Saturday, November 26, 2022 – Thomas Atkinson
Reading from Tiki Man & Character Development
Thomas M. Atkinson is an author and playwright. His new novel, TIKI MAN, came out in October from Regal House Publishing as part of their Sour Mash Southern Literature series. His most recent story, “Kentucky Unicorn,” received a 2022 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for Fiction and was a Top 10 Finalist for the 2022 Prime Number Award for Short Fiction. His work has appeared in The Sun, December, Southern Indiana Review, North American Review, Tampa Review, Doubleback Review, Madison Review, Fifth Wednesday, Indiana Review and others. “Grimace in the Burnt Black Hills,” which originally appeared in The Sun, received two Pushcart nominations, and was selected for New Stories from the Midwest 2016. “Grace in the Embers,” won December’s 2016 Curt Johnson Award in Fiction and received an O. Henry nomination. Other stories have been included in anthologies in the UK and Ireland. Strobe Life is his first novel. His fiction and drama have received numerous awards, including six Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, an Ohio Arts Council/Fine Arts Work Center Collaborative Writing Residency, and his short play, Dancing Turtle, won the 38th Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival.
Saturday, October 22, 2022 – Pauline Wiles
Websites that wow readers: How to create or update your online home
Your website is the cornerstone of your writer platform, and it needs to work hard for you, 24 hours a day. Learn easy tips and insider tricks so you can spend less time battling technology, and more time writing your next book.
Pauline Wiles is an indie author turned website designer who builds beautiful, custom websites for writers who mean business.
As a writer herself, she noticed others were often overwhelmed by this task. Now, she aims not only to create powerful websites for other writers, but also to dispel some of the myths around how difficult a web project should be.
British by birth, Pauline is now a contented resident of California, although she admits to an occasional yearning for afternoon tea and historic homes. Her professional resume includes teaching computing to adults on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as desktop support, entrepreneurship education, and marketing analysis.
Pauline will be joining us this month via Zoom. The Zoom meeting invitation will be sent to all IECWC Branch members on the Monday prior to the Saturday meeting. Guests may RSVP for the Zoom connection on our Meetup site beginning on Monday the 17th here: https://www.meetup.com/The-California-Writers-Club-Inland-Empire-Branch/.
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!
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 session.
The Open Mic for August will feature: Abigail Handojo, Vicki Peyton, Constance Cassinelli, David Gamboa, Sharon White, Shirley Timura, and Assunta Maria Vickers.
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Member Open Mic
The July 23rd branch meeting will be an Open Mic opportunity for our members. The July 23rd meeting will be at the Ovitt Family Library in Ontario. We are planning to stream the Open Mic session.
The Open Mic for July will feature: Vicki Peyton, Abigail Handojo, Sharon White, Ann Casas, Sue Andrews, Scott Skipper, Constance Cassinelli, and Shirley Timura.
Saturday, June 18, 2022
You Can Be A Winning Writer
By Joan Gelfand
Are you mystified by how writers become successful authors?
Becoming a writer involves so much more than words on a page. From working on your craft, to learning about building a social media platform and writing cover and query letters, it is a challenge to understand the industry and where you fit in.
After experiencing the challenges that come with building a writing life, award-winning poet and author Joan Gelfand devised a structure that helped her become a successful author. For over 10 years, she has taught her 4 C’s system to new and established writers to help them build the foundation they need to succeed.
Her approach was so successful, she wrote a book about it!
In this presentation, Joan will take us through the major points of becoming a winning writer. You will learn about each of the 4 C’s — craft, commitment, community, and confidence — and how to integrate them into your writing career.
This presentation has boosted the confidence of numerous writers and helped to provide the focus they needed to move their careers to the next level.
Following the presentation, there will be lots of time to ask Joan questions!
Author of three poetry collections and an award-winning chapbook of short fiction, Joan Gelfand’s reviews, stories, essays and poetry have appeared in national and international literary journals and magazines including The San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Review of Books, PANK! Poetry Flash, The “J,” Rattle, Prairie Schooner, The Toronto Review, Voice and Verse and Levure Litteraire.
Winner of twenty writing awards, Joan has taught for California Poets in the Schools, Poetry Out Loud and The Writing Salon. “You Can Be a Winning Writer,” Joan’s Amazon #1 best seller has inspired writers from coast to coast and in Mexico.
“Extreme,” Joan’s debut novel, was published by Blue Light Press in July 2020. The fast-paced tale takes place in a Silicon Valley gaming startup and has received praise from Katie Hafner of the NYT, Ransom Stephens and Mary Mackey.
A member of the National Book Critics Circle and a Juror for the Northern California Book Awards, Joan lives in San Francisco with her husband Adam Hertz and two beatnik cats – Jack Kerouac and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
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Saturday, May 28, 2022
Writing Incredible Dialogue
By Jenny Margotta
Writing dialogue can be so much fun—and so much work. When it’s done correctly, it individualizes your characters and adds a delightful layer to your stories. When it’s done incorrectly . . . well, let’s not go there.
