Sonoma County Literary Update

If you are a Sonoma County writer with a book or chapbook newly published, let’s help you celebrate! Just send your announcement to editor@socolitupdate.com. Book announcements are posted in the order received.

Include a book front cover image (jpg), brief book description, and information on how your readers can find out more about you and your work or order a copy. Please send this announcement as plain text, preferably in an email (no flyers, pdfs or docs with special formatting).  The most recent announcements are posted at the top of the page.

Your announcement will appear in its entirety in the emailed version of the Update for the month it is posted. Subsequently, authors’ names will be listed in the emailed Update with links to this page.

Archived pages of books in print may be viewed here for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Sonoma County writers published in local, national, and international literary journals or anthologies will be recognized here as well. If you have a publication in a literary journal or anthology (within the last 30 days) you’d like to announce, send the following information to editor@socolitupdate.com: Your name, title of the piece, name of the journal and date of publication (issue/volume), link to journal’s or publisher’s website (if available). This list of journal publications will be posted monthly and archived.

 

Sonoma County Writers Published in Periodicals

During March 2026, the following authors reported their work has recently been published in journals, magazines or anthologies, both print and electronic. Unless otherwise noted, the work is poetry. For an archive of previous publications in periodicals, click HERE.

Kary Hess:
“Things That Make You Remember Dreams,” Tender Hearts Club: Volume One (Feather Press, 1/30/2026)

Ingrid Keir:
“Afterglow,” Tender Hearts Club: Volume One (Feather Press, 1/30/2026)

Maggie La Rochelle:
“Oh My love,” Tender Hearts Club: Volume One (Feather Press, 1/30/2026)

Chelsea Wills:
“Each Morning,” Tender Hearts Club: Volume One (Feather Press, 1/30/2026)

Amanda Yskamp:
“Flood In,” Fahmidan, Issue 25, Summer 2026 (short story)

Nicole Zimmerman:
On writing “Roadside Markers,” her flash essay published in Zone 3. In Publishing Diaries, March 8, 2026.

 

New and Noted Books by Sonoma County Writers in 2026

Karen Pierce Gonzalez—Sun and Moon Wired Together

In Sun and Moon Wired Together, Karen Pierce Gonzalez charts the immediate and imagistic movements of life both day and night. This poetic reel of cinematic snapshots reflects our instincts to survive and grow in everyday moments of joy, loss, love, and resilience. In the bold yet delicate precision of Sun and Moon Wired Together Karen unveils the wonders of diving deeply into the secrets of familiar places so often kept silent.

Karen Pierce Gonzalez is an international, award-winning intuitive artist and writer. Her writing includes five published chapbooks (HedgeHog Poetry Press, Bottlecap Press, Kelsay Books, Black Cat Poetry Press, and Four Feathers Press).

Poetry, chapbook, 32 pages, from Bottlecap Features. $10.
More details and purchase: bottlecap.press/products/sunakpg

Wendy Tokunaga—Brenda Barker’s Next Chapter

At sixty-four, Brenda Barker’s life is anything but over. With her husband gone, her only child moving to Japan, and a literary “expert” telling her she has no business writing, Brenda does what any sensible woman would do: ignores the advice, packs her bags, and heads to a high-stakes writers’ conference in the California wine country. Armed with her manuscript, a bottle of pinot noir, and a fierce determination, Brenda is ready for adventure at a coveted Sonoma County Wine Country writers’ conference—complete with wine-fueled confidence, surprise friendships, and some romantic sparks she definitely didn’t plan for. 

