June 2021 CWC SF Peninsula Newsletter

The Monthly Missive

June 2021

IN THIS EDITION

President's Message
Board Election - Candidate Slate
Meeting Agenda and Speaker - Sat June 19
Member News - Critique group opportunity!
June Events
Literary Stage Winners!
CWC NorCal Group Info - Expand your circle, and a Call for Manuscripts!
Resources for Members
CWC SF Peninsula Board Listing

NOTE: We have heard from some members that they cannot see the whole newsletter in their emails. If this happens to you, please scroll down to the bottom of the email and look for a message such as "Message clipped" or similar. This will usually be a live link upon which you can click and be taken to a web page with the whole newsletter in scrollable form.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Looking back, looking ahead

It’s hard to believe that this is my last president’s message. Our board elections happen at our June 19 monthly meeting, where all SF Peninsula branch members in good standing will vote on our slate of candidates.

Endings lead naturally to looks back. I decided to take a look at some of the preoccupations of the last couple of years as evidenced in my monthly messages. Here’s what came up.

In July 2019, I wrote with some trepidation about taking on the role of president (could I do it) and looked forward to reviving the tradition of our annual picnic. Unfortunately, the in-person picnic tradition was waylaid in 2020 by the pandemic. We don’t plan to return to it this year, but hope to revive it again in 2022.

In September 2019, I wrote about how my writerly tendency to be a panster is at odds with the control I like to exert in other areas of my life. Also that month, we were busy organizing an in-person memoir workshop with Brooke Warner—something we all enjoyed and another in-person activity we hope to return to in the coming year.

In January 2020 , I wrote about my love/hate relationship with resolutions. Like the rest of the world, I was still blissfully unaware that any resolution I might have made for 2020 was about to be completely upended by world events.

In April 2020, I lost my muse and turned over the president’s message to readers by asking a series of questions. Our branch already had embraced Zoom and continued meeting uninterrupted online, but many of us were feeling unmoored, disconnected, rudderless. Many writers admitted they seemed to have forgotten how to write.

In September 2020, I wrote about my experience purchasing a Master Class yearly subscription—and then proceeding to not watch any classes.

In December 2020, I reflected on the difficult year we were still in the middle of and offered as solace words from my grandmother: “This too shall pass.” She’s never once been proven wrong.

In March 2020, a year after the pandemic became a reality for so many of us, I wrote about baking sourdough bread—which became a reality for so many of us—and its similarities to writing.

And here we are, in June of 2020, contemplating another year ahead. Membership renewals begin this month. I, along with our amazing board, have tried our best to keep CWC vibrant and relevant during the past couple of years, offering a community where writers of all genres and at all points along their writing journeys can feel welcomed, supported, and informed.

I hope you’ll convey your approval for the job we’ve done by renewing your membership… and by supporting our proposed board candidates with a “YES” vote during our June meeting.

So, I will say my final “Happy Writing” as president. It has been a true pleasure to serve the writing community. But you’re not seeing the last of me. I’ll remain on the board in the role of immediate past president, and hope to stay involved with CWC activities and projects for many years to come.

Audrey

BOARD ELECTION

Candidate Slate

The election for our executive board will take place during our June meeting. Our nominating committee announced the following slate of candidates:

President: Geri Spieler

Geri is a full-time freelance investigative reporter. Her writing experience includes newspaper reporting, magazine editing, reporting for Truthdig.com, and her creative non-fiction book, Taking Aim at the President, published by Macmillan in 2009. Her new book, San Francisco Values: Common Ground For Getting the Country Back On Track, is launching in June. Geri has been VP/Speakers for the past year. Her CWC experience includes chairing the Jack London writers conference in 2005 and hosting Open Mic. She has been Branch President, NorCal Rep, Founder of the CWC Leadership Conference,

Speaker Chair, Hospitality Co-chair and Think Tank Chair.

Vice President: Megan McDonald

Megan McDonald is a writer and entertainment producer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was named Literary Arts “Exhibitor of the Year” at the San Mateo County Fair in 2018, and also placed in that contest's poetry and fiction divisions in 2019. She is currently Liaison to the Literary Stage for the California Writers Club SF Peninsula Branch, and has served as Hospitality Chair. Megan has read essays at literary salon Bay Area Generations, delivered a “Perspectives” segment on KQED Radio, and led several webinars on writing topics for the Menlo Park Library. She is at work on a novel about how the threat of wildfire impacts ranching and land management on the West Coast, as well as a collection of personal essays, short stories, and poetry.

