BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Writers Alliance of Gainesville - ECPv6.16.4//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://writersalliance.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Writers Alliance of Gainesville
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20170312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20171105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20180311T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20181104T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20190310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20191103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20200308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20201101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20191002T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20191002T190000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190901T174005Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190901T174005Z
UID:22655-1570039200-1570042800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Lola Haskins to Read from New Book
DESCRIPTION:On Wednesday evening\, October 2\, Author Lola Haskins will read from her new book\, Asylum: Improvisations on John Clare\, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press (2019). Come enjoy the program\, which is free. A book signing will follow. \nHaskins’ other works include How Small\, Confronting Morning (Jacar\, 2016)\, The Grace to Leave (Anhinga\, 2012)\, and Still\, the Mountain (Paper Kite\, 2010)\, which won Florida Book Awards. Her in-print books of poems include Desire Lines\, New and Selected Poems (BOA Editions\, 2004)\, Extranjera (Story Line\, 1998)\, and The Rim Benders (Anhinga\, 2001). \nMs. Haskins’ prose writings include Fifteen Florida Cemeteries\, Strange Tales Unearthed (University Press of Florida\, 2011) and an advice book for people interested in poetry\, Not Feathers Yet: A Beginner’s Guide to the Poetic Life (Backwaters\, 2007).
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/lola-haskins-to-read-from-new-book/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters Downtown\, 401 E. University Ave.\, 4th Floor\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Readings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Lola-Haskins.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190922T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190922T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190815T043055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164352Z
UID:22571-1569162600-1569168000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Local Author Series - Gail Rose Thompson
DESCRIPTION:Note: Held in Meeting Room B of the Alachua Library Headquarters Branch \nGail Rose Thompson will present her nonfiction Iran from Crown to Turban\, relating tales of life in Iran during the time of the Pahlavi Crown\, the revolution and post-revolutionary times. Her images of the country are far different from what the press tells us. She lived there in the 1970s\, visited two years ago\, and is frequently in contact with friends living there now. Her entertaining stories depict a country of which we are misinformed. \nGail Rose Thompson \nGail grew up in Ontario\, Canada\, where as a young girl she became involved in riding and training horses. She graduated from Hamilton Teachers College and taught school for several years before she traveled to Iran\, where she worked for the Imperial Court of Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi during the “Golden Years” of the 1970s. While there\, she witnessed the country’s development as the leading power in the Middle East. Upon her arrival in Richmond\, Virginia from Iran\, she opened a riding school which\, over the next forty years\, developed into a renowned training facility for Hunter/Jumper horses and riders. She returned to Iran in the fall of 2017\, where she met up with old friends and spent time touring and learning about the life in the Islamic Republic of Iran as it is now. She currently lives in Ocala\, Florida. Her memoir All the Shah’s Horses has been well received. \nIran From Crown To Turbans  \nPeople are curious about how life in Iran today\, under the Islamic republic\, differs from life as it was during the reign of Shah Mohamad Reza Pahlavi. Gail Rose Thompson\, who lived there in the 1970s and worked for the imperial court as the Shah’s horse trainer\, has many tales about life during that time and also about the way of life in the country post-revolution. She visited Iran in 2017 after an absence of forty years\, the first ex-employee of the Shah to return. She paints a picture of a beautiful historic country that dates from the fourth millennium BCE\, when the Persian Empire was the most powerful kingdom in the ancient world. Iranians are proud of their heritage and are polite\, hospitable\, and extremely family-oriented. Iran from Crown to Turbans is a fascinating book of stories that will enlighten the reader about a country that has been misrepresented.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/local-author-series-gail-rose-thompson/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, Rm. B\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Book Sale,Readings,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Thompson-front-cover-e1565842976481.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190908T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190908T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190723T005358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20191002T035452Z
UID:22463-1567953000-1567958400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Dillon Knight Kalkhurst: Getting off the Corporate Ladder and Digging in the Trenches
DESCRIPTION:Dillon Knight Kalkhurst\, a successful entrepreneur with over twenty years in a corporate setting\, will speak about the experiences and skills he would like to pass on to current and future authors. \n1. Why he wrote A Guide to Generational Harmony.\n2. Why he choose self-publishing over a traditional publisher.\n3. How long it took to get his book written and delivered to his audience.\n4. What his marketing strategies were and still are\, and where he started.\n5. What it’s like to be a speaker.\n6. What steps he would suggest to a potential author who is interested\nin doing motivational speaking.\n7. Where to go from there.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/speaker-dillon-knight-kalkhurst/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DKK-Head-Shot-400X400.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190811T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190811T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190629T225607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190802T154011Z
UID:22428-1565533800-1565539200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Jess Elliott: Maximizing Goodreads
DESCRIPTION:Jess Elliott will talk at the monthly meeting of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville about the website Goodreads\, how and why you should use it and how to get the most out of it.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/speaker-jess-elliott-maximizing-goodreads/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jess-reads-with-rainbow-cropped-e1561848864477.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190803T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190803T150000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190723T004617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190802T154049Z
UID:22470-1564837200-1564844400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Marketing Coalition Meeting
DESCRIPTION:The Marketing Coalition of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) will meet on Saturday\, August 3\, 2019\, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Library Partnership\, 912 NE Sixteenth Ave. Gainesville\, FL. \nThis meeting is a question and answer session in which attendees are invited to bring any publishing or marketing issues they would like help with. \nMembers of the Marketing Coalition meet monthly to discuss and share successful marketing ideas and strategies for their books. If you are a WAG member interested in promoting your book(s)\, we invite you to attend to see what the Marketing Coalition is all about.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/marketing-coalition-meeting-2/
