TheCalifornia Writers Club traces its founding to theSan Francisco Bay Area literary movement in the early part of the 20th century. The informal gatherings ofJack London,George Sterling, andHerman Whitaker, along with others, eventually became formalized as thePress Club of Alameda. In 1909, a break-off group from that club formed the California Writers Club withAustin Lewis serving as the club's first president.[1] A quarterly bulletin under the guidance ofDr. William S. Morgan was established in 1912. The club finally incorporated in 1913, choosing the mottoSail On from theJoaquin Miller poem, "Columbus".[1]
The general purposes of the California Writers Club are to provide a forum for literary criticism and for recognition of achievement, to discover new authors and assist them in developing their talent, and to sponsor educational meetings to promote professional growth.
Early members of the club includedJack London,[2]George Sterling,John Muir,Joaquin Miller, and the first Californiapoet laureate,Ina Coolbrith.
In 1914, the first edition ofWest Winds, a hardcover collection of fiction by members, was published.[3] It was illustrated by localCalifornia artists. Since that time three otherWest Winds have been published.
The California Writers Club organized literary events in the prewar period;[4] the first California Writers Club Conference was held inOakland in 1941.[5][6] The California Writers Club also organized social events with a literary orientation.[7]
Today, writers conferences are held by several of the Club's branches, such as South Bay's East of Eden Writers Conference, San Francisco/Peninsula's Jack London Writers Conference, and San Fernando Valley's conferences. Each attracts from 100 to 400 writers and dozens of literary agents, editors, authors, and publishers from all over theUnited States to present lectures, workshops, and panel discussions on all aspects of the writing life.
Writers Memorial Grove atJoaquin Miller Park inOakland celebrates California's great writers with the planting of trees. The first tree was planted for Joaquin Miller.Bret Harte,Charles Warren Stoddard,Edward Rowland Sill, Ina Coolbrith, Jack London,Mark Twain,Charles Fletcher Lummis, andEdwin Markham are so honored as well asDashiell Hammett,Gertrude Stein, and historians,Will Durant andAriel Durant.
In 2003, the California Writers Club worked to establish a week to celebrate and recognize California Writers. The result of this effort occurred on September 4, 2003 when theCalifornia State Assembly officially declared the third week in October of each year as California Writers Week[11] (Members Resolution No. 2170).[12] The Resolution is endorsed by theCalifornia Library Association.
Every other year, each branch selects one member to receive a Jack London Service Award in recognition of their contributions to the Club.[13]
Today, the California Writers Club has more than 1,800 members in 19 branches spread throughout California.[14]
Under the auspices of the California Writers' Club, Paul Elder Co. of San Francisco will publish a volume of California fiction entitled "West Winds".
The California Writers Club is sponsoring a series of Literary Talks at the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco
One of the interesting events at the three-day Writers' Conference of the West, sponsored by the California Writers' Club...
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help)Santa Claus was exonerated of serious charges made against him .... by the California Writers' Club membership at the annual Yuletide party.
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