Writers of the Mendocino Coast
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  • 2025 Anthology Submission Info

Workshop July 13th
​

at the beautiful Stanford Inn in Mendocino 

2:00-3:30, a
rrive early for visiting, libations and snacks!

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Rob Hawthorn
​


"Writing an Effective Ghost Story"


For fiction or non-fiction, if you have a ghostly character in your romance, a haunted house in your scary tale, or a long passed relative in that very unique memoir, Rob Hawthorn will give techniques on how to make the things that go bump in the night, jump out in your writing.


During our July 13th meeting we’ll vote for 2025-26 WMC Board Executive Officers. Proposed Slate of Officers are as follows:

Nona Smith and Leslie Wahlquist—co-Presidents
Catherine Marshall—Vice President
Norma Watkins—Secretary
Ginny Rorby—Treasurer”

The Writers of the Mendocino Coast held its first-ever creative writing contest at Mendocino College. The awards went to Mendocino College students Sophia Meyers, Michael Grady, and Kersten Tanner. The recipients attended the WMC annual member appreciation meeting, held at Cucina Verona in Fort Bragg. A great time was had by all.
​

Read full article here
​
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From left: None Smith, Michael Grady, Kailyn McCord, Vincent Poturica, Sophia Meyers, Molly Dwyer, Kersten Tanner

The 2026 Anthology is open for submissions from WMC members.

The theme is Seaworthy. (This can be interpreted loosely.) 
Prose/Poetry submission dates:  June 1 through August 30 (midnight). 
Photo/Cover art deadline: September 15 (midnight). 


Submission requirements are available HERE.

THANK YOU
to the
Noyo Harbor Inn Bistro
​

for supporting our club. Their generous donation goes directly toward next year’s 2026 creative writing awards. And to all our members who dined out at the Bistro on June 12th, a big thank you as well.

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Write to Inspire an Artist, or Let an Artist Inspire your Writing

Mark your calendars for October 11, when a Second Saturday party at the Co-op will celebrate the display, and October 12, when writers will read their work accompanied by slides of the art at the monthly meeting of the Writers of the Mendocino Coast.

Members, Please check your Member Bio​, above.
​If you aren’t there or up-to-date, please send a brief bio (50 words) and a headshot to [email protected]

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artwork by Janis Porter
Join our meeting live on the Facebook page!
People who cannot attend will be able to tune in. Please Log into Facebook to Like and Follow
We are also on Instagram! @writersofthemendocinocoast

It’s time for Membership Renewal

And there’s a special bonus this year. WMC Board of Directors is offering an incentive. Every renewal fee of $45.00 received (or postmarked) before July 31st will be entered in a drawing for a free one-year membership. The lucky winner will be drawn at our August meeting.
​

Make your check payable to Writers of the Mendocino Coast, mailed to Treasurer WMC, PO Box 762, Fort Bragg, CA 95437, or pay at the meeting July 13th

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Check out the exciting news for 2025 Mendocino Coast Writers Conference! for information: mcwc.org
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Creative Writing at the
​Fort Bragg Library

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Check out ongoing Creative Writing Courses at
Mendocino College
​

​For more classes, check out the searchable online class schedule; to register, stop by the Coast Center Campus, or apply online.

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POETRY AT THE COBALT
Every second Sunday year round 5-7 pm
THIS IS AN INVITATION TO ALL POETS, WRITERS, READERS, AND LOVERS OF LITERATURE, YOUNG, OLD, IN BETWEEN, KNOWN, UNKNOWN, SUBMERGED, EMERGED AND EMERGING:
Rhyming, free verse, expensive or expansive verse, reverses, metered, learned, unlearned, experimental—all varieties, styles and non-styles are welcome.
430 North Main Street in Fort Bragg

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​Michelle Blackwell, host, encourages members to listen to the most recent podcasts featuring Jean Hegland, Kim Bancroft, Tansy Chapman, Laura Marie Censabella and Maureen Eppstein. New episodes aired quarterly.