Published by Blydyn Square Books
wendytokunaga.com

Ted Gross—26 Stories

Book 6 of Ted Gross’ series: Stories from the Cheap Seats. These are flash fictions, 26 stories just under 1,000 words, prompted by an online writing event hosted by Ted. Some of the prompts: Marc said the guy sounds fine. Henry told this new person he killed a guy once. My heart banged within my ribs like a bird trapped in the attic. Odd family in the Southwest takes in disenfranchised teen hitchhiking to nowhere in 1967. A found airline ticket raises questions. I shared an emotional hug with the person, who was a stranger when this had all begun. Ellen, pull over there’s a hitchhiker! Vivian discovers her husband talking to his high school girlfriend on Facebook. I was awakened by what sounded like the warbling whine of a flying saucer. Your first love meets your new love. The worst part was just after dark when the light went out. A family Christmas takes a turn. Alaina’s doorbell rings at 2 a.m. Elsa took a chance when Alister nodded off. Ty tells Mrs. Simpson it will work better after dark. After pecan pie and coffee, Ginger says they better go down to the basement. A writing student defies her teacher.

162 pages. Available on Amazon, $15 (all 6 books, $37.25).

Centa Therese—the myth of me

“Centa Therese’s disarmingly vulnerable dreamscapes invite us to enter, naked, into a series of rich and often uncomfortable confrontations with our deeper consciousness. An heir of Woolf, Therese casts a patient, deep, unflinching net into the endless flow of moments streaming under the dryness of so many of our daily lives. To enter Therese’s world is to dip into an awareness as fresh and exacting as a hall of subterranean mirrors.”
—Annie Finch, author, Spells: New and Selected Poems

Kelsay Books, ISBN 978-1639807284, 88 pp, $20
Also available on Amazon.

Fran Claggett-Holland—At Dusk

New verse collection from Sonoma County poet Fran Claggett-Holland. This book is number 28 in The Page Poets Series. Cover art by Tamsin Spencer Smith.

Fran is a teacher and poet. She has published several books of poetry and her writing has been included in publications from Heinemann, Houghton Mifflin, Scholastic, NCTE, and UC Berkeley.

Risk Press, ISBN 979-8992159479, 118 pages
Available on Amazon, $12

Lisa Shulman—Fragile Bones, Fierce Heart

“Lisa Shulman’s collection of poems, Fragile Bones, Fierce Heart, is an exquisite work of poetry. If there were two words to describe it, they would be fearless beauty. The poems serve as a testament to the reality that despite the challenging times marked by political upheaval, climate crises, and violence both at home and abroad, if we take a moment to step back and truly look, we can always discover that glimmer of hope hidden behind the curtain of despair that many of us are experiencing. This is the invaluable gift that Lisa Shulman imparts through her work, reminding us of the beauty and hope that reinforce our resilience and resistance.”
–Margo Perin, author of Plexiglass and The Opposite of Hollywood

Chapbook available from Finishing Line Press.
lisashulman.com

Shawna L. Swetech, R.N.—Standing in Their Fire: Poems from a Hospital Nurse

Standing in Their Fire, Shawna Swetech’s first poetry collection, has just been released by Kelsay Books. The 51 poems are all inspired by experiences during her 35-year nursing career: from being a frightened student at a near-code, decades of giving bedside care, through negotiating retirement.

“Shawna Swetech’s powerful collection burns with the passion of a nurse dedicated to her calling. “To be a nurse is to be in their fire: the diseased, the incised, the dying.” These poems are drawn from decades in nursing and chart her progress from a student attending a near-disaster ER case to a senior nurse overwhelmed by increasing documentation. Throughout, her compassion shines as she writes about patients desperately ill and grieves for them in moments, crying in the supply room with prayers “may these words/be caring hands, a lifeline of lines.” In the third section, she writes of retirement and turns to nature for solace and healing in graceful poems that evolve into free-flowing forms. Anyone who has worked in medicine will resonate with these poems. Anyone who has experienced illness will take comfort in this portrait of nurse who has been willing to stand in fire for them.”
—Catharine Clark-Sayles, MD, author of The Telling, the Listening and Brats

“Shawna Swetech’s poems are both brutal and tender, testifying to the body’s vulnerability, and the beauty of our humanity even in—perhaps especially in—moments of extremis. Drawing on her decades-long nursing career for vibrant details that nail the scene, Swetech brings us inside the hospital rooms where she encounters sufering and courage, agony and transcendence.”
–Alison Luterman, author of Desire Zoo and In the Time of Great Fires

Published by Kelsay Books, 2026
ISBN: 978-1-63980-988-2, $20
Available on Amazon and Kelsay Books
Visit ShawnaSwetech.com for more details and information on upcoming readings.

