We regret the last minute change of venue for the Writing Contest Awards program. The situation was beyond our control. Fortunately, Pastor R.C. Fleeman of Peace Community Church offered the space for our program. 

The readings by the winners were excellent, as were the judges’ descriptions of the winning works. The luncheon was a happy ending to an outstanding event. 


Winning authors of the Gulf Coast Writers Association annual writing contest

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Our next meeting is Saturday, September 16 at 10:00 a.m. at our usual venue, Word of Life Church in Fort Myers. This meeting is our opportunity to show off our own work and get to know each other’s talents! Select to attend by Zoom.

So, if you’ve recently been published in a book or a literary magazine, or if you’ve been awarded a prize for your writing, please bring a portion of that work to read to fellow GCWA members and guests. If you have an unpublished piece you’re really proud of, please bring it and step up! Reads are limited to 5 minutes, and the first 20 to sign up get a place at the podium. Contact Mary Charles (mary@marycharles.com) to put your name in the hat.

We’re happy to announce that Arielle Haughee, publisher of Orange Blossom Books and author of children’s literature, will be back with us in February 2024 to speak about publishing. She’ll tailor her presentation to our members’ preference: would you like to learn about traditional publishing or self-publishing? Please send your vote to mary@marycharles.com by September 30 to give Arielle time to focus her content.

BOOK LAUNCH

 Sold out: Our September 9 event at the Alliance for the Arts to launch our Storm Stories-Hurricane Ian anthology is currently sold out. But you can still see the event. The event will be live-streamed by the  Facebook and Instagram. Even if you don’t have a seat in the auditorium, you can still meet the book’s contributing authors from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Alliance before the start of the event. 

You can also purchase the book during the pre-show at the Alliance. Contributing authors will pay our cost when they purchase directly from GCWA. Paid-up members may purchase Storm Stories directly from GCWA at 30% off Amazon prices. And if you can’t attend the September 9 launch, come to the September 16 member meeting to purchase your copies.

You can also purchase the book from Amazon in e-book, trade paperback and hard cover formats at

retail price. On August 21, Amazon named Storm Stories-Hurricane Ian the #1 New Release for Memoirs in the southern states.  Click on this link for the book at Amazon.com:  Storm Stories-Hurricane Ian.  And here is the QR code:  

OTHER BUSINESS

Many people have fallen behind on their dues. We understand this could possibly be due to the confusion and loss during last year’s devastations and disasters and that some may not even have realizes it. David Aiken, our membership chair, has updated the membership list. Please be prepared to update your status if, by chance, you are not current on your dues see David at the next meeting or renew online via PayPal.

Brian Devitt and Jeff Bogart are working on important upgrades and safeguards to our website. When these updates are completed, only current members will be permitted to keep their books on our website and to access all the important information our website provides.

A YEAR OF RENEWAL

Finally, have you noticed that our organization is increasingly vibrant these days? The pandemic is behind us. Our membership is growing. Our programming is too. So if you haven’t been to a meeting recently, come check us out.

Come early and get ready to make new friends! The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m., live and by Zoom.  The location:

Word of Life Church

6111 South Pointe Blvd.

Fort Myers, FL 33900

We are looking forward to seeing all of you. 


Irene Smith President

Irene Smith

This year GCWA received over 110 writing contest entries, one of the largest responses we’ve had in recent years. The competition was challenging, but thanks to our awesome volunteer judges, who devoted their time and skills, the best pieces were selected.  The top three winners in each category will read their entries at the August 19th Membership Meeting. 

The program begins at 10:00 a.m. We suggest you arrive early to get a good seat. You won’t be disappointed.  A healthy lunch will be available after the presentations, courtesy of GCWA. This will offer you an opportunity to munch and mingle with our contest winners, who are:

Adult Section Youth Section
Category Non Fiction Poetry Fiction Not Applicable
1st Place Pamela Pohlman Sandy Dahlhofer Brad Burt Eric Zhu-West
Winning entry “A Picture of Hell” “Snowflake” “But He Didn’t!” “Right Hand Raised”
Home town Fort Myers, FL Lake Placid, FL Fort Myers,  Roxbury, MA
         
2nd Place Patricia Sheehy Amy Pontius Patti M. Walsh Kurukulasuriya Fernando
Winning entry     “Searching for Me” “Moon Dance” “Ghosts of Clotheslines Past” “Pretty Little Things”
Home town Estero, FL Fort Myers, FL. Fort Myers, FL Fort Myers, FL
         
