Halloween at Sac Poetry Center; poetry at the Davis Arboretum this week; Writers Who Wine this Friday; local poet publishes book; I Street Press; resources workshop for writers/artists; some private workshop opportunities

Friends,

The writing calendar here in Sacramento is unbelievably busy this week an beyond! Lots of poetry on the docket. Stories on Stage is now on holiday break, but look forward to season three starting in January 2012 (final Fridays, as always). There are new opportunities to self-publish (at Sacramento Library), and don't forget to "wine" with your fellow writers this Friday at Writers Who Wine!

Enjoy!

**
Sacramento Poetry Center presents


Poe, Poe, Poetry
 


With Allegra Silberstein and William O’ Daly
and many other spooky poets

Monday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 PM
Co-hosts: Frank Graham and Katy Brown
Donations benefit Friends Care

City of Davis Poet Laureate Allegra Silberstein and poet/translator William O'Daly read the scary poems of Edgar Allan Poe. Other poets join in for an open mic of even more scary Halloween poems. Ghosts and goblins welcome. Cohosted by Katy Brown and Frank Graham. Free and open to the public. Donations benefit Friends Care, supporting programs for children and families of prisoners.

ALLEGRA JOSTAD SILBERSTEIN was named the first ever Poet Laureate of the City of Davis. A longtime Davis teacher, dancer, and philanthropist, Allegra is known widely for her work as coordinator for The Other Voice, a reading series that takes place at the UU Church of Davis, and for her support of local writers. Her poems have been published in Poetry Depth Quarterly, The Yolo Crow, Blue Unicorn, Rattlesnake Press, Poetry Now, Iodine Poetry, Poetry of the New West, California Quarterly, and other journals. She has also placed poems in a variety of anthologies, including The Sacramento Anthology: One Hundred Poems, Gatherings, A Woman’s Place, and Where Do I Walk. Her first chapbook, Acceptance, was published in 1999, and her book In the Folds was published by Rattlesnake Press in 2005. She is currently working on a full-length book of poems.

WILLIAM O'DALY has published eight translations of the late and posthumous poetry of Pablo Neruda, as well as a chapbook of his own poems, The Whale in the Web. O’Daly was a finalist for the 2006 Quill Award in Poetry for Still Another Day, the first of his Neruda series. With coauthor Han-ping Chin, he recently completed a historical novel, This Earthly Life, set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. O’Daly lives with his wife and daughter in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California.

........................

Excerpt from Poe's "The Raven":

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the
floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted- nevermore! 

**

	Poetry in the Arboretum with C. J. Sage & J. P. Dancing Bear Thursday, November 3 at 12:00pm Location: Wyatt Deck, Old Davis Road, UC Davis Arboretum, Davis, CA

 

**

THANK GOODNESS IT'S WRITERS WHO WINE!

Friday, November 4 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm  Revolution Wines 2831 S Street Sacramento, California The Thanksgiving version of Writers Who Wine returns to Revoluion in Sacramento where the brave NaNoWriMo participants can pledge their goals, new authors can share their successes and everyone can connect with fellow scribes doing what they do best - wining. Looking forward to seeing all of you there.

**

CONGRATULATIONS to local poet Jeanine Stevens!

Sailing on Milkweed, by Jeanine Stevens will be released March 2012 by Cherry Grove Collections, the Art of the Lyric. The editor comments, "Memory becomes so vivid as to become intertwined with life itself, so that the boundaries between living and remembering no longer exist."  www.cherry-grove.com/jeanine_stevens.html

**

Have you checked out your local Library lately?

**

Funding Your Dream: Resources for Writers Whatever your genre: fiction, non-fiction, scriptwriting, or poetry, you’ll discover how to find grants, residencies, contests, competitions, fellowships, crowd-source funding, and cash awards to help underwrite your writing career. Even publishing grants, if you want to self-publish a book or graphic novel.  You’ll write a 20-second pitch, brainstorm alternative funding sources specific to your writing project; get guidance on how find a fiscal agent for government agencies, corporate foundations, and associations; and gain insight on ways to market yourself and your ideas.  Maryellen Burns has raised more than 15 million dollars for museums, libraries, universities, art organizations, literary festivals, documentaries, and individuals. Participants in last spring’s Funding Your Dream raised over $18,000, in less than 90 days.  November 5th, 10-12, $40. Limited to 20 participants. Includes coffee and homemade bread to keep you alert. Granite Bay location To enroll, email basyesander@yahoo.com or call 916-847-9090.

**

LOOKING FOR A LOCAL WRITING WORKSHOP? CHECK THIS OUT! Stories on Stage curator Valerie Fioravanti is teaching private workshops this fall! Valerie Fioravanti is offering a multi-genre workshop in Flash Fiction and Creative Nonfiction, beginning Monday, November 14th. The course runs for six weeks, and is limited to six students. If you write in only one genre, but are interested in experimenting with the other, this is the perfect course for you. The word count limit of 1,000 words can be less daunting than a longer story or essay, and you are free to experiment across genres—or not, if you decide it’s not for you. You’ll be able to submit up to five pieces, and at least one revision will be encouraged. We’ll discuss the qualities that makes short work sizzle in both genres,  what sets fiction and nonfiction apart, and whether or not such distinctions matter. Flash is a good form for developing writers because economy, purpose, and precision are good skills to bring to larger works in either genre. The text for the course will be the Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction by Tara Masih (book) & craft essays from Brevity Magazine (online). We’ll also be reading sample flash fiction and creative nonfiction online and in print. To register, email valfiora at yahoo. Tuition is $225. Flash Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Workshop 6 sessions, 6 students max Beginning Monday, November 14th, 6:30-8:30 PM Location: 17th & H Visit here for more information.