ACFW Virginia Events Calendar 2016

1st Wednesday – Board meeting
1^st Saturday – Leesburg cluster meeting
1st Saturday – Virginia Beach cluster meeting
Sundays as announced on our Facebook group – Staunton cluster meeting
2nd Saturday – SW VA (Dublin) cluster meeting
2nd Saturday – Beltway cluster meeting
2^nd Thursday each month – teleconference or webinar
4^th Saturday – Woodbridge cluster meeting

September 2016

2 – ACFW First Impressions contest opens
3 – Leesburge cluster meeting
7 – Board meeting
8 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm : Share what you learned at ACFW National conference!
10 – Dublin cluster meeting
16 – Facebook Book Party
24 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
24 – Due date for October blog posts. Topics:
- Halloween
- Pregnancy & Infant Loss awareness month

October 2016

1 – Leesburg cluster meeting
5 – Board meeting
8 – Dublin cluster meeting
13 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm
15 – ACFW First Impressions contest closes
15 – Begin Nominations for the chapter officers of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer for the year of 2017. Email nominations to acfwvirginia@gmail.com
22 – ACFW Virginia Christian Writer’s Conference
25 – Due date for November blog posts. Topics:
- Thanksgiving
- Adoption awareness month
29 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

November 2016

1 – Nominations due for the chapter officers of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer for the year of 2017.
2 – Board meeting
5 – Leesburg cluster meeting
10 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm. Lynellen will teach about commas.
12 – Dublin cluster meeting
14 – Short story contest winner anthology goes on sale
16 – ACFW First Impressions finalists announced
16 – Voting for chapter officers begins.
26 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
26 – Due date for December blog posts. Topics:
- Christmas / Advent / Nativity

December 2016

1 – Voting for chapter officers closes at noon Eastern time.
3 – Leesburg cluster meeting
7 – Board meeting
8 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm
9 – Facebook Book Party
10 – Dublin cluster meeting
15 – ACFW First Impressions winners announced
No Woodbridge cluster meeting.
26 – Due date for January 2017 blog posts.

PAST EVENTS IN 2016

January 2016

2 – ACFW Carol award submissions begin, ACFW Genesis contest opens
6 – Board meeting
9 – Leesburg cluster meeting
14 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm. Elizabeth Maddrey will talk about CH 1&2 of “Plot and Structure”
16 – Dublin cluster meeting
23 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
26 – Due date for February blog posts. Topics:
- -Love/Romance/Valentine’s Day
- Why you hate Valentine’s Day
- Singleness
- Lent (How do you prepare for Easter? Devotions around the idea of sacrifice. That sort of thing.)

February 2016

6 – Leesburg cluster meeting
10 – Board meeting
11 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm. Lisa Heidrich will talk about speaking engagements.
13 – Dublin cluster meeting
23 – Due date for March blog posts. Topics:
- Lent (How do you prepare for Easter? Devotions around the idea of sacrifice. That sort of thing.)
- Holy Week (prefer these to be devotional in nature — feel free to hit on whatever God’s speaking to you about this year when it comes to his death and resurrection)
- Spring (renewal, etc. can be light and fun if you want)
- And we have room for a couple of St. Patrick’s Day / Ireland / All things Irish type posts as well, since it’s March.
27 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

March 2016

Cluster meetings NOT meeting this month: Dublin (SW VA), Staunton/Harrisonburg
2 – Board meeting
5 – Leesburg cluster meeting
10 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm. Sarah Norkus will talk about selling books at book signings.
12 – Leesburg cluster meeting
15 – ACFW Carol Award submissions close, ACFW Genesis contest closes
18 – Facebook Book Party
19 – Virginia Beach cluster meeting starting up! First meeting today.
25 – Due date for April blog posts. Topics:
- Autism awareness
- Child abuse prevention
- Poetry writing
- Earth Day / stewardship / Christian response to environmentalism
26 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

April 2016

6 – Board meeting
9 – Dublin cluster meeting
9 – Leesburg cluster meeting
9 – Stuart’s Draft cluster meeting
14 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm. Heather Gray will speak about media kits.
23 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
25 – Due date for May blog posts. Topics:
- Mother’s Day (celebrate your mom, being a mom, what you love about moms in general, why we need moms, missing your mom, etc.)
- Infertility
- Memorial Day

May 2016

1 – Writer’s conference speaker application goes live
4 – Board meeting
5 – ACFW Genesis contest semi-finalists announced
7 – Leesburg cluster meeting
12 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm. Elizabeth Maddrey will speak about what an unpublished author can do at our quarterly Facebook promotion parties
14 – Dublin cluster meeting
14 – Alexandria cluster meeting
23 – Due date for June blog posts. Topics:
- Father’s Day (celebrate your dad, being a dad, what you love about dads, why we need dads, missing your dad, etc.)
- End of school year / graduations
- Summer hopes / plans / dreams
- The beach
28 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
30 – Writer’s conference speaker applications close

June 2016

1 – Board meeting
1 – Short Story Contest submissions begin
4 – Leesburg cluster meeting
9 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm
11 – Dublin cluster meeting
15 – ACFW Genesis contest finalists announced
18 – Facebook Book Party
24 – Due date for July blog posts. Topics:
- 4th of July / Freedom / Patriotism (but not politics!)
- Swimming
- Checking in on resolutions to see how you’re doing
- National Ice Cream Month
- Summer (why you love it / hate it, childhood memories of it, etc.)
25 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
27 – ACFW Carol Award Finalists announced
30 – Short Story Contest submissions closes

