Guest Post at Monday Coffee
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Posted on March 17, 2015 by

Monday Coffee AnthologyThe multi-talented Liz Whiteacre asked me to do a guest post for the Monday Coffee and Other Stories of Mothering Children with Special Needs website and blog. If you remember, I had a story published in the Monday Coffee anthology back in October 2013.

Given that the post was scheduled for Saint Patrick’s Day, Liz asked for a story about luck. Fortunately I had just the thing. Here’s my post: A Leprechaun Named Mike. The parents who contributed to the anthology, and now to the blog, are an amazing bunch. I’m honored to be a part of this inspiring group and thrilled to be helping with the blog.  Go check it out!

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

Mark Your Calendar for a Special Autism Awareness Event
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Posted on February 22, 2015 by

facilities_img2I am proud to announce that I will be a featured reader at the Sixth Annual Benefit for Autism Research sponsored by the Sacramento Poetry Center.  The event will take place on April 13, 2015, at the U.C. Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento, California. Art walk and reception begin at 6:30 p.m.; featured readings will follow.

I can’t tell you how honored and excited I am to be included in this amazing autism awareness event. I attended both undergraduate and graduate school at the University of California, Davis. Returning to my alma mater to read my prose and poetry will be a humbling and mind-blowing experience. In addition, the MIND Institute is a cause I feel extremely passionate about. If you’ve never heard of it, this place ROCKS!

The roster of featured writers and poets for the event is incredible. So much talent! If you can make it up to Sacramento on April 13th, please do. You won’t regret it. This will be a fabulous evening on so many levels.

The event is free and open to the public, although donations will be gratefully accepted. The MIND Institute is located at 2825 50th St., Sacramento, CA, 95817. For more information, call 916-703-0280 or visit their website.

I hope to see you there.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

The Blank Canvas Blog Hop
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Posted on September 6, 2014 by

TheBlankCanvasBlogHop150BadgeI’m excited to share that I’ve been asked to participate in The Blank Canvas Blog Hop. Two weeks of juicy creativity, free giveaways, and goodies!

The blog hop starts on Monday, September 8, 2014. Fifteen amazingly creative individuals will discuss their creative process, reveal what inspires their art, and share how they face the blank page or canvas. It’s going to be a fun and informative two weeks.

Here’s the lineup:

Monday, September 8, 2014:  Karen Freidland
Tuedsay, September 9, 2014:  Lezette Markham
Wednesday, September 10, 2014:  Cynthia Patton (ME!)
Thursday, September 11, 2014:  Jennyann Carthern
Friday, September 12, 2014:  Kiala Givehand (filling in for Josie Webb)
Saturday, September 13, 2014:  Jan Blount
Sunday, September 14, 2014:  Effy Wild
Monday, September 15, 2014:  Kiala Givehand
Tuesday, September 16, 2014:  Dariana Cruz
Wednesday, September 16, 2014:  Susan Miller
Thursday, September 17, 2014:  Grace Howes
Friday, September 18, 2014:  Tori Deaux
Saturday, September 19, 2014:  Virginia Simpson-Magruder
Sunday, September 20, 2014:  Martin Arkenstone
Monday, Sepetember 21, 2014:  Nicole Piar

Each artist will offer a free giveaway on the day of their blog post. So make sure to visit each day and check them all out.

It’s going to be an exciting two weeks. Don’t miss it!

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

Story Included In Another Chicken Soup for the Soul Publication
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Posted on December 8, 2013 by

Chicken Soup Dating GameSomehow I managed to forget — probably because of everything that’s been going on in my life — that my story, “The Little Matchmaker,” will be published by the folks at Chicken Soup for the Soul later this month. The new anthology is called Chicken Soup for the Soul:The Dating Game.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul series has been good to me. This is my fifth publication in one of their books. The anthology was originally scheduled to be released at the end of the year, but the publication date was recently pushed up to December 17, 2013. You can pre-order it now through my bookstore. (It will ship from Amazon.) I’m thrilled to be included.

