reetings
The Gulf Coast Writers Association provides a forum for fellowship, education and information among writers in the community. We promote writer welfare and spirit by encouraging members and others to pursue writing for pure joy or for compensation, whichever purpose better gratifies the individual.
$$$ Time to pay your dues for 2012. Please send your renewal or bring to the next meeting.
Individual $25 - Family $35 - make checks payable to GCWA [more information here] $$$
The March 24 GCWA annual meeting will be held in the Fellowship Hall at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2439 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers - just south of the Edison Estate. [map]
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Date: February 18, 2012 Speaker: Dr. S. R. Maxeiner, Jr. |
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| Members - $3.00 Non-members - $5.00 Membership application & information |
Time 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Directions to Meetings |
riters' Upcoming Events
Last call for the 2012 GCWA Writing Contest. Deadline January 31, 2012. [Guidelines and entry forms here]
Story Tellers Power Tools workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., February 4, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall, in south Fort Myers. Admission $10 at the door. [see flyer]
Arts in the Park, the first Discover the Inlands Festival is Saturday, February 4, 2012 at Barron Park in LaBelle from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with music until 8 p.m. Fill out the vendor form for your booth space TODAY!
South Florida Writers Association Mango Writers Conference 2012 at Miami Dade County Health Department, February 4, 2012, 8am to 5pm.
Poetry of Witness, a day to explore the art and craft of poety led by Dorothy Brooks, will be held at Mother of God House of Prayer in Alva, FL, Saturday, February 11, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (bring a bag lunch) [more]
Famous Author Series at the Davis Art Center in Downtown Fort Myers - Sunday, Feb 12, 2012 - Brad Meltzer
Famous Author Series at the Davis Art Center in Downtown Fort Myers - Tuesday Feb 21, 2012 - James Rollins
Arts of the Inland general meeting, Tuesday, February 21, 6 - 8 pm. [brochure membership application]
Collier County Adult Education is offering classes in Creative Writing and NonFiction Writing beginning Feb 21, 2012 at Baron Collier H.S.
Art/Poems at Big Arts, Sanibel, February 24, 2012, 7:30 pm, Reception 6:45 pm. GCWA participants: Dorothy Brooks, Carol Drummond, Joe Pacheco, Larry Stiles, Lorraine Vail.
The GCWA Beginning Writers’ Workshop is scheduled for February 25, 2012. Contact Ken Feeley to sign up.
Mini Conference - Southwest Florida Romance Writers SUPER SATURDAY. Editors and Agents will be taking pitches. At The Hyatt Place, Coconut Point Mall, Estero, FL, Friday night and Saturday, February 24/25, 2012. [more]
Art/Poems at the Alliance for the Arts, March 1, 2012, 7:30 pm, Reception 6:45 pm.
Prole Laureate competition 2012 for poets is now open. Deadline March 1, 2012.
Famous Author Series at the Davis Art Center in Downtown Fort Myers - Monday, March 12, 2012 - Andrew Gross
Southwest Florida Reading Festival, Saturday, March 17, 2012, 10 am to 4 pm at the Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers. Contact Ken Feeley to sign up for a table. [Press Release]
Silken Sands Writers Conference, Hampton Inn, Pensacol Beach, FL. March 16-18, 2012.
The Theatre Conspiracy New Play Contest, Deadline March 30, 2012.
The Peace River Writers Tea, held the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 1 to 3 pm, has moved to the second floor of the Library at the corner of Gertrude and Aaron Streets in Port Charlotte. [more]
nnouncements
Doug MacGregor has a new job as the Healthcare Coordinator for Lee Memorial Health Systems. Volunteer! [more]
Tim Jacobs is looking for three writers to submit an article, a short story, and very, very short non-fiction book. He is offering a free consultant service in return for filling out a detailed survey. Please email him at jacobs1776@yahoo.com or see him Saturday at the meeting.
Island Coast High School in Cape Coral is looking for writers to talk to creative writing class. [more]
Tim Jacobs needs three people for his new business who have strong skills at story building - enhancing scenes, character building, etc. This will be a paid position. Please email him at jacobs1776@yahoo.com or be sure to get with him Saturday at the meeting.
Jeri Magg spoke at the Ladies Sanibel Storytime and Tea on January 17, 2012.
Ken Feeley is looking for Christian books (childrens books, adult books, self-help, etc.) by local authors for the First Presbyterian Church of Bonita Springs book store, which is open to the public.
Laura Nonemaker will be at Annette's Book Nook on Fort Myers Beach from 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday, January 28 and Ornery Attitude Cafe in Fisherman's Village, Punta Gorda from 1 pm to 3 pm on Satruday, February 4.
Steve Ruediger will be giving two talks on Self Pulishing in the Internet Age at local libraries:
Captiva Memorial Library as part of the annual Cultural Fest, February 1, 2012, at 4:30 p.m.