July 2016

1 – Short Story Contest voting begins
2 – Leesburg cluster meeting
6 – Board meeting
9 – Dublin cluster meeting
14 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm
23 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
25 – Due date for August blog posts. Topics:
- Simplifying your life
- Summer vacations (where you went, where you’d love to go, why you don’t vacation in the summer, etc.)
- Back to school
31 – Short Story Contest voting ends

August 2016

3 – Board meeting
4 – Short Story Contest Winners announced
6 – Leesburg cluster meeting
11 – Virtual chapter meeting. 8:30pm – 9:30pm
13 – Dublin cluster meeting
25 – Due date for September blog posts. Topics:
- Back to school
- Childhood Cancer awareness month
- Autumn
25 – 28 ACFW National Conference, Nashville, TN
27 – Woodbridge chapter meeting
27 – ACFW Carol Award winners announced, ACFW Genesis contest winners announced

PAST EVENTS IN 2015

February 2015

7 – Leesburg cluster meeting
12 – Telecon 8:30-9:30pm, leader: Elizabeth Maddrey, topic: getting started and getting to know each other
14 – SW VA cluster meeting
15 – Shenandoah Valley cluster meeting
28 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

March 2015

4 – Board meeting
7 – Leesburg cluster meeting
12 – Telecon, 8:30-9:30pm, leader: Heather Gray, topic: Facebook Parties
14 – SW VA (Dublin) cluster meeting
15 – ACFW Carol Awards entry period closes; ACFW Genesis contest entry period closes
21 – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
27 – ACFW Virginia authors Facebook party
28 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

April 2015

1 – Board meeting
4 – Leesburg cluster meeting (CANCELLED)
?? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
9 – Telecon, 8:30-9:30pm. Speaker: Zoe McCarthy. Topic: What I learned at Mount Herman Writer’s Conference
11 – SW VA cluster meeting
15 – Workshop proposals for ACFW Virginia Writer’s Conference are due (https://acfwvirginia.wordpress.com/workshop-proposal/)
25 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

May 2015

2 – Leesburg cluster meeting
6 – Board meeting
?? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
9 – SW VA cluster meeting
17 – 21 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference, LifeWay Conference Center, Asheville, NC
21 – Telecon, 8:30-9:30pm, leader: Elizabeth Maddrey & Lynellen Perry, topic: Blogging for authors (NOTE NEW DATE of May 21)
23 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

June 2015

3 – Board meeting
6 – Leesburg cluster meeting
?? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
11 – Telecon 8:30-9:30pm, leader: Lynellen Perry, topic: Sharing tidbits from Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference (Erin, Zoe, Megan, etc.)
NO SW VA cluster meeting this month
26 – Quarterly Facebook Virtual Book Party with chapter member hosts/hostesses
27 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

July 2015

1 – VA Chapter “Christmas” short story contest entry period opens
1 – Board meeting
NO Leesburg cluster meeting this month
?? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
9 – Telecon 8:30-9:30pm, leader: Sarah Hamaker; topic: Making the most of writing contests
11 – SW VA cluster meeting
25 – ACFW Virginia Writer’s Conference

August 2015

1 – VA Chapter “Christmas” short story contest entry period closes
1 – Leesburg cluster meeting
5 – Board meeting
? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
8 – SW VA cluster meeting (writing retreat)
13 – Telecon 8:30-9:30pm, leader: TBD; topic: Scrivener?
22 – Woodbridge cluster meeting
31 – VA Chapter “Christmas” short story contest winners announced

September 2015

1 ACFW First Impressions contest opens
2 – Board meeting
? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
10 – Telecon 8:30-9:30pm, Guest speaker topic: The History of Mystery
12 – SW VA cluster meeting
12 – Leesburg cluster meeting
17-20 ACFW annual conference in Dallas, TX
25 – ACFW VA virtual book party on Facebook
26 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

October 2015

3 – Leesburg cluster meeting
7 – Board meeting
? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
8 – Telecon, 8:30pm – 9:30pm, topic: sharing tidbits from ACFW annual conference
10 – SW VA cluster meeting
15 – Begin Nominations for the chapter officers of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer for the year of 2016. Email nominations to acfwvirginia@gmail.com
18 – 22 Blue Ridge “Autumn in the Mountains” novelist retreat, LifeWay Conference Center, Asheville, NC
? ACFW First Impressions contest entry period closes
24 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

November 2015

1 – Nominations due for the chapter officers of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer for the year of 2016.
4 – Board meeting
7 – Leesburg cluster meeting
? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
12 – Telecon 8:30pm – 9:30pm, leader: Hallee Bridgeman. topic: indie publishing
14 – SW VA cluster meeting
16 – Voting for chapter officers begins.
28 – Woodbridge cluster meeting

December 2015

No Woodbridge cluster meeting; No Board meeting

1 – Voting for chapter officers closes at noon Eastern time.
1 – “Christmas” Short story contest anthology published by HopeSprings Books
4 – Facebook Virtual Book Party
? 5 – Leesburg cluster meeting
? – Staunton, VA cluster meeting
10 – Telecon 8:30-9:30pm, leader: Vie Herlocker; topic: Book Mama and Miz Moe’s Guide to Self-Editing
12 – SW VA cluster meeting