SCN members make the news by publishing books, articles, essays, poems, dramas, and art. They also make presentations, lead workshops, facilitate groups, and organize programs. Below are some of our members’ achievements this year.
If you’re an SCN member who has news to share, please let us know by filling out the form found here. If you’re not a member, why not join us? Maybe you’ll soon be able to post your news on this page!
Susan Wittig Albert Releases “Someone Always Nearby: A Novel of Georgia O’Keeffe and Maria Chabot”
Someone Always Nearby explores the friendship of icon Georgia O’Keeffe and Maria Chabot. An evocative story that probes the dimensions of friendship and the debts we incur to those who make our lives easier, the novel is based on research into a massive collection of over 700 letters, documents, media reports, and historical accounts. Free Reader’s Guide available on the book’s webpage, https://susanalbert.com/someone-always-nearby/.
Susan Albert is the bestselling author of mysteries, memoir, and nonfiction. She founded Story Circle Network in 1997.
Donna Landi’ Dramatic Monologue “St. Faith’s House” Performed
Donna Landi’s dramatic monologue, “St. Faith’s House,” was selected by Tutti Bravi Productions, Inc. for the October 29, 2023 presentation of A Single Thread: Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Westchester History. An actor chosen by Tutti Bravi performed the monologue at the Ossie Davis Theatre located in the New Rochelle Public Library.
Donna Landi has been a monthly contributor to River Journal, a publication serving residents of the lower Hudson River Valley. Her work has appeared in Story Circle Network publications, Writer Advice, Hudson Valley Magazine, and numerous online publications.
Congratulations to SCN’s 2023 LifeWriting Contest Winners!
1st – Claire Butler for Education Interrupted
2nd – Glennis Ribblett for Beyond Existence
3rd – Julie McGue for A Secret For a Lifetime
Click each title above to read the entry.
“Fannie and the Back Fence Gang” by Susan Wittig Albert on Substack
Susan has published the first of five short story episodes on her new Substack. Look for it on the Short Reads tab at https://susanwittigalbert.substack.com/.
Susan is the award-winning author of 4 mystery series and numerous standalone works, fiction and nonfiction. She is SCN’s founder.
“Footfalls to the Alamo” Released by Shawn LaTorre
Revealed in interview format between a reporter and a female participant in the Battle of the Alamo, Footfalls to the Alamo presents a marvelously imaginative account of Señora Candelaria’s life. Filled with historical events and people surrounding the days of the Texas Revolution, all roads lead to the Alamo where she finds herself tasked with reviving an ailing James Bowie inside a limestone building surrounded by Mexican soldiers, cannon fire, and unfavorable odds. Get your copy here.
Shawn LaTorre, a Texas author, spent summers picking blueberries in Michigan alongside migrant workers. Her love for the Hispanic culture began while listening to the sounds of the language and music long ago. Today her spare time revolves around history.
Marilea Rabasa Releases Third Memoir
Marilea has just published the last memoir in her trilogy on substance use disorder. All of her memoirs have a different focus with the same underlying theme. This last one, Gene and Toots: A Story of Love…and Recovery, focuses on her thirty-year love affair with Gene Dunne, who also contributed to much of the writing. Their relationship parallels Marilea and her daughter’s struggle with the disease, and has everything to do with her eventual redemption and transformation. It’s a great love story. Get your copy here.
Marilea Rabasa is a retired ESL teacher who now writes from her home on Camano Island. Find her at https://www.recoveryofthespirit.com/blog/.
“NIGHT TRAIN TO ODESSA” ARRIVES IN UKRAINE
SCN member Mary L Grow recently published her first novel, Night Train to Odessa—but wondered how it would ever reach war-torn Ukraine. A friend with ties to Odesa answered, “It’s meant to be. I’ve a train ticket to travel from Kyiv to Odesa.” She took a box of Mary’s books—a sign of hope and peace. Get your copy here.
Mary L. Grow is a cultural anthropologist and Fulbright-Hays Research Scholar. Her ethnographies have been published by Yale University Press, Smithsonian Institution, and Asian Theatre Journal, among others. Short stories and poetry have appeared in numerous literary journals. Her website is http://www.marylgrow.com.
