PNWA Member Debra Daniels-Zeller announces the release of her cookbook The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook: 200 Recipes that Celebrate the Flavors of Oregon and Washington (May 2010, Timber Press)

This unique vegetarian cookbook features over 200 recipes made with freshly harvested foods from the Pacific Northwest. From wild chanterelle mushrooms and year-round greens to succulent blueberries and delectable hazelnuts--the Pacific Northwest is one of the best growing regions in the country and farms here produce abundant and diverse crops. Enticing recipes such as Hazelnut Breakfast Biscotti, Creamy Ginger-Pumpkin-Apple Soup, and Asparagus, Mushrooms and Rhubarb make this cookbook a great reference for local foodies, home cooks and chefs. Filled with tips and lots of useful information, the book also contains twelve profiles of sustainable farms and beekeepers (because nothing much in the produce world happens without pollinators.)  Nash's Organic Produce and Rent's Due Ranch from Washington, and Gathering Together Farm and Ayers Creek Farm in Oregon are just a few of the farms showcased.  The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook is an indispensable resource for anyone who appreciates cooking with produce at its farm-fresh best.
http://foodconnections.blogspot.com 

PNWA Member Mary E. Trimble announces her third novel, Tenderfoot.

In the romantic suspense genre, Tenderfoottakes place on a working cattle ranch in 1980, the year the world remembers for the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens. Corrie Stephens is eager to learn about ranching, but reluctant to become involved with a man; it's just not worth the heartache. Rancher J McClure, on the other hand, has been alone too long. Mount St. Helens has plans of its own.

Tenderfoot draws the reader into the story's strong emotions based on family, love, and the firsthand adventure of the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Tenderfoot has been selected as a finalist in the Best Novel of the West (long novel) category by the Western Writers of America (WWA).

PNWA Member Mary Brockway announces the publication of her historical murder mystery, Persimmon Bayou, which took second in PNWA's literary contest a few years ago. 

The brutal murder of Delphine's twin sister, Chandler's moody drinking, and the threat of starvation come to Persimmon Bayou Plantation in 1867.  Finding lost jewelry with a bloody past, and catching a murderer before he can kill again, all while trying to save her home: can Delphine hold everything together?

Available at www.wingsepress.com.

PNWA Member Darlene Cox announces two novels.

A Little Bit of Larceny

Joanne Moore is a young woman who moves to Chicago to pursue a career in publishing. She grows up very quickly when she marries David, who becomes her worst nightmare. Not even a divorce can protect her from his constant harassment and threats to kill her. However, before her problem with David can be solved, she learns that her friend and mentor, Miss Crittendon, an old-maid librarian, has died-mysteriously. A note left by her friend presents an even greater problem than David -- a multi-million-dollar one. Along with the mystery of her friend's death is a fortune stashed in several safe-deposit boxes. How did her friend really die, and how did she amass such a fortune? Joanne soon finds out when a "Mr. Smith" calls to inform her that the contents of the safe-deposit boxes belong to his employer, who wants them back -- or else. To unravel the mystery, she must read the journals left by her friend. Not only do they reveal a woman Joanne does not recognize, but they also provide the answers to the contents of the safe-deposit boxes. Once Joanne gets over her surprise and fright, she gets angry and fights back. She'll have to employ everything she knows -- hints from Miss Crittendon's journals, long hidden secrets, and help from her friends -- to deal with David, Mr. Smith, and her friend's legacy. It will require more than cunning; it will involve a little bit of larceny.

Web of Deceit

Peter Brock is a man to be envied. He is young, handsome, intelligent, a founding partner of one of New York's most prestigious law firms, and a respected member of the International Community of Currency Traders. But that isn't enough to fulfill his goal in life. When he meets James Campbell, a very wealthy New York diamond dealer who would like to keep more of his wealth out of the hands of the IRS, Peter starts weaving a web of deceit to divert the bulk of Campbell's wealth to his own account. As a co-conspirator, how can Campbell yell "foul" at the risk of spending his remaining days in a federal prison? But Peter needs a little help. He enlists Delilah, a strip-club dancer, to learn, through pillow talk, the extent of Campbell's wealth; and Jenny, a flight attendant for a major airline, to smuggle loose diamonds to Europe on international flights. The perfect plan -- so Peter thinks. Unfortunately, his law partner, Jack Morrison, gets wind of the plan and decides to toss in his ante. Now the game gets interesting -- a case of diamond cut diamond. When two people wind up dead, Jack says "enough," leaving Peter hopelessly entangled in his own web. As Jack says: "That's what happens when little fish try to swim with the predators."

