Military Writers Society of America convenes in Ohio September 27-29 for the annual conference and awards Banquet. An association of more than a thousand authors, poets, and artists come together by the common bond of love for the men and women who defend our nation, and a deep and personal understanding for their sacrifice and dedication. Their stories weave the fabric of our nation’s history.
Leila Levinson, author of Gated Grief: The Daughter of a GI Concentration Camp Liberator Discovers a Legacy of Trauma, will offer several workshops on writing to heal. Veterans, First Responders, and other professionals who serve those suffering from trauma learn how to help others use writing as a healing modality.
Swenson Book Development, LLC has been invited to present two panels on “Getting Your Book Published,” and “Marketing Today,” and participate in another panel on book publicity and promotions. One-on-one pitch sessions are also available. Danielle Sherwood is flying in from Seattle and Jill is driving from Ithaca to join Cathryn Prince from Connecticut.
Cathryn Prince will read from her forthcoming Death in the Baltic: The WWII Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, discuss her research methods, and answer questions from the audience. On January 29, 1945, nearly 10,000 German refugees and wounded soldiers attempted to flee across the Baltic Sea aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a cruise liner turned escape ship. Three Russian torpedoes struck the boat, causing catastrophic damange. It sank and 9,000 people perished. Nazi and Soviet censorhship condemned the story to obscurity. Based on eyewitness testimonials from the survivors still alive, Death in the Baltic is the untold history of the greatest maritime disaster during peace or war.
The Wright State University Library Special Collections & Archives, the UAF Museum at Wright Patterson Air force Base, and the incredible lineup of authors of every genre promises a full experience of history. The awards banquet will determine who will be the author of the year 2012: William C. Hammond, Carolyn Poling Scribner, or Mike Angley.
Hope to see you in Ohio.
Writing and Listening — an Interview with Brooke Randel
As a young girl Brooke Randel knew little about the Holocaust—just that it was a catastrophe in which millions were murdered, and that her grandma Golda Indig barely escaped that fate. But her Bubbie never spoke about what happened, and the two spent most of their time together making pleasant memories: baking crescent roll cookies, playing gin rummy, and watching Baywatch. Until an unexpected phone call when Golda said, out of the blue: “You should write about my life. What happened in the war.” What results is a fascinating memoir—about one woman’s harrowing survival, and another’s struggle to excavate theRead more…