Redwood Writers Club—Moonshadow: Tales of Hidden Light

Where darkness deepens, hidden light awakens.

In this luminous collection of forty-one stories from the Redwood Writers Branch of the California Writers Club, shadows become gateways to discovery. Ordinary moments shimmer with mystery and meaning-grief transforms into grace, love rekindles in unexpected places, and courage rises quietly in the most unlikely hearts.

Thank you for helping us celebrate Moonshadow, our 2025 prose anthology, which beautifully represents the talent of our Redwood Writers branch.

Judy M. Baker (Editor/Illustrator), Crissi Langwell (Editor), Mara Lynn Johnstone (Editor)

Redwood Writers Press
ISBN: 979-8985350364
Available on Amazon

Thomas Nguyen—War and Other Problems

War and Other Problems tells the story of someone who grew up amid the hardships of the Vietnam War—with a father killed in the line of duty, a mother struggling to raise four children in a poor farming community, and the constant fear of invasion. He left school for the military to do his part in protecting his home, only to encounter new horrors and a losing battle. He spent years as a prisoner of war. Life wasn’t any easier when he got out.

Escaping to America was a long, dangerous journey that involved swimming across a river at night, sneaking past checkpoints, running desperately through jungles, surviving the bombing of a refugee camp, and navigating new hazards around every corner.

When he finally arrived, it was to face a whole new set of troubles. But despite family drama, medical ailments, and acquaintances both kind and cruel, he has persevered through it all.

Originally he just wanted to write down his story so his children could understand what he went through. Now that it’s finished, it’s the kind of wild ride that many people ought to appreciate. 

Available on Amazon and everywhere else books are sold. 

Renée Owen & John Thompson—Moonblind

Newly released, this hand-sewn artist’s book created by Renée serves as a textural interpretation of both the poets’ lives and what’s happening in our world today. Handmade indigo-dipped Cave paper covers, letterpress printed title, silver flyleaves, beaded spine and waxed linen thread. Section headers of Renée’s original art with abstract calligraphic mark-making. The award-winning collaborative rengay poems, written in alternating stanzas by Renée Owen and John Thompson, reflect the poets’ deep immersion in and love of nature.

Dimensions: 7″H x 5″W x 1.5″D.

Published by Pig Blossom Press in 2025.
Copies available for purchase at reneeowenartandpoetry.com/poetry

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Redwood Writers Club 2026 Author Launch Books

The following books, featured at the Redwood Writers Club 2026 Author Launch on Saturday, March 28, 2026, were published between early May 2025 and March 2026.

Three of the books featured at the Author Launch were submitted separately and announced on this page during 2025: Robin Gabbert, Somehow, I Haven’t Drowned; Nancy J. Martin, The Long Red Hair and Other Short Stories; and Tommie W. Whitener, The Showrunner. (See archive for 2025, which includes detailed descriptions of all 2025 Author Launch books).

