Pacific Northwest Writers Association
PACIFIC NORTHWEST WRITERS ASSOCIATION
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 JULY 2010 E-NOTES:

E-Notes is your monthly electronic newsletter full of the latest news about the literary world. Our newsletter is a PNWA Member Benefit.

Please send us an email if you would like to place an announcement in next month's E-Notes: enotes@pnwa.org



(Announcements must be received by the 19th of
the previous month to be included).

PNWA NEWS:

 

Monthly Member Meeting
There will be no speaker meeting in July or August as we gear up for our annual summer conference (July 22-25).  Regular meetings will resume in September.

Conference Announcements
There is still time to register! Our all-star lineup of speakers includes Andre Dubus, C. C. Humphreys, Lisa Gardner, Elizabeth Lyon, and many others.  Don't miss it!

Online registration will be closed after July 9, but we will continue to accept mail-in registrations until July 16Conference rates will increase by $100 at the door, so be sure to sign up soon!  No registrations will be accepted between July 16 and July 21 (the days immediately preceding the conference).

Current rates:

Online Registration:  $495 members, $595 non-members 
[before July 9]

Mail-in Registration:  $495 members, $595 non-members 
[before July 16]

[no registration July 16-21]

At-the-door Late Registration:  $595 members, $695 non-members  [July 22]


Conference Agent/Editor Appointments
Conference attendees:
In an attempt to prevent lost appointment cards this year, we will be e-mailing your agent/editor appointments in lieu of mailing a hard copy. Your actual appointment cards will be included in your registration packet at the conference.

Please contact our office with any questions.  If you have not received your appointments by July 7, please send an e-mail to anne@pnwa.org.

Please note that many agents and editors already have full schedules at this point, so new registrants may not be guaranteed spots with their preferred agents or editors.


Literary Contest Finalists
Our annual writing contest was the most competitive yet with over 1,100 entries.  A list of this year's finalists in all twelve categories is now available here.  First, second and third place winners will be announced during the Awards Celebration Dinner at the summer conference (Saturday, July 24).  We will be mailing out all entrants' critiques by the first week of July.  

 

Volunteering at the conference is a great way for attendees to support PNWA!  As the hardest-working non-profit in town, we rely on the support of our amazing volunteers to keep everything running smoothly.  If you are already registered for the conference and would like to help in one of the following areas, please send an email to anne@pnwa.org. 

                        -Book doctor sign-ups

                        -Pitch doctor sign-ups

                        -Meal-time ticket-taking

                        -Moderating sessions

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MEMBER NEWS

 

PNWA Member Sheila Kelly announces the May 2010 release of her book Treadwell Gold: An Alaska Saga of Riches and Ruin by the University of Alaska Press.

Alaska history, gold mining lore and a frontier memoir come together in the story of the Treadwell gold mines on Douglas Island across from Juneau. Between 1882 and 1922 the site produced 3.3 million ounces of gold. The Treadwell mines created a gold rush that was different from the 1897 Klondike bonanza.  Instead of the lone prospector panning the creeks for nuggets, a nineteenth century corporation used capital, technology and labor to achieve world prominence mining a mammoth lode of low grade ore that required eight and a half tons of rock to produce one ounce of gold. The unique company town that sat atop the gritty mines boasted an indoor swimming pool, finely-appointed Turkish baths, and a clubhouse with movies and dances, billiards and bowling alleys, plus a two thousand volume library.

Treadwell Gold features first-person accounts from the sons and daughters of the hoist operator, mine superintendents and the machinist who was the author's grandfather, plus stories of the miners who came from around the world and the Tlingit who had lived there for centuries. Turning rock into gold was dangerous work. Mine explosions, fires and strikes were part of the everyday lives of the townspeople. The company's aggressive practices paid high dividends to stockholders until April 22, 1917, when a spring tide worked its way down into the mined-out caverns, triggering a cave-in and flood that destroyed the mines and crippled the town. The 260-page book includes three maps and a hundred photographs taken from the historic collections of Case and Draper, Winter and Pond, E.A. Hegg, and from the personal album of Treadwell families.

