Photo by Alan Beymer – for Volume 4 of Voices of the Grove
Manzanita Writers Press
501(c)3 Nonprofit Literary Publisher
Mother Lode and Sierra region of California
CONTACT: manzanitawp@gmail.com
PURCHASE LOCAL AND REGIONAL BOOKS
FREE writing classes and workshops for seniors 50+:
Classes meet at the Volunteer Center in San Andreas
from 1-3 pm every TUESDAY (First 4 Saturdays of every month)- live and Zoom meetings (hybrid) – summer break in August
325 Lewis Avenue, San Andreas – below San Andreas Elementary School
Email lintoren@gmail.com for information. Zoom and live meetings for regional seniors.
“This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.
MANZANITA NIGHT WRITERS & WRITERS UNLIMITED Free Writer manuscript review and support sessions every 1st and 3rd Monday evening via ZOOM every month From 6:30-9:00 p.m. Email Monika for an invitation at manzanitawp@gmail.com – serving the Mother Lode/Sierra region and beyond: manzanitawp@gmail.com. ALL GENRES WELCOME. We also have an online NING group to post and comment on work. It’s Private, with vetted members.
Memoir sessions starting up in August of 2025 again, every 2nd Monday at 6:30 pm. Contact Monika at manzanitawp@gmail.com to sign up. We use the Manzanita Writers Press Ning (a private online writing space). The Zoom sessions are by invitation only, so contact Monika.
Manzanita Mother Lode Poets meet LIVE the last Thursday of every month, 6 pm-8 pm in Angels Camp. Round Table Pizza has a wonderful meeting room available to us. Contact us at manzanitawp@gmail.com for more information and updates. Facilitator: Monika Rose, Calaveras County Poet Laureate. Learn poetry craft and study poets and their work, then share your own poems in progress or finished poems with the group. Members rotate presentation topics and leaders.
Poetry sessions every 3rd Wednesday at 10 am on Zoom with Linda Toren. Contact lintoren@gmail.com to sign up.
A new Children’s Book Author group, The Book Hoppers, meets every last Saturday morning of every month from 8:30-10:30 am at 215 Lewis Street, San Andreas, CA. To get on the Zoom list, email facilitator, Yvonne Fought at yvonne (dot) fought@gmail.com
Gold Country Oral History Project:
We want your family, generational, community, and business/work stories about the good old days in Calaveras County from 1990s back to the 1850s. We are holding group conversations that are videotaped for the history books. Contact us for a time slot, and we’ll record your elders and family members talking about the past. Have artifacts, relics, and cherished heirlooms/photos ready to show and share, telling their story, too. We want to hear your story!
This project has been made possible by the Calaveras Community Foundation for 2024-2025.
Contact Monika at manzanitawp@gmail.com
“This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.”
A Calaveras Community Foundation grant has made possible the publication of two books — Voices of Wisdom anthology and a West Point Community Miwuk Language and Culture book published in November 2024, as well as a Poetry Collection, titled Calaveras Poets & Community Poems.
Support for the ongoing 2024-2025 oral history film project is made possible by a grant from the Calaveras Community Foundation. Thank you so much for your support!
Literary Events and Happenings: Join us for author signings and talks, workshops, readings, and more.
MANZANITA BOOKS Released:
Several of the following books are available at the following retail outlets, and you can also go to our store to purchase or Amazon:
Valley Springs: Mother Lode Co. store, 4-corners, Hwy 26 and 12, Treats Grocery Store in San Andreas; Momo’s Brand-Used Thrift Boutique on Historic Main St. in San Andreas; Raven’s Basket in Historic Downtown on Main Street in Angels Camp; Serendipity, artisan and art supplies store on Main Street in Murphys; Angels Camp Museum (Mark Twain book); Visitors Center at Calaveras Big Trees State Park (historical books); Mountain Book Shop in Sonora, and a few are at Froggy’s Car Wash Gift Shop in Angels Camp.
