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SDWEG Anthologies
SECOND EDITION, 2013
2013 (2nd Edition) SDWEG The Guilded Pen
The Guilded Pen is not the sole work of any one individual. There would be no anthology without the support and guidance of the SDWEG Board of Directors. This year, 29 authors, members of the SDWEG, contributed their short stories, poetry, and essays to this edition.
THIRD EDITION, 2014
2014 (3rd Edition) SDWEG The Guilded Pen
Writers can’t not write. Goaded by dreams and thoughts, writers write because they’ll simply burst if they don’t. They have these urges to get it all out—from A to Z—from soup to nuts. They tackle those germs of thought, feeding and weeding and coaxing them to grow, perchance to blossom into something worthwhile. Something beautiful. Something to challenge or inspire. This anthology is a compilation of short stories, poems, and essays from 41 talented writers—all members of the SDWEG. They did what they must. They wrote.
FOURTH EDITION, 2015
2015 (4th Edition): The Guilded Pen
The Guilded Pen is a project of the SDWEG. This edition contains contributions by 41 member authors—short storiests, poets, and essayists – all with something to say!
FIFTH EDITION, 2016
2016 (5th Edition): The Guilded Pen
Enter the writer’s world—this collection of short stories, poems and imaginative essays is the culmination of lifetimes of experience, of memory, of love, of determination, perseverance and hard work. Writers write to tell our own stories, write our own histories, reveal our own truths. The deeper the writer goes in the process, the more you lose your way, and find yourself. The writers in this anthology are members of the San Diego Writers & Editors Guild, a nonprofit organization which promotes, supports and encourages writing for youth and adults. Royalties from the sale of "The Guilded Pen" help fund the worthy endeavor of supporting San Diego writers, allowing for the fullness of their expression. In a vital way, this anthology promotes writers by presenting an opportunity for publication, a fine and noble achievement. It encourages reading, by offering the best efforts of our local writers, from bestselling authors to previously unpublished poets, and the opportunity to discover the many literary styles and subjects found in our own communities. Kathi Diamant—author, writing instructor and coach.
SIXTH EDITION, 2017
2017 (6th Edition): The Guilded Pen
Think about the job description of a writer, particularly a writer of fiction: we make stuff up for a living. We are professional daydreamers. We are borrowers of nighttime dreams. We take the dreams of others who are not writers and cement them into the funky walls of our dream castles. We play the ‘what-if’ game for high stakes. We’re probably a little crazy. We’re definitely having fun. The Guilded Pen—2017 is the sixth anthology, a project of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild, it is a collection of poetry, memoir, and imaginative short stories by our members. SDWEG is a non-profit, member-supported organization, dedicated to promoting the writing arts for youth and adults.
The Guilded Pen
2018 Anthology of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild
What is a writer? A daydreamer? An observer? A chronicler who sees the world around him and lays it bare for others—shining in all its glory or uncovered, to reveal its pain? Do writers decipher the quandaries and take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary? Do they inspire joy? And where there is tragedy, do they pluck the chords of human emotion to create a melody bursting forth in a new song of hope?
The simple answer is, yes. They do this all and more. This anthology brings you the works of 47 writers. Authors who share their memoir tales of sacrifice and triumph, imaginative short stories that tickle, amuse, inspire, or shock with bone-chilling possibilities. They provoke thought with introspective essays. They bare their souls with sensitive, imaginative poetry. Within these pages, writers, the everyday chroniclers of life and living, share their art. They turn words on a page into a living, breathing, thing - an idea to spark the human imagination. Take a moment. Sit back. Shed the day's cares and let your mind go wandering. Between the pages of a good book is where the magic begins
— Marcia Buompensiero, Managing Editor
The Guilded Pen-2018 Anthology
San Diego Writers and Editors Guild
EIGHTH EDITION, 2019
2019 Anthology (8th Edition): The Guilded Pen – Lost, Found, Still Looking…
Since 2012 the SDWEG has published an anthology for its members. It is, simply put, a collection of poetry, essays, memoir, and imaginative short stories written by out members which we have categorized as: “Lost, Found, and Still Looking.” The opportunity for creativity is wide open: many are real life experiences, some are humorous, some are fiction—others are not. Poignant life lessons and personal experiences spanning decades of living are, whether real or imagined, are riveting.
