High Desert (In-Person): Celebrating Song with HDCWC
2022-08-13 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | Jess Ranch Community Church, 11537 Apple Valley Road, Apple Valley, CA, United States
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 AT 10 AM
​AT THE COMMUNITY CHURCH AT JESS RANCH
CELEBRATING SONG WITH THE HDCWC
The High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club (HDCWC) will highlight the talent of writing lyrics on Saturday, August 13 at the Jess Ranch Community Church located at 11537 Apple Valley Road in Apple Valley. The meeting begins at 10 am. The public is welcome and invited to attend free of charge.
The HDCWC, composed of local writers, will honor the genre of writing lyrics by reading and sometimes singing favorite songs. Members are invited to play an instrument or just talk about music and its impact on their lives. It will be an Open Mic for music.
Members and guests wanting to sign up to participate may request a 5 minute spot by emailing HDCWC@aol.com.
The California Writers Club is a century-old nonprofit that is the largest professional organization of writers west of the Mississippi. Its goal is to assist writers at all levels of the craft to write, publish and market their work.
​The High Desert Branch meets in person on the second Saturday of each month. For more information, call 760.221.6367

Long Beach (Hybrid): "Say What? Writing Dialogue That Sings"
2022-08-13 15:00 - 17:00 | Ruth Bach Neighborhood Library, 4055 N. Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA
Jane K. Cleland presents: “Say What? Writing Dialogue That Sings”

In-person attendance for members and visitors with advance reservation:

Contact: info@calwriterslongbeach.org

Jane K. Cleland writes the multiple award-winning and bestselling Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries. Her short stories are published by Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (AHMM). Jane also writes about the craft of writing, including the Agatha Award-winning and bestselling Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot and Mastering Plot Twists, both from Writer’s Digest Books. She is also a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine and chairs the Wolfe Pack’s Black Orchid Novella Award, in partnership with AHMM. Jane is a lecturer at Lehman College where she is also the director of the Program for Professional Communications, and a frequent workshop facilitator and guest author at writing conferences and university programs.
For more on Jane, visit www.janecleland.com.

In this post-pandemic time, we are testing hybrid (in-person and Zoom)
meetings. In-person attendance for members is by reservation only.

Our in-person meetings are open to visitors who request a seat in advance, or request a Zoom link, for a specific month. Make a request at info@calwriterslongbeach.org by the first of the month of the second Saturday monthly program you wish to attend in person or on Zoom.
(Seating is limited. First come, first served.)

All members, and visitors by request (as stated above), will receive a Zoom link by email for specific monthly meetings.
Many of our speakers also invite followers via Zoom on their social media.

If you are interested in joining our organization,
please see the Contact page and Application tab.

Marin (In-Person): Summer Salon
2022-08-16 19:00 - 21:00
Join CWC Marin for an in-person Social / Open Mic / Ask A Question event. Participants will be allocated 5 minutes each to read an excerpt or blurb, practice your pitch, showcase cover options, discuss a writing insight or challenge, or ask a question. Feedback is optional. The first 10 to respond will be guaranteed an opportunity to share, and others if time allows. Priority is given to members, but the event is open.
The location will be sent to those who RSVP before event.
Please RSVP using this Google Form.

Writers of Kern (In-Person): Alex Segura
2022-08-20 09:00 - 12:30 | Hodel’s Country Dining, 5917 Knudsen Drive, Bakersfield, CA, 93308, United States
Pop in at one of our monthly meetings/workshops to see what Writers of Kern is all about.
Not a member? No problem! We’d love to have you.

When: The 3rd Saturday of the month, 9:15-11:15 am. Join us 30 minutes early for breakfast and writer’s fellowship, January, February, April and June-November.
Where: Hodel’s Country Dining, 5917 Knudsen Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93308.
Fee: $10 for members, $15 for guests. Both include buffet breakfast. Pay at the door or skip the line and pay online.
Who: Featured Speaker: Alex Segura

SF Peninsula (Hybrid): Birth Your Truest Story … by Nurturing Your Most Tender Voice
2022-08-20 10:00 - 12:00 | Sequoia Yacht Club, 441 Seaport Ct., Redwood City, CA, United States
Birth Your Truest Story … by Nurturing Your Most Tender Voice

Zoom or in person at the
Redwood City Yacht Club, 441 Seaport Ct., Redwood City, CA 94063
In-person attendees must bring a mask and present proof of vaccination.

