" RUNNING FOR THE 2:10" LISTED BY AMERICAN BOOK FEST

RUNNING FOR THE 2:10

LISTED BY AMERICAN BOOK FEST

www.americanbookfest.com/autobiography.html

I WILL BE READING AND SIGNING...DECEMBER 16, 2018 IN CORTE MADERA

WNBA-SF Holiday Showcase-Book Passage Corte Madera

 

Sunday, December 16
4:00 PM-6:00 PM
Book Passage Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera 94925
FREE and Open to the Public
Light refreshments and wine tasting, books available for sale and book signing.
Please join us for a celebration of 50 years of women in the world of books with member authors of the San Francisco Chapter of the WNBA.
Before women had the right to vote, the Women’s National Book Association was advocating for women writers, booksellers, editors and “women in the world of books,” starting in 1917. This vital part of the Northern California publishing community includes New York Times bestselling authors, writing coaches, award-winning editors, literary agents, National Book Critics, book to film creatives, librarians, and an Indiefab Publisher of the Year, offering insider secrets to getting your book published.
In this 50th year Showcase, authors from the WNBA-SF will read from their books and join in a panel discussion of how women’s voices and those of diversity are more important than ever before. Q&A to follow.

Current List of Participating WNBA-SF Chapter Member Authors:

Sheryl Bize-Boutte, Running for the 2:10
Megan Clancy, The Burden of a Daughter; A Novel
Kim Collins, F is For Feminist
Elise Marie Collins, Super Agers
Lynn Dow, Nightingale Tales: Stories from My Life as a Nurse
Diane Frank, Letters from a Sacred Mountain Place
B. Lynn Goodwin, Never Too Late, From Wannabe to Wife at 62
Joan Gelfand, You Can Be A Winning Writer
Brenda Knight, The Grateful Table
Mary Mackey, The Jaguars That Prowl Our Dreams: New and Selected Poems 1974 to 2018
Sharon McElhone, Basta: Anthology Dedicated to Helping Immigrant Women
Duncan McVean, My Patients Like Treats: Tales from a House Call Veterinarian
Gina L. Mulligan, From Across the Room
Barbara Ridley, When It’s Over
Marcia Rosen, The Senior Sleuths: Dead in Bed
Rebecca Rosenberg, The Secret Life of Mrs. London
Jan Schmuckler, Role Montage
Bev Scott, Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness
Michelle Travis, My Mom Has Two Jobs
Sue Wilhite, 21 Templates that Run Your World

Literary gathering and reading!

Literary gathering and reading! Includes open mic! 

Presented by

Cristina Deptula's "Authors Large and Small" 

October 14, 2018

2:00 pm

Au Coquelet Cafe Restaurant

2000 University Avenue

Berkeley, CA 94704

Our lineup will include Oakland's own Sheryl Bize-Boutte, MC at the Montclair Library's National Poetry Month celebration, whose stories celebrate our history and our hometown amid change and gentrification, and Henry Hitz, whose novel White Knight gives a unique look at the Jonestown killings and murders of supervisors Milk and Moscone through the eyes of a mentally unstable person who believes he has caused and must rectify the tragedies.

Also former Berkeley resident and Beat writer/social activist PW Covington, whose poetry comes from the hard lessons and adventures of the road, not the classroom. He performed together with Sheryl last month at Bay Area Generations, which brought out 100+ people. Also from Berkeley will be Connie Tyler, creator of the fun, humane and compassionate Earth Woman Tree Woman fantasy quartet, an adventure in which humans learn to join the dance of life. Connie is active within dance and movement circles in Oakland/Berkeley and has a following here. And Mary Parks, author of They Called Me Bunny and Flight to Ohio: From Slavery to Passing to Freedom, tautly crafted historical fiction exploring the tensions between claiming and overcoming racialized identities (Black and Native American) in early American history.
Also, Christopher Bernard, editor of San Francisco's Caveat Lector magazine and author of poetry collection Chien Lunatique,who has previously read at East Bay Booksellers and sparked a lively discussion, and Richmond's Christine Volker, whose sensuous murder mystery Venetian Blood won the Sarton Prize for Women's Fiction for 2018.
We may invite other authors to share as they let us know that they are available, and hope to have space for an open mic should time allow.

POET'S PROGRESS REVIEWS "RUNNING FOR THE 2:10"

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POET'S PROGRESS

 REVIEWS 

"RUNNING FOR THE 2:10"

 ON

GOODREADS

"Sep 07, 2018 Poet's Progress rated it it was amazing

The cover of the book calls these stories but really they are more poetry in prose form. Tightly written vignettes that pack a wallop. Many are centered around childhood memories: events, large and small, that represented emotional milestones. The book culminates with the stories of the deaths of both of the author's parents, first one, then the other. It is fitting that this should be the finale of the book as, no matter how old you are, when your parents die, so does your childhood. Touching, accessible, bittersweet, and relatable, Running for the 2:10 is a great contribution to literature."

 

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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2522031131?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1 

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A CALL TO THE QUEEN

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A Call to the Queen

Those of you who have known me for some time and/or have read my book, “Running For The 2:10”, know that while in high school, I worked for the phone company as a long distance operator.  As reminder and introduction to this story, here is an excerpt to set the stage:

“My first job was as a long distance operator at the phone company.  This was back in the day when there were “boards” and “plug-ins” and one had to call the operator to place a long-distance call. As a high school student, I attended classes four hours per day and worked four hours per day under the Oakland Public Schools, “Outside Work Experience” or OWE program.

