In This Issue (To read this e-letter on our website, click here: www.storycircle.org/AustinChapter/Newsletters/030303.html)

Coming attractions: Be Our Guest: Sunday, April 27 Schmooze the Muse: Saturday, April 12 Writing From Life Workshop: May 3-4 Do You Have a Story to Tell? Please Renew Your Membership! Programs & activities: We're Looking for a VP! A Special Thank-You to our Volunteers Reading Circle Writing Circles Austin OWL-Circle Workshops Member Events Neat Stuff: Story Circle Brochures Journal Back Issues Neat Stuff

Be Our Guest: Sunday, April 27

We hope you'll plan to join us for our next Be Our Guest program on Sunday, April 27, from 2-4pm at the LCRA Colorado Room (3700 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin, TX 78703; map here: www.storycircle.org/graphics/LCRA_map.html). Judy Flournoy's writing circle will be featured, reading pieces that they have written for their circle. Carolyn Blankenship will lead a mini writing workshop, entitled "The Magic of Myth & Metaphor". Light refreshments will be served. These programs are free of charge. Members are encouraged to invite guests. Here are our plans for the rest of our 2003 Be Our Guest programs. Mark your calendars! Sunday, June 29: "Quilting as a Way to Tell Stories" with Beth Kennedy; readings by Donna Remmert's writing circle Sunday, August 17: Open Mike for all members who are not in a writing circle and members who have published books from which they'd like to read. Any member who would like to sell her book(s) may do so at this event. We ask authors of books to donate 10% of their proceeds to SCN. For more information, go to www.storycircle.org/beourguest.shtml.

Schmooze the Muse: Saturday, April 12

Please join us for our Schmooze the Muse writing-intensive workshop on Saturday, April 12, from 9am-4pm at Temenos at Heron Lake, SCN's teaching facility, near Bertram TX (about 50 miles northwest of Austin). Susan Albert will lead this program, entitled "Work of Your Own". We'll write about our work history, our roles in the career culture, what's valuable about our work, what's toxic, and what we can do to reclaim our work, honor our labor, and move toward Right Livelihood. Here are our plans for the rest of our 2003 Schmooze the Muse programs. Mark your calendars! Saturday, June 21: "Wings of Creativity", led by Judith Helburn Saturday, July 19: "Level II Dream Writing", led by Donna Remmert (This workshop is open to participants who have completed Level I Dream Writing) Saturday, September 13: "Centering: Clay as Teacher and Tool for Telling Your Story", led by Rebecca Roberts Saturday, October 25: "Evolution of the Soul", led by Gale Gassiot For more information or to enroll, go to www.storycircle.org/Workshops/SchmoozeTheMuse.shtml.

Writing From Life workshop: May 3-4

If you're writing the story of your life (or thinking about it!) you won't want to miss SCN's popular weekend workshop, scheduled for May 3-4 in Austin TX. Enrollment is limited to 25, so be sure to register early. For details, go here: www.storycircle.org/Workshops.

Do You Have a Story to Tell?

We are looking for stories for our May print newsletter. If you are a member of the Story Circle Network & the Austin Chapter, please send your story to our newsletter editor, Carolyn Blankenship. You can email them (to cb@io.com) or snail mail them (to 1411-A Waterloo Trl, Austin TX 78704). Newsletter stories should be 300 words or less (longer stories may be used, but we reserve the right to edit them for length); deadline for email submission is April 20th, snail-mail must be in Carolyn's hands by April 14th (since she'll have to type those up). You are invited to contribute to a new memoir collection! The book, called The Noble Generation II is being compiled by the folks at Barnes & Noble, who welcome submissions from people all over Texas. If you have a story to tell and you'd like to share it with the world, you'll find guidelines for submission here: www.storycircle.org/nobleii.html.

Please Renew Your Membership!

If you're a Story Circle member, you will shortly receive the March issue of our quarterly publication, the Story Circle Journal. Please check the mailing label to see when your membership expires. Expiring now? It's time to renew! Annual membership is only $24 U.S., $30 Canada/Mexico, $36 elsewhere. To renew (or join), click here: www.storycircle.org/frmjoinscn.shtml and pay on-line, or send a check to the SCN office.

We're Looking for a VP!

The Austin Chapter bylaws were recently modified to include the position of Vice President. If you are interested in this position, please contact Carolyn Scheider at carjos7@aol.com or call her at 258-8635. To read the chapter's complete bylaws, go here: www.storycircle.org/AustinChapter/bylaws.html.

