Here's what we've scheduled for February. Click to see March and April.
Check back often because we update all the time with exciting new events.


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

 
       
 
Exploring Psychic Abilities Talk: FIVE WAYS OUT OF THE PSYCHIC CLOSET - Exploring the ways the paranormal works in our lives…

Friday, February 5, 7 pm: Have you ever had a premonition, seen a ghost, or guessed who was calling when the phone rang? Did you try to deny to yourself what had happened? Did you worry that you were going nuts? It’s difficult to accept that we sometimes know things it’s impossible for us to know. You might be in the psychic closet too.

In this workshop, presented by Toby Fesler Heathcotte, author of OUT OF THE PSYCHIC CLOSET, you can explore some fun aspects of your own psychic potential.You will learn the five ways to cope with and learn to respect your abilities and perhaps cast them in a new framework. This is not a workshop for practicing psychics. It’s a workshop for practicing human beings who have psychic experiences.
At seven, Toby Fesler Heathcotte spoke with her best friend killed in a car wreck three months earlier. Her parents dismissed the episode as imagination. She knows what it’s like to distrust herself, to suffer ridicule and disbelief, to fear for her sanity, and to search for guidance and understanding.

Her search resulted in the writing of OUT OF THE PSYCHIC CLOSET: THE QUEST TO TRUST MY TRUE NATURE, a self-help handbook that details the author’s personal experiences, scientific research findings, historical background, and previously unpublished anecdotes with book and web resources.

Fascinated by the ways the paranormal works in our lives, Toby also dramatizes them in her fiction. In the ALMA CHRONICLES novels, the characters see ghosts, dream true, remember past lives, predict disasters, and have visions. Souls, bound together in a circle of love, passion, betrayal, and murder, reincarnate lifetime after lifetime from the ancient Celtic world through twenty-first century Arizona. 2009 releases in this series are Luke’s Covenant and The Comet’s Return.

Toby Fesler Heathcotte is both mother and grandmother. A former teacher, she now serves as president of Arizona Authors Association and lives in Glendale, Arizona.
 
 
 
    Dementia Patient and Caregivers Talk

Saturday, February 6, 2 pm: We’ve asked Renee Davis to make a return appearance to the WRC because we thought she had some of the best, most caring, advice for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, as well as good practical advice for their caregivers. As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s, and the numbers are expected to nearly double every twenty years. There are few families untouched by it.

Renee is the author of WHEN A VOICE NO LONGER SPEAKS and THE AFTERMATH OF ALZHEIMER’S. WHEN A VOICE NO LONGER SPEAKS provides information and guidance for those families and caregivers experiencing the day-to-day demands and needs of a patient struggling with Alzheimer?s disease. THE AFTERMATH OF ALZHEIMER’S looks not only at the toll this disease takes on the families of its sufferers, but the journey they must begin after their loss, one that requires time and attention in making it out the other side, healthy and prepared to get back into the stream of life.

Renee currently facilitates an Alzheimer’s support group and has done so, for the last six years. She has been involved with the Alzheimer’s Associations, sharing her own experiences with her mother’s struggle with the disease. She has talked with countless professionals in the field of medicine to understand the effects of this unrelenting illness. Being a strong advocate for elderly care and people in need, has allowed her to organize and participate in many fundraising and promotional events, concerning Alzheimer’s, cancer and related support groups.
 
 
  A Bit of Rock ‘n’ Roll History at The Well Red Coyote — and a Bit of Rock 'n' Roll

Friday, February 12, 6:00 pm: Join us for a very special and fun evening as we celebrate the publication of world-famous music photographer John Rowlands’s ROCK & ROWLANDS: FLASHBACK: FIVE DECADES OF MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN R. ROWLANDS. Refreshments will be served.

John has been photographing some of the biggest names in the music industry for the past 50 years. He began with Brenda Lee, moved on to Sam Cook, and before he knew it was photographing Bobby Vee, the Ventures, Duane Eddy, Bob Dylan, the Dave Clark Five, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis.

Adding to the theme of the evening will be a live performance by Joe Neri & Blues Dawg, with John Rowlands sitting in. Please join us for this fun, unusual evening. Come early for a good seat and to enjoy the refreshments and to celebrate this milestone with this legendary rock photographer.

 
 
Geology Talk: Sedona Through Time

Saturday, February 13, 2 pm: To honor the new, all-color third edition of SEDONA THROUGH TIME, we’ve invited geologist Wayne Ranney back to speak. The Sedona area is rightly known for its stunning red rock scenery. Wayne Ranney is a geologist and writer who has studied the geology here for over 25 years and will present a talk on what is already known and what is currently being discovered in Sedona. Wayne will show slides of the area, answer questions, and sign copies of his new edition, SEDONA THROUGH TIME.