Darlene Cox resides in Seattle, Washington. You may visit her at www.outskirtspress.com/darlenecox, or email her at darco@qwest.net.

PNWA Member Margret Kingrey will be presenting a workshop at the Write in the Woods Conference. See the Classes/Workshops section for a description of the workshop.

Ravenna Critique Group

Need constructive feedback on your novel or short story?

Join our positive, relaxed critique group. We meet at noon every other Thursday at Third Place Books in Ravenna. We're looking for an active writer dedicated to the proposition that "writing is rewriting."

Interested? Please e-mail a ten-page writing sample to lynxnight@gmail.com.

Vancouver Critique Group

Vancouver, WA (America's Vancouver) is seeking writers interested in joining a supportive critique group. Currently open to all genres and literary work (short and long forms okay).

We workshop portions of your work at a neutral and accesible location. We provide professional and useful critiques. You provide constructive feedback in a group designed to grow with its members.

For details, email: rhcritique@gmail.com.

2010 Hollywood Book Festival

The 2010 Hollywood Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual program celebrating books that deserve greater recognition from the film, television, game and multimedia communities. The fifth annual event will be held July 9-10, 2010 in Hollywood, California.

The 2010 Hollywood Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher nonfiction, fiction, children's books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, 'zines, comics, e-books, fan fiction, wild card (anything goes!), unpublished stories, screenplays, genre-based works and biographical/autobiographical works. This is a story-oriented competition and there is no date of publication restriction.

All entries must be in English. Our grand prize for the 2010 Hollywood Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and a flight to Hollywood for our gala awards ceremony.

To enter: Entry forms are available online at www.hollywoodbookfestival.com or may be faxed or e-mailed to you if you will email HollywoodBKFest@aol.com. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee via check, money order or PayPal online payment of $75 in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.

2010 Green Book Festival   

The 2010 Green Book Festival is approaching the regular registration deadline for its annual competition honoring books that contribute to greater understanding, respect and positive action on the changing worldwide environment. The 2010 Green Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher works in the following categories: non-fiction, fiction, children's books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, poetry, science fiction/horror, biography/autobiography, gardening, cookbooks, animals, photography/art, e-books, wild card (anything goes!), scientific, white paper, legal, business, mystery and spiritual.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian. Our grand prize for the 2010 Green Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and transportation to our May 15 awards in San Francisco or an equivalent amount donated in your name to the environmental charity of your choice.

A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria:

1) The overall writing style and presentation of the work;

2) The potential of the work to enhance understanding of the environment and its issues;

To enter: Entry and exhibitor forms are available online at www.greenbookfestival.com or may be sent to you by emailing GreenBookFestival@sbcglobal.net or calling our office at 323-665-8080.

Scare the Dickens Out of Us - Ghost Story Contest

The second annual "Scare the Dickens Out of Us" ghost story contest offers $1000.00 first place, $500.00 second place and $250.00 third place prize money this year for a new, original ghost story up to 5000 words. Any genre is welcome.

This literary contest is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas, the oldest continuously in-use library in Texas. Entry fee is $20.00. The contest is privately funded; all entry fees go to the Friends to use for library projects.

Full rules are available at www.clarklibraryfriends.com

Entries will be accepted from July 1 to October 1, 2010.

We are also supporting a "Junior Scare the Dickens Out of Us" ghost story contest with a $250.00 first prize. This is for ages 12-18 and requires a $5.00 entry fee.

OPPORTUNITY TO ALL WRITERS:

• Expand your writing craft in fiction and nonfiction.
• Understand the publishing industry and current marketplace trends.
• Learn how to market your work.
• Find an agent and/or editor.
• Network with other writer colleagues.

• Looking for an agent? Click here
  
• Looking for an editor? Click here

SPECIAL EVENTS:

• Don't miss this year's KEYNOTE SPEAKER, Andre Dubus III, Thursday evening.
  
• FEATURED SPEAKERS: Friday evening Lisa Gardner, Saturday evening C.C. Humphreys and Elizabeth Lyon
  

CONFERENCE MEALS:

• Included with registration: Thursday: dessert reception. Friday & Saturday: continental breakfast, daily refreshments, afternoon snack, and evening dinners. Sunday: continental breakfast.
  
