California Writers Club, Mt Diablo Branch

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In the Beginning…

By the late 1980s, there were enough writers and would-be writers in the East Bay that the idea of locating a branch of the California Writers Club in Contra Costa County made sense.

Some people were already at work creating what would become the nucleus of a new CWC branch. Berkeley Branch members Bobbie Davis, Shyrle Hacker, and Ted Fuller decided the new branch should be centered in Pleasant Hill. At the same time, Helen McGrath, one of the charter members of the Mount Diablo Branch, remembers starting three different informal writers groups. One met in her home in the evening, one met during the day in various members’ homes, and one met on a Saturday in a restaurant. Meetings often included a speaker as well as a critique of members’ work.

By 1987, the members of these informal groups decided to do the hard work of organizing an official branch. The first organizational meeting was held on January 7, 1987 with seven people in attendance.  The Branch Charter was authorized on June 6, 1987, with 14 people named on the document.  These included:  Beverly Lauderdale, Maureen Biro, Virginia Jones, Helen McGrath, Sheryl Hacker, and Betty Tenney (if anyone knows the names of the other 8 signators, please email us with this information).

Although the charter wasn’t authorized until June, the Contra Costa Times reported that the group was actively seeking members in an article dated March 31, 1987. The article featured president Mary Anne Dolan, as well as the authors who would be speaking at the general meeting—Irma Ruth Walker (Air Force Wives) and Edward F. Dolan, Jr. (no relation to Mary). Sidebar articles described the history of the state-wide California Writers Club and advertised the fifth-grade writing contest for students in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Although the contest was sponsored by the Berkeley Branch, the newly formed Mt. Diablo Branch supported the contest.

From the very beginning, a spirit of generosity and service has been a hallmark of the Mt. Diablo Branch. Members have run workshops for the branch, including Penny Warner and Camille Minichino with their Mystery Writers workshops. Penny also lead an intensive mystery writers workshop at one of the CWC seminars at Asilomar.

Some of the founders of the group are still active members. Two common threads in their stories are being brought to the group by a mentor, and being put to work immediately. Maureen Biro was brought in by Mary Anne Dolan, another charter member. She was also asked to run for office, became Vice President of the club, and served on the board for eight years.

Public Outreach

Aside from the personal outreach of mentors, the club has been heavily involved in public outreach. From 1992 to 2006, the Mount Diablo Branch sponsored an annual event called California Authors Night. Ted Fuller started the event, and for years it was held at the Old Schoolhouse Theater in Pleasant Hill. He hired actors as well as volunteer branch members. Ted and Beverly Lauderdale performed in many productions, but Ted claims that Pat Edwards holds the record with eight performances. It was a great venue—sort of an old time theater for classic authors. The list of authors featured includes Mary Austin, Herb Caen, M.F.K. Fisher, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dashiell Hammett, Jack London, Kathleen Norris, Eugene O’Neill, William Saroyan and Jessamyn West.

Proceeds from California Authors Night supported another branch outreach effort, the Young Writers Contest. Joan Brennan began the contest in 1995. Children’s author Liz Koehler-Pentacoff assumed responsibility for the program in 2006. She manages the contest and an affiliated low-cost writing workshop for area middle-school students. The contest is open to students in both public and private schools. Young writers can enter stories, essays, and poems. The winners are presented with framed certificates and cash prizes at the club’s May banquet meeting.

The club has also sponsored writing contests for adult writers. These contests are open to non-members, as well as members.

Ongoing History

In earlier years, the statewide CWC held a biennial conference at Asilomar. One year the Mount Diablo Branch did the critiquing for the conference and put a note in each manuscript that it would offer critiquing services the following year for a charge. This was done as a fund raiser, since the branch was essentially out of funds. During the following year, branch members critiqued manuscripts in their own genre specialty, and the branch regained solvency.

Mount Diablo Branch members worked hard and decided to reward themselves. Aside from providing critique groups, workshops, and outstanding monthly speakers, the club decided to hold lunch meetings from the very beginning. Virgie Jones, another charter member, remembers exploring a string of restaurants throughout the years. Sometimes the club outgrew the facilities; sometimes competition with other large events crowded out the meetings. This was especially true of meetings held in places that were popular for wedding receptions. Sometimes, however, the club was reminded of the laws of economics. Virgie remembers, “We met in several places that we closed.”