  Point Arena Third Thursday Poetry & Jazz
​
7pm
THINK VISUAL
240 Main Street
Downtown Point Arena, CA 
Bring something to sit on, something to eat and/or drink,
your words, music and ears!!

Rhythm Running River (Poetry) on KZYX&Z 1st and 3rd Sundays
 3-5 p.m.
    Dan Roberts: [email protected]

​Cartwheels on the Sky ~ Poets, Poems & Discovery
Saturdays 7-7:30 KGUA - FM Gualala

FORT BRAGG LIBRARY
First Thursdays Open Mic 6-8 p.m.
    Dan Hess: [email protected]

UKIAH LIBRARY
Loba Poetry Series
Open Mic for teen & adults, Third Saturdays 3 p.m.
      Melissa Carr: [email protected]

Writers Reading Ukiah 
     Last Thursday, 7 p.m Reading, 8 p.m. Open Mic
    Poetry, Spoken Word, Short Stories, Songs & Expository Prose.

LOBA POETRY SERIES at Ukiah Branch Library
Reading and Open Mic
Second Saturdays, 3 pm

Linda Noel & Theresa Whitehill
MENDOCINO POETRY SERIES
Last Saturday of the month, 4 to 6 pm
Barth Studio at the Mendocino Art Center
45200 Little Lake Street, Mendocino
email Devreaux Baker, 
[email protected], for more info

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Listen now to our members read their one-minute plays!



i am from the ocean by windflower Townley

I Could Not Stop for Covid  by Holly Tannen
Something New &
Murder She Wrote by Philip Zwerling


M E M B E R   N E W S

​Do you have newly published writing? Have you received a nomination, award or other notable exposure? Send a short announcement and we’ll add it to the website to help spread the word!  [email protected]

Welcome to our new members!
​

Welcome to the New Members who have joined our branch during recent months.
Please welcome them when you have the opportunity.
Let them know we are happy they’ve chosen to join WMC!


Bethany Yim, Logan Silva,
Kristan Larsen, Kelly Barlett, Chris Hougie, Joan Stanford, and Tom Fantulin

MEMBERSHIP
See information on the Membership page.


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A wonderful poetry event was held on Saturday, June 28th at the Mendocino Art Center – congratulations to all our WMC members with poems in the book!
Earlene Gleisner, Karen Lewis, Joan Stanford, Lynne Kieswetter, Priscilla Comen, Elizabeth Vrenios, Karin Uphoff, Naty Osa, Leslie Wahlquist, Robyn Koski, Patty Joslyn, Maureen Epstein, Ericka Lutz, windflower, Holly Tannen, Katy Pye, Marylyn Motherbear Scott, Michelle Blackwell, Susan Lundgren, Sally Carter, Chrissy Sullivan, C. Rowen Hawthorn, Nancy Wallace Nelson, Kristan Larsen, Joycelyn Trigg, and blake more.

Kailyn McCord's latest very personal essay, "Why Was I Ashamed of the Bulge in my Vagina?" is out with The Cut at New York Magazine.

Check it out (no really, go ahead, she wants you to).
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Congratulations to WMC member, Notty Bumbo—a poet, writer, and artist living in Fort Bragg, California. His work has appeared in a number of small journals and presses and he’s published recently in Audactiy Magazine!! Living with multiple congenital disabilities and chronic pain, Notty writes with razor-sharp clarity and unflinching honesty. His work challenges sanitized narratives about disability and insists on telling the truths most people would rather ignore. Audacity Magazine is an on-line publication serving people with disabilities, with art and writing by disabled artists and authors.


Annual dues must be received by September 30th.
​If not, the California Writer’s Club headquarters will remove your name and require re-enrollment with the full amount of $65.00.

Member Audrey Wells’s ten-minute play has been accepted by the 18th Annual Festival of New Plays presented by Mendocino College in Ukiah! The two-person comedy “Post Toast” appeared in May.
​

Congratulations, Audrey!!

