Writers of Kern

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Natalia Corres

14 January 2021 | Writers of Kern Book Club – Virtual Meeting

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As we announced last month, Writers of Kern is starting a Book Club for members only! The first meeting is on Thursday, January 14, 2021, from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. Books will be selected from the NPR Book List and the genres we are looking at are Creative Non-Fiction, Memoir, and Fiction.

We announced originally it would be held each month, but after discussion, it’s been changed to every other month. So, it will begin on the second Thursday in January, then March, April and so on.

If you are interested, please contact Janet Skibinski at[email protected] or at [email protected].  You will be sent the Zoom link and any other pertinent information before the meeting. Hope to see you on January 14th!

19 December 2020 | WOK Annual Winter Meeting | Members Only – BYOB (Bring Your Own Brunch)

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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the WOK Year!

by Sandy Moffett ~ Membership Chair

December 19th is our members only event.  While we cannot have a hand to hand or toe to toe meeting, we can have a face to face meeting on Zoom.  We will start at our regular time (9:15 am) and we will have a BYOB; bring your own brunch; whatever that might be to enjoy during our time together.  Registration to this event will fill up fast, so be on the look-out for the Eventbrite link coming to your email soon.   Remember, this is a FREE meeting for our members.

We will have a fun writing contest with a monetary prize donated by one of our members.  We will also announce the winners of the Fall Writing Contest, and the 1st place winner’s story will be read to us by our own Dennis Vanderwerff.  Remember how delightful Nelson Varon’s piece was last year? 

The event will be recorded, but it won’t be near as fun without your smiling face present.

One last reminder.  If you know of someone who didn’t renew their membership for some reason, starting January 1st, they can get a half year membership for $42.50, which includes $22.50 for the half year and $20 to reinstate the insurance coverage with the CWC.   That membership will be good until June 30th, and then renewals will be the normal price of $45.00 for a full fiscal year.  

Blessings to you all.
Sandy

21 November 2020 | Featured Speaker Jack Peters | “The Goldfish That Barked: Seven Actions to Distinguish Yourself for Success”

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You may already know Jack Peters as the Explosives Specialist from the Discovery Channels’ Treasure Quest. You might even say that Jack’s dynamite personality really makes him stand out from the rest of the crowd!  He will be the featured guest speaker at The Writers of Kern “virtual” monthly meeting on the 21st of November.  And just in case incendiary devices make you nervous, don’t worry because Jack has plenty of other ideas to help you to distinguish yourself from the pack.

Writers can use some daily encouragement as they struggle to remain focused on their craft day after day.  To help writers to stay on track and to expedite their careers, Peters will illustrate his hard-fought successes drawing from real-world examples. His presentation titled, The Goldfish that Barked, seven actions to distinguish yourself for success, is practical, entertaining. vital and will help to empower other authors to make a living with their writing. This will be an interactive presentation held online via Zoom.  A handout will be provided to help participants apply these principles in their own careers.

During the presentation, Peters will share his simple and effective actions designed to help writers to stand out and get discovered. These include:

  • Building your brand
  • How not to fall into traps
  • Educating yourself
  • Learning to communicate
  • Discovering your superpower
  • Giving thanks
  • Finding your mission

 Participants will also learn what Jack has learned as both an author and media professional including:

  • How to get motivated
  • How to take action
  • How to focus on profitable projects
  • How to market your work

Click here to register for this meeting and presentation on Eventbrite

In addition to his involvement in television and movie production since 2004, Jack W. Peters has been a professional speaker for sixteen years. He presents on topics including leadership, teamwork, innovation and faith. The highlight of his career was becoming a Discovery Channel tv personality as an explosives and GPS specialist. This presentation will be based on his most recently published book, The Goldfish that Barked.

To learn more about Jack W. Peters, check him out at:

www.donorthmedia.com

www.facebook.com/treasurequestjack/

www.jackwpeters.com

17 October 2020 | Featured Speaker Alia Volz | “Memoir: The Art of Questioning Everything”

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Author Alia Volz used to think personal writing had to begin with questions and end with answers—not unlike the essays we were taught to write in high school and college. Her breakthrough came with the realization that the most interesting moments in memoir happen when questions lead not to answers, but to more questions. Memories change and become unreliable. The book starts out investigating one thing, then shifts as the narrator’s worldview crumbles and new questions arise. Uncertainty becomes a plot device. This craft talk will explore relentless self-interrogation as the driving force behind contemporary personal essays and memoir. Volz will share discuss practical tools, tips, and techniques for getting the most out of questions that refuse to be answered.

We’ll learn how to structure personal essay and memoir like a classic whodunit, using the core mystery and shape of popular crime fiction to make personal writing more exciting.

She will deconstruct her award-winning essay “Snakebit” (The Best American Essays 2017) to show us how an evolving series of questions–and relentless interrogation–produces a winning plot. We will also discuss how to apply this technique to book-length memoir.

To register for this event click HERE to go to Eventbrite and register for the meeting – registration closes at 11:30 pm the night before the event. Reminders with the meeting link and agenda/handout links are sent to registrants 24 hours before the meeting; 12 hours before the meeting and one hour before the meeting.

About Alia Volz

Alia Volz photo credit Dennis Hearne

Alia Volz is the author of Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020). Her work has appeared in The Best American Essays, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Salon, Guernica, The Threepenny Review, and many other publications. Her unusual family story has been featured on Snap Judgment, Criminal and NPR’s Fresh Air.

You can find her on her website at https://aliavolz.com/ and on social media at:

https://www.instagram.com/aliavolzzz/
https://twitter.com/aliavolz
https://www.facebook.com/alia.volz

Open Mic Mondays for WOK Members

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Tired of reading your writing aloud to your tabby, your parakeet, or your goldfish? Writers of Kern has a solution for that! WOK Members, bring your poems, fiction, essay, short story, or creative nonfiction (including memoir) to Open Mic Mondays over Zoom!

When: 7:00-8:15 pm, Monday, October 5, November 2, and December 7, 2020.

How it works:

  1. Open Mic Mondays, for readers and the audience, is a Members-Only event.
  2. All attendees must register beforehand on a private Eventbrite listing, to receive the link.
  3. Participants/readers may read 3 poems or for 5 minutes for any genre. Time limits will be strictly observed.
  4. Those who wish to read will sign up once admitted to the meeting. Those who wish to listen will sit back and enjoy.

An Open Mic is a fun event, where writers can showcase their work. There’s no pressure to read, but those who do become encouraged, build confidence, and hone their presentation skills—good practice for those future book tours and readings! 

Take this opportunity to support and connect with fellow WOK members while performing your work before a live audience on Zoom.

Watch your email for more information and details about how you can experience Open Mic Mondays!

~ Annis Cassells