All Monthly Meetings are Virtual until further notice.
Members can find the programming meeting links on the RCRW’s forum and on the private Facebook page.
Guests may attend two meetings to help make their decision to join. Some meetings are exclusive to RCRW members only, such as the December holiday workshop. Please contact [email protected] at least 72 hours in advance for a link to access the remote meeting. We use the GoToMeeting software. Meetings are live and are not recorded.
Virtual Meeting Schedule
Rose City Romance Writers (RCRW) meets the second Saturday of each month.
Meeting are at no-cost for RCRW Members. People are welcome to attend our meetings, up to two times, before they are required to become RCRW chapter members.
10-11(ish): Chapter business meeting
11-12:30(ish): Workshop/presentation
Virtual Programming
June 11, 2022 Programming Announcement
Title: How I Failed My Way to Six Figures
Speaker: Ines Johnson
Length: 1 hour
About the workshop: In this workshop, Ines Johnson will show you how she became an overnight success … after five years of bumbling mistakes. You’ll learn the secrets, which are mostly comprised of what not to do, as she details her missteps and failures up the slippery ladder of success from three figure to six figure author.
Bio: Ines Johnson is a television writer turned romance novelist. She writes books for strong women who suck at love. If you rocked out to the twisted triangle of Jem, Jericha, and Rio as a girl; if you were slayed by vampires with souls alongside Buffy; if you got your scandalous fix from Olivia Pope each week, then you’ll love her books!
July 9, 2022 Programming Announcement
Title: Writing Diversity in Genre Fiction
Speaker: Eliana West
Length: 2 hours
About the Workshop:
For the past two years, Eliana West, founder of Writers for Diversity, has been delivering her popular Writing Diversity in Genre Fiction seminar for standing room audiences and universal acclaim. Presented in a safe environment where thoughtful, respectful dialog guides the conversation, the Writing Diversity in Genre Fiction workshop provides attendees with the tools and confidence to incorporate diverse characters and settings into their stories. No question is off-limits in a Writers for Diversity workshop. And, because the workshop is not filmed and distributed, no one has to worry about something discussed in a safe space suddenly being distributed to the public and taken out of context. Combing humor, charisma, and real-world anecdotes, Eliana draws from her own experiences to illustrate the key message of the workshop—diversity isn’t just black and white. It encompasses race, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability and so much more. For romance writers to remain relevant it’s more critical than ever to be keenly aware of both the challenges and opportunities when writing diversity. From research, writing, marketing, and advocating for your diverse character to engaging agents, editors, and publishers, an author needs diversity tools to complement their writing. Writing Diversity in Genre Fiction is based on three main anchors: Racial identity, Building Your Story with Diversity and, Avoiding Stereotypes. But, those anchors are just a starting point. The workshop often goes into exciting and unanticipated directions as engaged audiences begin raising their hands to ask questions (often questions they’ve long wondered about, but never had the opportunity to ask), share their own stories, and begin imagining new directions their own writing can go in with the information at hand. Please note this event will run two hours.
Bio: After being approached for advice on writing diverse characters from several members of her writing group, Eliana West created a Facebook group where her friends could post questions in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Since its creation in 2017, Writers for Diversity has provided a safe space for thoughtful and respectful dialogue, growing to over 1,000 members from around the world and encompassing all genres. Eliana’s diverse background gives her a unique perspective on the growing multicultural landscape. The only child of a Black man and a White woman who married before the milestone Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court ruled that their marriage was legal. Growing up dyslexic and converting to Judaism as a young woman have provided Eliana a unique opportunity to share her personal experiences in her workshop presentations and classes. Her life experience and DEI training fuels her commitment to an empathetic approach in her engagement with writers. Eliana West writes contemporary interracial romance, her Heart of Colton series is published through Tule Publishing. When not writing, Eliana can be found exploring the many wineries in Oregon and Washington with her husband in their vintage Volkswagen Westfalia named Bianca.
