Monthly Programs

"Establishing Your Online Identity: Building a Web Site and the Importance of Blogging"

Nettie Hartsock, Jimmy Flannigan and Thomas Umstattd Jr.

Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, Austin

Nettie Hartsock is a digital strategist who helps artists, musicians, authors and companies focus on creating, conveying and connecting their message to the world. Her work as a "connector" is highly regarded, and she creates successful programs that establish a powerful base for attracting both bloggers' and journalists' attention.

Jimmy Flannigan is the owner of Site Street, Inc., a web design and hosting company in Austin. Founded in 1997, it is one of the oldest web companies in Austin still locally owned and operated. With a degree from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in e-Business, Mr. Flannigan brings enterprise-level consulting and expertise to small businesses and independent publishers in Austin and across the country. Site Street's suite of services includes web design, custom development, web hosting, search engine optimization, and email marketing.

Thomas Umstattd Jr. loves technology. He built his first website at the age of 13 and taught his first web design class at only 16 years old. He has been helping authors and small businesses use the web ever since. His blend of youth and experience give him a unique perspective that can help you use the web in a whole new way.

As an award winning speaker, Thomas teaches all over the world. His friendly speaking style blends multimedia and audience participation. Thomas is the CEO of Umstattd Media, a company that helps authors use the Web to sell books and win contracts. He also runs AuthorTechTips.com a resource for authors timid about technology.

Before the program, join us for WLT's Sidewalk Book Sale from 1 - 6:30 PM in the WLT parking lot at 611 Congress.

"What Social Media Can Do for You: Facebook, MySpace, and Other Emerging Online Media" with Omar L. Gallaga

Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, Austin

Omar L. Gallaga is a technology culture reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and a regular contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered." He is also a blogger on NPR's "All Tech Considered" blog. He writes and produces videos for the Statesman's Digital Savant blog, NBC/Universal's Television Without Pity Web site and his own sites including Terribly-Happy.com, People Dancing At Concerts and "Space Monkeys!" a Web comic he created with his brother, Pablo. In addition to his tech journalism and Web writing, he's also worked as a writer and performer with Austin's award-winning Latino Comedy Project and ME TV's "The Almost Late Show With Bobby Bones" and has also written for Hispanic magazine, the Tulsa World and the Wall Street Journal.

Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office.

"Who You Know DOES Matter: Mailing Lists, Endorsements, and Networking" with Debra Monroe

Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, Austin

Debra Monroe is the author of four books of fiction: The Source of Trouble (1990), A Wild, Cold State (1995), Newfangled (1998), and Shambles (2004). Her forthcoming memoir, On the Outskirts of Normal, about being the white mother of a black daughter in a small, rural Texas town, will appear in June 2010. Her books have been widely reviewed and won many awards, including the Flannery O’Connor Award, the John Gardner Fellowship, The Violet Crown Award, the Quarterly West Novella Competition, and more. They have appeared on “Best Ten” lists in Elle and Vanity Fair magazines, and in Borders Bookstores’ “Original Voices” series, and she has been nominated for the National Book Award twice. She has published poems, stories, and essays in many magazines and journals.

Debra was born in North Dakota and raised in Wisconsin. She has since lived in Kansas, Utah, North Carolina, and Texas, where she lives now, and she teaches in the MFA program at Texas State University.

Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office.

"How to Become an Expert: Getting Your Name Out There Through Freelance Writing, Speaking Engagements, and Media Appearances" with Stephanie Barko and Sheila Allee

Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, Austin

Stephanie Barko is a Literary Publicist and co-owner of The Authors’ Assistant. Her award-winning clients include 2009 Spur Award Winner John Nesbitt, 2008 Southwest Book Award Winner Paul Cool, Christy & 2008 Willa Award Winner Jane Kirkpatrick, and 2008 Book of the Year Winner Sandra Worth. Publishing partners include Random House, Penguin, Tor/Forge, Henry Holt, Dorchester, McFarland, Texas A&M Press, Truman State University Press, iUniverse and more. Stephanie was invited into the publishing industry after many years in high tech marketing. Her education includes a BBA in Marketing from The University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Sociology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. She is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and Story Circle Network. In addition to serving clients, she presents at national conferences, moderates a book group, and participates in several writing circles.

