CWC SF/Peninsula Members Gallery

Margaret Davis has just published her debut novel, Straight Down the Middle (Kelso Books, December 2009). This is available from Amazon.Com. Her second novel, Katie Carlisle, will be available shortly. Please visit www.margaretdavisbooks.com for more details.

She received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University with specialized study in the sociology of the family and the organization. As a senior research sociologist at SRI International, she researched and published numerous articles on the impact of government programs and work organizations on family life. Her first non-fiction book, Families in a Working World, was published in 1982. Later, she worked for Pacific Gas & Electric where for five years she was director of their internal management consulting section. In 1996, her second book, A Practical Guide to Organization Design (co-authored with David Weckler) was published.

She has been a member of the California Writers Club for 15 years and for several years served on the board of the San Francisco /Peninsula Branch. In 2005, she received the Louise Boggess Award for valuable services performed for the branch.

Charlotte Jarmy taught English literature for high school students for 20 years, moved on to teach writing at Mountain View Adult School and at De Anza College. She supervised Stanford student teachers for five years. She has published two books: one a family memoir, and the other covering 10 years of her columns in the Los Altos Town Crier.

Howard Jarmy,  a retired engineer, now writes short stories and essays. Besides engineering, he has been a performing musician, flyer, sailor and artist. These activities help provide background information for his writing. He has published an engineering text book and two volumes of short stories, as well as investment and gardening articles.

Lucy Ann Murray is a freelance writer with over 100 publication credits in both fiction and nonfiction genres. Though her first love is the humor essay, she also writes poetry, travel, historical, and biographical articles. Lucy Ann has been a correspondent for the Chicago based Italian-American publication, Fra Noi, for the past 15 years and is currently writing a bimonthly column for them on ancient Roman history.

Her writing has been featured in 20 publications that include the San Mateo Times, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, Writers Guidelines and News and True Love Magazine. Her work has been included in three inspirational book anthologies, a poetry anthology, and in Notre Dame de Namur’s literary publication, Bohemian, for the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Last year her story, Cat Rustlers, appeared in the book, Ultimate Cat Lover. She has received two first prize awards for her writing and a few honorable mentions. Her love of writing began in earnest when she wrote a humorous advice to the lovelorn column (Dear Flabby) for her high school’s newspaper.

Lucy Ann graduated from Cal State University San Diego with a B.A. in social science.

She lives in Belmont with her husband and, in addition to writing, has spent the last 30 years as an artist/crafter selling her creations on the Bay Area art and wine show circuit.

Mary E. Knippel

 Mary E. Knippel
Creativity Mentor
CopyWriter & Co.


www.openuptoyourcreativity.com
www.copywritermaryeknippel.com

Mary E. Knippel, writer, Creativity Mentor, speaker and workshop leader,
conducts workshops on California's beautiful San Mateo coast in which
participants connect with their creativity, focus on fun and pursue play
as a proven method to de-stress and cope with life's challenges.
Throughout her writing and presentations, Mary delivers one consistent
message:  don't wait until a health crisis to take care of yourself.

Mary is working on a memoir and book of personal essays. Her writing has appeared in publications in California, Colorado and Minnesota.
As an editor, Mary participated in the 2009 San Francisco Writer's Conference "Book Doctor" panel and helped numerous aspiring writers with their book projects and edited a book on wedding protocol, "It's Your Wedding - Not Theirs."

Mary has worked with the Peninsula Branch of the California
Writer's Club (CWC), the San Francisco Chapter of the Women's National Book Assn (WNBA-SF)
as well as various religious and community groups in California and Minnesota as a Creativity Mentor, speaker and workshop facilitator.
She served as president of WNBA-SF from 2006-09 and has served on the board of the CWC.
A breast cancer survivor, Mary donates a portion of the proceeds from each workshop to breast cancer research.

 


Stan Goldberg is a Professor Emeritus of Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University. For over 25 years he taught, provided therapy, researched, and published in the area of learning problems and change. Stan has published six books, written numerous articles and delivered over 100 lectures and workshops throughout the United States, Latin America and Asia. His published articles, essays, and poems have received numerous national and international writing awards. Written with humor and sensitivity, they have appeared in magazines ranging from Psychology Today to Horse and Rider  to Shambhala Sun.

His latest book, is Lessons for the Living: Stories of Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Courage at the End of Life. USAToday calls it “inspiring and compassionate.” The MyShelf book reviewer says “it is a book to change the way you’ll live the rest of your life.”

He is a regular columnist for opentohope.com, examiner.com and the Hospice Volunteer Association's quarterly magazine. Other articles also appear on his own blog which can be accessed by going to his website stangoldbergwriter.com. 

He also consults on issues of personal, institutional, and corporate change, and leads workshops for adults whose lives were suddenly and traumatically changed. He has been a bedside hospice volunteer for seven years and currently serves with Pathways Home Health Care and Hospice.

