Whether you’re a new or established writer or poet, figuring out how to get your work published in literary journals can be confusing and, at times, overwhelming. How do you evaluate which publications are likely to publish your work, and how do you keep track of your work when submitting multiple stories to different publications? When does it make sense to enter a contest? Perhaps most important: how do you keep going after receiving multiple rejections? 

Learn from David at our next CWC meeting on Saturday, June 15.

Interested in finding a publisher for that book you’ve labored over for so long? On Thursday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Writers Helping Writers in San Mateo, Tim Flood will present “Finding a Publisher: A Dating Game — and More.” Tim will discuss the game of publishing, an author’s mental preparation, and how to get organized during this complex search. Learn more here.

David Harris’s “The Top of His Game” has been accepted for publication in the winter 2024 issue of Valparaiso Fiction Review. In Harris’s short story, an aging American entrepreneur who owns a winery in the former Soviet republic of Georgia is pressured to work with that country’s mafia. The story was rejected by nearly 20 other publications. 

Geri Spieler’s story “The Family I Never Knew” has been accepted for publication in an upcoming CWC North State Writers’ anthology.

She also reports that she has a kickoff date for her new novel, Regina of Warsaw, on Monday, June 3, and a publishing launch date of June 17!

Miera Rao’s essay is one of the winners in the 4th annual Writer’s Digest Personal Essay Awards. The 2023 winners were formally announced earlier this May. Among over 800 submissions, Miera’s “30 Trillion Reasons” placed 24th out of 30. The award is doubly special to Miera, because it honors her late mother to whom the piece is a tribute and an apology. 

You’re invited to a free online event celebrating twelve writers who will read brief excerpts from their works in progress. They’ve been working together for many months on memoirs, fiction, poetry, and essays. Some are CWC members! I’m proud to present their work! Wednesday, June 26, at 5:30 p.m. Register here.

Are MS Word’s track changes, red lines, comment bubbles, and a long letter from your editor freaking you out?

Don’t lose your cool! On Wednesday, June 19, at 11 a.m., join editors Eva Barrows and Lila LaBine for a free one-hour Zoom session looking at ways to receive, respond, and implement professional editing feedback to strengthen and publish your manuscript—without the overwhelm.

Register at www.evabarrows.com/workshops

CWC Redwood Writers editor Les Bernstein invites CWC members only to submit their poems to be considered for One Day, the 2024 Redwood Writers Poetry Anthology. Check it out here.

Mary E. Knippel believes writing is a tremendous tool for self-development and that everyone has a soul story of hope the world needs to hear. Designed to inspire, inform, delight, and empower, her presentation will help writers learn how seemingly random incidents in their lives could be the foundation of their transformational stories and the start of so much more. Join us at our CWC meeting Saturday, May 18!

Editor Jan Rowley of the CWC Redwood Writers branch invites all CWC members to submit a short story for possible inclusion in the Redwood Writers 2024 anthology Transitions. Your story should allow readers to experience your character’s journey through a period of change. A character may be a human, an aspect of nature, or an alien of the author’s imagination. All adult fiction genres are welcome. The deadline is May 17. Find details here.

We’ve all heard the advice: write what you know. Memories, though, play hide-and-seek among the storage bins of our brains. Sooner or later the keys to knowledge rust—if they can be found at all. On Thursday, May 9, 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. at the San Mateo Public Library, award-winning author Laurel Anne Hill will share her approach to writing what she used to know.

Marianne Brems’s poem "What to Plant" was just published in the Spring 2024 issue of Remington Review!

Do you get bogged down formatting your document? Do you want to know an efficient system in which to sort your writing drafts?

Join Sheena Arora on Thursday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.–7:45 p.m. at the Rinconada Library to learn the basics of formatting and tracking changes in MS Word. By the end of her presentation, you will better understand Word and know how to organize your files.

The Peninsula Humane Society has accepted Ida J. Lewenstein’s book, A Sad Little Dog, for inclusion in their reading program, which allows children to choose books to read to the shelter dogs from outside their kennels. The book emphasizes self-esteem, so reading it will be good for both the children and the dogs.

James Hanna’s “Wee Folk” found a new home in Bewildering Stories. Read about a playboy who bonds with a fiery female alien only six inches tall.

His “Krispy Kremes” appears in The Fear of Monkeys. In this story, a small Midwest town resists the COVID vaccine. Why? Because the deep state is using the vaccine to sterilize and eliminate America’s middle class.

Wish you had dedicated time to write? Are you looking to ignite your creativity and make progress on your writing? 

Ditch your television! Try Shut Up and Write, where writers gather to work on their projects. 

Join Sheena Arora for a supportive and motivating mid-week ONLINE writing session every Wednesday from 8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m. PST. 

Register at MeetUp or at Shut Up & Write.