A big thank you to Chicken Soup for the Soul for publishing my work (five times!) and getting my work out into the world for others to read.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

Story Published in Special Needs Anthology
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Posted on November 10, 2013 by

Monday Coffee AnthologyYesterday was the release party for the new anthology entitled, Monday Coffee and Other Stories of Mothering Children with Special Needs. It contains my story, “Waiting, Still Waiting, For Words.”

InWords Press published the anthology which was the vision of Darolyn Jones and Liz Whiteacre, who are mothers, writers, disability advocates, professors, and now editors. InWords Press is a small, independent publisher affiliated with the nonprofit Indiana Writers Center (IWC) whose mission is to nurture a diverse writing community, support established and emerging writers, improve written and verbal communication, and cultivate an audience for literature in Indiana. Any royalties made from the project will return to the Memoir Project at IWC to give other writers, often marginalized ones, a voice.

As always, it is an honor to have my work published, but I especially love that this anthology will help not only special families but also other memoir writers. Check out the new book on Amazon at the link provided above. A Kindle version is coming soon.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

Update on Publication in Special Needs Anthology
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Posted on September 22, 2013 by

antique vintage typewriterBack in June I learned that one of my stories had been accepted for publication in a yet-to-be-named anthology for special needs moms. The anthology now has a name: Monday Coffee & Other Stories of Mothering Children with Special Needs. It also has a publication date: October 1, 2013!!

The anthology, which will include my story, “Waiting, Still Waiting for Words,” is the vision of Darolyn Jones and Liz Whiteacre. They are working with InWords Press, which is a small, independent publisher affiliated with the nonprofit Indiana Writers Center (IWC) whose mission is to nurture a diverse writing community, support established and emerging writers, improve written and verbal communication, and cultivate an audience for literature in Indiana.

Any royalties made from the project will return to the Memoir Project at IWC to give other writers, often marginalized ones, a voice.

As always, it is an honor to have my work selected for publication, but I especially love that this anthology will help not only special needs moms but also other memoir writers. A big thanks to Darolyn Jones and Liz Whiteacre for spearheading the project and to InWords Press for agreeing to publish and market the book.

I’ll be doing some guest posts on the anthology’s blog when the book comes out next month. I’ll post the links here as well.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

 

More Glitter in the Air: An Update
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Posted on August 8, 2013 by

glitter_closeup-713351Many of you have asked for an update on the trio of posts I did in late May and early June: Glitter in the Air, I’m a Nonprofit Girl at Heart, and Change Happens in Threes. These were the posts in which I announced the three big developments in my unplanned life. A lot has happened since then, so an update is definitely in order.

I’ve been plugging away at my law firm. My business cards are printed, and my basic website is complete. (Okay, nearly complete.) I’ve drafted bylaws, a budget, and a business plan. I’ve started a mailing list and a blog. I’m checking off items on my launch plan, preparing press releases, and trying to ignore the jitters in my stomach. Struggling to keep up-to-date with reviewer’s edits? With sodapdf.com you can watch as your reviewers insert comments or make changes in real time.

Despite the fear, I’m excited to announce that the Law Offices of Cynthia J. Patton & Associates, PC will officially open in two weeks, on August 21, 2013, shortly before the start of the new school year.

A great deal of hard work, but more importantly passion, has gone into this endeavor, and I hope you will help me by spreading the word. Please let anyone with a disabled child know about my services, particularly those in the San Francisco Bay Area (as well as the rest of Northern California). It’s my dream to create a comprehensive special needs advocacy center, a law firm with heart, but to do that I need clients. I’m preparing an announcement flyer, which I will post later, so keep an eye out for that and feel free to distribute it to anyone you think might benefit. I’m anxious to make a difference for exceptional children and their families.

