Spring 2010 Program

Thank you for joining us for the seventh Women & Words conference, Saturday June 5, 2010. It is always
such a joy to hear how much you look forward to joining us at Women & Words’ events. So many of you
have brought your friends and family members to share in the celebration, and we are very grateful for this
support. The hard work that these events require is quickly forgotten when I feel your positive energy and
get your feedback. For the past year, Women & Words has worked to bring you women authors of
excellence to share their passion for writing, and the stories that come from their hearts. Our event’s
designated beneficiary is Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Division of Adolescent Medicine, an agency that
assists disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles with their medical, psychological and social needs. We hope that
this day will become your celebration of women’s words and achievements that you will always look forward
to, and continue to share with your friends.
Gratefully yours,
Sheila Irani, Executive Director
Our Distinguished Authors
PATRICIA SMILEY earned a BA in Sociology from the University of
Washington in Seattle. She also holds an MBA with honors from
Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Her debut novel False
Profits about amateur sleuth Tucker Sinclair received a starred review
from Booklist and was a Book Sense recommendation. Her follow-up
novel Cover Your Assets was a Romantic Times Top Pick. Both novels
were Los Angeles Times Bestsellers. Short Change and Cool Cache are
the third and fourth in the series. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery
Queen Mystery Magazine and Two of the Deadliest, an anthology edited
by Elizabeth George.
Patty has taught writing at various conferences and is also a Specialist
Reserve Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, currently
assigned as a burglary and theft investigator.
ANNE CHERIAN was born and raised in Jamshedpur, India. She
received her BA degree from Bangalore University in English,
Psychology and Economics. She received her first master's degree in
English and Linguistics from Bombay University. She received two more
master's degrees from UC Berkeley, in Comparative Literature (English
and Classical Greek) and Journalism. Anne has traveled widely in Europe
and Asia, and lived in Japan for a year. A Good Indian Wife is her first
novel. The novel won the 2009 South Asian Excellence Literature
Award, and the Italian edition was a finalist for the Premio Roma award
as well as the Tropea Literary Prize. The novel had been translated into
French, and the Slovenian version is forthcoming. She is currently
working on her second novel that is also set in America and India.
TATJANA SOLI is a novelist and short story writer. Born in Salzburg,
Austria, she attended Stanford University and the Warren Wilson MFA
Program. Her stories have appeared in The Sun, StoryQuarterly,
Confrontation, Gulf Coast, Other Voices, Nimrod, Third Coast, Carolina
Quarterly, Sonora Review, and North Dakota Quarterly among other
publications. In April 2010, her debut novel, The Lotus Eaters, was
published by St. Martin’s Press. Her work has been twice listed in the 100
Distinguished Stories in Best American Short Stories and nominated for the
Pushcart Prize. She was awarded the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Prize, the Dana
Award, finalist for the Bellwether Prize, and received scholarships to the
Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She lives
with her husband in Orange County, California, and teaches through the
Gotham Writers’ Workshop.
GAYLE BRANDEIS is the author of Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for
Women Who Write (HarperSanFrancisco) , Dictionary Poems (Pudding House
Publications), The Book of Dead Birds: A Novel (HarperCollins), which won
Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize for Fiction in Support of a Literature of
Social Change, and Self Storage (Ballantine), a Target Breakout Book. Her
first young adult novel, My Life with the Lincolns was published by Henry Holt
in March, 2010 and her next novel for adults, Delta Girls, will be published by
Ballantine, June, 2010. Her poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in
numerous magazines and anthologies (such as Salon.com, The Nation, and The
Mississippi Review) and have received several awards, including the
QPB/Story Magazine Short Story Award, a Barbara Mandigo Kelley Peace
Poetry Award, and a grant from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. Her
essay on the meaning of liberty was one of three included in the Statue of
Liberty’s Centennial time capsule in 1986. In 2004, the Writer Magazine
honored Gayle with a Writer Who Makes a Difference Award. Gayle holds an
MFA in Creative Writing/Fiction from Antioch University. Currently on the
faculty of the MFA program at Antioch University, Gayle has taught at
universities, libraries, community centers and writing conferences around the
country. She is also on the national staff of the women's peace organization CODEPINK and is a founding
member of the Women Creating Peace Collective. Gayle currently lives in Riverside, CA and has one kid in
college, one kid in high school, and one new baby.
MARY YUKARI WATERS has been anthologized in The Best
American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and The
Pushcart Book of Short Stories. She is the recipient of an NEA
grant, and her work has aired on the BBC and NPR. Her debut
collection was a Discover Great New Writers Award selection, a
Book Sense 76 selection, and a Kiriyama Prize Notable Book. She
received her MFA from the University of California, Irvine. She
currently teaches in Spalding University’s brief-residency MFA
program.
Women & Words Past Authors:
2004: Chitra Divakaruni Liz Dolan Patt Morrison Sena Jeter Naslund Lisa See
2005: Martha Beck Denise Hamilton Shirley Taylor Haizlip Jane Juska Cassandra King Helie Lee
2006: Mary Gordon Sonia Nazario Denise Nicholas Nina Revoyr Karen Stabiner Susan Straight
2007: Anita Amirrezvani Merrill Markoe Nicole Mones Gabrielle Pina Erika Schickel Gail Tsukiyama
2008: Gioconda Belli Marina Nemat Kris Radish Cecilia Samartin Marisa Silver
Spring 2009: Margaret Leslie Davis Reyna Grande Sarah Shun-lien Bynum Jennie Nash Amy Wilentz
Fall 2009: Shilpa Agarwal Judith Freeman Mary Ellen Geist Ann Packer Jacqueline Winspear
Warm Appreciation to:
♥ My friend and partner, Roslyn Fanello without whom this event could not happen. Her
impeccable research on all the authors insures that each Women & Words event is better than
the one before. Her energy and support is not only admired by me, but by the many friends
who have been avid supporters of Women & Words, year after year.
♥ My friend and cheerleader, Linda Friedman, bookseller par excellence, who has guided us since
our inception with enthusiasm, experience and wisdom.
♥ All of you who have given us your confidence and invested your valuable Saturdays with us.
We do this as a labor of love with the heartfelt desire to turn up the volume for women’s voices
and let change begin.
We would like to gratefully acknowledge our sponsors for their generous silent auction gifts
Audio Books by Random House Audio Publishing Group/Books on Tape – Cassandra Campbell
La Costa Spa & Resort –Dr. Marvin Belzer, CHLA
Dodgers/Mets Tickets and CBS Basket –Cheryl Sweeney, Champion Fund
Happiest Baby book series, DVD:Path of Wellness & Healing – Nina Montee Karp, Champion Fund
Furi Knives, Scrapbooking Items, Collectibles – donated by Jan Wilcox, Ultra Pro
Tatjana Soli & Anne Cherian – book club authors
Lakers Basketball -LA Lakers & Jordan Perzik
Tote Bags- Arlene Schneir, CHLA
Graphics & Web Site designed by:
(818)707-4455
Please make sure that womenandwords@pacbell.net is in your address box so that you can receive our
emails through Constant Contact. By filling out the survey you can let us know how you experienced
today’s event and suggest any improvements. As always, thank you for your support and see you next year!
ú Copyright 2010 Women & Words