- Buzz Eggleston’s new nonfiction book: Nevadaplano: A Brief Geology of the West, was just published May 2025 for general distribution, with a book launch in the works for this summer.
- Stephen Finlay Archer’s Historical novel, Asunder, Book 7 of the Irish Clans Series – published May 2025 with a book launch in May. Audio books are in the works.
- Brenda Cumberlege, Steal Away, a book of memoiric poems and prose – paperback published, November 2024
- Gary Thomas, O Yes We Breathe – November 2024 – Book of poems
- Monika Rose’s new children’s book, Moths on a Limb, grades 3-6: released November 2024 – available in hardcover and paperback – see our store
- Voices of the Grove: a fourth Mother Lode Anthology of Voices stories, art, and poems – published November 2024 -made possible with a grant from California Humanities -visit calhumanities.org – and Calaveras Community Foundation
- Miwok Language and Culture – editor Linda Toren – November 2024 – made possible with a grant from California Humanities – visit calhumanities.org – and Calaveras Community Foundation (forthcoming availability at the Miwok Museum and Angels Museum with proceeds benefiting tribal exhibits at those museums)
- Calaveras Poets – an anthology of community poems by Calaveras poets, edited by Linda Toren, made possible with a grant from California Humanities
- Doug Albert’s book of poems and prose – Love Simply released in July 2023
- Michele Rugo’s new children’s book: Farmers Markets: Share the Joy – released July 2023
- Judy Creighton’s Cheese & Wine pairing book, Cheese Loves Wine – was released July 2023
- Stephen Archer’s novel, Fortunes, Book 6 of the Irish Clans novel series published in 2024.
- Ginger Bennett Griffin’s book – Affirming Your Life – 2025
- Don Urbanus – Elly and the Impossible Promise – a Young Adult fantasy comedy novel about a father and daughter who inherited a nursery and a murder mystery -projected release late Summer 2025
- Suzanne Murphy’s Book of poems: Blink – Late summer 2025
- Conrad Levasseur – a book of poems – We hope, this Fall 2025
- Monika Rose – book of poems and a book of essays 2025 and 2026.
Manzanita Writers Press released these new books – perfect gifts, all of them!
Michele Rugo – Farmers Markets – Share the Joy! A children’s book that encourages young ones to grow their own vegetables and participate in the farmers market.
You can purchase directly from the author here, or shop at Manzanita’s online bookstore. You can also purchase this book on Amazon.
Judy Creighton, our regional cheese lady and expert on all things cheese, has just received more copies of her new book, Cheese Loves Wine, with elegant and easy appetizers pairing wine and cheese. This book is highly popular and sells internationally. A fantastic holiday gift for friends and family! Easy and elegant appetizers, pairing cheese with wines, with ideas that won’t break the bank, with ingredients that are easy to find. https://square.link/u/ZxfYAdzh
The Mother Lode Book Festival was a success! Next year, 2026, it will be in Sonora, hosted by the Sonora Writers Group and Manzanita Writers Press, and then back in Murphys in 2027.
The Third Annual Calaveras Poetry and Journaling Day (2024) was wonderful! – A Cavalcade of Regional Poet Laureates – JUNE 29 – from 9 am to 6 pm, included workshops and readings by laureates and participants.
Native Sons Hall in beautiful, historic downtown Murphys. Enjoyed workshops with authors and poets, writing time, wine-tasting and dining in a quaint Gold Rush town, with a writing block of time to record your thoughts and share them at the end at the open mic for the public. A Cavalcade of Poet Laureates! Featured Poet Laureates, past and present, from over 5 counties!
In 2022, we held this fine event at Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Calaveras County for a day of poetry and journaling on Saturday, July 15, from 9:00 am – 6 pm, with poets Dana Gioia, Lee Herrick, and Susan Kelly-Dewitt, Calaveras Poet Laureate Linda Toren, poet Conrad Levasseur, and poet Monika Rose, Director of Manzanita Writers Press, and regional poets.
