MORNING WORKSHOPS
10:30 am – 12:00 p.m.

FINDING THE POETRY IN YOUR STORY
Carol Lem
The focus of this workshop is to encourage you to discover the voice of poetry in your story – the sights and sounds of your life. Through a sequence of exercises you will begin to hear the narrative voice of memory as you relive it by practicing the techniques shared by both prose and poetry, such as how and when to use imagery, how to establish setting, develop characterization – while listening to the rhythm of your voice. The need for significant detail applies equally to narrative scene, poetic line, and dialogue; voice is the poetry of your story as though heard for the first time.

PASSIONATE ATTENTION: THE ART AND PRACTICE OF WRITING FROM OUR EVERY DAY
Katharine Harer
“...(a person) becomes his/her attentions. Her observations and curiosity, they make and remake her.” - William Least Heat Moon
Writing in any form -- journal, memoir, poetry, fiction, nonfiction -- can become a way of sketching our lives, moment by moment. We can learn to fashion a habit of writing from what we see right in front of our eyes, and with this discipline comes great pleasure as well as companionship. We are never alone when we have a notebook and pen in our pocket. In this workshop, I will share some of the basic tools of writing from life, help participants design, or refine their own practice, share some inspiring models from published writers, and lead the group in a series of guided writing exercises. The workshop is useful for all levels, from beginning to experienced writers, from poets to memoirists to journalists, and everyone in between and beyond.

THE WRITER CENTER STAGE
Nancy Shelby
Learn and practice techniques for reading your work aloud with confidence and skill, in your writing group, on a book tour, or in an auditorium of any size. The workshop will include:

Warm-ups for the voice and body,
Techniques for scoring your text, the way an actor scores her script, for clarity in presentation,
Tips for being present, centered and relaxed on stage.

PLEASE BRING A SHORT PARAGRAPH OR STANZA OF YOUR OWN TEXT!

YOUR LIFE AS STORY
Tristine Rainer
In this workshop, you will learn to apply the secrets of story structure to your life. This is at once a class on craft for writers and a spiritual journey from which anyone may benefit. If you wish to write from life for yourself, for family, or for publication, this class is for you. Each of our lives contains a story to be acknowledged and given. It is in understanding the individual story or stories that your life makes that you embrace your life’s unique meaning.

SETTING AND SENSE OF PLACE IN MYSTERIES
Cara Black
You've got the idea, perhaps chosen the killer, but how does that evolve into writing a mystery and making the setting come alive as a character in your story? We'll do exercises in sensory detail and sense of place, briefly discuss plot, character, dialogue, subplots, red herrings, clues, suspects and focus on the importance of setting.

FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN: WRITING THE MOVIE OF YOUR DREAMS
Laurel Minter
Is there a story idea that’s been circling your heart that isn’t quite a novel, but more than a short story? You see it and hear it; maybe you’ve even cast it. It’s a movie. This workshop teaches you the nuts and bolts of writing a feature-length, narrative screenplay. How to build memorable characters, write effective dialogue, and construct a meaningful script from your story ideas. Learn the three-act structure employed by all successful screenwriters and a few tricks of the trade, as well. This workshop is for anyone who has ever dreamed that their story might be told best on the big screen or who wants to explore turning a passionate idea into a gripping film.

THE ART OF TRAVEL WRITING: TURNING MILES INTO SMILES
Wild Writing Women: Jacqueline Harmon Butler, Lisa Alpine, Carla King, Suzanne LaFetra, Cathleen Miller
The Wild Writing Women reveal how to improve your storytelling abilities and turn your travel experiences into specialty angles that open up publishing avenues beyond the Sunday Travel Section. So come launch your career as a travel writer!

BRAINSTORMING GOOD STORY IDEAS
Ellen Lee
The first step to writing a good story is coming up with a good story idea. We will trace how a nugget of an idea can be transformed into a stand-out newspaper and magazine article. How do you shape it and breathe life into it? And how do you edit it and remove the parts you have grown to love?

THE MAKING OF A GRAPHIC NOVEL
Ali Liebegott
In this workshop we’ll look at some of the various formats graphic novels can take and I’ll take you step by step through the making of my own graphic novel. We’ll discuss the practicalities of choosing materials, mixing text and image, and how telling a story with more than one medium affects pacing.