LOCATION:The Library Partnership: A Neighborhood Resource Center\, 912 NE 16th Avenue\, Gainesville\, Fl
CATEGORIES:Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/marketing_meeting_1494328911-e1494346525388.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190714T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190714T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190501T161551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190705T214937Z
UID:22143-1563114600-1563120000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Create Your Legacy: E-Publishing
DESCRIPTION:Four authors with recently published e-books will discuss the approaches\, research\, and writing techniques used to successfully prepare and conserve their own stories and those of their families.\nMost of us share a strong core value regarding the importance of better understanding our roots and family histories. Those who come after us will want to know about us. Times are changing more rapidly than ever\, and unless we capture and share the stories that relate the history and lifestyles of our generation and those before us\, they will be lost forever. \nThe four authors—Nick West\, Ginny Brinkley\, Faith Connors\, and Tracy Connors—invite you to join them for a panel discussion and informal “workshop” colloquy to explore the how-to’s and why’s of legacy e-publishing. The authors will talk for about fifteen minutes each about their personal e-publishing experiences. Then\, the four will assemble as a panel to answer\, individually or collectively\, any questions posed. Feel free to submit your questions in advance to the WAG Program Coordinator\, Kimberley Mullins. The panel will also welcome questions from attendees on any aspect of legacy publishing and/or e-publication. \nFaith R. Connors\, a retired Associate Professor\, University of Maryland (UM)\, directed and managed community service clubs and educational youth programs for UM’s Cooperative Extension Service. She attended the University of Oslo’s International Summer School\, and completed other graduate level studies at Bowie State University\, the University of Maryland\, and Hood College. Her work has been published in British Business Today\, All Hands Magazine (U.S. Navy’s flagship publication)\, and the Longman Dictionary of Mass Media and Communication. She is the author of three books\, Love Midgie\, Flavors of the Fjords\, and Clark’s Hill Cat. \nGinny Brinkley has been writing almost her entire life. As a young girl growing up in Virginia\, she composed stories about her dog and cat\, illustrating them with photos from her Brownie Hawkeye camera. Her sci-fi novel\, EarthQuest\, was begun by her “mad scientist” uncle\, and completed by Brinkley and a fellow writing group member after her uncle became incapacitated. Her most recent book is Goddess: A Child of the Sixties\, which looks back on her life and the excitement of her first love against a backdrop of the Vietnam War and the iconic music of the 1960s. \nNick West\, a Gainesville native\, attended Gainesville High School and the University of Florida. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and\, together with his family\, has owned and operated a landscape business in the area for over forty years. He began his writing career in 2010 when his first novel\, The Great Southern Circus\, was published. His other print books include The Long Road Home\, The Sandspur Special\, and To Light A New Fire. He recently published an e-book of historic fiction\, The Great Southern Circus: From the Big Top to Gettysburg\, which incorporates\, expands\, and updates The Great Southern Circus and its sequel\, The Long Road Home.\n \nCaptain Tracy D. Connors\, USN (Retired)\, graduated from the University of Florida (BA) and the University of Rhode Island (MA)\, followed by graduate study in public communications at the University of Maryland and human resource development at Bowie State University. In 2013\, he was awarded a Ph.D. with distinction in Human Services at Capella University. Connors has published two major military history works: Baited Trap\, the Ambush of Mission 1890 and Truckbusters from Dogpatch\, the Combat Diary of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing in the Korean War. He served as editor of Leading at the Strategic Level\, published by the National Defense University. He published the first volunteer resource management handbook in 1995 and has published eight major handbooks for nonprofit organization management. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/create-your-legacy-e-publishing/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Panel Discussion,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/person_reading_1556724125.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190622T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190622T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190607T152535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190617T060859Z
UID:22370-1561213800-1561217400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Jo Ann Lordahl to Speak at the Alachua County Library Headquarters
DESCRIPTION:Jo Ann Lordahl will present her book\, Princess Ruth: Love & Tragedy in Hawaii on Saturday\, June 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the Foundation Room of the Alachua County Library Headquarters. \nLordahl says\, “Princess Ruth had my heart as soon as I saw her on the cover of The High Chiefess: Ruth Keelikolani. This is the story of Princess Ruth\, a little-known princess\, but the richest woman in Hawai‘i.* Ruth stopped a volcano\, her money built the Bishop Museum\, and her second husband hit her in the face\, making her ugly! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“It is also the story of how Samantha\, a recent widow and a haole newcomer to the island\, settles into renewed love and life on Kauai\, the oldest\, most spiritual of the islands. The story is told through the eyes of Samantha. As she journeys through the soulful island of Kauai\, we visit jungles and beaches\, and sample Hawai‘ian culture\, both ancient and modern. Samantha\, working for Purity Corporation\, learns of and faces the dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)\, and still finds happiness. Major topics in the book are GMOs\, Hawai’i’s fateful history\, and women’s special stories\, including the one about Princess Ruth stopping a fiery volcano cold in its tracks. Kauai’s natural beauty\, places\, and the forbidden island of Niihau are interwoven. Princess Ruth: Love and Tragedy in Hawaii features a map of Hawai‘i\, many factual endnotes\, a book list of resources\, and a chronology of Hawai‘ian royalty from antiquity\, including Princess Ruth’s dates. And for Princess Ruth\, she can—at long last—rest peacefully; her story is told.” \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter fourteen years in Hawai‘i\, Lordahl now lives in Gainesville\, Florida. She is also the author of A Secret Kept in Hawaii\, which is the sequel of Princess Ruth. Delightfully combining facts\, fiction\, and romance\, Lordahl uses her women’s stories to give the reader historic and modern insights on a present-day environmental threat that is not confined to Hawai‘i. \n\n_____________ \n* Hawai‘i vs Hawaii
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-jo-ann-lordahl-to-speak-at-the-alachua-county-library-headquarters/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Foundation Room
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jo-Ann-Lordahl.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190609T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190609T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190506T004339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190511T170013Z
