San Fernando Valley Writers

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BRANCH – CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB

We are one of twenty-two branches throughout California organized and operating under the auspices of The California Writers Club.

We are a non-profit professional organization whose goal is to provide a friendly and inclusive environment for members to meet and network; to provide professional speakers who will aid in writing, publishing, and marketing members’ endeavors; and other writing-related opportunities that will further members’ writing enjoyment and careers.

Publications

VALLEY SCRIBE
The Valley Scribe is published monthly by the San Fernando Valley Writers and provided to its members at no charge.

 

This digital newsletter is full of branch news, program announcements and highlights, emerging markets, articles on writing and editing, poetry and short fiction from our members, and much, much more.

 

ANTHOLOGY
“Cascade of Pearls”, the latest in our series of anthologies of our members’ prose and poetry, was published in May 2017.

 

Copies are available on Amazon. A few copies are also available directly from the club; contact the Editor-in-Chief:

 

Rita Brown
ritakeeleybrown@yahoo.com

Meetings and Events

FOR INFORMATION AND REVIEWS ON PRIOR SPEAKERS: Check out speakers' articles in the monthly editions of the Scribe.

CWC Publications

LITERARY REVIEW
The Literary Review is a juried collection of superior poems, stories, fiction, and nonfiction by members of the California Writers Club statewide.

BULLETIN
The Bulletin is the official publication of California Writers Club. It contains news of the statewide branches, including awards and presentations, plus upcoming events and publications.

If you would like to support us, click here.

Critique Groups

Membership in one or more critique groups is open to active members of the San Fernando Valley branch of the California Writers' Club, subject to group size limitations. Each group has established general expectations for submissions and critique etiquette. Currently most groups are meeting via Zoom. Presently active groups are as follows:

Tuesday Poetry Critique Group Meetings held once a month on the 2nd Tuesday from 10:30 until 12:00 PM. Poetry only.  

Wednesday Daytime Critique Group Meetings held 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 11:30 to 3:00 PM. Long and short fiction, memoirs and poetry.  

Wednesday Evening Critique Group Meetings held 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Long and short fiction, memoirs and poetry.  

Friday Daytime Critique Group Meetings held on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. All genres except poetry.  

Saturday Long Fiction Critique Group Meetings held once a month on the 3rd Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Focus on long fiction.  

Saturday Daytime Critique Group Meetings held 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Long and short fiction, memoirs and poetry.    

For further information about joining a critique group contact Marlene A. Bumgarner marlenebumgarner@gmail.com

Also visit us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CWCSFV/

Meetings and Events

FOR INFORMATION AND REVIEWS ON PRIOR SPEAKERS:
Check out speakers' articles in the monthly editions of the Scribe.

November 2nd

Lee Barnathan

THE CRAFT OF GHOSTWRITING

Lee Barnathan

The San Fernando Valley Branch of the California Writers Club is pleased to welcome Calabasas writer LEE BARNATHAN, as the keynote speaker on Saturday, November 2 at 1:00 pm with an in-person presentation about the profession of ghostwriting.

For those curious about ghostwriting or perhaps interested in creating a new revenue stream, Lee will discuss the craft, beginning with why people hire ghost writers, how to get started, the differences between fiction and nonfiction, why some stories are worth telling, and how he chooses clients and why he turns some clients down.

After working in journalism for 16.5 years, Lee tried his hand as a technical writer, a general copywriter, writing websites, speeches, resumes and blogs. It wasn’t until a Philadelphia-area schoolteacher asked Lee to ghostwrite his book, that he realized such a project would require all the investigative research that he loved as a journalist. Upon completion of the project, Lee found that the emotional reward of helping this teacher tell his story outweighed anything else.

During the presentation, Lee will outline the skills required to tell a story in someone else’s voice as well as how to garner the trust needed to help your client open up about his or her life. While sharing the lessons he has learned along the way in developing his craft, including the joys and the pitfalls, Lee will describe how he employs the journalistic principles of honesty, accuracy, clarity and brevity in all of his writing and editing.

To learn more about this presenter visit, http://www.leebarnathan.com where he runs an interesting blog about his work. Get ready with your questions for the Q & A following the talk. We look forward to seeing you there!

In-person Attendees:

Mingle with other writers and this presenter on the big screen in the Saban Center at Motion Picture Television Fund, 23388 Mulholland Drive, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. In-person attendees do not need to register in advance. Members free. Guests pay $10 at the door. First visit free. Please arrive a few minutes early.

Zoom Attendees:

All members of the CWC-SFV will receive a Zoom invitation to this presentation. Members of other CWC branches should contact Zoom host, Anat Wenick, by noon on November 1 at SFV.CWC@gmail.com for an invitation to register. Zoom guests may purchase admission at www.cwc-sfv.org by noon on November 1. After purchasing admission, guests will receive a Zoom invitation.  We regret we cannot accommodate late requests.

Guest Payment Via Zelle: sfv.cwc@gmail.com

In-person guests can pay at the door.

Meeting Address for in-person participants:

MPTF | Motion Picture & Television Fund
The Wasserman Campus
23388 Mulholland Drive
Woodland Hills, CA 91364

(map of campus)

Header Photo: By Downtowngal (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons | Site Design: Kay Henden | © 2022 CWC - San Fernando Valley Branch