I re-vamped the Word Pirates blog and am posting writing-related stuff over there again. You should check out the redesign, if only to see the cute header I made for the site.

Back in May, the Word Pirates held our second public reading. As part of that, Marcia and I made a little movie to play before the performance. It still makes me giggle. Here it is.

Dear Friends,

I hope you can make it to the Word Pirates reading tomorrow night. Marcia and I have been working really hard to make it awesome. I will be reading an essay. Here are the details:

Petaluma, Calif., May 15 – Word Pirates, a professional writing group, will host its second annual reading on May 15. True to their name, the Word Pirates will commandeer the Phoenix Theater to tell tales that could rouse a dead man.

Last year’s standing-room-only reading featured local artists, gripping stories, and a surprise pirate duel. This year’s event will be even better. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m., with pirate-themed appetizers, grog, and surprise entertainment. Then the Word Pirates will read original pieces created in the group during the last year. This event is free and all are welcome. Peg legs and parrots must be checked at the door.

Word Pirates Reading
Date: Thursday, May 15
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: The Phoenix Theater – 201 Washington St., Petaluma
Cost: Free (donations welcomed)

Reading at the Event: Robin Cadogan, Noelani Price, Morgan Elliott, Joy Lanzendorfer, Ross Lockhart, and Marcia Simmons.

For more information, visit www.wordpirates.org, e-mail wordpirates@gmail.com, or call 707-782-0971. Arrr!

Ladies and Gentlemen Writers (Writers and Writeresses?), introducing the Gender Guesser. (More from me about this application after the link.)

I’m in the process of re-designing this site. So you may have to look at some weird things for awhile, like the current banner, for instance, until I have time to make a new one. In the meantime: You’re coming to my reading, right?

My writing group, Word Pirates, is holding its first, and possibly only, reading at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma. I will be reading for 7 minutes or so, a short story called Search of the King Cobra. Also reading: Morgan Elliott, Robin Cadogan, Noelani Price, Marcia Simmons, Steve Reid and Lindsay Riddell. There will be artists, cupcakes, swashbuckling and more!

We have another interview up at Word Pirates. This time Marcia interviewed Ellen Parker from the online journal FRiGG. Take a look.

BTW, Word Pirates really need a logo. Does anyone (who can draw) care to make us one? We are not picky. It should be a pirate and he should be writing. Or it could be the skull and crossbones with say… pens? Help greatly appreciated.

Our writing group, the Word Pirates, interviewed editor Dave Housley from the literary magazine Barrelhouse. We asked him lots of writerly questions like how they choose submissions, what kinds of plots they want, what is overplayed, etc. If you are interested in writing, check it out.