UID:22237-1560090600-1560096000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Speaker Gary Gordon: From Politician to Author
DESCRIPTION:Gary Gordon\, writer\, musician\, spoken word artist\, and producer\, will talk at the monthly meeting of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville about his journey from the Gainesville City Commission (Mayor-Commissioner 1985-86) to author of two novels\, Crossfire Canyon and Chief Mican’s Revenge.  \nOn the way\, Gordon has written and produced numerous plays and programs in Gainesville and Los Angeles including the weekly Gary Gordan Comedy Hour on WUFT-FM and the critically acclaimed play O.J. Law in Los Angeles. Following the June 9 program\, he’ll sign books. \nBorn in Gainesville\, Gordon earned a degree in journalism at Northwestern University. He returned to Gainesville with his wife in October 2017.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/from-politician-to-author/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Gary-Gordon-2-e1557102745244.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190601T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190601T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190517T005409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190518T175927Z
UID:22284-1559399400-1559403000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Gary G. Steele to speak at the Alachua County Library Headquarters
DESCRIPTION:Gary G. Steele will discuss his book\, The Gypsy Family Circus of 1933: Stories from a Long-Gone Era on Saturday\, June 1\, at 2:30 p.m. in the Foundation Room of the Alachua County Library Headquarters in downtown Gainesville. \nWeaving together a vast and varied tapestry of people\, places\, animals\, and events selected from stories heard in childhood\, the author will rely on his “Gypsy story-telling gene” to bring back to life a different world\, a world of his Gypsy family\, their circus life\, and the struggle they and all Americans faced in the Great Depression. \nHis presentation will illustrate interactively some themes of the book\, explain cultural and ethnic perceptions\, and respond to questions and interests of those attending. It will be a sort of “coming-out” event\, in that it has never really been beneficial to admit being Gypsy. The usual result has been either prejudice or peculiar questions and comments. But maybe it’s time. \nCare to have your fortune told or learn how to spin cotton candy the fast and easy way? How about some insider tips on riding jumping horses under the big top\, or maybe handling a spooked elephant in a parade? Even free pony rides for all with a fertile enough imagination. We’ll see what old family secrets are of greatest interest. \nSteele uses historical fiction to recreate the life his older relatives lived during the Great Depression. He feels fortunate to have a Gypsy heritage\, to have grown up on circuses (when not in boarding school)\, and to have the chance to interpret that life to a wider world.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-gary-g-steele-to-speak-at-the-alachua-county-library-headquarters/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Foundation Room
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AuthorrPic-e1558039192974.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190519T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190519T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190324T225941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190325T172022Z
UID:20536-1558276200-1558279800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Richard Gartee to Speak at Millhopper Library
DESCRIPTION:Richard Gartee will present his award-winning novel\, Ragtime Dudes in a Thin Place\, on Sunday\, May 19\, in Meeting Room A of the Millhopper Library from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The reading is free and open to the public. \nPrepublication\, the book won the Royal Palm Literary Award First Place in the fiction category of humor. Set in 1904\, it tells the story of three New York dandies\, who\, promising to bring metropolitan culture and the latest wonders from the St. Louis World’s Fair\, introduce ragtime music and new century ideas to the nascent art colony of Taos\, New Mexico. \nRichard Gartee\, a member of Writers Alliance of Gainesville\, has also authored seven college textbooks\, five collections of poetry\, and a biography\, Skating on Skim Ice. His previous novels include Lancelot’s Grail and Lancelot’s Disciple.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-richard-gartee-to-speak-at-millhopper-library/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Readings,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Richard_Gartee-photo-e1518734308294.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190518T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190518T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190418T114517Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190420T013219Z
UID:22087-1558189800-1558193400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author D. A. Belmont to Speak at Library
DESCRIPTION:Author D. A. Belmont will discuss and read from his book Diamondacious! at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday\, May 18\, at the Alachua County Library District Headquarters in downtown Gainesville. \nDiamondacious! sparkles like a bodacious diamond. It’s the funny\, sexy\, gossipy\, tongue-in-cheek saga of Debbie DeVore\, who begins her journey as a plain brunette from the wrong side of town and rises to wealth as an icy\, blonde accounting wiz. Was it so bad she cut a few corners to get there?  \nThis frothy beach read begins in Fort Lauderdale but sweeps to New York\, Las Vegas\, and the capitals of South America. It will make you laugh\, make you cry\, and make you jealous. You’ll recognize some of the characters from the boldface names of newspapers if you read gossip\, the financial pages\, and even the political news. But you have never heard these stories with the spin D. A. Belmont gives them in this tautly rendered and remarkably nuanced page-turner. It’s an atmospheric and propulsive chronicle of a time\, a place\, and a way of life. \nDebbie’s friends are fascinating. Beautiful Arden Sloane lives a life of glamor and success but hides the saddest childhood a poor little rich girl could possibly know. Handsome\, brilliant\, ambitious Peter Pelligrino is both highly educated and accomplished. But his heritage holds him back from happiness with Arden. Karal\, a fabulous high-end hairdresser to the rich and infamous of Fort Lauderdale\, is the true friend who helps Debbie become a swan. \nDiamondacious! is a crazy\, sexy\, laugh-out-loud satire. It’s in turn shocking\, poignant\, and uproarious—written with an eye for detail\, an ear for dialogue\, and a knack for comic timing. It’s full of the straight story and the other one too. At the same time\, it’s never graphic\, and the good guys always come out on top—financially at least. Debbie is a woman who loves life and who reaches out to help herself (and her true friends) to all the world has to offer. \nD. A. Belmont knows Fort Lauderdale intimately\, what goes on undercover as well as under the covers. Belmont’s wisely squandered youth was spent in Florida’s “Venice of America” and wildly in other enthralling fleshpots north and south of the equator.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-d-a-belmont-to-speak-at-library/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Book Signing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/DABelmont-new-headshot-e1555587115893.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190511T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190511T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20181027T143409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190501T135314Z
UID:11063-1557576000-1557590400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:I ♥ Books  -  A Book-Signing Event