Sanibel Public Library, March 12, 2012, at 10 a.m.
The GCWA Twentieth Century Classics Reading Group is looking for new members for 2012. [more]
See photos from GCWA Meet the Authors Day at Bell Tower and Alliance for the Arts Walk through the Arts.
The Sanibel Captiva Review Volume V is now available at bookstores and shops on Sanibel. GCWA contributors are Sandra Brown, Henry Heitman, Joe Pacheco, Lorraine Vail, Joseph K. Martin and Little Joe Micale. See book listing here.
GCWA members sold 59 books at Fall for the Arts at Alliance for the Arts in October.
GCWA authors sold 22 books at the Faith Lutheran Book Fair in Lehigh Acres on Sat. November 5, 2011.
Peace River Center for Writers website address has changed to http://www.edison.edu/charlotte/peaceriverwriters/
Read their December newsletter Writing Currents.
November speaker Sid Simon's handouts available on the Lessons Learned page.
Jan Nieman [press release] and Kyle Miller [press release] both won medals at the Florida Publishers Association's President's Book Awards in Sarasota on November 5, 2011.
Lew Knickerbocker's novel of Argentina, The Earth Endures, is now available for your listening and dancing pleasuer - and hopefully purchasing.
Jeri Magg's book Historic Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Tales of Paradise sold more than 20 books at her first book signing. Book Review from Island Sun.
Joe Pacheco was paid tribute by Amy Bennett Williams in the News-Press Tropicalia. [click here and go to the second artist in the article]
Kyle Miller was interviewed, along with Dot Lee and her blind raccoon, Trouper, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 on NBC Channel 2 News at 11:00 a.m. [more] Watch the video here.
Ken Feeley was on the front page The Bonita Banner with a nice article about him inside, Wednesday, September 7, 2011.
Annemarie Blue - small critique group is looking for two new members actively writing toward publication. Contact her at bhakti5@comcast.net.
Dave Hauenstein hosts Listen to the Writer’s Words on Shell Point TV’s audio channel. GCWA members contributing include: Mark Billson, Carol Drummond, Ken Feeley, Hank Heitman, W.C. Highfield, Pat Janda, Martha Jeffers, Russ Miller, Dick Miller, Joseph Martin, Nancy McDowell, Tom Nelson, Jan Nieman, Joe Pacheco, Larry Stiles, Pat Washington, Dave Wilcox, & Chuck Wood. He is looking for your poems, stories, essays, and descriptive pieces. [more]
Several upcoming events at Shell Point are open to the public to be held in the coming months at Shell Point. Contact Teri Kollath for more information.
Paul Holmes from Peace River Writers has set up a Yahoo Newsletter to keep writers in the area current with events. [more]
[See our Good News page for previous announcements about our members.]
We will all miss Little Joe Micale who was killed in a motorcyle accident Saturday, November 26, 2011. News Press article by Dayna Harpster. See our tribute page from GCWA members.
GCWA lost a longtime member in November. Betzi Abram joined GCWA in its first year. [more]
We also lost Harold Hunt, GCWA's 2nd president. [more]
Recent updates to our pages
A tribute page to Little Joe Micale.
The CALENDAR has been updated from December 2011 through November 2012.
Please send any additions to webmaster.
CONTESTS have been updated [November 30, 2011] on the Events page.
NEW MENU - Check the top of the pages on the website for a revised menu. Check it out and let your web master know if it is easier to navigate. We've added members' Prose, Poetry, Books, and Bios to the top level menu.
Check out our members' new contributions on the Prose and Poetry pages. [Updated Nov. 2011] Next we need contributions from script writers. You can now vote and/or comment.
We now have bio's and books posted for 44 members on the website. If you would like to add your books and bio, contact webmaster
Barnes & Noble has sent us their new Acceptance Criteria for placing your books in their store. This link is also listed under Publishing/Distribution and Publishing/Marketing.
Amazon's guidlines for Kindle self publishing can be found here. They are also listed under Publishing/Self Publishing and Publishing/Marketing.
New Contests and Conferences now posted on Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Scriptwriting resource pages, updated Dec. 2011.
Tim Jacobs created a Facebook page for Gulf Coast Writers Association. It is a good way to network. Members can post about their book signings and other good news and comments. Search for the page (Gulf Coast Writers Association Fort Myers) and click “Like.” Direct Link (There is another Gulf Coast Writer's Association in Mississippi - be sure to look for Fort Myers)
PHOTOS - Thanks to Becky Elam, Membership and Denise Holbrook, Photographer we are able to start putting faces to names of New Members. Also check out the photos of Board Members and photos albums of our latest meetings, workshops & events.
Members please send all news, events, etc. for the website to jcloose@looselinks.com
first time guests – free
except workshops & March Awards Meeting