Cheryl Ray’s book, She-Faring: From Fear to Magic at Sea, received a BookLife review, a service supported by Publishers Weekly dedicated to indie authors. The reviewer assessed the book as a “Lyrical tribute to the transformative splendor of the high seas.” This two-part book includes a sailing memoir and fictional sea stories.

James Hanna's fiction story, “Blow-Up Bella” makes an encore appearance in a quarterly journal titled 96th of October. In this ribald tale, a born loser bonds with an inflatable doll he bought in an adult store. Their relationship includes dinner dates, an ocean cruise, and couples counseling.

Audrey Kalman’s online writers’ community, Birth Your Truest Story, is partnering with author and marketing expert Shawn Langwell for a one-day workshop, The Book and Beyond, in Petaluma on November 1. Writers will learn self-promotion and marketing through the art of storytelling. Early bird registration runs through September 30.

Reena Kapoor's short comedy play, Art of the Possible, will be staged by the Bay Area Drama Company at the Pear Theatre in Mountain View, September 11-14, as part of their "Shorts Circuit" showcase. Tickets for Reena’s play are available through Circuit B Tickets.

Bruce Overby’s new novel, Tristan 4 America, will be published in 2026 by Willow River Press. Pitched as “Aaron Sorkin with gloves off,” Tristan 4 America is an unapologetically woke manifesto wrapped in a probing and often hilarious tale of political intrigue. Bruce’s debut novel, The Cyclone Release, was published in 2022.

Geri Spieler read from her latest book, Revenge of the Sisters, at the August 17 San Jose Women’s Club social and book fair, hosted by the WNBA. A launch event followed on August 21 at Palo Alto’s Rinconada Library, where author-member Joan Gelfand led a discussion. Affirming the book’s impact, The BookFest awarded the novel 5 Stars in historical fiction.

Ida J. Lewenstein, Member Emerita of CWC SF-Peninsula, recently moved to Tampa, Florida. She will be honored at the August 10, 10:30 a.m. service at the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo. Ida’s children’s poem "A Sad Little Dog" will be read aloud during Time for All Ages. Zoom attendance is available.

The DMQ Virtual Salon features three poets monthly, who read from their recently published collections. Carol Park’s poems reflect on her kids growing up, her first stay with her in-laws, and striving to live peacefully with an engineer. Carol’s latest poetry book, Songs Sharp & Tender, is available through Kelsay Books. Author details at carolpark.us.

Congratulations to Geri Spieler for her nomination to win the CWC Statewide Jack London Award and to Vanessa MacLaren-Wray for winning the Louise Bogges Award. Both were recognized at our June 21 meeting for their years of contributions and service to our club. Our Awards Selection Committee chose Geri and Vanessa.

Geri’s past roles include president, vice president, and membership chair. She currently runs our Writers Helping Writers–Palo Alto program and serves as our representative to the statewide and NORCAL boards.

Vanessa, who successfully transitioned our open mic program to a virtual format and continues to lead this monthly event, has edited previous editions of Fault Zone, our biennial anthology. She is the 2025 managing editor of Fault Zone: Faultless?, which will be published in December.

The 2025 IPPY (Independent Publisher) Book Awards honor James Hanna's novella, Lights Out Lizzie, with a Silver medal in the humor category. The program celebrates excellence in independent publishing. View James’ award listing at category 32 HUMOR. In addition to this award, James’ ethereal story, "Don't Forget the Coleslaw,” appears in Apocalypse Confidential.

Evelyn LaTorre was interviewed on The Authors Showpodcast about her second memoir, Love in Any Language, which won an international 2022 Book Excellence Award and was selected as a 5-Star Readers' Choice. Evelyn's memoir explores the beauty that emerges from cross-cultural love and marriage. Hear the podcast at evelynlatorre.com.

Tom Adams' fictional story, “Time to Surf,” is available in Kelp Journal: Issue No. 13, Summer 2025, a biannual literary magazine. Set against Pacifica’s surf and corporate office politics, “Time to Surf” is a moving story of anger, aging, and the healing power of love, fatherhood, and the ocean.