Programs & Events
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The California Writers Club offers a multitude of activities and programs for its members and for the public.
Writers Groups
Our ongoing Critique Groups help writers practice and polish their craft. We have a climate action group, the Wolf Pack Writers, and a poetry group, Poetrope. See Groups for more info.
Speaker Programs
Our informative and interesting Speaker Programs are the focus of our monthly Meetings. These meetings are open to the public.
Workshops
We also offer monthly Workshops for writers by professionals, with special rates for members.
Contests
Two annual Contests: the 5th Grade Writing Contest and the Write On! Story Contest (formerly the WestSide Story Contest), celebrate local writers. Occasionally we hold a poetry contest at year’s end as well.
Our contests are currently on hiatus. If you’d be interested to help organize the next one, please contact us.
Conferences
We promote various Writers Conferences and our members can get discounts to several.
Recent Events
We also have a more concise list of past speakers.
It’s a Free for All at our Summer Social August 22nd
The sun is out and you have stories to share: both in your writing and about your life. Gather with other writers to get the skinny on what's going on in the world of publishing. Or just grab some free food and let off steam. It's good to know you're not alone out there, writer!…
Confidence & the Magnitude of Failure with Ross J. Farrar – May 17, 2026
In Sir Sidney Philips Defense of Poesy, he famously said, “Poetry is to teach and delight.” The first half of Ross’ lecture will be about his greatest hurtle of becoming a poet (hopefully there will be humor in delight). And the second half will be focused on a teaching element. A concept called the magnitude…
AI vs the Author: Writers Grapple with How New Tools Shape Our Future 4/19/26
AI, Algorithms and Art: Our Tech-Savviest Authors Discuss our New Sci-Fi RealityAs part of our spring series on the ubiquitous and insistent presence of artificial intelligence, The California Writers Club of Berkeley is thrilled to present a panel discussion around issues that concern us all as writers and citizens.This month’s panel features four deep thinkers,…
“The Seduction of AI for Writing” with Larry Ebert – March 15, 2026
Perhaps the most transformative technology of our lifetime, Generative AI is becoming de rigueur in a rapidly-expanding set of human activities, with writing at the fore. AI can produce certain written content amazingly quickly and shockingly well. For it’s efficiency and quick creation alone, use of AI is seductive. But there are downsides. Impacts range…
“How to Use Your Creativity to Build Resilience” with LA Bourgeois – February 15, 2026
Build resilience and contentment in the face of grief, disappointment and uncertain times with your creativity and imagination. LA Bourgeois invites you to learn her simple system that will help you embrace a habit of creativity that carries you through those hard days.