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

WRITING FANTASTIC FICTION
Kathleen de Azevedo
Using myth and metaphor in fiction can help those writing fantasy, and those who want to add some spice to their prose. The writing exercises (which include some group work) will inspire you to think of the impossibilities.

HAVE I GOT A STORY FOR YOU: A CONVERSATION ON WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
Panelists: Malin Alegria, Jane Wattenberg, Kathleen von Raesfeld, and Julie Downing. Beverly Vaughn Hock, Moderator
If you are dreaming on a book for children or young adults, you’ll want to hear what these five women have culled from their experiences teaching, writing, illustrating, and selling books in this challenging field. Bring your fermenting ideas, works in progress, questions, and note pads.

A PRIMER ON PUBLISHING
Amy Rennert and Pat Walsh
In this course, Amy Rennert and Pat Walsh will address the process of finding representation and offer a primer on the realities in today's publishing world. They will discuss common errors made by novice writers and the pitfalls authors need to avoid. Students will learn the best approach for query letters and submissions. Amy will also focus on what authors should expect from agents and how to ensure the best relationship possible with agents and editors.

WOMEN IN TRANSITION: THE POWER OF WRITING
Marcy Alancraig
Are you at a transitional moment in your life, standing in the doorway between the familiar past and the unknown present? Women in transition have their feet rooted in a place of power, though it often doesn’t feel that way. Writing is a wonderful tool to help you find the joys that lay amid the fear, the successes inside what can look like failure, the strengths that come from exploring the unknown. This workshop will explore the territory of transition, using the power of words. It is designed for women of all writing abilities and experience.

THE “I” IN THEATRE – THE ART OF WRITING MONOLOGUES
Suze Allen
Theatre is action. Theatre is immediate. Theatre is cathartic. This class shows you how to turn memories, memoirs and meanderings into dynamic stage monologues. Suze’s fun and furious writing exercises will free you up to speak from your “I” voice, as you learn how to construct monologues that play well onstage. You’ll also explore the monologue as a road in to dramatic structure. This workshop is guaranteed to get you writing whether you are a novice or seasoned playwright.

FIRST-PERSON WRITING THAT SELLS
Adair Lara

How to turn those promising jottings and sketches into finished essays and sell them. We will concentrate on the "plot" of the essay -- how to start it, what to do in the middle, how to bring it on home. Bring something you're stuck on, if you like. You will come out with a clear understanding of how to make your essays work in a way that will satisfy you and your readers. As the memoir is, in structure, a long essay with scenes and dialogue and an arc, we can apply the same ideas to what you have in mind.

STORYTELLING AS MEDICINE
Olive Hackett-Shaughnessy
Fairy tales and folk tale may not be our physical reality, but they are true to the heart. Revisiting folk wisdom can help us find balance to lead us forward with hope when we are most vulnerable. Reframing a medical crisis into metaphor and fairy tale narrative can help reclaim the healing power of the imagination. While listening to an intermingling of tradition tales and true stories of difficult journeys, workshop participants will recognize that both genres contain all the elements of fairy tale. A writing exercise to integrate experience and wisdom will follow.

WOW! OPEN POETRY SLAM
Meliza Bañales
Slam is a competitive poetry event that started in Chicago in the early 90's. Its father, Marc Smith, wanted to "bring poetry back to the people" so he started an event at a local bar, The Greenmill, where anyone could participate regardless of experience and style. What started as a small event in a working-class, neighborhood hang-out has turned into one of the most relevant poetry movements of our time, spawning thousands of well-known spoken-word artists, almost fifteen years of national competitions and events, the award-winning HBO series "Russell Simmons Presents: Def Poetry Jam," films, anthologies, and a new kind of poetry style.

We are challenging you to bring your own poems and style to this, the first ever WOW! slam. Meliza Bañales, Oakland slam champion, will choose judges from the audience who will score each round of performances and decide who gets to go on to the next round -- all in the spirit of competitive FUN. Georgia Gero, WOW! Coordinator, has volunteered to be the “sacrificial lamb,” reading first and taking her chances that the audience will love her. Won’t you join in too? Prizes for the winners!

Questions? Contact Marijane Datson, WOW! Program Director, 650.726.1411, mjdat@pacbell.net