Mission Statement
The California Writers Club (CWC) aims to foster professionalism in writing, promote networking of writers within the writing community, mentor new writers, and provide literary support for writers and the writing community as is appropriate through education and leadership.
The CWC Tri-Valley Branch supports all genres, writing styles and related professions such as editing, publishing, photographic journalism and agents. We provide an environment where members can obtain critique of their efforts, attend workshops, and share experiences.
CWC History
The California Writers Club, founded in 1909, is the oldest professional writers’ club in the western United States. It started under the influences of Jack London, George Sterling, Herman Whitaker, and Austin Lewis. CWC is a nonprofit organization with eighteen branches with an estimated membership of 1,200 statewide. Visit the state website at www.calwriters.org for a list of branches.
The central board, which oversees the branches, spearheaded a proposal to celebrate the third week in October as California Writers Week. The California State Assembly passed Legislative Resolution 2170 on September 4, 2003, to set aside the third week in October every year to honor all California writers, past and present, for their contributions to society, and to encourage future writers.
Tri-Valley Branch History
In 2005, then President Jack Russ of the CWC Mt. Diablo Branch created a committee to establish a new CWC branch in the tri-valley area of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton. The first organizational meeting was held at Towne Center Books in Pleasanton. From that meeting came the core group under the leadership of Sue Tasker that established a writing club on July 10, 2005. Sue was elected president at the August 14, 2005, meeting. Cindy Fisher-Luck was elected vice-president, Fred Norman became Treasurer, and Stephanie Rutledge served as Secretary. Committee chairs were Steve Workman, Membership; Irenee Riter, Webmaster.
During the next year, the club began the process of applying for branch status. With the encouragement of state CWC president Barbara Truax, the club was chartered on July 23, 2006, as the sixteenth branch of the California Writers Club.