In This Issue (To read this e-Letter on our web site, click here: www.storycircle.org/Newsletters/070801.html)

Story Circle Network was founded in 1997 and we have several upcoming 10-year anniversary events and activities to share with you: What Wildness Is This: A new SCN-UT Press anthology was published (March, 2007). See the book cover at right. Starting Points: You can preview the first five pages of our just published book of writing prompts by Susan Wittig Albert on the Starting Points page of our bookseller's website. Based on the weekly writing prompts that Susan sent for six years to the Internet Chapter members, this book is available to all for purchase as an e-book (download) or paperback. See the book cover at right. Kitchen Table Stories: Our first ever anthology/cookbook will be published in the fall of 2007, combining members' family stories connected with food together with related recipes. See a sample of how our book will look below. How I Found SCN: a way for you to share your story of how you found SCN —SCN Board of Directors Musings Does the name Peggy Lee make you think of "Fever", "Is That All There Is", or "Why Don't You Do Right"? I read her autobiography and she laid it all out, pulled out all the stops. Her life was full of pain, passion, and hard work, but she followed her path. Is our path on the Texas Toll Road or are we held up in traffic on I.H. 35? Are we moving too fast without stopping long enough between raising kids, working, and paying attention to everyone else's needs that we're ignoring our own needs—to write? As we get older our memory and our memoirs come and go. Remember we are the keeper of the keys to the future. Without telling our stories what kind of future do we have? What legacy can we leave our children? I started writing my stories when I joined OWL and a SCN writing group. If you feel like you're sitting on the pot and nothing's happening. Join one of the many writing groups or internet groups. Believe me your facilitator will get things moving, from the top. —Sue Bilich, SCN Austin Chapter President Programs & Activities: Stories From the Heart IV Haiku Contest (Deadline: August 15) Kitchen Table Stories: A Story Circle Network Anthology of Stories and Recipes New Members SCN Podcast Members In Print & In the News LifeWriters' Market/Workshop Watch Book Reviews Membership/Services Info Share & Multiply Chapters & Circles: Reading Circles Internet Chapter News Austin Chapter News The OWL-Circle Memoir Workshops (Your City): For Women Over 60 Start Your Own Story Circle Neat Stuff: Story Circle T-Shirts Starting Points True Words Neat Stuff Story Circle Brochures Journal Back Issues Contact us: storycircle@storycircle.org

Stories From the Heart IV (Feb 1-3, 2008)

SCN's fourth national memoir conference is six months away, but our planning committee is already hard at work. To read all about it, visit our conference web site. To ensure that you get the latest scoop, please sign up for our National Conference 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! This conference will be a perfect opportunity to show off your wares! We welcome vendors (including small publishers) who would like to sell their own books, paper products, print-related services, writing-related items, and hand-crafted items of interest to women. For information, see our on-line application form. Please note our request that all vendors submit their proposals by December 1. We need lots of volunteers to help before and during the conference. If you could spare a few hours to help us—whether you live in the Austin area or somewhere else—please let us know by sending an email to conference@storycircle.org. Thank you!

Haiku Contest (Deadline: August 15)

Calling all dues-paying Story Circle Network members! We need your help! We are entering a grant contest and need a haiku that reflects/conveys Story Circle's essence/purpose - the heart of our service or mission. The organization that submits the best haiku will win $5000! Only a three-line haiku poem of: (line one) 5 syllables, (line two) 7 syllables, and (line three) 5 syllables, can be accepted. Send your submissions to storycircle@storycircle.org by August 15.

Kitchen Table Stories: A Story Circle Network Anthology of Stories and Recipes

The Kitchen Table Stories Coordinator Jane Ross reports: This past week, I've been polishing the foreword for the Kitchen Table Stories. It's not quite there yet, but it's coming together. I know readers often skip the foreword, but from the editor's perspective, the foreword serves an important purpose. It sets the tone for the book and often for much of the promotional materials that will go out ahead of publication. So although it's a short piece (not more than a couple of pages), it's one I'm working hard to get right. Once I'm happy with it, I'll use parts of it for the book's back-cover blurb, on our book-order web page, and in our printed flier and order form, due to be mailed in August. I love the diversity of the stories and recipes in our book and the fact that the stories provide a context for the recipes. These are the elements of the book that I want to highlight in my foreword and in our promotional materials. You can read the full text of the draft foreword on the Kitchen Table Stories blog page.