Her own writing has been published in Western American Literature, Roundup Magazine, Hill Country Sun, The Animal Companion, Releasing Times, Story Circle Journal, Scribe,Kundalini Buzz, Book Marketing MattersTM and Texas Book Marketing Directory. A native Texan, Stephanie has made Austin her home since 1990.

Sheila Allee has been a speechwriter for almost 20 years and has produced speeches for a wide variety of speakers. Sheila spent 12 years as a journalist and has extensive experience writing for and editing magazines. She has written for Reader's Digest, Business Week, Texas Business, and USA Today and others. Her book, Texas Mutiny, a Texas crime novel, is now in its third printing. She has also written Seven Steps to the Podium, A Handbook for Speakers and Speechwriters.

Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office.

"Your PR Campaign: Setting You Goals and Expectations" with Phil West, Jennifer Hill Robenalt, and Marika Flatt

Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, Austin

Phil West runs Luminaria Media & Public Relations, a PR firm in Austin, with a special emphasis on authors, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations. In addition to his PR work, Phil is a veteran arts organizer, most recently co-directing the 2006 and 2007 National Poetry Slams in Austin. He is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers MFA program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Jennifer Hill Robenalt is a twenty-year communications pro and the principal of Hoopla Media & Communications specializing in digital media strategy, media/presentation training and professional writing. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston, MA, with a degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing and currently produces four blogs including www.currentliving.wordpress.com, www.hooplamedia.wordpress.com, www.jenniferhr.wordpress.com and www.bisforblog.wordpress.com.

Marika Flatt launched PR by the Book, LLC in 2002, combining her love of the media and public relations. After garnering experience with her own cable television show, her college newspaper and TV station, and the NBC affiliate in Dallas, Flatt spent seven years with an Austin-based book publicity firm. She was the director of the publisher services division, managing key publicity campaigns and serving as the company’s spokesperson. Marika is a regular speaker at conferences around the country, educating audiences on topics related to publicity and overall promotion tactics. She was awarded a 2004 Gold Bulldog Award for her publicity campaign for Revolve: The Complete New Testament (a Bible for teen girls that looks like a fashion magazine).

In 2003-2004, Marika served as the president of the Austin chapter of the Association for Women in Communications. Flatt is the recipient of the 2005 Austin Public Relations Society of America Outstanding Mentor Award, the 2002 Anne D. Robinson Creative Initiative Award and was a nominee for the 2004 "Profiles in Power" award.

Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office.

"Building Your PR Team"

Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, Austin

"Press Kit Basics"

Location: Writers' League Office, 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130, Austin

"Making Media Work for You: Video, YouTube, and the Importance of Media Training" with Sue Bilich

Sue Bilich has studied acting and singing in Austin and New York City. She has taken several master classes in acting and singing, and recently returned from a master's performance program, "The Cabaret Conference at Yale University," and was the only participant from Texas. Other performers were from the United States and Europe. The master teachers were working professionals from New York City, Los Angeles, and England. Sue appeared as Fraulein Schneider in the Theater at the "J's" production of “Cabaret.” She has also appeared in film, T.V. national and regional commercials, local theater and does voice-over work. She was one of several actors who recently narrated the audio book "Texas Wisewomen, Let Me Tell You What I've Learned" by P. J. Pierce. She is a born storyteller and loves to narrate.

Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office.

"Give Yourself a Longer Shelf Life: Marketing for the Long-Term" with Dana Lynn Smith

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides. Drawing on her 15 years of publishing experience and degree in marketing, she specialize in developing marketing plans for non-fiction books and helping authors learn how to promote their books online.

Before the program, join us from 5 - 7 PM for Happy Hour at Doc's Motorworks, 1123 S. Congress Ave., a few blocks down the street from the WLT office.