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Let's Bring Back Oakland Bookmobile

While rewriting the section in my new guide…the section on how to use words (tags) to find information on the World Wide Web, and, using “library advocacy” as an example, I came upon this blog post (about creating National Bookmobile Day during National Library Week 2010):  http://olos.ala.org/columns/?p=17

So, I submitted the following comment to that blog:

Mr. Swendroswki,

Your post regarding the proposal from ALA Subcommittee on Bookmobiles and the approval from ALA Public Awareness Committee to designate April 14, 2010 as National Bookmobile Day brings me joy.  I will share this news with fellow authors and “Save the Libraries” advocates.

In Oakland, CA, we have lost our bookmobile (and other library resources) when City officials passed the budget last year 2009.  Eliminating the Bookmobile has created a huge loss for library patrons, especially kids and seniors.  I invite all Bookmobile lovers/patrons to help by sharing their opinions on http://savethelibraries.spaces.live.com.  Please click on” YOUR Bookmobile Story” and share yours. Or email your story to save-the-libraries@live.com.

Thank you, ALA Subcommittee on Bookmobiles and ALA Public Awareness Committee!  I will celebrate all Bookmobiles during National Library Week 2010.

American Library Association http://www.ala.org/
California Library Association http://www.cla-net.org/
Oakland Public Library http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/

Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan “Let’s use our mighty voices to speak out for libraries!”
Library Advocate, author, writing-career coach
http://www.WritingCoachTeresa.com

Click on “Teresa’s Blog”

Or visit: http://writingcoachteresa.wordpress.com

Motoko Rich’s article in The New York Times got me running to my bookshelves to look for my copy of The Portable Jung that was edited by Joseph Campbell. Jung’s text was translated by R.F.C. Hull.

On the same shelf is The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler–this book (about archetypes and stages of the hero’s journey) is one of the secret tools in my Writer’s Tool Box.

When I edit a manuscript, I always look for ways to help my client identify the archetypes in his/her story.  Memorable characters make for a good read.

Rich says that The Red Book is considered the Holy Grail by many Jungians. Speaking of the Holy Grail, I saw Angela Berquist, Ph.D. and her husband Michael Betts at the California Writers Club party in San Mateo this month.  Angela is the author of The Grail Reclaimed: A New View of An Old Symbol.

Motoko Rich’s article in The New York Times “Dreamy Sales of Jung Book Stir Analysis”
Published: December 24, 2009

Excerpts from Motoko Rich's article "Dreamy Sales of Jung Book Stir Analysis" in The New York Times

Excerpts from the article:
As online and big-box retailers hustle to outdo themselves in discounts, “The Red Book” by Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, has surprised booksellers and its publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, by bucking the economy and becoming difficult, and in some cases impossible, to find in bookstores around the country.

“We were absolutely amazed,” said Elaine Petrocelli, an owner of Book Passage, an independent company with bookstores in San Francisco and suburban Corte Madera, Calif. “Here you have a $195 book in what’s supposed to be a bad time, and we have many, many orders for it. I think we have over 20 orders for it.”

The book is considered the Holy Grail by many Jungians, who for years had only heard rumors of its existence. For decades Jung’s descendants kept the original, leather-bound volume, which Jung worked on between 1912 and 1928, locked in a bank vault.

Full article on:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/books/25jung.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=cm_dly_lnk

New Year’s approaching, new year to give your writing project a new look.

Ask me, Writing Coach Teresa, to edit 22 pages at a time.
Gain tools from my coaching with each installment of your manuscript. Affordable too.

Learn how to use  archetypes, themes/universal messages, metaphors, hooks, foreshadows, pivotal plot points, seamless transitions, and poignancy to make your story a page-turner.
I like to edit fiction and narrative non-fiction with strong and quirky protagonists, memoirs, young adult fiction, and short stories.

Visit http://WritingCoachTeresa.com home page to find out what it means when an agent or editor tells a writer that his/her story is episodic.

Writing Coach & Manuscript Consultant Teresa LeYung Ryan who helps writers 22 pages at a time.

