SAN BRUNO, California – A conference on women and writing will hosted by Skyline College on Saturday, February 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Women on Writing: WOW! Voices Now” conference is free and open to the public. It will feature readings and a question and answer period with two featured authors: Natalie Baszile, author of the debut novel Queen Sugar, and widely published poet and author Eileen Malone.
Twelve additional San Francisco Bay Area women writers will also read their poetry and prose during the Open Reading portion of 
the program (now filled).
“Women on Writing is a unique opportunity for people to come together and connect with, and learn from, talented and inspirational published authors,” said Kathleen McClung, Coordinator of the “WOW! Voices Now” conference.
“It’s also a great chance for women writers to network with other community members who may share their same interests and connect through the medium of the written word,” McClung added.
The “WOW! Voices Now” conference will be held at Skyline College, Student & Community Center, Building 6, Room 6202, 3300 College Drive, San Bruno, CA. A free continental breakfast will be served.
“Women on Writing: WOW” was founded over ten years ago by Marijane Datson, a retired Skyline College English faculty, to honor International Women’s Day by bringing together students, faculty, staff, and community members to support and celebrate writers and readers of all ages.
Natalie Baszile is the author of the debut novel, Queen Sugar, published by Penguin/Random House. Queen Sugar will be adapted for television later this year with executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Selma director Ava DuVernay. Natalie has had residencies at the Ragdale Foundation, Virginia Center for the Arts, and Hedgebrook. Her non-fiction work has appeared in The Rumpus.net, Mission at Tenth, The Best Women’s Travel Writing, and O, The Oprah Magazine. She is a member of the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. Natalie has a M.A. in Afro-American Studies from UCLA, and holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College’s MFA program for Writers where she was a Holden Minority Scholar.
Eileen Malone’s poetry has been published in over 500 literary journals and anthologies and has won many prizes, including three Pushcart nominations. Her award-winning collection Letters With Taloned Claws was published by Poets Corner Press (Sacramento) and her book I Should Have Given Them Water was published by Ragged Sky Press (Princeton).
Her short stories have been published in literary as well as mainstream magazines and she is also a nonfiction book author: The Complete Guide to Writers Groups, Workshops, and Conferences (Wiley). Her past experience includes teaching for the California Poets in the Schools Program as well as for local community colleges.
Space is limited, and while the event is free, donations are gladly accepted at the door. It is suggested that interested participants RSVP by February 17 to Kathleen McClung at mcclungk@smccd.edu.