Yasmin Angoe with Nicole Ayers: Deconstructing a Debut Author’s Success (Feb 17th at 7pm EST)

Join us for:

Deconstructing a Debut Author’s Success

Yasmin Angoe in Conversation with Nicole Ayers

Thursday, February 17th
7:00-8:00pm est
Cost: Free
Online via Zoom, RSVP HERE

 

Yasmin Angoe wrote the female Jason Bourne that everyone needs. Complex, brave, and lethal, Nena Knight is without a doubt one of the best heroines I have ever read….” –Megha Parekh, Senior Editor, Thomas & Mercer

“A crackerjack story with truly memorable characters. I can’t wait to see what Yasmin Angoe comes up with next.” —David Baldacci, author

 

When Yasmin Angoe’s debut thriller, Her Name is Knight (Thomas & Mercer) was released in November to rave reviews and sales. It shot to the top of numerous bestseller lists, including AMZ’s Assassination Bestsellers, and Black & African American Literature–New Releases. Her ‘Nena Knight’ series of books is currently being adapted for television!

Writer and editor Nicole Ayers hosts a one-on-one conversation with Yasmin, for a look at what’s involved to earn the accolades and deals that she’s received.

 

**Two lucky attendees will each win a copy of Yasmin’s debut novel!

 

BIOS

Yasmin Angoe is a first-generation Ghanaian American and has worked in education for nearly twenty years as a middle and high school teacher and instructional coach. She received the 2020 Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime of which she is a member. Yasmin is a member of numerous crime, mystery, and thriller writing groups and organizations including Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.


Nicole C. Ayers
is an editor, writer, interviewer, and inspirational speaker.Her inspirational book  Love Notes to My Body, was recognized as one of 2020’s best life-changing books, and its two body-positive companion books. She’s a strong voice for female empowerment and the freedom it brings.

 

BOOK SUMMARY
Her Name is Knight (#1 in the Nena Knight series). Stolen from her Ghanaian village as a child, Nena Knight has plenty of motives to kill. Now an elite assassin for a powerful business syndicate called the Tribe, she gets plenty of chances. But while on assignment in Miami, Nena ends up saving a life, not taking one. She emerges from the experience a changed woman, finally hopeful for a life beyond rage and revenge. Tasked with killing a man she’s come to respect, Nena struggles to reconcile her loyalty to the Tribe with her new purpose.

Meanwhile, she learns a new Tribe council member is the same man who razed her village, murdered her family, and sold her into captivity. Nena can’t resist the temptation of vengeance—and she doesn’t want to. Before she can reclaim her life, she must leverage everything she was and everything she is to take him down and end the cycle of bloodshed for good.

 

RSVP HERE

 

 

Bibliofeast 2021

The WNBA-Charlotte Chapter
presents

BIBLIOFEAST 2021

book fork

A virtual feast with Great Group Reads authors: Anjali Enjeti, Heather Frese, and Jason Mott.

Wednesday, Nov. 3rd, 7:00-8:30pm
Online sponsored on ZOOM
Moderated by Susan Walker

RSVP Here 

* Author Readings and Q&A *Book Raffle for Attendees 


Featured authors:

________________


Anjali Enjeti 
 has appeared in USA Today, Harper’s BAZAAR, Publishers Weekly, and ZORA. In 2019, she co-founded the GA chapter of They See Blue, an organization for South Asian Democrats. Follow her on Instagram @angali.enjeti

The Parted Earth (Hub City Press). August 1947 New Delhi, there is unrest leading up to the birth of the Muslim majority nation of Pakistan, and the Hindu majority nation of India. 16 year-old Deepa navigates the changing politics of her home, finding solace in messages of intricate origami from her secret boyfriend Amir. Soon Amir flees to Pakistan and a tragedy forces Deepa to leave the subcontinent forever. Spanning more than half a century and cities from New Delhi to Atlanta, Anjali Enjeti’s debut is a heartfelt and human portrait of the long shadow of the Partition of India on the lives of three generations of women.