DESCRIPTION:The Florida Writers Association (FWA) is sponsoring a multi-genre book-signing event in Gainesville to bring readers and authors together. This is the FWA’s fourth annual I ♥ Books but the first time in Gainesville. \nCome meet more than forty authors including some new-to-you writers and perhaps a few favorites! \nCheck out the I ♥ Books page of the FWA website for the schedule. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/i-%e2%99%a5-books-a-book-signing-event/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters Downtown\, 401 E. University Ave.\, 4th Floor\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/fwa-logo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190511T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190511T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190414T184141Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190503T201748Z
UID:22069-1557565200-1557590400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:35th Annual Windsor Zucchini Festival
DESCRIPTION:The Writers Alliance will have a booth at the upcoming Windsor Zucchini Festival! WAG Vice President Jess Elliott will be coordinating book sales and volunteers at our WAG booth. \nPer its Facebook page\, the Windsor Zucchini Festival is described as: \nThis Fundraiser for the Windsor Volunteer Fire Department features a yummy dinner with Hill’s BBQ chicken\, a healthy serving of vegetables and zucchini cornbread. There is also zucchini ice cream by Sweet Dreams Ice Cream of Gainesville\, and fried zucchini. We have over 90 craft booths for those looking for that special gift for Mother’s Day on May 12th. \nIf you’re interested in participating\, contact Jess.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/35th-annual-windsor-zucchini-festival/
LOCATION:Windsor Volunteer Fire Department\, 1401 SE County Road 234\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32641\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Sale,Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Windsor-Zucchini-Festival-e1555267228254.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190505T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190505T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190331T024230Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190516T201245Z
UID:21743-1557066600-1557072000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:The Courage to Tell Your Story
DESCRIPTION:Our appreciation to Kimberley Mullins for writing this summary of Kandra Albury’s talk.\nKandra Albury\, president and founder of Kids ‘n Capes\,* said to Writers Alliance members and guests\, “You must have the courage to tell your story\,” emphasizing how sharing one’s story empowers others. \nShe grew up in a single-parent household\, one of five children. Her mother’s goal for them all was to graduate from high school and go to college or into the military. \nShe chose college and\, after graduating\, started her career in journalism. However\, that wasn’t her love. She asked herself\, “Why write other people’s stories\, when I can write my own?“ Hence her first book\, From Food Stamps to Favor\, a memoir of her journey as a child in a single-parent home and a victim of sexual abuse. \nAfter the publication of her memoir\, she turned her attention to marketing the book. With a background in journalism\, she reached out to many channels. She went out on a limb\, proposing her book to the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) because she felt the book would inspire others in the church setting\, mainly because it is a place where victims and predators co-exist. Unfortunately\, CBN was not interested. But a month or so later\, they called her and asked for an interview. \nNext\, Albury ventured into writing children’s books to make youngsters aware of sexual predators. First in The Feisty Four Children’s Book Series is Don’t You Dare Touch Me There. This book makes kids aware of predators and how to get the courage to fight back. At her presentations in schools\, she gives each child a cape for the new superpower\, Courage. The other two books in the series\, Leave Us Alone You Mean ‘Ole Bully!! and No! address bullying and drugs. The later book was dear to her heart\, she said\, since her older sister became addicted to drugs. \nPassionate about writing\, Albury teaches a class at Santa Fe College\, “Let’s Write Your Book Now.” And during her talk\, she highlighted ten important tips for writing: \n\n\n\nSchedule time to write. Don’t just make time.\nSet a deadline.\nHave an accountability partner.\nEnjoy the process and all that comes with it.\nList all of your chapter titles or at least seven\, so if you have writer’s block later\, you can move on to another chapter.\nWrite about what makes you\, you — your passion.\nTell your story unapologetically.\nInclude humor\, pain\, fear\, and shame.\nInvest in your project: you must be the first investor.\nDon’t forget marketing: Business cards/Flyers/Promo cards/Social Media – It’s up to you to get your name out there.\n\n\n\nAlbury serves as Training Facilitator for Darkness to Light\, a non-profit organization committed to empowering adults to prevent child sexual abuse. Her literary and children’s advocacy work has been featured in numerous print publications and on television networks such as WCJB-TV-20 and WUFT\, \n_____________________ \n* Kids’n Capes\, Inc.\, is a sustainable non-profit whose mission is to prevent and raise community awareness of child sexual abuse\, bullying\, and illegal drug use. \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/the-courage-to-tell-your-story/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Kassandra.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190504T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190504T150000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20180612T154354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190429T022226Z
UID:10390-1556974800-1556982000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Marketing Coalition Meeting
DESCRIPTION:The Marketing Coalition of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) will meet on Saturday\, May 4\, 2019\, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Library Partnership\, 912 NE Sixteenth Ave. Gainesville\, FL. \nJulie Robitaille will be talking about the things to put in place before you start advertising\, like reviews\, etc. She will give an overview of advertising options with links to sites where you can learn about specific advertising opportunities. Come ready to learn the ropes of promoting your book! \nMembers of the Marketing Coalition meet monthly to discuss and share successful marketing ideas and strategies for their books. If you are a WAG member interested in promoting your book(s)\, we invite you to attend to see what the Marketing Coalition is all about. \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/marketing-coalition-meeting/
LOCATION:The Library Partnership: A Neighborhood Resource Center\, 912 NE 16th Avenue\, Gainesville\, Fl
CATEGORIES:Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/marketing_meeting_1494328911-e1494346525388.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190427T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190427T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190317T233245Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190325T205918Z
UID:20086-1556375400-1556379000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Fran Sweeney to Talk at Library Headquarters
DESCRIPTION:Fran Sweeney will read from her novel\, The Royal Carpet\, a humorous tale of romance\, at 2:30 p.m. on April 27\, at the Alachua County Library Headquarters. \nQueen Elizabeth’s small entourage gets displaced during a summer thunderstorm while driving from Miami to North Central Florida to buy horses. Her car ends up disabled outside a sixty-acre farm in Alachua County. That’s when the fun begins. Over a two-day period\, a romance develops between local resident Fiona and a secret-service guy. The queen carves out a bit of life for herself\, and Fiona’s feisty aunt from Ireland joins the ensemble and attempts to right a wrong from the time of the “troubles” between England and Ireland. The Royal Carpet is fast paced action in a humorous tale of romance and the unexpected. \nSweeney lives in Alachua County\, Florida\, on “a bit of land” with her dog companions and a murder of crows. The crows entertain her at a window bird feeder as she sits at the computer making up stories.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-fran-sweeney-to-talk-at-library-headquarters/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Sweeney.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190414T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190414T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190304T015221Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190415T231623Z
