Past Meetings

Use this page to access past meeting information

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January 2022	Guest Speaker: Kevin Courtney presents: Finding Inspiration in Daily Life Member Reader: Tom Kincaid	January Meeting Details
February 2022	Guest Speaker: Tessa Smith McGovern presents: How to Get Book Reviews and Sell Books Member Reader: Charlene Steen	February Meeting Details
March 2022	Guest Speaker: Gil Gross presents: Writing the Truth Member Reader: Jeffrey Kingman	March Meeting Details
April 2022	Guest Speaker: Iris Jamahl Dunkle presents: Writing in the Archives: How to Harness the Archives to Write Poetry, Biography and Memoir Member Reader: Judy Baker	April Meeting Details
May 2022	Guest Speaker: David George presents: Integrating Nature into your Writing Member Reader: Cynthia Barthelemy	May Meeting Details
June 2022	Guest Speaker: D. Patrick Miller presents: Choosing Your Publishing Option Member Reader: Lenore Hirsch	June Meeting Details
July 2022	Guest Speaker: Angela Pneuman presents: Writing Fiction and Leading an Arts Program in Napa Valley Member Reader: Paul Moser	July Meeting Details
August 2022	Guest Speaker:
September 2022	Guest Speaker:
October 2022	Guest Speakers:
November 2022	Guest Speaker:
December 2022	Guest Speaker:

January 2021	Guest Speaker: Alka Joshi presents: How to Write a Best Seller Member Reader: Madeline Wise	January Meeting Details
February 2021	Guest Speaker: Brian Paone presents: Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Why Relying on Self-Editing the Final Draft Could Be a Career Killer Member Reader: Lenore Hirsch	February Meeting Details
March 2021	Guest Speaker: Joey Garcia presents: Boost Your Book – and Your Book Sales! Member Reader: Geoffrey Leigh	March Meeting Details
April 2021	Guest Speaker: Marianne Lyon presents: Napa Valley Writers Presents: The Dreams & Hopes of a Poet Laureate Member Reader: Emily Freiman	April Meeting Details
May 2021	Guest Speaker: Al Jackson presents: Overcoming Obstacles to Make a Dream Come True Member Reader: Julie Ann Schrader	May Meeting Details
June 2021	Guest Speaker: Nina G presents: Stutterer Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen Member Reader: Kymberlie Ingalls	June Meeting Details
July 2021	Guest Speaker: Jordan Rosenfeld presents: How to Evoke Emotion in Every Scene Member Reader: Hannah Wallenbrock	July Meeting Details
August 2021	Guest Speaker: Laurie McLean presents: Book Publishing in the New World Member Reader: Jim Mc Donald	August Meeting Details
September 2021	Guest Speaker: Naomi Kanakia presents: A Cynical Writer’s Guide to The Publishing Industry Member Reader: Joan Osterman	September Meeting Details
October 2021	Guest Speakers: Anne Perry and Victoria Zackheim in conversation present: Building Your Story’s Outline Member Reader: Kathleen Herrmann	October Meeting Details
November 2021	Guest Speaker: Dr. Brian King presents: Becoming a Successful Writer by Making All the Wrong Choices Member Reader: Kathleen Andersen	November Meeting Details
December 2021	Guest Speaker: Elisabeth Kauffman presents: Re-vision and Your Manuscript Member Reader: Dr. Jeanne Powell	December Meeting Details

January 2020	Guest Speaker: Amanda McTigue presents: Partnering with Readers Member Reader: Céline H. Portet	January Meeting Details
February 2020	Guest Speaker: Bernadette Luckett presents: The Key That Opens a Million Doors Member Reader: Bob Winters	February Meeting Details
March 2020	*CANCELED*
April 2020	*CANCELED*
May 2020	Napa Valley Writers Members Only Salon
June 2020	Guest Speaker: Matthew Félix presents: Online Marketing for Writers Member Reader: Gary Orton	June Meeting Details
July 2020	Guest Speakers: Judy Baker and Judy Dang present: How to Kick-Start Your Productivity and Make Writing Easier in 30-Days Member Reader: Barbara Toboni	July Meeting Details
August 2020	Guest Speakers: Lise Quintana presents: From Your Lips to Their Ears: Podcasting Basics Member Reader: Stephen Bakalyar	August Meeting Details
September 2020	Guest Speakers: Adam Smyer presents: Story VS. Reality Member Reader: Juanita Martin	September Meeting Details
October 2020	Guest Speakers: Scott James presents: Digging Deep Can Bring Pages to Life Member Reader: Marty Malin	October Meeting Details
November 2020	Guest Speakers: Linda Loveland Reid presents: Writing Outside the Box Member Reader: Michael Wycombe	November Meeting Details
December 2020	Guest Speakers: Tina LeCount Myers presents: Writing Fantasy While Doomscrolling: Creativity in Challenging Times Member Reader: Edgar Calvelo	December Meeting Details