Into the Future

The Mount Diablo Branch began its history with a small group of dedicated writers, but has since grown to over 150 members. True to its own origins, the club has been instrumental in spinning off a thriving writing group further east in the Livermore-Amador Valley. Jack Russ and Susan Tasker spearheaded the effort to found the Tri Valley Writers club. Tri-Valley Writers began in 2005, and was chartered as the California Writers’ Club, Tri Valley Branch, on July 23, 2006.

Our Meeting Schedule

General Meetings and Workshops are held the second Saturday of each month, except July and August.
Beginning September 2022, we will no longer provide “hybrid* meetings. This is subject to changes due to the pandemic or other unforeseen events. *We reserve the right to offer Zoom-only meetings, as necessary.
Meetings will be in person at:
Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant
611 Gregory Lane
Plesant Hill, CA
Our meetings and workshops are open to the public. A buffet lunch is included. See the Meetings/Workshops page to register. 

Our Members' Books

Memories of MK-ULTRA
Memories of MK-ULTRA
Along-Came-Jenny
Along-Came-Jenny
COVER-ProjectEscape_final
COVER-ProjectEscape_final
Jenny-cover-CWC
Jenny-cover-CWC
Anya
Anya
You're in America - Now What?
You're in America - Now What?
Atlas_Peak_a_memoir_Cover_for_Kindle
Atlas_Peak_a_memoir_Cover_for_Kindle
GoodLookinAJoeTurnerMystery_w15103_750-2
GoodLookinAJoeTurnerMystery_w15103_750-2
Somewhere in the Silence
Somewhere in the Silence
jackson-and-buds-bumpy-ride-cover-reduced
jackson-and-buds-bumpy-ride-cover-reduced
ABCs-of-Writing-for-Children-reduced
ABCs-of-Writing-for-Children-reduced
The List
The List
WingsOverNormandy
WingsOverNormandy
Unnatural
Unnatural
Colossus-HOME book cover
Colossus-HOME book cover
Five Plays for Young Audiences
Five Plays for Young Audiences
The Blue Jeans Rebellion
The Blue Jeans Rebellion
The Mona Lisa Sisters
The Mona Lisa Sisters
FDN
FDN
Blood Debt- A Vince Torelli Mystery
Blood Debt- A Vince Torelli Mystery
Granddad's-Garden
Granddad's-Garden
The Scattered Autumn Leaves
The Scattered Autumn Leaves
Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious
Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious
I'll Paint a Sun
I'll Paint a Sun
Forgiving-Day-by-Day
Forgiving-Day-by-Day
Shadow Birds
Shadow Birds
Meet the Principal
Meet the Principal
The Burning Barn
The Burning Barn
Race to Radar
Race to Radar
Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever
Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever
Between Shadows Eyes cover
Between Shadows Eyes
Maracaibo Oil Brat Book Two cover
Maracaibo Oil Brat Book Two
The Fire Trail book cover
The Fire Trail
Inheritance book cover
Inheritance
Confessions of a Middle-Aged Runaway
Confessions of a Middle-Aged Runaway
Rhino in the Room cover
Rhino in the Room
MP
MP
Diplomatic Immunity