Secretary: Vibha Akuraja

Vibha has been writing memoir essays and personal narratives for about 15 years. She wrote for Big Apple Parent many years ago, and more recently has had several articles published in India Currents. In the last few years, she has enjoyed being a part of the CWC and some other writing groups, as well as reading her works at open mics, including at Kepler’s Literary Foundation’s Story is the Thing series and twice at Bay Area Generations. In May 2019, her essay, “Of Idols and Indophiles,” won first place in the personal memoir category of the San Mateo County Fair Literary Contest. Some of her current pieces can be found at medium.com/@vibha.akk She is also working on a memoir about her family’s move from India to the U.S.

Treasurer: Alisha Willis

Alisha has an accounting background developed and deepened in her employ as a San Francisco civil service employee. In her downtime she enjoys writing poetry, and fiction. Her writing experience includes daily writing from May 2017-June 2018 as a member of poet Ross White’s Grind, an online writing accountability community. She has served on the board in the role of Parliamentarian for the past three years, as well as helped plan some of our holiday parties.

MEETING AGENDA AND SPEAKER

June Meeting ONLINE

Saturday, June 19

10 AM - 12 PM

Registration for this meeting is required.

Much as we have enjoyed temporarily offering our meetings to all comers for no charge, the time has come for the return of meeting fees.

We are appealing to people's inclination to do what's right. Instead of requiring payment before registration, we respectfully request upon confirmation of your registration that you pay $5 (CWC members, any branch), $10 (non-members), or an amount of your choosing.

Thank you for your commitment to our continuing existence and your contribution to our community.

— Agenda —

10:00 AM – Mingle in breakout rooms with fellow writers

Breakout rooms open at 10... join when you want.

Note that our main meeting and Think Tank are shifted slightly later to accommodate speaker availability.

10:30 AM – Club business (BOARD ELECTION)

11:00 AM – Laurie McLean, Founding Partner, Fuse Literary

presents Book Publishing in the New Normal

(see below for more information)

We are suspending our Think Tank program until we are "live" again.

Laurie McLean

Whether you were super productive with your writing during 2020 or couldn’t eke out a word because of the pandemic, we’re beginning to emerge from those dark days now. So what’s next? Laurie will share with us what exactly the “new normal” in publishing will become. Is nonfiction still going to be popular with readers and if so which areas? Where will fiction take off once again? And what are some of the new areas of growth? Find out about innovations and old standbys as publishing re-opens for business.

Laurie McLean spent 20 years as the CEO of a multi-million-dollar marketing agency and 8 years as an agent/senior agent at Larsen Pomada Literary Agents before co-founding Fuse Literary in 2013 with her business partner Gordon Warnock. At Fuse Lit Laurie specializes in middle grade, young adult and adult genre fiction including romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, suspense, thrillers, and westerns. Laurie is also the Director of the San Francisco Writers Conference, in its 18th year, and co-founded two ePublishing companies that she eventually sold: Joyride Books for romance, and Ambush Books for tween and teen books. Find out more at FuseLiterary.com or on Instagram @fuseliterary, and on Twitter @FuseLiterary and @AgentSavant.

Member News

Critique group opportunity! A small supportive group of experienced writers focused on short stories and novels has room for more. We meet the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7 - 8:30pm. Contact Karen Sundback for more information.

Marianne Brems will celebrate publication of her new collection Unsung Offerings (coming from Finishing Line Press in September) on Thursday June 17 at 7:00 PM (PST). She will share a few selected poems, followed by an interview and Q & A. Join the Zoom event here (Meeting ID: 546 798 6378; Passcode: 867797).

Lisa Meltzer Penn's two pandemic essays appears in The TMI Project's "Alone Together" series. Keeping optimistic, Lisa finds the silver linings in much of the pandemic, until a murder of crows crosses her path with a symbol of worse things to come.

Carol L. Park reads "Smoked Chickens" in a recorded session from the San Mateo County Libraries event, Open for Exploration. Carol is the second reader and the poem commemorates a family history.

Do you have writing news you want to share? Reached a goal? Got your author website up? Have success you want to shout about? Tell us about it!

Send an email to newsletter@sfpeninsulawriters.com with "Member News" as the Subject line, and the following information in the body of the email:

Description - No more than 15 words. Be as creative as your like - prose, verse, rhyme, stream of consciousness, you name it!

Who - your name (or pen name, if you're using one)

What - the exact nature of your success (i.e., short story, novel, website, agent, event, etc)

Where - links are great, or a physical location if it's relevant - or both!

