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MEETINGS
No meeting this month. The fourth-Tuesday schedule resumes in August.
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Social Media Under Construction:
Building a Relationship Starts with a Foundation
Ever asked yourself: How can we engage our organization’s community? What is social media? How do I get involved? Is Twitter anything
important?
Answers will be forthcoming at the July 9 luncheon as self-proclaimed social
media evangelists Richie Escovedo and Terry Morawski, both with the Mansfield ISD, present the building blocks of a social media
plan. Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop with a wireless connection so
they can follow along.
Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, July 9
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20
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STRAIGHT STUFF
One of the Southwest’s premier writers, Oklahoma poet laureate N. Scott Momaday, will headline the 4th Annual Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of
the Southwest, July 18-20 at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center,
1800 Highway 26 E. in Grapevine. Momaday, a master in the great oral tradition
of storytelling, is but the grand marshall in the parade of conference heavies,
including National Book Award winner Bob Shacochis; Candice Millard, former editor and writer at National Geographic and author of “River of Doubt”; Ali Wolfe, Tom Wolfe’s daughter and a literary journalist for Condé Nast Portfolio magazine; Brian Sweany and Pam Coloff with Texas Monthly; and Andy Van De Voorde, executive associate editor of Village Voice Media. Speakers will include
sports writer Wright Thompson of espn.com, writer Nick Heil of Outside magazine, roving narrative reporter John Burnett of NPR and nonfiction book editor David Patterson of Henry Holt & Co.; Tim Madigan, author of “I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers”; book reviewer Cathleen Medwick of O, The Oprah Magazine; and Ken Wells, author of “The Good Pirates,” a new literary nonfiction book about the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. The
conference is geared toward book lovers, aspiring literary nonfiction writers
and established professionals, one of whom, Esquire editor David Granger, says it is “rapidly becoming one of the most vital gatherings of writers in America.” New Journalism icon Gay Talese says the Mayborn conference “promotes the discussion and application of nonfiction only on the highest
standards.” Still not sold? Organizers note that prices include meals, which are further
described as “sumptuous.” And Momaday sounds like James Earl Jones. Better, perhaps. Because Jones is somewhere else and Momaday is here. More from writer-in-residence George Getschow at 972-746-1633, or visit TheMayborn.unt.edu. ...
Syndicated columnist and Denver SPJ member David Sirota’s book tour for “The Uprising,” his look at populist politics on both the right and the left, stops at 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 17, at Borders Bookstore, 10720 Preston Road in Dallas. Expect a
Q&A and book signing sponsored by Dallas Democracy for America. More at davidsirota.com/uprising or from Crispin Reedy at 214-621-7953 or crispin_reedy@yahoo.com. ...
Sharon Ervin theorizes that the three words that begin a 100,000-word manuscript can grab an
editor and give the piece a big initial advantage, or set its course toward the
dumper. She got the idea from Dr. David Bergin, mentor from her University of Oklahoma days, who insisted that the first three
words of a news story are vital: “They must spark the reader’s interest; the first seven must tell him if he wants to read on.” Ervin will expand on this using examples from successful authors at the Writers’ Guild of Texas third-Monday meeting at 7 p.m. July 21 at the Richardson Public
Library, 900 Civic Center Drive. “It may not be scientific,” she says, “but I think we’ll have a good time and maybe share some good ideas.” WGT early-birds: Aug. 18,
Natalia Corres, “So You Want a Web Site — Now What?”; Sept. 15, Earl Staggs, Derringer Award-winning author of “Memory of a Murder”; Saturday, Sept. 27, Kat Smith, “Preparing for Your Moment of Fame,” a workshop on radio and television interviews; Oct. 20, Dan Case, “The Best Things You Can Do to Get Published and Paid”; Nov. 17, Rachel Caine on giving up your day job and becoming a novelist.
IABC local update: IABC Fort Worth Bronze Quill finalists were honored June 24.
Award of Excellence: Pamela Fry and Rachel Black, Richard Maxwell, Colby Horton, and Linda Jacobson and Kris Rabe. Award of Merit: Richard Maxwell, First Command Financial Services and Linda Jacobson. Honorable mention: Stephani Hawkins and B. Scott Hunt, Todd Marchand and Kester Conrad, and Todd Marchand, Kester Contad and David Murrin.
IABC local update II: Dallas IABC offers networking with a fish theme (“To propel your career forward, you’ve got to chase the bait!”) at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant in NorthPark Center. Register here.
