Next Meeting

Effective November 22, 2019, the St. Petersburg Writers Group is inactive. We hope meet again sometime in 2020.
Thank you for your interest.





Upcoming Speaker BIOS 2019


2019


November 21st ~ Thursday 

Methods of Research for Fiction and Non-Fiction
Speaker: Sylvia Weiss Sinclair




Sylvia Weiss Sinclair is a first generation American on her father’s side, who came from Szatmar, Hungary.  Her mother was born of immigrant parents from Austria and Hungary.  She was born in Los Angeles, California after World War II, one of the first “Baby Boomers.”  She started journaling when she was thirteen years old and continued throughout her life. Her mother was a story-teller, recounting what life was like raised in Alabama on a farm and about her parents who came from Europe.  

Sparking interest in family history, she interviewed the oldest members of her family and researched their origins.  Putting it all together, she wrote family histories of her mother’s parents for all the relatives on her mother’s side of the family and her two brothers and two sons.  Fledermama’s Son is her first published novel bases on her travels to Romania.  She now lives in Bay Minette, Alabama, not far from her maternal grandparents’ farm and is a member of the BayMinette Writers' Group, the Alabama Writers' Forum and the Alabama Writers Conclave. 



sylsinclair@gmail.com




October 17th ~ Thursday ~ No meeting

September 19th ~ Thursday


Cover Design:  Tips to Create a Cover on Your Own or to Prepare for Hiring a Designer

Speaker: Deb Von Cannon


This mini-course will cover the basic elements of cover design, how writers can develop their own basic cover and what should be prepared for and provided to a cover designer for-hire. The participants will have a hands-on experience of design elements, learn about some of the tools they can use to create their own covers and discuss a checklist of what to prepare should they decide to hire a cover designer.


Deb Von Cannon is an Army veteran and the small-business owner of Urban Artist Florida Studio LLC in St. Petersburg, Florida.  In 2019, two divisions were added: 1) Zoë-Milles Publishing, to assist those needing technical assistance and writing services for their self-published works and 2) Forward Flight Photography, photo services for custom photography, author bio photos and the artist's private collection of work. Deb has designed over 15 book covers since 2017 for local-area authors in addition to creating a food-truck wrap design, custom logos, business cards and multiple fine art pieces. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Studio Art, and an A.A. in Drafting Technologies with over 14 years of drafting and design experience. She is currently working on a degree in English in preparation for graduate level studies at USF St. Petersburg. She lives in the Historic Kenwood District with her husband, Martin, and dog, Luna. Deb has been a member of the Artist Enclave Historic Kenwood (AEHK) since 2016. Her studio website can be viewed at www.urbanartistflorida.com.  She can be reached at deb@urbanartistflorida.com.



August 15th ~ Thursday

The Basics of Marketing

Speaker: Elle Andrews Patt

The Basics of Marketing will cover why and how to set up an author page at Facebook, boosting posts, targeted ads, autoresponders and the role of landing pages in email list creation, and highlight ad basics on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have a laptop or iPad, please come prepared to work. 

Elle Andrews Patt's short fiction has been published in online and print magazines such as Saw Palm, Solarcide, and The Rag, as well as several anthologies. She has won several RPLA awards in both short fiction and novel categories, and an honorable mention from The Writers of the Future for "Prelude To A Murder Conviction", which was originally published by DarkFuse Magazine. Her book-length work is represented by the Donald Maass Literary Agency. She blogs for the FWA on "The Writing Life", and speaks on the writing life and marketing basics for authors. 


July 18th ~ Thursday

Speaker had to cancel due to family emergency.
 



Cover Design:  Tips to Create a Cover on Your Own or to Prepare for Hiring a Designer



Speaker: Deb Von Cannon


This mini-course will cover the basic elements of cover design, how writers can develop their own basic cover and what should be prepared for and provided to a cover designer for-hire. The participants will have a hands-on experience of design elements, learn about some of the tools they can use to create their own covers and discuss a checklist of what to prepare should they decide to hire a cover designer.



