Feb 10th, 2024 Board Retreat
If you wish to attend, email your request to president@sfpeninsulawriters.com.
California Writers Club
San Francisco/Peninsula Branch
Feb 10th, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
Vibha Akkaraju’s Home
Agenda:
Amazing Achievements: (15 mins)
FZ: (15 mins)
Deserves its own separate meeting with the editors. High level thoughts on how FZ functioned. VA will take the feedback to FZ editors for a separate meeting. That meeting might include Eva (?) - anyone else with experience who wants to be part of a noodling session?
Meeting Structure: (15 mins)
Allowing more time at meetings for networking. Extend meetings by half an hour? But first perhaps take a survey to understand the actual desire for this?
Seating Arrangement: (20 mins)
Discuss a more flexible seating chart to accommodate a larger turnout
Author Day: (20-25 mins)
Room layout; any other help needed?
B of A Questions: 5 mins
State Board update: Geri (10 mins)
Board Roster (bumped from January meeting) - Nirmy (5 mins)
Book Reviews - VA to query people - who want to be a part of the reviews planning committee. The committee can meet separately and then discuss in the March board meeting. People can also contribute their thoughts on email.
Critique Groups: High level review of thoughts on whether they should be open to non-members. Address Miera’s questions if possible (how/whether to enforce).
Wishlist
Workshops for 2024/2025 – No plans in the works for workshops as of now. Maybe leave retreat with a few candidate options to start planning something for Fall 2024, Winter 2025?
At a later meeting:
New webmistress - Megan McDonald will share her vision.
Resources Tab - Megan/Reena ?
Qs: What portions/features of the website are getting the most use? Analytics available? Should that inform our efforts?
Retreat Minutes:
Members present: Vibha Akkaraju (President), Eva Barrows (Vice-President) Geri Spieler, Alisha Willis, David Harris, Tim Flood, Margaret Nalbach, Sue Barizon, Kate Adams, Nirmy Kang,
Amazing Achievements:
Quality of Speakers
Fault Zone
Attendance at meetings increased
Incredible attendance at holiday party - 89!!!!
Incredible hospitality offered to our members - thank you to Sue & Steve
NaNoWriMo support group
Members books on library shelves
Fault Zone:
Only members should be allowed to enter
Start a Members only log in - for FZ and Critique Groups - to prevent random people from submitting
Set up a group specifically for Fault Zone with a project manager, editors etc
Meeting Structure:
Take a poll to see if we want to extend the meeting to allow for socializing and networking
Eva and David will set up a survey
Seating Arrangements
As attendance at meetings is increasing we looked at maximizing seating
Sue did an AMAZINGLY comprehensive presentation complete with a physical mobile layout to show all possibilities
Lots of exciting options
Author Day:
Eva shared her overall vision for the day
We came up with a fantastic layout for the meeting room on the day
Margaret to make place tags, Nirmy to print of attendee instructions
Each breakout group will select a facilitator who will keep time
B of A:
Small business online payments
Correspondence needs to be sent to CWC PO Box
State Board:
Update by Geri
CWC Literary Review is open for submissions. Each branch is responsible for selecting its submissions
Board Roster:
Can be found in CWC Shared Folders > Official Lists
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gDrxFRF8NejowjcMLTNxxhhDYoJ_ApjxTRJl3vhb4lY/edit#heading=h.xsj4d2u7mjry
Book Reviews:
A new planning committee was created - Tim, Vibha, Alisha, Nirmy & Geri
Critique Groups:
Decided that only CWC members should be allowed to participate.
Gentle enforcement 🙂
Miscellaneous:
Future workshop ideas: Joey Garcia (Writing articles for promotion and profit), Freelance writing, Reach and Teach in San Carlos, Holly Brady (self publishing)
Motion:
It was proposed that we comp membership for Steve Radecki (Paper Angel Press). Motion passed
Nirmy Kang (Secretary): Taken February 10th, 2024