission. Tweit notes that the two-volume, oversized set weighs six pounds apiece, so the Governor will be paying some hefty airline luggage fees on his trip! |
—11/13/08 |
| Linda Wisniewski's essay, "The Names of Things," has been published in the Winter 2008 issue of New Works Review. |
—11/11/08 |
—11/13/08
| Colorado's Governor Ritter is taking several cartons of Colorado Scenic Byways: Taking the Other Road, Susan J. Tweit's latest book, a collaboration with photographer Jim Steinberg, to Japan and China to distribute as part of a U.S. Trade Mission. Tweit notes that the two-volume, oversized set weighs six pounds apiece, so the Governor will be paying some hefty airline luggage fees on his trip! |
—11/13/08 |
| Linda Wisniewski's essay, "The Names of Things," has been published in the Winter 2008 issue of New Works Review. |
—11/11/08 |
| Two of our SCN members are featured in the August, 2008 issue of Enchantment: The Voice of New Mexico's Rural Electric Cooperative. SCN member Cindy Bellinger of Pecos, NM, wrote an interview article called "A Travel Bug Finds a Home" about member Barbara Henning, who lives near Georgia O'Keeffe's home in Abiquiu. Congratulations to both! |
—11/05/08 |
| Lisa Shirah-Hiers' essay "Spinning Water Into Gold" was reprinted in Desert Call magazine's Fall 2008 "Holy Ground" issue. The piece first appeared in What Wildness is This: Women Write about the Southwest. Desert Call is a publication of the Spiritual Life Institute. |
—10/24/08 |
| Judith Helburn of Austin, TX published a "Faith & Beliefs / Your Words" column, entitled "Mentors help focus on spiritual growth in life's second half", in the Saturday, October 11 edition of the Austin American-Statesman. |
—10/14/08 |
| "To The Best of Our Knowledge," a favorite program on many NPR stations, will re-broadcast an interview with Amy Gorman (and 3 others) entitled "The Fine Art of Aging". The broadcasts are during the week of Sunday October 13. To find the program, go here. If your station carries 2 hours of broadcast, the first hour is devoted to Aging (and my segment is 32 minutes into it); the second hour is devoted to Religion, including author Anne LaMott. |
—10/13/08 |
| Diana Raab's book, Dear Anaïs: My Life in Poems for You (Plain View Press) with a Preface by Tristine Rainer, was published in August, 2008. |
—10/08/08 |
| Nancy Rigg has a story in the upcoming anthology, Sisters Singing: Blessings, Prayers, Art, Songs, Poetry and Sacred Stories by Women, edited by Carolyn Brigit Flynn and published by Wild Girl Publishing. There will be a book signing event on Saturday, November 8, 2008, at 7:30pm at Holy Cross Hall, 170 High St, Santa Cruz CA. |
—10/06/08 |
| Heather Summerhayes Cariou is pleased to announce that film rights for Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister's Memoir have been optioned by Unbelievable Productions, with Eva Longoria as producer. Heather is the Keynote Speaker at Women Reading Aloud on October 4th, 2008. Her topic: "Journey to Memoir." She also taught workshops recently at the Sleeping Giant Writers Festival in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. |
—09/27/08 |
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Arloa Jane Walter's book, Voices of Older Women: What They Want To Say... Why You're Not Listening, was published this month by Carneros Press.
This is a book about the stories of older women—their disconnection from their families, difficulties with communication and the sense of loss they feel at being ignored. It is a revealing book about what older women think about life and the world around them. It explores why they hold back and why their adult children don't want to know what's really going on. This author interviewed 100 women and tells the truth about these older women—that they are the natural problem solvers, teachers, holders of life stories, and keepers of secrets, and very talented and knowledgable. But some are also lonely and reluctant to ask for help when needed. The book is a call to see the value of older women and to work on communication between the generations. |
—09/25/08 |
| Peggy Grose's memoir, Celebration! A Woman's Story of Courage, Endurance and Transcendence, will be published this month. To order it, email her. |
—09/05/08 |
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Connie Spittler has a series of reading/signing events that started in July after Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers was released, featuring Connie's true story about a special cat. On July 23rd, she had a double reading at the Southern Arizona Humane Society's Adopt-a-thon, a special fair where over 100 dogs and cats were adopted.
