Vivian Gibson grew up in segregated St. Louis, Missouri in the 1950s. Her tightknit community was razed to make way for a freeway, displacing thousands of African American residents in the name of “urban renewal.” Vivian will talk about her journey from writing for oneself, to being on a mission to chronicle a disappearing history. She reminds us that a memoire tells the complex story of a community as well as a writer’s personal journey. She mined her childhood memories for the sounds, smells, emotions and familiar faces that could prevent a way of life from slipping away forever. The Last Children of Mill Creek was published by Belt Publishing in April 2020.

Her presentation will:

• Help writers understand the importance of documenting significant social changes as part of our personal stories.
• Broaden your writer’s perspective on the world by examining local historical events through different cultural lenses.
• Sharpen your skills as a memoirist by examining what is personal and what has broader social significance in your story.
• Build confidence in your role as a chronicler of an historical event or era.

Vivian Gibson began her writing career after retirement, writing short stories about the tightknit African-American community into which her parents had settled to raise their family of seven children. Her college-educated mother and hardworking father provide the framework for telling the story of her family’s survival during a time when minority communities were destroyed in the name of “progress.”

A debut writer at the age of 70, Vivian Gibson’s memoire, The Last Children of Mill Creek, has been reviewed and praised, by the Times Literary Supplement (January 22, 2021), Poets & Writers (November/December, 2020), Missouri Life Magazine (June 1, 2021).

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Writing is easy — publishing by yourself is like following an overgrown, potholed jungle path in the middle of a monsoon!

• Timing is key! Start planning for publication as you write.
• What’s in a name? Research your name and potential title early so readers will find you.
• Understand your genre — and “a romantic semi-historical science-fiction adventure mystery thriller” is NOT a good description!
• Who are you writing for? You can’t market without understanding your target.
• The writing community is your best resource — take advantage of it!

Sharon S. Darrow is an entrepreneur, publisher, award winning author, public speaker, and an expert on neonatal orphan kittens. She has written five non-fiction books. From Hindsight to Insight, A Traditional to Metaphysical Memoir and Tom Flynn, Medium and Healer are inspirational. Bottlekatz, A Complete Care Guide for Orphan Kittens and Faces of Rescue, Cats, Kittens and Great Danes are about animal rescue. Navigating the Publishing Maze, Self-Publishing 101 is a training manual. She also writes historical fiction. She Survives, Strive and Protect, and Desperate Choices are the first three of a four-book series inspired by her maternal grandmother.

Sharon is thrilled to be an active part of the Sacramento area writing community. She’s V.P. of NCPA (Northern California Publishers & Authors), has served as the President, and is also Director of their Annual Book Awards Competition. Her personal website is https://www.sharonsdarrow.com, and the website for her publishing company, Samati Press, is https://www.samatipress.com.

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Kathy will show us the difference between a mediocre interview and one that can electrify a career beyond the routine.

You will learn:

• How as a TV host Kathy magnified the content for a guest by highlighting exceptional attributes.
• When interviewing the US Coast Guard at Lake Tahoe on boating accidents, a distress call was radioed in and all went live — or from the desk to the water.
• How to research and prepare for the interview of your lifetime.
• How not to be intimidated when interviewing someone in a high-tech world who has more qualifications and education than you.
• How to professionally respond to an impromptu interview from the acquisitions editor of your dreams and get a request for your book proposal.

Kathy Boyd Fellure is the published author of a series of four children’s books, and a novel trilogy. She is the former host, producer and director of the TSPN TV Show Authors, Writers, Books & Beyond. Kathy travels to teach at writer conferences, to guest speak, and for literary reads.
Kathy currently lives in the foothill gold country of California with her family and two stand-up comedian rescue dogs. She is a lifelong hula-hoopster who most always has a Nikon camera strapped across her shoulder unless she is lap swimming in a pool or in Lake Tahoe.

kathyboydfellure.com

When you are trying every avenue to get published, it’s easy to forget where you’ve already submitted a particular story or article.  Duotrope is a tool that will provide you with lists of possible markets, links to their submission sites, contest information, and more.   In addition, you can use your dashboard to record all of your submissions and the responses that you receive.  Join Jenifer Rowe as she explains how she has used this tool and why you might like to give it a try.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY: Meet some of the members of your Board of Directors following the Duotrope presentation. We will be available for questions and discussion about what we do for your club!

Jenifer Rowe writes short stories, essays and memoir. Her work has been published in Scarlet Leaf Review, Crack the Spine, Wildflower Muse, Liars League NYC, the Sacramento Bee, and the 2018 and 2019 issues of California Literary Review. She earned Finalist distinction in the New Millennium Writings 46^th Literary Awards. She published her first novel, Unexpected Findings, in 2020.