September 9th marked an excellent beginning of a new type of relationship between CIPA and writers groups outside the Front Range. The She Writes Steamboat writers group in Steamboat Springs is the first group to become an Affiliate Member of CIPA, a new category of membership for those who cannot easily participate in Front Range activities such as the monthly meetings.
The morning started off with an informal “meet and greet” as depicted in the this photo, followed by a formal presentation about the benefits of being a CIPA member. Attendees included published authors, writers working on manuscripts, writers ready to publish, an editor, and a graduate student completing her MFA.
Dr. C. Daniel Miller, CIPA President shown to the left, talking with attendees about their writing and publishing experiences. Dr. Miller later presented two CIPA College classes entitled “Comparison of Publishing Options” and “The True Costs of Independent Publishing” to the Steamboat Springs community. These same two classes will also be offered in Fort Collins on October 29th. Following this event, edited recordings of both classes will be available online.
Left: Mary Kurtz, the first Affiliate member to sign up for a CIPA College class, proudly displays her new book At Home in the Elk River Valley.
Below: Sue Leonard, founder of She Writes Steamboat, showing Stacey Kramer how to register for one of the two CIPA College classes held for the Affiliate Group on September 9th.