About
California Writers Club
The California Writers Club dates back to the turn of the last century literary movement in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In the early 1900s writers including Jack London, poet George Sterling and short story writer Herman Whitaker gathered informally at the Coppa Club in the old Montgomery block in San Francisco.
From these gatherings came the formation of the Press Club of Alameda and a faction split off to form the California Writers Club. Austin Lewis, an English civil libertarian, was the first president in 1909.
The club incorporated in 1913 and chose the motto, “Sail On!” from Joaquin Miller’s poem, “Columbus” (see below). The California Writers Club logo was designed by Perham Nahl at the time of incorporation. (Nahl, a noted American visual artist, also designed the award-winning Hercules poster for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.) The CWC original wood cut is kept by the Secretary of the California Writers Club.
By 1915, the membership had grown and, along with London, Sterling and Whitaker, honorary members included Ina Coolbrith, Charles Lummis, Edwin Markham, WC Morrow, John Muir, Joaquin Miller and Charles Keeler.
Today, California Writers Club has about 2,000 members in 22 branches all around California.
Marin branch was chartered with CWC in 1999. Due to COVID, we are currently holding online meetings. We are hoping to provide hybrid in-person/zoom meetings once health conditions have improved.
CWC Branches
The California Writers Club has 22 branches around the state. You can find the meeting times, locations, and more at calwriters.org/cwcbranches
