ContraCostaTimes.com Posted on Fri, May. 02, 2003 By Brian Kluepfel CORRESPONDENT

Although writing is often a solitary activity, many authors feel the need to bounce ideas off each other; to become involved in a larger peer group.

Sometimes, they just want to sit around, drink coffee and complain about how editors aren't returning their phone calls or e-mails.

A collective of East Bay women has provided that setting and more for the past decade, and this month celebrate the publication of their anthology, "Wednesday Writers: 10 Years of Writing Women's Lives."

Each Wednesday at 10 a.m., a group of 10 to 15 writers gather at the Rockridge home of Elizabeth Fishel, who edited the anthology along with Terri Hinte. There, surrounded by a collection of folk art and fortified by trays of snacks, the group takes on the collective and individual task of writing.

Fishel, who also teaches writing classes at UC Berkeley Extension, talked about what makes this group unique.

"It's a nice range of people in terms of ages and backgrounds," said Fishel. "Some are just having children, and some have grandchildren. The real pleasure of group is that writers get to know each other deeply through conversation and work."

Varied inspiration

Befitting the East Bay, it's a multicultural group, with writers from Venezuela, India, England and Denmark included in the anthology. The 57 stories run the gamut, too, from a night spent dancing in Brazil to the slaughter of a goat in India. But Fishel delights in finding the magic in a less exotic surroundings.

"Some of my favorite writing is about ordinary surprises of daily life -- not a trek through the Himalayas or open heart surgery, but about the women who found a dog on Ashby Avenue or one who is sending a daughter to high school for the first time."

Fishel said because the workshop is in her home, rather than a classroom, there is a more intimate feel to the group. "It's a bit like a literary salon," she said. "It feels cozy and private."

It is in this atmosphere of immediacy that these women begin to reveal themselves, first through an open discussion of the business of writing, then through "workshopping" two pieces, and finally, through the exercise of "free writing," during which the authors are given a random topic and let fly for 10 minutes. Each section of the two-hour-and-15-minute meeting has a purpose.

The conversation allows Fishel, who's published four nonfiction books, to share some of the secrets of the trade: writing the perfect query letter, for instance. The group leader noted that the dynamic toward professionalism has changed over the years.

"The group has matured," she said. "It used to be for sheer pleasure of (writing), but we are bringing in more and more serious writers."

Berkeley writer Suzanne LaFetra is one who has benefited from the collective vibe. She joined the group last October --there are spring and fall sessions, each lasting about 10 weeks -- and has since been published in half a dozen local and national publications.

"It's a great group for workshopping and community," said LaFetra. "All writers need some kind of emotional and professional support system."

Editing is key

LaFetra met Fishel through a writing course at UC Extension. In fact, like UC, there is a fee involved in joining Fishel's home-based workshop, which perhaps makes the level of commitment more serious.

The "workshop" portion of the meeting helps to bring developing pieces into sharper focus. In fact, many of the works in the anthology are the result of intense discussion, criticism and revision.

"Willingness to be a rewriter is a hallmark of the Wednesday writers," said Fishel.

LaFetra noted the value of constructive criticism. "You learn how to critique," she said. "That's a skill unto itself." She and Fishel both emphasized that the positive points of a work are first discussed, and then suggestions are made for possible improvement.

The result of a decade's discussions is the elegant anthology printed this year. Although the group always produces one at the end of each semester, "Wednesday Writers" is the first that's been professionally designed and printed. It is available in local bookstores, through Amazon.com and directly from Fishel (erfishel@hotmail.com) for $12.

It's all for a good cause. Proceeds from the book go to the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center. Fishel lost her own mother to breast cancer, and several women in the group have battled it over the years. Much of that struggle is documented in the anthology section entitled "Healing Words."

"A lot of people in the workshop are going through transitions," Fishel said. "Childbirth, death of a loved one, some kind of upheaval. Writing is a way to process it and understand it, and maybe lighten their load a bit."

