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Past Events

April Speaker
Donna Levin

Wednesday, April 16, 2025 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 noon

Donna Levin gave her talk — “DIALOGUE: the rules, the revelations, and the room to experiment” — to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Donna is the author of five acclaimed novels: Extraordinary Means, California Street, There’s More Than One Way Home, He Could Be Another Bill Gates, and The Talking Stick; and of two books on the craft of writing: Get That Novel Started and Get That Novel Written. She is a longtime facilitator of fiction-writing workshops, and a frequent speaker at conferences. Her work is included in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University and in the California State Library’s collection of California novels. For more info, visit: https://www.donnalevin.com/.

You can view Donna Levin’s talk from April 16, 2025 on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Donna Levin Dialogue – YouTube

March Speakers
Sarah Michie Pressler & Susan M. Osborn

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 noon

Susan M. Osborn and Sarah Michie Pressler gave their workshop talk — “Lettuce Laugh – Adding Humor to Your Writing” — to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Susan M. Osborn, Ph.D., M.S.W., is the creative nonfiction author of The Awful Bosses Coloring Book. It contains 26 limericks. Susan is having fun writing a book about coincidences. Sarah Michie Pressler is the author of Jambo Mama and The Little Askari, both about the thrills of growing up in Kenya. Sarah is writing a book about a favorite time in her life, childhood.

You can view Susan M. Osborn and Sarah Michie Pressler’s workshop talk on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Lettuce Laugh! – YouTube

February Speaker
Rina Wakefield

Wednesday, February 19, 2025 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 noon

[Due to unforeseeable events, our February Speaker was unable to join us.]

Our scheduled speaker was Rina Wakefield on the topic of “Intertwining the Oral Tradition with Spoken Word Poetry Performance.”

Rina Wakefield is a Spoken Word Poet. As a cultural and literary event producer, she facilitates and hosts poetry events for her community, including one that featured California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick. Rina has been a featured performer at numerous events, including the El Dorado County’s Poet Laureate program and Placerville’s International Human Rights Day celebration. She has been published in literary journals, including Lantern Magazine and Coalesce. She was also published in Arts and Culture El Dorado’s chapbook Poets of the Firehouse Sessions (2023). Currently, she is working on a prose poetry chapbook.

For more information: https://www.rinawrites.com/

January Speaker
Randy Landenberger

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Our speaker was Randy Landenberger on “Turning Your Story into an Audiobook: Here’s the Reality.” Randy is an audio engineer and author. Doing business as Randco Studio, Randy has a home recording studio for audiobook narration, voice-over work, and music. Writing under the pen name Randy L Scott, he is a master of psychological suspense with each book revealing many intricate layers. He has written a trilogy of psychological action-adventure-drama novels entitled “The Dream Messiah.” The three books are entitled “Freedom,” “Into the Fire,” and “Awaken.”

For more information: https://www.randco.me/

You can view Randy Landenberger’s talk from January 15, 2025 on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Randy Landenberger – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Dänna Wilberg
November 20, 2024

Our speaker was Dänna Wilberg. Her topic was “How Script Writing Can Enhance Your Novel Writing Experience.” Dänna has written, produced, and directed multiple award-winning short films. She produced and hosted TV programs in Sacramento for over a decade and was one of the first people inducted into Access Sacramento’s “A Place Called Sacramento” Hall of Fame. She is the author of a romantic-suspense trilogy — The Red Chair, The Grey Door, and The Black Dress; and a paranormal-suspense series “Borrowed Time” — Book 1 – Broken Promises, Book 2 – Missing, and Book 3 – Mind Game.
www.dannawilberg.com/

You can view Dänna ‘s talk from November 20, 2024, on Auburn Community TV here:
Dänna Wilberg – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – EJ DeBrun
September 18, 2024

Our speaker was EJ DeBrun. Her subject was “THE PRINCIPLES OF NARRATIVE BELIEVABILITY: How to Make Your Fiction Realer Than Real.” EJ is a former animator with a Master’s degree in Animation from Savannah College of Art and Design. During her time in the film and television industry, she had worked with many veteran industry professionals — including at Nickelodeon Studios and Lucasfilms Animation Studios. She now uses her creative experience to write fiction in the science fiction and fantasy genre. She is also an independent developmental editor. For more info, visit www.ejdebrun.com and www.cn-editing.com.

