| SPARKS: News & Notes from
Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Narrative
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Greetings!,
Yes, writers, the results of the 16th (or is it really the 17th?) annual Tiny Lights Personal Essay Contest are finally available! Cut to the chase and find out how you did NOW. If you don't like how you feel after a visit to the contest page, I recommend this short video and the latest edition of Searchlights for tips on dealing with writer's envy.  | | Famous Failures |
Whatever the news, be of good cheer. In the process of telling your story, you have changed, and because of that, so has the world. Keep writing. The world needs you.
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Tiny Lights'
16th Annual Essay Contest
RESULTS POSTED April 11, 2011
Win or lose, the writing was outstanding in this year's contest. We are truly fortunate that those of you who found us provided such rich material.
Thank you for contributing.
Tiny Lights Judges: Jamie Moore, Dan Coshnear, Jamey Genna, Lakin Khan & Kat Meads
- First Place: $350
- Second Place: $250
- Third Place: $150
- Two Honorable Mention Prizes: $100 each.
- Three FLASHPOINT prizes of $100 each
All contestants will receive a hard copy of Tiny Lights' contest publication featuring the winning this summer.
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Searchlights & Signal Flares
Tiny Lights' Online Writers' Exchange 
You can't win if you don't enter, but what happens when the winner isn't you? Disappointment is a fact of every writer's life, but how do you avoid the sin of envy? Fortunately, Gregory Gerard, this month's featured writer, along with Claudia Larson, Becky Povich, Carol Treacy, Daniel David, Catherine Crawford, Sara Baker, Marilyn Petty, Eric VanCamp, Jay Halstead, Joan Zerrien, Lidija Alvarez, Nathaniel Alston, Steve Lindsey, Tami Root Holihan, Theresa Sanders and Susan Bono did an enviable job with the question,
"How do you deal with writer's envy?"
This Month's Featured Writer: Gregory Gerard
Gregory Gerard waxes poetic as spring gains ground in Rochester NY with his partner of 13 years and their winter-loving spitz husky. His writing has been recogni zed by The Stone Table Review, Word by Word, The Empty Closet, Outtake Voices, Out in Print, and more. Gerard teaches writing part-time at Writers & Books, Rochester's contemporary literary center. His memoir, In Jupiter's Shadow, chronicles a religious boy's struggle with forbidden attraction. The funny and poignant story explores how we sometimes work to hide the truth from the most important person in our lives: ourselves. Visit for pictures, reviews, and lots, lots more.
www.jupitersshadow.com
What's going to happen to your old journals?
(Deadline 4/15/11)
Send Searchlights submissions with bio (and title!) to editor@tiny-lights.com
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Flash in the Pan Online Quarterly
The 23rd Flash is here. #24 is still coming. Pardon my delay.
What is a Flash in the Pan? It's life caught in the blaze of a match, a beam of moonlight, the glare of a home-made explosion. These pieces of first-person non-fiction prose (500 words or less) are like potato chips--you won't be able to stop with just one. Our gems are posted quarterly in January, April, July and October on the Tiny Lights website. A select few appear in the hard copy editions of the magazine. Send your jewels to editor@tiny-lights.com.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS
7th Annual Point Reyes Writing Retreat
June 17-19 · 7 PM Friday - 4 PM Sunday
$265 ($245 Members)
Facilitators: Patti Trimble & Susan Bono
Time for our annual foray into the wilderness . . . of words! This writing retreat is for anyone who enjoys writing about (or in) nature. This year we are at the dramatic and fantastic Life Boat Station on the remote tip of Point Reyes. Now in its seventh year, this retreat has developed an easy pace with short workshops on poetry and essay, time to write and wander, friendly discussions and readings on writing in the natural world. Accommodations are provided at the historic Life Boat Station. For info or to register: Point Reyes Field Seminars.
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Sheila Bender's
Writing it Real 2011 Writers Conference
April 28-30 Manresa Castle Port Townsend, WA
Join Sheila Bender, Jack Heffron and Meg Files for hands-on help with your writing. They are wise, experienced experts in poetry and essay.
Her website: Writing It Real
Hope to see you there!
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Petaluma Readers Theatre
Call for Manuscripts for our September production Mysteries & Miracles Submission deadline: June 15, 2011
We are seeking factual, inexplicable, wondrous events that happened to you or someone you know. We will vocally animate your tale, bring it to life, and make it jump off the page!
