FWA St. Pete Meeting June 9th with speaker Sara Im

For our June 9th Meeting, Author Sara Im will be speaking. As usual, we'll meet at the Main Branch St. Pete Library at 6 PM. Networking/mingling begins at 5:30 PM. This meeting is open to the public.

June 9th~ Hope, Love, and Determination

BIO

Author SARA IM endured four brutal years in a forced labor camp that became known as “The Killing Fields” in Cambodia, suffering multiple serious diseases simultaneously. With no access to medical care, nutrition, proper rest nor adequate sleep, she had gone near death several times. However, with God’s grace, her strong love for her family and her hope had compelled her to survive. Sara found her way back to good health through good nutrition and proper total self- care, body, mind and spirit. Sara escaped from Cambodia and arrived in US in 1981. She graduated from college in 1987. Today, Sara run a business “Smart Healthy Living” that enhances people’s life through the use of effective natural nutrition and safe personal care products. She is an author of her inspirational award-winning book “How I Survived the Killing Fields: A Story of Hope, Love and Determination.”

Sara's website: www.smarthealthylivingtoday.info/

FWA St. Pete May 12th Meeting

For our May 12th Meeting, author Brigitte Moore will be speaking. As usual, we'll meet at the Main Branch St. Pete Library at 6 PM. Networking/mingling begins at 5:30 PM. This meeting is open to the public.

May 12th~ A Writer's Journey from Post-War Germany to America

BIO

BRIGITTE MOORE was born and reared in Germany. She worked twenty-five years for a small Import/Export company in Long Island, NY. Apprenticing as clerk, she worked her way up to Vice President of Sales and Product Development. In this capacity she travelled across the United States, in Europe and the Far East. Now retired, she lives in Florida where she enjoys reading, writing, and Tai Chi. She has been a Hospice Volunteer for nineteen years. Brigitte is the proud grandmother of two grandsons, who inspired her memoir, Finding Home.

Her website: www.brigittedmoore.wordpress.com

Journey through Journaling

Linda Burhans spoke to an attentive group on Thursday, August 9th, about journaling and how it can help you as a writer. In addition, she focused on how everyone has a story to tell, and a journal is a way to tell that story. Sharing her own story with the group included a mixture of touching loss and laughing discovery. It's a journey we all know to some degree.
One thing powerful in journaling is its ability to heal. Linda uses multiple journals to separate her different feelings or focus so they won't 'contaminate' each other. This way she can choose to burn her journal of anger without anyone seeing it, and still share her one of joy with those closest to her.
I've attempted journaling in the past, but always felt it was more like keeping a diary, and was something I'd never want revealed. Linda showed that a proper journal can become a book of universal truth and experience, something that can be used by others to confront their own story.
And finally, a journal can be a gift, a memory of those we cherished, to be shared with those we love.

Diane Marcou Addresses Largest Crowd

Diane Marcou, ghostwriter, collaborator and memoirist enlightened the largest crowd of the year at Thursday’s general meeting on April 9^th. She handled questions during her presentation, covering fine points and her unique perspective on writing a memoir, and read from several books she has in print or in production. Diane covered the gamut of topics from her experiences in editing and working with others in producing a story that is both entertaining and personal.

Attendance reached 31, our highest total so far this year, at the last meeting at the Main library before it undergoes renovations. From May through August we will hold meetings at the North branch of the library. Details will follow shortly.

-- John