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Good News for The Santa Barbara Writers Conference July 17, 2010 (by Steve Beisner) The Santa Barbara Writers Conference is back! For the last two years Santa Barbara writers, including regular conference attendees from around the world, have felt a mid-June hole in their lives caused by the absence of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. But after a recent public meeting it appears that lovers of good writing can begin making plans for June of 2011. (complete article...)

Slow Summer? (I Hope So!) June 3, 2010 (Melinda Palacio) Last year I experienced a publishing double header. My poetry chapbook, Folsom Lockdown won Kulupi Press's 2009 sense of Place competition and publication prize, while my novel manuscript, Ocotillo Dreams was accepted for publication this Fall by Arizona State University Bilingual Review Press. I spent the earlier months of Spring engrossed in a national book tour for Folsom Lockdown. Does this mean, I actually get a summer break? (complete article...)

What Do "They" Want? April 27, 2010 (By Shelly Lowenkopf) They're back. You know, "Them", the bane of all honest toilers in the fields of words. Shelly explains who "they" are and how to deal with "them"... or is it "us"... or "you"? (complete article...)

Ekphrasis: A Creative Process for Improving Your Poetry April 4, 2010 (Andre Levi) Stuck for an inspiration? Andre Levi mixes her professional interests in psychology, social psychology, and neuroscience with her literary talent to make some suggestions that are sure to get that pen (or keyboard) working at a satisfying pace. [– Editors] (complete article...)

The Gift That Keeps on Giving March 22, 2010 (Josie E. Martin) Writing sometimes resembles putting a note into a bottle and throwing it into the sea: one never really knows who will be affected by our efforts or what changes those efforts will cause in the lives of people we touch with our words. Josie Martin's example makes us pause and wonder. (complete article...)

Dialogue In Comedy February 25, 2010 (Mary Rose Betten) Funny woman and author, Mary Rose Betten started her literary career as a stand up comic. She provides insight into the stand up world, her transition from funny talk to funny words on paper, and how she learned to write comedic dialog. (complete article...)

Book Review: My Mother's Island (Marnie Mueller) February 4, 2010 (Reviewed by Sharon Dirlam) From Curbstone Press. Any woman who has ever had a love-hate relationship with her own mother will recognize truths, both painful and tender, in My Mother's Island, a novel about a grown daughter keeping watch over her mother's final days of life. (complete article...)

Taking the High Road for Poetry January 31, 2010 (Melinda Palacio) Last week, I was surprised, though I shouldn't have been, by a conversation I had with a literary agent who gave me some "free advice" and suggested I give up poetry and devote all of my creative energy to writing novels. As someone approaching the writing life from solely a monetary perspective, the literary agent just didn't seem to get it. I'm very proud of my poetry publications and could not imagine a literary life without poetry. True, I'm building a literary career without the assistance of an agent and I write what I want, be it fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Sometimes working with a small press is just the right therapy for a poetry-fearing world. (complete article...)

The Virtue of Focus, an Old Fashioned Strategy for Learning and Creativity January 23, 2010 (by Steve Beisner) An essay in which the author, an unabashed cheerleader for technology and especially computer culture, nevertheless argues for the utility of non-multitasked interaction of writers with their environment. (complete article...)

Funny, Music Man Tackles the Craft of Writing and Being Famous December 20, 2009 (Melinda Palacio) Billy Goodnick hasn't used up his nine lives yet, but he is on his third iteration of being. He's managed to make a name for himself as a musician, a green garden design architect, and most recently, he's putting it all together by blogging, the Garden Wise Guy, and freelancing and working on his new book, which he hopes will translate to a national speaking tour. (complete article...)

NOLA Writer: The Saints Are Marching December 11, 2009 (Steve Beisner) Every time I get back to my New Orleans home I feel like I've dropped a heavy backpack from my shoulders, reclined into an easy chair with a cold drink in my hand, and relaxed. In fact, that's often exactly what happens. Although New Orleans has a reputation for hard partying, it's also a place that encourages visitors and residents to slow down, de-stress, relax, and just muse about what it all means. Maybe that's why it's a good spot for writers. (complete article...)

The Importance of Making Book Cover Decisions December 7, 2009 (Diana M. Raab) The truth is, most of us do judge a book by its cover and this fact was magnified during the production of my latest poetry collection, The Guilt Gene. My publisher is a small press and typically with small and independent presses the author has some input in terms of book cover design. Not only does this stroke the author's ego, but it also assists the publisher in what can sometimes be a time-consuming and tenuous decision. (complete article...)