Panel of three experts on writing Memoir and Non-Fiction: Jami Carpenter, Linda Bland and Mike Lankford set for monthly COWG meeting, 6:30-8:30pm at Aspen Ridge in Bend.
You may not be a world-class athlete, a famous celebrity, or on the Forbes 500 money list. You haven’t discovered a cure or patented an invention. But you are an expert. You know the details of your life better than anyone else. And though you may not be front-page news, your story can still be remarkable. With creative writing instructor Mike Lankford discussing composition of the memoir, and editor Jami Carpenter sharing her experience in editing, publishing, and marketing, you will be well on your way to having a memoir worth remembering.
Jami Carpenter is a professional editor who works with traditional and boutique publishers, self-publishing writers, advertising agencies, educational foundations, and non-profit organizations. Her projects have included websites and social media blogs as well as manuscripts and grants. She is a frequent presenter at writing conferences, author groups, libraries, and bookstores, sharing her obsession with good grammar and punctuation as the redpengirl.
As editor and contributing author of Education in the Neon Shadow, Westside School: Our School, Our Community, Our Time, and executive producer and host of the Vegas PBS television show, Book Club, featuring interviews with local, national, and international authors, Jami can appreciate and discuss the literary world from several angles.
The Redpengirl’s experience has given her great versatility and a unique perspective working with writers of all ages, in a variety of formats, and a world of destinations – from South Africa to Thailand to Las Vegas … to her new home in Bend, Oregon.
Linda Bland is a former literary agent and author of a collaborative nonfiction book Don’t Stop at Green Lights (Adams Media). She helped 15 authors get published through self-publishing and selling their book projects to commercial publishers—one nonfiction book was Fairview Press’ bestseller. One self-published nonfiction book client sold 15,000 copies. When two of Linda’s memoir authors took their books for self-publication, both books were bought by the publishers for commercial publication.
Linda wrote assigned feature magazine articles for 30 years. She edited magazines, newspapers, and books for 25 years. Linda taught college writing courses and delivered corporate training for 20 years. Linda served as co-author, book doctor, editor, and contract negotiator. Her business, Cahoots Writing Services, celebrated 20 years in 2012. Linda retired to Bend in 2016.
Mike Lankford is a graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, a published author, editor, award-winning newspaper columnist and finalist for the Pushcart Prize for short fiction. Mike has ghostwritten thirteen books, both fiction and nonfiction. His most recent project was the historical biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. Mike has been teaching for 25 years, the last nine here in Bend at the Central Oregon Community College. He teaches Creative Prose Fiction and Writing Academic Essays.