Register to Attend

A writer’s most formidable obstacles often come from within. Harsh inner critics, fear of facing emotional truths, and the tyranny of ingrained habits may hold us back from bringing our stories freely onto the page. As teachers and coaches, Audrey Kalman and Jennifer Browdy are dedicated to helping writers overcome these challenges. Applying their decades of experience—Audrey as a novelist and birth doula, Jennifer as a college professor and memoirist—they have developed the popular Birth Your Truest Story workshop series, which helps writers hone their craft as they build community and commit to their writing practice. In this one-hour mini-workshop, Jennifer and Audrey offer a series of powerful prompt-based exercises aimed at helping you befriend your inner critic, transform your fear, and shift your unproductive routines, so that you can birth your truest story into the world! Find out more about the series at http://birthyourtrueststory.com.
Jennifer Browdy, Ph.D. is a professor of literature, writing and media arts at Bard College/Simon’s Rock, where she has taught for more than 25 years; she also teaches online in the global Open Society University Network. Her memoir, What I Forgot …And Why I Remembered, was a finalist for the 2018 International Book Awards. Her writer’s guide, The Elemental Journey of Purposeful Memoir, won a 2017 Nautilus Silver Award. Her latest book, winner of the 2022 Gold Nautilus Award, is Purposeful Memoir as a Quest for a Thriving Future. Jennifer provides coaching and manuscript review for authors in fiction and nonfiction, and offers writing workshops online and in person.
Audrey Kalman writes fiction with a dark edge about what goes awry when human connection is missing from our lives. She is the author of three novels—The Last Storyteller, What Remains Unsaid, Dance of Souls, and Tiny Shoes Dancing, a short fiction collection shortlisted for the 2019 International Rubery Book Award. She holds a B.A. in creative writing from Simon’s Rock College of Bard and an M.A. in magazine journalism from Syracuse University. She was a 2020 Shuffle Collective literary resident, past president of the SF Peninsula Branch of the California Writers Club, and editor of three editions of the Fault Zone anthology. She previously worked as a birth doula and now offers editing and coaching services for writers. She lives in northern California and is at work on another novel.

Redwood (Hybrid): Freud, Not Frankenstein: Creating Lifelike Characters with a Little Help from Psychology
2022-08-20 13:00 - 14:30 | Finley Communiy Center, 2060 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa, CA, United States
IN-PERSON & ZOOM MEETINGS
Join us on Saturday, August 20, at 1 p.m.
Register, below, for a Zoom link or to attend in person at the Finley Center.

Freud, Not Frankenstein: Creating Lifelike Characters with a Little Help from Psychology
with
Kerry Schafer
Nobody wants to read books full of flat, lifeless, or inconsistent characters—and writing them isn’t much fun either. In this presentation, we’ll dive into how to bring your characters to life naturally and organically, rather than artificially stitching them together and trying to force them to do what you want. We’ll talk about defining moments, personality typing, and personal experience as tools to build characters from the inside out.
Kerry Schafer (who also writes as Kerry Anne King) was the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year in 2020. She is a best-selling hybrid author with twelve novels in print. She is also a retired RN, a licensed mental health counselor, and a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach. In addition to writing, Kerry provides writer coaching, online classes, and virtual assistant services through her Author Genie business. She is active in the podcasting community and is the host of Taming the TBR. When not absorbed in creative pursuits, you’ll find her hanging out with her real-life Viking on their little piece of heaven just outside Colville, Washington.

Connect with Kerry:
AuthorGenie.com
AllThingsKerry.com

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Mendocino (Zoom): Spotlight on Poets
2022-08-21 15:00 - 17:00
Spotlight on Poets Sunday, August 21, 3 p.m. Zoom
WMC member Michelle Blackwell, journalist and host of KZYX’s Upwelling, will interview four poets: WMC members Notty Bumbo, Elizabeth Kirkpatrick-Vrenios and Jonathan Pazer, plus Mendocino County Youth Poet Laureate Sidney Regelbrugge. Each author will read from their poems and answer questions relating to writing processes, what motivates them, and publishing experiences. Both prose and poetry writers will find their stories inspirational.

Inland Empire (In-Person): Member Open Mic
2022-08-27 10:30 - 12:00 | Arlington Branch of the Riverside Public Library, 9556 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA, United States
Saturday, August 27, 2022
Member Open Mic
The August 27th branch meeting will be an Open Mic opportunity for our members. The August 27th meeting will be at the Arlington Branch Library in Riverside. We are planning to stream the Open Mic sessions.
For the Open Mic we are limiting the initial time to 10-minutes per reader, which is, on average, approximately 1,200 to 1,500 words of prose and a bit less for poetry – depending upon phrasing and enjambments. If you would like to participate in the Open Mic please email Sam Nichols your name, a title, genre (prose or poetry), and the approximate word count.

