I moved to the Bay area in 2020, a week before the COVID shutdown. Ironically, this provided
time and opportunity to concentrate on my book: The Creole Incident.
As I prepared the book for presentation: editing, query letters, synopsis of the book,
‘about the author,’ etc., I realized I needed guidance. This led to an awareness of The San
Francesco Writers Conference.
I believe the best place to start is locally. Whether it be New York, or Buffalo; if you
can’t achieve locally, more than likely you won’t anywhere else. What better place to start than
with the SFWC? Upon perusing their site, I became aware of the writing contest and its categories: Adult
Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Kid Lit and Poetry. And so – I entered.
Much to my surprise and gratification, I was named runner-up in the Adult Non-Fiction
Category in the San Francisco Writers Conference 2021 Writing Contest for The Creole Incident.
This was pivotal, in that I attracted a publisher, went through vigorous editing and will now be
published July 1, 2024.
Not only the writing contest but SFWC’s online advice for writers, “Ask Me Anything”
proved to be an asset, as well as the yearly conference, wherein the sessions, lectures and classes
offer valuable insights and instruction.
However, the best asset is the folks at SFWC: their patience, willingness to listen,
advice and guidance and belief in the writer, leave me forever grateful to the San Francisco Writers Conference.
With much gratitude – thank you!
–John Hyde Barnard
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