In This Issue (To read this e-letter on our website, click here: http://www.storycircle.org/AustinChapter/Newsletters/030703.html)

Coming attractions: "Snail Mail" Newsletters & Postcards Be Our Guest: Sunday, August 17 Schmooze the Muse Saturdays: July 19 Fourth Annual Life-Writing Contest: Deadline July 15! Stories from the Heart II, Feb. 6-8, 2004 Please Renew Your Membership! Programs & activities: Writing Circles Reading Circle Austin OWL-Circle Workshops Do You Have a Story to Tell? Member Events A Special Thank-You to our Volunteers Neat Stuff: Story Circle Brochures Share & Multiply Journal Back Issues Neat Stuff

"Snail Mail" Newsletters & Postcards

Austin Chapter members: You should have received two "snail mail" letters from us this spring / summer, detailing our upcoming events: a yellow postcard in early June, and a peach-colored Austin print newsletter. If you are a member and did not receive these, please let us know! Contact Danelle Sasser at 795-8218 or dsasser@austin.rr.com.

Be Our Guest: Sunday, August 17

We hope you'll plan to join us for our next Be Our Guest program on Sunday, August 17, from 2-4pm at the LCRA Colorado Room (3700 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin, TX 78703; map here: http://www.storycircle.org/graphics/LCRA_map.html). Open Mike. Members who would like to read something they've written are invited to do so. Priority will be given to members who are not in a writing circle, but who would like to read. Each reading can be 5 minutes in length, including the introduction of your piece, if any is necessary. Please e-mail Donna Remmert at donnaremmert@comcast.net if you would like to share something you've written at this event. There is room for only 6 more readers. Sign up today, especially if you do not belong to a writing circle. If your selection has been published as a book, you are welcome to sign and sell books at this event. If time remains, writing circle facilitators will explain how they organize and facilitate their writing circles. Holiday Party / Creativity Bazaar: It's only July, but we're already planning our annual Holiday Party. This year's party, which will be held on December 7th, will also be a Creativity Bazaar. Artists who are members will showcase their work, and the really good news is that these things will be offered for sale. There will be books, jewelry, greeting cards, pottery, quilted art pieces, collages, painted boxes, stained glass, and more. If you have a product you would like to sell at the party, please e-mail Donna Remmert at donnaremmert@comcast.net. Space is limited - artists will be selected on a first come basis so best to request it now, not later. For more information, go to http://www.storycircle.org/beourguest.shtml.

Schmooze the Muse Saturdays

Join us this summer for our Schmooze the Muse writing-intensive workshops! Here's what's coming up. Saturday, July 19: "Level II Dream Writing", led by Donna Remmert (This workshop is available to those who have completed Level I and to those who have studied dreams in an equivalent way. To discuss eligibility, email Donna at donnaremmert@comcast.net.) Our Level II activities will go deeper & focus on archetypal layers of meaning in addition to personal layers. Activities include writing a mythic tale based upon participants' dreams and a discussion on the socieatal value that dreams may have. 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 http://www.storycircle.org/Workshops/SchmoozeTheMuse.shtml.

Fourth Annual Life-Writing Contest

Just two weeks left to submit your story to our life-writing competition! This year's topic focusses on our environment: "As much as we live in a place, we live in place; we inhabit a condition of the soul. We live where we have made definitions, and in the process of making definitions, we create a place in which to live." ~Sallie Tisdale~ Our environment, both natural and human-made, shapes us in important ways. We are who we are, in large measure, because of where we grew up, where we spend our recreational time, where we choose to live. Tell a story about the way your environment has shaped your life. The deadline is July 15. For details, rules, and awards, go here: www.storycircle.org/Contests. (You're not a member? Then join already! [www.storycircle.org/frmjoinscn.shtml])

Stories from the Heart II, Feb. 6-8, 2004

We're planning a conference and we want to include you! To read all about SCN's second national memoir conference, "Stories from the Heart II," visit our conference web page at www.storycircle.org/Conference. To ensure that you get the latest scoop, please sign up for our National Conference 2004 eLetter Mailing List. (You'll find a subscribe box on the conference website.) Mark your calendars now, and come, learn, share, and celebrate with us as we honor women's stories! Authors and craft-women, if you would like to sell your writing- or book-related wares at the conference? Fill out our "Call for Vendors" form here: http://www.storycircle.org/Conference/frmvendorapp.shtml. But hurry: our July 15 deadline is fast approaching!

Please Renew Your Membership!

If you're a Story Circle member, you've recently received the June issue of our quarterly publication, the Story Circle Journal. Please check the mailing label to see when your membership expires. Expiring now? (2Q03: second quarter, 2003) It's time to renew! Annual membership is only $24 U.S., $30 Canada/Mexico, $36 elsewhere. To renew (or join), click here: http://www.storycircle.org/frmjoinscn.shtml and pay on-line, or send a check to the SCN office.

