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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Writers Alliance of Gainesville
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260614T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260614T160000
DTSTAMP:20260607T102247
CREATED:20260212T140053Z
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UID:31366-1781447400-1781452800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Trauma\, Part II: Trauma as a Character in Writing
DESCRIPTION:Few people reach adulthood without experiencing some painful\, emotional\, and traumatic events.Yet\, for us authors\, those trying events can become a treasure of knowledge and understanding that we can use in our writing. \nCome join us at the Millhopper Library at 2:30 p.m. on the second Sunday in June for a second look this year at using trauma as a resource in your writing. \nWAG member Kathy Connor Dobronyi will share her personal stories of trauma and the stories of her characters to help you write about trauma. \nTrauma is a word we often hear\, yet its true nature is frequently misunderstood and underestimated. There are three levels of trauma: acute\, chronic\, and complex\, a combination of the aforementioned. There is no single definition of trauma; it can be different things to different people. \nKathy has lived with complex trauma from a childhood of abuse and war. In her writing\, she uses the memory of her time in Saigon\, where she experienced terrorist bombings at an American theater and other facilities where Americans congregated. She also witnessed human immolation and heard the bombs and gunfire during the overthrow of the South Vietnamese President on November 1\, 1963. \nKathy is not a therapist or a clinician. She is a retired high school teacher\, a storyteller\, and a writer. Using stories from her life and the lives of her characters\, she shares the different facets of trauma and healing. \nAlthough she wrote articles for trade journals and developed lesson plans used by the Folgers Institute\, she never considered herself an author until she was asked by a local newspaper editor to write her story: Under the Wings of a Good Luck Phoenix: Memoir of an American Girl in Saigon\, June 1963 to March 1964. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/character-development/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kathy-headshot.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260615T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260615T110000
DTSTAMP:20260607T102247
CREATED:20260524T114744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260526T162337Z
UID:32136-1781517600-1781521200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Marketing Coalition: Amazon Ads Deep Dive: Beyond the Basics
DESCRIPTION:The Marketing Coalition was established to help WAG authors market their works. The coalition usually meets at 10:00 a.m. on the third Monday of each month via Zoom (see link below).* \nJolene MacFadden\nWAG has been fortunate to have Jolene MacFadden serve as the volunteer coordinator.\nShe has also presented programs over many months\, but she encourages other WAG members to speak on topics with which they are familiar. \nPlease note these Guest Speaker Opportunities:  \n\n\nJuly 20\, 2026: Direct Sales: Someone who is already selling successfully through their own store\nAugust 17\, 2026: AI Tools: A tech-savvy author who’s been experimenting\nSeptember 21\, 2026: Video: A BookToker or author comfortable with video\nNovember 16\, 2026: Festival Prep: An author who does 10+ festivals per year\n\nIf you can serve as a speaker for one of these programs\, please email Jolene MacFadden. \nRichard Gartee\nA big thanks to Richard Gartee for volunteering to present the June 15 program.\nDescription: \nBuilding on December 2025’s introduction to Amazon Ads\, we’ll tackle intermediate strategies\, troubleshooting\, and when to stop throwing money at ads that don’t work. \nKey Points: \n\nQuick review: Sponsored Products vs. Sponsored Brands vs. Lockscreen Ads\nReading your ad reports: what the numbers actually mean\nWhen to pause/stop an ad (knowing when to quit)\nKeyword research on a budget (free tools)\nA/B testing ad copy and images\nBid strategies for different budgets ($5/day vs. $50/day)\nThe 30-day test: realistic expectations\nShould you hire someone or learn it yourself?\n\nWorksheets/Handouts: \n\n“Amazon Ads Checklist” – setup and optimization steps\n“Ad Performance Tracker” – simple spreadsheet for tracking results\n“Keyword Research Worksheet” – finding profitable keywords\n“When to Stop an Ad” decision tree\n\nResources: \n\nFree: Amazon Ads keyword tool\nFree: Publisher Rocket alternative methods\nLow-cost: Dave Chesson’s tutorials (occasional free content)\nFree: Amazon Advertising learning console\nTemplate: Simple ad tracking spreadsheet\n\n____________________\n*The Zoom link is always the same:\nClick on this link to join the Zoom Meeting: \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/81913659127?pwd=a1hTQWl1WVphTUxBOWdVWE9oV2ljQT09 \nMeeting ID: 819 1365 9127 \nPasscode: 119030 \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/marketing-coalition-amazon-ads-deep-dive-beyond-the-basics/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Marketing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Untitled.png
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260625T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260625T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T102247