Fremont (Zoom): Book Cover Blurbs
2022-08-27 14:00 - 16:00

East Sierra (In-Person): Crossing the Lines and Dotting the Tease: When Fiction Mirrors Memoirs
2022-09-01 18:30 - 20:30 | Ridgecrest Presbyterian Church, 633 W. Las Flores, Ridgecrest, CA, United States
JEANNIE BARROGA CROSSES THE LINES, DOTS THE TEASE
AT OUR SEPTEMBER MEETING
Award-winning playwright and author of “Turn Right at the Water Buffalo” Jeannie Barroga will speak about “Crossing the Lines and Dotting the Tease: When Fiction Mirrors Memoirs” for our general meeting, Thursday, September 1, in the meeting room of Ridgecrest Presbyterian Church, 633 W. Las Flores. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Visitors welcome. Admission free. Mask requested.
Barroga explains that “An early beta reader asked ‘Was this memoir all true?’ I said ‘Turn Right at The Water Buffalo’ was not a memoir; it’s a trip with ‘fictionalized facts.’
My notes were thirty years old; the trip, five years older. Listeners said my verbal details seemed fresher than my written descriptions. As in pitching plays, a practice nurtured for 40-plus years writing them, I creatively layer fiction among facts. Review what elicits audience responses, on screen and onstage: ‘truths”— like the contrasting crunchy and chewy textures of a bagel—should already engage readers. Integrate carefully selected fiction—like ‘fresh lox or unspreadable cream cheese.’
“Internally I argued whether any writer needs to tag what is fictitious or not; I say, no. With seams undetectable between fact and fiction, a writer needs to tell a gripping, relatable, infuriating story, to cross a line, to tease, cap, and package. Determine in your ‘sandwich,’ how.”
Barroga, Lifetime Dramatists Guild member, is a published, award-winning playwright whose works are in Stanford’s Special Collections. Among many plays, she received the NEA Artistic Excellence Award. Twice a Literary Manager, she has also directed at LaMama NY, and acted in the cult film “I Am a Ghost.”
Her talk will conclude with Q&A and a book signing. We’ll look forward to seeing you there, and bring your friends.
Note that in addition to giving our general meeting program at 6:30 in Ridgecrest Presbyterian Church, Jeannie Barroga will chat informally about “Turn Right at the Water Buffalo” at 2 p.m., Thursday, September 1, in the back room of the Pizza Factory. For this, sign up and pay in advance at Red Rock Books; $32 includes the book autographed to you or someone of your choice, plus tea and scones, discussion, and entry in a raffle drawing.

Orange Co. (In-Person): Author’s Journey Series
2022-09-03 09:00 - 11:00 | Anaheim Packing House, 440 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA, 92805, United States
Kaira Rouda

“Author’s Journey Series”

Kaira Rouda has led one of those “seen everything” types of lives you might expect a USA Today best-selling author to have: newspaper reporter, columnist, marketing executive, and entrepreneur.
The characters of her salacious novels are left in the wake of a twisting and turning psychological thrill ride – every time. It’s why her legions of fans keep her at the top of the best-selling charts.
Making the leap from Midwest to West Coast living in 2009 didn’t slow Kaira down. When her husband won a U.S. Congressional seat in 2019, it gave her yet another perspective of the world from which to draw.
Intrigue, deceit, and personal aspiration are central themes once again with her latest best-seller “Somebody’s Home.” Kaira will be joining us to share her experience and sign books.
To learn more about the author, visit https://kairarouda.com

High Desert (In-Person): How I Became a Storyteller
2022-09-10 10:00 - 12:00 | Community Church at Jess Ranch, 11537 Apple Valley Rd,, Apple Valley, CA, 92308, United States
JOHN BEYER
​”HOW I BECAME A STORYTELLER”

John R. Beyer is currently writing a weekly travel column (1500 words and photographs) for USA Today Network. In 2020, one of his columns won a prestigious CNPA award. His pieces are about traveling with a humorous spin on them. Also, he has four novels published under his belt, and has written award winning fictional short stories in both the adult and young adult categories.

As a novelist, short story writer, traveler and researcher, John loves nothing better than to share those experiences with his readers. Often in the company with his lovely wife, Laureen, stories emerge of the places they visit and the people they meet. In his weekly travel feature for the USA Today Network, Beyer’s Byways, John takes his readers along on his adventures. Some funny, some sad, but these are the stories that need to be told.John R. Beyer, Ed.D./Ph.D.
Author of Hunted/Soft Target/Operation Scorpion/Iquitos, The Past Will Kill – Police Thrillers
Black Opal Books
Columnist, Beyer’s Byways, USA Today Network
Member, International Thriller Writers
2020 California Journalism Award winner – ‘Columns’

