Welcome!
The Gulf Coast Writers Association is proud to provide a forum for fellowship, education, and information for writers in our community. Whether you write for pleasure or profit, you’ll find support from our members. And with an average of 175 members, there’s always encouragement and friendly guidance to help you improve your writing skills. Plus, our monthly speakers’ events are informative and fun, providing expert advice on topics such as writing techniques, publishing, marketing, and others. So no matter what your genre: general fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s, young adult, historical fiction, romance, mystery/thriller, memoirs, and more, you’re in good company. Check out our website and see what exciting things we have in store for you.
Announcements
GCWA MARCH, APRIL, MAY, and JUNE 2020 MEETINGS CANCELED
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we canceled our general meetings and the executive committee meetings.
I have tried to post any other event cancellations on the website, but don’t have information on all events. Before you plan to attend any event, be sure to check to see if it is still scheduled.
The GCWA writing contest winners received their prizes by mail and will be invited to attend a meeting later this year to celebrate and read their winning submissions. The winning entries are posted on the website. See winning entries here.
Send your suggestions for speakers or topics at meetings this year to Bob McCarthy.
Handouts from Bob and Judy’s presentation on Self-Publishing
Legal handouts from Anne Dalton’s November Presentation
Presentation slides from Charley Valera’s October Presentation
Submit your ideas for Workshops
Visit our new page for Blogs, Podcasts, and Webinars for writers.
Interested in joining a new critique or reading group? [list of current groups]
July 2020
Speaker: Craig Handel
Topic: Keys to Good Interviewing Techniques
For more than 40 years, Craig Handel has written for newspapers in Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Massachusetts and Florida, with his stories being picked up by newspapers in the United States and beyond.
Quality writing is helped by being a good interviewer, which means being a good listener and asking good questions. Many times, we need to talk to people to get a better understanding of the subject we’re writing of.
Craig Handel, who has 40 years of experience in journalism, will give a short talk on the keys to good interviewing techniques. He also has prepared an exercise for members of the audience. So bring your pens, notebooks and recording devices.
Meeting: July 18, 2020, 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Location: [map]Zion Lutheran Church,
7401 Winkler Road, Fort Myers, FL 33919
New Writing Game
Join Us!
Gulf Coast Writers provide ideas, support, encouragement, resources and networking opportunities to fellow writers. Don’t miss out on all the great speakers we have planned for the upcoming year. Click button below to learn what you will get within our association. Only $40 annual ($50 for families). Come join the fun!
LIKE our Facebook page and check out our meeting photos.
Dear Members: Renew now! We value your membership and don’t want you to miss the exciting events we have planned for this year. Dues are payable from Fall until January 31. If you haven’t renewed and plan to attend our next meeting, please bring your money or check with you. Or you can pay today! Simply click the Membership Application tab and renew your membership online via PayPal. If you aren’t sure if you have paid your membership dues, please e-mail website@GulfWriters.org.
Latest Good News
If there is an ellipsis (…) at the end of a post here, that means there is more to read. To read a complete post, click on the headline. Or, if you want to scroll through ALL of our Good News, Click Here for more good news. Good news is for members only. If you would like to join in the fun, visit the Membership Application Page to learn more about joining. If you are are a GCWA member with Good News, please send email to website@gulfwriters.org.
Joe Pacheco on WGCU Radio
Our local NPR radio station, WGCU broadcast Joe Pacheco's poem "Love Poem for Leap Day 2020" on Friday, February 28th at 8:45 AM and 4:44 PM. The [...]Book Launch Party — Charley Valera
Date changed to October 24, 2019 from October 10, 2019 Award-winning author and Gulf Coast Writers Association member Charley Valera is [...]Carmine and Dorayne Lombardo’s play honored
We were amazingly pleased to receive notification that our play, VIZHON, which was world premiered October 2018 at the John McCabe Theatre in [...]