Diplomatic Immunity
Retribution
Retribution
Sin Eater
Sin Eater
Dream Me
Dream Me
The House at 758
The House at 758
Going Places
Going Places
Help Your Group Thrive
Help Your Group Thrive
Never Too Late
nevertoolate.png
Rhythms Primeval cover
Rhythms Primeval
Ingalls 43
Ingalls 43
Chronicles of an Occupational Prostitute
Chronicles of an Occupational Prostitute
“Get 10,000+ Twitter Followers—Easily, Quickly, Ethically is one of the best books on building a Twitter audience that I have ever read. I’ll be recommending this must-have guide to our clients for years to come.”
twitter cathy turney
“Get 10,000+ Twitter Followers—Easily, Quickly, Ethically is one of the best books on building a Twitter audience that I have ever read. I’ll be recommending this must-have guide to our clients for years to come.”
you_want_me_to_do_what
you_want_me_to_do_what
worlds_apart
worlds_apart
women health
women health
women health movement
women health movement
what is life
what is life
west winds
west winds
visiting_the_sins
visiting_the_sins
verbally_abusive_relationship1
verbally_abusive_relationship1
uncommon_friendship
uncommon_friendship
theres-more
theres-more
the-missing-kennedy-668x1030
the-missing-kennedy-668x1030
9781602901261-Perfect.indd
9781602901261-Perfect.indd
talent
talent
stained glass
stained glass
soul-of-art-amazon-cover-small
soul-of-art-amazon-cover-small
silk mills
silk mills
shipbuilder
shipbuilder
second opion
second opion
running_with_the_enemy
running_with_the_enemy
rolys_relic
rolys_relic
road_to_california
road_to_california
remember
remember
remember childhood
remember childhood
raconteur
raconteur
quotient_of_murder
quotient_of_murder
powerpoint-talk-projector-file-version-2-002
powerpoint-talk-projector-file-version-2-002
plague_of_scoundrels
plague_of_scoundrels
people-cover-five-star-pub-rev
people-cover-five-star-pub-rev
paper-boat-cover
paper-boat-cover
night_tamales_roses
night_tamales_roses
mermaid
mermaid
meditation_on_woman
meditation_on_woman
margie-hamilton
margie-hamilton
madness_in_miniature
madness_in_miniature
intothemist-500x750
intothemist-500x750
husband
husband
hana_lani
hana_lani
getting_a_winning_verdict
getting_a_winning_verdict
german voices
german voices
fredlandia
fredlandia
fouringarden
fouringarden
fourbears
fourbears
evening sun
evening sun
dream dancing
dream dancing
devotionalwalkforgiveness
devotionalwalkforgiveness
death_by_chenille
death_by_chenille
controlling_people
controlling_people
concubine_sage_book_cover
concubine_sage_book_cover
come_together
come_together
career_savvy
career_savvy
amber dust
amber dust
51lkbgbm3l-_sx311_bo1204203200_
51lkbgbm3l-_sx311_bo1204203200_
51it6kneyll-_sx326_bo1204203200_
51it6kneyll-_sx326_bo1204203200_
stolen identity
stolen identity
sherlock
sherlock
maracaibo_oil_brat_bk1
maracaibo_oil_brat_bk1
lights camera
lights camera
janus
janus
dance_with_the_devil1
dance_with_the_devil1

