President's Corner

by Ken Schept

Volunteers Drive New CFF Initiatives

You're probably reading this newsletter in mid-July when you'd rather be reading a book on the beach. But it's worth a few minutes of your time to learn about upcoming workshops, webinars, and other Columbia Fiction Foundry initiatives designed to help us all grow as fiction writers. Here are highlights of some stories that appear in this issue.

Full-Manuscript Workshops: We’re testing the possibility of workshopping full manuscripts. CFF member Melisa Özen Ryan drove this effort in which participants read and critique one book-length manuscript per month. Launched in June, the workshops focus on speculative fiction. Adding other genres depends on interest and volunteer involvement.

AI Guidelines: CFF ExComm member Jennifer Sears suggested that we need to prepare our workshops for the impact of AI. After vigorous discussion, the CFF Executive Committee asked Jennifer and ExComm member Michael Hirsh to draft AI Guidelines. You’ll find the AI Guidelines in this issue and in the Workshop section of the CFF website.

Scheduled Webinars: Our webinar series on the craft and business of fiction writing resumes in September with a program devoted to the challenge of agent representation. Our October webinar will feature industry experts on best practices for offering and receiving thoughtful critiques in writing workshops. If you missed or want to review “Gatekeepers to the Gatekeepers,” our April conversation with the literary assistants who actually read our queries, the program is available on our CFF YouTube channel. 

Columbia to Career to Fiction: This issue of the newsletter introduces My Writing Journey, a feature that showcases the long and winding career paths that led CFF members from Columbia degrees and disparate careers to fiction writing.

None of these developments would have happened without the involvement of CFF members. We share a desire to be better fiction writers, a commitment to help each other achieve that goal, and a Columbia degree.
  
If you’re a CFF member but haven’t attended a workshop, you’re missing an opportunity to improve your work among caring, supportive peers. If you’ve benefitted from the workshops, consider serving as a moderator.

Or volunteer your ideas, time, and talent in another way.  Specifically, we could use help with the newsletter and other communications, member services, programming, and data management. To get involved, please email me at [email protected].

Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who has attended workshops and to those whose volunteer involvement has helped sustain and improve CFF. With special appreciation to…
…Past president Tania Moore for chairing our nominating committee and for Michael Hirsh and Jennifer Sears for serving on the committee. A slate of officers and at-large members will be presented at the CFF Annual Meeting.
… Richard Nochman and Lisa Melilli who schedule our writing workshops and enlist  qualified volunteer moderators. Margie Winslow for her many contributions as a member of  the Executive Committee.
… Linda Raymond Ellison, the founding editor of the CFF newsletter who will be stepping down after this issue. Linda brought her experience as a career journalist to create a quarterly publication that helps strengthen our CFF community. 
… Mauricio Matiz, CFF communication director, who brought Linda’s vision to life in a digital format and continues to raise the professionalism of our website, workshops, and webinars.

I hope to see you online at a CFF workshop, program, or at our Annual Meeting on Saturday morning, October 17, 2026. For anyone in the New York metro area, plan to attend our Open House/Annual Meeting in person, at the Columbia Alumni Center, 622 West 113th Street. If you’ve been involved with CFF, the gathering is an excellent time to meet face-to-face with people you may have only encountered in Zoom workshops. If you’re new to CFF, you’re warmly welcomed to attend, meet other fiction writers, and learn more about our workshops and programs. You’ll receive further Open House/Annual Meeting details as the date approaches. For now…

Keep writing, and enjoy the beach, the mountains, or wherever you recharge!