Author and book jacket photos really make your news POP!

June Events

Tuesday 8 June

09:30 – 11:15 Shut Up & Write

Tuesday 15 June

09:30 – 11:15 Shut Up & Write

Saturday 19 June

10:00 – 12:00CWC SF Peninsula Monthly Meeting

Tuesday 22 June

09:30 – 11:15 Shut Up & Write

Tuesday 29 June

09:30 – 11:15 Shut Up & Write

2021 San Mateo County Fair

Literary Contest Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Literary Arts Contest at the San Mateo County Fair!

Excerpts from and ribbons for the honored works are on display in the Literary Arts section in the Exhibit Hall at the Fairgrounds through Sunday, June 13th, 2021. Ticket info is available online here.

Additionally, The Literary Stage will be hosting a virtual reading for winning writers from1 PM to 2:30 PM PDT on Saturday, June 12th, via Zoom. Anyone who wishes to attend may register on Meetup.

Thank you so much to all of the CWC SF Peninsula Members who participated in and provided support for this year's Contest, and a hearty round of applause to those of you who earned prizes! We're already looking forward to gathering in person again in June 2022 for readings, workshops, and other bookish events.

Persuasive Essay, Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 325-03

1st Place: A New Humane Society, Evie Groch

Personal Essay, Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 325-06

1st Place: Salmon or Tomatoes, Carolyn Curtis

2nd Place: Washing Your Hands: A Primer, Lisa Meltzer Penn

3rd Place: The Pier, Lisa Meltzer Penn

HM: Brother, Lisa Johnson

Essay Best of Show

Washing Your Hands: A Primer, Lisa Meltzer Penn

Personal Memoir, Young Adult Exhibitor

DIVISION 326-01

1st Place: Masterpiece, Olivia Rose Umstead

Personal Memoir, Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 326-03

1st Place: Turning Ten, Sandra Simmer

2nd Place: Sugar, Karen Sundback

3rd Place: Why Do We Keep This Stuff?, Matthew Reising

HM: The Cat Who Would Be Vacuumed, Louise Lenahan Wallace

HM: Secrets of a Cropduster’s Wife, Luanne Oleas

HM: Pretty Bird, Louise Moises

Lifestyle Memoir, Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 326-06

1st Place: The Luddite vs. the Algorithm, Korie Pelka

2nd Place: Turning the Corner, Matthew Reising

3rd Place: Michelle Obama is My Birthday Twin, Lisa Meltzer Penn

Memoir Best of Show

Masterpiece, Olivia Rose Umstead

My Ticket to Crazy Town

DIVISION 330-01

1st Place: Coke Machine, Vanessa MacLaren-Wray

2nd Place: Waiting for the Five-forty, Dave Laroche

3rd Place: Surviving Covid, Richard McCallum

HM: Car Guys, Ann Scheuerell

The Engine Woman’s Light

DIVISION 332-01

1st Place: A Sorcerer in Levoigne, Vanessa MacLaren-Wray

2nd Place: Sideshow, Louise Moises

3rd Place: Love and War, Richard McCallum

HM: When Alice Played the Lottery, Luanne Oleas

Short Story – General Fiction – Young Adult Exhibitor

DIVISION 333-01

1st Place: My Summer As a Hippie, Olivia Rose Umstead

Short Story – General Fiction – Adult Exhibitor

DIVISION 333-02

1st Place: Expectations, Dave Laroche

2nd Place: The Gift, Julie Olsen

Short Story – General Fiction – Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 333-03

1st Place: What She Said, Karen Sundback

2nd Place: The Unmasking, Korie Pelka

3rd Place: Nightmare, Sandra Simmer

HM: The Seashell, Louise Moises

HM: Mo Mo, Lisa Johnson

Short Story – Science Fiction/Fantasy – Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 333-06

1st Place: Super Holly Hansson in: The Wicked Word Witch!, David Strom

2nd Place: Flight 904, Doug Baird

3rd Place: Solitary Dances, Vanessa MacLaren-Wray

HM: Sunset Walkers, Thomas Kirkpatrick

Short Story – Mystery/Thriller – Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 333-09

