Members of Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) have been invited to participate in the Bonita Springs Public Library “Local Author Meet & Greet” on April 1, 2023, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. This is a joint initiative with the Friends of the Bonita Springs Library.
By reserving a table, you’ll be able to meet enthusiastic readers, discuss your writing, and offer your books for sale. The address of the Bonita Springs Public Library is 10560 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs, FL 34135.
Reservations are free of charge, but space is limited. If interested in participating, please respond soon to reserve your table. Should you be interested in sharing your table with another author, please include that in your reply.
Respond to Kimberly Christensen, Reference Librarian, Bonita Springs Public Library, office (239) 533-4864; email KChristensen@leegov.com
We encourage our members to participate in this event. Any opportunity to meet readers and give exposure to your work is positive. GCWA officers will also be there to represent our organization and support our authors.
The 2nd Annual Del Shores Foundation Writers Search is accepting scripts through the end of February. This contest is open to Southern LGBTQ+ screenwriters and playwrights. This could be an opportunity for Gulf Coast writers in other genres to spread their wings. Use the code “DSFFL” for free submission. See the graphic for further information.
LOVE IS IN THE AIR AT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS
STORYTELLERS BRING STORIES OF LOVE TO THE FOULDS THEATRE
By Mary Lou Williams
Storytellers of the Round Table and Elephant Showcase Storytellers will take the stage at the Alliance for the Arts on Friday, February 3, 2023, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (EST) to tell their tales of love lost and love gained.
The tellers, in order of appearance, will be Dr. Joel Ying, Rhonda Brazina, Mary Lou Williams, and Marilyn Graham. Dr. Ying will be the MC; he will tell two folk tales, “The Marriage Boulder” and “The Spring of Youth.” Both tales originate from Asian folklore. Rhonda will tell her own personal love story about how she, a hopeless romantic who liked candlelit dinners and red roses, fell in love with a logical realist, who thought flowers were a waste of money. Mary Lou will tell a literary story, “The Birthmark,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and a fractured fable about “Truth and Story,” who fell in love. Marilyn will tell a legendary tale called, “The Real McCoy” that features a ghost and may or may not be true. She will end with a folk tale called “Martina the Beautiful Cockroach,” an entomological love story.
Experience the power of the spoken word. Captivating, spellbinding, and entertaining. The stories will be followed by a Talk Back, which is a Q&A session with the audience. Meet the storytellers. Discover the stories behind the stories. The Talk Back has become a popular feature of our storytelling events.
The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers. The ticket price is $18 for members and $20 for non-members. To purchase tickets visit www.artinlee.org or call 239-939-2787.
January 2023
Speaker: Clarissa Thomasson
Topic: Suspending the Disbelief
January 21, 2023, 10a.m. to Noon
In Person and Zoom Meeting – Register Here
Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919
“Suspending the Disbelief” reflects the writings of Florida Historical Authors: Marjorie Rawlings, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, Patrick Smith, Carl Hiaasen, and my own Florida books. The Florida setting of each of these authors directly affects both the characterizations and the plot and makes their stories come to life.
Clarissa Thomasson was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She received a BA in English Literature from Duke University and a MA in English from the University of
Florida. Thomasson taught English, journalism, and creative writing in Montgomery County, MD, until her retirement. Her first two novels, Defending Hillsborough and Reconstructing Hillsborough were chosen by the North Carolina Association of Public School Librarians for use in the high school study of the Civil War. Lorinda’s Legacy was “pick of the month” at Greensboro, NC Barnes and Noble.
In 2000, Thomasson returned to Florida and now resides in Venice, FL. She has written five children’s books in her Little Green Monkey series, four novels: Florida Shadows, Florida Secrets, Florida Sunset and Surviving Sarasota set in Southwest Florida, a World War II novel—Over the Bridge—and Venice Dreamers, which highlights Venice’s original settlers. Thomasson’s stage plays, Over the Bridge and Florida Shadows, each won first place in the Clarence “Bud” Jones Playwriting Competition at the Firehouse Theatre in LaBelle, FL, in 2014 and 2015.
Thomasson is also a freelance writer–having written for GRAND magazine, Yesterday in Florida—where she won a 2005 Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for her contributions to Florida history—and Eastside Venice Neighbors—where she authored monthly articles on Florida history. She is also a contributor to the Venice Gondolier.
Thomasson’s newest book, Forgotten Florida, tells the story of the earliest American settlers on Florida’s west coast, was released September 1, 2022. More information at saltmarshpublications.com.
