Workshop Leader Biographies
 

Clark, Kevin - Poet & Professor

KEVIN CLARK’s Self-Portrait with Expletives won the 2009 Pleiades Press contest. His poems appear in such journals as the Georgia, Iowa and Antioch reviews, Crazyhorse, Gulf Coast, and The New York Quarterly. A professor at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, he was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award and his poetry writing textbook, The Mind’s Eye, is often used for college and poetry workshops, including Rainer Writing Workshop in Tacoma, WA. www.kevinclarkpoet.com.

Duey, Kathleen - Author, K-YA/Adult Crossover

KATHLEEN DUEY writes for kids K-high school, YA, and cross-over adult readers. She has published over 70 award winning books including The Unicorn's Secret, now being repackaged to celebrate 10 years in print, and Skin Hunger, a 2007 National Book Award Finalist. All four books in her latest series, Fairies Promise, are written and in various stages of production. She’s writing a twitter novel found at www.russet-one-wing.blogspot.com.  www.kathleenduey.com.

Gale, Kate - Managing Editor, Red Hen Press,
Author & Poet

DR. KATE GALE is Managing Editor of Red Hen Press, Editor of the Los Angeles Review and President of the American Composers Forum, Los Angeles.  She serves on the boards of A Room of Her Own Foundation, the School of Arts and Humanities of Claremont Graduate University and Poetry Society of America.  She is author of five books of poetry (her most recent, Mating Season, Tupelo Press),  novels Lake of Fire, and Rio de Sangre, and a libretto for an opera with composer Don Davis. www.kategale.com.

Huston, Paula - Author, Fiction & Nonfiction Spiritual

PAULA HUSTON’s books include Daughters of Song (Random House), The Holy Way (Loyola), By Way of Grace (Loyola), and Forgiveness (Paraclete). Her short stories, essays and articles have appeared in numerous journals and magazines. A National Endowment of the Arts Fellow in Creative Writing, her work has been honored by Best American Short Stories, the Catholic Press Association, ForeWord Magazine, and Best Spiritual Writing. www.paulahuston.com.

Kutner, Merrily - Author, Children's Picture Books

MERRILY KUTNER wrote Down On the Farm and Z is for Zombie. She trained then taught at The Institute of Children’s Literature Training Program. She teaches her “magic” picture book outlining method online at the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Children’s Literature Council of Southern California, she is a frequent presenter and also writes screenplays. www.merrilykutner.com.  

LeBow, Diane - Travel Writer

DIANE LEBOW, President of the Bay Area Travel Writers, is an award winning travel writer and photographer, reviewed at Salon.com, Seal Press, Examinar.com, Copley and Creators’ Syndicate Wire Services, VIA Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, and other publications. She won “Best Women’s Travel Writing for 2010”, for her story, “Tea in Kabu: an Activist Witnesses a Nation’s Struggle for Peace,” appearing in Travelers’ Tales. www.dianelebow.com

Levine, Becky - Author, Fiction, Nonfiction
& Critique Group Guide

BECKY LEVINE is the author of The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide (Writer’s Digest, 2010). She also writes fiction and nonfiction for children and teens, and is currently working on a young-adult historical novel. A product of Arroyo Grande schools, Becky provides professional critique services to other writers and speaks at writing clubs, conferences, and retreats. www.beckylevine.com.

McAndish King, Laurie - Travel Writer

LAURIE MCANDISH KING is an award-winning travel writer and marketing communications professional with a master’s degree in online education. Founder and publisher of Travel Writers News.com, she’s blogged since 2003.  Featured in The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2009 (Travelers’ Tales), she won three Solas Awards in 2008 and was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine. www.lauriemcandishking.com.

Miller, Jon James - Screenwriter
 

JON JAMES MILLER worked on cable documentaries for A&E, Lifetime and The History Channel while writing original feature length screenplays. His two historical dramas and one dark comedy about the film industry were optioned.  In 2008, Garbo’s Last Stand won Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s AAA Screenplay Contest and in 2009 The Golden Brad Award for Drama sponsored by the Movie Script Contest. www.jonjamesmiller.com.

Preston, Marcia - Author, General Fiction & Mystery

MARCIA (M.K.) PRESTON) won the 2004 Mary Higgins Clark Award for her mystery series Song of the Bones and the 2004 Oklahoma Book Award in fiction. Currently, she’s writing general fiction, including Trudy’s Promise, The Piano Man, The Butterfly House, a number one hit in the UK and her latest The Wind Comes Sweeping. She also edited and published ByLine, a trade magazine for aspiring writers. www.marciapreston.com.

Pritchard, Melissa - Author, Novelist, Short Story, Essayist & Journalist

MELISSA PRITCHARD is a novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist recently featured in Oprah Magazine.  She wrote four short story collections: Spirit Seizures, The Instinct for Bliss, Disappearing Ingenue, and The Odditorium and three novels. Awarded the Flannery O’Connor and Carl Sandburg, her short stories are included in The O'Henry Prize Stories, The Pushcart Prize, and Best American Short Stories. www.melissapritchard.com.

Reeves, Diane Lindsey - Author & Publisher,
Bright Futures Press

DIANE LINDSEY REEVES is the author of the 50-book series, Career Ideas for Kids and is publisher of Bright Futures Press, producing books for children and young adults.  Her newest interactive book series are Virtual Apprentice: What's It Really Like to Be a... and Way Out Work. Diane collaborates with publishing partners such as Ferguson Books, Prentice Hall, and U.S. Departments of Labor and Education. www.brightfuturespress.com.

Zackheim, Victoria - Editor & Author,
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction

VICTORIA ZACKHEIM is the creator, contributing author, and editor of four anthologies including The Face in the Mirror, For Keeps, The Other Woman and He Said What?She writes reviews for numerous publications, wrote and developed a documentary, two produced screenplays and her novel, The Bone Weaver. She teaches for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and is adapting The Other Woman into a screenplay. www.victoriazackheim.com.

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Contribute to Conference Scholarship Fund
 

We are looking for area businesses and individuals who are interested in sponsoring
adult and student scholarships for the Central Coast Writers' Conference XXIII.

For more information, call Nanette Pina, (805) 546-3131 Ext 2294 or
email her at npina@cuesta.edu.

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Writers' Conference Sponsors