May '08 Events

Here's some of what we've scheduled for May. Click to see what's coming in June

Check back often because we update all the time with exciting new events.

NOTE: ALL EVENT LISTINGS THAT CONTAIN THE SEDONA LIBRARY 50TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION LOGO...WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE LIBRARY COMMUNITY ROOM. ALL OTHER EVENTS
WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE WELL RED COYOTE BOOKSTORE

Click on our Author & Musician Scrapbook link to get a peek at some past events.

Writing Workshop & Feedback Session: "Bringing Your Reader Into the Story: Improving the Sense of Place in Your Writing" Venue: The Well Red Coyote Friday, May 2, 7 pm: Join us as Hawaiian author, Baron R. Birtcher, whose latest title is ANGELS FALL, will present a workshop on "Bringing Your Reader Into the Story: Improving the Sense of Place in Your Writing" Baron's discussion will illuminate the unique setting aspects of the story through description, dialogue and plotting. Attendees are invited to bring samples of their work for feedback. ANGELS FALL is the third in the critically-acclaimed Mike Travis series. In this chilling mystery, the disappearance of a young girl draws former Los Angeles detective Travis away from his scuba charter business and into the bowels of an underground culture driven by designer-narcotics and violent sex. What he uncovers is a world built on secrets, and entire lives built on lies. Baron R. Birtcher spent a number of years as a professional musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. Baron relocated to Hawaii in 1996 to pursue a career as a writer. His first two hardboiled mystery novels, ROADHOUSE BLUES and RUBY TUESDAY were Los Angeles Times bestsellers.

Book Launch Party & Writing Workshop: The Short Story Market and Writing For Anthologies

Venue: The Well Red Coyote

Party: 1 pm
Workshop: 2 pm

Saturday, May 3, 2 pm: The Publishers and contributors of the anthologies from Red Coyote Press in Phoenix have launched their last two publications with us, along with offering well-attended and highly-informational workshops. Appearing here will be publishers Susan Budavari and Suzanne Flaig, and contributors Judy Starbuck, Sarah Parkin and Kris Neri. Contributor Frak Zafiro and cover designer Hack Hillman may also be on hand.

Once again, they'll be debuting their latest title, MEDIUM OF MURDER, a mystery anthology, and the publishers and story contributors will present a workshop, "The Short Story Market and Writing For Anthologies."

Anthologies are enjoying new popularity. They're also more a more desirable market for short story writers than magazines, since they remain longer on the shelf. But how do you find them? And how do you place stories in anthologies, which many writers don't hear about until they're already full?

The publishers and contributors of MEDIUM OF MURDER will provide general information about how to find the markets for all forms of short fiction, different genres as well as literary stories, and will then segue into a discussion of anthologies. They'll address the process of writing to specific themes given in anthology guidelines, as well as how writers of novels move into story writing.

The contributors welcome the audience to bring their own experiences and enter into what is sure to be a lively debate on this burgeoning field.

There will be wine and goodies to share before and after the workshop, so please come early and celebrate this fine volume with its creators.

Writing/Book Promotion Workshop: An Author’s Guide to Successful Book Promotion:
Creating an Effective Marketing Plan

Venue: The Well Red Coyote

Friday, May 9, 7 pm: Jane K. Cleland, author of ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR, a Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery, puts her MBA to work! She uses tested and proven marketing strategies to develop a reader-focused marketing plan. Join Jane as she compares and contrasts promotional options including:

Book tours — Blog tours — Sneak Preview — Friends and family letter — Library events — Co-branded alliances (i.e., Sotheby’s Institute of Art) — Bookmarks — Post card — Newsletters — Websites — Specialty promotional items (Compete for Jane’s Martini glasses!) — Flyers — Conferences — Magazine, newspaper, and on-line advertising (i.e., Author’s Buzz, Bookbitch, et al) — Magazine editorial — Participating in on-line chats — Media — Everything else you need to know to create a successful book marketing plan.

Jane's methods have worked for her. CONSIGNED TO DEATH, the first in the traditional series, was nominated for an Agatha, a David, and a Macavity Award for Best First Novel, and her sales keep growing. Publishers Weekly writes of her latest, ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR: "ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR sets the gold standard for the classic contemporary cozy. Agatha-finalist Jane K. Cleland's writing is top-notch; her plotting and pace smooth and assured. This antiquing series is in mint condition!"

The Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries are set on the rugged seacoast of New Hampshire, where Jane owned an antiques business for many years. Jane is the Chair of the Wolfe Pack’s literary awards, which include the Nero and the new Black Orchid Novella Award (in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine) and is President of the MWA/NY Chapter. She and her husband live in New York City.

