Formed in 2000, DOGPATCH WRITERS COLLECTIVE takes its name from the historic San Francisco neighborhood where the original members gathered to exchange and discuss their written work. The DWC comprises writers working in a variety of genres.

MISSION: Continuing the long-established tradition of improving writing through subjecting it to multiple opinions, the collective exists to promote writing excellence and foster community among writers.

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THE PACK:

DAVID J. MARX (Founder) has worked as a taxi driver, postman, real estate broker and mortgage broker. He is the author of the novel Three Eighty-One (Creative Arts, 2003), and is writing a screenplay based on the novel. “The Voice of Reverend Root” from his on-the-market short story collection appeared in Blue Moon Literary & Art Review, and his first-person essay about coping with Parkinson’s disease was recently published in the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine. David received his M.A. and M.F.A. in Writing and Consciousness from New College of California and has attended the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and the summer Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Originally from Chicago, he lives on the San Francisco Peninsula with his wife and two sons. See more at http://davidjmarx.com/working.html.

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JILANNE HOFFMANN (Co-founder) actually lives in the historic district of Dogpatch in San Francisco. She is a freelance writer and editor, working with socially responsible organizations such as California Rural Legal Assistance. She is also a school volunteer, teaching a library class about the wonders of books, the Dewey Decimal System, and other sources of never-ending literary enjoyment. Jilanne maintained her passion for writing literary fiction throughout her previous lives as an engineer and marketing rep for IBM, environmental researcher and activist, science writer for the National Institutes of Health, health and fitness consultant, and world traveler. She received an MFA in Fiction from San Francisco State University with a concentration in Literary Theory, more in line with her interests than the BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arizona (although the Sonoran desert was inspiring). She is also an alumna of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop. Jilanne’s work has received an APEX Award for Excellence in Technical Communication. Current works in progress (all clamoring for attention) include a series of children’s stories, a book of short stories for adults, and two fledgling novels. Her mantra for overcoming ADD is “focus, focus, focus.” Deadlines usually work better. Check out Jilanne’s blog and Web site at www.JilanneHoffmann.com.

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WES PIERCE (Co-founder) lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, son, and a dog named after a character in a popular television series; Berkeley, B.A.; has functioned variously as a custodial engineer, a bicycle mechanic, a technical writer for a Fortune 100 company specializing in database management systems, and as a restaurant critic for a culinary magazine that no longer exists, sadly, as he got to eat a lot of great meals for free. Wes is also an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop and is currently shopping around his first novel.

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LAUREL LEIGH (Co-founder) loves old and odd cars, a passion she acquired from her father’s assortment of banged-up ones. A writer, teacher, and editor, she freelances internationally. Her skills are highly sought by established book publishers, producers, custom publishers, and individual authors. Both her memoir and fiction have appeared in the acclaimed literary magazine The Sun, published by literary legend Sy Safransky. Her essay “We Should Do Something,” in the July 2014 issue, is from a book-length manuscript about the Anthony G. Shaw child murder case for which she will be seeking a publisher (Anthony, the accused, is her nephew). Her story “Shoeless,” in the June 2010 issue, received a notable mention in the prize anthology Best of the West 2011. Her story, “Darrell, In Milwaukee”—from her linked collection-in-process titled Shoeless—appeared in Clover: A Literary Rag published by the Independent Writers’ Studio. Her story “Dearest,” slated for a collection titled Gracie and Them, recently appeared in the same journal. In Partnership with Madeleine Corson Design, she is the author of Little Novelist: Nurturing Your Daughter’s Writing Life, represented by InkWell Management and available now for acquisition. She is an alumna of the prestigious Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and Tin House Workshops as well as a former faculty member of the heralded Chuckanut Writers Conference. She lives in Western Washington, where she has taught creative writing workshops for several years and is the emcee for the popular Village Books Open Mic Night in Bellingham. She authors the blog Dear Writers, where her motto is: It’s a Good Day to Write. www.LaurelLeighWriter.com

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AMY BLACKWOOD (Contributing Blogger) is author of the blog Forsooth & Forsythia.

CATE PERRY (Contributing Blogger) is author of the blog Not Looking.

SELAH J TAY-SONG (Contributing Blogger) is the author of Dream of a Vast Blue Cavern and blogs at selahjtaysong.com.