Coastal Dunes (Hybrid): Screenwriting
2022-09-10 10:00 - 12:30 | Nipomo Library, 918 West Tefft Street,, Nipomo, CA, United States
We have switched to an RSVP system for our Zoom meetings. If you’re NOT currently a member of Coastal Dunes CWC, and you’d like to attend our next meeting via Zoom, use our Contact Form to request the Zoom link (put “Zoom link” in the Subject line.)
Our next meeting is Saturday, September 10, 2022, in person at the Nipomo Library and via Zoom, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Speakers: Writers Baker-Willey
Topic: Screenwriting
Terry Willey has worked for over 30 years as a therapist, supervisor, and trainer. Carol Baker-Willey has worked as an administrative assistant, craft services, and minion.
They have been members of the California Writers Club for over 30 years, first with Writers of Kern and now with Coastal Dunes CWC.
As a team, they have written one-act plays, full-length plays, screenplays, teleplays, short stories, and novels. Their interactive murder mysteries, one-act, and full-length plays have been produced on stage at various venues in Bakersfield.
Their fantasy short story Sir Michael of Baker-Willey won second place in the Ridge Writers East Sierra Branch of CWC’s Pen to Screen contest.
Their teleplay “Seinfeld: Good Vibrations” placed among the top 30 of over 1,000 submissions for the Walt Disney Pictures & Television Fellowship Program for 1996-97 (television division). The script ranked 53rd Place in the Television/Movie Script category of the 1996 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition.
“Seinfeld: Good Vibrations” won first prize in the 1997 California Writers’ Club screenwriting competition. This script was a quarter-finalist in the 1997 Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction Competition.
Their feature spec script “Johnny Tutorial” was a semi-finalist in the 1997 America’s Best screenplay division and a quarter-finalist in the 1997 Writer’s Network Screenplay & Fiction Competition. The script was also awarded an Honorable Mention in the Quantum Quest 1997 Screenplay Competition.
Their work has appeared in Coastal Dunes CWC Anthologies “Across a Distant Shore,” “Shifting Sands,” and “Turning Tides”; and in Writers of Kern “Anthology 2001” and “Anthology II.”
Terry’s short story, The Drop, won “Scary Stories, Adults” at the Solvang Library’s 2020 Ghost Story Challenge, and won first place in the Coastal Dunes’ 2020 “Fears and Phobias” contest.
Carol’s short story, Sog Hill, won second place in the 2020 “Fears and Phobias” contest. Her short story, I’m The Only One Still Awake, won third place in the 2021 “Fears and Phobias” contest.
Come join us to hear more from Terry and Carol about their screenwriting adventures.
Our in-person monthly meetings are admission free and held at the:
Nipomo Library, Community Room, 918 West Tefft Street, Nipomo, CA
Directions: From 101 northbound or southbound, take the Tefft street exit.
Proceed west for .9 mile. At Orchard, turn right into library parking lot.
Date/times: Saturday mornings (the first Saturday of each month unless a holiday weekend)
10:00 AM- 10:30 Check-in and Networking
10:30-10:45 CWC Announcements
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM: Featured Presentation
12:15 – 12:45: Q&A, Book Signing if applicable
Refreshments provided; admission is free.

Mt. Diablo (In-Person): Rewrite! A Jounalist Turns Author
2022-09-10 11:00 - 14:00 | Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant, 611 Gregory Ln, Pleasant Hill, CA, 94523, United States
CWC Mt. Diablo Presents Duffy Jennings: Rewrite! A Jounalist Turns Author

September 10 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm PDT

Add to calendar

*In Person at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant.

*This is not a hybrid meeting.

Featured Speaker

Duffy Jennings

After his newspaper career, Duffy Jennings served as vice president of public relations for the San Francisco Giants baseball club for twelve years. He oversaw media relations, publications, business communications, community relations, and alumni relations. Following the Giants, Jennings ran his own public relations company for more than twenty years. He also launched and published Los Gatos Magazine. Jennings is the author of Reporter’s Note Book: A San Francisco Chronicle Journalist’s Diary of the Shocking Seventies, published in 2019 by Grizzly Peak Press.

Rewrite! A Journalist Turns Author
Duffy Jennings is an author and former prize-winning reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle in the tumultuous 1970s. His coverage included the City Hall murders of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the Patty Hearst kidnapping, and the Zodiac and Zebra serial killings.
The newspaper submitted Jennings’s reporting on the murder trial of the City Hall killer, former supervisor Dan White, for Pulitzer Prize consideration. All told, Jennings’s byline appeared on more than five hundred articles for the Chronicle. Actor Adam Goldberg portrayed Duffy in the 2007 film, Zodiac.
What we will Learn:

Why Being a Reporter Doesn’t Make You a Writer
Get Into Their Head: How to Write Someone Else’s Memoir
Agents, Publishers, and Self-Publishing
Finding the Newspaper Archive in Your Computer

Writers Table – more information coming soon

Linda Hartmann

Beta Readers

Schedule

11:00 -11:15 – Check-in
11:15 – 12:00 – Writers Table
12:00 – 12:25 – Lunch and Business Meeting
1:00 – 2:00 – Speaker Presentation

Register Here

Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant

San Fernando Valley (Zoom): Writing Setting: From Italy to Britain
2022-09-10 13:00 - 15:00
September 10th – Christobel Kent

Writing Setting: From Italy to Britain

The San Fernando Valley Branch of the California Writers Club is pleased to welcome bestselling author Christobel Kent as the keynote speaker on Saturday, September 10 at 1:00 pm via Zoom, with a presentation titled “Writing Setting: From Italy to Britain.”