Debut: Updated SECRET SEDONA -- New Edition! Venue: The Well Red Coyote Saturday, May 10, 2 pm: In just a couple of years, SECRET SEDONA: SACRED MOMENTS IN THE LANDSCAPE, by local writer & photographer, Larry Lindahl, has become a beloved bestseller with locals and tourists alike. No other book so effectively combines Larry's intimate portrait of this mesmerizing, magical place with his awesome photographs. And now Larry has expanded SECRET SEDONA: SACRED MOMENTS IN THE LANDSCAPE, making it an even more valuable addition to your library. The new edition of SECRET SEDONA now contains a hiking section, with 22 Day Hikes, including Easy Hikes, Hikes Along Water, Hikes to Arches, Hikes into Canyons, Vista Hikes, Loop Hikes, and Trails to Ancient Ruins. Enjoy scenery descriptions and easy directions to trailheads. It also includes a full-page map. Join Larry for the debut of this fabulous new edition, as he discusses Sedona hiking, his latest interest in photography, and he share readings of 2-3 journal entries.

Alternative Health Talk: Keeping Your Brain Young — Brain Education for Successful Aging Venue: The Well Red Coyote Friday, May 16, 7 pm: Join Nicole Dean from Sedona's BR Clinic to learn proven techniques for keeping your brain young. Nicole will demonstrate how we can have a young brain in an old body, enabling us to feel and act younger. The reality about the aging brain is simple but extraordinary: we can have a fit brain at age 50, 60, 70, 80 and beyond. It is a matter of choice and habit. The objective of the Brain Education for Successful Aging workshop is to show you how you can: * understand your brain as it ages and its impact on body and mind * exercise to keep your brain vital * improve brain flexibility, creativity, concentration, memory and acuity * reduce your stress * develop a dynamic and valuable mature self-identity The Brain Education for Successful Aging workshop generally follows the outline of the new book IN FULL BLOOM: A BRAIN EDUCATION FOR SUCCESSFUL AGING by Ilchi Lee and Jesse Jones, Ph.D. Ilchi Lee originated Brain Education System Training (BEST), which seeks to enhance human potential through a variety of mind-body training methods. Dr. Jessie Jones is a professor of health science and co-director of the Center for Successful Aging at California State University, Fullerton. Presenting the workshop will be Nicole Dean, a seven-year practitioner and instructor of the Brain Education method. She currently works as senior editor at BEST Life Media, a Sedona-based company dedicated to the publications related to the Brain Education practice. She served as the main developmental editor of the new book In Full Bloom: A Brain education Guide to Successful Aging.

		As part of the continuing celebration of the Sedona Public Library's 50th Anniversary celebration… The Well Red Coyote is proud to present…Bruce Aiken VENUE: The Sedona Public Library Community Room Friday, May 16, 6 pm: As a child growing up in the concrete canyons of New York City, Bruce Aiken dreamed of someday living at the end of a long dirt road. Little did he know that this road would lead over five miles down a narrow, steep trail into the depths of another canyon—the Grand Canyon. Nor could he predict that he would live in this unlikely place for over thirty years. In a remote side canyon along a stream that ultimately flows into the Colorado River, Bruce and his wife Mary raised three children while he tended Grand Canyon National Park’s precious water supply at Roaring Springs . . . and painted. Out of this intimate relationship between the artist and his muse came a body of work unparalleled in the annals of Grand Canyon landscape painters. Bruce's work and glimpses into his family's life in the Canyon have been captured in BRUCE AIKEN'S GRAND CANYON: AN INTIMATE AFFAIR. With a style labeled by some art critics as “authoritative realism,” these paintings reveal the multifaceted beauty of one of the world’s most alluring wonders through the eyes of someone who can truly call it home. As Bruce says, “My main idea is to paint scenes that say, ‘I was here. I saw this. This is a first-hand experience.’ Grand Canyon is not only big and beautiful, it’s pristine living . . . it’s still wild to me.” Bruce has appeared on television many times including Good Morning America with Joan Lunden, CBS 48 hours and Disney cable net Epcot Magazine. He has been featured in such publications as People Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine and Arizona Highways Magazine. With an introduction by James Ballinger, Director of the Phoenix Art Museum, BRUCE AIKEN'S GRAND CANYON: AN INTIMATE AFFAIR showcases some of his most stunningly beautiful pieces. A must-have for anyone interested in the Grand Canyon, intrigued by the unique life of the artist, or captivated by gorgeous art.

				New: Monthly Spirituality Discussion Group Venue: The Well Red Coyote Monday, May 19, 7:30 – 9:00 pm: We're hosting an exciting monthly discussion group facilitated by Sedona author, Richard Hooper, M. Div, that meets to discuss Richard's new book and the issues it contains. The book is JESUS – BUDDHA – KRISNA – LAO TZU: THE PARALLEL SAYINGS, and it looks at the common teachings of these four religious leaders. JESUS – BUDDHA – KRISNA – LAO TZU: THE PARALLEL SAYINGS represents the first literary attempt in history to extensively cross reference and compare the sayings of the world’s greatest spiritual teachers, demonstrating the common thread that runs through all mystical traditions. Containing hundreds of quotations from more than fifty ancient texts, and with introductions to each topic by the Editor, it represents an academic but heartfelt journey into the minds and hearts of the great prophets of our world. Ordained as a Lutheran minister, Richard Hooper founded and directed a ministry for the “counter culture," and for many years facilitated a halfway house program for young people in trouble. His ministry expanded into media, where he was a regular newspaper columnist, and radio commentator. Over the course of a decade, he produced more than a thousand radio broadcasts, and interviewed hundreds of internationally known spiritual teachers, psychologists and authors, including Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Elizibeth Kubler-Ross, and Richard Bach. Everyone welcome.