New Members

In this column of the monthly e-Letter, we tell you about our newest SCN members. Since our last e-letter the following women have joined (or re-joined): Ola Butler Bell of Manchaca, TX Donna Bonner of Austin, TX Michelle Bunce of Elizabethtown, PA Nancy Casebier of Cottonwood, AZ Sandra Day of Phoenix, AZ Carol de Giere of Georgetown, CT Sandra Heggen of Kempner, TX Karen Hubbard of Lockhart, TX Susan Kane of Quincy, MA Helen Leatherwood of Beverly Hills, CA Susan Macalister of Cornell, WI Pat Malone of Brookings, OR Abby November of Austin, TX Mary Pachmayr of Lafayette, IN Janet Riehl of St. Louis, MO Takiyah Robinson of Lockhart, TX Diana Ross of Lockhart, TX Amy Torrence Sexton of Lockhart, TX Karen Sharp of Oklahoma City, OK Barbara Stahura of Tucson, AZ Barbara Techel of Elkhart Lake, WI Marjorie Wilson of Orange, CA Welcome!

SCN Podcast

Tune in on August 1 for the August podcast to hear SCN member and author Sharon Lippincott talk about the heart and craft of life writing. Sharon's new book, called The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing, just hit the market in July. We talk about why SCN is a good place for aspiring writers to be, plus we discuss what useful tidbits you'll find in Sharon's book. If you have friends thinking about joining SCN, be sure to send them this month's episode! I present a Top 10 Ways SCN Helps Your Life Writing list—it's a good primer for new members and a nice summary for potential members. You can subscribe to the podcast by going to our podcast site; that way you'll get direct notice that new episodes are posted. Our next episode will feature a sneak peek of the upcoming SCN cookbook, Kitchen Table Stories. You won't want to miss it! Warmly, Becca Taylor (podcast@storycircle.org)

Members In Print & In the News

A big round of applause for Amy Gorman, whose book, Aging Artfully, was awarded a Bronze Medal in the category Women's Issues, in this year's Independent Publisher Book Awards! Aging Artfully is a profile of 12 remarkable women artists, aged 85-105. Congratulations, Amy! We love to brag about our members, so if you have published a book, please let us know. We list our published authors on our SCN Authors web page. We have started an SCN Library—and we'd love to add your book(s) to our collection. Please email us the title(s) of your books and let us know how we can purchase a copy. Check out our growing list of SCN member bloggers. Are you an SCN member who has a blog? Please let us know! And speaking of bragging: take a look at our "Praise for SCN" web page. We love to hear your testimonials about Story Circle, so please send 'em to us! NEW: How I Found SCN: a way for you to share your story of how you found SCN.

LifeWriters' Market/Workshop Watch

New books, an on-line journal, a new e-book publisher—check out the growing list of lifewriting markets. Somebody out there wants to publish your story! And please let us know about contests and publication opportunities, conferences. Email us with as many details as possible.   Transformative Language Arts Conference: The Power of Words: September 28-October 1, 2007, Goddard College, Plainfield VT Liberating Yourself and the World Through the Spoken, Written & Sung Word Explore how we can use our words—written, spoken or sung—to make community, wake ourselves up, and foster empowerment, healing and transformation. Sponsored by Transformative Language Arts at Goddard College, this conference features workshops, talking circles, performances, open readings, and celebrations led by writers, storytellers, performers, community leaders, medical professionals, songwriters, healers, and social change artists, including Lewis Mehl-Madrona, Lorna Czarnota, Janet Aalfs, Perie Longo, Patricia Fontaine and Evelyn Torton Beck. For more info, see the conference web site, email tlaconference@goddard.edu, or call 802-454-8311 x204.     LifeLines: A Story Circle LifeWriting Retreat with Robin Edgar at Wild Acres Retreat, Little Switzerland NC, Oct 5-7: Join nationally known author and writing workshop facilitator, Robin Edgar, for a weekend life-writing retreat open to any woman who is interested in life-writing, regardless of skill level or experience. Registration is limited to 12 participants. For more info or to register, please contact Robin Edgar at robinedgar@earthlink.net or see Robin's website.     Mark Your Calendars: Writing from Life Workshop (Oct 27-28): "Nurturing the Self and the Soul: Confronting the Tyranny of Relentless Busyness" Join facilitators Carolyn Blankenship, Cathey Capers, Leilani Rose, Lisa Shirah-Hiers, and Ann Walters for a weekend workshop that will give you the opportunity to write, relax, and rejuvenate with other women who are writing—and re-writing—their stories and their lives. For all the details, and the online registration form, see the WFL Workshop web page. SCHOLARSHIP for FOOD! We are offering a full scholarship to this event for someone good at organizing, who will be asked to bring snacks, set up the coffee and snack table, call in lunch orders, and pick the lunches up. The cost of food and beverages will be covered by Story Circle Network. This person will miss part of the session just before lunch and will need to arrive half an hour early to set up and stay after for half an hour to oversee the cleanup. Interested? Please email us.   For more info on upcoming writing workshops, classes, etc., see our Writers' Conferences web page.