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. (Schedule for next few months: June 4 and July 30.) Contact Mary via email: mlunatuna@sbcglobal.net or phone: 512-832-5258. NOTE: August 1 is the yearly sign-up day for use of the meeting room at the Yarborough Library. Mary will try to maintain the first Wed., 11:30-1:30 pm time slot each month; the dates/times will be in next month's e-letter. 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. 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. NOTE: This circle is taking a summer vacation, resuming in September, when we hope to grow in active membership. PJ Pierce, beginning in July, leads the new Thursday Evening Writing Circle. It meets in her home (6811 Glen Ridge Dr, Austin, TX 78731) on the 2nd Thursday of every month from 7-8:30pm. Contact PJ via email: pjpierce@cvtv.net or phone: 512-346-7455. 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. NOTE: This circle will meet at the Cheesecake Factory at 11:00am on July 17. From there we will go to the library and meet for an hour. This circle is still closed, but may have an opening in August. For more information, visit the Austin Chapter Writing Circles web page: http://www.storycircle.org/AustinChapter/WritingCircle.shtml.

Reading Circle

The Austin Chapter Reading Circle, led by Susan Albert, 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 July selection is Seeing Through Places: Reflection on Geography & Identity by Mary Gordon. Please join us for a lively discussion on July 14, 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 http://www.storycircle.org/Reading_Circle. Our 2003 reading list is available on-line: http://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 (http://www.storycircle.org/BookReviews) and click on SCN Reading Circles.

Austin OWL-Circle Workshops

Our new book, Your Life, Your Story, is based on the OWL-Circle workbook, and was written by Pat Flathouse, with Catherine Cogburn; it includes an introduction by Susan Wittig Albert. The book contains five chapters with suggestions, ideas, ways to organize your material, and writing helps. A final chapter covers various aspects of lifewriting by Story Circle authors, including tips for writing, capturing memories, using photos, interviewing, creating a family cookbook, and scrapbooking. To order your own copy ($15, including shipping), go to the OWL-Circle website (www.owlcircle.com), or click here: www.storycircle.org/owlcircle/yourlifeyourstory.shtml. 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 1:30-3pm at St. John Neumann Church. The next meeting will be July 29. Those interested in attending may call or email Austin OWL-Circle Director Pat Flathouse (pflat@austin.rr.com or 512-347-7687), or see www.storycircle.org/owlcircle/austin/workshops.html for further information. New OWL Circles for the Austin area are now being planned to begin in October. Please contact Pat Flathouse to register for classes. 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: http://www.storycircle.org/owlcircle/Newsletters.

Do You Have a Story to Tell?

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: http://www.storycircle.org/nobleii.html. How do you feel about your neighborhood? your family? your life? your future? Make your voice part of Austin's history by entering your 1-3 page story in the citywide community discovery project called "Writing Austin's Lives". The project is sponsored by the University of Texas Humanities Institute, in cooperation with Mayor Gus Garcia's Office, The Austin Public Library, AISD, and Story Circle Network. UTHI will be working with a number of Austin organizations to host a series of free, public lifewriting workshops around the city this spring, led by university and writing community volunteers. It plans a competition, with awards presented later in the year. See http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/huminst/wal for more information, or contact Evan Carton at UTHI at huminst@la.utexas.edu, e.carton@mail.utexas.edu, or 471-2654.

Member Events

Susie Kelly Flatau is facilitating a FREE writing workshop, "Writing Your Life Stories", at the O. Henry Museum on Thursday July 17, 24, and 31. Seton Cove, a member of the Story Circle Network, has several interesting and inspiring programs coming up in July and August. "The Bailey-Newgren Literature & Spirituality Group", a 5-week series led by Patty Speier, MA, MAR, will be held on Mondays, July 14 - August 11. "Writing Life Stories: Getting Started, Sticking With It, Leaving a Legacy", a 3-week series led by Susie Flatau, will be held on Tuesdays, July 29 - August 12. Carolyn Blankenship is presenting a program entitled "The Magic of Myth & Metaphor" at Seton Cove on August 28th. For more information on these workshops, please see our Member Events webpage, here: http://www.storycircle.org/MemberEvents.shtml. SCN members, if you're planning a women's writing/memoir-related event, let us know so we can help you publicize it!

A Special Thank-You to our Volunteers

Thanks to Susie Flatau, Mary Elizabeth, and Carolyn Scheider for being SCN's volunteers to lead "Writing Austin Lives" workshops this summer. Thanks, also, to Mary Faloon, Beth Kennedy, PJ Pierce, Donna Remmert, and Rebecca Roberts (members of Donna Remmert's writing circle) who shared their lives through their writings and provided delectable refreshments at our recent "Be Our Guest" program. Many thanks to Beth Kennedy, for her wonderful presentation at "Be Our Guest." If you want to see Beth's textile arts, visit her web page at www.io.com/~bkennedy. We're very grateful to her for sharing her quilts and her story, and showing us how an artist's work can also become her life's journey. Thank you, Beth! And many thanks to all who attended and brought guests to the "Be Our Guest" program. Thanks, especially, to our gracious hospitality chairperson, Linda Jones, for setting up the refreshments.

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.