• Lunches are NOT included - lunch concessions will be available in conference center.

• Click here and link to your Hilton Hotel PNWA DISCOUNT conference accommodation.
  

Playwriting Workshop with Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux on Saturday, May 15, 2010
Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux will conduct a playwriting workshop from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita, Oregon. Registration will be limited to ten people. The workshop is aimed at beginning and intermediate playwrights, but all comers are welcomed.

Have you ever wanted to write a play, or possibly turn your short story or novel into a play? Here's your chance. The playwriting workshop will focus on the art of playwriting, the process of playwriting, and the business of playwriting. It will include a brief writing exercise designed to focus on conflict, plot, and dialogue.
 
Harnetiaux, a playwright-in-residence at Spokane Civic Theatre, has written over 30 plays, 13 of which have been published, including commissioned adaptations for Dramatic Publishing Company of the stories of Ernest Hemingway ("The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Killers") and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ("Long Walk to Forever").  
 
Harnetiaux's play Vesta will be performed at the Hoffman Center on Friday, May 14, at 7 P.M. as a staged reading with local resident and national actor Liz Megan Cole directing and acting. On Saturday evening, Harnetiaux will read from Vesta and one or more other plays and answer questions at the Manzanita Writers' Series.

The workshop is a program of the Hoffman Center and will be held at the Hoffman House Studios Classroom at 595 Laneda Avenue (next to the library). Admission fee is $50. Scholarships may be available for high school students.  Download a registration form at http://hoffmanblog.org/manzanita-writers-series/workshopsor contact Kathie Hightower, 503-739-1505; kathie@jumpintolife.net).

En Plein Air Writing Workshop at Alder Creek Farm

This workshop is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, with award-winning nature writer Robert Michael Pyle.

Award-winning author Robert Michael Pyle will conduct an all-day "En Plein Air" writing workshop at Alder Creek Farm in Nehalem. Here's your chance to study with a master, to spend a day that will combine lecture with observation, writing and "workshopping" your words.
 
Pyle has published hundreds of essays, stories and poems along with fourteen books, including Wintergreen, Where Bigfoot Walks, Walking the High Ridge, and Sky Time in Gray's River. His latest book, Mariposa Road, is due out later this year. Pyle has his Ph.D. in conservation biology from Yale. He's won numerous awards, which include the John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Harry B. Nehls Award in Nature Writing, and the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature.
 
Alder Creek Farm is a 52-acre conservation site preserved as open space by the Lower Nehalem Community Trust. You'll have a chance to wander the property for your observations, with views of the bay, an estuary, permaculture gardens, lots of wildlife, and often a herd of elk.
 
The workshop will run from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. The fee is $95, $85 for LNCT members, and includes a box lunch. There is space for twenty participants. For a registration form, go to http://hoffmanblog.org/manzanita-writers-series/workshops or email vwildauer@gmail.com or Kathie@jumpintolife.net.

Whidbey Island Writers Conference Series Presents Saturday Chat House

9 A.M. - 4:45 P.M., June 12, 2010

Two up-close-and-personal fireside chats with well-published authors and successful agents in

    · Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Poetry, Children's Lit/Young Adult, Publishing.

    · You hear from three presenters in each Chat House (morning and afternoon)

                · in a small-group atmosphere, 

                · all in the comfort of a lovely Whidbey Island home.

$90/WIWA members, $110/Non-members

Plus Options:

Earlybird Class: Crafting the Perfect Pitch, by Andrea Hurst, 7:45 - 8:45 am: $35/WIWA members, $40/ Non-members

Mini-pitch consults with the agents, 12:15-1:45: $15/WIWA Members, $20/Non-members

Make it a full day with:

Dinner with the authors and agents,social hour, 5 P.M., dinner, 6 P.M.

Socialize and dine with the Chat House presenters. Enjoy a social hour and sit-down dinner served in style, with welcoming and after-dinner addresses by renowned authors.

$50/WIWA Members; $55/Non-members.

For more information go to  www.writeonwhidbey.com  To register or to make reservations, go to wiwa@whidbey.com or call 360-331-6714.