Limerick by SCN Admin a Finalist
A poem by SCN board member and administrator Teresa Lynn was a finalist in the O Henry limerick contest. The contest sought entries on the theme of Texas. Read Teresa’s entry on her website.
Another Award for Marilea C. Rabasa
The 2nd Quarter 2023 Firebird book award winners have been announced early, and SCN Board member Marilea Rabasa is a winner in the Addiction and Recovery category. Her memoir Stepping Stones tells how Marilea took on the demons that plagued her all her life―and defeated them. See all the winners here and pick up your copy of Stepping Stones here.
Marilea Rabasa is a retired ESL teacher who now writes from her home on Camano Island. Find her at https://www.recoveryofthespirit.com/blog/.
More Wins for Ellen Notbohm’s Books
The Gold Medal for Nonfiction Series from the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs) was awarded to Ellen Notbohm’s Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew and Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew.
Additionally, Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew was named a finalist in Education in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Ellen Notbohm’s internationally renowned work has informed and delighted millions in more than twenty-five languages. In addition to four award-winning books on autism and her widely acclaimed novel The River by Starlight (2018 Sarton Award winner for historical fiction), her columns and posts have appeared in major publications and captured audiences on every continent. Most recently, her short prose and poetry has appeared in Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, Well Read, and Story Circle Network’s Journal. https://ellennotbohm.com/
Ellen Notbohm Wins a Hoffer Award, Finals in Chanticleer
Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm, won the 2023 Eric Hoffer Award for Reference/Education. In addition, Notbohm’s essay “What She Thinks About When She Thinks About Shoes” in the April issue of Well Read finaled in the Chanticleer Awards for short stories/essays. “Death by Thesaurus,” another essay, was published in the May issue of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes and picked up by LitHub Daily, LitHub Weekly, and Memoir Monday.
Ellen Notbohm’s internationally renowned work has informed and delighted millions in more than twenty-five languages. In addition to four award-winning books on autism and her widely acclaimed novel The River by Starlight (2018 Sarton Award winner for historical fiction), her columns and posts have appeared in major publications and captured audiences on every continent. Ellen is also a popular book editor and writing coach. https://ellennotbohm.com/
Sara Etgen-Baker Has Multiple Pieces Published
Sara Etgen-Baker’s story “The Thornback and the Red-Headed Man” was first runner-up in this year’s Winner’s Circle contest sponsored by The Preservation Foundation. In addition, three stories were published in the May/June Issue of Good Old Days Magazine. They are: “Weekends with Grammy,” “Runt of the Litter,” and “Family Togetherness, Love, and Chocolates on Mother’s Day.”
Sara began her writing journey—the pursuit of her teenage dream—shortly after she retired from teaching. Over the past 11 years she’s written countless memoir vignettes and personal narratives, many of which have been published in magazines, anthologies, and books.
SCN is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Blog Post Competition
Click each link below to read the entry.
1st: Lorinda Boyer, Starting Again
2nd: Julie McGue, Connections Matter
3rd: Gretchen Staebler, Connection to Home at Life’s End
Sara Etgen-Baker Has Three Stories Published
Sara’s story “A Wink from God” will appear in Guideposts’ upcoming anthology titled Too Amazing for Coincidence. Additionally two of her stories, “Bumper Crop” and “All Aboard,” were published in the March/April edition of Good Old Days Magazine.
After retirement, Sara pursued her lifelong dream of being a published writer. She’s met with success, having her stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Guideposts, Good Old Days Magazine, and SCN’s Kitchen Table Stories 2022.
Jo-Ann Vega’s “Wolf Woman & Other Poems” Wins Bronze Medal
Jo-Ann Vega’s debut poetry collection, Wolf Woman & Other Poems, is a bronze medal winner in the poetry category of the Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards, 2022-2023. Reader Views uses a 3-tier judging system of reviewers throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Literary awards are given in a number of categories with regional and global winners. Vega says, “I’m thrilled and humbled to receive the award for my poetic memoir.” Winners are posted at https://www.readerviews.com/winners-2022/.
An always-aspiring wolf woman and devotee of journaling, Jo-Ann Vega lives with her life partner and canine companion. She thanks Story Circle Network for the warm embrace of her musings, which helped her decide to publish her poetic memoir.