________________

Heather Frese has published short stories, essays, poetry. Her work has appeared in Los Angeles Review, Front Porch, the Barely South Review, Switchback, and elsewhere, earning notable mention in the Pushcart Prize Anthology and Best American Essays.  Follow her on Instagram @HeatherKFrese

The Baddest Girl on The Planet (Blair). Evie Austin has not lived her life in a straight line. There have been several detours—career snafus, bad romantic choices, a loved but unplanned child—plus her ill-advised lifelong obsession with boxer Mike Tyson. This is the story of what the baddest girl on the planet must find in herself when a bag of pastries, a new lover, or quick trip to Vegas won’t fix anything, when she must learn from her relationships but also look within to navigate the decisions and turning points in redefining a new notion of herself.

________________

Jason Mott is a novelist and poet. He received an BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize award and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 “New Hollywood: Next Wave” people to watch.ion of herself. Follow him on Twitter @jasonmott

Hell of a Book: A Novel (Dutton). An African-American author sets out on a cross-country book tour to promote his bestselling novel. That’s the book’s storyline and, the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent. The novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. A 2021 National Book Award Longlist Selection.

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RSVP Here 

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Great Group Reads is WNBA National iniative of an annual collection of books ideal for reading groups. Hundreds of books are submitted to the GGR committee from publishers nationwide, in the categories of fiction, short stories, and memoirs. 

View the 2021 GGR full list and summaries

Download the 2021 GGR Flyer

QUESTIONS?  Please contact Susan Walker, National Reading Group Month Events Manager, susan.walker.books@gmail.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR, WELCOME 2021

Please view our array books, written by Chapter Members!

 

Authors: Nicole Ayers; Sandy Altschuler, Carolina Aponte, Sarah Archer, Sarah Blanchard, Carla A. Carlisle, Shawn Keller-Cooper, Patt Fero, KC Freeman, Judy Goldberg, Maureen Ryan Griffin, Nancy Howie

 

Authors: Holly Hughes, Juanita Jackson, Renee Johnson, Lisa Kinkleman, Bridgett Langson, MJ. Maddox, Paula Martinac, Vickie Morrow, Shamyra Parker

 

Authors: Emily Pearce, Janet Perkins, Linda Vigen Phillips, Nancy Werking Poling, Fabi Preslar, Lucy Sams, Maureen Sherbondy, Tyrra Turner, Laura Valtora, Sarah Thompson, Nancy White

 

Writing Nonfiction to Move Your Message Forward (Tues., 11/10 at 7pm)

Join us for our annual self-publishing program, featuring regional authors, who are award-winning  speakers and businesswomen.

Writing Nonfiction to Move Your Message Forward

 

Tuesday, November 10, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Online Via Zoom  RSVP HERE

Panelists include:

  • Carolina  Aponte (Pave Your Own Way: 13 Skills to Create Your Own Success) is the CEO of Caja Holdings, a full-service accounting and bookkeeping firm in Indian Trail, NC. She is the current President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Charlotte.  Awards include the 2012 La Noticia Latin American Businesswoman Award, the 2017 NAWBO Charlotte Rising Star Award, the 2019 Mecklenburg Times Phenoms, and the Mecklenburg Times “50 Most Influential Women Class of 2020.” Follow her on Instagram @Carolinainbiz

  • Carla A. Carlisle ( Journey To The Son, An Unconventional Quest of Mother and Son to Love, Light and Hope) is a child and mental healthcare advocate. She is also Head of Technology for a global financial services company. Prior to moving to Charlotte, she worked in Washington, D.C as a federal employee for the FBI and U.S. Senate. She also served as a government consultant with expertise in strategic communications, project and program management, and change management. She is a co-mentor for her company’s IT Women’s Council Mentoring Group Program. She was also the inaugural chair of a new Employee Resource Group, and on the board of Girl Talk Foundation, Inc. Follow her on Instagram @carlaacarlisle