NINTH EDITION, 2020
2020 Anthology (9th Edition): The Guilded Pen—Strange Happenings
Read this collection of poetry, essays, memoir tales and imaginative short stories drawing inspiration from life on the California coast, people and places as far afield as South Africa, or locales that exist only in the author's imaginations. Whether chronicling life in the ordinary, or teetering on the fringes of the bizarre, Strange Happenings challenges the mundane, embraces the surreal, and stretches the imagination beyond earthly realms.
TENTH EDITION, 2021
2021 Anthology (10th Edition): The Guilded Pen—The Power of 10
The tenth anniversary anthology was a milestone for the Guild, and brought together our membership and local booksellers. The tenth edition of The Guilded Pen—The Power of Ten anniversary anthology is a collection of the writings from members of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild. Authors drew inspiration from the title, colored their writing with imagination and true-grit life experiences, and crafted it into stories, essays and poetry that chronicle the real, glimpse the surreal, or inspire visions of what lies ahead.
ELEVENTH EDITION, 2022
2022 Anthology (11th Edition): The Guilded Pen—New Beginnings
July 26, 2023 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Writers & Editors Guild is a nonprofit, member-supported organization dedicated to promoting the writing arts for youth and adults in San Diego. The Guild has been publishing anthologies of its members’ short stories, essays, and poetry since 2012. The 2022 version, New Beginnings, is the Guild’s best collection of stories so far. “New Beginnings” is the anthology’s theme.
The book contains 19 short stories, 13 poems, and 13 memoir essays. For instance, a neophyte rower wins a league medal for his school, a washed-up detective looks for that redeeming case, an ex-con questions his self-worth, a new bride has second thoughts, and the world is saved by changing the past.
In the innovative entries, Guild authors have taken the “new beginnings” theme, spun it around, whipped it up, and turned it into something refreshing, stimulating, thought-provoking, soul-wrenching, or simply fun.
This reviewer found the majority of stories to be polished, inspiring, profound, or funny; some had a combination of these qualities. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys originality and variety.
East County Magazine (Reviewed by Pennell Paugh)
Other Authors Books
It's 1800's Maine. In the village, thirteen-year-old Peter Poppin, his faithful dog Patches, and his friend Marian go about their daily routines, attending school in the one-room school house, doing chores for their parents, and building friendships that will last a lifetime. With their schoolteacher Ms. Prim, Peter and Marian help Ahmik, a new schoolmate and a member of the Abamela clan of Native Americans, to learn English. Soon, Peter, Marian and Ahmik become best friends, sharing information about their lifestyles, their families, and their chores that are not all that different as it turns out. However, a magical discovery will soon lead the young friends into treacherous waters. Follow Peter, Marian, Ahmik, and Patches, as they navigate obstacles of all shapes and sizes. Their journey takes them on a magical adventure discovering hidden treasure, encounters with pirates, and finding that true friendship has no boundaries as the young adventurers learn to overcome fear, be true to themselves and others, and face challenges as they embrace a new and wonderful destiny! (Ages 9-12)
Niputi – The Nephew
“If you ask, I give, you owe.” Mafia extortionist, hit man and “California’s most feared killer,” Frank Bompensiero lived by this simple motto—even when dealing with family. Sammy Bonpensiero, on the other hand, didn’t just have a different spelled surname from his older brother (the result of mistake on his birth certificate), he had an entirely different life view—believing in working hard for honest pay and loving a good woman for a lifetime. Sammy passed this life lesson on to this son, Joe. Niputi is Joseph “Joe” Bonpensiero’s expose’ of his uncle’s evil dealings and their tragic impact on those closest to him. Niputi reveals the true face of the Mafia, its evil, and the strength of heart it takes to survive its shadow.