Wayne is a geologist, author, and guide and he loves to share his appreciation of earth history with anyone who is curious about landscapes and how they may have formed. He have a passion for landscapes and how cultures either thrived or withered because of those landscapes. Wayne is also the author of CARVING GRAND CANYON and ANCIENT LANDSCAPES OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU, which won a Glyph Award from the Arizona Publishers Association.

It’s always standing room only when this popular author speaks, so come early for a good seat.
  Writing Workshop: Killer Screenplays and Novels: Presenting Suspenseful Prose

Saturday, February 20, 2 pm: author, screenwriter and President of IOF Productions Ltd, Deborah J Ledford, author of STACCATO, will present a workshop detailing key elements to writing riveting scripts and novels. Deborah will focus on visuals, locations and dialogue, as well as discuss the differences between crafting screenplays versus novels. There are many distinctions between the two mediums and knowing what components to implement is crucial in order to showcase work worthy of recognition. What not to introduce in a screenplay is often the most important aspect to be aware of.

Writer of seven original screenplays, Deborah is the author of the recently released debut suspense thriller STACCATO. Three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, her award-winning short stories appear in print publications as well as five anthologies. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

STACCATO features three world-class pianists, two possible killers and one dead woman. Who is her murderer? Who will be next? Sam Barone, award-winning author of DAWN OF EMPIRE, writes, “Exciting, riveting, unforgettable characters. A touch noir, a bit gothic, full of captivating suspense. STACCATO is a well-crafted psychological thriller that will keep you turning pages.”
   
   
     
 
Personal Growth Talk: Glimpsing the Gifts of Aging

Friday, February 26, 7 pm: Join psychologist Dr. Myrtle Heery, co-editor of AWAKENING TO AGING: GLIMPSING THE GIFTS OF AGING, when she’ll discuss the often-dreaded topic of aging in a refreshing, sometimes humorous light, without softening the realities. While Congress debates the future of healthcare and the economy teeters, time marches on. For millions of Baby Boomers and their parents the journey of “aging out” can be perilous and frightening. Housing, insurance, and necessities all become looming concerns for people who may have taken the basics for granted.

Forcing questions about aging into center stage are serious concerns about healthcare and insurance in the United States today. Myrtle will discuss actual decisions and courses of action taken by her book’s authors in personal, real-world situations.

AWAKENING TO AGING: GLIMPSING THE GIFTS OF AGING was edited by Myrtle Heery, PhD and Gregg Richardson, PhD. Other authors contributing to the book include Will Rogers, author of “Let the Heart Speak;” Regina Reilly, wrote “Biological and Psychological Challenges.,” Bev Miller, author of “The Gift of Faith—Waiting on God,” Christopher S. M. Grimes, PsyD, wrote the chapter “What Am I Doing Here: A Psychologist’s Reflections on Providing Care to Nursing Home Residents,” and Myrtle Heery, who wrote “A Practice for Aging—Impermanence, An Interview with Palden Gyatso” and “If You Live Long Enough.” And many others

AWAKENING TO AGING has received wide pre-publication acclaim for its 16 contributing experts in medicine, psychology, government, gerontology, law, education, engineering, numerous psychotherapy modalities and several spiritual disciplines. The authors blend vital information with personal stories. The result is a book that makes complex ideas immediately accessible and helpful, and tells emotional stories that connect readers from widely varied backgrounds.
 
     
 
  Writing Workshop with Exercise: Creating Characters Readers Will Fall in Love With

Saturday, February 27, 2 pm: Join Verde Valley writer, Amber Polo, author of FLYING FREE, when she will present a character-writing workshop, which she's calling (in honor of Valentine's Day,) "Creating Characters Readers Will Fall in Love With." Amber will present a fun, instructinal group excercise, which will show you how to give your characters unique personalities that readers will love, and which will help you to avoid falling into clichés.

Using the results of the exercise, Amber will discuss what makes a good character memorable and a wacky character believable, and she’ll also show how to disguise a real person, so you can use him in print. She'll also show you how to avoid cliched characters. Each attendee (or in pairs) will also write a paragraph or so about the romance of these two
"characters" Anyone who wants can read.

Amber Polo lives on an airpark mesa in Arizona, similar to the setting of her latest novel FLYING FREE, where she writes about places she’s lived and places that don’t quite exist. Amber is passionate about writing, books, and libraries. FLYING FREE is her second novel. Her first, ROMANCING REBECCA, a comic-paranormal Sedona romance, offers a lighthearted look at romance, authors and the business of the New Age.