  • Shamyra Parker (Boundless by Birthright: Inspirational Journal) is the Founder and Chief Well-Being Officer (CWO) of Born Boundless International. She’s a self-care advocate and educator who gives Black women, in leadership positions, a mental makeover by showing them how to make self-care non-negotiable so they are emotionally whole and no longer suffering in silence. A Charlotte native, Shamyra is the author of four books, has 10+ years of corporate sales and marketing experience and five years in health and wellness outreach. She facilitates workshops, courses, and professional development with the urgent message that not making yourself a priority has a price tag. Follow her on Instagram @shamyraparker

  • Fabi Preslar (Fabulous F Words of Business Ownership; President of Spark Publications) is the owner and president of SPARK Publications, a national, award-winning, independent publishing firm specializing in the design of niche magazines, and non-fiction books for print, digital, and interactive media. Preslar has been honored as a 2020 FOLIO: Top Women in Media, was inducted into the 2019 North Carolina Women Business Owners Hall of Fame, and was awarded the 2018 First-Generation Family Business of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal. SPARK Publications celebrates 22 years in business. Learn more at SPARKpublications.com and FabiPreslar.com.

  • Nicole C. Ayers–Moderator (Love Notes to My Body; Owner of Ayers Edits)is the owner of Ayers Edits. Editing is her dream job because she gets to combine her love of reading with the fun of wordplay. In addition to providing developmental editing and line editing services, she creates online courses, including one all about commas. Nicole is able to empathize with her clients because she’s also an award-winning author of Love Notes to My Body and its body-positive companion books Follow her writing journey on Instagram at @nicoleayers.

ATTENDEE PRIZES One lucky attendee will win a”Get your Book Published” strategy session by SPARK Publications. Fabi Preslar (President, SPARK Publications) will take you through mindset and strategy towards getting your book published, in a one-on-one Zoom session. This also includes a video introduction and workbook to customize and independently publish your book. A $500 value!!

 

BIBLIOFEAST 2020

Join us as well celebrate National Reading Group Month and the newest Great Group reads collection!

 

Monday, October 19th, 7:00-8:30pm

Online Via Zoom

* Book Giveaways for Attendees *

* Author Readings and Q&A *

*Recorded for Facebook & More*

Our Annual Bibliofeast book & author event is a virtual format this year! Enjoy a panel discussion featuring four outstanding authors, and their 2020 Great Group Reads-chosen titles!

  • Donna Hemans, author of Tea by the Sea (Red Hen Press, TP)

    Summary: When Plum’s daughter is kidnapped at birth, by the baby’s father, she spends the next 17 years searching for her  With travels that extend from Jamaica to Brooklyn, this novel examines issues of parenthood, tragedy, identity, redemption, and betrayal.

     

  • Nancy Jensen author of In Our Midst (Dzanc Books, HC)

    Summary: In 1940s Indiana, community fear and suspicion has grown about German immigrants. Nina and Otto Aust and their sons are first separated by the FBI, then interrogated, and ultimately sent to an internment camp in this WWII-set historical fiction.

     

  • Christina Baker Kline author of The Exiles (Custom House, HC)

    Summary: Set in the early days of Australia, this is a story of three women: Two English convicts, and a young Aboriginal girl who’s taken from her people to be raised as a sort of pet by the governor and his wife. This novel takes on colonization, native peoples, and the determination that enabled them to persevere in the face of exile.

     

  • Sahar Mustafah author of The Beauty of Your Face (W.W. Norton, HC)

    Summary: High School principal Afaf Rahman hides as a shooter guns down students at a Muslim girls school in Chicago. The novel alternates between Afaf’s live account of the attack and flashbacks to childhood incidents, including the relationship with her mother, her sister’s disappearance, and her own discovery of the comfort of Islam. 

VIEW THE FULL 2020 GREAT GROUP LIST HERE 

JOIN or RENEW by Sept. 21 (updated), and be entered in our booksellers raffle!

