Writers' Lunch: How to Craft a Bio
moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte

This event will be conducted via Zoom. Register and you will be emailed the Zoom credentials.

Join Mechanics' Institute for a discussion on the topic "How to Craft a Bio" with Joey Garcia and Gini Grossenbacher. This event will be moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte.

Joey Garcia is an editor and author platform coach. She helps writers get known while they’re writing their book, so when it’s published, there’s an audience waiting to read it. Joey’s clients have been interviewed by, and have bylines in The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian magazine, Ms. magazine, CNN, and The Tamron Hall Show, among others. Joey is the indie author of When Your Heart Breaks, It’s Opening to Love and has been featured in HuffPost, USA Today, Deutsche Welle, KVIE public television, Global Woman TV Sweden, Australia’s Ticker News and Slate’s Dear Prudence podcast. In 2017, Joey established the first-ever literary fellowship in Belize, her birthplace. With literary agents, she leads an annual retreat in Belize for writers from all over the world.

Gini Grossenbacher, M.Ed., novelist, poet, certified editor, educator, and publisher, founded Elk Grove Writers and Artists in 2012 and JGKS Press in 2017. She brings thirty-six years of experience teaching English/language arts to adolescents and adults. Her debut “American Madams” series novel, Madam of My Heart, was a silver medalist for historical fiction in the 2018 Independent Publisher awards and received the Kirkus star; Madam in Silk was runner-up for historical fiction in the 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards. Her novel, Madam in Lace, was published in December 2021, and Kirkus Reviews calls it “...a gripping trip through Napoleonic France. Details about the revolutionary plot are revealed in tiny parcels, creating a strong sense of suspense that will keep readers turning pages.” A Reader’s Favorite Five-Star novel won a silver medal for European fiction in the 2022 Independent Publisher awards and first place in the 2022 Pinnacle Awards for historical fiction. Glimpses, her first poetry collection, was released in September 2022. Her poetry blends themes of childhood wonderment, the blessings of ordinary things, and the pain and joy of life experience. Her next historical fiction novel, Filigree and Flame, the first in a new series called “Artistic Women,” will launch in February 2024.

Award-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative.  Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events. Find out more at www.sheryljbize-boutte.com/

Writers' Lunch is a casual and virtual brown-bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to craft discussion, informal presentations on all forms of writing, and excellent conversation.

Join us, share, and learn!