See www.TreadwellGold.com



PNWA Member Sherri Woodley announces the release of her novel Quick Fall of Light by Gray Dog Press in Spokane on July 17, 2010.

Quick Fall of Light is the story of a woman and an extraordinary bird who survive a modern-day pandemic despite the slow breakdown of society and a corrupt mega-pharmaceutical company who'll stop at nothing to "bring them in."  It has a strong element of speculative fiction, although author Christopher Cokinos has labeled it science fiction.  The novel is just under 300 pages in length.

www.quickfalloflight.com



PNWA Member Theresa Danley announces the release of her book Effigy.

A serial killer is on the loose, depositing his victims' hearts amid the Toltec ruins of central Mexico. Meanwhile, a priceless Mesoamerican artifact is stolen from the University of Utah. Archaeologists Anthony Peet and Lori Dewson embark on a desperate recovery mission south of the border. They are accompanied by a reluctant colleague, an enthusiastic young journalist and a Yaqui woman in mourning, the team must decipher clues hidden within the Aztec sunstone, mystical Toltec pyramids and astronomical calendar rounds to find the priceless effigy of Quetzalcoatl. They suddenly find themselves in a race against the coming solar eclipse, all the while dodging a corrupt Mexican police force still on the hunt for the sadistic murderer - a killer who's chosen one of the team for his next human sacrifice.
 
Find more information at www.theresadanley.com.



PNWA Member William Slusher's For Whom to Die, published by Country Messenger Press Publishing Group, LLC, has just been named a finalist (multicultural fiction category) in the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Competition in New York. It may be ordered from your local bookstore (ISBN # 978-0-9801554-3-3), or from the Country Messenger Press website www.cmppg.com, or from www.amazon.com.  Learn more about For Whom to Die at www.forwhomtodie.blogspot.com.

William Slusher's newest novel, due out this summer, is Cascade Chaos, or How Not to Put Your Grizzly in the Statehouse.  For rich reading fun, check it out at www.cascadechaos.blogspot.com.



CONTEST/SUBMISSIONS:

Stage Fright - Halloween/Ghost Story Contest
Enter Stage Fright and win a chance to have your scary entry read to a captivated audience at the South Bellevue Community Center on October 16th. In the dark!

Entries should be 3-7 pages, double spaced and 12 pt. font. Entries must be appropriate for a PG public audience.  There are three age categories: 12-15, 16-18 and 19 and over. Entries must include: name, age and contact information. Entries must be delivered to the South Bellevue Community Center or emailed to Dot Long:  dlong@bellevuewa.gov by October 1, 2010.

There is no fee to enter, but you must RSVP in order to attend the Stage Fright Reading. For registration info, call 425-452-4240.

Stage Fright Reading
October 16, 2010
8:30 - 10:00 P.M.
South Bellevue Community Center
14509 SE Newport Way
Bellevue, 98006


The 2010 New England Book Festival has issued the call for entries to its annual competition honoring the best books of the holiday season.

The competition will accept entries in the following categories: nonfiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, photography/art, poetry, spiritual works, compilations/anthologies, gay, unpublished stories and wild card (for books that don't neatly fit elsewhere). All entries must be in English.

Our grand prize for the 2010 New England Book Festival winner is $1500 cash and a flight to the awards in Boston in January, 2011.

Submitted works will be judged by a panel using the following criteria:
1) General excellence and the author's passion for telling a good story.
2) The potential of the work to reach a wider audience.

Festival Rules: New England Book Festival submissions cannot be returned. Each entry must contain the official entry form, including your e-mail address and contact telephone number. All shipping and handling costs must be borne by entrants.

Notification and Deadlines: We will notify each entrant of the receipt of their package via email and will announce the finalists on our web site (www.newenglandbookfestival.com). Because of the anticipated high volume of entries, we can respond only to email inquiries.

Deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by midnight on November 25, 2010. Finalists in each category will be notified by email and on the web site. Please note that judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions at our meetings.

