Current president of our CWC-SF Peninsula branch, Geri Spieler has been asked to run for vice president of the state CWC board. In May, she will present “Advanced Internet Research Skills for Writers” at the CWC Mt. Diablo and CWC Central Coast branch meetings.

Marianne Brems’s new poetry collection, In Its Own Time, is now available at a special pre-order price April 10–June 16 at Finishing Line Press. In addition, her poem “A Simple Stillness” was published in Front Porch Review on April 15.

Ida Lewenstein’s book launch party and reading will take place on Saturday, April 29, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Her newest rhyming books are Where Would We Be without a Tree? and Bird on My Dome. Please contact Sheila Sandow, sheilasandow@yahoo.com, or call her at (650) 341-5621 (landline).

Heather Folsom will read her short story, "Pixelated," at LitCamp's "Unreliable Narrator" event at the Bay Area Book Festival in downtown Berkeley on Sunday, May 7, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. 

Having already won a BookFest award for Nonfiction: True Crime and five stars as a Readers’ Favorite, Geri Spieler’s Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford now receives further acclaim as the Grand Prize Winner of the Firebird Book Award.

October Hill Magazine is one of Dave LaRoche’s favorites, and once again they have elected to publish one of his stories, “Waiting for the Five Fifteen.” In fact, it’s the lead story, page 1.

Current chapter members can now readily communicate with each other about writing-related topics in our new private Facebook group. To join, first email Megan McDonald at memcdonald@aya.yale.edu requesting access. Megan will generate a link members can click to enter the Group’s page. Please note: the link will expire two days after being sent, so be alert for Megan’s email response. The group will use the main Feed for communications. Once a majority of members have joined, side Chats will be created for select genres (e.g., poetry, memoir, literary fiction). See you on Facebook!

On Saturday, April 29, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at The Peninsula Regent in San Mateo, Ida Lewenstein will read from Where Would We Be without a Tree? and Bird on My Dome. Both rhyming picture books will be available for purchase and author signing. Attendees of this free event will also meet illustrators Matt Wills and Colleen Sullivan and receive refreshments. RSVP & Reading Request: Dan Jenkins, djenkins@grapplehook.com, 813-877-4665

Geri Spieler’s latest book, Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford (Diversion Books, Feb 7, 2023) has won a BookFest award for Nonfiction: True Crime.

“Elmwood,” a short story by Dave LaRoche, appears in the 2022 winter edition of October Hill Magazine. Dave’s opus, Ordinary Times, will be out this spring and available on Amazon along with the rest of his books. “Keep an eye out,” he says.

On Tuesday, March 28, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the CWC High Desert branch will host a FREE zoom meeting featuring WNBA members who are adept and experienced in showing you how to pitch to an agent. Details and meeting link are posted on the http://www.calwriters.org Events Calendar. Limited to 50 attendees.

The 2023 Independent Press Award has given James Hanna’s book, Fact Check and More Probing Tales, a Distinguished Favorite Award. The 2023 Book Excellence Awards Book Contest designated the same book an Award Finalist in the anthology category.

Dr. Jac Fitzenz recently published Shanahans: Growing Pains, Book Two in The Shanahans Trilogy. Mike’s Last Chance (Book One) was published in September 2022, while readers can look forward to Full House (Book Three) sometime after April. Doctor Jac’s books are available on Amazon and bn.com.

Nanci Woody’s short story, “Unknown,” will be featured in The Waiting Room, a literary journal by Nervous Ghost Press in April 2023. The story is about a small-town widow’s untimely pregnancy. The 1940s was not a good time to bear an illegitimate child. Check out samples of Nanci’s work here.

Megan McDonald has been awarded an Honorable Mention in the Redwood Writers 2023 Poetry Contest. Her poem, “Burn Scar, Lake Margaret Trail, Alpine County, California,” will be published on the organization’s website in April!

Geri Spieler recently gave two readings from her latest book, Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford (Diversion Books). On Thursday, March 9, at 6:30 p.m., she read for an audience at the Palo Alto Rinconada Library. On Sunday, March 12, at 2:00 p.m., she entertained readers at Book Passage at the Ferry Building.

Dr. Jeanne Powell recently completed a ten-day writing retreat with Anaphora Arts. She also attended the annual AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Conference, March 8–11, held in Seattle, Washington, and online this year.

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay intends to use Ida Lewenstein’s children’s book A Sad Little Dog in their reading program!

On Valentines Day, Evelyn LaTorre, who read a chapter from her latest book at our February 18th meeting, received word from the International Book Publishers Association that Love in Any Language had a solid showing with 577 media clicks by organizations such as USA Today, the New York Times, Parenting Magazine, and the Washington Post.