Guidelines: Mail hard copy to: Petaluma Readers Theatre
40 4th St. PMB 235
Petaluma, CA 94952
2 to 8 double-spaced pages
Times New Roman 14/16 font
coversheet should have author, title, contact info, no author's name on manuscript
NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS, but questions may be directed to info@petalumareaderstheatre.com.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Quarterly online publications of fiction, memoir or poetry
each featuring one author.
The summer 2011 POETRY e-chapbook
is open to submissions April 1 through May 31. Contact Publisher Jo-Anne Rosen: echaps@wordrunner.com Quarterly online publications of fiction, memoir or poetry
each featuring one author. Read more at: www.echapbook.com
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Marlene Cullen hosts this series of writing workshops on the third Thursday of the month from 7-9 p.m. at the Petaluma Community Center.
April 21: Matt Stewart
Matt Stewart's debut novel, The French Revolution, has been called "wildly imaginative," "brilliant," and "an excellent achievement." Matt is mildly infamous for releasing the novel on Twitter first.
Grab his free French Rev iPhone app on matt-stewart.com.
Poets & Writers, July August 2010 issue, lists Matt's book as one of the "Ten More Notable Fiction Debuts."
Call 778-4380 (Petaluma Community Center) or visit www.thewritespot.usfor info. $15 at the door |
A Unique Offer from Writer/Photographer
Tony Johnson
Tell Me A Story
Everyone has a story. Stories shape our lives and give them meaning. If you tell me a story, I will record it digitally, along with using photography to reveal what is important to you. This recording and these images will be a celebration of your life and provide a wonderful gift to those you love.
To see samples of my work and obtain further information, please go to http://tonyjohnson.zenfolio.com/ , then go to the Tell Me a Story link at the top of the page.
TonyJohnsonPhotography/InnerLandscapes e-mail: tonyjohnsonmail@yahoo.com
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First Stop on the Diva Dare Tour!
May 8: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Book Passage, Corte Madera
Celebrate with author Patricia Volonakis Davis, author of Harlot's Sauce, at the Diva Doctrine Book Launch! The party will start after Mother's Day Brunch and end before Mother's Day Dinner, so bring Mom along for Champagne, Dove Chocolates, Author reading, Book Signing and a fabulous performance by Slim Jenkins, San Francisco's Hottest New 30's Swing Band!
DIVA COSTUME Contest: (Dress like a "Diva" for your chance to win a basket of prizes) |
Life is fragmented enough. Restore some sanity and to the print edition of Tiny Lights.
Deborah Garber's illustration for
the Fall 2008 hard copy edition
of Tiny Lights.
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Iota Press Studio News Iota Press is a letterpress shop and literary studio in Sebastopol.
Along with the usual enchantment and shenanigans, Iota's Slow Print Cooperative has morphed into a quarterly offering of little books. "Almost a journal. Nearly a magazine. Kind of a trip." $30 per year for 4 chapbooks. $10 single copies. This current issue features Eric Johnson's "kaleidoglyphs," such as the one featured above.
Location: 925-c Gravenstein Hwy in South Sebastopol (next to "Beekind").
Contact: Eric Johnson....823-6152 Our latest works online at: www.iotapress.com
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Tiny Lights Recommends: Sonoma County Free Bookmobile Help bring free books to Sonoma County residents.
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For reservations, or more information call: OCA 707 874 9392. OCA is located in Harmony Village in downtown Occidental at 4008 Bohemian Hwy.
******************************** : Insights, activities and open-hearted inspiration for attracting the creative life by authors Rebecca Lawton and Jordan Rosenfeld. www.writefree.us****************************************
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Since 1995, Tiny Lights has been celebrating the power of personal voice with a biannual journal devoted to short essay. The annual essay contest, which offers $1500 in prizes, provides the material for the summer issue, while the winter issue is by invitation only.
The online component of Tiny Lights is designed to catch what can't be contained in the pages of the newsstand editions. Lights Online provides a venue for additional voices, information about Tiny Lights and resources for writers of personal essay. Sparks: Email News & Notes is our free monthly electronic newsletter.
Subscriptions to the print edition of Tiny Lights, which includes original art:
$10 per year (2 issues)
Current issue: $5 each
Back issues: $3 each Checks payable to Tiny Lights Publications, P.O. Box 928, Petaluma, CA 94953
Or take advatage of our new PayPal feature!
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 Susan Bono, Editor
Tiny Lights Publications
P.O. Box 928, Petaluma, CA 94953
(707) 762-3208
www.tiny-lights.com |
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