by Nate Hoffelder | Mar 2, 2025 | Events
Bringing the Past to Life
Sat., May 10, 2025
1:00 – 2:30 pm
Mill Valley Public Library
RESERVE MY SEAT
Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of the Molly Murphy mysteries, set in early 1900s New York City and the lighter Royal Spyness mysteries featuring a minor Royal in the 1930s. She also writes internationally bestselling historical novels.
Her latest is The Rose Arbor, currently nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark award. Her books have won ten awards to date and are translated into over thirty languages.
Rhys is a transplanted Brit who divides her time between Marin and Arizona.
Rhys will talk about how she does her research and how important it is to feel the places she writes about so that she can transport a reader to a time and place, not merely tell them about it.
RESERVE MY SEAT
by Nate Hoffelder | Feb 23, 2025 | Events
Literary Walking Tour of San Francisco
Along the Barbary Coast Trail
Led by Daniel Bacon
April 12, 2025
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
$20 for Members (any CWC branch)
$25 for Non-Members
Space is Limited! Reserve Your Spot Below
The 3 1/2-hour tour starts with a scenic cable car ride from Aquatic Park Cove to Powell and Market with panoramic views of the bay and the historic waterfront. Daniel will then guide us on a literary journey through San Francisco to relive the times and imaginations of Dashiell Hammett, Mark Twain, Ina Coolbrith, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Allen Ginsburg.
The tour ends at Washington Square in North Beach, where walkers can grab a slice of pizza or some other fare and enjoy it in the park. Then you can walk back to Aquatic Park or take an Uber. (Without Uber, the total walking distance from Powell and Market to Aquatic Park is 3.5 miles. With Uber, it’s 2.5 miles.)
Daniel Bacon is the creator of the Barbary Coast Trail, San Francisco’s official historical walk (www.barbarycoasttrail.org). He has led lively tours with amusing tales and dramatic accounts for over 20 years.
$20 for Members (we will confirm your current active status)
$25 for Non-Members
- Does not include cable car ticket and lunch.
- Cable car ticket: $8 exact change or purchase a ticket online with the MiniMobile or Clippercard apps
- Clothing: Wear layers to keep warm and good walking shoes
Be prepared for a wonderful time!
Daniel can only take 16 people, so reserve your spot today!
by Nate Hoffelder | Jan 21, 2025 | Events
The World of Flash
Flash Fiction Writer’s Workshop
Sat., March 1, 2025
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Mill Valley Public Library
Reserve your seat on the library website: https://millvalleylibrary.libcal.com/event/13584265
Dive into the world of ‘flash fiction’ (defined as very short fiction, a few hundred words) in this fast-paced, hands-on workshop where creativity knows no bounds! Together, we’ll explore both classic and cutting-edge techniques for crafting impactful, bite-sized stories that linger long after the last word. In a supportive, judgment-free space, you’ll unleash your imagination, write your own flash fiction, and share your creations with a community that celebrates your voice.
About the facilitator: Award-winning indie poet, historical novelist, and forensic historian
Gini Grossenbacher is one of California’s respected and sought-after creative writing educators and certified copyeditors. She is an experienced conference presenter and a favorite speaker at book clubs, fairs, and festivals. She has an M.S. in Education from The University of LaVerne, Los Angeles, and earned a certificate in copyediting from UC San Diego in 2021. Gini has forty years of experience teaching writing and language arts to adults and adolescents.
by Nate Hoffelder | Dec 15, 2024 | Events
Wrangling Your Inner Critic
with Danika Bloom
Wed., Feb. 12, 2025
7:00 – 8:30 pm PT
Online (Zoom) Only
$5 for CWC Members (any branch)
$10 for Non-Members
Register Below
Feeling stuck in your writing or overwhelmed by self-doubt? This interactive workshop, Wrangle Your Inner Critic, empowers you to transform that nagging voice in your head into a creative ally. Through brain science, reframing techniques, and actionable strategies, you’ll uncover why your inner critic exists and how to quiet its unhelpful chatter.
Learn how to replace guilt-driven goals with ones that bring joy, set yourself up for success through productive routines, and find a community that supports your growth as a writer. By the end of the session, you’ll have practical tools to turn anxiety into action, procrastination into productivity, and fear into confidence.
Perfect for writers of all levels, this workshop combines neuroscience, mindful practices, and a supportive atmosphere to help you write with clarity, courage, and joy.
Danika Bloom is a USA Today bestselling romance author and the founder of Author Ever After, a community membership where she supports pre-published romance writers to finish and strategically indie-publish their first romance novels during weekly small group coaching calls and masterminds.
$5 for CWC Members, $10 for Non-Members
by Nate Hoffelder | Nov 19, 2024 | Events
Building Readership
with Iris Jamahl Dunkle
3:30 – 5:30 pm
Dominican University in San Rafael
FREE
REGISTER
Remote access also available via live Zoom broadcast. You may select your ticket type at registration.
This event is co-sponsored with Dominican University MFA Creative Writing Program
Iris Jamahl Dunkle will discuss the art of building a platform to grow your audience as an author including everything from developing a weekly Substack, fostering an online presence through social media platforms, scheduling strategic readings and developing community through literary citizenry work to connect with readers, editors, and the literary world.
Iris Jamahl Dunkle is an Emerita Poet Laureate of Sonoma County and a faculty member at UC Davis and she teaches in the Dominican University Low-Res MFA program. She has authored two biographies: Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer (University of Oklahoma Press, 2020) and Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb (University of California Press, 2024). Her fourth poetry collection, West : Fire : Archive, was recently published by The Center for Literary Publishing. Dunkle writes a weekly blog called Finding Lost Voices, which revives the voices of women who have been forgotten or misremembered and serves as the Poetry and Translation Director at the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference. She’s on the board of the National Book Critics Circle where she is the Co-VP of Awards.
Registration Details
Registration is required. Event details will be emailed to all registrants. This event is free and open to the public as a service to our community.
Contact mfa@dominican.edu with any questions.
by Nate Hoffelder | Oct 25, 2024 | Events
December 8, 2024
4:00 – 6:00 pm
FREE
Sorry, we’re full up! Happy Holidays!
Celebrate the year in writing and CWC friendships at our Members-Only Holiday Party!
The party will take place at the home of former CWC Marin President Mike Van Horn (address to be provided to registered attendees only).
- Members may bring one guest
- Potluck! Bring a drink or snack to share
- White Elephant Book Exchange! Bring a book to give away (see rules below)
Register Here: marin@cwcmarin.com
Note: If the link doesn’t work, please simply RSVP to the email address. Space is limited to thirty people so don’t wait!
How the Book Exchange Works
- Bring a book to the party (unwrapped) — it can be your book or a book you love. We’ll lay them out on a table for everyone to admire.
- Everyone will be given a chance to introduce his/her book — thirty seconds — (I chose this book because x. I love this book because y)
- Everyone takes a number from a hat
- The person with #1 goes first. He/she chooses a book.
- Person #2 can either choose a book from the table, or steal the book from #1.
- If stolen, #1 goes back to the table and chooses another book.
- #3 goes next. He/she can choose a book from the table or steal one.
- * No ‘steal-backs’. A book can only be stolen twice. When stealing, you must address your ‘victim’ by name. Nobody ‘has to play’. Feel free to just watch!
