Guild election results, conferences, retreat, & new Heartbeat community
January 2023
I don’t have a pretty picture for you this month, but with Saint Thomas Aquinas’ feast day coming up, this quote seemed apropos. “It is only God who creates. Man merely rearranges.”
First, it’s a great reminder that our creativity ultimately comes from God. Second, we’re doing some re-arranging lately at the Catholic Writers Guild. So, let’s get right to it.
Election Results
Thanks and congratulations to our new officers according to our election results (certified by our vice president, Barb Szyszkiewicz).
President – Carolyn Astfalk
Vice President – Barb Szyszkiewicz
Secretary – Michael Shelton
Treasurer – Cesar Chacon
Committee Coordinator – Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
One-hundred fifty members voted in the election, and four of our five elected officers are incumbents. Welcome to Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, the new Committee Coordinator, who has served the Guild in a variety of ways, most recently as the Author Coordinator on the Seal of Approval Committee.
Thank you to Patrick Chalmers, who so generously gave his time to the Board as Committee Coordinator in 2022. Your input and wisdom is much appreciated, Pat!
There are many roles in which you can support the Guild besides being an officer. I hope you’ll consider how you can assist the Guild, whether as a 2024 officer, supporting our events, joining a committee, blogging, or more. I’ll be listing volunteer needs in our newsletter each month.
Catholic Writers Conference Online
- All sessions recorded.
- Plenty of opportunity for Catholic fellowship.
- Schedule with talks and times.
- Details.
- Email Karina Fabian for the member discount code.
Save the date!
Our retreat is back after a hiatus!
Member Margaret Rose Really, Obl. OSB, has graciously volunteered to coordinate a retreat set for October 9-13, 2023 at St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt, Michigan.
More details on theme and presenter coming soon!
One of the Catholic Writers Guild’s greatest strengths, as we discovered from our informal survey in 2021, is our community. Relationships are at the heart of what we offer the Catholic writer, along with education conferences and other support for the writing craft and publishing business.
We have a lively Facebook community and a thriving Discord community. (But nary the twain shall meet.)
Additionally, many members are not active on either Facebook or Discord. Some are wary of social media or disenchanted with Facebook, where users are subject to its whims and changes. Discord is sometimes difficult for new users to access or acclimate themselves to. Both sites have various advantages and disadvantages.
In an effort to unify our membership and expand our community, the Board has decided to use Heartbeat as the place where our members meet and interact.
You can learn more about Heartbeat and what it has to offer. Our hope is that it will integrate well with our (new) website and provide a place for not only discussion threads and critique groups but events as well.
I know we’re all comfortable where we’re at. And we’re all tired of adding another app. (Even my puppy’s vet expects us to download an app!) But, I hope you’ll give Heartbeat a look. It’s fairly simply to join and navigate. Is it a perfect solution? No. Is it an improvement for our community? Yes, I think so.
We’ve started inviting our Discord members over, and, if you’re an active member, you’ll be receiving an email invitation soon. Heartbeat is accessible both from your desktop computer and by mobile app. Please take a few minutes to check things out.
(Our Facebook and Discord groups will remain operating as we all learn to navigate Heartbeat.)
Volunteer Corner
Our blog is a place where Catholic Writers Guild members can publish their articles and showcase their writing. We are looking for volunteer writers and editors to join our blog team for 2023.
We especially need editors who can edit one or more articles per month. If our team of editors grows, we will have the capacity to publish more writers.
If you are interested in writing or editing for the blog, please contact blog@catholicwritersguild.com.
Thank you!
Seal of Approval
The Seal of Approval application opens for the 2nd quarter on Friday, April 14, 2023 at Noon EDT. Once open, you can access the Seal of Approval Application Form for 24 hours. Reminder: If your book has received an Imprimatur, it is ineligible for the Seal of Approval but receives all benefits associated with the Seal. More information on the Seal of Approval process.
Remaining application dates for 2023:
- Fri., April 14
- Fri., July 14
- Fri., September 15
Check Your Spam!
If you’ve not received a reply to a message in a reasonable amount of time, please check your junk or spam folder before resending your message.
With rare exception, I personally reply to messages within 2-3 days, maximum.
Copyright 2023 Carolyn Astfalk
