Monthly Archives: May 2015

Proposed Bylaws

As per our Bylaws, below are the proposed Bylaws to be approved at the General Meeting of June 13.

Some highlights are: Changing Annual Meeting from March to June; changing number of visits allowed from three to two; changing term limits from one year back to two; other minor clarity changes.

Writers Forum Bylaws Rev. 06/13/2015

WRITERS FORUM BYLAWS

I .NAME

The name of this organization shall be WRITERS FORUM.

II. PURPOSE

The WRITERS FORUM is a nonprofit social and educational organization dedicated to promoting writing as an art, business, and profession, and to encouraging and inspiring local writers.

III. MEMBERSHIP

3.1 Membership in this organization shall be open to all individuals who wish to promote the skills, creativity, and craftsmanship of writing, as well as those who wish to support such pursuits by their efforts and means.

3.2 Members in good standing shall be defined as those whose dues are currently paid.

3.3 Each member in good standing shall be entitled to one (1) vote in open meetings concerning decisions involving finances and other matters of organization.

3.4 This organization will maintain member data as required to administer the needs of the organization and its members. The Board shall determine and publish on its website a Privacy Policy covering the use of this data. This policy applies to any use of this data and not just the use by the website.

IV. MEETINGS

4.1 The organization shall hold monthly meetings of the general membership, except for July and August, and for off-site events. A quorum shall be ten percent (10 %) of the members.

4.2 The organization shall hold its Annual Meeting in June.

4.3. All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

V. OFFICERS

5.1 Officers of Writers Forum shall consist of: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Director, Newsletter Editor, Program Director, and three (3) Directors at Large, a total of ten (10) persons, all of whom shall be elected by the membership at the June Annual Meeting.

5.2 Officers shall serve a two-year term and may stand for re-election.

5.3 Officers shall assume office within thirty (30) days after their election.

5.4 The President shall chair club meetings and shall appoint the chairs of standing committees with approval of the Board. The President may call special meetings of the membership and the Board as needed. The President is an ex-officio member of all committees.

5.5 The Vice President shall assume the duty of the President in the latter’s absence.

5.6 The Secretary shall prepare agendas, take minutes and maintain records of all board meetings.

5.7 The Treasurer shall keep adequate financial records, shall be responsible for the annual postal-fee renewal, for maintaining corporate records as required by the State of California and for filing reports required by the IRS or state agencies. The Treasurer shall provide to the Board a monthly statement of income and expenditures with beginning and ending balances.

5.8 Officers and Directors shall be nominated by a Nominating Committee.

At the meeting immediately preceding the June Annual Meeting, the Nominating Committee shall present the slate to the members. Other nominations will be received from the floor during the June Annual Meeting, at which time the vote shall take place.

5.9 All nominees must be members in good standing.

5.10 Officers and Directors shall be elected at the Annual Meeting in June by written ballot, except a written ballot is not required when only one person is nominated for an office. Only members in good standing are eligible for office. Election shall be by majority vote. The slate as presented can be voted upon as a whole.

5.11 Officers shall carry out their duties in accordance with the Job Descriptions maintained by the Board.

VI. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

6.1 The seven (7) Officers and three (3) Directors at Large shall constitute a Board of Directors. The immediate past president shall be an ex-officio nonvoting member.

6.2 The Board of Directors shall meet monthly except in July and August. Special Board meetings may be called at the discretion of the President. A majority of six (6) Board members shall constitute a quorum.

6.3 Vacancies on the Board shall be filled through appointments made by the remaining Board members.

VII. COMMITTEES

7.1 Standing committees may be formed as deemed necessary by the Board.

VIII. DUES, FISCAL YEAR AND FUNDS

8.1 Annual dues of $25 are due on anniversary of joining, and become delinquent two (2) months later. Exceptions: High school and college students shall pay ten dollars ($10) dues. These members are entitled to receive the newsletter, attend and vote at meetings, and participate in all activities connected with the organization

8.2 Annual dues shall be set by majority vote of current members present at the Annual Meeting.

8.3 The fiscal year of this organization shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.

8.4 Funds shall be disbursed as follows: for expenditures of more than $300, two signatures shall be required: the Treasurer’s plus the President’s or the Vice President’s or the Secretary’s.

8.5 The Board of Directors shall appoint a person, anyone who is not an officer, to audit the Treasurer’s records every other year just prior to the Annual Meeting in June.

IX. GUESTS

Guest’s visits to regular meeting of the organization shall be limited to two (2) per year.

X. AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended by the membership attending the Annual Meeting, or at a special meeting called for the purpose, by a two-thirds vote of those present, provided that members have been notified of the proposed amendment(s) at least two weeks prior to the meeting.

XI. SCHOLARSHIPS

The Board of Directors may initiate action toward the awarding of scholarships as it deems appropriate.

XII. DISSOLUTION OF THE ORGANIZATION

In the event that the organization is dissolved, all debts and other financial liabilities shall be paid from existing funds. The remaining incumbent balance shall be disbursed in one of the following ways:

  1. a) to a scholarship fund for creative writing at Shasta College;
  2. b) to another nonprofit fund, foundation or corporation with similar literary desires as those of Writers Forum.

In either case, designation of the funds shall be by a majority vote of the members in good standing at the final meeting. Notification of such meeting shall be given to the members in good standing at least two weeks in advance, by mail and news media.

