San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees

_{Karen Schwarz, President
Patricia Miljanich, Vice President-Clerk
Helen Hausman, Trustee
Richard Holober, Trustee
Dave Mandelkern, Trustee
Virginia Medrano Rosales, Student Trustee, 2008-09}

_{Ron Galatolo, District Chancellor}

_{Victoria P. Morrow, Ph.D., President, Skyline College}

WOW! Speakers & Workshop Presenters - 2003 - 2007

Idris Ackamoor Ellery Akers Marcy Alancraig Samina Ali Suze Allen Malin Alegira Lisa Alpine Marilyn R. Atlas Meliza Banales Cara Black Harriet Blodgett Rhys Bowen Jacqueline Harmon Butler Caroline Cabading Chet Canlas Mary Carouba Xandra Castleton Cynthia Chin-Lee Lauren Coodley Kathleen de Azevedo Nancy Deutsch Julie Downing Maya Draisin Firoozeh Dumas Kamika Dunlap Pamela Eakins Arielle Eckstut Liza Erpelo Dorothy Fadiman Dena Fischer Betsy Franco Amy Freed Edith Gelles Joyce Goldstein Cristina Garcia

Richard Goodman Rose Castillo Guilbault Olive Hackett-Shaughnessy Susan Hagen Katharine Harer Susan Harloe Kaui Hart Hemmings Elizabeth Carothers Herron Annie Hershey Beverly Vaughn Hock Patricia Holt Tess Uriza Holthe Joanne Jacobs Mercilee Jenkins Jennifer Joseph Rhodessa Jones Ginu Kamani Ann Killion Carla King Elisa Kleven Adair Lara Suzanne La Fetra Rebecca Lawton Ellen Lee Sally Lehrman  Ali Liebegott         Genny Lim Beth Lisick devorah major Isabelle Maynard Linda Watanabe McFerrin Pamela Michael Cathleen Miller Laurel Minter Mary Jane Moffat Ruthanne Lum McCunn

Janice Mirikitani Mary Monroe Pat Murphy Evelyn Posamentier Noelle Oxenhandler ZZ Packer Suzanne Pullen Tristine Rainer Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen Amy Rennert Raquel Rojas Teresa Le Yung Ryan Chiori Santiago Maxine Rose Schur Lynn Scott Tanya Shaffer Nancy Shelby Tiffany Shlain Anne Hicks Siberell Margaret Simpson Becky Smith Jane Anne Staw David Henry Sterry Aimee Suzara Lalita Tademy Katie Tamony Michelle Tea Gail Tsukiyama Vendela Vida Kathleen von Raesfeld Ayelet Waldman Patricia Walerda Patrick Walsh Jane Wattenberg Elizabeth Wright Rosemary Ybarra-Garcia

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Why WOW!?

The need for WOW! Women on Writing, a conference for readers and writers
Skyline College is a center for the intellectual nurturance of women of all ages, extending far beyond the numbers who regularly enroll in courses.  The conference brings together faculty, staff, students and community members with culturally diverse writers and artists who introduce new ideas and pedagogies associated with women’s studies curriculum in colleges and universities. 

According to the finding from a large scale survey, Reading at Risk*, conducted at the request of the National Endowment for the Arts, “It is time to inspire a nationwide renaissance of literary reading and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of all citizens.”

• “Literature reading is fading as a meaningful activity, especially among younger people.  If one believes that active and engaged readers lead richer intellectual lives than non-readers and that a well-read citizenry is essential to a vibrant democracy, the decline of literary reading calls for serious action.”

• “Reading at Risk” presents a distressing but objective overview of national trends.  The accelerating declines in literary reading among all demographic groups of American Adults indicate an imminent cultural crisis.  The trends among younger readers warrant special concern, suggesting that – unless some effective solution is found – literary culture, and literacy in general, will continue to worsen."

WOW! 2009 reaches out to the Bay Area community
WOW! 2009 is the 7th annual conference celebrating International Women’s Day.  WOW! has demonstrated that participants come from a wide area –from the nine Bay Area counties and beyond – bringing together a remarkable range of ages from 11 to 90-something.  More then 300 readers and writers typically attend the conference.

WOW! celebrates and honors women’s achievements.
We not only engage authors whose credits are WOW! when we read them, but also present Skyline College’s outstanding faculty members – as writers, panel moderators, hosts, curator, and  artists.  The conference also highlights Skyline’s creative writing students; as the Talisman Magazine.

WOW! encourages women (and men) readers and writers in many ways.

• Gives students an opportunity to hear “real writers” in a friendly, highly energized setting and to take writing workshops from professionals. In 2005, 100 Skyline students attended the conference, 50 of them on scholarships.

• Provides information to faculty so that they can plan in advance of the conference to order books and include authors in their curriculum, thus enabling students to hear writers whom they have read and discussed in their classes.

• Promotes the Talisman Literary Magazine, which has published and given awards to student writing and artwork for 36 years.  Our creative writing program is vital to a large number of students.

• Creates significant volunteer roles for students that bring them together with women writers and community leaders.  In 2005, we expanded our outreach to students with Kababayan students presenting a workshop specifically designed for youth.  Over 50 students volunteered the day of the conference in a variety of roles.

• Reaches out to high school students who have increasingly shown an interest in the conference.  In 2004 & again in 2005, we offered a mother-daughter special price. conducted.

• Increases awareness of Skyline College’s Women in Transition Program (WIT) that for over 30 years has helped women return to college or gain the confidence to begin higher education for the first time.

Who Reads Literature?
Data from the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) demonstrate that many people enjoy literature.  Novels, short stories, and plays attract almost one-half of those 18 or older (47 % or about 96 million people).  Americans participate in literature in a variety of other ways.  Almost one in ten (9%) listened to live or recorded readings of novels or books, and 6% listened to poetry readings during the survey year.  About 7% wrote creative works of their own, and 9% used the Internet to learn about, read or discuss topics related to literature.  Most literary readers are active in a wide range of other cultural and leisure pursuits.

Factors in Literature Participation

• With nearly one-half of Americans participating, literary reading is clearly one of the nation’s favorite pastimes.

• Those with high levels of education are much more likely to read literature than those with lower levels of educational attainment.  Reading and listening to literature are consistently higher for women, urban residents, and, generally people with higher family incomes.  Non-Hispanic white Americans have the highest participation rates of any ethnic or racial group in almost all literature-related activities, except for the high participation rate of African Americans listening to poetry and doing creative writing..

• Literary activities are most popular in the West.

Personal Creative Writing
As is the case with all facets of literary reading and writing, women are more likely than men to pursue creative writing.  Similarly, creative writing is most popular among those with high education levels and among residents of the western region of the country.  However, an analysis of creative writers shows some differences between the demographic characteristics of creative writers and literary readers.  Interestingly, creative writing does not increase consistently by income levels.  Low-and middle-income people are about as likely to write creative works as those with high incomes.  Other comparisons of the data show that African Americans are as likely as white Americans to do creative writing.  In addition, creative writing is most common among those under 25.

*National Endowment for the Arts Reading at Risk:  A Survey of Literary Reading in America Research Division Report #46 June 2004

*  See also  “To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence,” the 2007 analysis of reading patterns in the Unites States that expands on the 2004 report.  The report can be found at http://www.nea.gove/pub/pubLit.php.

 

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