Deb Von Cannon is an Army veteran and the small-business owner of Urban Artist Florida Studio LLC in St. Petersburg, Florida.  In 2019, two divisions were added: 1) Zoë-Milles Publishing, to assist those needing technical assistance and writing services for their self-published works and 2) Forward Flight Photography, photo services for custom photography, author bio photos and the artist's private collection of work. Deb has designed over 15 book covers since 2017 for local-area authors in addition to creating a food-truck wrap design, custom logos, business cards and multiple fine art pieces. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Studio Art, and an A.A. in Drafting Technologies with over 14 years of drafting and design experience. She is currently working on a degree in English in preparation for graduate level studies at USF St. Petersburg. She lives in the Historic Kenwood District with her husband, Martin, and dog, Luna. Deb has been a member of the Artist Enclave Historic Kenwood (AEHK) since 2016. Her studio website can be viewed at www.urbanartistflorida.com.  She can be reached at deb@urbanartistflorida.com.

June 20th ~ Thursday


Hook Your Readers with Effective World-Building

Speaker: Bria Burton


All genres (fantasy, science fiction, literary, thriller, mystery, etc.) have an element of world-building. Come learn how to build a world (real or imagined) to suit your readers while immersing them in a place that keeps them reading. For those who are interested, bring pen and paper (laptops/iPads, etc.) for a writing exercise at the end.

Author Bria Burton has over twenty short fiction publications in magazines and anthologies. Her imagination often gets carried away, which is why world-building is one of her favorite aspects of writing. She lives in St. Pete with her wonderful husband, darling son, and two wild pets. 
Visit her website: http://www.briaburton.com


May 16th ~ Thursday


How to Submit Prose and Poetry to the Literary Journal Marketplace

Speaker: Julieanna Blackwell

Julieanna Blackwell is an editor for 805 Literary and Arts Journal, the first literary journal published by a library in the country. She is also the instructor of the Elements & Arcs series of writing classes and workshops. Her short stories and essays have appeared in several publications including Lunch Ticket, Slippery Elm Literary Journal, Ragazine, and featured in SCENE Magazine’s yearly beach read issues. She was a finalist for the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award. The Naples Daily News published her humorous column of personal essays. A native Chicagoan, she lives in Florida. You can visit her at www.julieannablackwell.com.



February 11th~MONDAY

Barbara S. Ponce Public Library
(also known as Pinellas Park Public Library)
7770 52nd Street North
Pinellas Park 33781
727-369-0669

Presentation begins at 6 PM; mingling at 5:30 PM

Tools of the Trade for the Independent Author - 
Lose the Stress and Keep Your Hair

Speaker: Martin Von Cannon


Martin is a science fiction / fantasy writer living in the St. Petersburg area. As he read way too many comic books as a kid, he writes superhero stories in both novel and short story format. His books can be found on Amazon, Smashwords, and other eBook retailers.



January 10th~
If You Think Writing Is Hard, You’re Not Doing It Right

Speaker: Tom Cuba


Tom discusses the many ways to make writing easy and fun.  Having heard time and again, how so many writers find writing hard, Tom found himself perplexed.  Writing is easy and entertaining.  In his talk, Tom presents his own special way of making it, and keeping it, a pleasant experience.



Tom is a former Naval Intelligence Officer, Professional Consulting Ecologist, adjunct professor at St. Pete College, firearms instructor, SCUBA instructor, and wilderness survival instructor.  Currently Tom is an essayist, political consultant, poet, novelist, and the managing director of Dark Horse Florida Publishing, LLC.