UID:17983-1555252200-1555257600@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Literacy – The Foundation to Success
DESCRIPTION:Jeremy Merritt\, Literacy Program Specialist for the Alachua County Library District (ACLD)\, discussed on April 14th\, 2019\, the types of literacy services available to patrons at library branches throughout the county. He described the ACLD program that helps adults learn to read for enjoyment and learning through one-on-one and small-group situations. The program extends to English-as-a-second-language tutoring. \nIn the tutoring program\, trained volunteers are a key component for implementing a neuroscience-based teaching sequence to establish reading skills in learners. WAG members may be particularly effective volunteers and were encouraged to apply (see https://www.aclib.us/literacy-programs-adults for details). \nAt the close of the session\, Jeremy fielded intriguing questions from WAG members\, including details about being a tutor and whether the library would appreciate WAG authors developing adult-oriented “easy-read” books. \nWe can admire the library system and its programs as an important resource for all of us in Alachua County\, and we should appreciate that our WAG members have great potential as volunteers and authors for our fellow citizens. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/literacy-the-foundation-to-success/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Literacy-The-Foundation-to-Success-e1555370165845.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190323T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190323T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190223T170622Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190108T170713Z
UID:11417-1553351400-1553355000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Dwight Bennett (aka Sam Berretti) to Speak at Library Headquarters
DESCRIPTION:Dwight Bennett\, who writes under the pen name Sam Berretti\, will present the second in his Seekers Mystery Series\, Good Girl Gone at the Alachua County Headquarters on Saturday\, March 23\, at 2:30 p.m. \nDoris Watson works as engineer\, designing kitchen appliances such as microwave ovens. Ex-military\, she appears to lead a solitary life in Maryland\, surrounded by books\, a few close friends and her cat. When she gets an emergency late night message\, her mundane existence takes a decided turn into the bizarre and deadly realm of human trafficking as her secret\, second job summons. She is an on-call agent for a firm named Seekers Worldwide\, a front for a loose group of high-tech mercenaries\, managed by Della Jamay Charboneau and run by NSA agent Sam Namath. \nSomeone made the truly epic mistake of kidnapping Della Jamay Carboneau’s niece\, and Della is no ordinary aunt. She is an assassin with a very short temper and a very large arsenal. Doris Watson’s assignment from Sam: to handle her handler and keep Della’s body count low. Plagued by prophetic dreams and embroiled in Della’s most private matters\, rookie Doris finds herself in way over her head. Together they fight for their lives against ruthless New Orleans criminals and a mysterious Voodoo priestess claiming to be stealing souls with fire in this non-stop action story of family love versus true evil. \nDwight Bennett\, who writes under the pen name Sam Berretti\, was born and raised in the High Plains city of Lubbock\, Texas. Cotton was king\, and oil wells and cattle were close by. The land was as flat as his mother’s tattered ironing board\, and spring was always ushered in with dust storms\, tumble weeds and tornadoes. Dwight moved to Florida to attend the University of Florida\, met a woman who he says was gracious enough to allow him to marry her\, and raised two amazing children. Dwight is an avid naturalist and photographer as well as an author. Although writing started at an early age and took many forms\, mystery fiction has always been a favorite.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-dwight-bennett-aka-sam-berretti-to-speak-at-library-headquarters/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Book Signing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/bennett_photo-e1546966998796.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190303T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190303T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190123T150747Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190304T223638Z
UID:13808-1551623400-1551628800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:How to Apply for a National Endowment for the Arts Grant
DESCRIPTION:Sandra Gail Lambert\, a 2018 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Creative Writing Fellow\, explained the nuts and bolts of qualifying and applying for an NEA grant and shared how the Fellowship benefited her writing career. \nEstablishment of the NEA Fellowship \nFederal programs supporting arts began in the 1960s with the formation of the National Endowment for Arts. Literature is the only art form where individual artists are given this award. Literature consists of poetry or prose (fiction and creative non-fiction). There is a two-year cycle\, so if poetry is featured one year\, prose is featured the next. (There is also a Translation project\, but Lambert’s talk focused on writing.) \nApproximately 1\,500 enter annually\, and only one fellowship is awarded per year; $25\,000.00 is awarded to the Creative Writing Fellow. \nProse Eligibility \nYou are eligible to apply if you have published: \n\nAt least five different short stories\, works of short fiction\, excerpts from novels or memoirs\, or creative essays (or any combination thereof) in two or more literary journals\, anthologies\, or publications that regularly include fiction and/or creative nonfiction as a portion of their format\nOr a volume of short fiction or a collection of short stories\nOr a novel or novella\nOr a volume of creative non-fiction\n\nAlthough the eligibility rules do not say so in so many words\, self-published books are not eligible. \nApplication \nThere is no charge to apply. Submit only one application for 2020 funding. For Prose\, apply between January 1\, 2019\, and March 6\, 2019. Always apply\, if for no other reason than it can help your writing career. “You just never know\,” Lambert said. \nIn the application process\, don’t get hung up on the Project Description. \nAward Benefits \nLambert said by the time she learned she had won\, she had completed the book she had proposed\, A Certain Loneliness\, and it had been published by the University of Nebraska Press. She used her award money\, which is not given out in a lump sum but as reimbursement for reported expenses\, to hire a publicist and pay for book-tour travel to promote the book. \nHow the Award Changed Her \n“One little piece of success can build into something more\,” she said. “I asked knowledgeable people\, ‘Do I say I was awarded the NEA Creative Fellowship or I earned the Fellowship?'” She was told\, “You ARE the Creative Fellow.” \nThe award has opened doors for her. \n\nA Certain Loneliness is a frank and funny memoir of Lambert’s lifelong struggle with isolation and independence after contracting polio as a child\, she probes the intersection of disability\, queerness\, and desire. Frustrations\, slapstick moments\, and grand triumphs are all couched in the long history of humanity’s relationship to the natural world. \nLambert grew up a military brat and spent most of her childhood in Norway with the exception of a stint at the Warm Springs Polio Foundation in Georgia. She was well into her forties before thinking of herself as a writer\, and her debut novel\, The River’s Memory\, was published when she was sixty-two. These days she lives in Gainesville\, Florida. \n  \nSummary of talk by Penny Church-Pupke. \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/how-to-apply-for-a-national-endowment-for-the-arts-grant/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/image002.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190224T050000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190224T190000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190210T235851Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190211T000337Z