A Special Thank-You to our Volunteers

Those who attended our recent Be Our Guest program enjoyed a delightful afternoon, due in part to the delicious treats brought by Linda Jones, Carolyn Scheider, Danelle Sasser, Donna Remmert, and members of Jazz's writing group. We're grateful, as well, to those who helped us set up, as well as those who stayed and helped us clean up. We also want to thank Jazz Jaeschke and her Writing Circle Members, Grace Sanders, Louanne Lasdon, and Barbara Youngblood Carr, for sharing their entertaining and inspiring writings.

Reading Circle

The Austin Chapter Reading Circle is a series of monthly book discussion groups free to members of the Austin Chapter of the Story Circle Network. The circle meets monthly to read and discuss women's memoirs, autobiographies, and journals. The March selection is The Invisible Garden by Dorothy Sucher. Please join us for a lively discussion on March 10, or just enjoy the book on your own. Your purchase through SCN's Amazon.com link helps to support SCN's many activities. For information on how to join the Reading Circle, go to www.storycircle.org/Reading_Circle. Our 2003 reading list is available on-line: www.storycircle.org/Reading_Circle/rc_sched03.html. This circle has been active since 1998 and has read so many wonderful women's memoirs and journals! To take a peek at the complete list, go to our Book Review site (www.storycircle.org/BookReviews) and click on SCN Reading Circles.

Writing Circles

Interested in meeting with other women to write and share stories? Please join one of our Austin Chapter Writing Circles for support, encouragement, and ideas for life-writing topics. The Circles meet monthly and are free to members of the Austin Chapter of the Story Circle Network. The following circles are still open to new members: Mary Elizabeth leads the Wednesday Mid-Day Writing Circle. It meets at the Yarborough Branch Library (2200 Hancock Dr, Austin TX 78756) on various Wednesdays during the month from 11:30-1:30. (Schedule for next few months: March 12, April 9, May 7, June 4, and July 30.) Contact Mary via email: mlunatuna@sbcglobal.net or phone: 512-832-5258. Susie Kelly Flatau leads the Southwest Austin Writing Circle. It meets at the Serranos in Oak Hill (6510 W. Hwy. 290, Austin, TX 78735) on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 7-8:30pm. Contact Susie via email: susie@wordsbysusie.com or phone: 512-288-4614. Judy Flournoy leads the First Thursday Spicewood Springs Writing Circle. It meets at the Spicewood Springs Branch Library (8637 Spicewood Springs Rd, Austin TX 78750) on the 1st Thursday of every month from 12:30-2:30pm. Contact Judy via email: judflo@att.net or phone: 512-258-9525. Jazz Jaeschke leads the Wednesday Evening Writing Circle. It meets at the Milwood Branch Library (12500 Amherst Dr, Austin TX 78727) on the 1st Wednesday of every month from 7-8:45pm. Contact Jazz via email: sjazz@austin.rr.com or phone: 512-335-9517. Carolyn Scheider leads the Third Thursday Spicewood Springs Writing Circle. It meets at the Spicewood Springs Branch Library (8637 Spicewood Springs Rd, Austin TX 78750) on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 12:30-2:30pm. Contact Carolyn via email: carjos7@aol.com or phone: 512-258-8635. The writing topic for March is "hair". For more information, visit the Austin Chapter Writing Circles web page: www.storycircle.org/AustinChapter/WritingCircle.shtml.

Austin OWL-Circle Workshops

Austin OWL-Circle Director Pat Flathouse (owlcircle@storycircle.org or 512-347-7687) will begin a new OWL-Circle group on March 26 from 12:30 to 3:00 at St. John Neumann Church at 5455 Bee Cave Road. For more information, please call or email Pat, or click here: www.storycircle.org/owlcircle/austin/workshops.html. The Continuing OWL-Circle Program, for those who have completed the OWL Writing Program and want to continue with their writing, meets on the last Tuesday of each month from 1:30 to 3:30 at St. John Newmann Church. The next meeting of the Continuing OWL-Circle Program will be March 31 at St. John Neumann. Those interested in the Continuing OWL Program may call or email Pat Flathouse for further information. If you know of a church, women's group, individual's home, or senior residence that would like to sponsor an OWL-Circle workshop, or if you would like to facilitate one of these groups, let Pat Flathouse know. We are now publishing a quarterly OWL-Circle eLetter. To join our mailing list, go here: www.storycircle.org/owlcircle/Newsletters.

Member Events

SCN members, if you're planning a women's writing/memoir-related event, let us know so we can help you publicize it on our Member Events webpage, here: www.storycircle.org/MemberEvents.shtml.

Story Circle Brochures

The Story Circle Network's brochures are now on-line! You can print copies of our national, Austin Chapter, and OWL-Circle brochures anytime. They are in PDF format, so you may need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Details and downloads here: www.storycircle.org/brochures.html.

Feel free to forward this e-Letter to friends and colleagues with appropriate credit to Story Circle Network.
This e-Letter is written and edited by Peggy Moody & Susan Wittig Albert.