3rd Place MaryLou Williams Grace Brendel Pauline Hayton Stormi Thomas
Winning entry “Audrey Hepburn and Me” “The Land Before This” “Somewhere in England” “Secret Miracles”
Home town Fort Myers, FL Cape Coral, FL Naples, FL Lake Mary, FL
         

September 9th from 7:00-9:00PM is the book launch event for our upcoming anthology, “Storm Stories-Hurricane Ian” at the Alliance of the Arts. We are very excited about this event, which is part of the Alliance’s month-long commemoration of Hurricane Ian. Contributing authors to our anthology may arrive as early as 6:00pm to purchase their books at cost. Books will also be available to members at that time. 

We desperately need volunteers to assist as greeters, book sellers and floaters at this event.  We also need volunteers to assemble the video portion of the evening, still images and video segments. Please contact Mary Charles at  mary@marycharles.com or call/text her at 718-848-4031. Mary will be at the Alliance for the Arts theatre on Friday, September 8, the afternoon before the event between 1:00-3:00pm. She would prefer getting any borrowed equipment that afternoon.

Our anthology, “Storm Stories-Hurricane Ian”, will be available soon as a trade paperback and hard cover at local book stores, the gift shop at the Alliance for the Arts and the Alliance’s popular monthly Night Market. It will also be obtainable online from Amazon.com in e-book, paperback and hard cover versions.  Pre-publication orders for the e-book on Amazon are now being accepted.

We just learned that the Lee County Library System has ordered one book for each library branch and will order additional copies if there is a demand for more.

Please consider assisting us with the September 9th event. More information on the anthology will be in next month’s newsletter, so keep checking our website for updates!

Don’t forget our August 19th meeting will be held as usual starting at 10:00am-Noon.

Location: Map

Meeting Location:

Word of Life Church

6111 South Pointe Blvd.,

Fort Myers, FL 33919

Irene Smith, President


Irene Smith

Judging for our 2023 Writing Contest has concluded and results will be announced at our July meeting. Winners and their families are invited to the August meeting, at which time prizes will be awarded and some of the winning pieces will be read.  Many thanks to all who participated, especially our volunteer judges, for their time and energy!

Brian Devitt, our Social Media Authority, has asked everyone to follow us on social media.  Our Twitter handle is @GCWA_SWFL, and please join our FaceBook group “Gulf Coast Writers Association” to “like” and “tweet” our recent posts there.  If members are on Facebook, I suggest that they post a mention of our Twitter and Facebook group, including our Twitter handle.

Brian is also assisting Dr. Kesha Dreher as the Lead Webmaster until a permanent replacement can be found.  If you know anyone who is an IT expert, you can contact Brian at bdevitt55@gmail.com.

Thanks to Jeff Bogart, our Communications officer, a notice of our July 22 Meeting now appears in the Fort Myers News-Press online calendars, Bonita Springs & Estero Magazine, Cape Coral Living magazine, Gulf & Main magazine, RSW magazine, and Times of the Islands magazine.  Jeff has reached another group of readers for us.  You can’t pick up a local newsprint without seeing a notice about Gulf Coast Writers Association.

Thank you, Brian and Jeff, for all the effort you have put forth to spread the word about our wonderful organization!

Mark your calendars and save the evening of September 9 for the launch of GCWA’s first-ever anthology, Storm Stories-Hurricane Ian.  More details will be forthcoming in the next few weeks, but this project has been almost a year in the making, and I promise you don’t want to miss it.

Last month’s meeting, featuring prolific author Allie Pleiter presenting on improving productivity and time management, was well attended.  

Here are a few photos from that meeting:

These are a few photos from that meeting.

This month Bob McCarthy, a ten-year member of “GCWA, will demonstrate how to create a video presentation using MSOffice and upload it to YouTube for the world to see. YouTube is the second most significant social media platform worldwide, with over 2.6 billion users. There are 4.65 billion active social media users worldwide. This means that 57.63% of active social media users worldwide access YouTube.

Bob will illustrate step-by-step how to create a working video script and add dialogue or narration resulting in a presentation with impact, whether for sales, marketing, training, or more.

Bob has been a professional writer and editor for more than 20 years. He has worked freelance, in-house, and with partners to help clients get noticed. The Oil Heat Managers Association gave a video he scripted for a Connecticut manufacturer its Best Training Video award. Bob has had articles published in regional, national, and international magazines.

Bob has been a member and officer of GCWA for ten years, and he is now a member of our Corporate Board.