You can viewEJ DeBrun’s talk from September 18, 2024 on Auburn Community TV here:
EJ DeBrun – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Karen Phillips
July 17, 2024

Our speaker was Karen Phillips. Her subject was “It’s All in the Presentation — Cover Design and Book Formatting.” Karen Phillips is the author of A Deadly Combo (Book 1) and the upcoming A Deadly Match (Book 2) in the Rocky Nelson Boxing Mystery Series. As a graphic designer with a degree in Applied Art & Design from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she is passionate about book covers and has worked freelance for many indie authors and small publishers. Her cover design business is Phillips Covers. https://phillipscovers.com/

You can view Karen Phillips’ talk from July 17, 2024 on Auburn Community TV here:
GCW Karen Phillips, It’s All in the Presentation – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Geri Spieler
June 19, 2024

Our speaker was Geri Spieler, investigative journalist and author of Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried To Kill President Ford, which has been optioned for a movie.

Geri Spieler gave her “Advanced Internet Research Skills” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. An author and investigative journalist, she has written for the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Forbes. She was a Research Director for Gartner, a global technology advising company. Her creative nonfiction book Housewife Assassin: The Woman Who Tried To Kill President Ford has been optioned for a movie. Her newest book, a historical fiction, is Regina of Warsaw: Love, Loss and Liberation. For more about Geri, visit: https://gerispieler.com/.

Note: Geri presented a document entitled “Advanced Internet Research Skills – Lists from the PowerPoint Presentation.” This document is available upon request. Send request to: goldcountrywriters1849@gmail.com.

You can view Geri Spieler’s talk from June 19, 2024 on Auburn Community TV here:

GCW Geri Spieler, Advanced Internet Research Skills – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Bill George
May 15, 2024

View ACTV Video of Bill George’s Talk

Bill George gave his “How a Maverick Coach Upended Society and Led a Group of Young Swimmers to Olympic Glory” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. He is a historian and the author of Victory in the Pool (Rowman & Littlefield), an inspiring story about the swimmers from a Sacramento swim club who won 20 Olympic Gold medals — at the 1968 Mexico City Games and at the 1972 Munich Games. The swimmers included Mark Spitz, Debbie Meyer, Sue Pedersen, Mike Burton, John Ferris, and Jeff Float, and their coach was Sherm Chavoor. Bill is also a film maker and founded Nimbus Films in 2011 and has written and produced seven award-winning documentary films for PBS about California history. His films include “The Hidden Wonder of the World” about the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad from Sacramento to Donner Summit (with his companion book Rails, Tales and Trails), “Newcastle, Gem of the Foothills,” and “Rancho Cordova, from the Gold Rush to the Space Race.” For more about Bill, visit https://billgeorge1.com/.

Speaker Meeting – Beverly Parayno
April 17, 2024

Our speaker was Beverly Parayno, author of Wildflowers, her debut story collection. Her topic was “Drawing From Lived Experience To Write Fiction” — aka “Auto Fiction.”

You can view Beverly Parayno’s talk from April 17, 2024, on Auburn Community TV here: GCW Beverly Parayno – YouTube

Poetry Contest Celebration
April 3, 2024

A celebration of Gold Country Writers Poetry Contest and winners was held at the Rose Room in the Auburn City Hall on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Congratulations to the three winners of the 2024 Gold Country Writers Poetry Contest. The 16 poems that were entered were judged by three published poets from Lincoln. They compared language usage, mood development, and overall story success to pick the winning poems.

Please click the links to read each poem and see a picture of the poet.

Leslie Warren’s poem, “Baja Morning,” about a trip to Mexico took third place.
Lisa Schliff’s emotional poem, “THE DOWNHILL SLIDE,” about her aging cat, took second place.
Catharine Bramkamp’s poem “LILITH,” about Adam and his first wife, took first place.

The celebration of winners included all of the 16 poems being read for an audience of 35. Randy Whitwell served as emcee, with Chery Anderson and David Anderson as co-chairs.

Speaker Meeting – Scott Thomas Anderson
March 20, 2024

Our speaker was Scott Thomas Anderson, California Journalist, author, professional crime reporter, and editor of the Sacramento News & Review. He wrote and produced the documentary crime podcast Trace of the Devastation, and the travel and cultural podcast Drinkers with Writing Problems. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Speaker Meeting – Lisa Schliff
February 21, 2024

You can view Lisa Schliff’s talk from February 21, 2024, on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Lisa Schliff – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Lara Gularte
January 17, 2024

You can view Lara Gularte’s talk from January 17, 2024, on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers persents poet Lara Gularte – YouTube.