Book Reviews

My tenure as SCN Book Editor will be a short lived one, due to family obligations. This will mark my last contribution to the book review section. I truly hope that SCN members continue to not only enjoy reading, but sharing their many literary discoveries with the rest of us as well. Check out the latest reviews at the SCN Book Review site. Here are some offerings from SCN book reviewers Susan Wittig Albert, Carolyn Blankenship, Judith Helburn, and Linda Wisniewski: Floor Sample is a personal memoir by creativity guru, Julia Cameron. Judith Helburn notes, "Julia Cameron bares her soul and leads us through her personal labyrinth to a life of vision, a life that is often uncomfortable, and a life that is uniquely Cameron. One can not but hope that, as she continues her creative journey, she sends what comes from her soul and her pen to us so that we, too, may be enriched." Linda Wisniewski offers her review of a debut young adult novel, What I Meant... by Marie Lamba. Wisniewski muses, "What do you do when your parents think you're bulimic, your little sister thinks you're a thief, and the boy you love thinks you're not into him at all, and they're all wrong?" Sangeet Jumnal, the 15-year old heroine of the novel, has a father from India, an American mom, an "evil aunt," and a life filled with drama. "The author skillfully weaves modern young adult problems, with colorful details about family life in a small town," Wisniewski says. "The town is not fictional, however. It's Doylestown, where I live with my family, another reason I loved this book." Dr. Duncan Dog on Duty, by Lisa Dunn-Dern, is a children's book that SCN book reviewer, Carolyn Blankenship, says, "affirms the idea that everyone (even the family pet) can be of service and has something to share. Children will be introduced to the healing and comfort brought to people of all ages by therapy dogs. Though the ending is a bit abrupt, the illustrations are warm and colorful, and the concepts empowering. And who could not love the adorable Dr. Duncan Dog?" SCN book reviewer Susan Wittig Albert says that On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, by Gretchen Legler is an "intensely honest book" about finding love and warmth in the vast, frozen reaches of Antarctica. As a book about place and a chronicle of life at the bottom of the world, it is "richly illuminating." Click on any book cover in our web site to order it directly from Amazon.com and aid Story Circle Network. If you've recently read a great book, please consider reviewing it for our web site. It's never been easier. Go to our book review web site and check out the Reviewer's Guidelines. Then simply fill out your review online, and we'll publish it. Happy Reading! —Nancy Rigg (bookreviews@storycircle.org), Book Review Editor, signing off

Membership/Services Info

Please renew your membership! If you're a Story Circle member, please check the mailing label on your June issue of our quarterly publication, the Story Circle Journal, to see when your membership expires. Expired or expiring soon (Jun07 or Sep07)? It's time to renew! Membership categories: Member: $35; Canada & Mexico: $45; International $50 Supporter: $70 Sponsor: $125 Patron: $200 Benefactor: $400+ Austin Chapter dues are an additional $18/year; Internet Chapter dues are an additional $18/year. To renew (or join), use our online membership form and pay online, or send a check to the SCN office. Organizational Memberships: SCN now offers an Organizational Membership open to any non-profit or corporation sharing the mission, goals and values of SCN. For a membership fee of $100, organizational members will receive: One subscription to the quarterly Story Circle Journal, and our monthly national e-Letter Inclusion in the Story Circle Journal's list of affiliated organizations. Listing on the Story Circle Network's web site with a link to the organization's web site. Publication in the Story Circle e-Letter of the oranization's event notices (Events should be in keeping with our mission, of interest to our members, and not in conflict with our own events). One membership discount per national Story Circle event. Signage including the organization's name and a place for their printed materials at each major national Story Circle function. To join, use our online membership form and pay online, or send a check to the SCN office. Member services: Are you a dues-paying member of the Story Circle Network? Would you like to advertise your reading/writing/storytelling-related business on our web site? Have we got a deal for you! We have begun a new "Member Services" web page just for you, at a very reasonable price: SCN members only $15 once a year must be reading/writing/storytelling related give us a blurb about your business, referring folks to your web site (or email address, or phone#) only factual changes within the year (i.e. this isn't for advertising a specific event/date/workshop) Interested? See our Members' Services web page.

