01/08/2025 2024 DFW Writer’s Workshop Officer/ General Meeting Minutes

01/08/2025 DFW Writer’s Workshop

 

Officer Meeting Minutes

 

Officer’s meeting start: 6:11 pm

 

Vice President of Membership: Lauren Danhof

President: Sally Hamilton

Vice President of Events and Programs: Rebecca Seifert

Vice President of Digital Media: Lauren Lanza Osias

Vice President of Community Outreach: Jenny Martin

Secretary: Karoline Chapman

Board members present: John Bartell, A. Lee Martinez

 

Discussion Points:

Sally Hamilton (President):

  • NationBuilder Admin Changes: Brooke is receiving emails and phone calls for every sign-up. Admin updates needed.
  • Presentation on January 29th: Sally will give a presentation on how "Read and Critique" is conducted. Shared contents with officers for review.
  • Room Rentals:
    • Suggests switching to quarterly contract with Grapevine Convention Center.
    • Cost for an additional room in Q1: $6,500 for two extra rooms, varying by availability.
    • Negotiation attempts for cost reductions in the case of unused rooms were declined.
    • Investment account can cover the added expense.
    • Trial of extra rooms planned for Q1; evaluation based on membership needs.
    • March 26 meeting will be held in the library.

Rebecca Seifert (VP of Events and Programs):

  • Local Author Book Event:
    • Discussed budget and itinerary.
    • Proposed ordering branded cookies ($50/dozen) and bakery cookies from Costco to supplement.
    • Stamps for $60.
    • Plans to coordinate with Library Director for book displays.
    • Costco cookies to be scouted by Karoline.
    • Reviewing press release drafts, Harry Hall shared contacts for distribution.
    • Author headshots and bios will be displayed during the event.

Lauren Danhof (VP of Membership):

  • Membership Update: 187 members, up by 5 from last month.
  • Room Setup: Smaller groups in additional rooms tonight.
  • Volunteer Monitors: Encouraged earlier sign-ups.
  • Late Sign-Up Policy: No sign-ups after 7:05 PM.

Lauren Lanza Osias (VP of Digital Media):

  • Social Media: Increased views and followers.
  • Upcoming Events: Will create events for new dates on the website.
  • Website Revamp: Discussion on improvements.

BJ Sloan (Treasurer):

  • Financial Report:
    • Workshop Account: Over $33,000
    • Conference Account: Over $45,000
    • CD Account: Over $66,000

Officer Meeting Adjourned: 6:58 PM

Business Meeting Start: 7:18 PM

Treasurer’s Report:

  • Total funds: Over $144,000

Announcements:

  • Rebecca Seifert: Next Writer’s Block on February 1 at the library. Event will include readings and treats.
  • Lauren Lanza Osias: Social media performance is strong. Members can share events via their account sidebar.
  • Sally Hamilton: Presentation on rules planned for January 29. Temporary trial of extra room rentals this quarter. Encouraged more monitors and critique participants.

Elections:

  • President and Treasurer ran uncontested.
  • BJ Sloan was reinstated as Treasurer.
  • Matthew Rollins for VP of Events, John Brown for Secretary, and Sally Hamilton for President were elected unanimously.

Membership Report (Lauren Danhof):

  • Membership count: 187
  • Late sign-up cut-off: 7:05 PM (except business meeting nights).

Community Outreach (Jenny Martin):

  • Nothing new to report.

Regular Meeting Start: 7:27 PM

Visitors:

  • Jim Koch: Writes fiction; met Sally at a writer’s event.

New Members:

  • Brent: Writes fiction; attended last week.

Rejections:

  • Ron Soule: Rejected by agent Michaela Whatnall.
  • Mark Dye: Rejected by two agents.
  • Claire: Rejected by Michaela Whatnall.

Submissions:

  • John Bartell: Submitted two poems to journals; submitted "The Elevator Book" to an agent.
  • Travis Hightower: Resubmitted his book.
  • Ron Soule: Submitted a middle-grade manuscript to another agent.

Acceptances:

  • John Bartell: Poem accepted for publication in March issue of a journal.
  • David Jones: Won 1st place in the science fiction category of a Writer’s Digest contest (May/June issue).

Book Reviews:

  • David Jones: Reviewed The Burning Tree by Helen Dent.
  • Christopher Schleiker: Reviewed The Burning Tree and The Forgotten Son.

Additional Announcements:

  • Jenny Martin: Hosting voice-writing workshops at Fort Worth Library.
  • BJ Sloan: Taking payments for nametags.
  • Harry Hall: Guesting on Road Dog Trucking Show this week.

Sally Hamilton:

  • Meetings will be held weekly this month, except January 29 (library).
  • Reminder to ensure accurate page counts.

Meeting Adjourned: 7:39 PM


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