UID:16317-1550984400-1551034800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:ARTSPEAKS Courageous Young Voices
DESCRIPTION:  \n\nWAG will provide refreshments for this event.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/artspeaks-courageous-young-voices/
LOCATION:The Historic Thomas Center\, 302 N.E. 6th Avenue\, Gainesville\, Florida\, 32601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Readings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Artspeaks.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190223T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190223T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190126T155831Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190108T160645Z
UID:11407-1550932200-1550935800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Kassandra Lamb to Speak at Library Headquarters
DESCRIPTION:Author Kassandra Lamb will discuss To Kill A Labrador (no\, the dog does NOT die) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday\, February 23\, at the Alachua County Library Headquarters. \nThe book is the first of her cozy mystery series about Marcia Banks\, who has both an unusual name (Marcia is pronounced Mar-see-a\, not Marsha) and an unusual vocation. She trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD. \nWhen a former Marine\, the new owner of Marcia’s first trainee dog\, Buddy\, is accused of murdering his wife\, Marcia gets sucked into an even more abnormal avocation—amateur sleuth. Called in to dog-sit Buddy\, a Labrador\, she’s outraged that his veteran owner is being presumed guilty until proven innocent. With Buddy’s help\, she tries to uncover the real killer. Even after the hunky local sheriff politely tells her to butt out\, Marcia keeps poking around. Until the killer finally pokes back. \nKassandra Lamb is a retired psychotherapist and college professor turned mystery writer. She spends most of her time with her characters in an alternate universe\, the magic portal to which (i.e.\, her computer) is located in North Central Florida\, where her husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of her. In addition to her Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries\, Lamb is the author of the Kate Huntington mystery series and a guidebook for novice writers\, Someday Is Here! She also writes romantic suspense under the pen name Jessica Dale.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-kassandra-lamb-to-speak-at-library-headquarters/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Book Signing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/1-Kass-Lamb-lighter-reduced.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190210T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190210T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190103T193025Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190212T140016Z
UID:11364-1549809000-1549814400@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Writing to Heal
DESCRIPTION:Author Kassandra Lamb\, who served as a psychology professor for sixteen years and practiced psychotherapy for two decades\, spoke about the therapeutic aspects of writing. In her practice\, she specialized in trauma recovery. When a person has been through trauma\, she said\, almost any form of writing can help with the healing process; these forms in particular: \n\njournals\nletters\npoems\nmemoir\nblogging\nfiction\n\nLamb now writes fiction. Her first inspiration for writing fiction occurred when a special friendship ended. She had become friends with the lawyer of a client who was going through a traumatic divorce. “My client’s lawyer and I developed a close friendship. We were both happily married\, so it was a platonic relationship. But I was devastated when our friendship ended abruptly. And badly! Well if I couldn’t have a healthy relationship with a man in real life\, I decided\, I would write a story where it could happen! My first book\, Multiple Motives\, helped me vent my feelings\, and by the end of the book\, I liked my book friend more than the friend I’d lost in real life.” \nLamb went on to explain how and why writing helps. \nPsychotherapists often ask their clients to keep a journal about their feelings. This helps the client see how far they’ve come once the problem gets resolved. Anybody can use journaling to sort out their thoughts. \nLetter writing is also used in therapy. The letter might never be sent\, but writing it—venting—can help. A warning\, though: write the letter in Word\, not in email\, as you might accidentally hit send . . . I know. I’ve done it. \nRemember that emotions have an energy\, and keeping negative emotion and energy inside can cause physical harm to one’s body. Several things need to happen to expel the energy and emotion. Take anger\, for example. It must first be acknowledged. You must state what happened to cause the anger. You must express your feelings\, externally—but not to the person you’re angry at! And\, the situation causing the emotion must be resolved. \nPoetry can reach the very depth of emotion and can help you get to and resolve bad feelings. Memoir\, too. Telling one’s story is a way of being heard. \nLamb said she is currently coauthoring a memoir for someone whose father is a psychopath. “We are about halfway through his book\, now\,” she said\, “and the process is getting easier for him because he’s healing as he tells his story. Good stuff is happening for him.” \nBlogging is also good therapy because it can be like an ongoing memoir. People who have experienced a traumatic event often think they are alone\, that they caused it. Learning that another person experienced something similar can validate them. This can happen if someone responds to a blog post you’ve written. Hearing from others that your story helped them gives meaning to the pain you’ve experienced. \nAs a fiction writer\, you can also use your pain to write realistic characters. You can create characters able to pick themselves up and brush themselves off. This can inspire hope and educate others. \nAnother method therapists use to help a client overcome trauma is to have them imagine the outcome as coming out differently. If a child was made to keep his feelings bottled up\, for example\, have him imagine telling off the father he never stood up to. \nA lively question and answer session followed Lamb’s talk. \n\nLamb is the author of seventeen novels and six novellas\, plus a short guide for beginning writers. Her works include the Kate Huntington mysteries\, with a psychotherapist protagonist\, and the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries\, about a young woman who trains service dogs for veterans. She also writes darker romantic suspense under the pen name of Jessica Dale. \n\nSummarized by Susie H. Baxter \nIf you are interested in writing the summary of a future talk\, contact the program coordinator.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/writing-to-heal/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/1-Kass-Lamb-lighter-reduced.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190126T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190126T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190108T042206Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190121T192147Z
UID:11394-1548513000-1548516600@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author K.E. Mullins to Speak at Downtown Library
