San Diego Poetry Annual‏

Here is an email I got from the coordinator of the San Diego Poetry Annual.
It is, as you would guess, an annual publication that publishes the best local poetry. They welcome contributions from Temecula. I contacted Mr. Harding to find out about submission guidelines. This was his reply.

Bethany --There are no taboos, no limitations. We'd like the poems to be written this year and previously unpublished, but we do make exceptions on that. Since we'd like to publish as many poets as possible, we do ask for poems that are not overly long, but we do publish those, too. Whatever is really good will make the grade, regardless of subject or length.We'll shut down submissions in December, so have your poets submit directly to this e-mail address by then to be considered. Many thanks, Bill Harding

Direct submissions to: gardenoakpress@earthlink.net. We hope to make this the largest and best edition yet. More info is available on our website http://www.sandiegopoetryannual.com/.
I am excited to see some of our Temecula writers in this publication.

Hello Writers,
It is embarassing to see the last time I updated this blog. I am sorry. The waves of economic distress, family complications, and the careening real-estate market conspired together to knock me down flat.
I appreciate the patience of those of you who are involved in the Temecula Writers Cafe. I hope all is going well for all of you. I will be updating and cleaning up the links on this site, and hopefully your patience will be rewarded with a place online that Southwest Riverside County writers can come together for inspiration, information, and support.
Happy writing
Bethany

Novel Group

Mary Ames will be facilitating the Novelists Group. Please let me know if you would like to join. It will be limited to five members. If there are more than five interested, we will create two groups.

Post Meeting Wrap-up

I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter. ~James Michener


Hello Writers,
As always, I return from Writer's Cafe refreshed and inspired! We had a small group today. Benjamin, Mary, and a new member, a young woman who recently graduated college named Devyn.
Mary brought her novel in progress about an African-American pilot in the 1940's. She is refining it, and a beautiful structure is shining through. Devyn is also working on a historical fiction piece set in the 1600's about a young women forced by circumstance to turn to prostitution. The chapter she read us was full of vibrant well thought out characters. I am excited to see where this goes. Benjamin had a busy month and just came to connect. I brought a first draft of a first chapter of a novel I am working on. In the words of Anne Lamott, a truly "**itty first draft". I received some tough love, and am excited to get back to it and input some suggestions.

Mary Ames has graciously offered to facilitate the "Novelist's Cafe". If you have a longer piece of fiction, 50,000 words or more, and would like to meet in a smaller group, let me know, and I will forward your email to Mary. I will be part of this group. I would like to remind you that if you cannot make it to Writer's Cafe on the second Saturday of the month, and have things you would like critiqued, remember there is an online critique group. If you have any questions or comments please email me, or click on the "comments" button directly under this post. I love hearing from my writers. Let me know what you are doing, contests you have entered, pieces that have been published, or anything you are proud of.
Bethany

Pain and joy blend perfectly. Finally

Hello Writers,

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.
~Anaïs Nin

I hope all is well. Business first. I will not be at the June 14th meeting. Please contact me if you are willing to facilitate.
I am trying to make progress on our non-profit status. I am not sure yet whether we will be strictly a writing group or whether we will get under someone else's umbrella.

Now for fun... I found this website and thought it was so cool. The challenge is to write your life story in six words. I used mine as the title of this blog. The examples posted are sometime funny, sometimes heartbreaking, but always fascinating. I know how busy we all are, but if you do this, will you let me know so I can post it? I thought this was a great exercise in paring down our writing to it's most essential. I will continue to post websites I find interesting or helpful. Please, if you have a favorite writing website let me know.
I think of you all the time and I hope you are content and I hope you are writing.

Another Message about Online Critique

We have a total of ten people in "Online Cafe" our online critique group. If you would like to be a part, please let me know.

May Meeting

Hello Writers,
Saturday's meeting was very nice. George is hard at work on his humor book. Janet brought a piece she is submitting in a contest. Pat is working on a a companion book for a CD of songs. Mary is read a chapter from a fact based historical fiction. All the writings were well done and enjoyable. Notes and advice were given.

I am not 100% happy with where we are meeting right now. It is lovely, but a little small. It has no easily accessible restroom, and can fit no more than five comfortably. We are limited by having to choose free spaces. If we become a non-profit group, our options open up quite a bit. We could meet at the library free of charge.
If we became a non-profit, there would be a small fee charged annually. I am thinking, depending on how many people are interested, about $25 a year. I want to know what all of you at the Writer's Cafe think of this. Please click on the comment button and let me know if you are in.