Linda M. Hasselstrom Releases New Book “Walking; the Changes”
Linda M. Hasselstrom and James W. Parker, both South Dakotans, find stories everywhere in the prairies and hills. His photographs tell stories through light and color, creating love stories to the land. Linda’s poems explore the same landscapes, finding humanity in the country and people she knows. Two poets, with words and photographs, collaborate to show their love and understanding of western South Dakota, creating a book filled with compassion, humility, and gentle humor. https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Changes-Linda-M-Hasselstrom/dp/0917624084/storycirclenetwo
Linda M. Hasselstrom is the author of more than 17 books of nonfiction and poetry focused on the grasslands of western South Dakota, where she is a rancher and resident writer of her Windbreak House. https://windbreakhouse.wordpress.com/
Jo-Ann Vega Has An Interview and An Article Published
A written published interview on the Reader Views Book Blog covers Vega’s writing journey, why she wrote the books Moments in Flight: A Memoir and Wolf Woman & Other Poems, what the experiences were like, and what she’s working on now. Read it at https://readerviewsarchives.wordpress.com/2023/01/20/meet-the-author-vega-wolf-woman-and-other-poems.
You wouldn’t embark on an extended journey without making plans, getting prepared. The same is true for indie writers considering self-publishing. Her article “Considering Self-Publishing? Prepare for the Journey” addresses the size of the publishing market, asks would-be self-publishers two questions [Do you want to be the publisher or collect royalties? and Have you identified the META data?], and offers five tips for working with publishers. Find it at https://www.readerviews.com/considering-self-publishing-prepare-for-the-journey.
Jo-Ann Vega is a devotee of journaling and an always-aspiring wolf woman.
Nine E-circle Members Share Writing
In this 30-minute video, nine women share their responses to the monthly extravaganza prompts shared by Lynn Goodwin.
Margaret Ghielmetti Has Short Story Published In New York Times
Margaret Ghielmetti is delighted to have “A Memory Mea Culpa” published in the New York Times‘ Tiny Love Stories (online: December 27, 2022; Style Section: January 1, 2023.) Tiny Love Stories are maximum 100 words long, and Margaret enjoyed sharing a marital “oops” moment. Her website is www.margaretghielmetti.com.
Margaret is beyond proud that Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist earned Silver in Story Circle’s 2020 Gilda Contest! She aims to inspire readers that it’s never too late to live our lives, and to entertain with her travel mis-adventures.
Jo-Ann Vega’s “Wolf Woman” Receives 5-Star Recognition
Wolf Woman & Other Poems is a curated collection of 50 poems written over 50 years grouped by life stage with a preview of each. Each word portrait draws readers into a powerful connection between the author’s thoughts, feelings, and words. Awake to the life-affirming possibilities within waiting to be discovered. Read the review here.
A devotee of journaling and an always-aspiring wolf woman, Vega lives with her life partner and canine companion.
SCN Congratulates Member Pushcart Nominees
A panel of SCN judges nominated six pieces from our new 2022 anthology, Real Women Write: Seeing Through Their Eyes for the prestigious Pushcart Prize, which annually honors the best writing from this country’s small presses. We’re proud to recognize these excellent writers (in alphabetical order):
Sharon L. Charde — Five Women Around a Table
Linda Healy — Will Work For Food
Len Leatherwood — My Mother and Her Pain
Teresa Lynn — Lines
Janet Grace Riehl — I Will Take You Halfway
Christina M. Wells — Talking About Buffalo With the Dead
Read the nominated pieces, and many more, in Seeing Through Their Eyes.
Isidra Mencos Featured in Interview
Isidra Mencos was interviewed by Brendan O’Meara in The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. It was a juicy one-hour conversation about her debut memoir, Promenade of Desire, the art and craft of writing asynchronous narratives, writing about complex family relationships and about sex, and the impact of politics and history in private lives. Listen at https://brendanomeara.com/isidra-mencos-promenade-of-desire/.
Isidra Mencos, PhD, has had essays published in numerous literary magazines and has been listed as a Notable Essayist in The Best American Essays anthology. Her memoir Promenade of Desire came out October 2022.
