MARCH GENERAL MEETING

March 20 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

Special this meeting: The three winners of the first Youth Fiction Contest held during our 2025 North Island Writers Conference will be reading their submissions, followed by a presentation of their prizes.

Our guest speaker is Kim Bannerman.

She will take us on a journey through Cumberland’s early days to show us how real-life events shaped her murder mystery, ‘Bucket of Blood’. She might even let us in on how she got a Canada Council grant for that novel.

There will be no Open Mic session this meeting.

See you there! Everyone is welcome!

FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING

February 20 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

Reading for Connection and Community

Our guest speaker is Jane Wilde. She is the organizing force behind the best-selling series of Gumboot books.

Jane writes, “Libraries and bookstores love books. How do we work with them to get our books in front of our readers?” She will share what she’s learned in the past twelve years organizing readings up and down the BC coast, and talk about how to find the best places to do readings, how to work with library staff and bookstore owners, how to get organized for a reading, and how to follow up after afterwards.

There will also be an Open Mic. See you there! Everyone is welcome!

NO JANUARY GENERAL MEETING

See you at the North Island Writers Conference on January 17, 18 & 19!

Regular General Meetings return in February.

DECEMBER GENERAL MEETING

December 19 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

Holiday Potluck Social plus a writing challenge and a book exchange.

NOVEMBER GENERAL MEETING

November 21 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

Stand and Deliver: Lifting the Words Off the Page

Our guest speaker is Jean Sarrazin, Vice-President of CVOX Radio. Jean had a 30-year career at CBC Radio where he did radio drama production and toured with the Royal Canadian Air Farce. His presentation will illustrate what it takes to lift words off the page, making them sound conversational and alive.

There will also be an Open Mic. See you there! Everyone is welcome!

OCTOBER GENERAL MEETING

October 17 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

It takes a Village to raise a community radio station.

Our guest speaker on October 17, Jamie Bowman, president of CVOX Radio Station, will share the story of the birth of CVOX and the plans for its future, which include, of course, CVWS!

There will also be an Open Mic. See you there!

SEPTEMBER GENERAL MEETING

September 19 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

We Want to Hear from You!

Your CVWS board is gearing up for the 24/25 year. At our September 19 meeting at the Bayside, we will be asking you to let us know what’s working, what’s not, and what you would like to see added to our programs.

Please join us and participate in charting the future of CVWS. If you can’t be there, please send me your ideas by email to sharon9320 (at) gmail.com.

There will also be an Open Mic. See you there!

May 16 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

Guest speaker at our next general meeting is CVWS member, Kim Letson.

Newly returned from her book tour in England for her 4th book, Canterbury and Other Tales, about her latest rambling adventures, will speak on Beginnings and Endings.
An Open Mic will follow.

April 18 – Thursday at 7 p.m. – Bayside Bistro, #5 – 2760 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay

APRIL IS POETRY MONTH!

This month, at the Bayside, we poets, poetry lovers, and supporters of readers of poetry will gather. All are invited to read poetry they’ve written, or poems they wish they’d written, or simply poems they like and want to share.  It will be a poetry reading for all.

Please come with a poem or two or three to share.

(Note: The Open Mic segment of our General meetings is becoming quite popular. In order for everyone to have their turn, please be kind and make sure your reading will be limited to a maximum of five (5) minutes. Practice what you will be reading at the meeting in front of a mirror, or a loving spouse, and use a timer to determine your reading length.)

As always, our thanks to Ben and Gerri, owners of the Bayside Bistro.