Local Writers Extras

Show of hands: how many of you have an author photo? How many have an author photo that you love?

If you’re like me, having your photo taken isn’t exactly your favorite thing. I can think of countless other things I’d rather do than have my picture taken. But here’s the thing: when you want to put your writing into the world, people will want to see YOU. You’ll need a photo if you want to publish work online, because most places ask for a short bio and a photo. You’ll need a photo if you want to present at conferences. And you’ll definitely need a photo when your book is published!

And you don’t want just any photo, either. A selfie might be cute, but does it really serve you as an author? Your photo tells people about who you are: it conveys tone, style, and genre.

Here’s where Kelly Sime comes in. She has more than 20 years of event and portrait photography experience, and she specializes in on-location occasions like weddings and non-profit fundraisers. Her style specialties are candid and photojournalistic images.

Kelly will be at the Writers Conference for two reasons: first, she’ll be walking around taking photos of the sessions, presenters, and attendees at the library. Second—and perhaps most importantly—she'll be taking author photos for any conference attendee who wants one. In just a few minutes, the two of you will work together to create an authentic portrayal of your personality. These photos are free to attendees and will be available online 2-4 weeks after the conference.

— written by Lisa Allen, adult services specialist

Mary Silwance is a poet, a former English teacher, and editorial team member for Kansas City Voices. She’s passionate about the natural world and uses her voice to educate people on climate change. Her environmental activism sometimes finds its way into her work; but so does womanhood, diversity (or the lack thereof), joy, pleasure and beauty. She explores ecology from an intersection of justice and spirituality in workshops and was a recent attendee of the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers Conference.

Mary’s poem, The Mystery, won our 2018 Women’s Voices writing contest and her poems and essays have been published widely, both in print and online. You can also listen to Mary on several segments on the local radio station KKFI.

Mary is a returning faculty member, and we’re so excited for her to join our conference again this year! This year, she will be teaching a session titled “Point of View.” You can learn more about her and read past work at her website.

—written by Lisa Allen, adult services specialist

Sarah Stein Greenberg is the executive director of the Stanford d.school and editor of our all-conference book, “Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways”. She leads a community of designers, faculty, and other innovative thinkers who help people unlock their creative abilities and apply them to the world.

Why would our conference planners choose a design book as an all-conference read? Mostly because it’s a cool book! We also wanted something every attendee, in addition to being writers, would have in common. “Creative Acts” offers something for everyone and can be used long after the conference is over. Greenberg says, “The experience of doing these assignments is the value you will take away. The emphasis is not on mastering tools or technique. . . and you’re in charge of how you do that: none of the assignments have to be used exactly as written.”

Unconventional choice for writers? Maybe. We’re hoping you use the assignments to challenge your processes, spark creativity, and unblock when you’re stuck.

Sarah speaks regularly at universities and global conferences on design, business, and education.  Our conference is no exception. Greenberg will close our Friday sessions at 4 pm. She’ll be back for open office hours with Justin Nogy on Saturday at 2:45 pm.

She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in history from Oberlin College. Sarah also serves as a trustee for Rare, a global conservation organization. Among other creative pursuits, she spends her free time as an underwater and wildlife photographer. She lives in San Francisco.

We hope you’ll pick up a free copy of “Creative Acts for Curious People” from the Central Resource Library and join us in sharing your response to an assignment on our blog. Read the responses other attendees and presenters have shared here.

—written by Helen Hokanson, local writers librarian

In a recent special edition of the Did You Hear? Podcast, librarian Helen Hokanson made a confession: our Writers Conference started with a planning committee of non-writers, and while our process since then has evolved, we are always looking for ways to improve.

One of the things we are certain of is that in order to create the best programming and conference possible, we need to hear from our patrons, especially those who have been coming to our writing programs and the Writers Conference. Did you know that all our adult writing programs were started in response to requests from people just like you? You wanted a writing group, and despite not knowing anything about writers or writing, we started one! We learned so much from you all and grew our programs (sometimes successfully, other times not so). One thing for sure . . . we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.

Now that we’re seven years into the Writers Conference, we really want to hear what’s been working, what can be improved, and most importantly what we need to keep doing. We want to hear what you’ve enjoyed attending and/or participating in, and what could have been better. We want to know which authors and presenters you want us to bring to the library. We want to know what your best-conference-ever looks like.

The more we know from you, the better we can plan programming and a conference that meets your expectations and helps you realize your goals.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. And when you’re at an event, feel free to talk to us about your thoughts. We’re always eager to connect and to hear what you have to say.

Access the Local Writers Programming survey.

—written by Lisa Allen, adult services specialist, and Helen Hokanson, local writers librarian

We can’t have a Writers Conference without books, can we? 

Sure, the conference will happen in a library, a place full of books and people who can help you find even more books. And faculty members have books that they’ve written that you can buy. But there’s something special about having one book that you know others have read (or at least skimmed) before we’re all in the same space. (There’s also something special about getting a copy of your own, for free, when you register for the conference!)

A little background on our philosophy about an all-conference book: last year was the first year that we included free copies of books for attendees. We tied those books to a particular session, and attendees had to be registered for and attend those particular sessions to be eligible for a copy of the book.

That was great. So great, in fact, that we wanted to expand that idea. This year we wanted all attendees to get a conference book. And we wanted them to get the book just for coming to the conference, not because they were interested in a certain session or discussion.

Why? Our leader, Helen Hokanson, explains: “The subtitle ‘How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways’ pretty much sums up why we chose Creative Acts for Curious People as our all conference read. We were looking for a book that would resonate with everyone, which is a tall order. The exercises offer something for everyone and it's a book that our conference attendees can use far into the future. It's not a book you read cover to cover, come to discuss and never pick up again. Our hope is that it will stimulate creative thinking, spark brilliant conversations, and remain a resource long after the conference is over.”

Some people have asked if the book is really free. It is! Others have asked if they have to attend a certain session to qualify. You don’t! All you have to do is register for the conference and then stop by our Central Resource branch to grab your copy. Of course, this is a first-come, first-served situation; once the books are gone, you can certainly borrow a copy from our collection or order one on your own, but once our supply is gone, it’s gone.

—written by Lisa Allen, adult services specialist