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The 2025 Anthology will be available at member meetings. All members receive one complimentary book and additional books are $12.00. If you need them mailed, contact Elizabeth Vrenios at [email protected]”

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WMC member Kailyn McCord's latest, "Kill an Urchin, Save a Sea" is out this week. In it, she goes deep (about forty feet), covering Caspar Cove, the invasive purple urchin, and the fight for the North Coast's bull kelp restoration. Check it out online, or in the most recent print issue of Alta Journal, available by subscription or in some bookstores.

​CWC’s Vision & Verse: A Fusion of Art, Photography, Prose and Poetry is now available on Amazon.
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Membership renewal begins on July 1. Those members who renew during the month of July will be entered into a raffle for a year’s free membership to the Writers of the Mendocino Coast.  Membership cost for returning members is $45. Make your check payable to WMC and mail it to P.O. Box 762, Ft. Bragg, CA 95437

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KELLEY HOUSE CALENDAR
Call for Writers
There are so many stories yet to tell, and they welcome your voice. Articles are 400 to 700 words and can be paired with photos or illustrations usually discovered in their database of 10,000 images. Call the Kelley House curator, Karen McGrath, at 707/937-5791 or email her at [email protected].


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Give yourself permission to write
at least 3-minutes a month by joining The WMC Prompt Group. Instructions and three to four topics are delivered to your email address by moderator, Earlene Gleisner, a self-confessed Prompt Geek. The goal is to inspire and create, while supporting each other. Send your name, phone number, and email to [email protected].


Writing Opportunities for Members!
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To reserve your online invitation, contact cwc-berkeley.org




The San Quaquin Valley chapter of the California Writers Club has invited us to take part in their August 2025 publication of the Bulletin. See Below!!

Dear CWC Member,
In preparation for the August 2025 Bulletin, a publication of the San Joaquin Valley Writers Club, we would love to hear from you about any of the following for the section Members' Highlights:
1. recent publication(s)
2. honors and awards received
3. other major professional achievements
The time period should span from April 2025 to August 2025. 
Submissions should be NO MORE than 50 words and use the following format that includes your branch affiliation. Send your Members' Highlights submission to [email protected]. Absolute strict deadline, July 15.

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The California Writers Club is excited to announce we will accepting submissions for poems and short prose to appear in Vision & Verse II: a Fusion of Poetry, Prose, Art, and Photography. 
For Submission and Guideline Details click on:
GO TO CWC WEBSITE

NEWS FROM THE BOARD

Want to Volunteer?
contact [email protected]
NEW THREE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN
The Writers Club is Reaching Out with all sorts of ideas for
future programs. Check it out in our Strategic Plan 2024-2027, available for download below, or on the About section of the main menu.
wmc_strategic_plan_2024-27-updated_jan2025.docx
File Size: 16 kb
File Type: docx
Download File


Questions? contact: [email protected]
WMC, P O Box 762, Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Do you have a topic on the craft of writing to teach at an upcoming meeting for forty-five minutes?
​Contact
[email protected]

The CWC website includes a calendar of monthly meetings for all state branches. Any of our members can attend the meetings of any other branch for free or for the same fee as their membership pays. To view their meeting topics (many are still on Zoom), click on https://calwriters.org/events/.

WELCOME TO THE 
CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB

 - ​FOUNDED in 1909 -
The Mendocino Coast branch is proud to share in this legacy. Our intention is to expand the network
​and provide publishing opportunities for writers.​

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MENDOCINO WRITERS MEET 
The THIRD SUNDAY of the month


The CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB is a 501(c) (6) educational nonprofit dedicated to educating members and the public-at-large in the craft of writing and in the marketing of their work.

California Writers Club: https://calwriters.org/

California Writers Club calendar for other branch's events:
https://calwriters.org/events-month

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Email 
[email protected]
Your email address will never be shared or sold. 


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