Bulletin Board

Compiled by Emma Marl

Diary of a writer

Author and Writergrrls member Sandi Sonnenfeld has published her first book This is How I Speak (Impassio Press). A memoir in diary form about her first year in the MFA program in fiction writing at the University of Washington, it is a portrait of an ambitious New York dancer turned writer negotiating love, loss, sex, competition, a bad therapist and endless Seattle rain.

She says the book also explores the challenges of being a woman artist in a society that largely neither admires women nor artists. Sandi has done several readings from her book in Seattle and other cities, and she has more scheduled. For details go to this reading schedule.

Hitting the road

Regular Writergrrls list contributor Danielle Farrar recently set off on an exciting literary journey. She left Seattle with plans to write three books. As she described them: "One, the hyper-logical person's guide to being social; two, 'Viva Sea-Tac', a narrative about Seattle nightlife, and three, an 'On The Road' type account of my trip across the country".

Added Danielle, who recently completed a BA in Communications at the UW: "I've been laying these out for months, and I'm excited to finally have the chance to pull it together". She will be publishing online as her trip progresses. Catch up at eden-ism.com.

Sharing the knowledge

Two Writergrrls have had busy summers sharing their skills and experience with others. Christine Cook has taught several technical and creative writing classes through the ASUW Experimental College and the UW Women's Center. "I love helping people believe in themselves, find all those talents that already exist, and begin to manifest their dreams", explained Christine, who also works as a consulting writer and editor.

Meanwhile, Mary Boone has been teaching classes on freelance writing at Highline Community College in Des Moines and Green River Community College in Auburn. Mary is a former newspaper reporter and editor who has written for over 100 magazines. She also writes for a variety of businesses.

On Site

Former Writergrrls Steering Committee member Trudy Mercer has been busy with a major revamp of her Web site about a remarkable figure from history. The site, titled Harriet Ann Jacobs: Writer and Activist: Author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, has grown out of extensive research Trudy did in graduate school.

Harriet Jacobs was a slave who circumvented her master's sexual advances by having an affair with a white neighbor. To escape her master and stay near her children, she hid for seven years in a crawl space above her grandmother's storage room. Said Trudy: "Her 1861 narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a remarkable story."

We need you!

"You put your right foot in, you pull your right foot out, you put your right foot in, and you shake it all about..." How about that left foot? Calling all lurkers who have been waiting for that opportunity to become more involved with Writergrrls - now is your time.

The Steering Committee is looking for eager people to become involved in supporting our group's activities. Want to break into PR or marketing? How about events promotion? You can contribute as much or as little time and effort as you can spare while making great contacts and developing marketable skills.

Writergrrls would not exist without the time and effort of volunteers. If you have skills and experience to share, or want to build your resume and portfolio, or just want to contribute to a great group, please get in touch. To find out more contact one of the Steering Committee members or come along to a monthly meeting.

Share your news

To contribute to the Bulletin Board, please write a brief description of your announcement, including any contact information and links if appropriate, in 200 to 300 words. Take a look at the information on submitting articles for details of how to send it in.

For information about Writergrrls meetings and events, including our monthly members meeting, take a look at our events page. This also includes links to the events of other writing-related groups in the Seattle area.

Emma Marl, an occasionally homesick British expat, is happy to be a legal alien in the USA. A former journalist, she volunteers as a Zine Editor and is a member of the Writergrrls Founding Board.