On September 27 and 28, she'll be signing at one of the writers' tables at the Society of Southwest Authors Wrangling with Writing Conference. Connie's next reading/signings is October 20th for The Desert Eternal, her book of nature essays and images, at Inspiritu, a spiritual gift store, followed the next day by the Mujeres Writing Conference, where she'll present a workshop on Food and Memory, as well as sign books. In November on the 8th, she'll join two other writers for a reading/signing at Mariposa Books in Patagonia, AZ. She'll conduct a solo program with readings at the Desert Crones of Tucson on the 20th. At all events, Connie will also include information and signings for What Wildness Is This: Women Write About the Southwest. |
—09/04/08 |
| Carol de Giere's book, Defying Gravity: the Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked, has been published. |
—09/02/08 |
| Tabitha Kot's piece, "DANCE OUR WAY HOME™: The Divine Dance", was published in the September issue of Vitality magazine. |
—09/02/08 |
| Susan Albert recently spoke at Tome on the Range in Las Vegas, NM, about her work as a mystery writer and memoirist. Her book, Landscapes of the Heart: A Memoir of Marriage and Place, will be published by the University of Texas Press in 2009. She is working on another memoir, which she calls a "journal book," called An Extraordinary Year of Ordinary Days. |
—08/27/08 |
| Susan J. Tweit recently signed 30 copies of her new book, Colorado Scenic Byways: Taking the Other Road, which was given by the governor of Colorado to selected delegates at the Democratic National Convention—including copies to Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Susan recently turned in the manuscript of her new memoir, Walking Nature Home: A Life's Journey, to the University of Texas Press, for publication in Spring, 2009. Read her blog entry about an important experience that helped her understand what she wanted to accomplish with her memoir. |
—08/27/08 |
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Linda Wisniewski will sign her new book, Off Kilter, at 7pm on Friday, September 5, 2008 at the Doylestown Bookstore, Doylestown PA.
Off Kilter, was featured in the July 2008 issue of Midwest Book Reviews' Small Press Bookwatch with the following review. "Scoliosis was the least of her problems. Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, & Her Polish Heritage is the story of a woman's truly American life. She must deal with an abusive father, an apathetic mother, and the rigid stiffness of the Catholic Church. Only when she accepts her affliction, her family, and her heritage does she find a life she can live with in this compelling memoir. Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, & Her Polish Heritage is highly recommended for community library memoir collections." Established in 1976, Midwest Book Reviews publishes monthly reviews for community and academic librarians, booksellers and the general public. Linda's book is available from Amazon and other online retailers, by order from bookstores, and directly from the publisher. Also, Linda's short essay, "Still Water," was published in the Flash in the Pan for July online posting of Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Narrative. Click on this link to read Linda's essay on learning to kayak in late middle age. |
—07/30/08 |
| Story Circle Network was the subject of an article by new SCN member Carolyn Donnell on page 7 of the July issue of WritersTalk, the South Bay Writers Club newsletter. After hearing about SCN from member Marsha Brandsdorfer, Carolyn interviewed Jane Ross and Lisa Shirah-Hiers to learn more about SCN's programs and circles. |
—07/11/08 |
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Patricia Harman's memoir, The Blue Cotton Gown: A Midwife's Memoir, will be published in October, 2008 by Beacon Press. A debut memoir interweaving a nurse-midwife's personal and professional trials with the intimate stories of her patients.
In Patricia Harman's exam room, patients open their hearts. Harman, a nurse-midwife, manages a private practice with her husband, an ob-gyn, in Torrington, West Virginia-a practice now providing only gynecological exams and first trimester care because they've been forced by escalating malpractice insurance costs to give up delivering babies. Despite this, the women who sit before her receive nurturing in all aspects of their lives. |
—07/01/08 |
| Marsha Barrow of Bertram, TX published a children's book: Mrs. Chameleon and Her Chair, publishing company: Sandbox Books, ©2000. |
—06/23/08 |
| Nita Lou Bryant of Austin, TX published a "Tales of the City" column in the Sunday, June 15th edition of the Austin American-Statesman entitled "Conversations in the Checkout Line." |
—06/15/08 |
| Colorado Authors League has honored "Creating Buzz," Susan J. Tweit's article on North America's 4,000 species of native bees and why we need them, by awarding it a 2008 Harvey Award for best adult feature article. The judge called it "a delight to read" with "clear and alive writing." You can see the awards here, and read Susan's article here. Visit Susan's website & blog. |
—06/11/08 |
| Gloria Cordova is one of the contributing authors to the newly published book, Transformative Phenomenology: Changing Ourselves, Lifeworlds, and Professional Practice, edited by David Allan Rehorick and Valerie Malhotra Bentz (Lexington Books, June 2008). Her piece in the book is in Section IV. Experiencing Transcendence: Personal Transformation as Collaborative Accomplishment, 10. Finding Voice and Reclaiming Identity: Embodied Wisdom in the Lived Experience of Norteñas de Nuevo Méjico. |
—06/06/08 |
Jeanne Guy and Linda Joy Myers are presenters at the Center for Jounal Therapy's "Journal Conference 2008: The Power of Writing" conference, June 18-21, at the Sheraton Denver West, 360 Union Blvd, Lakewood CO.
