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• Sixth Annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival May 8-11, 2008
• Queens Take Longer -- a short story by Royston Tester
• Journey in Time — Writing an Epic by Angelica Harris

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Welcome from Dreamwalker

Namaste. Welcome to the April 2008 issue of DREAMScene — the electronic newsletter of DREAMWalker Group.

This month I've decided to begin with a few thoughts about my own personal vision for  DREAMWalker Group.  I'm calling this my soul purpose^*.

To wit, my soul purpose is to bring brilliant and creative people together.  I define brilliant and creative as those connected by a spark of intention to make things on this planet work. Of course, this is not going to be an easy task and DREAMWalker Group is just one of many websites that have the same or similar goals.

I believe that everyone has brilliance within and I hope that I encourage people to let that brilliance shine.  Such brilliance often manifests itself as creative ideas, ideas that are all too often pushed aside and forgotten.  I believe that these ideas and creative impulses are the Universe's way of expressing its own desires.  Ignoring those ideas — or forgetting them — does not make us bad and it doesn't annoy the Universe (aka God, Goddess, Great Spirit, Muse, Spirit) one bit.  S/he's pretty tenacious, the Universe is, and will always offer second chances.  And third and fourth, ad infinitum.  DREAMWalker Group wants to see those ideas expressed once and for all so that your own brilliance can shine through.

Please join our community today.  Actively participate by having a profile and helping us keep it up to date (in other words, keep creating and let us know as you do).  Express yourself by writing for this newsletter.  Help us to prosper by buying all your Amazon.com books through the search box on our homepage or on the left side of this newsletter.  Send us your comments and ideas.  Let us know about retreats and other creativity-based events.  Oh, and finally, do mention us on Oprah!

Our world and our society are at a turning point.  The choices we make today can and will determine where we as a society — and life form — go from here.  Do we want to live out of fear and obstruct our creative impulses, or do we want to live out of love and breathe life back into our world, our friends, our selves?

Help DREAMWalker Group — help me — achieve my soul purpose.

Let DREAMWalker Group help you achieve yours.

Together, we can do it.

^*I say soul purpose — as opposed to sole purpose — because what DREAMWalker Group strives for will take the efforts and participation of the brilliant souls of the entire global community.

 alter_mike-dreamwalkergroup@yahoo.com

Miss an issue of this newsletter?  Click here to view old issues online.

***

• This month we're excited to announce a brand new creative project of author Robin Reardon.  Using her Blog, Robin is producing a series of installments using logic and facts, in the form of an open letter to humanity, to prove that the only thing wrong with being gay is how some people treat you when they find out. The Case for Acceptance presents the thinking behind Reardon’s second novel, Thinking Straight, about a gay teen who is sent to a Christian de-programming center to straighten him out.

  The first installment introduces the series and talks about the invectives in a faggot-bag —  an item everyone has someplace in their possession if they grew up in a society where homosexuality is not fully accepted. Future installments, to be announced here as they are released, will present a rational process for deconstructing and demolishing those invectives, including the one that says “Damned.”  Begin reading her Blog today!

  This month's issue includes:

  • Another article (Each a Different Kind) from the archives of the Christian*New Age Quarterly (C*NAQ, Catherine Groves, ed.)

  • An article on Writing the Right Way by Tamara Wilhite as well as a charming look into her real world called, Live Show.

  • Lynda Exley's introduction to Kids Can Publish University

  • An article by Angelica Harris.

  • Amie M. Evans's look at the upcoming Sixth Annual Saints and Sinners Literary Another installment of Gail Fonda's column, Ask Gail.

  • A short story by Royston Tester.

  • Some untraditional financial advice from Walt Stover.

  New features include Sources Tell Us —  where we share some things about the creative world we've hear around & about and Classified: Help Wanted / Help Offered, the title which pretty much speaks for itself.

  We hope you'll enjoy this issue and anticipate more frequent updates in the future!

  Michael Walker

  Proprietor

   alter_mike-dreamwalkergroup@yahoo.com
   

  Missed an issue of this newsletter?  Click here to view old issues online

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• Remember that DREAMWalker Group is broken into numerous creative "communities" -- which more jaundiced folks might like to think of as "market segments."  Each community, in turn, is broken into topics of interest.
  
  For a list of all general topics of interest, go to the General Community.  For a similar list of topics related to other communities, go to that specific community*.
  
  To date, the communities include Arts, Disability, General, GayLesBi, Literary,  Recovery, Seniors, Spirit-Guided, and Transgender.
  
  Feel free to email us and offer suggestions for new topics or topics related to your own avocation or genre.)
  
  *Note that a topic may be under construction. 

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• Christian de la Huerta (author, Co-founder/President of Revolutionary Wisdom, and President of Mastery of Breath School) is contemplating ideas for two new books. DREAMWalker Group hopes this is true since Christian's last book, Coming Out Spiritually: The Next Step, has played such an important role in the lives of so many GLBT people (Dreamwalker included). We'll keep you informed on this once we know more. In the meantime, God speed, Christian!
• In the November 2007 issue of DREAMScene, we announced Elle Newmark's 24-hour virtual party; and in the January 2008 issue we told you that her book, Bones of the Dead had hit Number 22 in historical fiction and Number 43 in mystery thrillers at Amazon.com. Now we can tell you that Elle has inked a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster.

  Says Elle:

  This book was rejected many, many times by many, many people.  It's all about not giving up.  After all the rejections and close calls with publishers, I got disgusted and took things into my own hands.  I self-published Bones of the Dead and then promoted the hell out of it.  I invited hundreds of agents to my virtual book launch and that resulted in representation by William Morris two days later.  I've been told that, these days, agents and editors are very keen on authors who show entrepreneurial spirit.