Kent has had seventeen novels published: the first four being standalone thrillers set in Italy, followed by the six novels in the Sandro Cellini Florentine detective series. Since then she has written seven psychological thrillers roughly in the ‘domestic noir’ genre, including the Sunday Times bestseller The Loving Husband. She now lives in both Cambridge and Florence with her husband and five children.

Kent will speak about her personal trajectory as a writer, and how she used a period living in Florence as her springboard to becoming an author. Her first nine books were set in Italy, principally Tuscany – her trademark being skillful immersion in Italian life. The books did reasonably well but her big breakthrough came when she finally turned her attention to her own country, something, she says she’d been putting off, for a mixture of superstition and prejudice that’s fairly common among writers.

The first of these homegrown works, The Crooked House, set in a part of the UK she grew up in, received critical acclaim and her second English novel, The Loving Husband became a Sunday Times bestseller and ended up selling 200,000 copies across the media. Kent is very interested in how significant setting can be in a novel, how much fun it can be to engage with and how many functions it can perform.

Follow Christobel Kent on Instagram @christobelkentnovelist.

Please note that all members of the CWC-SFV will receive a Zoom invitation to this presentation. Members of other CWC branches should contact VP/Zoom host Monte Swann by noon on September 9 at cwcsfvhost@gmail.com for an invitation. Other guests may purchase single-day admission at www.cwc-sfv.org by noon on September 9 which will be followed by a Zoom invitation. We regret we cannot accommodate late requests.

Long Beach (Hybrid): What's the Point? Story, Subtext and Plot.
2022-09-10 15:00 - 17:00 | Ruth Bach Neighborhood Library, 4055 N. Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA
“What’s the Point? Story, Subtext and Plot.”

GAYLE CARLINE is the award-winning author of the Peri Minneopa Mystery series, as well as a weekly columnist for the Placentia News-Times. When she’s not writing, she teaches workshops at conferences about writing and publishing.

In this post-pandemic time, we are testing hybrid (in-person and Zoom)
meetings. In-person attendance for members is by reservation only.

Our in-person meetings are open to visitors who request a seat in advance, or request a Zoom link, for a specific month. Make a request at info@calwriterslongbeach.org by the first of the month of the second Saturday monthly program you wish to attend in person or on Zoom.
(Seating is limited. First come, first served.)
.

All members, and visitors by request (as stated above), will receive a Zoom link by email
for specific monthly meetings.
Many of our speakers also invite followers via Zoom on their social media.

South Bay (Zoom): Crafting Short Stories, With a Focus on Journal/Contest Submissions
2022-09-12 19:00 - 21:00
Crafting Short Stories, With a Focus on Journal/Contest Submissions, with Brent van Staalduinen

A short story is the epitome of literary economy. Less is more. Edgar Allen Poe once wrote, “A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it.” No room for fluff or filler. Just pure narrative propulsion that packs a punch. Neil Gaiman has observed, “A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick – a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.” The recently released Hollywood film The Black Phone was adapted from a short story. So were many other cinematic classics. In light of today’s shrinking attention spans, the short story is an especially compelling option to land a distracted reader’s attention. During our meeting on September 12, Brent van Staalduinen will guide us through the process of crafting an unforgettable short story that will win a writing contest and/or be accepted by a journal.
About:
Brent is an award-winning novelist and short story writer from Ontario, Canada, and the author of the novels Boy, Nothing But Life, Saints, and Unexpected, as well as the short story collection Cut Road. His short stories have appeared in Hamilton Magazine, The Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology, The Prairie Journal, The New Guard Literary Review, The Nottingham Review, and many other literary publications. He has been awarded the Kerry Schooley Book Award, the Bristol Short Story Prize, the Lush Triumphant Literary Award, the Fiddlehead Best Short Story Award, The Writer Magazine’s “Our Darkest Hour” Prize, and several other honors. He is also a certified educator with more than a decade of teaching experience, and has helped many other writers tell their stories. His literary thriller Unthinkable will be published in the fall of 2023.

When: Monday, Sept 12th at 7pm
Where: Zoom – Please pay by Sept 10th to ensure you receive the Zoom link.
After payment is received, a ZOOM link will be emailed to you at least 1 day PRIOR to the meeting.
If you don’t receive it at least 1 day before the event, contact pr@southpaywriters.com
Cost:
$5 Members
$10 Non-Members
Pay via Check or PayPal
If you choose to send a check, allow a week for it to arrive. Make a check out to:
CWC-SOUTH BAY WRITERS
PO BOX 3254
SANTA CLARA, CA 95055
(PayPal will let you use a non-PayPal card. On the PayPal screen, scroll down for the button:
“Pay with Debit or Credit Card” to use your card of choice.)

