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.

Join editors Eva Barrows and Lila LaBine on Wednesday, April 17, at 11 a.m. for Ask an Editor, a free one-hour Zoom session exploring how to get editorial feedback from author peers and your book’s ideal audience before you publish. Register here.

Fiction writer and CWC-SFP board member David Harris’s new short story, "The East Bay Hills,” appears in the online journal Roi Fainéant. His story explores how a woman approaching middle age returns to the neighborhood where she grew up and attempts to come to terms with a tragic event that still haunts her.

Histria Books has offered to publish Tim Flood’s first novel, The Flower of Canaan, a historical fiction tale of the 13th century BCE. The contract has been submitted to the Author’s Guild for legal review. Assuming it’s a go, Tim will take the next leg of his journey to publication.  

Our member poets Marianne Brems, Kate Adams, Anne Marie Wenzel, and Ray Acevedo read at the Feldman’s Books First Friday event on April 5 to about 40 attendees. Feldman’s Books in Menlo Park is actively looking for new readers for their First Friday events, the first Friday of each month. Contact Aidan Stone for details.

“My Hula Girl,” Tom Adams’s short story inspired by a homeless surfer guy who lived out of his car in a Pacifica beach parking lot, debuted in the Noyo Review, Spring 2024 edition.

Our critique group matchmaker, Miera Rao, is delighted to share that two of her pieces found a match in the Redwood Writers’ anthology. Her written words were paired with beautiful artwork from the Vision and Verse contest.

Members Marianne Brems, Anne Marie Wenzel, Ray Acevedo, and Kate Adams will be reading their poetry at the Feldman’s Books’ First Friday event on April 5 from 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. at 1075 Curtis St. in Menlo Park. Two guitarists will perform as well.

How do you start your research process? What words do you use to find information? At our April 20 CWC meeting, Geri Spieler, author of Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford, will introduce several online research methodologies to equip you with the necessary skills and tools that will help you find accurate information and discern whether it is reliable. Attendees will receive a list of the information from her PowerPoint.

Involved with in-person critique groups for over a decade, Sheena Arora writes, “I outgrew their format. About a year ago, I formed Writers with Right Words. We meet virtually. We support each other. We encourage each other. Most importantly, amidst the voices of other writers, my writing grows stronger.” Sheena met two of them, Springer Teich and Miera Rao, at a California Writers Club—SF Peninsula meeting.

An excerpt from James Hanna’s forthcoming novella, Lights Out Lizzie, appears in Literally Stories. In Lights Out Lizzie, Gertie McDowell, the hapless heroine of James’s novel, The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown, joins the Christian Ladies of Wrestling. Their mission: to bring folks to Jesus by having women posing as Christians beat the daylights out of women posing as sinners. The troupe draws huge crowds of cheering spectators in America’s Southwest.

Join editors Eva Barrows and Lila LaBine on Wednesday, April 17, at 11 a.m. for a free one-hour Zoom session looking at strategies and tips for revising your manuscript as much as possible before hiring a professional editor or approaching agents and publishers. Register here.

How do you start your research process? What words do you use to find information? At our April 20 CWC meeting, Geri Spieler, author of Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford, will introduce several online research methodologies to equip you with the necessary skills and tools that will help you find accurate information and discern whether it is reliable. Attendees will receive a list of the information from her PowerPoint.

Reena Kapoor has been invited by the Flash Fiction Forum to read her flash story, “Rent-a-Gent,” on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. She’ll be reading in person and invites you to attend. Register here to attend in person or here via Zoom. Several talented writers besides Reena will be sharing their work.