Creative Journeys with Gail Balden still has openings for the spring workshops listed below.  No June class will be offered.  The first summer class will be offered July 17.   Each workshop, open to men and women, will be held from 9 A.M.-3: 30 P.M. at the Center for Contemplative Arts in Manzanita, OR and costs $60. A deposit of $30 is required to reserve a space.  Send the deposit to Gail Balden 41500 Anderson Road, Nehalem, OR 97131 or for more information, contact Gail at 503-368-7807 or gail@creativejourneys.net.  

April 24

Basics of Memoir

Everyone has a story to tell.  Learn how to put your experiences on the page using fiction techniques, the building blocks of narrative nonfiction.  Find the courage to tell the tale as only you can.

May 15

Travel Writing and the Natural World

Whether you want to deepen your experience of the natural world by capturing it on the page, or write engaging travel essays, this workshop will help you share the discovery and experience of place.

These workshops, packed full of good advice, writing exercises and inspiration, are designed for those who are drawn to self-expression and the telling of their stories. No previous writing experience is necessary. Participants should bring a writing notebook or laptop and a sample of works in progress.

Balden is a writer and educator with over thirty years of teaching experience. She teaches writing workshops and writes a monthly column on small town life for the North Coast Citizen in Nehalem, Oregon.  See her website at www.creativejourneys.net.

The Center for Contemplative Arts, located at Underhill Plaza, Manzanita Avenue at Division St. in Manzanita, is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of offering to all people activities of inner reflection for deepening awareness and nurturing the human spirit for the good of all creation.  A portion of the proceeds from each workshop supports the Center for ongoing education.

Write on the River Conference

3rd Annual Writers' Competition Winners

Honored at May 15-16 Write on the River Conference

$1200 in cash awards provided by Alcoa will be presented to these writers at the start of the conference at Wenatchee Valley College.  Read the winning entries at www.writeontheriver.org

Nonfiction Winners

First place: Logan Volkmann, Wenatchee

Second place: Diane Blake, Leavenworth

Third places: Tascha Spears, Loomis

Fiction Winners

First place: Karen McHegg, Seattle

Second place: Elizabeth Jackson, Ellensburg

Third place: Aaron Baumann, Walla Walla

Honorable Mention goes to these strong finalists:

Nonfiction: Ann McCreary, Winthrop; Cynthia Neely, Leavenworth.

Fiction: Jake Lodato, Malaga; Thomas Davies, Leavenworth; Joann Anderson, East Wenatchee.

Register for the conference (with early discount until April 15) on line at www.writeontheriver.org  or call 509.293.9215 for more details.

Special Conference Features

The 5th Annual Write on the River conference offers twelve valuable workshops all day Saturday  taught by writing professionals from around  the Pacific Northwest.

High school age students grades nine through twelve join author Randall Platt for an engaging two-hour morning session "So You Want To Be a Writer: For Teens Who Love To Write." 

Keynote speaker Terry Brooks is one of the biggest-selling fantasy writers alive today.  Tickets are included with registration, or may be purchased separately at the door for $5.

Novelist, screenwriter and writing guru Larry Brooks offers a special half-day Sunday intensive workshop called "The Six Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling."

If you need more information on this topic from Executive Director Susan Lagsdin or Board Chair Kay Kenyon, please call 509.292.9215 or email info@writeontheriver.org

Crested Butte Writers Conference June 18-20

An Experience like No Other

www.crestedbuttewriters.org 

We're a small, friendly conference with the caliber of a large conference. The tiny town of Crested Butte is nestled in the heart of Colorado where beauty, inspiration, and creativity soar as tall the surrounding West Elk Mountains.

Featuring:  Keynote, best-selling author, James Scott Bell. 

Agents: Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, and Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary

Editors: Anne Bensson-St Martin's Press, and Christine Pride-Broadway Books, Random House.

Guest Speakers: H. W. Brands, Holly Payne, Jeanne Stein, and Janet Lane

Now open for registration!  For a unique conference experience, check us out at www.crestedbuttewriters.org

Register early (by May 8th)  to take advantage of early bird discounted price and advance reads by agents and editors, and the opportunity to earn an appointment with all the agents and editors with the unique Pitch and Pages.  Check out all the details on the website today!