Speaker Meeting – James L’Etoile
November 15, 2023

You can view James L’Etoile’s talk from November 15, 2023 on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers presents James L’Etoile – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Meera Ekkanath Klein
October 18, 2023

You can view Meera Ekkanath Klein’s talk from October 18, 2023 on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers, Meera Ekkanath Klein “Food and Fables in Fiction Writing.” – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Sands Hall
September 20, 2023

You can view Sands Hall’s talk from September 20, 2023, on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Sands Hall – YouTube

Sands Hall gave her “Overlapping Strategies in the Writing of Fiction and Memoir” presentation to Gold Country Writers on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Sands Hall—author, professor, theatre artist, singer-songwriter—is the author of a novel, Catching Heaven; a book on the craft of writing, Tools of the Writers Craft; and most recently of the award-winning memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology (Counterpoint Press); Blackstone Audio produced the audio book, read by the author. A popular teacher, she leads workshops and lectures at the Community of Writers — summer writing workshops in Olympic Valley, California. Sands also teaches courses on Scene, Point of View, and more. For details: https://sandshall.com.

Speaker Meeting – Two Programs
August 16, 2023

Speaker Meeting – ML Hamilton
July 19, 2023

Speaker Meeting – Richard Meredith
June 21, 2023

Speaker Meeting – Lois Ann Abraham
May 17, 2023

Our speaker was Lois Ann Abraham, author of Deborah’s Gift and other works. Her topic was “Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings.”

You can view Lois Ann Abraham‘s talk from May 17, 2023, on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Lois Ann Abraham – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Susan M. Osborn
April 19, 2023

Our speaker for April 2023 was Susan M. Osborn, author of Awful Bosses Coloring Book and other works. Her topic was “Creating Flash Fiction.”

You can view Susan M. Osborn’s talk from April 19, 2023 on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Susan M. Osborn – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Barbara Young – March 15, 2023

Our speaker was Barbara Young, author of “The Heart That Rocks Health Care: Nurses—Move from Stress to Success, Empowerment and Influence.” Her topic was “Manifesting Your Book.”

You can view Barbara Young’s talk from March 15, 2023 on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Barbara Young – YouTube

Speaker Meeting – Kathy Lynne Marshall – February 15, 2023

Our speaker was Kathy Lynne Marshall, author of seven books that record the lives of her European and enslaved African American ancestors. Her topic was “Research for Writers.”

Speaker Meeting Wednesday, January 18

You can view Georgette Unis’ talk from January 18, 2023, on Auburn Community TV here:

Gold Country Writers Georgette Unis – YouTube

Holiday Party & Potluck December 14

In December, our 2nd Wednesday meeting will be a Holiday Party. This event will be held in-person at the Barnstormer Room at the Auburn Municipal Airport. Map, address, and directions are on our home page.

For information, please email goldcountrywriters1849@gmail.com

Speaker Meeting (Third Wednesday) Brian Wallace

November 16 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm PST

The third Wednesday of each month is our Speaker Meeting. For November, our speaker will be Brian Wallace, an award-winning artist. His topic will be “Finding Inspiration and Staying Inspired.” Brian will talk about the five things that helped him stay inspired to write, illustrate, and publish his first children’s book, Daisy and the Dirty Dozen.

This event will take place on November 16, 2022, from 10am to noon. The public is invited.

This meeting will be held at the Barnstormer Room at the Auburn Municipal Airport. Map, address, and directions are on this page.

Speaker Meeting (Third Wednesday) Joey Garcia

October 19 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm PDT (No video available for this event.)

Gold Country Writers will be meeting at the Barnstormer Room at the Auburn Airport throughout the month of October, including the above meeting. The change is because of water remediation in the Rose Room at City Hall. Thanks to Frank Nissen, above is a map to help you find the Barnstormer Room. Address and directions are below the map.

On Saturday, September 24, at 1:00 pm, Gold Country Writers celebrated Our 10-Year Anniversary Gala at the Barnstormer Room, Auburn Municipal Airport. Click here to see wonderful photos!