January 10, 2012 -- Steve Blow is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News . Steve joined the newspaper as a reporter in 1978.  He has written a popular column on the Metropolitan page of The Morning News since 1989.
            Before joining The News, Steve worked as a reporter at the now-departed Fort Worth Press and at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
            Steve’s columns have been named the best in the state by the Dallas Press Club, the Headliners Club of Austin and the Associated Press. Both the editors and readers of The Dallas Observer have named his column the best in Dallas.
            Steve grew up in Tyler, in East Texas. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. His wife, Lori, is a teacher in Mesquite. They have two grown children — a daughter, Ali, and a son, Corey. Both are married and now live and work in Dallas.
            Best of all, he is the grandfather of four beautiful grandchildren.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012— Sandy Steen - Sandy Steen is the author of 22 romance and romantic suspense novels and has conducted writing seminars on such topics as Synopsis, The Sagging Middle, Structuring The Contemporary Novel among others.

 Her topic is "A Writer’s Best Friend"– A necessity in today’s market, a synopsis can be a daunting task, but it can also be one of a writer’s best tools.  Learn how to break it down into an easy format useful for plotting and keeping your story on track.

"If you’re going to daydream," Sandy says, "might as well do it up right."

March 13, 2012 - CRITIQUE NIGHT - DAWG members and others will have an opportunity to read a selection from their works and have it critiqued by a published writer. Sign-up is on a first-come basis -- begins at 7pm. DAWG members are given priority. Expected panelists include Win Shields, Ginnie Bivona, James Gaskin and Steve Miller.

Here are the DAWG critique guidelines -- please read them before signing up for a critique.

Diane’s debut novel, Death, Taxes and a French Manicure, is in bookstores now.  Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte will follow in March 2012, with Death, Taxes, and Extra-Hold Hairspray coming in July 2012.  Visit Diane and read excerpts at www.dianekelly.com.

May 8 -WIN SHIELDS, former staff writer for Bob Hope and longtime writer and script doctor for Universal Studios (Punky Brewster, Murder She Wrote and others), will talk about how to use and misuse grammar in your writing.