Dinner in Happy Valley
On Day 2 in Vietnam, Captain Joe Bonpensiero is handed the responsibility of the
315th TAW (Tactical Airlift Wing’s) Aircraft Maintenance Unit, as all assigned officers depart taking a permanent holiday back to the ZI-(Zone of the Interior) USA. Faced with security breaches, incompetent record keeping and a bungled aircraft mechanical repair operation, Bonpensiero must cajole the unit into shape—or suffer the consequences—potentially ending his military career. He soon learns that bizarre humor, unorthodox methods and a home cooked meal is what keeps the human spirit pumping.
Dinner in Happy Valley tackles the irrationality of war from a young officer’s perspective in the face of incompetent leaders and possible drugged-out pilot hellions. With a nod to Korea’s MASH and WWII’s Catch 22, “Bomb-Dispenser’s” (his mangled surname that became his nickname) memoir is a wild and wacky tribute to his comrades-in-arms who carried on in the face of foolish bureaucratic demands, often resulting in dangerous SNAFU’S. He tells it like he lived it– the insanity of war with some of the finest enlisted and NCO’s around, while some wacko officers attempt to lead the charge.
The Guilded Pen
2019 Anthology of the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild: Lost. Found. Still Looking
The categories for submission are specific, but the opportunity for creativity is wide open. Many are real life experiences. Some are humorous. Some are fiction--others, are not. Poignant life lessons and personal experiences spanning decades of living are within these pages. All, whether real or imagined, are riveting. There is no standard to which a writer is expected to adhere other than good grammar, correct sentence structure, a plot that moves forward in some logical way, and characters that are interesting.
The simple answer is, yes. They do this all and more. This anthology brings you the works of 47 writers. Authors who share their memoir tales of sacrifice and triumph, imaginative short stories that tickle, amuse, inspire, or shock with bone-chilling possibilities. They provoke thought with introspective essays. They bare their souls with sensitive, imaginative poetry. Within these pages, writers, the everyday chroniclers of life and living, share their art. They turn words on a page into a living, breathing, thing - an idea to spark the human imagination. Take a moment. Sit back. Shed the day's cares and let your mind go wandering. Between the pages of a good book is where the magic begins
— Marcia Buompensiero, Managing Editor
The Guilded Pen-2018 Anthology
San Diego Writers and Editors Guild
An award-winning novel, set in San Diego, spanning three generations of a family’s history. Buompensiero’s work was inspired by a true story―her own!
Sumerland traces a family’s devastating history and the ghosts who haunt the present, seeking to right the wrongs of the past.
A lyrical harmony of mystery, romance, and the webwork of family, M. Lee Buompensiero’s Sumerland is a true page turner. It’s deeply human and lovingly written.
—Richard Lederer, Best-selling author of Anguished English; Columnist, San Diego Union Tribune
What if the “not so dearly departed” could return from the other side of the grave to right the wrongs they committed while alive? How would that impact the living? The main character in Sumerland is about to find out. Take a self-assured young heiress, a psychic best friend, a stray dog, a young veterinarian, an old mansion, and a couple of dispirited spirits with an axe to grind—mix them up—and you have Sumerland.
When Kate Post inherits the old Liebersohn mansion—her estranged mother's bizarre bequest to the daughter she rarely saw and barely knew—Kate doesn't want it, but an odd inscription etched in concrete beside a garden pathway haunts her dreams. Convinced that a period restoration will result in a quick sale, she begins renovating. But Kate's plans and the resident ghosts' scheme are about to collide. The result will unhinge Kate's world, uncover haunting family secrets, and set her on a mission to undo the wrongs that only she can set aright.