On the nonprofit front, potential board members for Autism A to Z gathered at my house in June to meet each other and brainstorm ideas. Work started on a website and our application for nonprofit status is almost complete. We will hold our first official board meeting in a few weeks to finalize our mission statement as well as our logo and to start planning our first fundraiser! It’s an exciting time. We’re hoping to launch in September, but I’m not sure if we can pull it all together by then. Whatever happens, my goal to create a thriving autism community is moving closer and closer to reality. I will keep you posted as things develop.

As for Storied Nights: An Evening of Spoken Word, the June event went more smoothly than expected. But more importantly, I had a great time. The July event went even better, as we worked out more of the kinks. There’s been a learning curve, but like most things that scare you, I found it was not nearly as difficult as I initially thought. I’m grateful that I challenged myself to take this on. I’ve learned new skills, made new contacts, and get to share some incredible writing with our growing audience. It’s been a win-win experience. The August event is tonight, and if you are in the area, please drop in and enjoy and hour of incredible spoken word. The details are on our new Storied Nights facebook page, which I hope you will like even if you can’t attend. We want to build support for this fun and eclectic event, which helps local writers by showcasing their work.

So that’s where things stand. As always, please let me know if you have questions or comments.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

Story Accepted for Publication
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Posted on June 17, 2013 by

antique vintage typewriterThis has been an exciting week for me! In addition to producing and hosting my first Storied Nights: An Evening of Spoken Word as part of the City’s Art Happens program, I learned that one of my stories has been accepted for publication. My submission, “Waiting, Still Waiting for Words,” will be published in a yet-to-be-named anthology for mothers of children with special needs.

InWords Press has agreed to publish the anthology which is the vision of Darolyn Jones and Liz Whiteacre, who are mothers, writers, disability advocates, professors, and now editors. InWords Press is a small, independent publisher affiliated with the nonprofit Indiana Writers Center (IWC) whose mission is to nurture a diverse writing community, support established and emerging writers, improve written and verbal communication, and cultivate an audience for literature in Indiana. Any royalties made from the project will return to the Memoir Project at IWC to give other writers, often marginalized ones, a voice.

As always, it is an honor to have my work selected for publication, but I especially love that this anthology will help not only special needs moms but also other memoir writers. A big thanks to Darolyn Jones and Liz Whiteacre for spearheading the project and to InWords Press for agreeing to publish and market the book.

I’ll keep you posted as the project develops.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton 

Change Happens in Threes
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Posted on June 5, 2013 by

BalanceJust when I thought there was more than enough change at work in my life, another opportunity arises, bringing with it still more change.

Two weeks ago, the Chair of the Livermore Commission for the Arts asked me to host a monthly event called Storied Nights: An Evening of Spoken Word. Sponsored by the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center and Peet’s Coffee and Tea, the new literary series occurs on the second Thursday of each month as part of the City’s Art Happens program.

Although I enjoy sharing my writing and reading my work aloud, I had never considered creating or organizing a literary event such as this. That was something my friend Karen Hogan did. But Karen and her husband Tom Darter are in the process of selling their home and starting a new chapter of their lives in Sequim, Washington. I’ve known Karen and Tom for nine years, and while I’m happy for them, I’m sad for me and my daughter Katie. For nine years their home—along with their office, known as the Fourth Street Studio—has been our home too. I’m incredibly grateful for the time I’ve spent with them. Their departure leaves a huge hole, and they will be missed.

So the task of hosting Storied Nights has fallen to me. I’m excited, thrilled, and maybe just a little overwhelmed. I had a week to schedule the first batch of featured readers, two weeks to wrap my head around the idea. I’ve been scrambling to assemble a mailing list and promotional materials, develop a submission process, and decide on programming. With determination and a little luck, things are falling into place.

But in the frenzy of ramping up for Storied Nights, I haven’t devoted as much time as I would like to my law firm launch. I began to worry: was this the right opportunity for me? I asked friends and the members of my business mentoring group if I was making a mistake. Everyone felt I should proceed. I found a wonderful co-host, Marilyn Kammelgarn, to help me with the workload of this volunteer position, and still I wondered how would I pull this off? How would I juggle this new project along with everything else I had on my plate?

