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Members who wish to submit a blog entry should send it to sandiegowriterseditorsguild@gmail.com. A review committee will consider each submission for membership interest and may suggest edits before publishing the submission to the blog. For more information, see Blog or Be Blogged.

  • 18 Jan 2023 3:42 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The 37th Annual SCWC is set for Presidents’ Day Weekend and what a weekend it will be with workshops, panels, speakers, a novel boot camp tract, late night read and critiques, and so much more. Join the whole lively community of writers, best-selling authors, agents and editors.

    February 17-19 at Marriott Mission Valley in San Diego

    https://writersconference.com/sd/

    Discounted pre-registration now open.

  • 18 Jan 2023 3:24 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    Wild Atlantic Writers is just one of many writers groups offering conferences, retreats, and contests that ask the Guild to publicize their programs. And since it's entirely possible that one of our members may win, we're happy to let you know about this opportunity.

    As with all Wild Atlantic Writers competitions, there will be two separate categories - flash fiction and creative nonfiction, which can include travel, memoir, journalism or an essay.

    Deadline for submissions: Friday, March 31, 2023.

    As you write your story, remember to keep in mind these important guidelines:

    • the maximum length of your story should be 500 words, not including the title (please be mindful of this requirement, even one word over the limit can disqualify your entry);

    • judges should be left in no doubt that the core theme in your story is linked to ‘hope;’

    • you can only use the word ‘hope’ once - either in the body of your story or in your story title;

    • multiple entries accepted.

    PRIZE

    The winner for each of the two categories will receive 500 euro in cash, or a voucher worth 1,000 euro redeemable towards any one of their retreats of your choice this year. [SDWEG note: The retreats are in Europe.]

    And more.

    With the writer’s permission, the top ten stories in each category will be published on the ‘Ireland Writing Retreat’ website, with a short bio and photograph of the writer. Writers retain all copyrights to their work.

    See full details about WAWA Hope competition HERE.

  • 13 Jan 2023 3:01 PM | Lisa Hagerman (Administrator)

    SDWEG member KC Grifant is thrilled to share the release of her debut supernatural Western novel, MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER (Feb 2023, Brigids Gate Press). Kindle pre-order now available! Book releases on February 3, 2023.

    KC Grifant will be reading from her novel at the Strong Women, Strange Worlds First Friday Quick Reads on February 3 at noon ET. Registration is free. Visit  https://strongwomenstrangeworlds.weebly.com to register.



    When monsters roam the Old West, there is one gunslinging couple who can tilt the odds in favor of humanity. Stoic sharpshooter Melinda and her easygoing partner Lance are expert monster exterminators, but when they accidentally release a demon that steals souls, they find themselves caught in a supernatural war. They must battle a menagerie of monsters and hunt a notorious outlaw to save their friends and stop hell on Earth. Supernatural meets Bonnie & Clyde in an epic adventure that the Library Journal calls “wildly entertaining” and a “massive crowd pleaser.”

    More info about the book and KC: https://scifiwri.com/publications/melinda-west-monster-gunslinger/



  • 4 Jan 2023 3:12 PM | Lisa Hagerman (Administrator)


    Call for Entries: 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

    If you would like to receive greater recognition, monetary prizes, awards and exposure for your books, here is an opportunity not to miss. Enter the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

    Calling all indie book authors and publishers - including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors who have a book written in English released in 2021, 2022 or 2023 or with a 2021, 2022 or 2023 copyright date to enter the most rewarding book awards program.

    Offering 80+ Categories - More than 80 Awards – with over 80 monetary prizes totaling over $10,000 in cash, including $1,500 cash prizes plus trophies for best fiction book and best non-fiction book, $750 cash prizes plus trophies for second best fiction book and non-fiction book and $500 cash prizes plus trophies for third best fiction book and non-fiction book!

    Entry deadline for the 2023 awards program – February 10, 2023.

    For more information, please visit indiebookawards.com .

    (This program is not affiliated with the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild.)

  • 3 Jan 2023 3:41 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Volunteers are the lifeblood of any nonprofit organization. This is certainly true for San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. We are able to provide benefits such as the Manuscript Review Program, the Guilded Pen Anthology, representing  the Guild and our members at Festival events, and much more because of the large number of members who volunteer.

    In 2023, the Guild plans to  take part in the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) program to recognize members who volunteer significant numbers of hours on the Guild's behalf. PVSA was established in 2003 by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to recognize the important role of volunteers in America's strngth and national identity.  

    The PVSA has continued under each administration. To participate, organizations that rely on volunteers must become Certifying Organizations to use the program to recognize their most exceptional volunteers.

    In December of 2022, the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild became a Certifying Organization for PVSA through demonstrating it meets all the organizational eligibility requirements. SDWEG must recertify each year to ensure those administering the program understand both the organization’s responsibilities and the eligibility requirements of volunteers.

    To be eligible to receive PVSA recognition, volunteers must be US citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States, be at least five years old, and complete eligible service within a 12-month period for Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. The number of hours of service required at each of those levels depends upon the age of the individual. The chart below indicates the levels for each annual level.

