About us
California Writers Club members write novels, short stories, screenplays, poetry, nonfiction articles, books, and more. Established in 1909, our mission is to educate writers of all genres and levels of expertise in the craft and marketing of their work.
The Orange County chapter is one of the largest and most active branches in the state. General meetings are held on the first Saturday of the month and feature a presentation by a publishing industry expert.
Visit calwritersorangecounty.org for more information.
Upcoming events
4
California Writers Club Orange County presents Caitlin Rother
Anaheim Packing House, 440 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA, USGuest Speaker: Caitlin Rother
Topic: "Shifting Genres: Risk and Reward, Market and Craft"The California Writers Club meets monthly for our featured speaker series focused on the craft and business of writing. Topics are presented by major authors, publishers, self-published writers, college professors, literary agents, and other professionals.
■ 9:00am - 9:30am Networking
■ 9:30am - 11:00am Guest SpeakerNew York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 17 books, the latest of which are HOOKED and STAGED from Rother’s new “Katrina & Goode” thriller series. Her other recent titles are DOWN TO THE BONE, about the McStay family murders, BODY PARTS, about serial killer Wayne Adam Ford, and DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, about the mysterious death of Rebecca Zahau.
Rother, who worked as an investigative newspaper reporter for 19 years before becoming a full-time author, has appeared more than 250 times on TV/radio shows and podcasts. She also works as a book coach, enjoys ocean swimming, and plays keyboards and sings in a jazzy bluesy trio.
Read more about the author and her books at https://www.caitlinrother.com/.
To learn more about the club and this month's scheduled speaker, visit http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Meetings will include networking, author book signings, and more. The Anaheim Packing House is excited to host our group in a historic building has been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee or pastry, and then listen to our featured speaker.
***To learn more about membership in the California Writers Club please visit: http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Our venue, the Anaheim Packing House, is a historic building that's been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee, donut, or pastry, and listen to our featured speaker.
***
Location:
Anaheim Packing House (Open Dining Area)
440 S Anaheim Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805***
Admission:
FREE10 attendees
California Writers Club Orange County presents the Children's Books Author Panel
Anaheim Packing House, 440 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA, USGuest Speaker: Moni Ritchie Hadley, Kim Dwinell & Christine Van Zandt
Topic: "Children’s Books Author Panel"The California Writers Club meets monthly for our featured speaker series focused on the craft and business of writing. Topics are presented by major authors, publishers, self-published writers, college professors, literary agents, and other professionals.
■ 9:00am - 9:30am Networking
■ 9:30am - 11:00am Guest SpeakerJoin us for this informative panel about writing, publishing, and marketing children’s books.
Moni Ritchie Hadley is the author of MISO MAGIC (‘24), ANZU AND THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP (‘23), and THE STAR FESTIVAL (‘21), a 2022 Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year which received a starred review from the School Library Journal, and an honorary mention for the Freeman Book Award given by the National Consortium for teaching about Asia. Her work can also be found in Highlights and High Five Magazine. Find her at moniritchie.com.
Kim Dwinell is an illustrator/animator/graphic novelist and also a college professor who loves stories more than she loves the beach. Her first career was serving as a beach lifeguard, then came the career in animation, and now she has combined both of those passions into a graphic novel series: Surfside Girls. More about the author at kimdwinell.com.
Christine Van Zandt is a freelance editor, writer, and award-winning author of five nonfiction picture books. You can also find her stories and poems in anthologies and magazines. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. You can visit her website at christinevanzandt.com.
To learn more about the club and this month's scheduled speaker, visit http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Meetings will include networking, author book signings, and more. The Anaheim Packing House is excited to host our group in a historic building has been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee or pastry, and then listen to our featured speaker.
***To learn more about membership in the California Writers Club please visit: http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Our venue, the Anaheim Packing House, is a historic building that's been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee, donut, or pastry, and listen to our featured speaker.
***
Location:
Anaheim Packing House (Open Dining Area)
440 S Anaheim Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805***
Admission:
FREE4 attendees
California Writers Club Orange County presents Liz Prato
Anaheim Packing House, 440 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA, USGuest Speaker: Liz Prato
Topic: “From Brick Walls to Bounty: Transforming Genealogical Mysteries into Fiction”The California Writers Club meets monthly for our featured speaker series focused on the craft and business of writing. Topics are presented by major authors, publishers, self-published writers, college professors, literary agents, and other professionals.
■ 9:00am - 9:30am Networking
■ 9:30am - 11:00am Guest SpeakerLiz Prato is the author of the new novel in stories, Purgatoire; Volcanoes, Palm Trees, and Privilege: Essays on Hawai‘i, a New York Times Top Summer Travel Read and a Finalist for the Oregon Book Award; Kids in America: a Gen X Reckoning; and the short story collection, Baby's on Fire.
Liz’s stories and essays have appeared in dozens of literary journals and magazines, and have been chosen as Notable Works in Best American Essays and Best American Sports Writing. She has been teaching at workshops and literary festivals from coast-to-coast since 2008. Liz is Editor at Large for Forest Avenue Press.
Liz grew up in Denver, and now lives with her furry feline friends and her best friend/husband, who is a longtime indie bookseller and writer, in Portland, Oregon. She lives for small presses, literary community, and palm trees.
Read more about the author at https://www.lizprato.com/
To learn more about the club and this month's scheduled speaker, visit http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Meetings will include networking, author book signings, and more. The Anaheim Packing House is excited to host our group in a historic building has been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee or pastry, and then listen to our featured speaker.
***To learn more about membership in the California Writers Club please visit: http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Our venue, the Anaheim Packing House, is a historic building that's been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee, donut, or pastry, and listen to our featured speaker.
***
Location:
Anaheim Packing House (Open Dining Area)
440 S Anaheim Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805***
Admission:
FREE4 attendees
California Writers Club Orange County presents Lisa Alvarez
Anaheim Packing House, 440 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA, USGuest Speaker: Lisa Alvarez
Topic: “The Power of Setting: Finding Stories (and more) in Ordinary Places”The California Writers Club meets monthly for our featured speaker series focused on the craft and business of writing. Topics are presented by major authors, publishers, self-published writers, college professors, literary agents, and other professionals.
■ 9:00am - 9:30am Networking
■ 9:30am - 11:00am Guest SpeakerLisa Alvarez’s poetry and prose have appeared in journals including About Place Journal, Air/Light, Anacapa Review, Citric Acid, Huizache, Santa Monica Review, and in anthologies such as Sudden Fiction Latino: Short-Short Stories from the United States and Latin America (Norton) and most recently, Rumors, Secrets and Lies: Poems about Pregnancy, Abortion and Choice (Anhinga Press) and Women in a Golden State (Gunpowder Press).
A professor of English at Irvine Valley College, in the summers, she co-directs the writers workshops at the Community of Writers in California's High Sierra. Her debut collection, Some Final Beauty and other stories, was published in August 2025 by the University of Nevada Press’s New Oeste imprint.
Read more about the author at https://www.lisaalvarez.com/
To learn more about the club and this month's scheduled speaker, visit http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Meetings will include networking, author book signings, and more. The Anaheim Packing House is excited to host our group in a historic building has been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee or pastry, and then listen to our featured speaker.
***To learn more about membership in the California Writers Club please visit: http://www.calwritersorangecounty.org
***
Our venue, the Anaheim Packing House, is a historic building that's been converted into a “food hall” hosting dozens of food vendors. This will be a great place to grab your morning coffee, donut, or pastry, and listen to our featured speaker.
***
Location:
Anaheim Packing House (Open Dining Area)
440 S Anaheim Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805***
Admission:
FREE4 attendees
Past events
116