California Writers’ Club–SF Peninsula Branch Presents
“Build Your Name While You Write”
with Writing-Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

January 16, 2010, 10am to noon
Belmont Library, 1110 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Belmont, CA
Cost: $15  CWC members;  $18 non-members

Reservations are advised:
Call 650-615-8331 to leave a message or email Chris Wachlin at <reservations@sfpeninsulawriters.com> with your name and the meeting date.

More info & PayPal available on:  http://cwc-peninsula.org

Can you relate to any one of these statements?

* Agents and acquisition editors say publishers prefer to work with authors who are already celebrities or have established platforms (i.e. means to build fan base).  How do I compete?

* I am published. There aren’t enough hours in a day to write, let alone run around and network.

* I believe in my writing and I’m committed to building my career, but, my budget is limited.

Optional exercises before January 16:  http://cwc-peninsula.org/

On January 16, 2010 Teresa will debut her guide Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published

Teresa LeYung Ryan’s bio:  http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

What a fun party!  California Writers Club-San Francisco Peninsula Branch members celebrated the holidays with 5 literary agents from the Bay Area. President Tory Hartmann and the planning committee provided a lovely environment, delicious Hors d’oeuvre, and delightful energy.

CWC SF Peninsula Branch President Tory Hartmann with 5 dynamic literary agents

I saw one member whom I hadn’t seen in 5 or more years–Bob Davis.  And Angela Berquist! She got one novel (An Unlikely Apprentice) and one non-fiction (The Grail Reclaimed: A New View of an Old Symbol) published!

Joyce Robins (Aunt Lydia’s Trousseau: 28 Stories of a Toronto Girlhood 1923-1938) is published!

Margaret Davis received her advance reading copy of her novel (Straight Down the Middle) from her publisher–so exciting!

Seated: Ruth Silnes & Diane Warner; Standing: Bob Davis, Mary Knippel, Valerie Lee, Teresa LeYung Ryan, Margaret Davis

Joyce Robins shows off her new book Aunt Lydia's Trousseau, Teresa LeYung Ryan cheers for her

I love to see friends happily published!

This is the writers’ club that launched my career in 1997.

Old and new members have a special place in my heart.

Michael Betts & his wife author Angela Berquist

Margaret Davis receives her advance reading copy from publisher for proofing

CWC members having fun at Dec 12 2009 party

Colleague Margie Yee Webb forwarded this exciting news:

Submissions accepted Jan. 1, 2010-Mar. 1, 2010

Submit your poetry to the 3rd Annual Poets 11!

San Francisco poets, get your pens—Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and their Poet-in-Residence Jack Hirschman, together with the San Francisco Public Library,  are pleased to announce Poets 11 2010.  This citywide poetry contest and reading series collects poems from every neighborhood and features poetry readings at branch libraries in each of the City’s 11 districts.

Submissions will be  accepted January 1, 2010 through March 1, 2010.

Submission Guidelines • Must be 18 or over to participate. • Must reside in one of San Francisco’s 11 Districts. For information on city districts, visit sfbos.org.
• Submissions must include a return address, email or phone number and district number for response.
• Poets can submit up to three poems
• Submit by email to poets11@friendssfpl.org, drop off at any branch library or by regular mail to:
Poets 11 Book Bay Fort Mason Fort Mason Center, Bldg. C San Francisco, Ca 94123

The deadline for all submissions is March 1, 2010
Selected poets are announced at each branch event

***Please note that selected poets writings will be published in an anthology***

To download the SubmissionForm:

http://www.friendssfpl.org/assets/pdf/SubmissionForm.pdf

Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and their Poet-in-Residence Jack Hirschman, together with the San Francisco Public Library, are pleased to announce Poets 11 2010.

Local poets are encouraged to submit up to three poems.  Poetry is chosen by Hirschman and selected poets are announced at each of the branch events.  All types of poetry are accepted.  Writings which reflect San Francisco’s diversity of language and culture and those written in languages other than English are highly encouraged.

Selected poets will be presented with a $50 honorarium and their poems will be  published in an anthology.  Now in its third year, Poets 11 celebrates San Francisco’s rich literary life and thriving poetry community.