To Enter: Entry forms are available online at www.newenglandbookfestival.com or may be faxed or emailed to you. Please contact our office at 323-665-8080 for fax requests. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee of $50 in the form of a check, money order or PayPal online payment in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.


Palettes & Quills 2nd Biennial Poetry Chapbook Competition
http://www.palettesnquills.com

Prize: A $200 cash award plus fifty copies of the published book. Additional copies will be available at an author's discount. All finalists will receive one free copy of the published book. All contest entrants will be offered a special discount on the purchase price of the published book.

Entry: Manuscript page length should be between 15- 40 pages. Poems must be typed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper and bound with a spring clip. Use a standard 12 point font, such as Garamond, Arial, or Times New Roman.  Do not include illustrations. Do not include photocopies of poems from magazines or journals. Please submit only one copy of your manuscript. Please do not submit your only copy.

A complete submission should include:
·    A cover sheet with the contest name (The Palettes & Quills 2nd Biennial Chapbook Contest), your name, address, telephone, email, and the title of your manuscript. You must also include a statement that all poems are your own original work. Your name should not appear anywhere else in the manuscript.
·    A title page with just the title of the manuscript.
·    An acknowledgements page. Poems included in your manuscript may be previously published, but please include an acknowledgements page listing specific publications.
·    A complete Table of Contents.  
·    Payment of a $20.00 non-refundable entry fee (check or money order payable in U.S. dollars made out to Palettes & Quills). Please do not send cash. Multiple submissions are accepted, but we require a separate entry fee for each manuscript you submit.
·    Self-addressed stamped post card for confirmation of receipt and a self-addressed envelope stamped (please use a Forever Stamp) for announcement of the winners. (International submissions must include an IRC.)
 
Manuscripts by multiple authors will not be accepted. Translations will not be accepted.

Place the cover sheet on top of your entry and mail to Donna M. Marbach, Palettes & Quills Chapbook Contest, 330 Knickerbocker Avenue, Rochester, NY 14615. Winners will be announced on the Palettes & Quills website in December 2010. Manuscripts will not be returned. No electronic or faxed submissions will be accepted. Note: If your manuscript is accepted for publication elsewhere, you must immediately notify Palettes & Quills.

Deadline: September 1, 2010.



CLASSES/WORKSHOPS:


PNWA 2010 CONFERENCE: JULY 22 - 25
SEATTLE AIRPORT HILTON & CONFERENCE CENTER


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.

AGENTS & EDITORS:

CONFERENCE RATES & REGISTRATION DEADLINES:
  Member
 Non-Member    
Current Registration (before July 9) $495.00
$595.00
Last-minute Walk-up Registration
$595.00
$695.00
*Online registration will be closed July 9, but mail-in registrations will continue to be accepted until July 16 (must be received at our office by July 16).  Walk-up registration will be available at the hotel, July 22 (at the increased last-minute registration rate).

NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED BETWEEN JULY 16 AND JULY 21.



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 Sunday morning 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.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS:
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE


EVENTS/SPEAKERS:


Sitsaw Press & Publishing: Release Party, Poetry Reading
When: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 @ 7 P.M.Where: Independent Publishing Resource Center (917 SW Oak St. Room #203, Portland, OR 97205)

Sitsaw Press & Publishing warms up the press and announces their first chapbook, Smoking at Night and Other Poems, by Stacey Tran. Featured reading by Katelin Hirsch and Stacey Tran, with introduction by Spencer Alan Williams.

Smoking at Night explores nuances of possibility against probability. "In a collection that keeps us on our toes and in what seems to be a world of profligacy, Tran does not waste one puff, turning what are difficult ideas into a smooth language for us to understand. Smoking at Night combines simplicity with surrealism when we find ourselves to be moths flocking to the lights. What to expect: an 'almost-love / found in realms / farthest beyond us'" (J. Michael Wahlgren, editor of Gold Wake Press).

The event is extended to the general public free of admission. Copies of the book will be available for purchase (cash or check).
Please contact sitsawpress@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

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