2018

November 8~
The Poetry of Art/The Art of Poetry: The Methodology of Ekphrastic Writing

Speaker: Rob McCabe
CANCELED: WILL BE RESCHEDULED


The workshop will be part lecture, part experiential, so please bring paper and writing tools. After a brief introduction on the nature of ekphrastic writing, Rob will have art cards to pass around from which people can choose to write something based on their visual prompt either using flash fiction or poetry (ekphrastic writing is in response to a particular piece of visual art).


Queer-identified writer Rob McCabe writes in many different forms: poetry, fiction, plays, and screenplays. In June 2016, Mr. McCabe received an MFA in the Creative Writing low-residency program at the University of Tampa, in Tampa, Florida.  His poems, Memento Mori; Hymn to Adonis; Summer Symphony; and Hymn to Pan were published in RFD magazine, while his poem Junky was published in the chapbook, “Sunny Side Down: A Charles Bukowski Tribute” by Patchouli Press in November 2017. Two of his fiction pieces were also published: one, Revelation, in “Discovery: GSF’S Second Annual Flash Fiction Contest” published by Mischief Corner Books in 2015; the other, Gotterdammerung in “Dawn of the Donald: Tampa Bay Writers on an Imaginary Presidency,” a book of dystopian fiction, was published by Tiffany Razzano and Wordier Than Thou, and released in April 2018. He has performed at several open mics including The Studio@620, the First Stop Poetry Fusion Open Mic, The Hive, and The Steep Station in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at The Blueberry Patch in Gulfport, Florida. In June 2018 he had his first collection of poetry published by Dark Horse Florida Publishing. Mr. McCabe has also taught playwriting for Keep St. Pete Lit, and two ekphrastic poetry workshops for Wordier Than Thou. He loves to listen to Goth music and loves watching and reading horror and fantasy.
https://www.facebook.com/Poet-Rob-McCabe-1434497329983652/















• Council Member, Pinellas County Economic Development
- See more at: http://www.tampabaynewswire.com/knowhowe#sthash.GqVAdIXT.dpuf
Nancy has spent the vast majority of her life in Pinellas County and began her publishing career at the St. Petersburg Times while attending USF, majoring in archaeology.  She moved on to become the Managing Editor of Art & Design News (an international graphic arts magazine), and then to Maddux Business Report 22 years ago – starting out as circulation director, moving to associate publisher and then publisher for the past 12 years and publisher of Maddux NewsWire for the past two years.
At the Maddux Business Report she was involved in all of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Organizations as well as the major ones across the high tech corridor. Nancy continues to sit on the boards of some of these organizations.
When the Maddux Business Report closed in June of 2010, Nancy continued on as publisher of the daily NewsWire and founded KnowHowe. It was the ideal transition based on her background of writing, editing and publishing.
On a personal front, Nancy was one of the founding officers of the Tampa Bay Fossil Club (sponsored by MOSI and USF) and has received awards for paleontology discoveries; for writing and producing a nationally recognized monthly fossil newsletter; and for publishing various archeology and paleontology books.
Current Community Involvement
• Mentor, Gazelle Lab
• Council Member, Pinellas County Economic Development
- See more at: http://www.tampabaynewswire.com/knowhowe#sthash.GqVAdIXT.dpuf
At the Maddux Business Report she was involved in all of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Organizations as well as the major ones across the high tech corridor. Nancy continues to sit on the boards of some of these organizations.
When the Maddux Business Report closed in June of 2010, Nancy continued on as publisher of the daily NewsWire and founded KnowHowe. It was the ideal transition based on her background of writing, editing and publishing.
On a personal front, Nancy was one of the founding officers of the Tampa Bay Fossil Club (sponsored by MOSI and USF) and has received awards for paleontology discoveries; for writing and producing a nationally recognized monthly fossil newsletter; and for publishing various archeology and paleontology books.
Current Community Involvement
• Mentor, Gazelle Lab
• Council Member, Pinellas County Economic Development
- See more at: http://www.tampabaynewswire.com/knowhowe#sthash.GqVAdIXT.dpuf

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