January 17, 2026 @ 9:30AM Pacific Time presented by Jana S. Brown You’ve finished writing your rough draft! Congratulations! Now what are you going to do? Before going out into the world, every manuscript needs a little love from its creator in the form of self-editing and revision. However, that can be a daunting task. Where do you begin? Join author and editor, Jana S. Brown, at her virtual table and learn the Steps to Self-Editing. Smooth out structure, plotlines, character arcs, and continuity while eliminating grammatical mistakes and wordiness to make your manuscript shine. Jana S. Brown entered the world of publishing in the mid-90s and has never looked back. She’s worked as a journalist, fiction writer, technical writer, editor, presenter, author coach, course creator, conference committee member, and a host of other positions. She’s assisted in the creation of bestselling and award-winning novels in the self-publishing space as well as working as an editor with small presses and as an acceptance editor for Book Cave, a book promotion company. She has over twenty books published across three pennames, as well as a host of newspaper articles (over 100 with the Deseret News alone!) and award-winning anthology tales. She runs Opal Kingdom Press , a small press and adores helping other creators reach their goals. Her amazing family and fuzzy sidekicks provide her with support, inspiration, and amusement, sometimes not in that order. If you attended this meeting, leave your comments below. You must be logged in to post comments.

Meeting called to order by President Michelle Bassett at 9:57 am Pacific and presided over by Vice President Kevin Kindle. A quorum was reached with 12 members in good standing and 5 guests. Annual DVWG Election Results: For the position of President, Michelle Bassett was nominated by Angela Little, seconded by Liam Bruce. Michelle accepted the nomination. With no further nominations, Kevin called for a voice vote. All present members in good standing vote “aye” by show of hands. Motion approved. Michelle informed the membership that the Board of Directors voted to amend the Guild’s bylaws, eliminating the term limit provision, due to difficulty in finding volunteers to run for open board positions. For the position of Treasurer, Jessica Bruce was nominated by Aedan VonWeckmann, seconded by Greg Porterfield. Jessica accepted the nomination. With no further nominations, Kevin called for a voice vote. All present members in good standing vote “aye” by show of hands. Motion approved. Meeting Adjourned at 10:04 am Pacific.

A Compilation of Stories, Poems, and Musings Animals are an integral part of the world we live in. Some share our homes as welcomed guests. Others as unwanted intruders. Still others coexist in the wild, separate yet connected at such deep levels that we can't help but pause whenever they're encountered. This eclectic compilation celebrates animals through stories, poems, and musings drawn from the creative wellspring of profound experiences, personal memories, and pure imagination. “MENAGERIE is a delight! Stories and poems about animals told from so many unique and insightful perspectives. Each is a gem and collectively they are a treasure trove! Highly recommended!” Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Red Empire and NecroTek "An eclectic menagerie of tales and poetry. Some will bring you to tears, while others will leave you with a heart filled with joy. It's time to explore."
 Lisa Diane Kastner, Author, Editor, and Founder of Running Wild, LLC. "Menagerie is a special book that will earn its way onto your shelf of much-handled favorites. In an eclectic collection of prose and poetry, anyone who has loved or lost a pet will find a contribution that echoes in their heart." 
Trond Hildahl "It's wonderful to see a writing group that not only encourages its writers, it provides an opportunity for them to showcase their work for others to see. And as a poet, I'm impressed that there are 14 poems in this collection, each one about a different  part of the menagerie. I especially appreciated Blessed Mercenary. And Roommates made me smile. Well done!" 
C. H. Lindsay, poet, writer, book lover.