DESCRIPTION:“Please join The Opinionated Ladies Book Club and The Friends of the Library\,” says Cynthia Chestnut\, “as we present Gainesville author K.E. Mullins\, on January 26\, 2:30 p.m. at the downtown library. \nMullins\, immediate past president of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville\, will discuss her books\, Thinking Aloud: Dimensions of Free-Verse\, and her novels: The Friends and Family Connection: Get Unplugged\, In the Company of Strangers\, and Murder: Another Name for Revenge.  \nMullins began her writing career while in the Navy by venturing into poetry. Her first piece\, “My One Last Cent\,” was published in the literary journal\, Amistad. She currently works as a Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) Instructor in Gainesville.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-k-e-mullins-to-speak-at-downtown-library/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Book Signing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Kim-Mullins.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190126T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190126T150000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20190108T020341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190122T174000Z
UID:11384-1548511200-1548514800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Vrinda Sheth to Speak at Downtown Library
DESCRIPTION:Join Author Vrinda Sheth on Saturday\, January 26\, at 2 p.m. in the Foundation Room of the Alachua County Library Headquarters downtown. She will discuss her latest book for young readers\, Shadows of the Sun Dynasty\, An Illustrated Series Based on the Ramayana\, \nAmazon describes the book as “A truly original reimagining of the classic Indian epic\, the Ramayana\, as told primarily through the eyes of the women behind the throne. Shadows of the Sun Dynasty reveals an entirely new perspective on an ancient story.”\n \nFrom Kirkus Review: “Sheth offers young readers a Ramayana with all the grandeur of myth but also with rounded\, relatable human characters who give the story some needed emotional weight. An impressive recounting of an ancient South Asian legend.” \nA graduate of the University of Florida\, Sheth was born in Sweden and raised on stories from ancient India. She began writing while studying classical dance in Kalakshetra\, South India. \nThe book is heavily illustrated\, thanks to Anna Johansson\, Sheth’s mother\, a watercolor artist. Johansson’s artwork is inspired by the mystical yoga tradition of ancient India. \nThe mother-daughter team has worked together on the Sita’s Fire trilogy for over a decade. Their first book won an Independent Publisher Book Award\, received an honorable mention at the New York Book Show\, and was a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-vrinda-sheth-to-speak-at-downtown-library/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Foundation Room
CATEGORIES:Book Discussion,Book Signing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/VrindaSheth-Sign-8.5x11-1-e1546911519781.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190119T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190119T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20181208T214723Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181208T215518Z
UID:11260-1547908200-1547911800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Jay Hamilton's Talk & Book Signing
DESCRIPTION:As part of the continuing Local Author Series\, Jay Hamilton will discuss his book How To Buy a Car Without Losing Your Shirt at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday\, January 19. The talk\, at the Alachua County Library headquarters\, is free and open to the public. \n“When you walk into a car dealership to look for a car\, who do you think has the advantage?” Hamilton asks. This book will tell you what to watch out for\, and how the salesperson is trained to control the customer. \nHamilton was a freelance photojournalist specializing in motorsports through most of the 1970s. His work was published in national magazines\, such as Cycle Guide and Modern Cycle\, and in smaller publications. \nHe got into motorsports when his father gave him a Travis motorized bicycle after he obtained his driver’s license. That old Iver Johnson frame had been brazed several times because it could not stand the vibration of the Travis motor\, which mounted on the front fork and drove the front wheel with a “stone” held against the tire by the weight of the motor. He had to climb a mile-high mountain to get to school\, so he got a lot of exercise pushing the pedals fast enough to maintain 20-25 mph up that hill. \nHe then got a Honda CL360\, which he still owns\, along with a 1983 Honda Shadow 750 that he will proudly tell you is the bike which made Harley-Davidson cry “uncle.” They asked Uncle Sam to put a tariff on Japanese motorcycles over 700cc. A few years ago\, Hamilton rode the Shadow 750 over 3000 miles to a class reunion. \nHe is also a geek — has a Samsung Tab S 8.4 (wifi only)\, an old Gateway wide-screen laptop\, and a P4 Desktop he built from parts found online. He has several Calico cats\, and he misses his Chocolate Lab pup that was stolen a few years ago. He had a color photo lab in his home back in the day\, but now uses digital cameras and seriously wants one of those new Microsoft Lumia 950 phones from AT&T. He has an old Chrysler Town and Country van for general transportation and occasional sleeping quarters\, and he still has an old Honda Wagovan. He says his home is “wherever I happen to be.” He stays in touch mostly over the Internet. He has a small travel trailer which stays in a campground\, and the other vehicles are kept in a rented storage unit near his parents’ home.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-jay-hamilton-to-speak-at-the-alachua-county-library-headquarters/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/51TNUYAEprL.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190113T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190113T160000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20181208T145940Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190304T230022Z
UID:11241-1547389800-1547395200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:2020 Sunshine State Book Festival Presentation
DESCRIPTION:Sunday\, January 13\, 2019\, Sunshine State Book Festival chair\, Mallory O’Connor\, assisted by Richard Gartee\, presented plans for the festival to WAG members and guests. \n \n“The Sunshine State Book Festival is the largest project WAG has ever undertaken\,” Mallory told the audience. “To be the huge success we want it to be\, we need participation from the entire WAG membership.” \nThree days of events are planned for January 2020\, beginning with an opening reception Friday\, January 24\, the Book Festival January 25\, and ending on Sunday\, January 26\, with a caravan tour of sites associated with Gainesville’s Literary Heritage. \nWAG\, which is producing the festival\, has received support from Santa Fe College and the SF Foundation\, who are giving us use of the beautiful Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall to hold Saturday’s Book Festival. The Matheson Museum will host the Friday night reception and is planning an exhibition on historical Gainesville literary figures. \nWAG authors will have first opportunity to register for festival exhibit space where they can sell and sign their books. Richard stated that online registration would open to WAG members February 1\, 2019\, and then to authors statewide a few weeks later. He urged those who want to sell books to claim their space as soon as registration opens. \nMallory gave audience members an idea of the scope of the undertaking as she presented a list of the various committees needed to pull off a book festival. “These are not one-person jobs\,” she noted. “Nearly every committee needs multiple volunteers.“ She listed committees where WAG members are needed and invited members to pitch-in: \n\nFunding: writing grants\, recruiting sponsors and community partners\nPublicity and marketing\n Social media\nOutreach: promoting the festival to book clubs\, schools\, teachers\, etc.\nAuthor registration\nBook raffle: (festival door prizes)\nPrinter coordinator (manage festival printing needs)\nDay of festival volunteer facilitator/ trainer\nChildren’s book area\, (storytelling\, craft activities)\nFestival set-up and take-down\nFestival follow-up/survey evaluation committee\n\nPlease select a committee where you can contribute your talents\, and contact Mallory to volunteer. \nRichard concluded the program with a demonstration of the festival website\, which is now up and running. For more festival details\, members were encouraged to visit www.sunshinestatebookfestival.com.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/2020-sunshine-state-book-festival/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Meeting,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-13-17.13.29.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181209T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181209T163000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20181119T171838Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181218T203448Z