READING WHAT: Women's Writing Workshop of Oakland reads from "Wednesday Writers." Proceeds of book sales benefit UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center. WHEN: Sunday May 4, 2 p.m. WHERE: Diesel Bookstore, 5433 College Avenue, Oakland INFORMATION: 510-653-9965

Brian Kluepfel is a freelance journalist who has lived in the 'burbs, the Bronx, Bolivia and Berkeley. He can be reached at bkluepfel@hotmail.com.

Fri May 2, 2003 06:24 AM ET By Andrew Callus

LONDON (<a href=reuters.com>Reuters) - Royal Dutch/Shell joined its giant oil industry rivals in reporting record quarterly profits on Friday after war in Iraq, civil unrest in Nigeria and strikes in Venezuela stoked crude oil prices.

The world's second largest oil company said net profit adjusted to reflect the current cost of supply and other one-off items soared 96 percent year-on-year to $3.914 billion in the first quarter of 2003.

The result was above a range of analysts' expectations and the biggest profit Shell has ever turned in. Excluded from the adjusted figure was the impact of a $1.7 billion gain from the sale of 14.75 percent stake in German gas distributor Ruhrgas to German utility E.ON.

The news had little impact on its shares. Investors had come to expect a forecast-beating figure after results from the company's two main rivals earlier in the week, and their minds are now focused on the fall that has taken place in crude oil prices since the quarter's end, to below $25 a barrel from an average of over $30.

"If they hadn't been at the top of the range that would have been a disappointment," said analyst Peter Hitchens of French broker Cheuvreux.

Shares in Dutch arm Royal Dutch and London-listed Shell were slightly higher, up 0.7 percent and one percent respectively at 6:16 a.m. EDT, slightly outperforming the DJ Stoxx energy index, which was up 0.3 percent.

H1 BUYBACK STILL "UNLIKELY"

Analysts said its downstream gas and power result was a little better than expected, but one said the absence of any comment on the possible restart of share buybacks was "disappointing." Officials said the company's February position that a buyback was "unlikely in the first half" remained the case. Earlier this week, world oil numbers one and three Exxon Mobil and BP each delivered record first-quarter earnings. Exxon's more than tripled from a year ago (though its figures included the sale of its Ruhrgas stake) while BP's were up 132 percent.

War in Iraq and civil unrest in Nigeria threatened supplies of crude oil and took the average price of crude to a 12 year high in the quarter. Some of Shell's production was shut in Nigeria and still is, but the effect of the oil price far outweighed this.

Strikes in another oil producing nation, Venezuela, helped the crude price too and shut in fuel exports to the United States, sending the price of gasoline and other products soaring. Of the top three Shell is the leader in squeezing profits from refining and marketing.

Strong U.S. natural gas prices completed the rosy picture for the industry, producing some of the biggest quarterly corporate earnings hauls in history. The results were made all the more striking by tumbling earnings across other industries as economies slow around the world.

UNDERLYING GROWTH FLAT

Shell also produced six percent growth in oil and gas production in the quarter from a year earlier to 4.2 million barrels a day. However this included the acquisition of Enterprise Oil last year.

Underlying growth was flat, in line with recent forecasts from the company, and Shell officials told Reuters that the forecast of 4.1 million barrels a day for 2003 as a whole this year remained intact along with its three percent a year longer term output growth target.

sky.com

The world's second largest oil company said net profit adjusted to reflect the current cost of supply and other one-off items soared 96% year-on-year to £2.46bn.

The result was above a range of analysts' expectations and the biggest profit Shell has ever turned in.

Earlier this week, world oil numbers one and three - Exxon Mobil and BP - each delivered record first quarter earnings.

Oil strife

Exxon's more than tripled from a year ago while BP's were up 132%.

War in Iraq and civil unrest in Nigeria threatened supplies of crude oil and took the average price of crude to a 12 year high.

Some of Shell's production was shut in in Nigeria but the effect of the oil price outweighed this.

Strikes in another oil producing nation, Venezuela, helped the crude price too and shut in fuel exports to the US, sending the price of gasoline and other products soaring.