Alex Alexander—The New Freedom

The New Freedom is a cross-disciplinary work about a scary future that’s barreling down on us like a freight train. We all know that jobs will soon disappear by the millions, and that they’re being eliminated by the twin forces of technology and capitalism. What Alexander shows us in this book is…what happens next.
alexalexander.com

Amrita Skye Blaine—strange grace

As I write this, I am seventy-nine years old, and in my ending season. Lately, death who has come for some of my friends and family is whispering in my ear, pay attention. This collection reflects the pathways I’ve been exploring. I would appreciate companions. Come, walk with me.
amritaskyeblaine.com/p/books

Barbara Cottrell—Shadow Zone

A daring daylight robbery. A graveyard teeming with unnatural activity. A shadowy creature stalking the halls of an Arkham retirement home. Coincidence? Or the first signs of something far worse? Ellen and Carter reunite to investigate these strange events. Their path takes them down a twisted path where they find evil in an unusual place.
barbaracottrell.com

Nancy Econome—Finding My Olympia

Yianna, a spirited 18-year old Greek-American immigrant woman, together with her Uncle Stavros, search northern California in 1955 for her sister Olympia who has been missing for months. Defying local authorities who do little to find Olympia because she is an immigrant, Yianna perseveres and in her journey comes to know more about herself.
nancyeconome.com

Cynthia Gregory—Love Notes from the Soul 2.0

LOVE NOTES From the Soul 2.0 picks up where LOVE NOTES (2024): Maiden Voyage left off, expanding the exploration of love into new dimensions and elevating the frequency of this anthology’s soul wisdom. Within these pages, courageous leaders, soulful creatives, coaches, and cultural visionaries share their s/Hero’s Journeys.
amazon.com

Carol Jacobsen—Teaching Black History Through Art

Teaching Black History Through Art brings history to life by pairing original portraits of trailblazing Black women with student artwork and reflections. This powerful book shows how creativity helps young learners connect deeply with overlooked stories and lasting legacies.
amazon.com

Susanna Janssen—Once Upon a Continent

Unaware that she would fall into a cannibal-size soup pot in Peru, risk losing toes and fingers on a train high in the Andes, and high-jump out of a marriage proposal in a Bolivian discotheque, Susanna Janssen launched into freefall out of her comfort zone and chose the challenge of adventure, danger, discovery, and a different version of herself.
amazon.com

Mara Lynn Johnstone, Editor in Chief—Redwood Seeds

Redwood Writers just celebrated its 50th anniversary — 50 years of “writers helping writers,” sharing advice, tips, and camaraderie. When it came time to celebrate their shared wisdom, the creation of a pocket-sized book that collects succinct bits of that advice sounded like the perfect way to do it. The seeds of advice in this volume range from writing craft and editing to marketing and publishing, along with general motivation and writer life. May they grow into glorious trees in the forest of your own writing journey.
amazon.com

Karl Kadie—The Adventures of Cabeza de Vaca

The Adventures of Cabeza de Vaca recounts the life of a 16th-century conquistador lost in North America and living with the Indians for nearly a decade. His survival as a refugee, Indian trader, and faith healer is a testament to human resilience. Fiction and art tell his story as historical fiction, an adventure story, and an educational aid.
amazon.com

Debra Koehler—Amoran

Kerrin Scott yearns to reclaim the creative life she put on hold years ago. Just when she might succeed, she’s sucked through a portal in her family room and learns she has to help save two planets. To train for her perilous role? She’ll have to shuttle back and forth between worlds. On her lunch hours. In secret. What could possibly go wrong?
amazon.com

Shawn Langwell—Beyond Recovery (10 Year Anniversary Edition)

Recovery Doesn’t End—it Deepens. A raw, real and evocative inspirational memoir about the pain of addiction and the resilience it took to learn how to face fear without needing to numb out. Beyond Recovery reminds us that real freedom begins with honesty, open-mindedness, willingness, and finding the courage to change.
amazon.com

John T. Newman—The Argonauts: A Novel

The California Gold Rush of 1849 was one of the largest migration events in the history of the United States. The rumors of easy riches in the new wilderness brought more than 300,000 immigrants to the California gold fields. They came across wind-swept prairies, searing deserts, and a vast wildernesses of ocean. They came to claim their fortunes from the streambeds and placers in the land of gold. Most were not prepared for what they found. A few found wealth. Most returned wiser, but no wealthier. Many never returned at all.
amazon.ie