Select member status and amount of meetings your are paying for

Member (1 meeting) $5.00 USDNon-Member (1 meeting) $10.00 USDMember (pre-payment for 6 meetings) $25.00 USDNon-Member (pre-payment for 6 meetings) $65.00 USD

Napa (In-Person): How to Get Over Yourself and Write
2022-09-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA
How to Get Over Yourself and Write

Barry Martin

On September 14, we feature Barry Martin, Managing Director of Lucky Penny Productions and “Wine Country Live” Producer and Co-Host on KVYN-FM.
Barry Martin was born and raised in the Ozarks. He studied theatre in college, then began working as an on-air radio talent at age 21. He came to California in 1986 and has been heard on Napa Valley airwaves for 21 of the last 35 years, mostly as morning show host for either KVON-AM and KVYN-FM. He currently hosts Wine Country Live on 99.3 The Vine weekday mornings. He estimates he has presented around 20,000 hours of live radio.
Along the way he also served as PIO for the Napa River Flood Control Project and Community Outreach Coordinator for the City of Napa. In 2009 in the midst of a massive recession, he co-founded with Taylor Bartolucci the local theatre company Lucky Penny Productions which survived that recession and (so far) has survived the pandemic.
He began writing in earnest in 2010 and his short play “The First Thirty Minutes” was selected for a festival at Actor’s Theatre of Santa Cruz. In 2018 he finished a farce about the wine country called “The Tasting Room” and directed it for Lucky Penny, then wrote the book for “A Napa Valley Christmas Carol” which debuted in 2021 with a second run coming up in December 2022. He is currently working on the script for a new Christmas show for kids and families called “Saving Santa.”
Barry has two adult children who were raised in Napa and graduated from local public schools, and is a grandpa four times over.

$5 Fee for members, $7 for non-members. Students with ID – free.

Writers of Kern (In-Person): Carla Marting
2022-09-17 09:00 - 11:30 | Hodel’s Country Dining, 5917 Knudsen Drive, Bakersfield, CA, 93308, United States
17 September 2022 | Featured Speaker: Carla Marting | A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

When: The 3rd Saturday of the month, 9:15-11:15 am. Join us 30 minutes early for breakfast and writer’s fellowship, January, February, April and June-November.
Where: Hodel’s Country Dining, 5917 Knudsen Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93308.
Fee: $10 for members, $15 for guests. Both include buffet breakfast. Pay at the door or skip the line and pay online.
Who: It’s a new speaker with new insights at every meeting. Check out our next speaker & workshop topic right here.

Sacramento (Hybrid): I Write To Introduce You To The World
2022-09-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave, Sacramento, CA, United States
I Write To Introduce You To The World

Free Monthly Meeting
Live and Zoom presentation
(includes Q&A)
Saturday, September 17, 2022
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Arden-Dimick Library
891 Watt Avenue
Sacramento, CA
– OR –
Click here to register for Zoom

with
Jacquelyn Smithson Howard
Poet-Author-Ghostwriter-Editor-Publisher
The lessons are the blessings. I help people tell their stories in ways they never thought possible!
About the speaker:

I write between the lines.
I don’t follow academic rules.
I follow my own God-Winks and Heartsongs.
I am stubborn and unapologetic.
The Dash is the Journey.
I speak my truth and invented the Giggle N Smooch Club through my writing.

Jacquelyn Smithson Howard is a freelance writer and poet who writes about the shared experiences of life and love and uses her stories to uplift others. She is a member of the ZICA Creative Arts & Literary Guild. She has published 19 books, three of which are with her 96-year-old Aunt, who was a Black Catholic Nun for nearly 70 years until her death on 5/13/22. The royalties for their books together fund a scholarship program for at-risk Black youth in their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. She resides in Elk Grove, California, and can be reached at itsmytimetosoar@gmail.com.

SF Peninsula (Hybrid): A Legal Guide for Writers: Get Your Questions Answered
2022-09-17 12:00 - 14:00
A Legal Guide for Writers: Get Your Questions Answered
Bob is the Book Publishing Chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. From 2002 until 2007 he served as Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, the Forum’s quarterly publication. Bob has co-authored books, chapters, and numerous articles on legal and business aspects of the book publishing industry including articles about new technologies and the emerging e-book industry. Some examples of his articles include Protection Racket: Are Copyright Lawyers and their Clients Shaking Down the Public?, a chapter in Thomson-West’s Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook; Riding the Bullet to the eBook Revolution, a chapter in Thomson-West’s Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook; co-author of the first and second editions of Opening a Bookstore: The Essential Planning Guide.
Bob served as Chief Learning Officer and Director of Legal Services for California Lawyers for the Arts from 2010 to 2018 and as Book Publishing Chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. From 2002 until 2007 he served as Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, the Forum’s quarterly publication. Bob has co-authored books, chapters, and numerous articles on legal and business aspects of the book publishing industry including articles about new technologies and the emerging e-book industry. Bob obtained his B.A. from Columbia University; M.Sc., London School of Economics & Political Science; B.A. [Law] & M.A., [Law] Cambridge University: Magdalene College, Cambridge, England; J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law. He has taught at Golden Gate University School of Law and UC Davis School of Law.

