“Sipping the Elixir” with Gail Carriger on January 15th, 2023
An Overview of the Heroines Journey
What is the Heroine’s Journey (as opposed to the Hero’s), and what aspects make for compelling narrative and voracious readers? Where do these elements originate and how do we write them? This presentation by a highly successful writer of unconventional female protagonists explains all. Gail Carriger, author of The Heroines's Journey, covers ...
“Intergenerational Dialogue” with Lyndsey Ellis on October 16th, 2022
The 3rd week of October is California Writers Week! This year we celebrate California's deep, historical diversity with an exciting conversation with an up-and-coming West Coast & Midwest author.
The Nuances of Writing Cultural Complexity
Regardless of race and class, many attitudes, behaviors, and belief systems stem from values hat are specific to our age groups. Exploring ...
Land the Agent of your Dreams with Amy Collins — February 20, 2022
Why do some authors get an agent and others do not? Why do some manuscripts and pitches garner huge advances and a juicy publishing contract and others just languish? It is possible to create a successful career as an author, but there are hard truths about what it really takes to "make it." Authors who have been querying agents or submitting manuscripts and not getting offers will appreci...
Un-Erasing Charmian Kittredge London with Iris Jamahl Dunkle — October 17th, 2021
October 17th as Iris Jamahl Dunkle Takes us Into the Life of a Trailblazer, Author, and Adventurer
At our Sunday, October 17th meeting, award-winning literary biographer Iris Jamahl Dunkle will take us on the adventure of Charmian Kittredge London's life. We'll learn about her time living in Oakland and Berkeley, working in San Francisco, and her career as a writer. Dunkle will talk ...
Focus and Finish the Writing that Matters with Sage Cohen — February 21st, 2021
Join us on Sunday, February 21st, as Sage Cohen, author of The Productive Writer, shares her tips for writing
When you don’t know what matters most in your writing life, it’s hard to focus—and finish. In this live 60-minute keynote address, you will identify your top priority writing project. Then, you’ll create a simple strategic plan for achieving it. Sage will share ten key ...
Ina Coolbrith, America’s First Poet Laurate with Aleta George — October 18th 2020
Writers often need courage, whether it is to meet a national event, a personal challenge, or just to face a blank page. In these instances we can look to our own history to find the inner strength to face our most profound challenges. At the culmination of California Writer's Week, historical author Aleta George will give us the details on the fierce and iconic Ina Coolbrith. Ina Coolbrith was not only California's first poet laurate and Oakland's first public librarian, she was also one of the founders of the California Writers Club. But these factoids merely scratch the surface of this ground-breaking rebel. Author and journalist Aleta George will share the moments in Ina Coolbrith's life when she was called upon to respond with courage and other fascinating stories of Coolbrith in the East Bay.
Learn more or get your tickets now.
“Learning from Leonardo” with Fritjof Capra on November 17th
We are so proud to host world-renowned physicist and author Fritjof Capra at our November Meeting!
Leonardo da Vinci, the great master painter and genius of the Renaissance, has been the subject of hundreds of scholarly and popular books. However, there are surprisingly few books about Leonardo’s science. Moreover, many authors who have discussed his scientific work have looked at ...
“Building a Platform for Your New Book” with Brooke Warner, September 15th
Are you ready to write the book you’ve been longing to complete and get published? Come to the California Writers Club meeting on Sunday, September 15th at 2pm at the Oakland Public Library.
Our speaker, Brooke Warner, is the author of What’s Your Book? — an aspiring author’s go-to guide (with five stars on Amazon) for completing the dream of becoming a published author. One of the ...
Sunday, 3/17 SPEAKER: “Capturing the Immigrant Experience” with ANGIE CHAU
Three families of refugees from the war in Vietnam occupy three bedrooms in a San Francisco Victorian. Their struggles to rebuild their lives tie together in Angie Chau’s debut short-story collection, Quiet As They Come, which the San Francisco Chronicle has called “a powerful mix of tragedy and kindness, of miscommuni- cations and all-too-painful empathy.” By interlinking her stories, ...