    Hours Required to Earn Awards in Each Age Group:
    Age Group Bronze Silver Gold
    Kids (5-10 years old) 26-49 hours 50-74 hours 75+ hours
    Teens (11-15) 40-74 hours 75-99 hours 100+ hours
    Young Adults (16-25) 100-174 hours 175-249 hours 250+ hours
    Adults (26+) 100-249 hours 250-499 hours 500+ hours

    Certifying organizations may choose from options to provide recognition to volunteers. The options include an official President’s Volunteer Service Award pin, coin, or medallion; a personalized certificate of achievement and letter signed by the president; or a complete package including both elements of the award. The Guild, like all certifying organizations, must pay for the cost of the awards and not transfer the cost to recipients.

    The Guild hopes that implementing the program early in 2023 will permit us to make the first awards to our member volunteers at the end of 2023. The program runs for any 12-month period. For this reason, it’s important for volunteers to keep track of the hours they volunteer in any capacity for the Guild with the date to confirm the hours were offered within twelve months.

    If you would like to be considered for recognition through the PVSA program in 2023, please send a message to sdweg.pvsa@gmail.com. Until another program administrator is recruited, Sandra Yeaman will monitor this email account and will provide access to a Google Document for each participating member to use to track volunteer hours.

    In the first year of the program, we will request quarterly updates of member volunteers’ activities from those who do not choose to use the Google Docs spreadsheet, to determine if refining the program administration is needed.

    We look forward to recognizing all our member volunteers since we cannot continue or expand our programming without member volunteer support.


  • 29 Dec 2022 4:35 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    In-person get-together opportunities Continue IN 2024.

    Mardie Schroeder is continuing her third-Tuesday-of-the-month lunches this month, February 20, and next, March 19, at 1 p.m. Mardie organizes a place to meet at a central location with plenty of parking for up to ten Guild members. Mardie arranges for us to sit outside, undisturbed by noise and appropriately distanced from other diners. 

    If you wish to join Mardie, send a message to mardiewho@yahoo.com. Be sure to include your cell phone number in your response so Mardie can text you the location of the lunch.

  • 29 Dec 2022 4:01 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Each month the Masters Review* summarizes contests and prizes with deadlines in that month on their website. The majority of the contests they list have low entry fees. Some are free.

    For a look at contests with submission deadlines in January, check out this link.

    The Masters Review own Winter Short Story Contest submission deadline is also in January, on January 31. For details on the contest and the prizes offered, see their website here. Only emerging writers are eligible to enter. Winners and runners-up receive agent reviews. 

    *(from The Masters Review website): Always a free way to submit. Always paid for your work. The Masters Review offers a quality platform for emerging writers. 

    Founded by Kim Winternheimer in 2011, the Masters Review is an online and in print publication celebrating new and emerging writers. We are on the lookout for the best new talent with hopes of publishing stories from writers who will continue to produce great work. We offer critical essays, book reviews by debut authors, contest deadlines, submissions info, and interviews with established authors, all with the hopes of bridging the gap between new and established writers.

  • 17 Dec 2022 9:02 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Keeping members informed of upcoming events as well as opportunities around the region is a top priority for the Board of Directors. Because the talents of the Board change with the coming and going of Directors each year, we recently polled members to learn what messages they rely on. We knew we needed to make some adjustments as incoming Board members didn't all have the same available time to devote as was possible this year.

    Here's our new plan for 2023 which we believe we can both accomplish with the talents and time availability of our new Board at the same time as ensuring members are informed of what is coming up.

    • We will continue sending our monthly newsletter which usually arrives the second week of the month.
    • We will cut back the Friday roundup messages to twice a month: the first and third Fridays will be our targets. When there are five Fridays in a month, we will consider whether we need to send out a message if the timing of events requires.
    • Notifications of upcoming events will be sent only twice instead of three times—21 days and 7 days ahead of each event.
    • One confirmation message, with Zoom details if necessary, will be sent immediately after someone registers.
    • Reminders of upcoming events will be sent to those who register to attend only twice instead of three times—10 days and 1 day ahead of the event. Both of the reminders will also include Zoom details if the meeting will be held online.

    We also will cut down on the amount of information that is repeated in our email messages. Since every member and subscriber will receive at least two messages about upcoming events, the only other place events will be highlighted is in the newsletter.

    Events will continued to be listed on the website where both members and nonmembers will be able to see details of all upcoming meetings and workshops at any time.

  • 15 Dec 2022 6:48 PM | Andrea Glass (Administrator)


    MEMBER PROFILE

    Richard Lederer

    www.verbivore.com

    https://www.facebook.com/RichardLederer?mibextid=ZbWKwL

    Amazon: tinyurl.com/bden3xv9

    What aspect of editing or writing are you involved in?

    Writing and, having recently switched to hybrid self-publishing, a greater share of editing.

    What first attracted you to writing/editing?

    I’ve always loved to write and was editor of my junior high literary magazine and my high school newspaper. In college, it became clear to me that I was placed on this planet to do that. Long ago, I blew up the distance between who I am and what I do.