This meeting is another outstanding opportunity to learn how to produce high-quality material from a pro.

Members and first-time guests attend for free, returning guests $5.00. I suggest you come early. Meet new or old friends with whom you share a great love for writing. The meeting will also be available on Zoom for those who can’t make it in person (Registration information will be on the website, gulfwriters.org). 

The July 22 meeting will be held at our usual meeting site starting at 10:00 and ending at noon. Here is that location, along with a map.

Meeting Location:

Word of Life Church

6111 South Pointe Blvd.,

Fort Myers, FL 33919

For directions, see Map

See you at the meeting!

Irene Smith, President

Writing Contest Lists

Letter Review Writing Contest

270+ Best Writing Contests from QueryLetter.com

40 Free Writing Contests from The Write Life

The Ultimate List of Writing Contests from Reedsy.com

Writing Contests, Grants & Awards from Poets&Writers

JerryJenkins Ultimate Guide to Writing Contests

NewPages Big List of Writing Contests

Almond Press Writing Competions list

New Pages Writing Contest for Young Writers

List of Writing Contests for Kids from TCK Publishing

Writers Digest Writing Competitions

Writers Write Writing Contest List

Contests List from the Writer Magazine

GCWA Writing Contest

Congratulations to the GCWA 2023 Writing Contest Winners:

Fiction:
1st — Brad Burt-Ft. Myers, FL/Ontario, Canada— But He Didn’t
2nd — Patti M. Walsh-Ft. Myers, FL — Ghosts of Clotheslines Past
3rd — Pauline Hayton-Naples, FL — Somewhere in England

Nonfiction:
1st — Pamela Pohlman-Ft. Myers, FL— A Picture of Hell
2nd — Patricia Sheehy-Estero, FL— Searching for Me
3rd — MaryLou Williams-Ft. Myers, FL — Audrey Hepburn and Me

Poetry:
1st — Sandy Dahlhofer-Lake Placid, FL— Snowflake
2nd — Amy Pontius-Ft. Myers, FL/East Fairfield, VT — Moon Dance
3rd — Grace Brendel-Cape Coral, FL — The Land Before This

Youth:
1st —  Eric Zhu-West, Roxbury, MA— Right Hand Raised
2nd — Kurukulasuri ya Fernando-Ft. Myers, FL — Perfect Little Things
3rd — Stormi Thomas-Lake Mary, FL— Secret Miracles

Thank you to our Sponsors

Ft. Myers Magazine

Read entries from previous winners:
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 20152010 through 2014 |


2022 Winners

Fiction/Children’s Stories (these categories were combined and judged together according to our guidelines, due to the low number of entries in each.
1st — Leah Miller — Terror in December (Children’s Stories)
2nd — Mary Charles — Counterculture ( Fiction)
3rd — Nancy Leake — Susie Spider Looks for a Friend (Children’s Stories)

Nonfiction:
1st — Deborah Burghardt — Dream Your Ink
2nd — Diane Parnell — A Slip of the Scalpel
3rd — Sally Basmajian — The Field

Poetry:
1st — Megan Dalziel — Maritime Muse
2nd — Debbie Watz — Bayou Sunset
3rd — Paul Anthony — Minimum Wage-Brianna

Youth:
1st — Nishini Fernando — Life is for the Living
2nd — Ryan Lee — A Soldier During the Great War
3rd — Keven Lacayo — Death


2021 Winners

Children’s Stories
1st — K.J. (Kathy) Boyd — Too Many Kids
2nd — Mariah Julio — Where is Everything?
3rd — Nancy Leake — Sammy Snail’s Wild Ride
Fiction
1st — Vic Larson — Drafted
2nd — Carol Light — A Tough Nut to Crack
3rd — Pat McAnulty — The White Side of Aurora
Nonfiction
1st — Jeanne Meeks — Ode to Otis
2nd — Geneva Kelly — Ready or Not
3rd — Alina Steele — Mrs. Murphy
Poetry
1st — Jeannette Batko — Critique-Mystique
2nd — Maya Fleischmann — Patience Stillwater’s Sestina
3rd — Teresa Falsani — A Single Dolphin
Youth Category Winners
Poetry — Christopher Kozlowski — Silencing the Star of David
Fiction — Samadhi Salazar — The Mother of All Natures
Nonfiction — Nishini FernandoThe Wicked Wall of Water
Other Youth Category Entries
Poetry
Addisyn Nadwodny — My Feathered Friend
Callie Sousa — Home Connect
Carolina Solomon Sense and Uniform
Claire HongThe Death Lake
Claire Hongghost
Claire Hongdivided
Euelin RienzoOur Patchworked Skeleton
Georgiana MuresanThe Unknown
Jaansi Parsa The Magic of Music
Nishini Fernando Blindfold
Peyton Sidweil Political Climate
Samandhi SalazarNourishment With a Side of Horror
Fiction
Alexis Davis — Shadows of Stonewall Inn
Jonathan HongThe Limousine Driver Saves the Day
Katherine Short The Mirror
Nishini FernandoUnite
Nonfiction
Addisyn Nadwodny Farewell Pearl Bing Bing