August 13, 2022 Programming Announcement
Title: Dialect to Die For
Speaker: Tex Thompson
Length: 1 hour
About the Workshop: When it comes to dialect, we often hear that ‘less is more’. So how do you render a good Scottish brogue, or Southern drawl – and for that matter, how can you give a non-English-speaking character a voice that’s distinctive but still readable? In this class, we’ll examine how to represent accents and speakers of other languages in a way that captures their voices without reducing them to verbal tics, gimmicks, or stereotypes.
Bio: Arianne “Tex” Thompson is a licensed locksmith, egregiously enthusiastic editor, and professional ruckus-raiser. She is the author of Children of the Drought, an internationally-published epic fantasy Western series from Solaris, as well as ‘chief instigator’ of WORD – Writers Organizations ‘Round Dallas. Now she’s blazing a trail through conferences, workshops, and conventions around the country – as an endlessly energetic, catastrophically cheerful one-woman stampede. Find her online at thetexfiles.com and wordwriters.org!
September 10, 2022 Programming Announcement
Title: Maximizing Profit for the not Prolific
Speaker: Daniela Romero
Length: 1 hour
About the workshop: Chat with USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Daniela Romero as she discusses how to maximize your profits when you aren’t very prolific and don’t have a gigantic backlist to work with.
Bio: Daniela Romero is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She enjoys writing steamy, new-adult and paranormal romance that delivers an emotional roller coaster sure to take your breath away. Her books feature a diverse cast of characters with rich and vibrant cultures in an effort to effectively portray the world we all live in. One that is so beautifully colorful. Daniela is a Bay Area native though she currently lives in Washington State with her sarcastic husband and their three tiny terrors. In her free time, Daniela enjoys frequent naps, binge reading her favorite romance books, and is known to crochet while watching television because her ADHD brain can never do just one thing at a time. Stop by her website to find all the fun and unique ways you can stalk her. And while you’re there you can check out some free bonus scenes from your favorite books, learn about her Patreon, order signed copies of her books, and swoon over her gorgeous alternative cover editions. www.daniela-romero.com‘ll love her books!
October 8, 2022 Programming Announcement
Title: Writing BDSM: Beyond Heterosexual Male Doms and Female Submissives
Speaker: Linda Mercury
Length: 1 hour
About the workshop: BDSM romance is a well-established, well-loved sub-genre. This workshop teaches you how to write emotionally packed, diverse, and exciting BDSM.
Bio: Linda Mercury’s work is about coming together. Because life is way better when people tell each other the truth of who they are.
As things are rapidly changing, RCRW is adjusting to be able to keep our community connected while also doing what is best for our members. PCC has cancelled our room reservation. RCRW is still having our monthly meeting but as a VIRTUAL option only. The meeting link and phone number has been posted to the RCRW Forum for member access.
Resource Links: CDC | Oregon Health Authority | WA State Dept. of Health
In Person Schedule (not currently active)
RCRW meets the second Saturday of each month. In the event of inclement weather, we will notify you below if the meeting has been canceled.
Meeting are at no-cost for RCRW Members. People are welcome to attend our meetings, up to two times, before they are required to become RCRW chapter members.
9:30-10 am: Social time in the lobby of the TCB building
10-11(ish): Chapter business meeting
11-12:30(ish): Workshop/presentation
We try to have a (no host) lunch reservation at a nearby restaurant after the meetings for anyone who would like to join. It’s a great opportunity to socialize with fellow writers.
Location
Meetings are held at the Portland Community College Sylvania campus in room 212 of the TCB building. A map of PCC’s campus is here.
Directions
From I-5 South, take Capitol Hwy exit (295). Follow Capitol Hwy uphill through five lights (it will become SW 49th). Main campus entrance is on the right.
From I-5 North, take Haines St. exit (293). Turn right at the end of the ramp onto Haines St. Turn left at the four-way stop. Back entrance to the campus is a quarter of a mile up, just past a curve. Tri-Met bus lines #5 and #78 serve the campus. No parking fee is charged for Saturday parking.