Farewell to Francine
We are grieving the loss of long time CWC board member Francine Thomas Howard, who passed away this month. Thanks to a recording we made prior to her passing, you can still hear her read from her new book, Scattered Seed, at our Book Launch on June 11, 2023.
Francine Howard (Photo by Barbara Vail)
We were all honored to know and work with her in the California Writers Club Berkeley, for so many years. Her gifts to our organization were endless, from the parties she sponsored to the ...
Jessi Honard’s Unrelenting Approach to Writing
Our long-standing tradition of giving a member the mic before our keynote speaker helps us get to know what our colleagues are working on. Our 5+5+5 guidelines (5 minutes of backstory, 5 minutes to read, and 5 minutes of Q&A) help emerging writers polish their professional skills.
Jessi Honard
Jessi Honard recently joined CWC. She has been a regular participant in the Wednesday evening Berkeley Writers Circle since the pandemic began, and in that context, I’ve had the pleasure ...
What Does A Poet Do After Last Call?
Write poetry, of course! The poems in Randall McNair's third volume of Bar Poems, Last Call, are sardonic, wry, heartfelt, and poignant. McNair captures the ineffable in his latest collection.
Our long-standing tradition of giving a member the mic before our keynote speaker helps us get to know what our colleagues are working on. Our 5+5+5 guidelines (5 minutes of backstory, 5 minutes to read, and 5 minutes of Q&A) help emerging writers polish their professional skills.
Sandy Bliss: ...
Terry Tierney Takes His Readers on a Lucky Ride
Terry Tierney is January's Featured Member of the California Writers Club-Berkeley Branch. He'll tell us about his writing life, and read excerpts from his newly published novel, Lucky Ride, when the CWC-BB meets on Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 1:00 pm. Terry says, "Lucky Ride followed the traditional road trip model—until I realized Flash’s story was more than merely a road trip."
“A Blanket and a Basket of Chow”— a Picnic Celebration of California Writers on October 9th
Cascade Flows, Singalong, Picnic, Readings & Poet Laureate Celebration. Join us!
Seeking inspiration at Joaquin Miller Park
Join us for a special celebration on the afternoon of October 9th, 2021 in Joaquin Miller Park!
A ribbon-cutting ceremony with city officials and the Friends of Joaquin Miller Park at noon will mark the completion of phase one of the water feature restoration. As the flow returns to the Woodminister Cascade, our writer in residence, Kristen Caven will lead a ...
Announcing our new Writer-in-Residence Program at Joaquin Miller Park
October 9th: Cascade Flows, Picnic & Poet Laureate. Join us!
seeking inspiration at Joaquin Miller Park
The history of the California Writers Club and Joaquin Miller Park are deeply intertwined, as the Club was formed by civic-minded literary figures who would gather on the land when it belonged to poet Joaquin Miller, who called it “The Hights” (his spelling). CWC, which formed in Oakland in 1909 and was incorporated in 1913, was instrumental in the city’s purchase of Miller...
2O/2O/2O2O Literary Sampler
WAIT! Before this wonderful year ends (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha), we FINALLY (and proudly) announce this literary sampler representing some of our members’ best writings. Two poets, two memoirists, and two novelists share writings on new transformations.
We start with poems by Keith Gaboury about leaving the past and seeing in new ways, and poems about "Drumpf" and his damage done by Judith Offer. In the memoir samples, we hit bottom with Tim Jollymore, and then we meet Cindy Rasicot’s ...
What’s It Like to Get Nominated for a Pushcart Prize? Terry Tierney Shares His Experience
Terry Tierney Nominated for The Pushcart Prize
Diane Swan Interviews Terry Tierney for the Details
Terry Tierney
The Poet’s Garage by Terry Tierney was released in May of this year by Unsolicited Press and in November of 2020 was nominated for a Pushcart Prize: The Best of the Small Presses! Our newsletter editor Diane Swan probed Terry and he was happy to shares all the details on how one gets nominated for this prestigious prize.
What Is the Pushcart Prize?
The ...
Write Angles: February 2019
read the entire newsletter here
The Wind In Your Sails
Some words from your president
February is the month of love, and it's also Black History Month, a time to expand our focus on who has really shaped the world. The California Writers Club, going strong (or strong-ish) since 1909 (yes, it's our 110th birthday), has been traditionally made up of mostly white writers, but we represent many cultures now, and the future is what we make it. Muses don't discriminate based on color, race, or ...
CWC Marin One-Day Writing Conference April 2
CWC Berkeley member John Byrne Barry alerted us to the CWC Marin Conference on April 2.
The day-long conference will cover fiction and nonfiction writing, with three literary agents available for five-minute pitches. Registration includes morning coffee and rolls, along with a bag lunch. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available.
Presenters include keynote speaker Constance Hale on "The Seven Stages of Manuscript Grief," Linda Watanabe McFerrin on "Writing About Places Real and ...