Before focusing on end-of-life issues, he wrote the critically acclaimed Ready to Learn: How to Help Your Pre-school Child Succeed. Visit him and read his blog on stangoldbergwriter.com

Teresa LeYung Ryan

The 1997 Jack London Writers Conference (JLWC) introduced a new world to Teresa LeYung Ryan. Her novel had won second prize in the JLWC Contest. Immediately the board members of California Writers Club/San Francisco Peninsula Branch (sponsors of the JLWC) recruited her to be Newsletter Editor; later she was elected as Secretary. The biggest reward was fostering friendships. Teresa had so much fun with fellow board members that she chose to serve on the JLWC planning committee for many years.

 In the September 2005 newsletter, Teresa wrote:

“I’m your accidental president. ; Yes, it’s Teresa.; Who knew that my going to Book Expo America (B.E.A.) in NYC with my buddies and losing my camera in a yellow cab . . . would compel me to run for presidency? . . . who and what were in NYC? My agent, editor, publisher, mentors, friends, fans, and 14,000 yellow cabs. You know me and picture-taking; I was a wreck when I found out the odds of finding my camera. Then, at B.E.A., I heard another kind of odds. ‘195,000 new titles are published every year.’ As your 2005-2006 president, the biggest encouragement I can give you is this: Competition is fierce in this industry, but you will survive and thrive when you have a safety-net of folks who care about your career.”

 Fast forward . . . she continues having fun with friends at California Writers Club.

Teresa LeYung Ryan   (author/career coach/manuscript consultant) helps writers build their names by focusing on the themes and archetypes of their fiction or non-fiction books. Her motto: "You are the expert of your experiences; you are an authority in your field; and you can be happily published."

 As a community spirit, Teresa speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and, helps survivors of family violence find their own voices through writing. http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

 Her novel Love Made of Heart is recommended by the California School Library Association, the California Reading Association, and teachers of Advanced Composition ESL classes; the book is archived at the San Francisco History Center.

 Her new guide, Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published, will be released early 2010. http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

Tory Hartmann’s short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Porcupine: Journal of the Literary Arts, The Homestead Review, Descant, The Hurricane Review, The Sand Hill Review as well as many others. Her play The Future Mrs. Snodgrass and the Farting shoes made the semi-finals in the Oxford Ten Minute Play contest. She has also published articles in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Mateo Times and Parenting on the Peninsula.

Over a period of years, Tory attended seven Maui Writers Workshops and has studied with Pulitzer Prize nominee Craig Lesley, fantasy writer Terry Brooks, mystery writer Elizabeth George, literary fiction writer Ann Hood as well as thriller writers Michael Palmer, Tess Gerritsen, and Gary Braver. Most recently she has studied with New York agent and writer Donald Maass (Writing the Breakout Novel, Fire in Fiction).

Her novel Strange Bedfellows won Best Novel at the 2003 Jack London Writers Conference and she is the 2007 recipient of the Jack London Award for service to the San Francisco Peninsula Branch of the CWC. Her current project is First Friday, a humorous novel about a young woman trying to break away from her smothering Irish Catholic family.

The Ghost of Harvey Milkhas been purchased by American Films. She has also written several episodes for The Powerhouse Kids.

You can learn more about her at www.toryhartmann.com

Past board member Luisa Adams, author of Woven of Water, gives thanks to CWC on her acknowledgment page. Luisa had won first place in non-fiction at the 1997 Jack London Writers Conference. Now her exquisite collection of stories is published! Robertson Publishing ISBN: 978-0-9798633-0-1 (visit the website)

This collection of short stories and whimsical drawings in Woven of Water inspires the reader to discover meaning amid the loves and losses of growing up, growing old, and all the events in between. By taking this book in hand, you will create time for a personal retreat with the exquisite beauty of nature as your host. The reward, the splendor of grateful living, is priceless.

Luisa Adams, the award-winning writer, educator, workshop leader, licensed Brain Gym® consultant, and author of Woven of Water says: : "I give my deep gratitude to everyone over the last ten years who reminded me that it took courage, not perfection, to offer the world a written expression of love."

Martha Alderson, M.A. is an international plot and story consultant for writers. Her clients include best-selling authors, screenwriters, writing teachers and fiction editors. As the author of BLOCKBUSTER PLOTS Pure & Simple, she created a unique line of plot tools for writers, including the Scene Tracker Kit, and the Plot Planner DVDs. She teaches plot workshops privately, through University of California Santa Cruz, Learning Annex and at writing conferences.

For more plot tips, visit her website at: www.blockbusterplots.com and her blog at: http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com.

Sign up for her free monthly Plot Tips eZine, at: http://www.blockbusterplots.com/contact.html

Mary Hanna's readers have called her "a breath or fresh air" and "the greatest thing to read since Erma Bombeck." Her life as a Baby Boomer has provided a wealth of material She graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Anthropology (and just to make sure she was unemployable, a minor in Philosophy), After inheriting five acres of Indiana farmland, Mary moved to the Midwest with her first (or "Starter") husband to raise children, sheep, and a feral cat that turned out to be a serial chipmunk killer.