    How long have you been writing/editing?

    A mere 70 years.

    As a writer, what kind of books do you write? Any published? How about short stories?

    I’ve written and published 60 books, most of them about language, including nine children’s books and a number of topics, such as doggies, kitties, teachers, aging, and American history, that are not about language. A writer seeks to discover what kind of writing calls to him or her. Early on, I discovered that I sucked at creating fiction but adored explaining everything about the human adventure, especially language. I’ve worked unstintingly to get better at the craft with each book

    What are you working on now either writing or editing?

    I’ve just published my 60th (and funniest) book, Lederer’s Language & Laughter. That title feels like the last book that I’ll publish, but I’ll continue to get an F in Retirement because I’ll still write columns (for example, in the Union-Tribune) and magazine articles (for example, the Mensa Bulletin) until I can’t.

    How long have you been a member of SDWEG and why did you join?

    A life member for about 25 years. To be part of a community of writers.

    What’s something unique or special about you, that you’d like others to know?

    I am a quintessential extrovert. I adore people, and that makes me a better writer about language, which distinguishes us from the other creatures on this astonishing planet.

    What request might you have of other members?

    I write to be read and perform to be seen and heard. I am honored to share those talents with my fellow writers and editors.


  • 7 Dec 2022 9:48 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The 28th Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea is just around the corner.

    The Symposium by the Sea will be extra special this year, featuring Pulitzer-winning writers William Finnegan, Anthony Doerr, Maria Hinojosa, and N. Scott Momaday. San Diego Writers Festival organizers had the pleasure of talking with Dean Nelson, Ph. D., director of the Journalism Program at Point Loma Nazarene University and the director of the Writer's Symposium by the Sea, to learn about this year's show!

    SD Writers Festival — Five-Question Interview

    1) When did the Symposium begin? What led to you saying, "Hey, I think I want to do this!"

    When I was in grad school at Ohio University, the school had a week where they brought back significant writers, journalists, and filmmakers. So I wanted to try to do something similar. The first year, 1995, we brought in local writers to talk about craft. But what really launched the format we use now, where I interview the writer, was when I asked local writer Joseph Wambaugh to come give a talk. He said no, but then said he would come if someone just wanted to ask him questions. That event was such a success that I thought we had landed on a formula that could work from year to year. Thanks, Joe! All of the interviews have been recorded and televised by UCSD-TV, and they've been viewed more than five million times.

    2) Can you tell us a little about this year's program; Who are your guests?

    This year every one of our writers has won a Pulitzer Prize.

    Anthony Doerr, whose book All The Light We Cannot See is one of the most highly praised books in recent history. It is being made into an HBO series. Personally, I think his most recent book, Cloud Cuckoo Land, is even more stunning.

    Bill Finnegan is a long-time writer for the New Yorker, and his book Barbarian Days is about surfing. We have a built-in audience right there!

    Maria Hinojosa can do everything. Her work on NPR's Latino USA is brilliant, and so is her podcast Suave (which won the Pulitzer this year), and so is her reporting about the border and immigration. Plus, she's an entrepreneur, plus she's written books that are quite moving.

    N. Scott Momaday is one of the most celebrated Native American writers in the U.S. I started reading his work when I was in high school. He's still a phenomenal storyteller, and his stories about our connection to our land and heritage are more poignant now than ever.

    Can you tell how stoked I am about these writers?

    3) What makes you most excited about this program?

    I love engaging writers in discussions about craft. These aren't readings — they're in-depth conversations about their work and the importance of storytelling. I love it when audiences leave these events inspired to become storytellers themselves. And I PROMISE you that you'll be inspired as writers. That's what gets me excited. Plus, they're all really interesting people. You'll see a side to them that you don't necessarily get in the curated settings.

    4) Can you share a little bit of the behind the scenes; How do you approach and create each year's program?

    First of all, I approach each writer with an invitation that shows them how this Symposium is different from most writers' conferences and workshops. Each event is a celebration in storytelling. I prepare by trying to read every book the writer has written, in the order the books appeared, so I can get a sense of that writer's evolution. I look for big themes and insights. What we'll be celebrating at our next Symposium is creativity, heritage, diversity, and STORIES!

    5) Do you have any tips on how to best enjoy the Symposium? (When to arrive, places to eat, or any other tips?)

    The PLNU campus is so beautiful. There are many open spaces, such as our Greek Amphitheater, where you can come in the late afternoon, have a picnic, and watch the sun set over the ocean. Or you can just walk the campus and enjoy the scenery and our friendly students. Several writers groups come in the afternoon and have their meeting here, then go to the interview together. Parking is always an issue, so I recommend being on campus by 6, which is when the auditorium doors open. We have special music for each of the nights, so when you come early, you get the additional benefit of hearing great music.

    Dates for the event are Monday, February 20-Friday, February 24, 2023.

    Tickets are on sale at https://www.pointloma.edu/events/28th-annual-writers-symposium-sea

    Dr. Dean Nelson is a past Odin Award recipient and a long-time members of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild.


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