Write On, Vancouver May 28th & 29th, 2010

An exciting, craft-focused mini-conference that offers something for every writer, whether you're a pro or a rookie.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Richmond Campus

8771 Lansdowne Rd

Richmond, BC

Special Guest Speaker

Laura Resnick

Write in the Woods Conference

Olympic College, Shelton - 937 W Alpine Way Shelton WA 98584

May 15, 2010, 8:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Cost is $49, lunch included.

Interested folks can call 360.432.5400 to register and request workshops and/or visit WritingConference@olympic.edu

PNWA Member Margret Kingrey will be presenting the following workshop at the Write in the Woods Conference:

So What's Your Story? -- Everyone has a story that's worth telling, but what makes a memoir?  We will discuss types of memoir, motivations for writing one, how to say what you want to say, and who you are writing for. We will discuss use of events, characters (do I change names or not?), place as character, scenes, dialogue and how memory plays tricks. We might even talk about recipes!  Two writing exercises are planned and we will share our writing in class.

Meet Washington State's Poet Laureate, Samuel Green

Named by Governor Christine Gregoire to a two year term as the first Poet Laureate for the State of Washington, Samuel Green also was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry in 2009. His poems have appeared in hundreds of journals and he has published ten collections of poems, including Vertebrae: Poems 1972-1994 and The Grace of Necessity.

Vashon Library, Thursday, May 6, 7pm
Sponsored by Friends of the Vashon Library.

17210 Vashon Hwy. S.W., Vashon Island, 98070
206-463-2069

Portland Arts & Lectures Proudly Announces the 2010-2011 Season 

Spring is here and so is a new season of Portland Arts & Lectures.
We have crafted next season to feature some of the finest writers. Four of our speakers next season have won the Pulitzer Prize while one has won the Man Booker Prize. All have more literary laurels than can be tallied here!

Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. Le Guin

Together In Conversation | Sept. 23, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Natasha Trethewy | Oct. 21, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Elizabeth Strout | Jan. 25, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Tracy Kidder | March 3, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Art Spiegalman | April 28, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

SUBSCRIPTION TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLY (5 LECTURES)

Tickets by subscription only (all five lectures):
-Season ticket prices start at $70 ($14 per lecture).
-Order online at www.literary-arts.org
-Or contact us by phone at 503.227.2583
-All events will be held at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

May 15: NWSG Hosts Patric Verrone and Maiya Williams, Writers/Producers

On Saturday, May 15, the Northwest Screenwriters Guild will present an informative and thought-provoking two-part session with veteran Hollywood television writers and producers Patric M. Verrone (also the immediate past president of the Writers Guild of America West) and Maiya Williams.

Session 1: The first session will be a conversation with Patric and Maiya about their experiences in Hollywood and the insights they've gained during more than two decades as television writers and producers. Audience Q&A will follow.

Session 2: Patric will speak about the future of the industry from his vantage point as a leader of the WGAW, and how the WGA helped shape the industry's on-going evolution and revolution. During his presidency, Patric was a key member of the Guild's negotiating team during the writer's strike of 2007-2008.

Saturday, May 15: Discussion and Q&A

Time:

Doors Opens: 1:30 pm
Discussion, Q&A: 2 p.m. to 6 pm

Location:

The Sorrento Hotel
Top of the Town Room
900 Madison St., 7th Floor
Seattle, WA 98104

Cost:

NWSG Members: Free
Student Rate: $10
Partner Film Org Members: $10
General Public/Non-Members: $15

Seating is limited. RSVP at RSVP@nwsg.org.Please note: Your RSVP confirms your reservation. We will contact you only in the event of a problem.

Seattle Free Lances Meeting
Alice Orr, author and motivational speaker, will talk about how writers can get published when she presents the program at the Seattle Free Lances meeting Tuesday, May 4, at Lake City Elks Club, 14540 Lake City Way NE, Seattle. A social hour will begin at 5:15 P.M. with the dinner at 6 P.M. and the program at 7.  Reservations are required at least one week prior to the event.   For reservations, e-mail freelancesinfo@aol.com.

Miscellaneous:

PNWA Member Amanda Del Buono, writer, blogger and financial counselor, is running a special for PNWA members. Get $100 off of any financial planning module simply by sending an e-mail to amanda@pearlwealth.com and mentioning the group. Amanda doesn't sell any products or charge any commissions. She just loves giving financial advice to quirky writer-types like herself.

Business: http://www.pearlwealth.com
Blog: http://www.mandajuice.com
Pearl Wealth - No products, just answers.