Volume Two of 'Shaking the Tree: brazen. short. memoir.' and Five Books Launch November 16 at the Coronado Library.

Marni Freedman, Tracy J. Jones, and the San Diego Memoir Writers Association (SDMWA) announce the book launch for the second volume of the San Diego Memoir Showcase anthology "Shaking the Tree: brazen. short. memoir." and several other books by local authors on Saturday, November 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Coronado Public Library. Brunch bites will be served. The American Flyboys Jazz Quartet will provide live jazz music. The event is free to the public.

The stories within the anthology come from the yearly San Diego Memoir Showcase competition. From April through June 2018, memoir writers submitted true stories on the theme of "Things We Don't Talk About."

A panel of judges reviewed 200 entries, and ten finalists were chosen to have their pieces performed on stage with professional actors and directors. These ten writers, along with an additional 21 winning writers, will have their written pieces included in this second volume of "Shaking the Tree."

Writers in Volume Two of "Shaking the Tree: brazen. short. memoir."

• Huda Al-Marashi
• Melissa Bloom
• Krisa Bruemmer
• Janice Alper
• Heather M. Berberet
• Amanda Byzak
• John Cunningham
• CJ Elliott
• Laura L. Engel
• Saadia Ali Esmail
• Susan F. Keith
• Lynn Gahman
• Patricia Geist-Martin
• Caroline Gilman
• Lenore Greiner
• MarDestinee C. Perez
• Lauren Halsted
• Laura Jaye
• Nancy "Pants" Johnson
• Donna L. Jose
• Kimberly Joy
• Misha Luz
• Laura May
• Marijke McCandless
• Katya McLane
• Bill Peters
• Elise Kim Prosser, PhD
• James Roberts
• Madonna Treadway
• Sarah Vosburgh
• Marilyn Woods

Additional Local Authors at the Book Launch:

1. "Six Healing Questions: A Gentle Path to Facing Childhood Loss of a Parent" by Madonna Treadway
2. "Tripping 1975: Falling in Love One Country at a Time" by Marshall and Debbie Hockett
3. "Solomon's Recipe: Finding Trust in an Untrustworthy World" by Allan E. Musterer
4. "How to Write a Professional Bio: For Authors, Speakers and Entrepreneurs" by Jeniffer Thompson
5. "Moana: 118,000 Mile Odyssey to the World's Most Remote Places" by Lew Maurer

To get a feel for what the San Diego Memoir Showcase is all about, here's a video from the 2018 performance: https://youtu.be/09PO_nyfxG4.

This video shows the "Shaking the Tree," Volume One authors sharing their stories at bookstores and libraries across San Diego. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAGL6YwM2LI&t=13s.

Marni Freedman (BFA, LMFT) is a produced, published, and award-winning writer. After graduating as an award-winning student from the USC School of Filmic Writing, Marni began her career with her play, Two Goldsteins on Acid, which was produced in Los Angeles. She worked as a script doctor for top film companies and worked as a script agent for the Mary Sue Seymour Agency. One of her plays was made into a film, Playing Mona Lisa, and was produced by Disney.

Freedman is the co-founder and Programming Director for The San Diego Writers Festival, whose mission is to gather Southern California writers and creatives for a day of literary celebration, creative expression, and, most importantly, to promote diversity and inclusion for underserved communities.

Freedman runs the San Diego Writers Network and is the programming director for the San Diego Memoir Association, which produces a yearly theatrical Memoir Showcase. This year, Marni edited the second volume of the anthology, Shaking the Tree: brazen. short. memoir. MCM Publishing published it. Freedman's profound experience with her screenwriting teachers at USC, who were blacklisted, has shaped the direction of her life and career. Her play, A Jewish Joke about the Blacklist, appeared Off-Broadway in March of 2019, and her next play, Teddy: Charge the Bear, appeared in New York in the United Solo Festival in October. She teaches writing workshops for UCSD Extension, conferences, and retreats across the state and runs the Memoir Certificate Program at San Diego Writers, Ink. Marni's latest book, Permission to Roar: For Female Thought Leaders Ready to Write, won four awards and is an Amazon Bestseller.

The San Diego Memoir Writers Association (SDMWA) is a community of local writers committed to the craft and business of memoir writing. Our purpose is to create a community of inspired, nurtured, and educated memoirists. One of the ways in which we do this is by hosting monthly member meetings with speakers who educate our writers on both the craft and business of memoir writing. Writers of all levels are welcome and encouraged to join us to help build their own writing tribe. Founded in December, 2016, SDMWA is located at Liberty Station in Point Loma.

Tracy J. Jones is a producer, head judge, writing coach, and co-director of the San Diego Annual Memoir Showcase. She's the co-editor for Volume One and Two of Shaking the Tree: brazen. short. memoir. She's a founding board member of the San Diego Memoir Writers Association, volunteer director for the San Diego Writers Festival, and has been a featured writer/performer in So Say We All's V.A.M.P. showcase. Tracy is also the content editor for thefeistywriter.com and runs three read and critique groups. Tracy was the editor for Marni Freedman's 7 Essential Writing Tools: That Will Absolutely Make Your Writing Better (And Enliven Your Soul). She also edited Freedman's award-winning and Amazon bestseller, Permission to Roar: for Female Thought Leaders Ready to Writer their Book. She's currently turning her screenplay, Don't Call Me Kitty!, into a YA novel and plans to publish her memoir, Starting Over at Ground Zero in 2020. For more information, email Tracy: tjjones1@gmail.com.

For more information, contact: Marni Freedman 858-877-0781 marnifreedman18@gmail.com or sdmemoirshowcase@gmail.com

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