Beginning in March, selected poets will take the microphone and share their works in a variety of languages and topics.  Eleven events will take place at branch libraries, concluding with a final event featuring all participating poets at the Main Library’s Koret Auditorium on May 8th.

http://www.friendssfpl.org/?Poets_11

11 districts in San Francisco

About Poets 11

In 2007, San Francisco Poet Laureate Jack Hirschman conceived the idea of poetry events at branch libraries where unpublished poets would be able to read, and thus Poets 11 was born. In each district, three poets are selected and given an honorarium of 50 dollars and a framed certificate from the Friends of the SFPL.

Friday, December 4, 2009

If you’re looking for Fringe of Marin Dominican Unversity Community Players (as of January 2010, they do not have a website), contact House/Stage Manager and Director David Kester (his email address is:  DavidK (at) riverpointenapa.com

Playwright Carol Sheldon (in lavender jacket, sitting) cheered by Teresa LeYung Ryan, Diane, Flo, Marisa.

Fringe of Marin.  Memorable one-act plays.

Playwright Carol Sheldon is a fellow member of Women’s National Book Association. Tonight I got to see one of her plays. My friends Diane and Marisa and Marisa’s friend Flo went too. 7  one-act plays were on Program II. One play didn’t get to be performed due to food poison–poor actors. Of the 6 plays, I particularly enjoyed L’Amour or Less (a Timely Comedy written and directed by Carol Sheldon) about how the economic slump impacts a brothel and  Eros and Mors (a Dramedy of Love written by Micheline Birger and directed by David Kester) about 2 gay friends running into each other after 20 years and discovering how they could live out their remaining days together.

Diner Memories (a Family Drama, written by Jim Fazackerley and directed by Naomi Glixman) was poignant. Two grown children grapple with decisions as Alzheimer’s disease ravages their mother. My sitting there, moved by the authenticity of the lines and performances, I thought about Lynn Scott’s memoir A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me.  http://lynnscottbooks.com

Fine acting and direction in all six plays.

In the Artistic Director’s Notes on the program, Dr. Annette Lust ended with:  “Many thanks to our audiences and to the courageous playwrights, directors, actors, and production crew participating in this season’s festival who, despite current financial and other problems facing little theatres, have made the show go on.”

Artistic Director Annette Lust and author Teresa LeYung Ryan

Annette Lust and my friend Diane encouraged me to pull scenes from my novel Love Made of Heart and turn them into an one-act play. That would be a huge project for yours truly who has no experience in play-writing.

Annette also encouraged me to sign up for auditions on January 20, 2010. I have been wanting to observe the process. So much to look forward to.  Aah, the life of a writer and having fun with friends.

Two more performances.  Program II on Saturday Dec.5 at 7:30pm and Program I on Sunday Dec. 6 at 2:00pm (awards follow performance).

Actors Donna Andrews & Stuart Chappell with playwright Carol Sheldon & Teresa LeYung Ryan

Fringe of Marin dedicates its Fall 2009 season to the memory of Mary Walker, a Dominican University English teacher and author who died this fall.

At Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University, San Rafael.  For information, call (415) 673-3131.

Carol Sheldon said she’s looking for the right producer for her 90-minute play Last Call (about the right to die).  I’d go see any and all plays written by Carol. What a gutsy writer!

http://www.fringeofmarin.com

Sincerely,

Teresa

Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan helps writers & authors build their platforms and fanbases and polish their manuscripts by identifying their themes and archetypes.  Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW Coach Teresa says: “Reach out not stress out when pursuing your dreams!”

Novelist Teresa LeYung-Ryan uses Love Made of Heart to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families.

Coach Teresa’s videos http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

http://writingcoachteresa.com

Talk about writers collaborating and having fun… Barbara Whittaker, GM of The Axe & Palm Café, Stanford University, created a literary series and invited yours truly Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, to kick-off the new program on November 12, 2009. Dear friend Elisa Southard, author of Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message, showed up to take photos and video. What a delightful evening.  My hubby was there to record and cheer.

Teresa LeYung Ryan shows Chinese word for "love" and Barbara Whittaker holds Teresa's novel Love Made of Heart

Stanford students Natalia, Chana Rose, Zach with Teresa LeYung Ryan (middle) and Barbara Whittaker (right)

Lyle Ryan & Teresa LeYung Ryan

Stanford students Natalia Birgisson, Chana Rose Rabinovitz and Zach O’Keeffe read scenes with me. These young people made a deep impression on me.

