Now is the best time ever to be a writer, but you need all the help you can get. The staff and speakers at San Francisco Writers University want to help you year-round with a comprehensive program of teleseminars and live classes about:
We hope you will join us, and we welcome your suggestions for classes, teachers, and how to make SFWU as helpful to you as it can be.
Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen, Co-directors
Barbara Santos, Marketing Director
Philippa Burgess, Teleseminar Manager
Richard Santos, Registration Director & Website Manager
1029 Jones Street San Francisco, California 94109
THANK YOU
for helping to make the 2009 SFWC such an amazing event. According to the overwhelming feedback you gave us, this was the best San Francisco Writers Conference ever. We appreciate your kind words and will keep working to make the conference even better. Truth be told, we were amazed at the way the event came together this year. We fell in love with Jane Smiley who was so generous and encouraging. (Remember that when you win the Pulitzer Prize!) Then Richard Paul Evans (The Christmas Box) and DP Lyle (Forensics for Dummies) jumped in at the last moment and gave unforgettable keynotes. It was all we imagined and, we hope, all that you expected as well.
We'd like to once again thank our sponsors, for without them we could not put on a world-class conference:
We also must thank our intrepid volunteer staff and the fabulous InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel and staff. Everyone went out of their way to be helpful throughout the weekend. You are all much appreciated for supporting the 2009 San Francisco Writers Conference!
WE HAVE THE WINNERS
We'd like to congratulate the 2009 San Francisco Writers Conference Writing Contest Winners, and thank everyone who entered. Each of the Winners received $100 and gifts plus a free publishing package from iUniverse (value $1600). Each Honorable Mention received gifts plus 50% off a premier publishing package from iUniverse (value $800)
SAVE THE DATE
The 2010 San Francisco Writers Conference, President's Day Weekend, February 12-14, 2010.
Who knew 2009 would be so irksome? It was a challenging time and a lot of nail biting preceded this year's event. Would the economy decimate our attendance?
For the record, the 6th Annual San Francisco Writers Conference was once again sold out! We even had to turn several writers away at the door. Lesson learned. A quality event like the SFWC will attract attendees even in the worst of times. That said, it's never too early to sign up for this event if you want to be sure to have a seat. But if we still need to convince you to join us let us drop a few names of presenters who will be at the 2010 San Francisco Writers Conference:
We do have a preliminary flyer for the 2010 event with over 30 presenters ALREADY!!! It is attached to this email newsletter. If the line up is this good 10 months out, imagine who will be added to the list after Michael and Elizabeth get back from New York and the Book Expo!
DISCOUNT ALERT!!!! You can go to SFWriters.org to register or print out the mail-in registration form. It features an Early Rate for SFWC Newsletter Readers of $495. Return it before August 31, 2009 with a check or credit card info to save your seat... and save an astounding $200 off the full registration fee!
We will once again be at the fabulous InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel. The SFWC Attendee rate will be $139 a night if you reserve your room before January 15... or until the block of rooms is sold out... which will be much sooner than that! Don't be disappointed; book your room as soon as possible.
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MISSING HANDOUT IS FOUND
Alex Logan, the editor from Grand Central Publishing who was with us at the conference, had prepared a fabulous 39 page color handout packet for her class. Unfortunately, this box was not found until after the conference. So if you were one of the lucky attendees in her talk about THE NEW ROMANCE, please email Michael & Elizabeth with your name and address to let them know you would like the packet. They will mail it to you.
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WHAT'S NEW ON SFWRITERS.INFO? Â
Free downloads of past teleseminars
Yes, some of you already found this out by checking BOTH of the SFWC websites. For those of you who are still haven't heard, there are new downloads of two more SFWC teleseminars available on SFWriters.info. These downloads are FREE!
Brenda Novak's chat with Elizabeth Pomada about romance AND Joan Gelfand's poetry talk are both now ready for you to download! In all, there are 8 downloadable sessions that you can listen to on your computer or iPod type device.Â
Enjoy and tell your writer friends to come to the site where they can also sign up to be on our FREE opt-in email newsletter list.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED:
Elizabeth Pomada reminds us that the conference has grown to such a large operation, we need volunteers who are willing to dedicate 4 hours per week during the year managing several important tasks. They would be rewarded with free admission to the 2010 San Francisco Writers Conference.
We are looking for:
1) someone to help find large and small sponsorships;
2) someone to help find ads for the program;
3) someone to help in the office for 3-4 days in exchange for coming to the conference for free.
4) a bookkeeper and tax specialist who are knowledgeable about non-profits.Â
To learn more about these positions, call Elizabeth Pomada at 415-673-0939.
TAPES
of the San Francisco Writers Conference
Missed a session? Pop in a CD or download the MP3 to your iPod and, like magic, you will be back in the workshop, sitting in on a panel discussion or drinking in a keynote. And talk about instant gratification. Patrick vonWiegandt is now offering INSTANT MP3 Downloads. Go towww.vwtapes.com if you want to purchase recordings any of the sessions at this year's event (or any previous year for that matter).
EXHIBITOR UPDATE
If you want to get in touch with the Exhibitors at the 2009 SFWC, look for them in the 2009 SFWC Program you received in your goodie bag. If you weren't at the event, here is some contact info:
Space is extremely limited for exhibits at the Mark Hopkins, so if you will want to be an exhibitor in 2010, please let Barbara Santos know ASAP.
UPCOMING WRITING EVENTS, CONTESTS & DEADLINE
RAVE REVIEWS
for the 2009 San Francisco Writers Conference:
 We love it when you talk nice about us!Â
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"The conference was outstanding! Also exceptional, superb, impressive, special, momentous, remarkable, striking, excellent, marvelous, wonderful, brilliant, smashing, fabulous, a whole lot of fun and entirely thesaurus worthy! I loved it." Sally from Idaho.
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"I wanted to let you know that I got a lot of important information and help from the SFWC that I attended... After a lot of editing and polishing I entered PARADISE PARK into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. It has now been selected as a quarterfinalist -- one of 500 out of an initial field of 10,000. I am honored to have attended the conference and I feel that my success in this contest is partially due to the conference. If you're interested, you can view an excerpt by following the link at my website.
SEND US YOUR COMMENTS
What feedback do you have for us regarding the San Francisco Writers Conference? We depend on YOU and all of our conference family--attendees, presenters, staff and volunteers -- to help make our conference better each year. Please take a moment and jot down ways we can improve any aspect of the conference experience, as well as anything you felt was extraordinary. Email your prose and put "SFWC Comments" in the subject header. You can also mail your comments to us at: SFWC, 1029 Jones St., San Francisco, CA
PLEASE NOTE:
We email almost all of our conference updates and information to you, so if you change your email address, please re-opt in with the corrected email address.Â
If you enjoy getting these emails let us know and feel free to pass them along to your writer friends. Anyone can sign up for this newsletter here.
If you have writing-related news to share, please email it.
Cheers from all of us!
Michael and Elizabeth
415 673-0939
Barbara Santos,
Director of MarketingÂ
Laurie McLean
Director of Registrations, Website & Contests
Linda Lee,
Director of Volunteers
Philippa Burgess,
Director of TeleseminarsÂ
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