Dialogue should sound as if the reader is listening to real people having actual conversations. People speak in partial sentences and contractions. They break all the rules of proper grammar and sentence structure. They flavor their speech with regional dialects, acronyms, foreign words, and their own personal idioms.
My tips for writing incredible dialogue will help you master the art of writing believable, character-establishing dialogue that will take your story to the next level.
Jenny Margotta is an author and professional editor. As an editor, Jenny has edited over 140 full-length books and numerous short stories in a wide variety of genres. She has also formatted over 60 books and has designed more than 50 book covers. She freelances for Stories to Tell Books, a small publishing house on the East Coast, and works closely with the High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club, as well as various independent authors across the country. She assists writers through every step of the writing process from concept to putting words on a page to holding a printed book in their hands.
As an author her portfolio includes technical articles and in-house publications written during her years in the corporate world, as well as opinion pieces, award-winning short stories, two fantasy-adventure novels, and a poignant novel about the emotional journey of a woman suffering the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. Jenny has also taught classes on a number of writing-related topics at local high schools, the Federal Correction Center, and branches within the California Writers Club.
Jenny can be contacted at jennymargotta@mail.com.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Super Sleuthing: Internet Research Secrets Everyone Should Know
By Geri Spieler
How do you start your research process? What words do you use to find information? Do you know how to gauge when a website is genuine? In this workshop we will introduce the methods that combine the main topics of “Online Research Methods” that are designed to include several methodologies to equip you with the skills and tools to prepare you to find real information and be able to discern it is reliable.
In this session you will learn:
- How to create better keyword and word-phrase Google searches using search strings
- How to avoid “Disambiguation.”
- What is the “Deep Web” and how can it help the research process.
- List of Deep Web search engines and databases.
- What is the difference between search engines, metasearch engines, directors, and portals and how can it help my research?
- How to avoid “Filter Bubbles.”
- What are invisible Web sites and why can’t we use them?
- Is people-search ethical? How can we use it for our purposes?
Geri Spieler is an author, journalist, investigative reporter, and former research director for Gartner. She has written for the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, Huffington Post, and TruthDig, an award-winning investigative reporting website.
Her creative nonfiction book, Taking Aim at the President, The Remarkable Story of the Woman Who Shot at Gerald Ford, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press) has been optioned for a movie. Her latest book, San Francisco Values: Common Ground For Getting America Back on Track, was published by Palmetto Publishing Group in July 2019. Her new book of historical fiction, Regina of Warsaw is based on her grandmother who escaped Russian pogroms at the turn of the century.
Geri is the president of the California Writers Club San Francisco Peninsula branch, winner of the Louise Boggess award, member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Authors Guild, Women’s National Book Association, the Internet Society, and Book Critics Circle.
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Annual IECWC Published Author Panel – Part 2
Join us in-person or on Zoom as our members, who published books in 2021, speak of the process and answer questions. Those members who published books in 2021 include: Ben Alirez, Constance Cassinelli, Judith Favor, David Gamboa, Brenda Hill, Rowena Kay, Larry Lauritzen, Jackie Phillips, ML Spencer, Sharon White, and Herb Williams. Some of these authors were on the January 22nd panel.
These published books are displayed below along with links to where they may be purchased.
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Sheri L. McGathy: Book Cover Design
Join us as Sheri McGathy speaks on the importance of book cover design. Her presentation will include many aspects of book cover design including: Purpose of a Book Cover, Importance of a Book Cover, Book Covers for E-Book, Paperback, Hardback, And Audio, Genre Expectations and Differences, Process, and more.
Sheri McGathy has worked in prepress in a graphic design department as a Graphic Arts Coordinator/Copy Editor for just under 45 years. Now, her plan is to write and craft book covers. She is hoping to see the cover design business grow now that she has more time.
Sheri’s favorite part of creating covers, especially pre-mades, is that it gives her a chance to tell a story with the images and on pre-mades, try out new techniques or ideas. Her hope is to craft something that hints at what lies beyond those cover flaps.
Sheri was born a buckeye, but was uprooted in 1971 and replanted amongst Kansas sunflowers, tornadoes, and college football. It’s a good life. Shari is married with one son, who is now an adult with three children, of which she considers the lights of her life. She lives with her husband, two dogs, and a cat, which are also lights in her life.
Sheri’s website may be visited here: https://coverdesign.sherimcgathy.com/
Connect with her of Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/coverartbysheri/
Contact Sheri via her Contact page here: https://coverdesign.sherimcgathy.com/contact-sheri/
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Annual IECWC Published Author Panel – Part 1
Join us as on Zoom as our members, who published books in 2021, speak of the process and answer questions. Those members who published books in 2021 include: Ben Alirez, Constance Cassinelli, Judith Favor, David Gamboa, Brenda Hill, Rowena Kay, Larry Lauritzen, Jackie Phillips, ML Spencer, Sharon White, and Herb Williams.
These published books are displayed above (March) along with links to where they may be purchased.