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—05/19/08 |
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Nita Lou Bryant recently published two personal essays in the Life & Arts section of the Austin American-Statesman. Her essay about Prom appeared as Commentary on May 1 and her Secret Mother's Day essay was the Raising Austin column on May 10.
Both pieces were originally posted to her Cafe Nita Lou blog. |
—05/13/08 |
| Diana Raab's book, Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal, was recently named winner of the 2008 Indie Excellence Book Award. |
—05/08/08 |
| Jerry Kalajian of IPG, on behalf of Anne McDermid & Associates, has arranged a film option for Heather Summerhayes Cariou's best-selling Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister's Memoir, a literary memoir about life with a sister diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, with Unbelievable Productions, Eva (Desperate Housewives) Longoria's production company. Watch a video here. |
—05/06/08 |
The 04/19/2008 Charlotte Observer featured Robin Edgar:
Writer explores healing power of reminiscence: Robin Edgar hosts a women's story circle Monday. |
—04/12/08 |
| Jazz Jaeschke again this year has a poem published in the Austin International Poetry Festival anthology, di-verse-city 2008. |
—04/12/08 |
| Linda Wisniewski's new memoir, Off Kilter, was published on April 1 by Pearlsong Press. Maureen Murdock (Unreliable Truths) calls it "A courageous, insightful book, particularly relevant for anyone who grew up feeling physically 'different.'" Read two reviews: Patricia Pando and Duffie Bart. |
—03/29/08 |
| Nightshade, the latest in Susan Albert's popular China Bayles series, will be published on April 1. The book is an Alternate Selection of the Mystery Guild. Susan's memoir, Landscapes of the Heart: A Memoir of Marriage and Place, has been accepted by the University of Texas Press for publication in Fall, 2009. |
—03/29/08 |
| Paullette MacDougal's short play, Bloomingdale's Elephants, has been chosen for a full production at the Six Women Play Festival in Manitou Springs, CO in April. Paullette has also been informed that another short play, One Good Moment, is an alternative selection for the plays to be performed at the national convention of ATHE (American Theatre in Education) this summer in Denver. |
—03/02/08 |
| Betsy Kelleher's second book, MARES! (Ya Gotta LOVE 'em): Fifty Stories to Aid and Inspire Mare Owners, was published in January, 2008 by Xulon Press. Stories by 39 horse owners share how mares have touched their owner's lives in special ways plus offering help to cope with that unpopular equine female nature. It is available on amazon.com and other internet sites as well as most bookstores. Signed copies available from the author through her website, which also features her monthly columns and her first book, Sometimes a Woman Needs a Horse (click to read SCN's book review). |
—02/29/08 |
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Jackie Newman, president of Redline Inc., Austin, Texas, received the Len Stolk Memorial Special Achievement Award at the 2008 National Auto Glass Conference in Tuscon Feb. 13. Writer and editor of the Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard, Newman was instrumental in creating the multi-module windshield repair technician training programs on myglassclass.com.
Newman is the first woman to receive the award, presented annually to individuals whose business ethics and professional conduct reflect the best of the U.S. auto glass industry. |
—02/20/08 |
| Heather Summerhayes Cariou's newly released book, Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister's Memoir, won Best Memoir 2007 at Books & Authors.net and will be available in Target Stores as a Featured Pick in March 2008. |
—02/04/08 |
| Marlene Samuels' short story entitled "My Father's Number" was selected as the winner of the Memories Writing Contest. |
—02/02/08 |
| Suzanne Mitchell had a piece published in the Outlook section of the 01/27/2008 Houston Chronicle. Suzanne says it was "a little essay that I wrote 'for fun' after going to a party in a very cool house." |
—01/28/08 |
| Duffie Bart's book reviews published online at the SCN's Book Review site, as well as her occasional essay pieces, are also published by the weekly newspaper Good Times out of Santa Cruz and actually being paid for them... quite rare and wonderful! |
—01/22/08 |
| Linda Austin's book, Cherry Blossoms in Twilight: Memories of a Japanese Girl, was published in August. It is "a fascinating true story of another culture, another era, another perspective. Learn about life in a small town outside Tokyo during the Depression and WWII through the eyes of a young girl... how did she survive, and who wanted this war anyway? Ms. Sugama Weldon has shared in wonderful detail the culture and stories of her life in Japan. Settle into a quiet corner to read this delightful, moving, and educational little book from start to finish. A rare Japanese memoir the whole family can enjoy." |
—01/22/08 |
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Diana Raab, MFA, will be moderating a panel at the 2008 AWP Conference in NYC at 1:30pm on February 1st. The panel is called "The Personal Narrative: The Art and Health of It," and her panelists include Phillip Lopate, Molly Peacock, Mindy Morris, Kyoko Mori and Michael Steinberg.
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—01/02/08 |