The San Francisco Writers Conference is over for this year… but there is so much going on in our community for writers right now!

April 18 – 6:30pm   Rising Writers Series: The Boatbuilder Author Daniel Gumbiner in conversation with writer Kevin Smokler   Cosponsored by McSweeney’s: Daniel Gumbiner’s novel, long-listed for the 2018 National Book Award, deals with a young man coping with addiction and finding a new path. FREE! Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post Street, SF

April 19 – 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.   Writers Lunch    The Truth of Historical Fiction: Join historical fiction author and speaker, Ona Russell, in exploring this timely and entertaining subject. FREE   Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post Street, SF

April 26, 2019 – 12:00pm to 1:00pm  Stay Creative, Corporate Writer!    LD Kirshenbaum on maintaining your muse along with your career in copywriting or corporate communications. This lightning workshop packs in a useful discussion as well as writing time. Bring your lunch and preferred writing utensils.  Free   Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post Street, SF

April 27 – 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Repeat of the popular class–Stunning Sentences with Nina Schuyler. Click HERE to see details and register. $75. Class held at Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post St., San Francisco.

April 28 – 3-6 p.m.  WNBA Poetry Month event at the BEAT MUSEUM! This event is FREE. 540 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133   CLICK HERE

April 30 DEADLINE   Marsh Hawk Press gives out 3 prizes each year, one of which includes $1000 cash and publication of your book of poetry. The deadline for submissions is April 30 at midnight EST.   Here’s the url for more information and submission guidelines: https://marshhawkpress.org/marsh-hawk-press-poetry-prize-awards/

May 8-10  Nonfiction Writers Conference This online conference will feature Cheryl Richardson, Stephanie Chandler and Gordon Warnock…among many others.   CLICK HERE

May 15  10 a.m.–12 p.m.  Gold Country Writers proudly presents John Lescroart, New York Times Bestselling Author with 29 novels, including his new legal thriller, The Rule of Law — his 18th Dismas Hardy novel, co-president of the International Thriller Writers, and recipient of the 2016 Silver Bullet Award presented by ITW, on “20 Years to Overnight Success.” Free and open to the public. Auburn City Hall, Rose Room, 1225 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA 95603 Contact: Margie Yee Webb at [email protected]. Details: https://johnlescroart.com/

May 17 NOON Writers Lunch: To Blog or Not to Blog Join the MI writing community for a stimulating panel with three authors who will share the pros and cons of blogging. Please welcome novelist Ana Manwaring, WordPress expert Linda Lee, and nonfiction writer John Lumea of The Emperor’s Bridge Campaign. Learn more at https://www.milibrary.org/events/writers-lunch-may-17-2019

May 18 – 10:30am to 1:30pm   Writing for Children – “It’s a Bunny Eat Bunny World”.  Join award-winning author Penny Warner for a class that takes you through all the steps to a winning children’s book! The class begins with an overview: the different categories of children’s books, popular topics today, what’s selling, how to present your own story, dealing with difficult topics, and how to be a better children’s writer. Penny will also share tips on how prepare your manuscript for publication, writing the compelling query letter, creating a synopsis or outline of the story, finding an agent, working with editors and publishers, what to look for in a contract.  $70; MI Members $59   Class held at Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post St., San Francisco.

May 18 from 2 – 4 p.m. CWC Tri-Valley Branch will host author Linda Joy Myers who will discuss “The Magic of Memoir — Weaving Memory and Story.” Four Points by Sheraton, 5115 Hopyard Rd., Pleasanton, CA 94588. Check-in 1:30 p.m. Cost: CWC adult members, $14; adult non-members, $18. Send an e-mail to [email protected] by May 15 to register.

June 19 – 10 a.m.–12 p.m.  Gold Country Writers proudly presents Cathy MacHold, author of Writing with Hemingway: A Writer’s Exercise Book, Independent Hemingway Scholar, and presenter at Hemingway Society conferences, on “Hemingway: A Taste for Life.”  Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1279 High Street, Auburn, CA 95603. Free and open to the public. Contact: Margie Yee Webb at [email protected]. Details: http://cathymachold.com/

September 14.  All day on Saturday. The San Francisco Writing for Change Conference at the Unitarian Universalist Center in San Francisco. O.G. Rev. Harry Louis Williams II kicks off a full day of speakers, agents and editors. Already on board are Melissa Hart (The Writer magazine editor & author of Better with Books: 500 Diverse Novels to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens), bestselling author Nina Amir, and literary agent Peter Beren. Info and online registration:  http://sfwritingforchange.org/

You can see more neighborhood writing opportunities at SFWriters.org

Please send your news for SFWC Newsletter following the format of the events above. If we can simply cut and paste them from your email, it is more likely we will get your event in when we are on deadline! Send yourblurb to [email protected].