Join Our Branch


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Or click here to renew your membership.

 

Our Meeting Schedule

General Meetings and Workshops are held the second Saturday of each month, except July and August.
Beginning September 2022, we will no longer provide “hybrid* meetings. This is subject to changes due to the pandemic or other unforeseen events. *We reserve the right to offer Zoom-only meetings, as necessary.
Meetings will be in person at:
Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant
611 Gregory Lane
Plesant Hill, CA
Our meetings and workshops are open to the public. A buffet lunch is included. See the Meetings/Workshops page to register. 

Read the current issue of the Write News

The Write News June 2022

The Write News 2022_06_JuneDownload

The Back Fence: Our Members-Only Facebook Group

 

Members’ Books

Memories of MK-ULTRA
Memories of MK-ULTRA
Along-Came-Jenny
Along-Came-Jenny
COVER-ProjectEscape_final
COVER-ProjectEscape_final
Jenny-cover-CWC
Jenny-cover-CWC
Anya
Anya
You're in America - Now What?
You're in America - Now What?
Atlas_Peak_a_memoir_Cover_for_Kindle
Atlas_Peak_a_memoir_Cover_for_Kindle
GoodLookinAJoeTurnerMystery_w15103_750-2
GoodLookinAJoeTurnerMystery_w15103_750-2
Somewhere in the Silence
Somewhere in the Silence
jackson-and-buds-bumpy-ride-cover-reduced
jackson-and-buds-bumpy-ride-cover-reduced
ABCs-of-Writing-for-Children-reduced
ABCs-of-Writing-for-Children-reduced
The List
The List
WingsOverNormandy
WingsOverNormandy
Unnatural
Unnatural
Colossus-HOME book cover
Colossus-HOME book cover
Five Plays for Young Audiences
Five Plays for Young Audiences
The Blue Jeans Rebellion
The Blue Jeans Rebellion
The Mona Lisa Sisters
The Mona Lisa Sisters
FDN
FDN
Blood Debt- A Vince Torelli Mystery
Blood Debt- A Vince Torelli Mystery
Granddad's-Garden
Granddad's-Garden
The Scattered Autumn Leaves
The Scattered Autumn Leaves
Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious
Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious
I'll Paint a Sun
I'll Paint a Sun
Forgiving-Day-by-Day
Forgiving-Day-by-Day
Shadow Birds
Shadow Birds
Meet the Principal
Meet the Principal
The Burning Barn
The Burning Barn
Race to Radar
Race to Radar
Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever
Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever
Between Shadows Eyes cover
Between Shadows Eyes
Maracaibo Oil Brat Book Two cover
Maracaibo Oil Brat Book Two
The Fire Trail book cover
The Fire Trail
Inheritance book cover
Inheritance
Confessions of a Middle-Aged Runaway
Confessions of a Middle-Aged Runaway
Rhino in the Room cover
Rhino in the Room
MP
MP
Diplomatic Immunity
Diplomatic Immunity
Retribution
Retribution
Sin Eater
Sin Eater
Dream Me
Dream Me
The House at 758
The House at 758
Going Places
Going Places
Help Your Group Thrive
Help Your Group Thrive
Never Too Late
nevertoolate.png
Rhythms Primeval cover
Rhythms Primeval
Ingalls 43
Ingalls 43
Chronicles of an Occupational Prostitute
Chronicles of an Occupational Prostitute
“Get 10,000+ Twitter Followers—Easily, Quickly, Ethically is one of the best books on building a Twitter audience that I have ever read. I’ll be recommending this must-have guide to our clients for years to come.”
twitter cathy turney
“Get 10,000+ Twitter Followers—Easily, Quickly, Ethically is one of the best books on building a Twitter audience that I have ever read. I’ll be recommending this must-have guide to our clients for years to come.”
you_want_me_to_do_what
you_want_me_to_do_what
worlds_apart
worlds_apart
women health
women health
women health movement
women health movement
what is life
what is life
west winds
west winds
visiting_the_sins
visiting_the_sins
verbally_abusive_relationship1
verbally_abusive_relationship1
uncommon_friendship
uncommon_friendship
theres-more
theres-more
the-missing-kennedy-668x1030
the-missing-kennedy-668x1030
9781602901261-Perfect.indd
9781602901261-Perfect.indd
talent
talent
stained glass
stained glass
soul-of-art-amazon-cover-small
soul-of-art-amazon-cover-small
silk mills
silk mills
shipbuilder
shipbuilder
second opion
second opion
running_with_the_enemy
running_with_the_enemy
rolys_relic
rolys_relic
road_to_california
road_to_california
remember
remember
remember childhood
remember childhood
raconteur
raconteur
quotient_of_murder
quotient_of_murder
powerpoint-talk-projector-file-version-2-002
powerpoint-talk-projector-file-version-2-002
plague_of_scoundrels
plague_of_scoundrels
people-cover-five-star-pub-rev
people-cover-five-star-pub-rev
paper-boat-cover
paper-boat-cover
night_tamales_roses
night_tamales_roses
mermaid
mermaid
meditation_on_woman
meditation_on_woman
margie-hamilton
margie-hamilton
madness_in_miniature
madness_in_miniature
intothemist-500x750
intothemist-500x750
husband
husband
hana_lani
hana_lani
getting_a_winning_verdict
getting_a_winning_verdict
german voices
german voices
fredlandia
fredlandia
fouringarden
fouringarden
fourbears
fourbears
evening sun
evening sun
dream dancing
dream dancing
devotionalwalkforgiveness
devotionalwalkforgiveness
death_by_chenille
death_by_chenille
controlling_people
controlling_people
concubine_sage_book_cover
concubine_sage_book_cover
come_together
come_together
career_savvy
career_savvy
amber dust
amber dust
51lkbgbm3l-_sx311_bo1204203200_
51lkbgbm3l-_sx311_bo1204203200_
51it6kneyll-_sx326_bo1204203200_
51it6kneyll-_sx326_bo1204203200_
stolen identity
stolen identity
sherlock
sherlock
maracaibo_oil_brat_bk1
maracaibo_oil_brat_bk1
lights camera
lights camera
janus
janus
dance_with_the_devil1
dance_with_the_devil1

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