December	There was no December meeting
November	Guest Speaker: Jill Hedgecock presents: The Muse Board—An Innovative Writing Tool Member Reader: Bo Kearns	November Meeting Details
October	Canceled due to local fires and power outages
September	Guest Speaker: Beth Barany presents: Essential Keys to Story Planning Member Reader: Amber Lea Starfire	September Meeting Details
August	Guest Speaker: John Byrne Barry presents: Settings that Work Member Reader: Michael Wycombe	August Meeting Details
July	Guest Speaker: Zoe FitzGerald Carter presents: Turning Life into Lyrics Member Reader: Lenore Hirsch	July Meeting Details
June	Writers Support Group! Member Reader: Rose Winters	June Meeting Details
May	Guest Speaker: David Rodwin presents: Adapting a Book to Stage Member Reader: Erina Bridget Ring	May Meeting Details
April	Local High School Writing Contest Winners!	April Meeting Details
March	Guest Speaker: Kate Farrell presents: Storytelling: An Interactive Workshop Member Reader: Lance Burris	March Meeting Details
February	Guest Speaker: Shelly King presents: The Joy of Writing Sex Scenes! Member Reader: Kymberlie Ingalls	February Meeting Details
January	Guest Speaker: Victoria Zackheim presents: The Fear of Writing Member Reader: Marilyn Campbell	January Meeting Details

November	Get Inside Your Reader's Brain	Ransom Stephens, Ph.D.
	Member Reader	Jan Flynn
October	DO Judge a Book by its Cover!	Andrew Benzie
	Member Reader	Dr. Rhea Orion
September	Copyright Protection	Kelley Way
	Member Reader	Lori Narlock
August	How to Write Historical Fiction	Linda C. McCabe
	Member Reader
July	Writing Tips	Kymberlie Ingalls
	Member Reader	Molly Detwiler
June	The Back Cover Copy	David Colin Carr
	Member Reader	"Bob" Winters
May	Fiction: Truth or Lies?	Ellen Sussman
	Member Reader	Steve Villano
April	The Road to Redemption: From Homelessness to Publishing	Joe Clifford
	Member Reader	Barbara Toboni
March	How Poetry can Inform and Improve Your Writing	Jeremy Benson
	Member Reader	Sarita Lopez
February	Bilingual Open Mic	Many readers of prose & poetry
January	How to Create a Writing Life	Scott James

December	Sifting Through the Ashes	Tim Carl
	Member Reader	Lance Burris
November	How to Advertise on Amazon	Advertise on Amazon
	Five ways to Know Your Critique Group is Right for You	Critique Groups
	NaNoWriMo - What is it and How to Participate	NaNoWriMo
	Is Kickstarter for You?	Kickstarter
October	Postponed Because of Fires	Fire Week!
September	Every Writer Has One Column in Them	Kevin Fisher-Paulson
	Member Reader
August	Put Your Heart on the Page	Anne Perry
		Anne Perry
	Member Reader	Larisa Stephenson
July	Finding Compassion and Forgiveness Through Writing	Melissa Cistaro
	Member Reader	Cheryl Velasquez
June	Creating Symphonic Plays	Didi Balle
	Member Reader	Kathleen Thomas
May	Tricks of the Screenwriting Trade	Lynda McDaniel
	Member Reader	Sue Kesler
April	Enhance Your Writing	Dr. Shepherd Bliss
	Member Reader	Rebecca Levy
March	Meet the Grammar Diva!	Arlene Miller
	Member Reader	Antonia Allegra
February	The 4 Essential Pillars of Novel Structure	C.S. Lakin
	Member Reader	Didi Balle
January	Get Intimate with Your Character: Master Point of View for Dazzling Character Development	Jordan E. Rosenfeld
	Member Reader	Lynda Hyland Burris