Rosy picture

Strong US natural gas prices completed the rosy picture for the industry, producing some of the biggest quarterly corporate earnings hauls in history.

The results were made all the more striking by tumbling earnings across other industries as economies slow around the world.

Shell also produced 6% growth in oil and gas production in the quarter from a year earlier to 4.2m barrels a day.

Last Updated: 11:02 UK, Friday May 02, 2003

By Toby Anderson

London, May 2 (<a href=quote.bloomberg.com>Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks advanced, paced by oil companies as Shell Transport & Trading Co. reported first- quarter profit that beat analysts' forecasts.

Unilever, the world's largest food and soap maker, fell after saying sales of its 400 leading brands rose less than it forecast.

The FTSE 100 Index climbed 12.8, or 0.3 percent, to 3892.9 as of 10:41 a.m. in London. The index has added 0.6 percent this week and in April posted its largest monthly gain since September 1997. The FTSE All-Share Index rose 0.3 percent to 1877.19 today.

The following stocks are making significant gains or losses today. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names.

EasyJet Plc (EZJ LN) dropped 11p, or 6 percent, to 174. Martin Borghetto, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, cut his recommendation for Europe's largest low-cost airline to equal- weight/in-line'' from overweight/in-line'' because of concern about competition from rivals.

The ``endurance of traditional carriers puts the longer-term market opportunities for low-cost carriers focused on main hubs into doubt,'' Borghetto said in a note to investors.

Enact Plc (ENA OF) tumbled 5p, or 26 percent, to 14.5. Protherics Plc, a maker of antidotes for snake bites, said it will pay 7.9 million pounds ($12.7 million) for Enact, a maker of cancer treatments. Protherics (PTI LN) added 0.7p, or 0.4 percent, to 17.5.

Homestyle Group Plc (HME LN) dropped 2p, or 1.7 percent, to 118.5. Britain's largest bed and curtain retailer said it may have to pay 15 million pounds in unpaid taxes on the so-called structural guarantees it offers customers on goods such as sofas.

London Clubs International Plc (LCI LN) added 0.75p, or 2.9 percent, to 26.5. The owner of casinos in countries including Egypt and South Africa sold its Palm Beach Club unit to rival Stanley Leisure Plc for 36.25 million pounds. Stanley Leisure (SLY LN) shares slipped a penny, or 0.4 percent, to 270.5p.

Pace Micro Technology Plc (PIC LN) jumped 2p, or 5.4 percent, to 39. The maker of television set-top boxes for clients including British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc named John Dyson as its chief executive officer.

Shell Transport & Trading Company Plc (SHEL LN) added 4.25p, or 1.1 percent to 376.5p. The owner of 40 percent of Royal Dutch/Shell Group said first-quarter profit almost doubled to a record because oil prices surged as war in Iraq loomed and a strike in Venezuela curtailed supplies.

Profit before special items and changes in the value of inventories increased to $3.91 billion from $1.99 billion a year earlier. The result beat the average estimate of $3.67 billion from analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Unilever (ULVR LN) dropped 41p, or 6.8 percent, to 566. The world's biggest food and soap maker said sales of its 400 leading brands, such as Knorr soups and Breyers ice cream, rose 3 percent, which was less than it forecast.

First-quarter profit surged 45 percent to 637 million euros ($716 million). Revenue excluding exchange-rate fluctuations fell 4 percent to 11.1 billion euros. Last Updated: May 2, 2003 05:44 EDT

By Alex Lawler

London, May 2 (<a href=quote.bloomberg.com>Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Europe's largest oil company, said first-quarter profit almost doubled to a record because oil prices surged as war in Iraq loomed and a strike in Venezuela curtailed supplies.

Profit, before special items and changes in the value of inventories, increased to $3.91 billion from $1.99 billion a year earlier, Shell said in a statement on PR Newswire.

Shell's result is higher than the average estimate of $3.67 billion, according to a Bloomberg survey of 13 analysts. Forecasts ranged from $3.14 billion to $3.8 billion. Last Updated: May 2, 2003 05:04 EDT