San Francisco Peninsula Writer
Writers Helping Writers Since 1909
May 2020 | California Writers Club
An Unprecedented President's Message
Dear CWC Members,

If I read another article or hear another news announcement that begins "In these unprecedented times..." I think I will throw my computer out the window. A quick Google search for the phrase "these unprecedented times" yielded an enormous list.

This is not to say that the phrase doesn't capture the truth we are all experiencing. These times are, indeed, unprecedented. But I wish journalists newscasters, and headline writers could find a fresh way to communicate this. Dictionary.com suggested some alternatives, including surreal and anomalous.

Perhaps my irritation simply reflects the longing we all feel for a remembered past that will never return.

Speaking of remembered pasts, if you have been a CWC member for more than a year, then you know that we hold annual elections for our slate of Board candidates. Usually this happens at our May or June meeting, when you have a chance to confirm the slate of candidates by voice vote. Because we anticipate that restrictions on public gatherings will still be in place in June, we're making plans to hold the election virtually. Stay tuned for details on how that will happen.

We have received positive feedback about our virtual monthly meetings. Thanks so much for participating, and feel free to invite writer friends who may not be CWC members. Our meetings will be online via Zoom at least through June, and will be free to attend.

I'll end with the sign-off that feels necessary in these times: Stay healthy and safe.

Audrey

P.S. As I did last month, I want to put out a call for you to let us know what you've been working on, how COVID-19 and/or sheltering in place has affected your writing, and what new activities or online gatherings you've discovered. Just fill out the form here to let us know. We'll curate your ideas to share on our Facebook page.
IMPORTANT NOTE
To comply with the current shelter-in-place guidelines, the CWC Peninsula Branch monthly meetings for May and June will be held via Zoom.

May 16 meeting - Click here to register

Saturday May 16 Meeting ONLINE

AGENDA
----------------
10:00 a.m. – NEW!!! Meet online and mingle in Breakout Rooms with fellow writers
Breakout rooms open at 10... join when you want.

10:40 a.m. – Club business

11:00 a.m. – Speaker presentation
Dan Linehan presents
An Inside Look at Book Trailers and Other Multimedia
(more info below)


12:00 p.m. – Think Tank
How to Submit to Fault Zone*
The next submission period opens this summer.

(*Fault Zone is an anthology of short stories and poems by the members of the San Francisco Peninsula Branch of the California Writers Club.)

May Speaker Presentation
An Inside Look at Book Trailers and Other Multimedia
by Dan Linehan
In the early 2000s, a new trend began to emerge—trailers for books. Whereas movie trailers have become finely honed tradecraft, book trailers are still at the Wild West stage. What are the elements of a book trailer? How do you produce a book trailer? How can you determine its effectiveness? What are opportunities for other multimedia? These questions and more will be answered as Dan Linehan digs into the book trailer he created for his multimedia serial novel The Princess of the Bottom of the World. An online, nonfiction Multimedia Traveling Companion accompanies the series and uses a wide array of visuals and audio to ground and further enrich the reading experience. Dan will also discuss its development and implementation.

Bio:
In 2000, Dan Linehan switched careers from scientific researcher and engineer to full-time writer and editor. Focusing on creativity, education, and outreach using multi-platform storytelling, he is widely published in many forms of writing that include poetry and fiction and has won awards for his work. Video, photography, and other visualizations often play important roles. Dan has traveled extensively for his work as both an engineer and a writer and The Princess of the Bottom of the World was inspired by these travels.

Video trailer:
https://youtu.be/w3TYh6IG5dY

Dan' webpage:
http://www.dslinehan.com
Weekend of Words
May 8-10 (online)
Branch president Audrey Kalman is part of Shuffle Collective's first six-month residency program. Shuffle works to bring the writing and reading community together. Its first (online) event, Weekend of Words, takes place May 8-10. Register for this free virtual literary festival!

On Friday May 8 at 2 p.m. there will be readings from our Fault Zone anthology series and on Sunday May 10 at 10 a.m. Audrey Kalman and Jennifer Browdy will be giving a workshop titled "Birthing Your Truest Stories.
Weekend of Words
Recurring Events - NOW ONLINE!
SHUT UP & WRITE
As the name implies, we sit quietly and write. If you'd like to participate, join  Shut Up & Write Silicon Valley on MeetUp  to RSVP (look for Shut Up & Write/CWC SF Peninsula). For now, we're doing this virtually... an hour and a half of writing after a half hour of check-in and chat. RSVP via MeetUp to receive the link to join.

Every Tuesday , 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Every Thursday , 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS
Join your writing peers as they lead free workshops on the techniques of writing. For now, these events are virtual.

2nd Wednesday (evening) every month
May 13, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Why and How to Write Your Memoir
(hosted online
by the San Mateo Public Library)

3rd Wednesday (evening) every month
May 20, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

There’s Gold in Those Boxes in the Attic!

OPEN MIC
On hiatus

Never Miss a Thing
See more events listed on our calendar .

To be notified of upcoming events, join the CWC group on MeetUp .

Building a Club Twitter List for Support
Tired of Zoom? Tired of phone calls? Use Twitter to keep in touch! Here's a presentation to help you get started: download the Think Tank presentation here . It covers a fraction of what’s available on Twitter, and we can help each other to improve.

The club twitter account is @CWCSFPeninsula . Follow that account to see upcoming events from the club and select outside events. When you look at the profile of the account, follow the list link and you’ll see the California Writers Club list.

Click the big, blue subscribe button, and you too can hear about, and support, other club members. Send an email to membership@sfpeninsulawriters@gmail.com and we will add you to the list so people can find you as well.
Resources for Members
Critique Groups
Looking for critique group partners? We can help! Please contact Lisa Meltzer Penn .
Resources for Writers
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Check out the Writers' Corner  page on the SF Peninsula CWC website, where you'll find a list of resources to help you write and get published. Listings include publications and small presses founded or edited by branch members, literary magazines where members' work is published, local writing conferences and contests, and local writing organizations. 

There is also a list of branch members who provide writing-related services for a fee: editing, coaching, and more. 

Board Members
Executive Board
President: Audrey Kalman
Vice President: Geri Spieler
Secretary: Korie Pelka
Treasurer: Jean Morrow

Additional Voting Positions
Membership Chair: Mark Dooley
Marketing & Outreach Chair: Linda Glave
Fault Zone Editor-in-Chief: Laurel Anne Hill 
Immediate Past President: Lisa Meltzer Penn 
State Board Rep: Carole Bumpus
NorCal Rep: Carole Bumpus     
    
Committee/Individual Contributor Positions
Volunteer Coordinator: Lisa Meltzer Penn
Memberships: Tim Flood, Margaret Nalbach
Web Manager: Mindy Yang
Newsletter Editor: OPEN
Newsletter Production: Corinna Sherman
Hospitality: Megan McDonald
Think Tank/Writers Helping Writers: Geri Spieler 
Parliamentarian: Alisha Willis
SMCF Literary Stage Coordinator: Megan McDonald
SMCF Literary Stage Manager: Laurel Ann Hill
SMCF Literary Stage Exhibits Coordinator: Sue Barizon 
Critique Group Contact: Lisa Meltzer Penn

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