“The Craft and Career of Activist Writing” with John Curl on April 16th, 2023
If your basic inspiration as a writer is to change the world in positive ways, you are an activist writer. Since writing springs from every aspect of a person's life, an activist writer needs broad experiences, in work life and personal life. Activist writers need to be creative to find venues for their writing and to find ways to connect with their natural audiences. Since this kind of ...
“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 ...
“Story Telling Crossover” with Chris Hennessy on November 20th, 2022
Incorporating video into your writing projects
Attendees of this event will learn:
The How and Why of incorporating film & video into your writing projects—
How your writing skills can help you craft an award-winning film;
How to make quality film/video projects at little or no cost;
How to use film/video to get a book deal with a traditional publisher;
How to ...
“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. ...
Local Author Showcase at our Annual New Book Celebration on June 18, 2022
On Saturday, June 18th, the Berkeley Branch of the California Writers Club will honor its members who have published a new title in the past year. This is a proud moment for this century-old writing club, highlighting the diverse literary accomplishments and talents of this notable group. A wide range of literary genres will be featured, including historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, non-fict...
Editing Your Manuscript – The Whys, Whats and Hows (March 20, 2022)
In this talk, freelance editor and Writer’s Digest writer and editor and former Editor-in-Chief Ericka McIntyre will explain to authors what the different types of editing are, when and why you need each for your work, and how to find quality editors. She’ll also talk about the types of editing you can potentially do yourself and those that you should always seek professional help with. ...
Writing Dialogue that Sings with Jane K. Cleland
Sunday, January 16th We Level up Our Dialogue Skills
Dialogue is one of three narrative tools to move the plot along and reveal character (in addition to description and action). Each character must speak with a unique voice—an amalgam of style, tone, intonation, and word choices. (And it must be formatted and punctuated properly). This Sunday, Jane K. Cleland will show you what you ...
Making Podcasts Work For Writers [SPEAKER SERIES Sunday Nov. 21st]
Join Us Sunday November 21st on Zoom to Learn What Podcasting Can Do for Writers
Podcasts are for people who would rather listen than read, right? Not necessarily. Every writer should know the three powerful ways that podcasting can boost their literary life: as a listener, as a guest, and as a podcast creator. Award-winning podcast host (The Midlife Mixtape Podcast) and author (The Thank-You ...
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 ...
Interview with Annalisa Parent, author of Storytelling for Pantsers
Our speaker for Sunday September 19th Annalisa Parent helps writers to finish, publish and sell their novels. She owns and operates Date with the Muse, LLC, which helps storytellers to publish traditionally at the highest level possible.
A Teacher of the Year nominee for her use of neuroscience principles, she applies these same principles to her work with writers to create confidence, ...