“Sumerland is a story of a family divided—literally split in two—for generations. Neither side knowing about the existence of the other. Sumerland is based on another family story—mine. Like the family in Sumerland, we were two sides split by generations. Finding each other was pure dumb luck. A real miracle and maybe something else. Did the unseen hands of our long-dead ancestors play a part in reuniting us? We’ll never know. Sumerland’s ghosts take us to their world to experience their life-altering events. We see how their misguided passions changed their lives and sealed their fates. Sumerland reveals how trust can be destroyed by betrayal—and, how it can be redeemed by love. Sumerland is a love letter from the past to the future.”
—M. Lee Buompensiero
2017 Winner
Best Published Mystery
San Diego Book Awards
Irreverent Forever
True Tales from a Newspaperman’s Outrageously Rewarding Life
Drop in on the world’s zaniest people—newspapermen and women—from the hick town of Douglas, Arizona, to the sensuous beaches of Honolulu and even Europe’s high-brow (and low-brow) colorful locales. Dave’s tales include old shoes that saved a life, a colleague who caught fire on the operating table, a roadrunner named Rodney, and much more. Plus, there are talks with two Pulitzer Prize winners and tales of fabulous cars like a Model-T Ford named Heathcliff. Trace the good old (happy) newspaper days to today’s (unhappy) newsrooms. There’s a love of those old days, which were filled with rapscallions, inebriates, and a few decent souls. The author’s family proves equally fascinating.
This often-hilarious memoir offers up a love of authors (two Pulitzer winners), a love of cars (a French Gangster car named Jean-Pierre) and a love of those crazy, weird, off-beat newspaper folks from yesterday and today.
—Robert Vavra, Writer/Photographer who teamed up with James Michener for the book Iberia
With all the darkness in the world, you might assume that a book about newspaper reporters would be a downer. Not this book. Irreverent Forever is suffused with David Feldman’s love of life, family, and the zany Damon Runyonesque characters who dance through his world.
—Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English
Fatal Little Lies
Theo discovers that her mother, Dena Hunter, who disappeared 30 years ago, was involved in a U.S. Congressman’s assassination attempt in which two people died. Theo believes Dena is still alive and in hiding. Theo and an ace computer hacker head to San Francisco to retrace her mother’s steps. When she uncovers Dena’s extremist ties and bloody past, a key witness is killed. Theo becomes the hunted and the end game is sudden death.
When the grisly discovery of a friend’s body becomes a police cover-up led by her ex-fiancé, Theo Hunter vows to discover the truth. Her meddling exposes a political scandal involving organized crime that threatens to topple the city’s powerful kingpins. Uncovering corruption at a high level of government comes with a price. Unprotected and on her own, Theo becomes the target of a ruthless killer
Deadly Little Secrets
All hell just broke loose in San Diego—investigative reporter Theo Hunter is caught in the middle of it. The slaying of a retired priest is shrouded in secrets, lies, and cover-up. Was the old man the innocent victim of a deranged killer? Or a pervert who deserved what he got? Theo is hell-bent to find out. When three members of San Diego’s social and political elite—her prime suspects—are murdered, only one fact is clear: the killer will strike again. Armed with nothing but a madman’s cryptic notes, Theo scrambles to decipher the clues while the killer lurks in the shadows, poised to silence her for good.
2014 Finalist San Diego Book Awards Best Unpublished Mystery
"Highly recommended, good read"
- The San Diego Writers and Editors Guild
A lucky poker hand wins Benjamin Harrison Johnson a ramshackle homestead, the Six Bar Ranch in California. There’s a big problem—a young lad, Joseph, comes with the property. Something BHJ wasn’t prepared to deal with but accepts the challenge. Discovering oil, having his house burned to the ground by outlaws, and other wild west adventures, set in motion a fast-paced saga covering three generations of the Johnson dynasty. Over the decades, many diverse and interesting characters will put their mark on the Six Bar Ranch and its descendants. But amid the misadventures and tragedies, in the end, it is the Six Bar Ranch that helps them heal and thrive. Benjamin Harrison Johnson could never have imagined how a winning poker hand would change his life forever.