Robert Pimm

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In-person attendees please bring a mask.

Redwood (Hybrid): You've Written a Book, What's Next?: Writing Queries, Strategizing Submissions, & Ways to Translate "No" to "Yes
2022-09-17 13:00 - 14:30 | Finley Communiy Center, 2060 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa, CA, United States
You’ve Written a Book, What’s Next?: Writing Queries, Strategizing Submissions, & Ways to Translate “No” to “Yes”
with
Deborah Halverson
Deborah Halverson shows beginners as well as advanced writers—published and pre-published—how to perfect their submission package and strategy. This presentation includes a master handout, sample query letters, and a quick-reference sheet for translating editorial feedback.
Deborah Halverson is the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and Writing New Adult Fiction, as well as numerous teen novels, books in a series for struggling readers, and a picture book. Formerly an editor at Harcourt Children’s Books and now a freelance editor specializing in picture books and Young Adult/Middle-Grade fiction and nonfiction, Deborah has been working with authors—bestsellers, veterans, debut, and aspiring—for twenty-five years. She is also the founder of the popular writers’ advice site DearEditor.com and serves on the advisory board for the UC San Diego Extension “Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating” certificate program.

Connect with Deborah:
DearEditor.com

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Tri-Valley (In-Person): The Fourth Column
2022-09-17 14:00 - 16:00
Kevin Fisher-Paulson, Author and SF Chronicle Columnist, September 17, 2022￼

Kevin Fisher-Paulson will present “The Fourth Column” at the Tri-Valley Writers Saturday, September 17, 2022 meeting. Every writer has one column in them. The trick is to be the kind of writer who has one column in them every week.
Kevin will discuss the craft of writing from the perspective of purpose and structure. Specifically, the process of writing a weekly column for a major newspaper, like the San Francisco Chronicle. His unique brand of column is the one-week memoir, warts and all. Writing is a search for meaning, and Kevin talks about how the different forms represent different means of exploring experience. He includes choices—not habits—that usher the individual through the creative door.
In his weekly column, Kevin grapples with great issues but knows that the narrative must be satisfied in 750 words. As the reputation of this column grew, he became aware of consistency, fresh perspective, and the assertive reader.

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Consent to be recorded
By registering for this meeting, you acknowledge that the meeting may be recorded. Your consent to be recorded is implied in your registration. See meeting information for full details.

Berkeley (Zoom): Breaking the Book
2022-09-18 12:30 - 14:30
“Breaking the Book” with Michael Lucker on September 18th, 2022

Wanna turn your book into a movie? Now you can! But adaptation is a craft unto itself. Step one is: Breaking the Book. Distilling 400 single spaced pages into 100 double-spaced. What do you use? What do you lose? Join us for an hour of fun-filled discussion learning how to crack the spine on your novel and mine the essentials for turning it into a powerful, sellable, two-hour movie.
About Michael Lucker

Keynote Speaker Michael Lucker

Michael is a professional screenwriter and professor of screenwriting with twenty years experience writing for major studios and ten years lecturing at esteemed universities. He began his career writing and directing cable commercials while majoring in broadcasting and film at Boston University’s College of Communication. Soon after he landed in Los Angeles working in production for ABC, NBC, and CBS before taking a job as assistant to Steven Spielberg. He went onto work in creative affairs at Hollywood Pictures before embarking on a career as a screenwriter for Paramount, Disney, DreamWorks, Fox and Universal. He developed television series for Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, History, Discovery, NBC, TBS, TNT, TLC, OWN, DIY, MSNBC and A&E. Recently, he served as consultant on the feature films Fear of Rain, A Wing and A Prayer, and The Curse of La Patasola. His latest effort, the thriller 10-56, is in development with RiotProof Entertainment. A renowned instructor in screenwriting, Michael serves as lecturer at University of North Georgia, advisor to the Georgia Film Academy, and founder of Screenwriter School.

Buy “Crash! Boom! Bang!” here

His book on screenwriting, Crash! Boom! Bang! How to Write Action Movies, is available wherever books are sold.
Visit Michael’s website(www.screenwriterschool.com) and follow Screenwriter School on FaceBook or @screenwriteratl on Twitter.

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Event Schedule
$5 for members, $10 for guests, free tickets available*
Community
12:00 Club leaders check-in
12:30 Welcome and networking with members & guests
Program
1:00 p.m. Club Announcement
1:30 p.m. Member Spotlight
1:45 p.m. Featured Speaker
2:30 p.m. Book Sales & Networking
Tickets include admission to our online craft and marketing support groups, now meeting Thursdays. more info here.
See meetings for more info.

