President’s Message - WELCOME TO SVRWA!
On behalf the Silicon Valley Romance Writers of America, welcome to a chapter dedicated to writing romance through topical programs, fun contests, informative conferences and a very supportive writer’s community. Published and unpublished authors should feel at home here. Whether you write romantic inspirationals, historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mystery/suspense or erotic/romantica, you are welcome. We invite input, feedback and participation at diverse levels and in all genres. The SVRWA is 70 members strong and we just keep growing. Come join us and make 2007 your year for romance!
Kathrynn Dennis
Chapter President, SVRWA
SVRWA History
The Silicon Valley Chapter of RWA (chapter #170) was formed in late 1996 when six members of the San Francisco Area Chapter met to discuss the possibility of forming a new chapter in a location more convenient to us. Over gallons of iced tea and diet soda, the Silicon Valley Chapter took shape. We divvied up the tasks and chose interim positions until our new chapter could hold elections. We posted flyers, emailed and called all the South Bay members of SFA-RWA and invited them to the first meeting in February, 1997.
15 writers attended our first meeting. We were off and running. Since then, our membership has increased to over 50, with new members joining at almost every meeting. Of course, the interim positions turned into elected positions and these founders remain core members of the chapter today.
We held our first GOTCHA! Contest the following year, in 1998. Thanks to the many contestants who’ve gone on to become published, our contest has grown and developed stature as one of the major chapter contests. It’s still our main fundraising event.
In 2000, the Silicon Valley Chapter held its first regional conference. We’ve since held a second one in 2003 and are planning another in 2006.
The key element of these conferences is one of the reasons SVRWA has continued to grow and flourish. We try to make everyone attending a meeting or conference feel they’re a part of our writing family. Guests and new members are welcomed and personally introduced to other members with similar interests. Members are encouraged to volunteer (warning: if you point out something that needs to be done, you’re immediately thanked for volunteering). Thanks to their efforts, our chapter continues to grow.
The mission of the SVRWA chapter is to advance and promote the Romance genre and its writers in Silicon Valley.
To meet this mission, our monthly meetings focus on various aspects of craft and the market. Every year, we bring out at least one New York or Toronto editor and an agent to speak to our members. Other months, we offer workshops on various craft and market topics. Every meeting now includes a 10 minute writing exercise. We hold a Rainbow Challenge each year where members commit to completing a manuscript. Both good and bad news is celebrated each month with chocolate. A rose is presented to members when they sell a book.
Come visit us. We think you’ll like what you see.
2007 SVRWA board, from left, Anne Lum, Kathrynn Dennis, Sonja Goedde, Sally Jane Driscoll, Ann Smitherman, Rachel Taylor