As we make our New Years resolutions, let’s consider how we can give back to the Catholic Writers Guild volunteers for all that we get from them?

If each committee added one volunteer, the entire CWG organization would take a giant step in 2015. Do I hear an “Amen” and a New Year’s Resolution?

Blog: Jennifer Fitz has an opening for a regular monthly columnist, preferably someone who can self-edit. This is a great avenue for bloggers and authors to show their stuff and network with CWG bloggers.

Charlotte Ostermann posted a great 2015 calendar of blogging ideas. She’s the one to send your Blog o’ the Month for the Roundup that she posts monthly. Details at “It’s a Year for Writers.”

CALA (Catholic Arts and Letters Award): Michelle Buchman reports:

“I would love to hand off the job of running it to someone else. The CALA won’t be awarded in 2015, so they’d have until fall before anything really has to be done in terms of organizing any judging and such.

“However, what we desperately need is someone who is good at promotion to step in and really get the word out throughout the year. We need publishers and media made more aware of it so that those who have won receive more recognition in Catholic media.”

Ellen Gable Hrkach will takeover for the time being. We will need one more adult judge. We have two adult and three young adult judges staying on.

Catholic Book News: Ellen Gable Hrkach reports that January’s issue is scheduled.  February’s issue is created but has not been proofread or given to authors to approve. We are currently looking for a new Editor to take over this job.  Gloria Winn is the current proofreader. Thank you, Gloria!

Catholic Writers Conference Live: Ann Margaret Lewis and Ellen Gable Hrkach announced that the CWCL will be held July 22 to 24, 2015 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey. Watch for registration details.

CWG Membership: Michael Shelton, Ellen Gable Hrkach, and Maureen Smith are updating the membership database. We have a new membership dues structure:  $40 for all new members and those who are on invoice. Members who are on auto renew will remain at the rates of $30 and $24 as long as they stay on auto renew.

Now there are only two periods of time for invoicing, to keep things simpler for the membership committee. Invoiced members who have normally paid January to April, were invoiced for this year.  Members who are invoiced and normally pay May to December will be invoiced in July.

Website: The web designer who was working on the website had to leave before the website was finished because of family responsibilities.

CWCO: Laura Lowder and Karina Fabian report that it doesn’t look like the online conference will be going ahead this year. One idea was that it would be moved to the fall, but we have the retreat this fall.  We’ll have to wait until 2016 to have the online conference.

Critique Groups: The CWG Non-fiction Critique Group is co-facilitated by Connie Rossini and Nancy Ward and has two openings. Don Mulcare facilitates the CWG Fiction Critique Group. Contact them for guidelines.

Facebook: Karina Fabian needs a Facebook Book Bomb Coordinator. This takes about 15 minutes a week. Around the 20th, you post a call for people who would like their book bombed. This means we will ask folks to post on any and all social media a call to consider or buy one author’s book. On the 25th, choose a name, announce it and get some info from the author. On the 1st, announce the book bomb, post the author info. Repeat on the 20th.

Educational Committee: Dennis P. McGeehan is looking for suggestions on how the CWG can work with educators and help in implementing them.

Retreat: (Seasonal) Ann Margaret Lewis and Margaret Realy are finalizing the speakers for the retreat on October 25 to 29, 2015, at St. Francis Retreat Center. Then publicity will begin.

Seal of Approval:  Sarah Reinhard reports that we have about 40 SoA Evaluations who have been trained and most are taking at least one book per quarter.

Erin Cupp contributed this: Just your friendly neighborhood SoA form monkey updating you about the CWG Seal of Approval process for the First Quarter of 2015. We already have reached our limit of 10 applicant works for this quarter. Thus, the submission form has been made inactive. In the event the SoA committee agrees to start a waitlist, the form will be reopened for submissions TO THE WAITLIST ONLY. The form will then be closed as determined by the committee and will reopen again on April 1, 2015. Thanks for your time and attention, and best wishes.

Zenit: Dennis P. McGeehan  reports that the Zenit Blog Committee needs more volunteers to help select CWG blogs to submit to Zenit.

Keep the Chairs in your prayers!

Nancy Ward, convert, journalist, author, and speaker, writes from Texas about Catholicism, conversion and Christian community at NancyHCWard.com, JOYAlive.net, and other websites and magazines. Through her Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story workshops, retreats and DVD, she shares her conversion story in Catholic parishes and at conferences, equipping others to share their stories. She contributed to the award-winning The Catholic Mom's Prayer Companion, facilitates two Catholic Writers Guild critique groups, serves on the Guild’s Board, and speaks at national writers conferences.