Past Meetings

Michelle Chouinard, USA-Today and Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author, February 17, 2024

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M.M. Chouinard, USA-Today and Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author, will present “Writing and Publishing: My Tips” at the Tri-Valley Writers February 17, 2024, meeting. M.M. Chouinard is the author behind The Detective Jo Fournier thrillers, the standalone psychological thriller The Vacation, and the upcoming amateur-sleuth series The Serial-Killer Guide to San Francisco. Her latest book, Angels in the Snow, was released November 8, 2023. Some of the lessons she will elaborate on during her presentation include:

1) Never forget publishing is a business
2) Inspiration comes to those who seek it
3) Persistence is everything
4) Rejection is a learning opportunity
5) The most important thing is to finish

Winterfest: A View of the Valley, January 20, 2024

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“A View of the Valley”

What’s special or memorable about the Tri-Valley for you? The people? The history? The music or art scene? Geography, wildlife, or wildflowers? We invite you to express your impressions of the Tri-Valley and share your work with us at our Winterfest meeting on January 20, 2024. Our January meeting is when we celebrate our members’ diverse talents. You may write, paint, photograph, sculpt or use another medium to explore some aspect of the beautiful, historic valley in which we live. If the Tri-Valley doesn’t resonate with you, you may choose another valley—perhaps one you lived in or visited, or a valley of your imagination.

We’re looking for poetry and flash fiction in addition to works of art. The Winterfest meeting will feature readings, displays of photography and artwork, a free drawing for a basket of goodies, refreshments, and the camaraderie of other writers.

Timeline for submissions has ended. Now it’s time to celebrate as CWC Tri-Valley members will showcase written and visual works of art inspired by the Tri-Valley. Artwork will be displayed, and authors will have the opportunity to share readings from selected entries. Everyone is invited—TVW members and members of the public. There will be a free raffle drawing for a basket of goodies that includes locally produced items as well as products especially for writers.

Connect with other writers after the hectic holidays, become inspired by the imaginative creations of your fellow Tri-Valley Writers members, and get your writing year off to a fresh start at Winterfest 2024.

Round Robin Workshop with TVW Members, December 16, 2023

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Are you wondering if your novel or story beginning will draw in readers? Or unsure if you’ve chosen the correct theme for your memoir? Did you write too much, and your work is now unwieldy to the point you need to cut the bloat? Have you poured your heart and soul into the draft of your novel and don’t know what to do with all your effort? Or perhaps you have questions about options in publishing. Never fear, it’s Round Robin Workshop time.

Tri-Valley Writers members will lead four distinct topic presentations, which are designed to impart tips of the writing trade. Each attendee will receive a handout packet with valuable information to take home with them. Workshop topics include: “Engaging Openings: Hook Readers from the Beginning” (B. Lynn Goodwin-Brown), “Choosing a Theme or Period of Time for Memoir Writing” (Connie Hanstedt), “Cutting the Excess: Honing Your Writing for Impact” (Linda Todd), and “Options in Publishing” (Jordan Bernal).

Nina Schuyler, Author, November 18, 2023

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Nina Schuyler, award-winning novelist and short story writer, will present “Making Metaphors and Other Stylish Moves” at the Tri-Valley Writers November 18, 2023, meeting. Metaphors are like magical pleasure pills that help the reader see the world anew. The critic James Wood said metaphors float a rival reality; it’s the entire imaginative process in one move. The philosopher José Ortega y Gasset called them tools for creation which God forgot inside one of His creations.

To create metaphors, we need a different way to view the world, moving away from either/or, the binary, and finding connections and similarities between seemingly disparate things. In this meeting, you’ll do in-class writing, creating metaphors that are original, powerful, vivid, and even funny.

To augment this exploration, we’ll also consider three ways to grow sentences so they can contain metaphors and much more style.  By the end, you’ll have a much firmer grasp on how to make compelling, fresh metaphors and sentences that contain them.

Chris Hennessy, Independent Filmmaker & Motivational Speaker, October 21, 2023

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Chris Hennessy will present “How to Build Your Writer’s Platform Using Storytelling Crossover Tips” at the Tri-Valley Writers October 21 meeting . Chris has been a full-time independent filmmaker, author, and speaker in Northern California since 1990. He serves on the board of directors at California Writers Club Sacramento Branch. In the presentation, attendees will learn

How to promote your book before, during, or after writing to create buzz.
Unique, simple, stand-out social media marketing tips to get known.
How and why to incorporate film/video into your writing projects.
How to make your book into a feature film (big screen, Netflix, etc.).
How to motivate yourself and others to create, write, and perform happily at your highest ability.

A. L. Kucherenko, Author, September 16, 2023

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A. L. Kucherenko will present “Crotches, Crucks, and Crutches” at the Tri-Valley Writers September 16, 2023, meeting. Learn how to entice readers to linger in your fictional world with your imaginary characters. Most authors face the convergence of characters and readers. Characters inhabit their own skins and are shaped by their environment. They make choices, express attitudes, and bear certain responsibilities consistent with their cosmos. So do readers, who bring their experiences and expectations into our stories.

A. L. Kucherenko uses examples from her work to illustrate the delicate balance between authenticity and accuracy and how character and reader worldviews mesh to create an environment for her characters that her readers can embrace.

July & August 2023

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Tri-Valley Writers takes a brief summer hiatus during the months of July and August. The Board of Directors will be busy planning for a terrific 2023-2024 term. Monthly meetings will resume in September. Critique groups, Social Space, Author Support Group, Pull Up a Chair and Write, and the Zoom Sit Down and Write will continue during the summer, so please forge on with your writing.
We look forward to seeing you in September. Write On!

Kate Farrell, Author and Storyteller, June 17, 2023

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Kate Farrell will present “Storytelling: An Interactive Workshop for Authors” at the Tri-Valley Writers June 17, 2023 meeting. Take your storytelling from the page to the spoken word and enliven your talks, enhance your events, and create a shared experience with your listeners. The power of story immediately engages audiences through simple, traditional techniques.

12th Annual High School Writing Contest Awards Ceremony—May 21, 2023

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Tri-Valley Writers will hold its 12th annual high school writing contest awards ceremony on Sunday, May 21 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Livermore Library. Tho Nguyen, Teen Poet Laureate of Pleasanton, will deliver the keynote address.

Students from Tri-Valley high schools in Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon submitted up to two pieces of work in the categories of either Literary Nonfiction, Poetry, or Short Story. The winners will be honored and have a chance to read their work at the ceremony. See the HSWC 2023 page for a list of the winners.

“It takes great courage for students to submit writing to strangers to evaluate and comment on it,” Tri-Valley Writers member Patricia Boyle said. “I’m proud of the students who entered the contest and took the risk of sharing their work.”

AM Larks, Author and Editor, May 20, 2023

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AM Larks will present “Published! Tips and Tricks from an Indie Editor” at the Tri-Valley Writers May 20, 2023 meeting. Larks will cover tips and tricks on submitting to and publishing in blogs, journals, agents, and publishers. This lecture will include an overview of the publication processes as well as behind the scene looks at publishers and how and why that affects the submission process. Whether you are just starting or figuring out where to go next, this lecture will have something for you.