Debra Palmer, PhD—Between Wounded and Well

A nurse practitioner memoir written for all who seek a deeper understanding of trauma, recovery, and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. Four stages of wound healing frame her story as a metaphor for emotional and spiritual healing. It will inspire those still navigating their own journey from wounded and well.
debrapalmer.com

Valerie Saul—The Badass Widows

Four gutsy women defy society’s expectations while grappling with love, loss and new beginnings. How do badass women deal with grief? They form a secret band of crime fighters. What could possibly go wrong? They begin with minor capers but before long, they’re committing bold acts and are hooked on the “rush” of secret justice.
valeriesaul.com

N.E. White—The Legend of Damndrake

Can a shapeshifting dragon hold down a job long enough to protect her adopted sister? Of course she can—she’s a legend. Readers who enjoy epic fantasy adventure will be swept away by Damndrake’s relentless trials and spectacular journey, which are inspired by fire ecology and every dragon story ever.
amazon.com

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Books by Sonoma County Authors Published in 2025

For details, see: socolitupdate.com/sonoma-county-in-print/2025-soco-writers-in-print

• Tommie W. Whitener—The Showrunner: Hollywood Culture Clash
• Debra Palmer, PhD—Between Wounded and Well
• Robin Gabbert—Somehow, I Haven’t Drowned
• Dan Coshnear—Professional Poems
• Frances Rivetti—Floating in the Middle
• Sherrie Lovler—Distant Voices
• Brian R. Martens—Merlin’s Wing
• Robert Waxler and David Beckman—You Say, I Say: Staying Alive with Literature, Language, and Friendship
• Pat Nolan—Ode to Sunset: A Year In The Life of American Genius
• Anna Citrino—Stories We Didn’t Tell
• Susan E. Gunter and Linda L. Reid (editors)—Switching to ON! The 2025 SebArts Writers Anthology
• Nancy J. Martin—The Long Red Hair and Other Short Stories
• West County Writer’s Circle—A View From My Window
• Karen Peterson, Editor—Work as We Have Known It
• Karen Pierce Gonzalez—Down River with Li Po
• Eric Johnson—Journeyman’s Dues
• Jean Wong—Bear is Not a Bear
• Karen Pierce Gonzalez—Moon kissed, Earth wrought, Vision Drunk
• Donna Emerson—Daphne Lifts Up
• Lisa Shulman—Fragile Bones, Fierce Heart
• Phyllis H. Meshulam— (Re)Creations
• John Monroe Johnson—Toss Repeat
• Dave Seter—Somewhere West of the Mississippi
• Hiram Larew—This Much Very: Poems
• Janet Constantino—Becoming Mariella
• Christine Walker—Tap Dancing at the Bluebird
• Roslyn Smith Ball—Nullipara: Selected Memoirs of Love, Loss, and Healing
• Barbara L. Baer—Masha & Alejandro Crossing Borders

Redwood Writers Club Author Launch Books, published 2025:

• Jesse Bilyeu—Apocalyptic Lullaby
• Abby Lynn Bogolmony—The Lighted Pull of Dreams
• Susan Church-Downer—All You Care to Eat: A Novice Buys a Restaurant
• Diana Morgan Dean, Psy.D.—Compost Happens: Growing a Flourishing Life After Childhood Abuse
• Laura McHale Holland—Shinbone Lane
• Carol Jacobsen—Doing the Right Thing
• John M. McCarty—Golf at Northwood
• Taylor Metzler—If the Gods Be Willing
• Lori Pappas—The Magic of Yes: Embrace the Wise Woman Within
• Sarah Paris—for the birds
• Elaine Rock—Dusty Roads
• Rebecca Rosenberg—Silver Echoes
• Jenna Scott—White Sheep, Black Wool: Finding Your Flock
• Tommie W. Whitener—The Bar Pilot