By the time you read this, I may be deep in the wilderness on my third Grand Canyon hike.

The first time I hiked the Canyon more than ten years ago, I left the logistics to a friend, who organized a group hike. All I had to do was pay and show up. Well, not exactly all. I had to train and prepare myself to acclimate to the weather since the hike would occur in August, one of the hottest months in the Canyon. But I wouldn’t have to carry more than a day pack; my friend had arranged for the group’s gear to be carried by mule. We would hike to the bottom and stay for two days at the famous Phantom Ranch.

It was such a magical experience that, a few years later, I organized a trip and invited a few friends. This time I handled logistics. I discovered why the first trip had been in August and ended up booking the second trip in August as well. At the time, reservations opened 13 months in advance. Despite waking at 6 a.m. and spending two hours hitting redial on the Phantom Ranch booking number to get past the busy signal, I was unable to reserve a stay during the more hospitable months of May or September. Still, it was a magical experience.

It was such a magical experience that I am doing it once again. This time, no camping cabin awaits. No mule will carry my gear. This time, I am backpacking, which means carrying everything I need for four days and nights—tent, sleeping bag, water, food—although I am relying on a trekking company for camping permits and a guide.

I’m relaying these experiences because they remind me of the experience of writing books. First, you make a commitment. Your next thought is “Oh, crap. What am I getting myself into?” But, having paid your money [stated your intention], there’s no getting out of it. You train [write] every day. Some days you collapse with blisters and screaming quadriceps. Training [a writing routine] builds endurance. Still, the actual hike [finishing the book] is a challenge. But you see vistas you otherwise never would have encountered. You feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that couldn’t come from sitting at home [reading someone else’s book]. When the trip is over [you’re surveying your finished draft], you’re hugely relieved.

And, soon enough, you want to do it again. The second—or third or fourth—time may not be any easier than the first. But the challenge has its rewards. The challenge itself keeps you coming back.

Have you ever done something you weren’t quite sure you could do? Have you written a book? Have you hiked the Grand Canyon?

Audrey

P.S. Don’t forget to review the information below put together by the nominating committee about our slate of executive board candidates for our election. We will be voting at the June meeting.

Registration for this meeting is required.

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.

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

11:00 AM – Author Ava Homa

presents From Self to Universe: Building Character Relationships

 (see below for more information)

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

Ava Homa

How do you determine your character's trajectory through developing their (un)conscious relationships with self, friends & family, society, and the universe (nationally and internationally, environmentally, spiritually)? How do you position your characters in their imagined and actual world(s)?

Ava Homa is the acclaimed author of the novel Daughters of Smoke and Fire (May 2020) which was named one of the best new fictions in The Independent, the Globe and Mail, and Reader's Digest. Homa is a journalist, holds a Master's Degree in English and creative writing, and is the inaugural recipient of the PEN Canada Writers-in-Exile Scholarship. Her collection of short stories Echoes From the Other Land was nominated for the Frank O'Conner Short Story.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

09:30 – 11:15 - Shut Up & Write

09:30 – 11:15 - Shut Up & Write

19:00 – 20:00 - Writers Helping Writers: San Mateo Main Library

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

09:30 – 11:15 - Shut Up & Write

09:30 – 11:15 - Shut Up & Write

&

19:00 – 20:30 - Open Mic

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

Registration is required for this special event on May 25, 2021 at 6 PM.

Roger C. Lubeck, PhD, is vice president of the California Writers Club and immediate past president of Redwood Writers, and President of It Is What It Is Press. Roger’s publications include ten novels, two business books, short stories, poems, two contest-winning stories, two produced ten-minute plays.

Roger will share his insights about what makes an effective professional presentation based on his 25 years as a business speaker and workshop leader focused on leadership and management combined with 15 years of teaching university classes on psychology, and 10 years conducting workshops on writing, self-publishing, and book promotion.

Registration for this free meeting is required. To register, please use the Register button below or visit www.hdcwc.com.

As a member in good standing of the SF Peninsula branch, you can attend other branches' events at their members' rates - no additional charges!

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.

Carole Bumpus would like to thank all those who came out from the CWC to her book launch with Books, Inc. on April 24th. It was a good and lively affair, and I am grateful many joined me for a celebratory drink (Zoom) during the after-party!

“The Land Fish,” James Hanna’s story about a struggling writer who accidentally pens a best seller, appears in The Rathalla Review (page 22).

Also by James Hanna, “Born on a Mountaintop,” about the Disneyfication of American History, appears in Fear of Monkeys.

Additionally, James Hanna’s piece of creative nonfiction, “Did You See the Tasmanian Devil?”, appears in Literally Stories.

April 2021 Spirited Voices: A Writing Journey into the Deep Imagination features CWC writers Korie Pelka, Cheryl Ray, and Martha Clark Scala, with graphic design by Doug Baird. Edited and published by Darlene Frank in the Writing and Creativity Breakthrough program.

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!