Mary's weekly humor column, Second Half, appears in the San Mateo County Times every Friday. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, James "Keeper" Hanna, and Mr. Bobo the Wonder Cat. She has two grown sons and a serious Diet Pepsi habit. Her book, "You May Already Be a Wiener!" is available from Bird Legs Press.

Visit Mary's website at www.maryhanna.net 

Martha Clark Scala A licensed psychotherapist specializing in grief and loss for fifteen years, Martha Clark Scala's writing on grief-related issues can be found in We Need Not Walk Alone (published by The Compassionate Friends), The California Therapist, and at her website, www.mcscala.com. In addition to her work with individuals and couples, Martha delivers workshops, and shares her writing on topics ranging from grief and loss, to the necessity of self-care, and the challenges of substance abuse. Martha has authored Feel Better in the Morning: Give Grief a Voice, a nonfiction self-help book that invites readers to invest in bringing joy back to their lives via creative self-expression. Martha recently won first prize in Byline Magazine’s Reason to Rhyme poetry contest for her sonnet, “Remembering Grace.”

Martha has formally and informally mentored many professionals, in both her writing and helping careers. She launched the Mentoring Program for the San Francisco-Peninsula branch of California Writers Club in 2004. For her efforts, she was awarded the 2004 Louise Boggess Merit Award, which recognizes exemplary service to the branch. Martha has served as a branch representative to the Central Board of California Writers Club, and in 2005-2006, she was the statewide Treasurer of CWC.

Martha resides in Palo Alto with her husband, Bill, and two precious cats. Her passions include creative expression, gardening, sports, and swimming in salt water.

Martha's website.

Laurel Anne Hill  in another world, troubled beings follow the way of honor and discover inner strength and peace. A homeless girl in California stands up for the rights of homeless children and becomes empowered. A Biblical harlot’s self-sacrifice finally frees her from repetitive reincarnations and unhappiness. Laurel Anne Hill crafts stories with inspirational premises. Worthiness is rewarded. The power of love, honor, faith and duty can surmount daunting obstacles and transform lives. 

KOMENAR Publishing released, Heroes Arise, Laurel’s debut parable in October 2007. Her shorter fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in the Contra Costa Times, Nth Zine (Online Exclusives), Lynx Eye, the San Jose Mercury News, Space and Time, and a variety of small-circulation magazines. KQED-FM (NPR, San Francisco) broadcast her perspective in 2004 about the plight of homeless families.

In 2005, Laurel was awarded first prize in the Ninth Annual Captivating Beginnings Short Story Contest for “Reaching for Rainbows.” She received an honorable mention (creative nonfiction category) for “Learning the Bones” in the 2004 Soul-Making Literary Competition, an extended community arts outreach program of the National League of American Pen Women, Nob Hill, San Francisco Bay Area Branch. “Crescendo,” her personal essay, won honorable mention in the Foster City 2003 International Writer’s Contest. Upon invitation, she participated in the Literature Without Borders readings at the 2005 Oakland Literature & World Music Expo.

Plague of Flies, a novel set in early California, is Laurel’s current writing project. She lives in Northern California with David, her husband, and Bear, their rather large “shelter-mix” dog.

Visit Laurel's website 

Ruth Silnes has been an artist since her early years. At fifty she became a yachtswoman and twenty years later, a writer. Now she is the author and illustrator of Keeping Ahead of Winter-4100 Nautical Miles Inside America, an easy read fun filled exciting boating adventure that she and her husband Torger, made by themselves in their power cruiser in 1965-66.  

She has also written and is finishing the illustrations for her next book "Naptime Secrets" for two to six-year-olds.  

Before the yachting journey, Ruth took Power Squadron Classes. She is a graduate of the Famous Writers Course and currently attends an Emeritus Institute symposium critique group. She is a member of the California Writer Club and the International Women's Writing Guild. She is a founding member of the Silicon Valley Art Museum. and co-curator of the Peninsula Regent Art Room Shows.

To contact Ruth Silnes, (650) 342-4846 Ruthsil@aol.com or visit her website,http://www.ruthsilnes.com

Geri Spieler What if a curly-haired, apple-cheeked, forty-five-year-old country club mom Sara Jane Moore, (also known as Sally to her friends), a suburban doctor’s wife, took deadly aim at the President of the United States and came within six inches of killing him?

Investigative journalist and award-winning speaker Geri Spieler established a professional relationship with Sara Jane Moore that lasted for thirty years. This unique access to her enigmatic subject, combined with her diligent independent research, reveals information never before known in Taking Aim at the President: The Remarkable Story of the Woman who Shot Gerald Ford. Published by Palgrave-Macmillan, the book will be out in January 2009.

Geri has written articles for the Los Angeles Times, was a featured correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle, and was published in Westways magazine and Forbes. She founded and edited Electronic Commerce News, a technology journal published by Phillips Business Information, which led to a six-year assignment as a Research Director and Analyst for the Gartner Group, an international technology advising company.

Visit Geri's website at www.gerispieler.com. 

We are currently updating all our members profiles for the website.
Please contact us to submit your information and photos.