“This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.”
Manzanita Arts Emporium
Online Art Gallery
Online Book Store – Manzanita Authors
OUR ONLINE BOOKSTORE IS VIBRANT and thriving, so GO TO THE online BOOKSTORE where you will also find art to purchase! We are expanding the store.
Support your rural and California authors, please!
New authors and books are out this year!
Buzz Eggleston, NevadaPlano, A Brief Geology of the West
Stephen Finlay Archer, Book 7, Asunder, of the Irish Clans novel series
Voices of the Grove – Calaveras anthology
Calaveras Poets – a collection of poetry edited by Linda Toren
Monika Rose – Moths on a Limb – a children’s book
Gary Thomas – O Yes We Breathe – a poetry collection
Brenda Cumberlege – Steal Away – a prose and poetry memoir
Judy Creighton’s cheese pairing book – Cheese Loves Wine
Michele Rugo’s children’s book, Farmers Market: Share the Joy
Doug Alberts’ book of stories and poems, Love Simply
Stephen Finlay Archer’s Fortunes, Book 6 in the Series of the Irish Clans saga
Coming in the next three months:
Don Urbanus novel – Elly and the Impossible Promise
Stephen Archer – Book 8, of the Irish Clans historical novel series
A revised edition of Out of the Fire, a chronicled collection of stories of the deadly Butte Fire in Calaveras/Amador counties, that devastated the communities of Mokelumne Hill, Mountain Ranch, and San Andreas. With added stories, photos, and art. Commemorative 10th-year edition.
manzanitawp@gmail.com and catch us on Facebook: @Manzanita Writers Press. Or Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
Manzanita Writers Press was granted a generous California Humanities grant for a fantastic Gold Country oral history project through November 2024. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.
Also supporting this historical project is the Calaveras Community Foundation, with a generous grant for filming and editing equipment and publishing assistance through Fall, 2025.
- Oral interviews of the elders in our community filmed by partner CCTV with assistance from the museums, senior centers, and community members, featured on our new YouTube channel
- FREE filming, editing, transcribing, and interview classes at CCTV – paid positions available after the training is complete
- FREE Voices of Wisdom continues the free writing classes for seniors 55+ (a program ongoing since 2016).
- FREE Technology and smartphone classes for seniors were held
- Publishing a community book of Voices of Wisdom and another book based on the elder stories of our community, and a poetry collection.
- Gold Rush Writers Conference, and three celebratory gatherings to showcase the three books produced with this project.
- Many community and business partners participated in this worthy project. manzanitawp@gmail.com
More information has been posted on social media, in newspapers, and in senior centers. See the Calaveras Enterprise article from February 2023. Find out more at calhum.org
Assistance with funding for our videotaping and editing equipment for the Gold Country oral history project has come from a Calaveras Community Foundation grant. Thank you so much!
Notice about our location:
Our MWP office of record is located at the Volunteer Center of Calaveras County, 325 Lewis Avenue, San Andreas, CA 95249. Contact us via email or phone.
Publisher meetings with authors are by appointment. Contact us at manzanitawp@gmail.com or phone: 209-728-6117 (message)
Mailing: PO Box 215, San Andreas, CA 95249
Contact the Director, Monika Rose: manzanitawp@gmail.com
Office: 209-728-6117 messages only
Find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Types of classes we have conducted:
Free Technology and smartphone classes were held for Seniors 50+ on Tech Tuesdays throughout the month of April and May occurred from 10-11:30 am at the Calaveras Senior Center in San Andreas (956 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas in Calaveras County). Classes and topics were Smartphone training, social media, settings on tech devices, apps, Google tools, YouTube and Spotify, safe surfing on the web, and more. An emphasis for May is social media, apps, and tech tools, as well as photos and videos, texting and uploading, and more. We hope to sponsor more. “This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.”
Young filmmakers were offered free film and video classes at the CCTV studio. “This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.”