Mendocino (Zoom): Self-Editing Techniques to Ease Your Writerly Journey
2022-09-18 15:00 - 17:00
September Speaker Ericka Lutz
Sunday, September 18, 3:00 p.m. Zoom
Self-Editing Techniques to Ease Your Writerly Journey
Like a sword that cuts but cannot cut itself;
Like an eye that sees but cannot see itself.
– Zenrin-kushu
The difference between an amateur and professional-level writer often comes down to willingness to revise. But editing your own work can frustrate. How do you know when, where, and how to make changes? How do you know when to stop? In this fun self-revision workshop, we’ll talk about specific techniques to make your prose and poetry clearer, more concise, and more beautiful. Optional: bring a printed page of fresh-ish writing to play with.
Ericka Lutz is a WMC member, retired UC Berkeley writing teacher, book mentor, and well-published novelist, poet, and creative nonfiction writer. She hangs her virtual hat at erickalutz.com.
NO NEED FOR WMC MEMBERS TO PREREGISTER FOR ZOOM EVENTS
Each month a new meeting link will be sent to your email address.
The public is welcome to send an email to writersmendocinocoast@gmail.com to request the Zoom link. All meetings are recorded.
At the close of the presentation, the Zoom session will remain open half an hour for chatting.

North State (Hybrid): Point of View/Deep POV
2022-09-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Chico Veteran’s Hall, 54 Rio Lindo Ave., Chico, CA, United States
Erin Lindsay McCabe, “Point of View/Deep POV.”
Meetings begin at 6:00 p.m., are hybrid events, and are free to all. In-person at Chico Veterans Hall, 554 Rio Linda Ave., Chico. To request the Zoom link, send an email to northstatewriters@gmail.com no later than 5:00 p.m. the Sunday prior to the meeting.

Central Coast (In-Person): All My Thoughts Are Second Thoughts
2022-09-20 17:30 - 19:30 | Pacific Grove’s Juice n’ Java, 599 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA
September 20, 2022
Karen Joy Fowler
All My Thoughts Are Second Thoughts
Karen Joy Fowler is the author of seven novels, including Sarah Canary, which won the Commonwealth medal for best first novel by a Californian and The Jane Austen Book Club, a NY Times bestseller. She has also published three short story collections, two of which won the World Fantasy Award in their respective years. Her novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves won the PEN/FAULKNER award for fiction in 2013 and was shortlisted for the Man/Booker prize. Her most recent novel, Booth, was published in March 2022.

Inland Empire (In-Person): Life After Sending a Submission
2022-09-24 10:30 - 12:00 | Ovitt Family Community Library, 215 E. C Street, Ontario, CA, 91764, United States
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Life After Sending a Submission …
This year, a handful of Inland Empire members sent manuscripts to The Literary Review, our state-wide club magazine. They waited over six months for a panel of judges to evaluate their work. As usual, less than 50% of overall submissions were accepted. Every year, the editors ask that we follow submission guidelines and hone our writing skills to generate more compelling stories.
You be the judge! Join us for an open critique of member submissions.
During our September meeting, we will share a few of these submissions. In addition, the club will send you homework… Your assignment is to review, score and rank the submissions based on the checklist the judges used. Please write a few critique notes. Then, we will compare our thoughts to the actual results. As far as we know, only one club member had their story published. Is it the one you would have chosen? Why, or why not? Did you locate areas where the other submissions did not nail the criteria?
We think there are about five manuscripts. Even if you have the time to evaluate only one submission, the exercise will help you grow as a storyteller, editor, and as a judge. Your participation will help everyone become better writers. You will discover why submissions, rejection, and re-submission are part of every writer’s life.
This critique session will be in-person September 24th, at the Ovitt location, also streamed via zoom. The manuscripts and the judging rubric will be sent to members a few weeks in advance. See you then!

Fremont (Zoom): How to Sabotage Your Book in the First Five Pages
2022-09-24 14:00 - 16:00

Marin (Zoom): Book Mapping
2022-09-28 18:00 - 19:30
Topic: Book Mapping – Be Your Own Developmental Editor
A book map is a “big picture” overview of a book, broken down chapter by chapter and scene by scene, usually in the form of a table. It allows you to look objectively at an entire story, all at once.
In this workshop, you will learn:
• to determine which elements to track in your book map
• to find and fix problems with plot, character, theme, etc.
• to use book mapping as a tool throughout story development
• to be your own developmental editor
• to work collaboratively with others to identify areas for improvement
• about the many resources available to help with your writing projects
About the Speaker
Tobi Doyle, a hybrid romance author, has published over a dozen HEAs with heat and humor, romantic suspense, and cozy mysteries. Tobi is a content developer for the RWA’s Pen to Paper Guide to Writing Romance program, and the President of RWA’s romantic suspense/mystery chapter, Kiss of Death. She’s a partner of the Intensive Genre Writers along with SG Redling, where they provide genre writers a writing craft foundation through workshops and retreats. You can find her at TobiDoyle.com and AskIGW.com, but really, usually she’s at her desk contemplating if it’s margarita time yet.
September Meeting Registration

September 2022 Meeting

CWC Member $5.00 USDNon CWC Member $10.00 USD

September Speaker Donation
