Gulf Coast Writers Association:
A Southwest Florida Writing Community
Celebrating Excellence: GCWA Receives the 2026
FAPA Writers Group of Excellence Badge
Whether you are writing your first poem, finishing a novel, publishing nonfiction, building an author platform, or looking for a supportive writing community, GCWA welcomes writers at every stage.
Gulf Coast Writers Association, serving Southwest Florida and beyond,
is the largest and liveliest writing community in Southwest Florida.
We’ve been gathering since 1995, long before Zoom was a thing,
and we’re still showing up in person every month in
Fort Myers, Florida, with real speakers, real snacks,
and really passionate writers.
GCWA’s Monthly Meeting
Important: Please Read
Due to circumstances beyond GCWA’s control, the monthly
meeting will be held one week later, on June 27.
It will be at our normal meeting room in Fort Myers.
We hope to see everyone there.
Our June GCWA meeting will be a workshop on how to write a memoir by Mary Charles.
Mary’s career was consumed by the business of storytelling. She told the tales of the Fortune 500
companies who hired her to burnish their public images.
Memories are the proof of a life, the substance of a life. To let those memories die is a shame.
Memoir is how lives endure.
Spotlight
Member Spotlight: Amy Pontius
Amy Pontius is a former middle school educator and the author of Molly the
Mockingbird, a children’s book illustrated by Barbara Falvey. Her work has been
published with Kaleidoscope™ WoJo Reflections on Women’s Journeys, Press 53,
Florida Weekly, Gulf Coast Writers Association, Bacopa Literary Review, and Stroll
Magazine for Pelican Preserve.
GCWA 2026 Writing Contest Winners
The results are in for our Poetry, Fiction, and Non-fiction writing contest winners.
Congratulations to everyone for their dedication to writing and creative ability.
We are proud to announce three winners in each category.
Poetry:
FIRST PLACE: My Bowl, My Bowl, Lara Anderson
SECOND PLACE: Jericho Walls, Orrin Ladd
THIRD PLACE: Pulse, Teresa Hiatt
Fiction:
FIRST PLACE: When Death Knocks, Richard Drummer (Allen)
SECOND PLACE: From Flat to Forever, Deborah Garofano
THIRD PLACE: Mine, Bradley Burt
Non-Fiction:
FIRST PLACE: The Letters, Linda Saether
SECOND PLACE: The Taste of Dreams, Cheryl Lynn Dratler
THIRD PLACE: Choices, Christie Zarria
Honorable Mentions
Poetry: In my Lifetime, John Robilotta, I Turn Away, J B Nicholson Hunt, And Now We Are Old, Bradley Burt
Fiction: Notes from a Platform: A Study in the Art of Waiting, Tanny Davidson, Shoes for All, Mary Charles, The Holy Grail of Sanibel, April Lauseng
Non-Fiction: The Man at the Bridge, Joseph Doolin, To Catch a Thief, Ed Sessa, Bucket List, Jeanne Meeks
Becoming a GCWA member is your opportunity to
grow your brand and drive traffic to your book.
Don’t miss your chance to shine.
Join today!