1st Place: Herbal Adversity, Carolyn Donnell

2nd Place: God Almighty, Richard McCallum

Short Story Best of Show

Herbal Adversity, Carolyn Donnell

California Writers Club SF Peninsula Writer of the Year

DIVISION 334-01

1st Place: The Unmasking, Korie Pelka

Poetry – Free Form – Young Adult Exhibitor

DIVISION 335-01

1st Place: 103 degrees, Olivia Rose Umstead

2nd Place: what was it like?, Olivia Rose Umstead

3rd Place: humming, Olivia Rose Umstead

Poetry – Free Form –Adult Exhibitor

DIVISION 335-02

1st Place: Cain Did Not Kill First, T R Poulson

2nd Place: A Gift from Our Ancestors, Adelene Ramos

3rd Place: Incarnation, Adelene Ramos

HM: God, in the Cretaceous, T R Poulson

Poetry – Free Form – Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 335-03

1st Place: Skeleton, Maurine Killough

2nd Place: No Food by Mouth, Marianne Brems

3rd Place: The Enormous Sigh, Lisa Meltzer Penn

HM: The Longest Thirty Mile Drive, Evie Groch

HM: Accoutrements, Bradley Hoge

HM: Plums, Johanna Ely

Poetry – Structured – Young Adult Exhibitor

DIVISION 335-04

1st Place: Love, Immortally, Olivia Rose Umstead

2nd Place: The Dirt is Alive, Heather Theroff

3rd Place: Grandma’s Boxes, Heather Theroff

Poetry – Structured –Adult Exhibitor

DIVISION 335-05

1st Place: I Want to Date a Man Who’s Like a Dog: Confession of a UPS Driver, T R Poulson

2nd Place: They Say we Make our Horses Run, T R Poulson

3rd Place: Dairy Farmer’s Daughter Considers Climate Change, T R Poulson

HM: Coronavirus in Four Shots, Garrett Kuramoto

HM: Perusing My Parents’ Wedding Album, Bryan Magness

Poetry – Structured – Senior Exhibitor

DIVISION 335-06

1st Place: Palm Tree, Louise Moises

2nd Place: Cold Trap, Vanessa MacLaren-Wray

3rd Place: My Mother Danced for Me, Louise Moises

HM: Keyboard Kitty, William Baldwin

Poetry Best of Show

I Want to Date a Man Who’s Like a Dog: Confession of a UPS Driver, T R Poulson

Eve Young Visconti “Laws of Life” Reflective Essay

DIVISION 338-01

1st Place: I Hate My White Skin, Erin Simmer

2nd Place: Caught in the Venus Flytrap, Korie Pelka

3rd Place: Neighbors, Lisa Johnson

NorCal CWC Group Info

The CWC SF Peninsula Branch is a member of the CWC NorCal Group of branches.

Expand Your Circle

As a member in good standing of the SF Peninsula branch, you can join another CWC branch, with all attendant privileges, for only $25.

The NorCal CWC Group consists of the following branches:

We also invite you to visit the NorCal Group's calendar which aggregates all branches' events.

Call for Manuscripts

Dear Poet,

The Poemsmith critique group of the High Desert California Writer’s Club is putting together an anthology of poems: From Silence to Speech: Women of the Bible Speak Out.

There are about 250 named women in the Bible. Poems can be about a woman or from the voice of the woman (Persona poems). We ask that each be no more than one page in length and that you put the text of what is considered the traditional Bible, Old or New Testament, any version, under the title to show plausibility or for your reader’s further reading.

Your poem can be serious, funny, light or dark, in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person. It can be any style—free verse or traditional (haiku, sonnet, abecedarian, ekphrastic—lots of Bible women are portrayed in art—villanelle, even erasure or prose poem).

So find a woman that intrigues you or fascinates you and write us a poem!

Requirements

Send 3-5 poems only in Times New Roman 12 (Previously published okay)
Title of Poem, “by” and your name, text reference (Ex: Genesis 18:9-15)
Judges will be Poemsmiths of the High Desert

Submission

Send by attachment (Microsoft Word Doc) to: mh_thompson@hotmail.com
Submission deadline: June 30, 2021

Although you can write on any woman (or group of women), we need poems on the following women (don’t forget unnamed women):

Bathsheba

Abigail

Delilah (and also the mother of Samson)

Deborah, the judge

Mary (Jesus’ mother and John’s mother)

Naomi (and the daughter-in-law who did not follow her)

Esther

Zipporah (wife of Moses)

Hannah (mother of Samuel)

Lydia, Apphia, Acquila, Prisca, Phoebe, (women who prophesized & taught for Paul)

Tabitha (Dorcas)

Lot’s wife and Lot’s daughters

Poemsmith Linda Boruff suggests this website.

We look forward to seeing your work.

The Poemsmiths

Resources for Members

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.

Locate other CWC branches or learn more about the state organization.