Newsletter of the Society of Southwestern Authors|
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Newsletter of the Society of Southwestern Authors |
Vol. 2, No. 18 Feb/Mar '99 |
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Shelia Will Make You a Better Writer
Sheila Bender is a poet, personal essayist, and author of books on creative writing. Her books include Writing Personal Poetry: Creating Poems From Life Experiences; Writing in a New Convertible with the Top Down; Writing Personal Essays: How to Shape Your Life for the Page; and the soon-to-be-published collection of poems, Sustenance. She holds a Master of Arts degree in creative writing from the University of Washington, and teaches regularly for the University of Arizona.
She was one of the most sought after speakers at our Wrangling With Writing Conference, so we decided to ask her to speak at our luncheon in February.
Sharon the Storyteller
At age thirty-nine, Sharon Creeden went to law school and, after
graduating, worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney in King County, Washington. At the same time, she joined the Seattle Storytelling Guild -- at first, to merely improve her speaking and trial skills, but soon she realized that she wanted to tell stories more than she wanted to try cases. Since 1982, her business card has read "Storyteller."
She tells stories in schools, colleges, parks, and festivals. It is her greatest pleasure to tell tales of justice which link her seemingly disparate careers: law and storytelling. In 1995 she received the Aesop Prize for Fair is Fair: World Folktales of Justice, an interesting study of fables and modern legal problems. Her new book, In Full Bloom, will be out this summer. A fascinating study of women who have made a difference. Her unique study and treatment will delight you.
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RECENT SUCCESSES
Derrick Neill's new literary novel, Duck Egg Blue, is due out this April from Prometheus Books in New York ($24.95). It's the story of a Boy Scout, Cameron Wright, and a high school science teacher, Mark Edwards, who both come under attack from religious conservatives. At a time when private organizations like the Boy Scouts of America are being allowed to practice religious discrimination, and when forces like the Religious Right are attempting to destroy the public schools through school prayer, "creation science," censorship and vouchers, Duck Egg Blue may prove to be an important book indeed. Because in the end, it is Cameron who bravely speaks for the freedom of choice a decision our young people are often forced to make. Some will love it, and some will hate it, but all will want to read Duck Egg Blue.
Earl McGill made two recent sales: a short mystery titled "Borderline" to Sleuthhound and a Mexico travel article titled "The Drive of a Lifetime" to Mature Traveler. Janet McGinn, a teacher and mother, finds herself widowed after her husband dies on a camping trip. In her book, Widowed Without Warning, Janet questions "normal" grief: why does a grief-stricken person lose their essence of being? How soon should love and intimacy be replaced? Is it possible for a beloved spirit to communicate with the living after death? Howard Sheldon had another article, "Make Flagstaff A Winter Wonderland Adventure," in January's issue of DesertUSA Magazine an online ezine at http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/jan/stories/snow.html.
The Write Word
President
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