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March News From The President
March 6, 2025Dear writing friends, Today is Wednesday March 5. In the Christian calendar, it’s the first day of Lent, the beginning of a period of sacrifice and reflection. Sacrifice and reflection are good practices for writers throughout the year. When I turn my mind inward, my writing grows keener. When I...Continue reading ...
GCWA Members Telling Stories
March 6, 2025Two Gulf Coast Writers members will be telling stories March 14-16 at The Alliance for the Arts. At this weekend-long event, a dozen or more professional and amateur artists will entertain audiences with the almost-lost art of oral storytelling. Think of it as the origin of literature. It’s also performance...Continue reading ...
February News From The President
February 12, 2025Dear Writer Friends Gulf Coast Writers Association was born in 1995. It's a point of pride that GCWA is now the largest writers' group in SWFL, 30 years after founding with a handful of members. But being old and big isn't enough. We want to celebrate our 30th anniversary in...Continue reading ...
January News From The President
January 8, 2025Dear Writer Friends In Shakespeare’s time, today’s date would be called Twelfth Night, a raucous occasion punctuated by drinking and mischief making. This is the twelfth day of Christmas in the Christian calendar, and as O. Henry described in his iconic short story, it is the day when wise men...Continue reading ...
December News From The President
January 5, 2025Dear Writer Friends It’s hard to concentrate in December. Every shiny object launches me on a tangent. This is especially true after passing a landmark. Saturday December 7 was a landmark day. GCWA had its first strictly social gathering in years. The committee of April James, Jan Porter, Sheryl Stillman,...Continue reading ...
November News From The President
November 20, 2024Dear Writers, Our GCWA members are getting their books published at a brisk clip. Several members attended the launch party for Patti Walsh’s new Celtic-inspired fiction, Hounded. This middle-grade novel combines martial arts, mythology and magic, with a strong protagonist in the character of a teenage boy. Ginger Wakem’s new...Continue reading ...
October News From The President
November 20, 2024Hello, survivors! Yet again, storms have roared through our area and disrupted our lives. Within two weeks, two violent hurricanes made matchsticks of homes, covered some in sand or mud, made recovery a challenge, and reminded us of the unpredictability of life. I hope you are safe and unharmed. After...Continue reading ...
GCWA October Monthly Meeting Recap
October 31, 2024Publishing Stories to Build an Audience Cheryl Lynn Dratler and Sheryl Stillman share publishing tips | Credit: Ginger Wakem We had a full house, with nearly 40 attendees at the October monthly meeting listening in on “Publishing Stories to Build an Audience,” presented by Sheryl Stillman and Cheryl Lynn Dratler....Continue reading ...
GCWA September Monthly Meeting Recap
October 2, 2024Gulf Coast Writers Association Annual Writing Contest Winners 2024 Writing Contest Awards Ceremony Left to Right: Richard Drummer, Claudia Geagan, Sheryl Stillman, April James, Patti Walsh, Ed Sessa. Via Zoom: Bradley Burt,Amelie Flagler, Daniel Moreschi. All but one 2024 contest winner was available to read their prized stories on Saturday,...Continue reading ...
September News From The President
September 4, 2024Dear members and friends of GCWA, This is our proudest month. At our September 21 meeting, we'll honor the winners of the annual Gulf Coast Writers Association writing contest. More information about that meeting is below. Please come and show your support for our winning authors. To residents of Southwest...Continue reading ...
GCWA August Monthly Meeting Recap
August 31, 2024Feature Speakers: Dave Kratzke and Craig Handel – Jumpstart your Marketing! Craig and Dave | Credit: Sheryl Stillman Thank you for another fantastic turnout at the GCWA Monthly August Meeting held at the Fairfield Inn in Fort Myers, FL and via Zoom. We are always pleased to welcome new attendees!...Continue reading ...
Our Letter to the Cajun Navy Ground Force
August 15, 2024Cajun Navy Ground Force 4400-A Ambassador Caffery Pkwy Suite #342 Lafayette, Louisiana 70508 August 8, 2024 Dear friends: Nearly two years ago, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Fort Myers, FL and changed the lives of many thousands. Those of us who endured the storm were overwhelmed. Without power, transportation,...Continue reading ...
GCWA July Monthly Meeting Recap
August 10, 2024Confessions of a Research Junkie The July meeting, held on July 20, 2024, featured Judith L. Pearson, award-winning author, dynamic speaker, and GCWA member, who shared insights and tips on finding research that brings your stories to life. Judy Pearson presenting | Credit: Ginger Wakem A few suggestions on where...Continue reading ...
August News From The President
August 8, 2024Dear writers: Book clubs are not for everyone. I’m a member of several, because I not only love to read but I also appreciate the insight of other readers. One of my clubs met this past Monday. The book we discussed was the biography of a woman I’d never heard...Continue reading ...
GCWA June Monthly Meeting Recap
August 3, 2024Florida Weekly Writing Challenge: An inside View GCWA members learn inside scoop on Florida Weekly Challenge. John Siko shared he wrote stories for 27 consecutive prompts! Photos Courtesy of Ginger Wakem The June meeting, held on June 15, 2024, featured Laura Tichy-Smith, current moderator for the Florida Weekly Writing Challenge....Continue reading ...
GCWA May Monthly Meeting Recap
August 3, 2024The Many Roads to Publishing The May meeting, held on May 18, 2024, featured an esteemed panel of published GCWA authors sharing their journeys through the various forms of publishing whether it be self, hybrid, or the traditional route. The panel, moderated by Claudia Volkman, consisted of Ed Donlin, Charley...Continue reading ...
July News From The President
July 19, 2024Successful writers tell us: read, read, read. Read writers whose work you respect. Read up-and-coming writers, read the classics, read pulp fiction, read biography, read the works of your writer friends. At the inspiring Lee County Library Reading Festival this March, I purchased every book by every author under our...Continue reading ...
June News from the President
June 13, 2024 Dear Gulf Coast Writer, If you were among the 37 who attended the May 18 meeting, you were part of a priceless experience: getting into the heads of writers about their publishing experience. Some were self published, some traditionally, some hybrid. It was fascinating to learn how our members...Continue reading ...
May News from the President
May 8, 2024Dear fellow member: I joined Gulf Coast Writers during the Covid pandemic, when personal interaction screeched to a sudden halt in March of 2020. It was fascinating to "meet" fellow members virtually on my computer's screen, to develop relationships with people I had never met in person, an adult version...Continue reading ...
GCWA April Monthly Meeting Recap
May 8, 2024Creating “Lyrical” Back Stories The Saturday, April 20th Member Meeting was a break from formal presentations, with an experiential, group writing exercise led by Charley Valera. Members formed groups of six, each group selecting printed lyrics to well-known tunes, including Barry Manilow’s lyrics to “Copacabana,” the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” “Bad,...Continue reading ...