Author name: Deborah Bernal

Join Tri-Valley Writers on Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at the La Quinta Inn Dublin as we celebrate 20 years of Tri-Valley Writers! Get ready to party and hang out with your writing friends. The branch will be closing at the end of June, but we have much to celebrate. Here are the many accomplishments TVW has achieved during our time in the community:
• TVW published five (5) members’ only anthologies, Voices of the Valley, that was an excellent venue for our members to earn publication credentials.
• TVW hosted four (4) biennial full-day writers conference on the art and business of writing. Each conference featured three tracks: Craft, Marketing, & Self-Publishing for attendees to choose from.
• Members of TVW were encouraged to participate in critique groups to strengthen their writing and editing skills. Participation began by joining the STEM critique group. As the STEM group grew, smaller critique groups branched out on their own, often specializing in a particular genre. There are several novel groups. For poets: there was a special poetry critique group. Members worked online and/or participated in face-to-face critiquing. With both formats, there was a commitment for reciprocity. Participants who submitted materials committed to reading and critiquing the materials submitted by others.
• To support writing in schools, TVW sponsored an annual writing contest among local high schools. Members volunteered to judge hundreds of submissions in fiction, poetry, and essay forms. Winners were given cash prizes and read selections of their work at the awards ceremony. TVW just completed our 15th annual contest!
• Write Around the Valley, the branch newsletter, was comprehensive with meeting details, member benefit info, writing tips, upcoming events, information on writing contests (including those sponsored by external organizations), and a column celebrating the latest publishing successes of our members.
• For an opportunity to write in a relaxed setting in the company of other writers, members met on Thursday afternoons at Inklings Coffee and Tea. This was an informal, drop-in group; there is no obligation to sign up or come every week.
• Sit Down and Write on Zoom met on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. This was a come-when-you-can opportunity, so participants could attend any or all sessions as it fit with their schedule.
• TVW’s Author Support Group was an online or in-person meeting benefit. Each meeting a topic was chosen and members could ask questions, respond to questions, or chat about problems or successes.

While there is no fee for the meeting, we would like to know how many people to expect, so please register at: Treasurer by Thursday, June 18, 2026. Snacks and beverages will be provided.