A Cheerleader for Writers

Marlene Cullen is passionate about encouraging writers. Founder of the Writers Forum and facilitator of Jumpstart writing workshops, she believes everyone has a voice.

“People are natural storytellers. If you can talk, you can write,” says Cullen, 62, who moved to Petaluma from her native San Francisco in 1977.

She started Writers Forum five years ago to explore both the creative and business aspects of writing. Meeting monthly at the , each two-hour event includes a presentation by an author, agent or editor, followed by a Q&A. Past topics include magazine article writing, the creative process, how to pitch to an agent, and publicizing your writing.

This month Victoria Zackheim, author of The Bone Weaver and editor of five anthologies, spoke to a riveted audience of twenty-five about turning life events into fiction. A 2010 San Francisco Library Laureate who teaches a course on personal essay through UCLA Extension, she shared advice on writing both memoir and fiction, and read from both genres.

“Who we are is a tapestry of everyone who came before us,” said Zackheim, who adapted research on her family history into a novel that took 16 years to write.

“If it wasn’t for Writers Forum, I would not have been inspired to complete my book,” says Shane McGarrett, a Petaluma resident who has been attending the events for a year. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone with a bigger heart who is so willing to help people move forward in their writing career, whether they’re already professionals or not.”

Cullen calls herself “a cheerleader for writers," who provides people a safe place to explore the craft. Jumpstart workshops, held twice a week at the center and at , offer prompts to trigger memories or ideas. Unlike a critique group, people comment on what they liked, what phrase stands out, or what they remember.

“We’re not judging whether the writing is good or bad,” says Cullen, who hopes the feedback will help someone expand a piece or polish it for publication.

“I’ve been writing since I was four years old and could hold a pencil,” she says about her first experiences scribbling. By age nine she felt like a reporter, chronicling her family’s daily experiences in a spiral-bound notebook. When she was 12, she won a stereo in a writing contest and was published in the school paper.

But “writing went to the wayside” following college and a career. Though she kept journals for each of her three children, it wasn’t until her youngest was twelve years old that she returned to the literary world.

Coordinating a conference for Redwood Writers for the past two years, her emphasis was to make it a comfortable atmosphere for learning, and for attendees to make connections networking.

 “The writing life tends to be isolated,” Cullen says. “And it’s hard to have someone look at your writing. It feels very vulnerable.”

Writing Forum offers a community for writers—a place to announce your successes or find a critique group or writing partner. She keeps it affordable at $15 per session.

“For what you get, it’s priceless.”

Upcoming presenters include Stephanie Freele and Christine Walker, who will focus on the craft of writing such as starting in the thick of a story or using sensory details to evoke great storytelling.

Writers Forum meets the third Thursday of each month (except Dec., Jan. and Feb.), 7-9 pm, Petaluma Community Center. Jumpstart meets Tuesdays 9:30-11:20 am, Petaluma Community Center (except Aug.) & Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 pm, Copperfield's Books (except July & Aug.), 4 meetings for $60 or $20 drop-in.