UID:11174-1544365800-1544373000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Readings & Refreshments at the Rosa B. Williams Center
DESCRIPTION:WAG members and guests enjoyed an afternoon of readings and refreshments on Sunday\, December 9. Thanks to everyone who read: Charlotte Porter\, Eldon Turner\, Michael Correia\, Jess Elliott\, Peggy Cogar\, Mallory O’Connor\, Darlene Marshall\, Susie Baxter\, Jo Ann Lordahl\, Ed Suggs\, Ann~Marie Magné\, Pat Caren\, Maureen Malden\, and David Maas. \nMany who attended donated books and/or cash\, which will be given to Peaceful Paths\, a non-profit organization that helps children caught in the middle of stressful domestic-violence situations. Roz Miller organized the book donations and will deliver the goods to Peaceful Paths. \nThanks to Wendy Thornton for organizing the venue and the readings\, to Ken Booth for providing music and setting up the sound system (not to mention those mean meat balls he prepared!)\, and to Ann Bernert and Wendy who took dozens of photos. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/readings-refreshments-at-the-rosa-b-williams-center/
LOCATION:Rosa B. Williams Center\, 524 NW 1st St.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Party,Readings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Audience.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181202T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181202T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20181112T043230Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181112T043230Z
UID:11131-1543761000-1543764600@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Cassie Dandridge Selleck to Speak
DESCRIPTION:The Local Author Series presents Cassie Dandridge Selleck.\n \nSelleck is the author of three novels\, including Amazon best seller The Pecan Man\, its sequel The Truth About Grace\, and the first in her Beanie Bradsher Series\, What Matters in Mayhew. A native Floridian\, originally from Leesburg\, Selleck is an avid reader\, storyteller and photographer. She and her husband Perry now live on the Suwannee River near Mayo. \nThe Pecan Man is a work of Southern fiction set in the 1970s in what locals recognize as Leesburg. Its protagonist Ora Lee Beckworth narrates the story of why an innocent black man dies in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In the retelling Ora learns much about herself and what it means to be a family. The novel has sold over 200\,000 copies on Amazon\, has been chosen by book clubs across the country\, and has been optioned for film rights by BCDF Pictures. \nIn the summer of 1976\, recently widowed Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless black man to mow her lawn. The neighborhood children call him the Pee-can Man; their mothers call them inside whenever he appears. When he is arrested for murder\, only Ora knows what really happened in the woods where Eddie lived. But truth is a fickle thing\, and a lie is self-perpetuating. Ora and her housekeeper Blanche soon find themselves in a web of lies that send an innocent man to prison for the rest of his life. Twenty-five years later\, Ora sets out to tell the truth about The Pecan Man.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-cassie-dandridge-selleck-to-speak/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Headshot-HD-Selleck-e1541995250421.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181201T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181202T170000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20181111T133823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220306T164352Z
UID:11103-1543658400-1543770000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Book Sale at Downtown Festival
DESCRIPTION:WAG will participate in Gainesvile’s fabulous Downtown Festival & Art Show on December 1 and 2. Our booth will be C24 near the Hippodrome south stage. \nThe festival features about 240 booths of fine art\, crafts — and books! Plus live music\, performing arts\, and a spectacular array of food. Traditionally\, about 100\,000 fill the streets in downtown Gainesville\, from City Hall to the Hippodrome State Theatre. Hours are 10 – 5\, Saturday and Sunday. \nWAG members who wish to sell their books should email Kimberley Mullins and sign up to work in the booth. Members will work in two-hour increments. For example\, 9:45 – 11:45 a.m. The last day to sign up is November 24. \nThere will be a book drop off on Monday\, November 26 at the Millhopper library from 4 – 6 p.m. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/book-sale-at-downtown-festival/
LOCATION:Downtown Gainesville\, 111 East University Ave\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32627\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Sale
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thornebrook-2017-e1541947307276.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181118T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181118T153000
DTSTAMP:20260619T174634
CREATED:20181106T030128Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181106T030250Z
UID:10977-1542551400-1542555000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Author Frank Fiordalisi to Speak at Library
DESCRIPTION:Frank Fiordalisi will read from and discuss his novel Ichabod Wolfe\, a page-turner filled with surprise and a deep understanding of the human condition\, on Sunday\, November 18\, 2018\, at the Alachua County Library Headquarters. \nIchabod Wolfe\, a thirteen year old boy\, is orphaned when his parents and siblings are murdered in the months preceding the War Between the States. While trying to avenge the death of his family\, Ichabod makes powerful enemies that vow to kill him. He journeys to a remote town on the Colorado frontier\, where he is mentored by the town’s sheriff and becomes a deputy. \nMatured and at the top of his craft\, Ichabod becomes the Chief Deputy Sheriff of Iron Horse\, a Wyoming cow town. Long a bachelor\, he falls in love with a green-eyed beauty married to another man. His longing for the love of his life and his thirst for justice\, mixed with romance\, humor and murder\, lead him into the modern era of law enforcement. \nFiordalisi was born in NYC and received a B.S. from St. John’s University. After teaching high school and a brief stint as a retail pharmacist\, he moved to Miami\, Florida\, where he joined the Miami-Dade County Police Department. He participated in a number of assignments\, retiring as a Detective Sergeant after twenty-nine years of service. He has a daughter Jacqueline\, and a son\, Francis. He currently lives with his wife\, Christine\, in Gainesville\, Florida. \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/author-frank-fiordalisi-to-speak-at-library/
LOCATION:Alachua County Library Headquarters\, Meeting Room A\, 4th Floor\, Rm. A\, 401 E Univ. Ave.\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32601
CATEGORIES:Book Signing,Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Ichabod-Wolfe-e1538922178653.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR