Lieutenant Bill Ward's Power Point presentation on the duties of a Terrorism Liason Officer, Saturday, June 27, 2009, was a huge success.

The seminar, presented by the Central Valley Writers' Workshop, was held in the Blanche Galloway Room 11 to 3 p.m. Admission was free to CVWW members and open to the public for $15. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Madera Library and the CVWW's annual writing symposium.

Around a dozen crime writers learned about government programs like Fusion Centers (RTTAC) and Infragard, as well as the interworkings of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, ALF, ELF, MS13, IRA, KKK, local street gangs, and Neo Nazis. Ward reviewed the history of terrorism—both national and abroad—spotlighting specific cases and reviewing how local and national law enforcement prepare together for what Bill Ward says is inveitible.

"The experts say it not a matter of IF we see another 9-11. It's a matter of WHEN we see another."

Central Valley Writers’ Workshop’s annual writing symposium will feature three speakers this year – two well established agents and an editor from one of the country’s largest publishing companies.

“Each year we strive to bring the best in the publishing industry to Madera County so writers of all genres can learn what it takes to break into print,” said CVWW president, Glenna Jarvis. “Read, write, critique and learn. That’s what the Workshop is all about.”

This year's event begins at 9:AM, July 25, 2009, and brings three speakers to Madera: Wales Literary Agency owner and agent Elizabeth Wales, Andrea Brown Literary Agency agent Kelly Sonnack, and New York Publishing Company TOR Books Assistant Editor Stacy Hague-Hill.

Wales travels to New York four times a year to keep in touch with editors in the worlds largest publishing companies. She started in the publishing industry with Oxford University Press in 1980. Wales has also worked at the Strand Bookstore and in trade sales and marketing at Viking Penguin. A graduate of Smith College, she did her graduate work in literature at Columbia University. She is a member of the Association of Author’s Representatives, Inc., and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

Wales Literary agency represents narrative fiction—creative nonfiction or literary journalism—especially if the work centers on a progressive culture or political point of view. The agency looks for a new voice, or work that shares an important, compelling story.