CREATED:20260528T165949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260528T170509Z
UID:32156-1782414000-1782421200@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Meet & Greet - Open Mic Night
DESCRIPTION:Join us under the pavilion at  Curia on the Drag on Thursday\, June 25. Get to know fellow WAG members and welcome potential members. \nWe’ll have an open mic night! \nBring one or two pages to read! We’ll invite nonmembers to read first. Then\, members. Let’s offer encouraging words of support. No critique. \nNo reservations needed. Just show up. A food truck is usually available. \nThe address is 2029 NW 6th Street\, Gainesville\, FL. Click on “Google Map” below. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/meet-greet-6/
LOCATION:Curia on thd Drag\, 2029 NW 6th Street\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32609\, United States
CATEGORIES:Readings,Social
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/image-e1654039437738.png
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260712T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260712T160000
DTSTAMP:20260607T102247
CREATED:20260302T021711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260302T184054Z
UID:31814-1783866600-1783872000@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:The Writer and the Machine: Collaborating with AI\, by Jaimie Engle
DESCRIPTION:AI won’t take your job. But someone who knows how to prompt it will. \nIn her book\, The Writer and the Machine\, Jaime Engle shows novelists\, screenwriters\, and entrepreneurs how to stay relevant and in demand by collaborating with AI—without losing their voice. Instead of fearing the future\, she teaches how to prompt AI with story-first strategy to build intellectual property (IP) that sells. \nWith her proven creative framework\, you’ll learn to write faster\, pitch smarter\, and build IP that lasts—just like thousands of other creatives she has helped. \nTo get a preview of her talk\, check out the Q&A sheet\, AI and Copyright that she has prepared. \nJaimie Engle built the Engleverse stories in books\, film\, and TV. She wrote\, sold\, and produced Just Jake (2023)\, sold and developed a story with DreamWorks Animation Studios (2025)\, and was hired to write an audibook for Fresh Produce Media (2025). \nShe founded Chapter Drops™ to help people with stories write and publish books\, offering a Pitch Drop service for authors to connect with producers. She has written and published 25+ books\, earning awards such as Kirkus Choice Book of the Year (2020)\, Pulisher’s Book Life Prize (Fiction and Non-Fiction 2020)\, and the Writers of the Future Award (2016). \nFor a deep dive into AI\, check out her book\, The Writer and the Machine\, which will be available for purchase following her talk. \nThis program is free and open to the public.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/the-writer-and-the-machine-collaborating-with-ai-by-jaimie-engle/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speakers
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260823T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260823T160000
DTSTAMP:20260607T102248
CREATED:20260524T182531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260524T182531Z
UID:32145-1787495400-1787500800@writersalliance.org
SUMMARY:Finding Unheard Voices in Public Records and Documents
DESCRIPTION:Note that this program will be presented on the fourth Sunday in August.\nVersion 1.0.0\nIn this program\, Finding Unheard Voices in Public Records and Documents\, WAG member Coleen DeGroff will share how she published the first book on African American enslavement in Alachua County. \nShe will describe her approach to creating and publishing a book using public records and historical archives\, and how her discovery of long-hidden documents led her to finding accounts of hundreds of enslaved people who were brought to Alachua County to labor on nearly five dozen plantations for half a century\, generating a significant amount of wealth for the region. \nAlachua County Black Book: Accounts of Enslaved People Discovered in Ancient Records uses bills of sale\, wills\, mortgages\, and more to give a glimpse into the lives of the enslaved and the people who enslaved them between 1815 and 1865. \nDeGroff hopes that this compilation of long-buried accounts found in public archives will help other writers share the tales of these unheard voices so that they are not forgotten. \nFrom the time Coleen DeGroff could pick up a pen\, she has been a writer. From poetry and songs in her teen years\, to writing articles for newspapers and magazines (including a stint as a humor columnist for a small Colorado magazine) to a fifteen-year career as a blogger and a real estate agent\, writing has always been a part of her life. After making the decision to retire from real estate\, Coleen followed her dreams back to writing about subjects close to her heart. She says she didn’t set out to write Alachua County Black Book. Instead\, she believes the book found her\, and she will always be grateful that it did. \nMore can be found about her writing career at https://www.coleendegroff.com/.
URL:https://writersalliance.org/event/finding-unheard-voices-in-public-records-and-documents/
LOCATION:Millhopper Library\, Meeting Room A\, 3145 NW 43rd St\,\, Gainesville\, FL\, 32606\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/68efb05f7e388_HeroCollage-e1779625218346.jpeg
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