Welcome to Royal Palm Beach Writers

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Royal Palm Beach Writers (RPBW)

Operating Guidelines

Mission Statement:

The Royal Palm Beach Writers cultivate and nurture the efforts of local writers by sharing honest critiques and constructive reviews of written compositions at the bimonthly meetings. The group also encourages its members to foster and develop their writing potential through education and publication. Spectrum, an anthology of the members' writings, is published annually. 

Meetings:

Bi-monthly meetings are held at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center on the 1stand 3rd Thursdays of each month, from 10:00 am to noon. 

If there is a 5th Thursday in a month, an education meeting will be held in the same location from 10:00 am to noon.

Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center

100 Sweet Bay Lane

Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411

While school is out during the summer months, meetings are held at:

Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center

151 Civic Center Way

Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411

Membership:

New members will be accepted according to our guidelines, as follows:

Category 1: Guest – Guests are non-paying attendees who are welcome at any time. However, to conserve time for dues-paying members, guests may read only one of their stories on one visit, if time permits. Guest critiques are always welcome, but they may not contribute to Spectrum or have voting rights until they become paying members. 

Category 2: Member – Members have paid their dues and occasionally attend meetings. They are welcome to read during meetings and contribute to Spectrum, provided they have at least 50% meeting attendance. However, they will not have voting rights on group decisions (e.g., Spectrum covers, editor choice, etc.).

Category 3: Voting Member – Voting members have paid their dues and attended 75% or more of the meetings during the year. They are welcome to read during meetings, contribute to Spectrum, and have voting rights. 

Dues:

For established members, yearly dues are $30.00 (cash only), payable to Virginia Guido, RPBW Treasurer.

Dues are payable by January 31st of every year. For guests who join after the due date, the dues will be prorated based on the number of months remaining in the year. However, those prorated members may not contribute to Spectrum until the following year. 

Meeting Protocol:

Meetings start promptly at 10:00 am. Please be courteous, arrive on time, and be prepared to start with cell phones off or silenced. To conserve time, distractions need to be minimized. Distractions such as off-topic conversations, unnecessary dialogue, or leaving the meeting can distract others. Time is very important to the group, and how we use it needs to stay on the topic of writing, which is why we are here. 

Of course, we understand emergencies, but we ask for consideration when leaving the meeting or stepping outside for a phone call. If it can wait, please wait. Having the audience come and go can be very distracting to a reader. 

Please keep side conversations and whispering to a minimum. 

Also, please note that this group is not a place to seek out writers to write for you. We are here to share our own work and seek to hone the craft of writing for ourselves. 

If you cannot attend a meeting, please notify Hartley Barnes or Patti Thomas. We don't want to worry about you. 

Meeting Guidelines:

Hartley Barnes, Chairperson, will facilitate the meeting. The meeting agenda will consist of:

· Calling the meeting to order

· Reviewing upcoming meeting/event dates

· Treasury report 

· Updates on actionable items for past meeting(s)

· New business

· Information that would benefit the RPBW

· Choosing a monthly writing prompt suggestion (This is NOT mandatory for writers.)

· Readers

· Close meeting

Reading Guidelines:

For members who plan on reading their work, we recommend bringing 15 copies for distribution to the group. If this is not possible, copies can be made at the Rec Center. This allows individuals to follow along and make editing remarks. 

Your work should include your name, word count, genre, and title. For example:

Word Count: 867

Genre: Fiction

TITLE 

(bold, all caps, centered)

Name 

(not bold, not all caps, centered)

Please limit readings to a maximum of 1,500 words. If your writing exceeds the word count, try to find a natural break and read it at two meetings. OR, you may continue if time permits and all other members have read.

Reader Critiques:

Verbal and written critiques should be constructive, never destructive! We are a family of writers at many different levels. We want our family of readers to take risks, be encouraged, and expand and grow as writers. Be kind always. 

It is our precept to return all copies of an author's work unless you ask permission to keep an item. 

Spectrum:

Spectrum is the publication produced each year by the RPBW. Each paying member with 50% attendance or greater may submit up to 4,500 words. The 4,500-word count can be a collection of short stories, poems, plays, essays, etc. Submissions of poetry must be kept to a 6-poem per writer limit, as we are charged for each page included in the anthology. 

Please see the Spectrum guidelines document for information on important dates and deadlines. 

Responsibilities:

Chairperson: Hartley Barnes

· Meeting facilitator

· Meeting agenda

· Monitoring RPBW email address

Treasurer: Virginia Guido

· Bi-monthly reporting of treasury funds and paid members

· Receives dues

Secretary: Patti Thomas (Sub: Rhonda Beitmen)

· Records and sends meeting minutes via email

· Maintains membership roster

Spectrum:

· Publisher and Editor in Chief – Virginia Guido

· Assistant editors – Rhonda Beitmen and Patti Thomas 

Revised 02/26