Events
We get a lot of upcoming events sent to us, from all over Florida and even beyond. If there is an ellipsis (…) at the end of a post here, that means there is more to read. To read a complete post, click on the headline. Take a look at all the events. You can Click Here for more Events, and you can go to our calendar to see those that are posted in our local Lee county and surrounding areas. If you are affiliated with a group that is hosting an event that is relevant to authors, please send email to website@gulfwriters.org.
FLORIDA AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
FLORIDA AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS ANNUAL CONFERENCE July 31 - AUG 1 At present, we are continuing to prepare and plan for FAPAcon2020, our [...]Indie Author Marketing Workshop — Sarasota, FL
The Art of the Sell: An Indie Author Learn and Do Workshop Saturday, March 21, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Seasons 52, UTC Mall, Sarasota. Presented [...]Writers on the Air
Every Sunday, WKDW 97.5 FM nonprofit radio invites amateur writers, poets, and comedians to perform or read on its program "Writers on the Air." [...]
Writing Contests
If there is an ellipsis (…) at the end of a post here, that means there is more to read. To read a complete post, click on the headline. Or, if you want to scroll through ALL of Writing Contests we have heard about, Click Here for more writing contests. If you are affiliated with a group that is hosting a writing contest, please send email to website@gulfwriters.org.
Submission for “Pandemic in Paradise”
How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Authors Attention writers and creative people! How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your life - how [...]North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books
Winning Writers will award a grand prize of $5,000 in the sixth annual North Street competition for self-published books, co-sponsored by [...]Kaleidoscope Anthology Submission
Women writers, submit your true, short story for consideration of publication in a Kaleidoscope Wojo™ anthology. Ladies get those pens and [...]
Announcements and Opportunities
If there is an ellipsis (…) at the end of a post here, that means there is more to read. To read a complete post, click on the headline. Or, if you want to scroll through ALL of our Announcements, Click Here for more announcements. Also, if you would like to make an announcement of your own, please send email to website@gulfwriters.org.
Writers on the Air
Every Sunday, WKDW 97.5 FM nonprofit radio invites amateur writers, poets, and comedians to perform or read on its program "Writers on the Air." [...]Submit ideas for workshops
At the November 2019 GCWA meeting, we asked what workshops people would like to attend. The following are current requests for workshops. [...]Volunteers wanted for Writers on the Air
WANTED: Volunteer Tech for non-profit radio station WKDW 97.5 FM open mic radio show, "Writers on the Air" on Sundays in North Port at 12735 US [...]
GCWA officers
Meet the officers and directors for 2018/19.
Members Poetry and Prose
See the latest contributions by our members, Lorraine Walker Williams, Jim Gustafson and Joe Pacheco. Send your own poetry and short prose to website@gulfwriters.org.
New GCWA meeting agenda
We are replacing our long business meetings with contributions from our members. If you would like to speak at one of our meetings, please contact Bob McCarthy at Programs@GulfWriters.org or Irene Smith at Membership@GulfWriters.org
Information wanted
GCWA members — send us your photos, your bios, your books to be listed on the website — email website@gulfwriters.org.
Visit your local book stores
There are several book stores who sell books by local authors. Visit, buy books, check on selling your books on their shelves. List of stores
Looking for Word Song editor
Due to time constraints our News Magazine WORD SONG is needing an Executive Editor with MailChimp experience in order to continue. If you would like to know more about it, please email TheWord@gulfwriters.org We will continue to send out a basic meeting announcement until then. If you are not seeing these emails, please search your SPAM and PROMOTIONS folder and then add the address to your contacts list. Or contact membership@gulfwriters.org to verify that your email is in the system. You can click here to see the current edition and get instructions for how to find our emails.
Services page on website
We have added a Writing Services page to the website. GCWA members, if you have a writing-related business you would like listed, please contact website@gulfwriters.org. No fancy ads, just listings for editors, illustrators, publishers, ghost writers, website designers, etc.