The epiphany I came to was this. When I originally practiced law, I dreamed of being a writer. When I was a writer, I missed practicing law. Throughout it all, I squeezed in nonprofit work because as I said in my last post, I’m a nonprofit girl at heart. The truth is, I need all three—Author, Attorney, and (Nonprofit) Advocate—in order to be truly happy and fulfilled. This might not work for you, but it’s what I want and need.

It’s taken me thirty years of adult life and a whole lot of changes to understand this about myself.

It’s also what I’ve been moving towards, ever so slowly, since Katie was born and I became a parent, since my marriage floundered and came to an end, since I met Karen and Tom in the quirky house that was Fourth Street Studio. I’ve been moving towards it, and now, at long last, it’s here.

Do I know how I will balance these competing demands? Hell no. Do I think it will be easy? Probably not. But whatever happens, I plan to embrace these pieces in all their messy and glorious complexity. Which explains why, when all is said and done, I’m happy to be launching a spoken word event along with an autism nonprofit and a special needs law firm.

My task now is to figure out how to make it all work.

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Storied Nights: An Evening of Spoken Word takes place on the second Thursday of the month from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Peet’s Coffee and Tea in downtown Livermore, California. You can find it on Facebook at http://facebook.com/StoriedNights

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton

I’m a Nonprofit Girl At Heart
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Posted on May 29, 2013 by

Puzzle HeartLast week I announced that I was gearing up to launch my own special needs law firm, something I never thought I would do. In that post, I mentioned that I was also launching a nonprofit. As many of you know, nonprofit organizations are nothing new to me. For nearly thirty years I’ve given my time, money, and passion to a variety of charitable organizations. Simply put, I’m a nonprofit girl at heart. I’ve joined nonprofits, volunteered at nonprofits, worked for nonprofits, and chaired nonprofits. I’ve founded several subgroups within a larger organization. But until now, I have never started a nonprofit organization from scratch.

As my friend Jennifer Simpson recently said: never say never.

Within months of Katie’s diagnosis, when the initial shock had subsided and I was combing the internet for information, I began to dream of a nonprofit organization that would provide resources and support to families grappling with autism spectrum disorder. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a tremendous need for such organizations. Southern California and Sacramento each have vibrant parent-created autism nonprofits, but for some reason nothing similar developed in the Bay Area. There are several county-based support networks, but the economic downturn and budget cuts have limited their scope.

I’ve always been a woman who likes to start things, so my natural inclination was to dive in and start an autism group. But I was distracted by my divorce, my career crisis, and the ongoing IEP drama with my school district. Twice another autism mom and I tried to start a Bay Area chapter of TACA (Talk About Curing Autism). For whatever reason, the stars did not align. Then I began talking with one of Katie’s former therapists about starting a nonprofit of our own. Slowly our dream began to take shape.

In 2012, I incorporated Autism A to Z, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources, solutions, and support for celebrating life on the spectrum. It took me almost a year to locate potential board members and to flesh out my vision. Ironically, my for-profit law firm was a crucial piece of the plan. Once the Law Offices of Cynthia J. Patton & Associates, PC is up and running, I intend to donate a portion of my profits to nonprofit organizations that assist the disabled such as Community Alliance for Special Education and Autism A to Z. The law firm and the nonprofit will be the ying and yang of my new career.

Until now much of the work of Autism A to Z has been behind the scenes: developing a mission statement, networking, planning, and assembling our IRS application for 501(c)(3) status. We received our first grant from the Hindu Community and Cultural Center in Livermore, California to create an Autism 101 video. Now we are gearing up to take our dream live. Soon there will be a website, a parent support group, family activities, workshops, and facilitated playgroups. We are planning our first fundraiser. It’s an exciting time, and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s my hope that Autism A to Z will expand opportunities and enrich lives. I know it is already enriching mine.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton