Archive for the ‘Being an ESL Student / Speaker’ Category

We Didn’t Know What Questions to Ask the Police – Missing Person

Speaking Up & Asking for Help on Behalf of Folks Who Cannot Speak for Themselves

To follow up on my July 25, 2010 post . . .

My cousin (mentally disabled adult—capacity of a ten-year-old or younger) was reported as “missing.”

She had never left the house by herself but she did this particular night (around midnight)

She was in her slippers, denim trousers and fleece jacket.

She was recovering from surgery.

To help your loved ones when working with the police… If we had prior experience with “missing person” these would be the questions to ask the police:

• Will other counties be alerted?
• Will public transportation systems in our county and other counties be alerted? How about BART?
• What if she got into a stranger’s car?
• Will hospital emergency rooms be alerted?
• How can we work fast to ask neighbors if they saw our loved one around the time of the disappearance?  How do we disseminate fliers?

• Also, get names of officers, phone numbers, and report/case numbers.
• Ask “What will happen next?” “Then what?”  “Who will be in charge then?”

Thank you, San Francisco Police Dept.!      http://sf-police.org/

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Thank You to My Husband

Two days ago I received this email:

Dear Ms. Ryan,

I am commissioned by Scarecrow Press to write Historical Dictionary of Asian American lit and theater and would very much like to include you . . .  I have found all necessary info from your website, except for your educational background. Would you mind providing me with your degrees, majors, and universities?

Many thanks,
Wenying

Wenying Xu, Ph.D
Professor & Chair
Department of English
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL 33431

My reply:

Dear Professor Xu,

Thank you for wanting to include my profile in your project.

May I see your final write-up of my profile before you submit it to Scarecrow Press?

I’d be honored if you could include my favorite quote:

Author Teresa LeYung Ryan says: “You have the power to materialize your dearest dreams. Transform Your Personal Experiences Into Potent Stories.”

Education:
Lowell High School, San Francisco
I do not have a college degree; I have taken courses at City College of San Francisco, Skyline College, U.C. Berkeley Extension; I have attended many writing workshops; I have created and delivered many writing workshops; I believe that the more I read the better writer I become.

Again, thank you for wanting to include me in the Historical Dictionary of Asian American lit and theater.

How did you find me?

Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan

Why am I entitling this post “Thank You to My Husband” ?

Because . . . I work hard as a writer, and, I work well when I’m in lovely space that has “good vibrations.”  My husband helped me get to the place where I am today and I thank him!

As an author and community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and helps survivors of violence find their own voices through writing.

Writers Take Care of Ourselves!

“20 Fun, Easy & Effective Ways To Manage and Reduce Stress”.

Get Access Here: http://www.premiersummits.com/cmd.php?Clk=3822318

Premier Summits Live Event: July 20-26, 2010

Remember, all live events are updated at 9am Eastern Time (2 PM Greenwich Mean Time) every day. The events of the day will only be available starting at that time, for the next 24 hours.

I listened to Diana Fletcher “Stress Reducing Strategies for a Busy & Hectic Lifestyle”

Top points I gained from Diana:

• Make time to breathe deeply – put one hand on belly; inhale through the nose & exhale through the mouth
• Drink water – to hydrate the body; to correct false-cravings for food
• Create buffer time – after turning off electronic gadgets (including TV or computer), give myself quiet time before going to sleep.

I listened to Elizabeth Diamond “How to Create the Life of Your Dreams Using the Intentional Scrapbooking Method^TM”

Top points I gained from Elizabeth:

• Identity the picture of what success looks like and create the scrapbook page/vision board (or “collage” as Mary E. Knippel of Open Up To Your Creativity would say); find material for the platform (paper, cardboard, T-shirt . . . )
• Feel the joy when I use “I statement” to see my dream in my mind’s eye (Teresa’s example:  “I am the female business owner who has given millions of dollars to thousands of charities worldwide.”  This is my dream–to help people on the planet by being a creator of prosperity–like philanthropist Paul Newman and Newman’s Own Foundation.)
• Take a photo of myself while I am looking at my scrapbook page/vision board/collage and feeling the sensations of success; use the photo as inspiration. (Teresa’s example:  “Before I found my agent and before my publisher found me through my agent, I did create ‘This is what I would look like as a published author’ pictures for myself.  I’m happy to say that I celebrated my novel’s seventh anniversary in October)

Thank you to my sister who told me about Premier Summits –  free online audio events!

Thank you, Tom Nicoli for hosting and Keith Jennison for producer the series!

Thank you to all the presenters!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Author Teresa LeYung Ryan wears two hats.

• As a novelist, she uses her book Love Made of Heart to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer.
• As a writing career coach and creator of Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published, Teresa helps writers identify their mission statements to attract agents, publishers and fans.

Her website WritingCoachTeresa.com offers resources for writers and readers.

Uncle Bernie & Uncle Bill!

This summer my sister introduced me to The Bernie Mac Show which ran from 2001 to 2006.  I found a dozen episodes on YouTube.

What a character!  What an uncle!  Bernie Mac (a comedian) and his wife Wanda take in his sister’s 3 kids and he does his best as a “Mr. Mom” to his nephew and two nieces.   Wanda reminds Bernie the meaning of “family” by her generous acts whenever he gets overwhelmed.

Bernie Mac is played by Bernard Jeffrey McCullough http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Mac and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285341/

I thank the writers of The Bernie Mac Show for the funny lines that carry powerful messages; I thank Bernie Mac for entertaining “America.”

Turn back the calendar to 1966-1971  Another uncle who makes sacrifices is the character Bill Davis in Family Affair when he takes in 3 kids (2 nieces and 1 nephew).  Mr. French is the real hero though—his role as Davis’s gentleman’s gentleman is transformed into Mr. Nanny + Housekeeper.  Davis is portrayed by Brian Kieth and Mr. French by Sebastian Cabot.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059982/ The writers of Family Affair also wrote memorable lines. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Author Teresa LeYung Ryan wears two hats.

• As a novelist, she uses her book Love Made of Heart to inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer.
• As a writing career coach and creator of Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published, Teresa helps writers identify their mission statements to attract agents, publishers and fans.

WritingCoachTeresa.com offers resources for writers and readers.

My first experiences with hypnosis and self-hypnosis came from Angie Choi.  http://alivehypnosis.com/ I’ll talk more about remarkable Angie in another post.

Today I wish to share this information (lead came from my sister) with everyone who is connecting through my blog posts.  Writers need to manage and reduce stress too:

Free Online Audio Event • July 20 – 26, 2010

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hi Teresa,
It’s Tom Nicoli here. In this crazy economy and busy lifestyle
we all could use some ways to reduce everyday stress.

20 top professionals have come together for a free online
event. They are all sharing great information. It’s called
“20 Fun, Easy & Effective Ways To Manage and Reduce Stress”.

Get Access Here: http://www.premiersummits.com/cmd.php?Clk=3822318

I’m going to be there. Remember, it’s all free, and it
starting really soon. After you sign in to get all the
information for free, tell everyone you know. They’ll
want to know about this too.

All the best,
Tom
Hypnosis World Summit

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan

As a writing career coach and creator of Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published, Teresa LeYung Ryan helps writers identify their mission statements to attract agents, publishers and fans.  http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

As the author of Love Made of Heart and community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and helps survivors of violence find their own voices through writing.  http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Another Day in the Life of a Published Author/Presenter/Advocate of Literacy

Dear Writers,

I encourage everyone to finish writing that story or that book and find ways to get your work published in print form.  When I first set out to write Love Made of Heart (originally entitled Grace) over 20 years ago, my dream was to someday touch readers the way Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior had touched me.

Since Love Made of Heart got published in October 2002 by Kensington Publishing Corp., New York, I have had the opportunities to make connections with readers not only with the book but also through personal appearances at community events, writers’ conferences, writers’ organizations, schools and libraries.  Connecting with people through promoting literacy is my favorite role as an author.

Today I received this email which made me sad, but, I got a chance to offer a piece of me as an author. Thank you, Donna, for emailing me.

Hello Teresa!  My name is Donna Axelson. I am on the board of the non-profit Veterans Memorial that was built in 2007 in Cupertino, CA. I became involved with this project because my son, Matthew Axelson, a Navy SEAL, was killed in Afghanistan in 2005. If you have read the New York Times Bestseller Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell you have read about Matthew and Operation Redwing.

One of my major jobs with the non-profit is to chair the annual golf tournament that supports the Memorial. This is our fifth year to hold the golf tournament and one of the most sought after auction items is children’s books signed by local authors. I’m hoping you would be willing to donate a copy of one of your books this year for the auction. The golf tournament this year is Monday, August 23 @ the Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club. You can reach me at ____ and you can view our website at www.cupertinoveteransmemorial.org

Are you a golfer? We’d love to have you join us for golf or how about coming just for the dinner, auctions, and program. See attachment.  http://www.cupertinoveteransmemorial.org/golf_tournament.html

Thank you!

Donna Axelson

This is my reply to Donna:

Tue, Jul 13, 2010

Dear Donna,

My heart is heavy as I read your email about how you got involved with Veterans Memorial.

Donna, I would be honored to donate a copy of Love Made of Heart (to honor your love for Matthew); however my book is not a children’s book. It is recommended by the California Reading Association and the California School Library Association (for high-school and college level); it’s archived at the San Francisco History Center. The main character is in her twenties.

This link has more information about the book:
http://lovemadeofheart.com/Love-Made-of-Heart-journey-of-an-adult-child-of-a-mentally-ill-parent.html

• Do let me know if you still want a copy of Love Made of Heart.

• I am the creator of “Heroes, Tricksters, and Villains” (a writing workshop for children). If you ever want such a presentation for another fundraiser, please invite me.

• You might want to also contact Frances Kakugawa, the author of Wordsworth the Poet and Wordsworth Dances The Waltz.    http://www.francesk.org/homepage.html Please tell Frances hello for me if you email her.

• Donna, are you a writer?  There must be a branch of California Writers Club near you. http://calwriters.org/

• Lastly, how did you find me?

Sincerely,
Teresa
Teresa LeYung Ryan

The following day, Donna emailed again:

Teresa,

I looked up your book so know a bit about it already. We have at least one foursome of high school and college age golfers plus parents of those same age young people golf. Plus our CEO is involved with the Organization of Special Needs families in our area. I think your book would be a wonderful addition to our auction. Please send it to the address below % CVM Golf Tournament.

I will contact Frances. Thank you for her information.

Last year when I went to the Linden Tree in Los Altos (Dennis and Linda always donate books for the auction.) I purchased a book 2007 Writers and Illustrators Network Guide [Authors and Illustrators Network Guide] and you were in that book.

Fondly,

Donna Axelson

c/o Cupertino Veterans Memorial Golf Tournament

So, I inscribed a hardcover copy of Love Made of Heart to “The Cupertino Veterans Memorial Hearts” and attached a personal note to Donna and mailed the package out.

Dear Writers,

On my wesite is a page “Writers Resources”  http://lovemadeofheart.com/Writers-Resources.html I attend many of the events sponsored by Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter.

See you at a community event or on cyberspace!

Sincerely,

Teresa

As an author and community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and helps survivors of violence find their own voices through writing.

Love Made of Heart inspires adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer.  http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published is the 22 minutes for 22 days workbook.  Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s name.” http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

Saturday, July 31, 2010, 10am – 5pm
Northern California Storybook & Literature Festival

http://www.roseville.ca.us/library/programs_n_events/lit_fest.asp
Maidu Library & Maidu Community Center, 1530 Maidu Drive, Roseville, CA 95661

10:20-11:20am Reception Hall - Teresa LeYung Ryan, Tanya Egan Gibson, Laurel Anne Hill, Jeff Carlson & Jack L. Parker; moderator will be Gail McGrath
11:30am-12:30pm Teresa will be autographing books at outdoor booth I-7
1:00-2:00pm Meeting Room 2 – Teresa LeYung Ryan will present her signature workshop “Transform Your Personal Experiences Into Potent Stories”

The author of Love Made of Heart will give you simple tools to craft a short story with an enticing beginning, engaging middle, and a satisfying ending. Teresa says: “My short stories were the building-blocks for my book.”

2:30-5:00pm Teresa will be autographing books at outdoor booth I-7

noon – 1:00 p.m  buddy/colleague Mary E. Knippel will be moderating the “Healthy Living” panel – B. Lynn Goodwin, Davis Liu, MD, Jennifer Martin, Joanne Neft, Richard Simmons.

I am so looking forward to July 31, 2010 (the same date as a loved one’s birthday)

Thank you again, Margie Yee Webb, Jamie Finley, Dena Grover, City of Roseville Library, and California Writers Club.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan
As an author and community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and helps survivors of violence find their own voices through writing.

Love Made of Heart inspires adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer.  http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published is the 22 minutes for 22 days workbook.  Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s name.” http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

Invite Coach Teresa to conduct “Major League Tryouts to Build Your Name” at your writers’ club or group. http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

• identify your mission statement, the scope of the project, and the perfect book title
• build your name to attract the right agent or publisher or more fans
• design and grow your blog (to showcase your expertise and experiences)

I am happy to announce that my trademark is finally being used at Love Made of Heart online store where you’ll find gift items for yourselves, women, children, moms, grandmas, babies, friends and pets. http://lovemadeofheart.com/Love-Made-of-Heart-Online-Store-&-Gift-Shop.html

