April Monthly Meeting
2026-04-02 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | The Black Potion, 1900 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX, 78201
This month’s topic is
EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT.
A true strength in writing is how the author connects with their readers. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, provoking an emotional response, both viscerally and emotionally, is a powerful tool to create long-lasting and memorable prose. Join Ian as he discusses the art of Emotional Writing to better bolster a writer’s bond to their readers, giving them an experience rather than just another story.
We’ll also be accepting nominations for our upcoming MAY ELECTIONS!
Want a new President, Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary? Want to BE the next President, Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary? We’ll be taking nominations at the next meeting, and all the way up to election day!
We will meet at the Black Potion on Fredericksburg Rd. Parking is in the gravel parking lot next to the building, as shown in the picture below.

Mark your calendar to join us for food & drink with fellow writers prior to the meeting:

Thu., April 2, 7:00-9:00 PM
@ The Black Potion
1900 Fredericksburg Rd
San Antonio, TX 78201

May Monthly Meeting & Elections!
2026-05-07 19:00 - 21:00
Join us on Thursday, May 7, 2026, from 7 to 9 PM at the Black Potion for a workshop on characters!

Characters are the lifeblood of every story. When we know and understand them, we can write them more distinctly. In this workshop, Katie Stone (one of our distinguished SAWG members) will take us through a few techniques for building and understanding our characters. The workshop will end with practicing our new skills through writing exercises and prompts.

Katie Stone is a writer who lives in a world of her own creation. She focuses primarily on character-driven fantasy. She has five completed manuscripts and is working on more.

We’ll also be voting for officer positions in our MAY ELECTIONS!
Want a new President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary? Want to BE the next President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary? We’ll be taking nominations at this meeting. Join us in person to vote!

We will meet at the Black Potion on Fredericksburg Rd. Parking is in the gravel parking lot next to the building, as shown in the picture below.

Mark your calendars and come join us early for some food, drink, and conversation with your fellow writers: Thursday, May 7, 2026 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM @ The Black Potion

June Monthly Meeting
2026-06-04 19:00 - 21:00
The May Monthly Workshop is Coming Up on Thursday, June 4th @7pm!
We’ll be meeting in person at the
BLACK POTION
(first room in the hallway behind the register)
1900 Fredricksburg Rd Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78201
This month’s topic is
Crafting Dialogue
Whether your characters sound flat, over-explain themselves, or just don’t quite feel alive on the page yet, this workshop will give you practical tools to make your dialogue feel more natural, dynamic, and memorable.
Crafting Dialogue is a practical, interactive workshop about writing sharper, more engaging dialogue. Through live read-aloud examples, published novel excerpts, and a scene exercise built across three revision passes, we’ll explore how dialogue reveals character, creates tension, builds subtext, and controls pacing. Writers of all genres and experience levels are welcome.
We will meet at the Black Potion on Fredericksburg Rd. Parking is in the gravel parking lot next to the building, as shown in the picture below.
Come early and chat with fellow writers! Black Potion serves food and beverages.

July Monthly Workshop
2026-07-09 19:00 - 21:00
Join us on Thursday, July 9, 2026, from 7 – 9 PM at the Black Potion for a workshop on character!

What makes characters stand out and feel real? This workshop will focus on using character voice to make your protagonist, villain, sidekick, or even NPC feel more distinct and memorable. We’ll also break down character conflict and examine how personality is often shaped by the struggles a character faces.

Jose Carlos Gomez-Vazquez is a software engineer by day, fantasy writer by evening, and gamer by night. He has provided voiceover work for the video game Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer. He also has two bachelor’s degrees in Economics from Texas A&M and Computer Science from UTSA. Jose Carlos enjoys good food, good company, and any reason to talk about the Final Fantasy franchise.

August Monthly Workshop
2026-08-06 19:00 - 21:00
The August Monthly Workshop is coming up on Thursday, August 6th @7pm!
We’ll be meeting in person at the BLACK POTION (first room in the hallway behind the register)
1900 Fredricksburg Rd Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78201
This month’s topic is:
Traditional Publishing & Querying 101
The traditional publishing world can be both intimidating and confusing. This month’s workshop will teach you the basics of seeking publication in the traditional publishing space. In this presentation, we’ll talk about traditional publishing, how to find and query literary agents for your novel, the elements of a query letter, and scams to watch out for. We’ll also discuss how and where to submit your short stories to literary journals.
We will meet at the Black Potion on Fredericksburg Rd. Parking is in the gravel parking lot next to the building, as shown in the picture below.
Come early and chat with fellow writers! Black Potion serves food and beverages.

September Monthly Workshop
2026-09-10 19:00 - 21:00
Story Questions
Have you ever been lost in a story? Do you have a clear vision of the tumultuous inner life of a 19th century farmer or the doomed fate of the chosen one, but when asked, ‘What’s your story about?’ can’t seem to answer without a 20-minute preamble?
Join SAWG as we learn about Story Questions, and how you can ace your mom’s small talk and the elevator pitch to agents. Led by former President of SAWG, Benjamin Hoffman.
We will meet at the Black Potion on Fredericksburg Rd. Parking is in the gravel parking lot next to the building, as shown in the picture below.
Come early and chat with fellow writers! Black Potion serves food and beverages. This meeting is in person, but members of the guild will also receive a zoom link the day of the meeting.