Reading Circles

The Austin Chapter's reading circle's August selection is Hawk Flies Above: Journey to the Heart of the Sandhills, by Lisa Dale Norton. The Internet Chapter's reading circle's August selection is Garden Voices: Stories of Women & Their Gardens, by Carolyn Freas Rapp. You can browse this year's Austin Chapter book list and Internet Chapter book list (Internet Chapter members only). You can also purchase the books on those pages. And remember, when you buy a book from our web site, your purchase helps fund our Story Circle programs! These circles have been active since 1998 and have read so many wonderful women's memoirs and journals! To take a peek at the complete list, go to our Book Review web site and click on SCN Reading Circles.

Internet Chapter News

Writing e-circle #9's Nancy Rigg was chosen for the "Story of the Month" award for August. Congratulations, Nancy! Chapter members can read her story and previous honorees' stories on the Story of the Month web page. The Internet Chapter currently has 225 members who enjoy a variety of reading and writing opportunites in our e-circle community. If you'd like to become more active in Story Circle Network, we have the perfect solution! Write and share your stories each month with several like-minded women by joining one of our writing e-circles OR enter into some lively discussions of books written by women for women by joining the reading e-circle. Contact Lee Ambrose, our Member Services Coordinator, at leesmuse2@gmail.com for more information or to submit your request to join one of the circles. Circle members who are active participants for at least the last six months may want to consider placing their names on the list of potential circle facilitators. As Internet Chapter grows, we will be welcoming more members into our circles. While there are presently a few openings in exisiting circles, those will not always be available to us. If you have been wondering how to become even more involved with SCN, perhaps this is one way you might consider. To volunteer for a future circle facilitator spot, please contact Lee Ambrose. If you're a Story Circle member and want to join our cyber-circle, see our Internet Chapter information web page. If you're not a member but are interested in joining the Network, check out our online membership request form.

Austin Chapter News

Check out our Writing Circles page to find a group that fits your needs. The Austin Chapter currently has 157 members, 1 reading circle, and 7 writing circles. Contact Sue Bilich, Austin Chapter President, at sueb78757@yahoo.com for more information or to submit your request to join one of the circles. Read more about the chapter on the Austin Chapter web site. If you're not a member but are interested in joining the Network, check out our online membership request form.

The OWL-Circle Memoir Workshops: For Women Over 60

National OWL-Circle News: There will news about the OWL-Circle program in the "Circles" column in the September SCN Journal addressing questions members have about the program and explaining what this valuable adjunct of Story Circle Network has to offer. The OWL-Circle Workshop encourages the sharing of stories among participants while following an easy workbook of five lessons to spark creativity and create a personal history. The OWL-Circle Workshop is a unique instructional program that you or your church, women's group, senior residence, or senior center can offer to women over sixty. For information about our unique Workshop Kits, see the OWL-Circle web site. Questions? Contact Anne Beckner (abeckner@austin.rr.com). To see a list of where we have OWL-Circles, see our OWL-Circles Around the World web page. To read about (and order) our memoir collection, see the With Courage and Common Sense web page. Our 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 web site or the Your Life, Your Story web page. Austin OWL-Circle News: The Austin-area Continuing OWL-Circle Program, for those who have completed the OWL-Circle Writing Program and want to continue writing, meets on the first Tuesday of each month at St. John Neumann Church, 5455 Bee Caves Road. The next meeting will be on August 7, from 1-2:30pm. The purpose of this group is to provide additional writing experiences for women who want to continue writing after experiencing the OWL-Circle Program. For further information about this program email Anne Beckner (abeckner@austin.rr.com), Pat Flathouse (pflat@austin.rr.com), or Jane Ross (mjrpubs3@sbcglobal.net). If you are interested in attending an OWL-Circle Writing Program in the Austin area, please contact Anne Beckner (abeckner@austin.rr.com). To learn more about the OWL-Circle Program, see the OWL-Circle web site.