The phone company was a harsh place to work back then.  The operators were mostly women and all of our movements during the workday were strictly monitored.  We sat on stools in a windowless galley-like room facing the board while waiting for the lights to appear indicating a call to the operator.  Then we would plug into that light and say ever so sweetly,  “Operator.” We would then connect the caller to the number they were calling with another plug and a light would show on the console to indicate conversation.  When the console light went off, it meant the conversation was over and then we would promptly unplug the in and out connections.” 

It was in this daily grind of a job, in the summer of 1967, I was handpicked to  arrange a long-distance call I will never forget.

With my supervisor plugged in and standing right next to me to monitor my every word, I was told to plug in to a certain light on the board with my incoming cord.  There, an unknown caller was waiting to place a person-to-person call. 

“Hello, this is the operator.  How may I help you?” 

A cheery male voice replied, “Oh hi there.  I would like to place a person-to-person call to Aretha Franklin at area xxx, number xxx-xxxx.

I had not been nervous at first. But when he said “Aretha Franklin” I almost fell off my stool, much to my supervisor’s amusement.  Remember, I was only 16 years old at this point and the closest I had ever gotten to Miss Franklin was singing R-E-S-P-E-C-T in the living room with my sisters or trying my best to mimic the torturous love I knew nothing about when I sang “I Ain’t Never Loved A Man “ at the school talent show.

And since the call was person-to person, I had to have the name of the other person and managed to ask, “And whom may I say is calling?”

The male voice replied not with a name but with a phone number.  I looked at my supervisor in fear and frustration and she just nodded her wigged head in the yes position, which meant, “Go with that because it’s all you are going to get.”

And so, I placed the connected plug into the outgoing light and dialed Aretha Franklin’s number.  By then, I had climbed down off the stool and was standing at the board.  No way I could sit down for this. 

The phone rang once, then twice and I thought no one would pick up and I would never get this opportunity again.  Then on the third ring,

“Hello,” a young child’s voice spoke loudly into the phone.  There was a lot of chatter and laughter in the background.  It almost sounded like a party, but as I waited I was able to listen closer and realized it sounded more like just a gathering of family.  A big, talkative and happy family.

“Hello.  This is the long distance operator.” I was smooth as glass.

 “I have a person- to- person call for Miss Aretha Franklin from phone number xxx-xxx-xxxx..” Without another word, the phone landed with a thud on some hard surface.  I thought we were done.

Then after a few seconds, another “Hello” in that unmistakable sweet and lyrical voice I knew belonged to the Queen herself.

I swallowed hard. Twice.  Back to smooth I said,

“This is the long distance operator.  I have a person- to -person call from phone number xxx-xxx-xxxx for Miss Aretha Franklin.”

“This is Aretha Franklin.”

“Hey Ree”, the male voice said.

“Hey…..”, she said as I did my professional duty and flipped the microphone off, leaving them to have their private conversation. 

I took other calls during my shift that day, but had one eye on that magic light the whole time.  The conversation went on for about fifteen minutes before the light went off and I could unplug the call.

I never knew who the caller was and my supervisor never gave any hints.  I did ask her why they picked me to do the call and she said,

“Because these grown chicks who work here would have kept those numbers and who knows what they would have done with them.  I knew you wouldn’t mess it up.”

“But you were there the whole time! How would I have done that anyway?”

She looked me in the eye and said, “ Please, I wouldn’t have missed the chance to hear Aretha’s real life voice!” 

From the real life voice of the “Queen of Soul” to my ear for if only for a second, it will stay forever and ever in my heart.

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte

I WILL BE READING WITH PW COVINGTON AT BAY AREA GENERATION'S 5TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW ON AUGUST 27, 2018

I will be reading with celebrated poet and author PW Covington  

at the

Bay Area Generations 5th Anniversary Show #60

 
Monday, August 27th, 2018
A literary salon featuring a curated works of San Francisco Bay Area poets, writers and storytellers.

Tasha Mini + Susan Nordmark
Bronwyn Emery + Fred Dodsworth
Carol Dorf + Grace Grafton
Laura Fanning + Erica Peck
John McNulty + Heidi Benson Stagg
Daniel Ari + Jon Sindell
Leah Markos + Don Markos
Libra Kaplan + Robin Heyden
Peggy Simmons + Xochtil Larios
Maurisa Thompson + Avotjca
Tobey Hiller + Maw Shein Win
Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte + PW Covington

CURATORS:
David Brehmer (guest)
Amos White + Marise Phillips (board)

Bay Area Generations 5th Anniversary Show #60
Monday, August 27
7:30pm
at Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland
Map: http://bit.ly/BAGJGGmap
Tickets: http://bit.ly/BAG60Tx

Wine bar | Easy Access on Public Transportation
From BART: http://bit.ly/BAGJGGmap

Doors & Wine Bar: 6:30 p.m. Show: 7:30 p.m.
Suggested donation $10, includes with chapbook
*No one turned away for lack of funds.*

Get tickets: http://bit.ly/BAG60Tx

Bay Area Generations literary reading series features paired readers of differing generations in a curated submission based show. Since 2013, over 350 hundred notable authors, poets, writers, playwrights and musicians have read poetry and stories, or performed at this celebrated literary salon.

Website: www.bayareagenerations.com
FB: www.facebook.com/bayareagenerations
Events: www.facebook.com/bayareagenerations/events

MY STORY "UNCLE MARTINA" IN THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE OF "SYNCHRONIZED CHAOS"

 MY NEWEST SHORT STORY

 "UNCLE MARTINA"

HAS BEEN PUBLISHED 

IN THE 1OTH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 

OF 

SYNCHRONIZED CHAOS MAGAZINE

 

 FIND IT HERE

http://synchchaos.com/synchronized-chaos-august-2018-dichotomies/#

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL 

 AT

 "SYNCHRONIZED CHAOS MAGAZINE" 

ON THIS MAGNIFICENT MILESTONE