David, thank you for setting up P/A system; Anthony, thank you for tranforming space; Scott (Barbara’s hubby), thank you for helping with sound-check. Friends who couldn’t attend, thank you for sweet  emails and voicemails.

Stanford students & The Axe & Palm Cafe staff are memorable characters.

The heroes & heroines at The Axe & Palm Cafe with Teresa and Barbara, photo by Elisa

Everyone at Stanford who contributed their time and energy also deserve praise.

QUESTIONS that I answered:

• Is Love Made of Heart autobiographical?
• Where do you get your ideas for stories?
• What other genres do you write?
• What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
• You write about sobering subject matters; what do you do for fun?

A portion of the proceeds from book sales was donated to Save-the-Libraries.

Thank you, Barbara Whittaker, for further promoting literacy and sharing your brainchild with us!

Stanford student Mitchell Holt represented Marketing Dept. with authors Teresa LeYung Ryan & Elisa Southard

Protagonist Ruby Lin, Ruby’s mom, Mrs. Nussbaum, Ruby’s boss Chad, and Dr. Thatcher . . . from my novel Love Made of Heart when Stanford students Natalia Birgisson, Chana Rose Rabinovitz, and Zach O’Keeffe read scenes with me on Thursday, November 12, 2009, 7:00-8:00pm.

The Axe & Palm Cafe at Old Union
520 Lasuen Mall, Stanford University, CA 94305

Stanford students Zach O'Keeffe & Chana Rose Rabinovitz & Natalia Birgisson

The hardcover book will be sold for $10; a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Save the Libraries.

Love Made of Heart by Teresa LeYung Ryan

www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Many thanks to Barbara Whittaker (GM of the Axe & Palm Cafe), Arabella Napier (Residence Student Affairs Specialist), Natalia, Chana Rose, Zach, Jemal Diamond in Business Support Services, the folks in the Marketing Dept., student liaisons, and everyone at Stanford for coordinating this much-anticipated event. Cheers to the Axe & Palm culinary staff!

Map of Stanford Campus: http://campus-map.stanford.edu/index.cfm?ID=02-580

Menu: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/shaa/pdfs/2009TheAxeandPalm_menu.pdf

 
How The Axe & Palm Cafe got its name? http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/shaa/pdfs/storyoftheaxeandpalm.pdf

This is what happened.  Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter sponsored an author showcase and silent auction in November 2007 at the Mechanics Institute Library.  I was one of thirteen WNBA member-authors showcasing our books.  This event was a fundraiser for the chapter, so, many of us donated prizes for the silent auction.  I donated one hour of consultation (help a writer with her/his pitch, query letter or synopsis, or, platform building/career coaching).

Rita Lakin, author of the Gladdy Gold comedy-mystery series, donated a set of her novels and a chance to be a character in her upcoming novel!  Well, I placed my bid for that.  How fun is that—to be a character (no matter how minor) in a mystery novel written by Rita.

Networking.  Great food.  Being with friends and colleagues.  Having fun. Every fifteen minutes I dash over to the auction display table to check the bid sheet for the prize I want.   Good.  I’m still the highest bidder.  Sure hope I get it.

Author Showcase portion of the event begins.  Each author gets a minute or two to talk about her book.   Fun to listen to all the other authors.  Rita Lakin says that her protagonist is modeled after her mom.

Women's National Book Association members at Mechanics Institute Library November 2007 Rita Lakin is second from the right standing

We sell and autograph books. I am having a lovely time.

Okay last chance to place bids.  I see several people going by where Rita’s auction item is displayed, but, I can’t tell whether they’re writing something on the bid sheet.  The auctioneer announces, “Bidding is now closed.”

It’s not often one can be a character in Rita’s novels.  Her cast of the mainstay characters is already large.  True, there are always the new villains in each novel, but, those names are already assigned, their character profiles already determined.  Rita says she has to get creative to match the auction winner’s name and physical traits or personality to a minor character’s profile.