2020 Winners!

GCWA contest winners

[L to R] Melissa Panneton, Maya Fleischman, Andrew Conlyn, Nancy Leake, Mary Lou Williams, Christie Zarria

Children’s Stories

1st place — Paper, the Airplane by Lynne Blackburn
2nd place — The Lonely Bear by Andrew Conlyn
3rd place — The Picnic by Nancy Leake

Fiction

1st place — Neighborhood Watch by Maya Fleischmann
2nd place — Conquer Your Fears by Kristen Taylor
3rd place — When the Bough Breaks by Pauline Hayton
Honorable Mention (Youth) — Circus Man by Arnav Adi

Nonfiction:

1st place — Missing Neil by Lorraine McCann
2nd place — The Lesson I Learned in Sister Regina’s Class by Mary Lou Williams
3rd place — Lucy, You’ve Got Some ‘Splaining To Do by Christie Zarria

Poetry:

1st place — The Concert by Melissa Panneton
2nd place — The Downfall of Cousin Leaf by Lynne Blackburn
3rd place — Morning  by J. Bradley Burt

Children’s Stories

1st place — Lola BaJola and The Fly by Laura Marske
2nd place — The Curious Gray Mouse and The Christmas Tree by Martha Jeffers
3rd place — Pixel, the Filthy-Footed Feline by Mariah Julio

Fiction

1st place — Marked For Life by Sandy Dahlhofer
2nd place — Good Night, Have a Nice Sleep by Jan Nieman
3rd place — Pick Me by Wendy Halloren

Nonfiction:

1st place — Where the Action Is by David Aiken
2nd place — Swinging Back to Life by Geneva Kelly
3rd place — The Apartment by Rick Urban

Poetry:

1st place — Hurricane by Sharon Whitehill
2nd place — Caloosahatchee by Gary McLouth
3rd place — The River by Carmine Lombardo


2017 Winners!

Poetry

1st place — When We Came Home by Mary Beth Lundgren
2nd place — Sowing Seeds by Joan Heller Winokur
3rd place — Psyche’s Rhumba by Dan Reed England

Fiction

1st place — So This Guy Walks into a Bar by Judy Marksteiner
2nd place — City Lawyer by Bill Wilson
3rd place — To Name the Name of Your Father by Martin Nakell

Nonfiction:

1st place — China’s Big Balancing Act by Rose Giro
2nd place — Courage With a Small c by Patricia Sheehy
3rd place — The Riverview Melting Pot by Jan Nieman

Children’s Fiction:

1st place — A Day at the Circus by Martha Jeffers


2016 Winners!

Poetry

1st place — “Year End Giving” by Teresa B. Falsani
2nd place — “Acceptance” by Richard H. Fox
3rd place — “Silence” by Lori Izral

Fiction

1st place — “Disappointed” by Jan Nieman
2nd place — “Single Black Roses” by Richard Rimrodt
3rd place — “Crows” by Judy Loose
Honorable Mention — Terry Wright “A Time . . .”

Nonfiction:

1st place — “Life Lessons” by Patricia Sheehy
2nd place — “Teeth” by Judy Loose
3rd place — “Bathing an Elephant is a Big Job” by Gillian Birch


2015 Winners!

Fiction:

First Place – “Billy Hurts” by Jim Marcotte
Second Place – “The Shaman” by Frankie Patman Maguire
Third Place – “Boy with One Shoe” by Richard Rimrodt

Non-fiction:

First Place – “Smoke and Fire” by Eva Romanczak

Poetry:

First Place – “The Final Journey” by Barbara Rohde
Second Place –“It’s a Boy” by Dan Reed England
Third Place – “Thanksgiving” by Joyce Berrian Ferrari

Children’s:

First Place – “Tommy the Leaf” by Nancy Leake

The winners will be published in the Ft. Myers Magazine summer edition.