April 8 2023 at 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Discover Keys to Flash: Urgency, Conflict, and a Twist In A Flash, The Art and Craft of the Short, Short Story Andrea A. Firth is a writer, journalist, editor, and educator living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is an Editor at Brevity Blog and the cofounder […]
Writing Workshop With Rebecca Foust About the Workshop What makes work—a poem, short story or essay—"good" and—not always the same thing!—what makes it publishable? What makes writing “good” is dedication and hard work. The answers to the second question are as multiple as there are print venues—many thousands. It's a matter of fit (taste), itself […]
April 8, 2023 Gustavo Hernandez "How Setting Amplifies Writing" Gustavo Hernandez is the author of with Flower Grand First (Moon Tide Press 2021), a collection of poems that one reviewer described as “a triumphant poetry collection that reads like a hero’s journey.” Gustavo also authored the micro-chapbook, Form His Arms (Ghost City Press) and his poems have been […]
WRITING THE EMOTIONAL PIECE Napa Valley Writers will feature Randall McNair, the author of the multiple award-winning #BarPoems series, published in 2020, 2021 and 2022. If Charles Bukowski, Sharon Olds, and Billy Collins somehow had a child, Randall McNair would be it. Described by his inner circle as “Poet Laureate of the Absurd,” McNair spent […]
April Featured Speaker – Jenny Margotta Workshop Title: Writing Incredible Dialogue Writing dialogue can be so much fun—and so much work. When it’s done correctly, it can individualize your characters and add a delightful layer to your stories. When it’s done incorrectly . . . well, let’s not go there. Dialogue should sound as if […]
Writing Intimacy Scenes: Avoiding the Corny, the Porn-y, and the Clinical When Writing Sex Whatever your writing genre, from sweet romance to erotica, from Regency Romance to erotic romantic suspense, sexual, or at least romantic, intimacy between your characters is likely going to occur. Whether it’s a chaste kiss in a Victorian garden or a […]
Saturday, April 15, 2023 1 – 2:30 p.m. A Poetry Celebration With Fran Claggett-Holland and readings from special guest poets About the presentation: Please join us for a special celebration of all things poetry. At our April general meeting, we will celebrate Poetry Month with poetry readings, the announcement of this year's poetry contest award […]
Pitching to Agents or Publishers Saturday, April 15, 2023 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Arden-Dimick Library 891 Watt Avenue Sacramento, CA 95864 Free Meeting – Open to the Public Zoom link Come see your fellow writers! Hear what everyone’s working on! Find new friends who share your genre! with Jordan Bernal Author Craft Your Pitch […]
Connie Post, Poet Laureate, April 15, 2023 Future Meetings / By Deborah Bernal Connie Post will present “Finding your creativity, in the ‘Between Places’” at the Tri-Valley Writers April 15, 2023 meeting. Connie will be exploring the places to find creativity and the exploration of meaningful work in unexpected places. Specifically, these can often be found […]
Sunday, April 16th, 3:30 p.m. THE STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE In this interactive workshop, Susan Ito will take you on a narrative journey through and beyond your most meaningful, mysterious, evocative and precious photo images. Using photographic images as prompts, we will explore the stories that lie beyond the frame. Bring 4-6 personal photos that […]
April 18, 2023 Kevin Fisher-Paulson With a Trowell not an Axe: The Gentler Way of Editing A good writer knows that editing is a part of the process, like gardening is to the growth of flowers. But some go at their gardening with indifference, and some go at it with an axe. This presentation will […]
Saturday, April 22, 2023 – Randy Jurado Ertll Randy Jurado Ertll will speak about his journey of becoming a writer, experience in finding a reputable book publisher, and the struggles/sacrifices of being an author. Randy Jurado Ertll is an award winning published author, credentialed teacher, and newspaper columnist. He has also served as executive director […]
JEFF GOTTESFELD ON WRITING GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED KIDS BOOKS ON THURSDAY, MAY 4 Both a successful TV soap opera writer and a visionary creator of books for young people, Jeff Gottesfeld will talk about “Writing Good, Old-Fashioned Children's Books in an un-Old Fashioned America” at our Thursday, May 4 Ridge Writer meeting. We’ll start at 6:30 p.m., […]
May 06, 2023 9:00am - 9:30am Networking 9:30am - 11:00am Guest Speaker Speaker Lisa Cupolo Topic "Building Tension and Surprise in Short Stories” Lisa Cupolo has been a paparazzi photographer in London, an aid worker in Kenya, a script doctor in Los Angeles, and a literary publicist at HarperCollins in Toronto. She has stories to […]
May Meeting WHEN — Wednesday, May 10, 7-9 p.m. WHERE — Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave. Napa Napa Valley Writers Present Bright Lights, Prairie Dust Napa Valley Writers will feature Karen Grassle, the author of Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House’s Ma, published in 2021. […]
May 13th at 10AM: “Riveting Array of Character Quirks & Foibles” with Ellen Kirschman, Mystery Author & Clinical Psychologist Apr 24, 2023 | Event, Speaker, Writing Stan Lee, the pioneering writer of Marvel Comics, achieved unparalleled success by merging classical mythology with modern psychology, featuring heroes whose god-like powers were balanced by their all-too-relatable human […]
Research For Writers – Internet Skills All Writers Should Know Geri Spieler has written about the only woman who shot at a sitting U.S. President. Using her high-level investigative skills, Spieler got Washington to open the file on what happened that day, instead of what the FBI covered up, chronicled in her breakthrough book, Housewife […]
Greta Boris and Megan Haskell Writing Workshop: "7 Steps to Your Author Brand"
Rykin Cord will be the speaker on May 15, 2023, at the North State Writers General meeting. Meetings are held the third Monday of each month from 6-8pm at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Chico.
May 16, 2023 Geri Spieler Advanced Internet Research for Writers: Skills All Writers Should Know How do you start your research process? What words do you use to find information? Do you know how to gauge when a website is genuine? In this presentation, you will learn the main topics of "Online Research Methods," which include […]
Join us in person at the Sequoia Yacht Club, 441 Seaport Ct., Redwood City, CA 94063 Please bring a mask. Descriptively Yours! Writing with full and fluid descriptions takes a bit of practice, and it helps to have a few helpful hints along the way. Come learn productive ways to paint words into your latest […]
Saturday, May 20, 2023 Fireside Chat with Stacy Ennis: Q&A on book writing, author platform, location independence, and more Join this Q&A with best-selling author, coach, and speaker Stacy Ennis. Throughout more than 13 years in publishing, Stacy's coaching, trainings, and content has helped hundreds of authors uncover their unique story, stand out in a […]