Bonita Springs Public Library Local Author Meet & Greet

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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.

2nd Annual Del Shores Foundation Writers Search

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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

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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.

President’s Letter for January 2023

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President’s Letter for January

This year began with the continuation of ‘negotiating’ with Truist Bank.  Michael Cole is working diligently with one of the fraud analysts at Truist and with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to get our funds restored.  Hopefully, we will have more information to share with you at our January meeting.

One of our members, who was a professional financial attorney, suggested the amount might be below the bank’s deductible and that could potentially be the reason why they do not want to pay it.  Gee–this sounds like the homeowners insurance companies!

The latest info will be available at our January 21st meeting.  We hope to have as many of you in attendance as possible because we really need your support and encouragement for other members.  We have been polarized for too long.  Now is the time to step forward and say, “I am not going to take this anymore!”

One of our authors is bringing people with her who probably haven’t been able to attend for fear of driving, etc. Carpooling is an efficient and effective way to save gas and to spend time with like-minded people; it is one way we can be of assistance to our fellow writers.  This author recently left one writer’s group because of the “cliques” that were ruining the organization.  This type of behavior has destroyed two other local groups that used to exist in our area.

GCWA is blessed not to have that issue.  The reason is simply because we follow our constitution.  When we have differences, we collaborate and iron them out at our monthly Executive Committee meetings.  Many elder members had to retire; however, we have been blessed by the new residents who have relocated to our area.

If you want an exciting and thorough understanding of what life was like in Southwest Florida years ago, our January guest speaker, Clarissa Thomasson’s four novels offer delightful reading.  In addition, add five children’s books, two award-winning stage plays, and a new novel for 2022.  Her complete bio is listed on the first page of the website.  Check it out when you get a chance.

The 2023 Writing Contest details can be found on the GCWA website as well.  There is still time to submit your entries–the deadline has been extended to February 28, 2023.

Our January meeting is scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 10:00 am – noon.  Remember, the meeting will be offered, both, in person and via Zoom.  We offer quite a few diverse ways to renew your membership.  A payment can be made while physically attending the January meeting, you can pay online through PayPal, or you can mail a check to:

Gulf Coast Writer Association
P.O. Box 60771
Fort Myers, FL 33906

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irene Smith, President

January Speaker — Clarissa Thomasson

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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.