Elle's book, retitled The Book of Unholy Mischief,  is set for a December 30, 2008 release.  Her second book (in progress) is due December 1, 2009. 

Way to go, Elle!!

• We're been hearing more and more about one steamed M. Christian who's apparently quite miffed about a new book that has been released by Alyson Books.  Supposedly it's by someone who claims to be him — but isn't.  M.C. claims it's a matter of stolen identity — that he would never write such a book.  "Through devious means this shadowy impostor is attempting to supplant my career and even my existence," says M. Christian, continuing, "Rest assured that even though he at first appears to be my equal or even — I must grudgingly admit — my superior with regard to writing ability, I will not rest until he is exposed for the impostor he is. I want my life returned to me."  We're still trying to decide whether someone's leg is being pulled — particularly ours.  So we'll let you decide.  ME2: A Novel of Horror, by M. Christian or not????"

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As a technical writer, the topic of writing — and its associated costs – are constantly on my mind. Yet the tricks and tips I’ve garnered can help everyone save.

• Email darn near free. If you like to correspond with friends and family, get their email addresses and save on stamps.
• Homemade cards can mean more than store bought. If store bought, a bigger price tag does not equal a bigger heart.
• Your food scale works just as well as a postal scale when you need to weigh letters. This helps you get the weight right for when you aren’t sure how much postage you’ll need.
• If your letter is more than one ounce or an odd shape, refer to www.usps.gov and click on “calculate postage” to see how much postage it actually requires. You don’t want to spend more on postage than necessary.
• When sending in a complaint letter to get something fixed, I recommend using a written letter. It is more likely to get resolved than an email that may be filtered or deleted.
• When you find an absolutely wonderful product, do write the company about it on paper. They often send free samples or tons of coupons to thrilled customers.
• If you do submit articles or stories like I do, search for those places that accept electronic submissions. Inconvenienced electrons are better than wasted stamps and dead trees.
• If that perfect present is available in the store and online, do a comparison of shipping costs. It may be cheaper to order and send online than to buy in the store and ship it yourself.

© 2008 Tamara Wilhite.  All rights reserved.

***

DREAMWalker Group topics related to this article:

Creativity   Literary Community   Technical Writing   Writers & Writing

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Literature has long nurtured hope and inspiration for GLBT people, and has provided an avenue of understanding. Every year in May for the last six years GLBT authors have gathered in New Orleans to talk about craft issues, debate the state of queer publishing, network with each other and publishers, and learn from each other while celebrating Queer literature and the role it plays in building GLBT community. This year is no different, May 8 to 11 a dynamic array of GLBT literary talent will come together in the French Quarter for a fun-filled and informative conference on GLBTQI Literature. Saints and Sinners is the only national event of its kind.

The first annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival took place in May 2003 and has since evolved into a collaborative effort between the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival and the NO/AIDS Task Force. The Festival, formed to bring the GLBT literary community together to celebrate the literary arts, presents panel discussions and master classes on literary topics in accordance with its project goals which are to create an environment for productive networking and ensure increased knowledge and dissemination of GLBT literature; to provide an atmosphere for discussion, brainstorming, and the emergence of new ideas; to recognize and honor writers and publishers who broke new ground and made it possible for GLBT books to reach an audience; and to provide a forum for authors and editors to talk about their work for the benefit of emerging writers and the enjoyment of fans of GLBT literature.

Saints and Sinners was also designed as an innovative way to reach the community with information about HIV/AIDS, particularly disseminating prevention messages via the writers, thinkers and spokespeople of the GLBT community. The short-term effects of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival revolve around the tremendous creative energy generated by the event. As one participant put it: “It does more for my writing and my motivation in one weekend than anything I do all year.”

A Weekend Literary pass ($100) grants access to the Welcome Party on Friday evening and all panel discussions and readings on Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11; as well as the Closing Reception/Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony. Master Class on Friday are $25 each. Saints and Sinners is known for its high-quality programming as one first-time participant said: “My expectations were pretty high, but the experience was even better! Thank you!”

A play writing contest is held in conjunction with the festival and each year two folks and a publisher are inducted into the Saints and Sinners Hall of Fame to honor their contributions to the GLBT literary community. In addition, the James Duggins Mid-Career Awards, which recognize and promote LGBT mid-career novelists of extraordinary talent and service to the LGBT community, provide two annual cash awards of $5,000 each to one man and one woman. Nomination form and complete details are available at www.sasfest.org.

There are also five special fundraising events associated with the festival weekend:

“Read Me Something, Mister” where festival participants read from their favorite New Orleans Authors on Thursday night May 8; the premiere production of the winning full-length play from the contest on May 9 at the Marigny Theatre; and A Day Without Sunshine is a new solo performance by Elizabeth Whitney; and Tim Miller’s new show “Us” both at the Marigny Theatre on MAY 10.

Confirmed speakers for this year include: Aaron Hamburger, Alistair McCartney, Amie M. Evans, Anita Fore, Anne Laughlin, Anthony Bidulka, Arin Black, Becky Cochrane, Bett Norris, Brian Antoni, Carol Rosenfeld, Charles Flowers, Collin Kelley, Cynn Chadwick, Dale Chase, Dan Boyle, David-Matthew Barnes, David Rosen, Diane Anderson-Minshall, Dorothy Allison, Elizabeth Whitney, Emanuel Xavier,