Boomer Dating Party & Boomer Dating Workshop: Wine & Goodies, Raffles, and Fun! Kiss Aging Stereotypes Goodbye. Venue: The Well Red Coyote Friday, May 23, 7 pm: Boomer Women, new to the dating scene, would you like to know your dating life stacks up to others? Those of you who've been at it for a while, would you like to share secrets and dish dirt? Boomer men, would you like to learn — once and for all — what women want? Kiss Aging Stereotypes Goodbye! Italian-born Arizona author, Maria Grazia Swan, author of BOOMER BABES: TRUE TALES OF LOVE AND LUST IN THE LATER YEARS, is bringing a Boomer Dating Workshop to Sedona. We'll share wine and stories, we'll raffle off T-shirts, and make it loads of fun! So, if you're looking for some outrageous inspiration to kick start your love life...or some sizzlingly salacious gossip about the woman who could be your next-door neighbor…then mark this date in your calendar. It’s no surprise that the generation who burned bras and brought about The Summer of Love continues to redefine the way the world thinks about sex and romance. Long-term lovers or one-night stands, there’s nothing these women haven’t tried. And now they dish on some of their dirtiest secrets. BOOMER BABES: TRUE TALES OF LOVE AND LUST IN THE LATER YEARS is chock full of revolutionary real-life stories, tantalizing celebrity trivia and Cosmo-esque quizzes, and Maria Grazia Swan says BOOMER BABES' wisdom can be put to use by women of any age. Maria Grazia Swan is the winner of a Women's National Book Association award whose matchmaking has brought together a number of happy couples. She's now the go-to source for many online and print relationship guides.

		The Well Red Coyote Presents…The Third Annual Bob Dylan Bash! Venue: The Well Red Coyote Saturday, May 24, 6:30 pm ‘til Bob shows up!: Our third annual celebration of Bob Dylan’s birthday – through music and spoken word – promises to be bigger and better than last year, and last year was huge. Music by local musicians, spoken word by local poets – all Dylan songs and lyrics – plus audience participation and birthday cake. Come early and stay late for one of the most fun events of the year!

				As part of the continuing celebration of the Sedona Public Library's 50th Anniversary celebration… The Well Red Coyote is proud to present…Mona Hodgson VENUE: The Sedona Public Library Community Room Friday, May 30, 4 pm: Chilren of all ages...meet Mona Hodgson, Cottonwood author of children's books. Mona will discuss and read from her books. A perfect program for kids, parents and grandparents. Mona is the author of the popular BEDTIME IN THE SOUTHWEST, which shares the ways that various desert animals avoid bedtime. Other popular titles among the twenty-eight children's book she's written are: REAL GIRLS OF THE BIBLE and HIDE AND SEEK.

Writing Workshop with Exercises: WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH: An experiential writing workshop with Writing Instructor Laraine Herring Venue: The Well Red Coyote Saturday, May 31, 2 pm: Author and Writing Instructor, Laraine Herring, author of WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH: EMBODYING YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE, tells us, "There is no single secret to being a writer. The writing process creates a different path for all who take it. But, all writers can learn to ask the deeper questions that will open up their processes. Deep writing naturally takes us to places of discomfort. But we can learn how to sit in the chair and be with ourselves long enough to hear our own words and to write without judgment. Through learning to observe our thoughts, step outside ourselves to a place of witness consciousness, and move into our bodies, we learn how to stay with our characters and poems until we’ve heard all they have to say." This experiential workshop will help you access the deepest part of your writing by illuminating the key areas of distraction and helping utilize the wisdom in your own body and breath. Laraine's latest title is WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH: EMBODYING YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE, a distinctive guide to the craft of writing, which shows us how to tune into our bodies and connect with our emotions so that our writing becomes an expression of our full beings, rather than just an intellectual exercise. With warmth and wisdom, Laraine offers a path to discovering prose that is unique, expressive, and profoundly authentic. Lessons and imaginative exercises show you how to: stay with your writing when your mind or body starts to pull you away; explore the five senses in your writing; and approach your writing without judgment. WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH will open up a whole world of creativity for people who may not have considered themselves writers before, while also providing keen insights into the craft for seasoned writers. Laraine Herring, who holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Counseling Psychology, heads the creative writing department at Yavapai College in Prescott, AZ. Her earlier titles include: MOONSOONS, LOST FATHERS: HOW WOMEN CAN HEAL FROM ADOLESCENT FATHER LOSS, LAY MY SORROWS DOWN, GHOST GATHERING and BONE DANCE.