Gold Country Writers, forging better writers!
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Hats Off to the Winners!
On Wednesday, April 29, we celebrated all entries in the 100-Word Story and Poetry Contests and announced the winners.
(All photo credits: Margie Yee Webb.)
2026 GCW Poetry Contest
First Place — “The Stature of an Owl” by Sue McMahon
Second Place — “An Ode to Elephants” by Susan M. Osborn
Third Place — “Winter Lights” by Georgette Unis
Honorable Mention — “Circe” by Catharine Bramkamp
2026 GCW 100-Word Story Contest
First Place — “The Great Escape” by Judith Brooks
Second Place (Tie) — “Overheard” by Mac Daly
Second Place (Tie) — “Night Window” by Gina Calderone
Third Place — “Chasing Squirrels” by Charleta Spinks
(Click on underlined names for Member Biographies.)
Upcoming 3rd Wednesdays
GCW Speaker meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month in the Rose Room at Auburn City Hall. The public is invited to attend free.
May 20 Geri Spieler
“Bringing Journalistic Rigor to Fictional Storytelling”
June 17 James L’Etoile
“The Author’s Toolkit: Building a Successful Book”
Click here for information on regularly scheduled events
May Speaker
Geri Spieler
Wednesday May 20, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Our speaker will be Geri Spieler on “Bringing Journalistic Rigor to Fictional Storytelling”
Former Investigative Journalist Geri Spieler landed an agent and a publisher for her breakthrough book, Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried to Kill President Ford (Diversion Books), based on her extensive and vetted research. Subsequently, she landed an option for a ten-episode TV series based on the book. Geri has written for the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Forbes; and has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, the Associated Press, the BBC, and by Brian Lamb, founder of C-SPAN. For more info, visit https://gerispieler.com/.
June Speaker
James L’Etoile
Wednesday June 17, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Our speaker will be James L’Etoile on “The Author’s Toolkit: Building a Successful Book”
James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His most recent novels are Illusion of Truth in the Detective Emily Hunter Mystery series, and Sins of the Father in the Nathan Parker Detective series. James serves as the Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America. For more info, visit https://jamesletoile.com/.