Members who join or renew by September 21st (updated :D), will be entered to win one of six $30.00 gift card from these Charlotte, NC booksellers! 

BOOK BUYERS, (Plaza Midwood), used books of all genres.

HEROES AREN’T HARD TO FIND (Elizabeth), comics, graphic novels, manga, specialty items, and collecting supplies.

MAIN STREET BOOKS  (Davidson), full service independent bookstore

PARK ROAD BOOKS (South Park), full-service independent bookstore

SHELVES BOOKSTORE, (Charlotte Metro-Area), mobile pop-up /online store featuring multicultural titles

THAT’S NOVEL, (Camp North End), used books, plus new books from select local authors

It’s our way of saying “Thank You” for your valued, important support at this time!  

Join or renew here! Thank You and Stay Safe!

Book Club VIRTUAL Meetup June 2nd

Come and discuss The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib (St. Martin’s, TP) 
Tuesday, June 2, 7:00pm
Virtually, on Zoom (rsvp)  

Synopsis: Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted into 17 Swann Street, a center for women with life-threatening eating disorders. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

All are welcome to attend, to give your input or learn about a new book to read!

😊 📚 All titles for our bookclub are selected from WNBA’s Great Group Reads List.

National Poetry Month: Covid-19 by NC Weil

For National Poetry Month 2020, we present the poetry and prose from WNBA Members.

COVID-19
by NC Weil
Coronavirus is the new malaria
Invisible contagion in a sneeze,
An end to sociability and ease,
Undercurrent of some new hysteria.
Hoping that this new threat doesn’t bury ya
You twitch and start at every cough and wheeze,
Praying this is not the dread disease –
Hospital reports are very scary, yeah!
Seeking to be safe, we wear our masks
And grocery shop in one-use latex gloves
Staying in, reordering our tasks,
Zooming visits to our distant loves.
We’ll get through this together, being kind,
The greater good the forefront of our mind.

 

NC Weil (WNBA-DC Chapter) is a writer and author of the novels Karmafornia and Superball (Fool Court Press, 2016). Follow her blog at http://aestheticpoint.blogspot.com

National Poetry Month: Crow’s Feet by Nicole C. Ayers

For National Poetry Month 2020, we present the poetry and prose from our Members.

 

Crow’s Feet

by Nicole C. Ayers

(Illustration by Mica Gadhia)

 

Thank you for reflecting my life’s joys to the world. I love the idea that my smiles and laughter create creases that hold happiness in my eyes so I may “see” it. Some people call you laugh lines, and while I like that too, I like crow’s feet more. Crows are so intelligent, and they love shiny treasures. I like thinking I’m wise enough to find my treasure in joy. Love, ME

 

 

Dear Crow’s Feet

 

Nicole’s Love Notes collection is a trio of essays, inspirational prose, and a guided journal for the reader. They include Love Notes to My Body, Love Letters to My Body: Writing My Way to (Self-), and Writing Your Way to (Self-)Love: A Guided Journal To Help You Love Your Body, One Part at a Time. Visit her at www.nicolecayers.com And follow Mica on Twitter @MicaGadhia

National Poetry Month 2020: Contagion by Linda Vigen Phillips

For National Poetry Month 2020, we present the poetry and prose from our Members.

CONTAGION
by Linda Vigen Phillips

I can smell the poetry

in the air

everywhere, and be careful

it is contagious.

I explored the streets without cover

and oh my,

I did discover things without

and within.

Wisteria grabbed my nose

on a walk

usually brisk, but now the gift of time

demands my attention, a twist.

A disturbance overhead, I hear

two hawks

frenzied by two ravens

too curious about the nest.

Squirrels, always squirrely

can be ignored

but wait, a symphony

inside my head choreographs their dance.

I came down with it,

the poetry.

An infectious smile

invades my languid soul.

Linda is the author of two Young Adult novels-in-verse: Behind These Hands (Light Messages, 2018) and Crazy (Eerdmans, 2014),  Follow her on Twitter @LVigenPhillips