Artist Who Is a Writer Who Expresses Profound Beauty

http://flyingpaintproductions.blogspot.com/

Chandra Garsson’s artwork has been shown both nationally and internationally. Her paintings and sculptures have been featured at the Bedroom Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic, Berlin, Germany, Manukan City, New Zealand, and Art Forum Gallery in Singapore. Closer to home, her art has been seen over the years at Morphos Gallery, Olga Dollar Gallery, Fobbo Gallery, in San Francisco, and more recently at Expressions Gallery, in Berkeley. The Union Gallery featured Chandra’s work in a solo exhibition at San Jose State University. Her art has also been exhibited at the Oakland Museum Sculpture court, The Jewish Museum in San Francisco, and The Triton Museum in Santa Clara, California. Chandra’s artwork and writing also features prominently in Bittersweet Legacy, Creative responses to the Holocaust, an anthology edited by Cynthia Brody, forwarded by Michael Berenbaum, University Press of America. Her book, Insomnia (Awakening), was published by Meridian PressWorks in conjunction with a major retrospective exhibition of the same title at ProArts Gallery in Oakland, California in 2004. www.darksecretlove.com/chandra www.vspcity.com/insomnia

The photo above shows colleagues Mary E. Knippel, Luisa Adams, Martha Alderson, Lori Noack, Linda Lee, Rebecca Martin and me with the magnificent bookcase painted by Chandra Garsson.  The face of the Asian woman and side panels are Chandra’s interpretation of my novel Love Made of Heart. Thank you, Chandra, for turning an unfinished piece of furniture into exquisite treasure.

Sincerely,

Teresa

Teresa LeYung Ryan uses her novel Love Made of Heart to:

• celebrate immigrants
• inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer
• help survivors of family violence find their own voices

http://www.lovemadeofheart.com/

Click on the title-bar of this post to get the comment boxes.

I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein this week.  This timeless tale ( Frankenstein or  The Modern Prometheus) was first published in 1818 in England.

Identifying the themes in our personal lives and gaining an understanding of the archetypes in ourselves make for powerful stories.  Summon the muse and you have a compelling novel or memoir.   What are the themes & archetypes in Mary Shelley‘s novel?

If you know what one theme or one archetype is in Frankenstein, show-off  your knowledge by adding your comment.  Then click on the [submit comment] button.

Sincerely,

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

I use Love Made of Heart to:

• celebrate immigrants
• inspire adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer
• help survivors of family violence find their own voices through writing

http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Dear Readers & Writers,

I’ll be wearing 2 hats on July 31, 2010.

Please look for me and my colleagues (our names in red font) at the 10:20-11:20am Fiction Authors panel. Our moderator will be Gail McGrath.

Then at 1:00-2:00pm I will conduct a writing workshop to help you transform personal experiences into potent stories.

My special thanks go to Jamie Finley, Dena Grover, City of Roseville Library, Margie Yee Webb and California Writers Club.

Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan

As an author and community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and helps survivors of violence find their own voices through writing.

Love Made of Heart inspires adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer.  http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published is the 22 minutes for 22 days workbook.  Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, when building your writer’s name.” http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

News Details

Northern California Storybook & Literature Festival Saturday, July 31, 2010 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Maidu Library & Maidu Community Center Free and open to all ages Author panels and children’s entertainment are being planned; check back regularly for more information at www.roseville.ca.us/LitFest This project is supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Thank you to our sponsors: California Writers Club Whole Foods Featured Authors: Julianne Balmain, AKA Nadia Gordon Cara Black Ann Martin Bowler Catharine Bramkamp Joshua Buhs Robin Burcell Pat Canterbury Jeff Carlson Janet Ann Collins Louise Crawford Kim Culbertson Donna Del Oro Jeri Chase Ferris Tanya Egan Gibson B. Lynn Goodwin Margaret Grace Susan Grant Janis Herbert Laurel Anne Hill Alan Jacobson Pamela Johnson F.M. Kahren Hazuki Kataoka Karen Kostlivy Michele Krueger Kevin Kurtz Davis Liu, MD Nan Mahon Ben Malisow Jennifer Martin Antoinette May Diane McCarthy John McKinsey Marilyn Meredith Joanne Neft Carolyn Newcomer Susan M. Osborn Ann Parker Jack L. Parker Robin R Robinson Teresa LeYung Ryan Cindy Sample J. Scott Savage Richard Simmons Michael Troyan James Van Eaton Penny Warner T.E. Watson Michele Weiss Simon Wood Other Featured Guests: Lindsey Clemons, Literary Agent Verna Dreisbach, Literary Agent California Writers Club Capitol City Young Writers Friends of the Colusa County Library Friends of the Lincoln Public Library Friends of the Roseville Public Library Friends of the Yuba County Library Placer Arts Placer County Writers Group Roseville Public Library, Adult Literacy Sacramento Poetry Center Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators UC Davis Extension: Arts, Humanities and Writing Workshops & Panels: These are being scheduled. Please check back for more information. Children’s Entertainment Arts & Crafts: Build your own book Create a puppet Storytimes & Performances: These are being scheduled. Please check back for more information.