December	The Process of Overcoming Adversity and Learning New Skills	Joseph Retherford
		Mike Bartos
November	Writers Support Group	Patsy Ann Taylor
		Marilyn Campbell
		Kathleen Thomas
		Kymberlie Ingalls
	Member Reader	Patsy Ann Taylor
October	The Journey of Writing a Book, Learning Bad Habits, and Telling Jokes	Yuri Kagan
	Member Reader	Jan M. Flynn
September	How to Navigate the World of Self-Publishing and Promotion	John Byrne Barry
	Member Reader	Lenore Hirsch
August	Good Literary Citizenship: What it is. Why it Works	Iris Jamahl Dunkle
	Member Reader
July	Your Manuscript is Ready to Publish - Now What?	Brooke Warner
	Member Reader	Kymberlie Ingalls
June	Are You Looking For Ways To Publicize Your Book, Creative Service Or Blog? Models of Marketing	Kymberlie Ingalls
		Alon Shalev
	Member Reader	Ann Newton Holmes
May	Everyone has a story. When you go, that story goes too – unless you write it down	Dona Bakker
	Member Reader	David Kearns
April	Establishing Credibility with Publishers: Climbing the Ladder of Publishing Success	LeeAnn Krusemark
	Member Reader	No record
March	Pathways to Publishing - A Special Panel Presentation	Marianne Lyon
		Ana Manwaring
		Ann Newton Holmes
	Member Reader	Deborah Puretz Grove
February	A Behind the Scenes Look at Working in Hollywood	Sterling Anderson
	Member Reader	Sarita Lopez
January	Notes From a Freelance Magazine and Newspaper Writer	Paul Franson
	Member Reader	Marilyn Campbell

December	Cookbooks Past, Present . . . and Future	Janet Fletcher
	Member Reader	William Moore
November	Writing and Promoting a Very Personal Memoir	Dr. Pat Hanson
	Member Reader	Marilyn Campbell
October	Protecting Your Rights and Your Wallet	Helen Sedwick Esq.
	Member Reader	Jack Ring
September	Keeping Creativity Alive throughout the Writing Process	Scott Evans
	Member Reader
August	How to Grow a Poet	Beclee Newcomer Wilson
	Member Reader	No record
July	Becoming Persistent: Strategies to Increase Productivity and Lead to Publication	Jordan Rosenfeld
	Member Reader	Kathleen Thomas
June	Are You Looking For Ways To Publicize Your Book, Creative Service Or Blog? Models of Marketing	David Congalton
	Member Reader	No record
May	Marketing Methodology and Ways to Market	Randy Martinsen
	Member Reader	Lenore Hirsch
April	Try something you are "not good at"	Victoria Zackheim
	Member Reader	Bob Winter
March	Emotional experience versus actual events	Etherl Rohan
	Member Reader	Bo Kearns
February	Crime and other exploits in the Napa Valley.	Todd Shulman
	Member Reader	No record
January	Hollywood, integration, and glass work.	Whitney LeBlanc
	Member Reader

December	A panel of local authors and experts	Speaker Panel
	Member Reader	Dick Heinzelman
November	You Lost Me At Hello: How to Let the Reader Know, by page 10, that She’s Not Reading the Work of an Amateur.	Luke Shanahan	" class="aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-1758" />
	Member Reader	David Ainsworth
October	The Importance of Attending Writers' Conferences.	Bo Kearns
		Lenore Hirsch
		Tim Carl
	Member Reader	Jan M. Flynn
September	Introducing Plarachterization: where Plot and Character Meet	Joshua Mohr
	Member Reader	No record
August	ubbles to Boardroom	Michaela Rodeno
	Member Reader	No record
July	Author of Song for Angel	Kevin Fisher-Paulson
	Member Reader	No record
June	How techniques for writing crime fiction can be applied to nearly any genre	Lisa Brachmann
	Member Reader	No record
May	A social media manager who works with authors, nonprofits and small businesses	Corrine Litchfield
	Member Reader	No record
April	50 years in academia, book and magazine publishing, radio, TV and film	Tony Kilgallen
	Member Reader
March	Founding member of JAM, an editorial-consultation team	JC Miller
	Member Reader	No record
February	Expert Panel of Local Editors and Publishers	Kari Ruel
		Connie Andersonl
		Unknown
	Member Reader	No record
January	Fearless Books Publishing	Patrick Miller
	Member Reader	No record

December	I’m a writer who became a PI	David Corbett
November	Scientist, author, speaker	Ransom Stephens
October	NY Times best selling author	Sheldon Siegel
September	The development of his writing career	Donald Yates
August	Advice we all can use from the Person to Give It	Lynn Goodwin
July	Editing from and editor	Sari Friedman
June	Back story from his novel "Nose"
May	Getting my first novel published	Amanda McTigue
April	How One Iconoclastic (and Very Well-Published) Writer Writes	Marty Nemko
March	WWII in Denmark	Elsebeth Schoenberger
February	Writing her novel	Linda Reid