Paul Riggins, Club President
Almost five years ago when the current president of the Writers and Poets of Quail Creek first joined the group, there were just three active resident members. Then, six months later, two of those three active members moved out of state, leaving only one active member in this chartered club. At this point in time, the club began its creative solo journey, which allowed the club to grow to more than 25 paid members in 2023. This is a 500 percent or greater growth pattern.
This large growth was created by providing regular, twice-a-month meetings of relevant and useful topics for writers, which were promoted in our Quail Creek What’s Happening community newsletter, as well as with the use of a list of once-active past members. The club did not fade away but, rather, it began to thrive. And it continues to grow with each passing month.
The club has accomplished this amazing growth in just two years. It has done this with regular meetings involving sharing and learning sessions. Eighty percent of the current members have led one or more sessions. The club also began providing a publishing assistance program to the members, which has resulted in the publishing of nearly 20 books written by the members. The club has also developed a new website with information of interest to local writers and poets. In addition, it has begun an aggressive networking effort within the Quail Creek community, working with other resident clubs and with regular community events such as the arts and crafts shows and the annual Christmas show. In addition, it is working with the Green Valley community. It works with local newspapers, clubs, and special community events; makes presentations to local senior living facilities; and donates club members’ internally published books to the Joyner-Green Valley Library and the Quail Creek Madera Library.
The Writers and Poets of Quail Creek Club is not only growing, but we are active in our own community and the surrounding communities. And, best of all, the club is having fun and feeling good about our efforts to promote writing and poetry.