Sebastopol author to hold second author showcase to help, support writers

The Sonoma County Local Author Showcase and Symposium was born from the simple idea of sharing information about the craft of writing. Founder Sabrina Rawson of Sebastopol has hopes to make the showcase, now in its second year, into much more.

Anyone who knows Rawson, 44, understands that she is passionate and driven. The mother of five, who recently fought off cancer, is studying for a sociology degree while moonlighting as a part-time author. She has managed to juggle a lot, including being the founder of a symposium designed to help make a difference for creative authors within her community.

The idea for the first showcase came in a roundabout way. Rawson had wanted to have a table at one of the many weekend markets in the county as a place to showcase her work and exchange ideas and information with other people. But she was told the public doesn’t want authors.

“I was being excluded for being a literary artist rather than another type of artist,” said Rawson, who has published three novels. “That kind of chafed me.”

She decided to reach out to the library because so many people, herself included, have used the library to start their own journeys in literacy and writing.

“I wanted an open forum, where local authors could share what it means to be an author,” she said, noting how hard it can be for writers to learn about their craft and the business of being an author and having your own brand.

Rawson deemed the first showcase in 2015 successful. Some 30 local authors - independents, traditionally published, New York Times and other best sellers - read from and talked about their work to the approximately 100 people who came to listen and learn. It was an educational experience for everyone including the speakers, she said, who learned a lot from each other. Rawson said it was very powerful that the library was a key point in everyone’s story; it was their love for a book or books that helped them get to where they are today.

While the second showcase is shaping up to be much bigger, with more authors and speakers, Rawson still wants the event to grow even more. David Dodd, her partner at the Sonoma County Library for this event, contacted Creative Sonoma, a program of the county’s Economic Development Board, which will present a panel discussion on “The Business of Writing” with local and regional partners. There also will be two sessions in which authors read from and speak about their work and other attendees’ work.

“I really hope to help the event blow up even more,” said Rawson, who envisions a future with graphic artists, music composers, songwriters and author artists joining in to share knowledge and experiences. Her end goal would be to have it grow into its own organization, where people can learn about literacy, learn about being a creative author of any type and build a network of mutual support within the local community.

When asked why she is doing all of this, Rawson replied quite simply, “Literacy is something I love.”

The second annual Sonoma County Local Author Showcase and Symposium will take place on Saturday at the Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library, 6250 Lynne Conde Way, from ?10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The panel discussion will take place at 12:30 p.m. with author sessions before and after. The event is free and open to the public.