On Thursday, February 9, Dr. Jeanne Powell, along with two other Rooted & Written Fellowship recipients, read from her works at Salesforce Park Poetry Series in San Francisco. Performances are curated by the SF Writers Grotto on Thursdays during the month of February.

Nanci Woody’s short story “Bessie” appears in the CWC-Sacramento anthology Visions (August 2022). In December 2022, her poem “A Question for the Gods” was published online by The Fear of Monkeys, while her poem “These Hands” appeared in the online magazine Fleas on the Dog.

Marianne Brems has two poems, "Curtain of Darkness" and "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," in the latest issue of WriteNow A Literary Journal. 

David Harris had a flash fiction piece “Acts of God,” which he read at the CWC SFP holiday party, accepted for publication in the summer issue of Calliope.

James Hanna’s Gertie McDowell, heroine of The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown, returns in “Lights Out Lizzie,” published in Across the Margin. Gertie is recruited by Christian Ladies of Wrestling, a professional women’s wrestling troop, whose mission is to bring folks to Jesus by having wrestlers pretending to be god-fearing women wallop the daylights out of wrestlers pretending to be sinners. Madcap humor or social commentary? You decide.

Geri Spieler's new book, Housewife Assassin, and accompanying audio are available on Amazon. She will speak at the Library Book Club about the book on Thursday, March 9 at 6:30, at Rinconada Library in Palo Alto. Her book has been optioned for a movie again with different folks. She has a contract—and her fingers crossed!

Colleen Olle’s short story “Scarification” appears in Unfortunately, Literary Magazine. From initial draft to published piece, with quiescent periods in between, the story took nearly fifteen years to complete.

At the Writers Helping Writers session on February 16 at the Rinconada Library, member Eva Barrows will discuss creating a value-filled newsletter that your target audience will love to receive in their email inbox. Eva will discuss content ideas, newsletter email systems, important dos and don’ts, and more. Check out our Events page for more information.

The Birth Your Truest Story online community, co-founded by member Audrey Kalman, will offer a Writers' Roundtable on Sunday, February 5, 9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Learn how to develop your characters more deeply so readers will stay engaged. Ask questions, interact with other writers, and energize your writing practice. Purchase here or join the BYTS community for free to find out more about this and other events, including a love-themed open mic!

Laurel Anne Hill’s multi-award-winning novel Plague of Flies: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846 has recently been moved from the Chanticleer Dante Rossetti Book Awards Young Adult Fiction long list to their short list. Next up: the semifinals! Please cross your fingers for Laurel and her flies.

Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, is having a screening of Richard McCallum’s Changing Dawn, a film he wrote and directed fifty years ago for the MSU Archaeology Department.

The Sink, the iconic, one-hundred-year-old Colorado University (CU) burger restaurant and bar, has published Richard McCallum’s ditty “The Days of ’69” on their Sink Facebook page.

Richard’s work can be found on his website: remstories.com.

Marianne Brems's poem "Thumb Boy" appears in the Winter 2023 edition of Remington Review!

President Geri Spieler will present “Super Sleuthing: Internet Research Skills and Information Everyone Should Know” at the Writers Helping Writers event on Thursday, January 19 from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Rinconada Library in Palo Alto. Learn online research methods, including how to explore the deep web and avoid “filter bubbles.”

In honor of Insurrection Day (January 6th), Dragon Gems published “The True Son,” a tale of bitter conflict—and sword-fighting—as the king’s biological and foster sons sort out their … priorities … in the alternate-world nation of Jeska. The story presages Vanessa MacLaren-Wray’s upcoming novel, Shadows of Insurrection.

Ten book reviewers have given James Hanna’s anthology, Fact Check and More Probing Tales either a 4/4-star or a 5/5-star rating. Seattle Book Review calls Hanna’s book, “a dazzling collection of stories about people and events that run the gamut from mundane to astonishing, delightful to terrifying, all the while both entertaining and amusing.”

What happens when a lonely librarian answers a matrimonial ad from a demented farmer growing mutant plant-creatures for the government? The answer may be found in “Fruits,” James Hanna’s political allegory published in The Chamber Magazine. His two-hundred word vignette, “A Chicken Story,” appears in 10 by 10, a journal that showcases ten pieces of condensed fiction per issue.