 

Upcoming Events: Chloe Winston’s Book Signing

Today we’re featuring an excerpt from Writers Forum member, Chloe Winston.  You’re invited to join Chloe for her book signing on May 8th from 11:30-1:30 at Sportsman’s Express 76 located at 14385 Wonderland Blvd. in Redding.

An Excerpt from Argentine Assignment

by Chloe Winston

          Please let him be alone. He was angrier than before; I could tell from his voice. I didn’t hear any responses to his shrill comments, so maybe he was on his cell phone. That might mean there wasn’t another person with him. But I didn’t dare take that chance.
        From the unclear sounds of his side of the conversation, things weren’t going right for him. That meant they might go right for me. But maybe not.  When he walked through the door, he looked furious, which promised to make things worse. He didn’t pay attention, not even focusing on me.  Big mistake.
      No time. Go!  I went. Gripped the knitting needle more firmly; checked the pilot’s door.  Not a player–yet. I tossed the drape aside and faced the man. He tried to jump back, but he’d been coming so fast, with too much momentum. I was up against him. I jabbed him in the side so hard I felt the needle bend.Don’t break; not now. It was him or me. He leaned toward me, hands outstretched, then leaned back, breathing hard.  When he staggered against the wall, I pulled the needle out, hoping he’d bleed enough to slow him down.  Then I ran. And ran and ran.
A Note from the Webmaster: If you’re a Writers Forum member in good standing and would like to be featured on Member Monday or would like to submit an excerpt and an event, please send your submission to writersforumwebmaster@gmail.com. Submissions should be 75-750 words, appropriate for all ages and error free. Please include a short bio, a headshot and any related links. The author retains all rights and gives permission to Writers Forum to publish their submission on the website and/or in the newsletter. Thank you!

Member Monday: Finding Denis, Part 1 by Alicia McCauley

Alicia & some of her Ugandan kidsWelcome back to Member Monday.  Today we feature a piece by Alicia McCauley.  Alicia spends her summers teaching writing and committing acts of Vigilante Kindness in and around Gulu, Uganda.  She will be sharing about her last trip and her upcoming trip at our May meeting.  Welcome, Alicia.

Finding Denis, Part 1

by Alicia McCauley

The boda driver killings in Gulu, Uganda began on May 28th and on May 29th I received a frantic message from my boda driver, Denis, that a rebel group had entered Gulu and was killing boda drivers in the cloak of night.

Denis’ message to me was quick and to the point.  “A group of people are killing boda boda riders in large.  And they are using guns.”

Messages from my other loved ones in Uganda came in frantic bursts.  The number of drivers killed was nearing twenty.  A mandatory curfew was put in place over the town.  The police were vigilant in their pursuit of the rebel group, but drivers continued to be shot and killed.

I called Denis.

And messaged him.

And sent my son, William, out to Denis’ village, Bungatira, to find him.

His phone was disconnected.  He didn’t reply to messages and worst of all, he was nowhere to be found in his village.

For weeks I tried to find him.

Then weeks turned into a month.

Time kept on growing and still no word.

The pit of my stomach felt like it was full of rocks. I thought of the voice in my ear telling me to let go.

No, I would not let go of this.  I would not let go of my friend.

I spewed angry prayers from between clenched teeth.  I am not letting go of my friend, God.  NOT LETTING GO.  So You and your voice are going to have to help me find Denis.

I wondered if Denis was alive.  And if he was alive, why wasn’t he home?  Why was his phone, his life line, not working?

Something was terribly wrong.

Since the summer of 2013 I’d heard from Denis at least every other week.  He regularly filled me in with reports on his pigs and reports about the village treasury.

And now nothing.

I arrived in Gulu and tried calling Denis countless times to no avail.  I planned to go to Denis’ village the following day to figure out for myself where my friend was and whether he was alive or not.

I can’t tell you how happy I was later that day when I picked up my phone and it showed a missed call from Denis’ number.  I kicked myself for having it on silent.

Again I called and didn’t get through.  Later William called and talked to Denis.  Denis was in Te Okot, the land of his clan.  William reported that Denis was walking to Gulu to come and see me.

Again alarm bells sounded in my mind.

Te Okot is 2-3 hours from Gulu and that’s if you go by motorcycle.  Why was Denis walking?  Why was he so far from home?

I called Denis and nearly cried when I heard his voice.  I fired questions at him.

“Where have you been?  You scared me to death.  I thought you were dead.  Why isn’t your phone working?  What are you doing so far from home?  Aren’t you in school?  Where’s your boda?  Why are you walking from so far?”

“I’ll explain it all when I reach you.  I’ll be there around midnight,” Denis replied.

“Why don’t you take a boda?  It will be much faster.”

“It’s expensive.  I can’t pay for it.  My pigs were poisoned and died.  My future has died.”

“What???  Who killed your pigs?  And how much is the boda ride?”

“40,000 shillings.  I’ll explain everything when I get there.”

40,000 shillings is roughly $15.

I told Denis I’d pay the boda driver, that he should just come and come quickly.

Then I waited one of the longest hours of my life.

Come to the May Writers Forum meeting to find out how the story ends.  Can’t wait that long?  Click here to read more.

A Note from the Webmaster: If you’re a Writers Forum member in good standing and would like to be featured on Member Monday, please send your submission to writersforumwebmaster@gmail.com. Submissions should be 75-750 words, appropriate for all ages and error free. Please include a short bio, a headshot and any related links. The author retains all rights and gives permission to Writers Forum to publish their submission on the website and/or in the newsletter. Thank you!