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Sunday, October 11
 

11:00am PDT

Voice Lessons: Crafting an Artist Statement that Proves You're Human
Sunday October 11, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
447 Minna
Buy Tickets/RSVP
Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)

Sponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership

If you’re trying to land grants, residencies, or funding, how can you write a compelling artist statement without hiding behind generic grant-speak, clinical jargon, or AI buzzwords? Author Janine Kovac will lead book critic Britta Stromeyer, publicist Cristina Deptula, and literary agent Rachel Neumann in a discussion on tapping into the genuine voice that allows an author to speak about their own work with clarity and authenticity. Learn tips and tricks for elevating your artistic narrative while keeping your unique point-of-view front and center!
Moderators
avatar for Janine Kovac

Janine Kovac

Janine Kovac writes about power dynamics and women's bodies. She is the author of three works of narrative nonfiction. Her most recent title, The Nutcracker Chronicles: A Fairytale Memoir, received the 2026 Eyelands "Writers Choice" Award, Greece's international book award. Her other distinctions include the Calderwood Fellowship for Journalism from MacDowell and the Elizabeth George Foundation Fellowship. Committed to literary stewardship, Janine has curated events for... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Rachel Neumann

Rachel Neumann

Rachel Neumann is the CEO and founder of Wave Literary and one of the world’s leading publishing veterans. She is a fierce advocate with over two decades experience developing, editing, representing, and publishing over a hundred books, including dozens of international and New... Read More →
avatar for Cristina Deptula

Cristina Deptula

Cristina Deptula is a freelance science writer, book publicist, and publisher of Synchronized Chaos International Magazine. She's written on topics ranging from local parks' role in climate resilience, long COVID and patient care, and electrical and biomedical engineering and loves literature of all sorts... Read More →
avatar for Britta Stromeyer

Britta Stromeyer

Britta Stromeyer is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Her writing appears in The Common, World Literature Today, Tupelo Quarterly, Beyond Words Magazine, Necessary Fiction, On the Seawall, Flash Fiction Magazine, Bending Genres Journal, Marin Independent Journal, and other publications. Britta has authored award-winning children's books and holds an MFA from Dominican University, CA, an M.A. from American University, and a Certificate in Novel Writing from Stanford University... Read More →
Sunday October 11, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
447 Minna 447 Minna St, San Francisco
  Writers Weekend, Pay What You Can

12:30pm PDT

The Unconventional Author: Side Doors and Secret Passages to Publication
Sunday October 11, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
447 Minna
Buy Tickets/RSVP
Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)

Sponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership

Querying agents and waiting on slush piles isn't the only way to get published. For many writers it's not even the best one. In this panel, successful indie authors Tara Dorabji, Marianne Lonsdale, Regina Louise, and Wendy Johnson pull back the curtain on surprising, alternative paths such as contest contracts, hybrid publishers, and DIY presses to get stories published and promoted. Moderated by indie author Matthew Félix. 
Moderators
avatar for Matthew Félix

Matthew Félix

Matthew Félix is the author of four books, a certified life coach, and a speaker. Publishers Weekly called his debut novel, A Voice Beyond Reason, “(a) highly crafted gem.” Matthew ghost-writes, edits, publishes, and markets books for other authors, and his work has been recognized with a Solas Awards Grand Prize for Story of the Year and Gold for Memoir in the Northern California Publishers & Authors Awards. Matthew combines... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Marianne Lonsdale

Marianne Lonsdale

Marianne Lonsdale’s debut novel, When The Road Curves, was published by Sibylline Press in 2026. She writes fiction, personal essays and poetry. Her work has been published in several print anthologies and various online journals including The New York Times, The Bluebird Word... Read More →
avatar for Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson is a physician, community activist and writer whose career includes stints scaling up HIV treatment in Mozambique, overseeing an urban public health department in Cleveland, and directing a community clinic in Santa Fe. She currently practices family and addiction medicine in Northern... Read More →
avatar for Tara Dorabji

Tara Dorabji

Tara Dorabji is the award-winning author of the novel, Call Her Freedom, Simon and Schuster’s Books Like Us Grand Prize Winner. Tara’s documentary film series on human rights defenders in Kashmir won awards at over a dozen film festivals throughout Asia and the USA. Her publi... Read More →
avatar for Regina Louise

Regina Louise

Regina Louise, MFA, is an emotional intelligence coach who uses poetry as praxis, a mindfulness meditation teacher, and a senior Hoffman Process teacher. She is best known as the author of the memoirs Somebody’s Someone and Someone Has Led This Child to Believe—the inspiratio... Read More →
Sunday October 11, 2026 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
447 Minna 447 Minna St, San Francisco
  Writers Weekend, Pay What You Can

2:00pm PDT

After The Launch: Raising Your Book to Survive and Thrive
Sunday October 11, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
447 Minna
Buy Tickets/RSVP
Pay-what-you-can for guaranteed seat; FREE to walk-ups (space depending)

Sponsored by Yerba Buena Partnership

The launch party is over, the champagne is flat—now what? Getting your book out into the world is only the beginning. In this session, editor/publisher Julia Park Tracey will moderate a conversation between jack-of-all-genres Ariel Gore, bookseller Jasmine Valandani, and memoirist Mary Alice Stephens about what comes after the launch: how to keep your book visible, cultivate both new and lifelong readers, and keep things moving without burning yourself out. 
Moderators
avatar for Julia Park Tracey

Julia Park Tracey

Julia Park Tracey is an award-winning journalist, editor, and author; she was Poet Laureate of Alameda, CA, 2014-2017. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, Salon, Narratively, Redbook, Oakland Magazine, sfgate.com, and The Sun. Julia is an alumna of the Community of Writers... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Ariel Gore

Ariel Gore

Ariel Gore is a Lambda and American Alternative Press award-winning editor and author of more than a dozen books. She teaches at literarykitchen.org
avatar for Jasmine Valandani

Jasmine Valandani

Jasmine Valandani has been an independent bookseller for over a decade, working as a buyer of adult and children’s books at Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, and presently managing the children’s section at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park since 2021. Her passions include picture books, pl... Read More →
avatar for Mary Alice Stephens

Mary Alice Stephens

Mary Alice Stephens is a captivating storyteller whose best-selling memoir, Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over, reveals her raw, humorous, and profoundly inspiring journey from alcohol-fueled chaos to a life of clarity, connection, and self-acceptance. This #1 Amazon new release in alcoholism recovery and midlife self-help earned the 2026 PenCraft Award for Motivational Nonfiction and the 2026 Interna... Read More →
Sunday October 11, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
447 Minna 447 Minna St, San Francisco
  Writers Weekend, Pay What You Can
 

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447 Minna
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