Breathe.  If I don’t get it this time, well, maybe the next auction, the novel after this one. But what if I can’t attend the next auction?

The auctioneer is walking over to the display table, announcing the winners.  She’s standing in front of the prize I want.  “What do we have here?” she says, “A set of novels featuring P.I. Gladdy Gold, by Rita Lakin, and a chance to be a character in her upcoming novel!  The highest bid is from Teresa LeYung Ryan!”

Yahoo! I think I’m jumping up and down like a cheerleader.

Teresa LeYung Ryan got a set of Rita Lakin's mystery series and a chance to be ...

That was November 2007.

Getting Old Is a Disaster hits the bookstores in January 2009.  Page 104 Protagonist P.I. Gladdy Gold and Jack her sweetheart head out to Key West for their romantic getaway.  Hurray.  By the time they reach Islamorada though, the rain is seriously coming down.  By the time they pass Marathon, the wind is howling and the rain is pelting down.  Ah, the Brown Pelican Inn, a charming faux-Victorian B&B.  At the desk, the checkout line is longer than the registration line, which consists of just Gladdy and Jack.  The manager introduces herself as Teresa LeYung . . .

[Since one of Rita Lakin’s mainstay minor characters in the series is Denny Ryan (and my last name is also Ryan), to make the manager Teresa LeYung Ryan might mislead readers.  So, in this spellbinding mystery that involves a hurricane unearthing a fifty-year-old skeleton, I got to be a minor minor character.  What a thrill!  What a major event for me.]

September 27, 2009

Speech for Salinas Libraries Centennial Celebrations and Read-In Reunion

Kathy Richman translates Teresa LeYung Ryan's speech into Spanish

Greetings.  I am Teresa LeYung Ryan, the author of Love Made of Heart.  The title of my book describes the Chinese character for “love.”  Inside the character “love” is the word “heart.”

It is a story about an immigrant-mother’s love and sacrifices; it’s about her daughter who ultimately finds self-forgiveness.

Today I’m here to wish Salinas Public Libraries a happy birthday and another hundred years of “open doors for open minds!”   The California Writers Club is also celebrating their centennial birthday this year!   I give a shout, out to all the branches of CWC!

To honor today’s celebrations, I have written a letter to my mom, who died of metastasized breast cancer in 2000.

Dear MaMa,
Guess where I am today?  In Salinas, California, the birthplace of your mother.

4 years ago, Lyle and I packed our tent and sleeping bags to join library advocates at the 24-Hour Emergency Read-In.

Kathy Richman helped me read a mother-daughter scene from my novel.  The reading was fun, so was camping out, but, we all knew what would happen if our beloved libraries were going to be shut down.

It is 4 years late.  The Salinas libraries are thriving because of community love and support.  Three weeks ago, when I opened Patti Fashing’s email about a re-union, I ran to check my calendar.

So, this time, instead of packing sleeping bags, Lyle packed a canopy.  We carpooled with Patrick Camacho of Save-the-Libraries.

You see, MaMa, public libraries have a special place in my heart.  Remember when I used to tell you?: “I won’t be home after school, I’m going to the library.”

Well, that’s where I really went.  I wrote all my book reports there. Even though I could have brought home the books and read them in our apartment, I chose to read and write in my quiet and safe place. The library was my sanctuary.

All those years, I never thanked you and Father for the great sacrifices you both made—packing up your lives, leaving Hong Kong, so that your 3 children would get an education.

Here in the U.S.A. we the children gained the power of reading and writing while you struggled with a new language in a new world.

I thank you now, for having the wisdom to let me spend many hours at my quiet and safe place. Those days I was a scared little girl and felt that I had nothing to say.  But how I loved writing book reports.

These days I am speaking out for libraries—at city council meetings; through letters to editors; through emails; on my blog and other blogs.

Also, I am using the gift of reading and writing to honor immigrant-stories; to advocate compassion for mental illness; to help survivors of family violence find their own voices; to encourage parents and grown-children to speak from the heart.

Today I celebrate libraries, librarians, patrons, and everyone involved in organizing this lovely party. I celebrate California Writers Club.  I celebrate you, MaMa. You are all love made of heart.