June Meetup Speaker: Internet Crimes Against Children Detective Susana Vijarro

mwanorthwest — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:44:21 +0000

We are pleased to welcome Detective Susana Vijarro, who works in the Seattle PD’s Internet Crimes Against Children division, and Seattle Police Officer Donna Strangeland, who works with Susanna fighting online predators.

As always, this event is free to members and we only ask for a $5 donation from guests. Event details and full bios below. Please join us for food, drink and conversation with fellow mystery writers and fans, and to hear our two fascinating speakers talk about the war being waged online to keep children safe from predators. If you plan to go, simply take 1 minute to fill out the free RSVP form at Eventbrite here to let us get an accurate headcount!

Where: Southcenter Duke’s

When: Saturday, June 9th, 6-8 PM

Who: Dectective Susana Vijarro and Officer Donna Strangeland of the Seattle Internet Crimes Against Children

Speaker Bios:

Donna Stangeland, police officer with Seattle Police Department since 1996. Started her career in Patrol at the East Precinct working the Central Area for 5.5 years. Began work as a detective in the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit in January 2002 - present. Loves to read mysteries.”

Susana Vijarro (formerly Ditusa) has been a Seattle Police Officer for over 19 years. According to Susana, “I worked in the Rainier Valley for 4 years in patrol and became a detective working with at risk youth. I then became a Gang Emphasis Detective, night squad/proactive work. For the past 10 ½ years I have been working Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Child Exploitation and Internet Crimes Against Children cases. I am so blessed to do something that I love…helping and working with children.”

Once again, if you plan to join, just RSVP here!

April Speaker: Seattle Times Investigative Reporter Christine Willmsen

mwanorthwest — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 21:10:13 +0000

This month’s speaker will be Christine Willmsen, an award-winning investigative journalist for the Seattle Times.

For those of you who registered to attend next Saturday’s event at Eventbrite for Detective Ditusa, don’t worry, you DO NOT need to re-register. Just show up and enjoy the conversation next Saturday, April 14th at Duke’s at Southcenter from 6-8 PM!

For those of you who haven’t registered, please do here, and come hear Christine Willmsen talk (among other things) about her year-long investigation into taxpayer funding for the legal defenses of sex predators housed at the state’s McNeil Island facility. Published in January, it led to the recent passage of state legislation aimed at reeling in the reimbursement for lawyers of sex predators fighting their indefinite, involuntary commitments.

What: Seattle Times Investigative Reporter Christine Willmsen

When: Saturday, April 14th, 6-8PM

Where: Duke’s Southcenter

If you plan to attend, please take one minute to register for your free ticket today here at Eventbrite! Also, feel free to forward on to non-members, who all we ask is they pitch $5 towards the speaker’s meal and travel expenses.

See you next Saturday!

February 2012 meeting: Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor

mwanorthwest — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:54:38 +0000

We have a great speaker lined up for this February. Come hear Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor (registration link here).

Sheriff Pastor currently serves as Sheriff of Pierce County, Washington. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department consists of 307 law enforcement officers, 314 Corrections Officers and 112 civilian personnel serving in Washington State’s second largest County.

Prior to taking this position, he served as Chief of the Department’s Operations Bureau in charge of all law enforcement operations (1996 – 2000), Undersheriff for the Clark County Washington Sheriff’s Office (1993 – 1996) and Chief of Police for the city of Everett, Washington (1991 – 1992). From 1986 to 1991, he served at the rank of Inspector for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

So come and hear from one of Western Washington top law enforcement officials while also enjoying time with fellow mystery writers.

WHEN: Saturday February 11th, 6-8 PM

WHERE: Duke’s Chowderhouse, Southcenter

WHO: Pierce County Sheriff, Paul Pastor

If you plan on coming, please take two minutes to register at eventbrite so we can get an accurate count. Please feel free to bring guests as well, as we welcome non-members to our meetings.

See you there!

MWA Northwest January Meeting: Author Jon Talton

mwanorthwest — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:49:02 +0000

It’s a new year and we’re excited to get back in the swing of things, and we have a fantastic speaker to start off the year. Jon Talton, a well recognized journalist on economics and finance, as well as author of eight mystery novels including the David Mapstone Mysteries and the Cincinnati Casebooks.

We’re also going to be trying out a new location in the north end of the Sound this time, at the Celtic Bayou in Lynnwood, a great Irish/Cajun bar with a good selection of both types of food as well as a good list of beers and other drinks. A map for Celtic Bayou in Lynnwood can be found at our registration page and as you’ll see, it’s a straight shot down 196th off of I-5.

So get your 2012 off to the right (or write) start with an evening of great conversation with fellow mystery writers, good food and a fascinating talk with Seattle’s own Jon Talton. If you would like to come, please take 1 minute to register here for you and your guests so we can have an accurate count of attendees.

See you there!

What: An evening with Jon Talton

Where: Celtic Bayou

When: 6-8 PM on Saturday, January 14th

Please take one minute to register for a free ticket so we can let the restaurant know how many to expect. See you there!

NW MWA Meeting: Hackers, Cybercrime and the Internet Dark Arts

mwanorthwest — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:31:09 +0000

Ever want to talk to an authority on Internet security for a book you’re writing? Want to get an idea of what goes on in the mind of a hacker for that technothriller? Wondering what all these headlines about hacker activism (hacktivism) mean and what their goals are? What exactly is cyber warfare and who are the players?

Now is your chance to ask a true expert!

Our speaker for November’s NW MWA meeting (please note, our meeting is on November 19th, the third Saturday of the month, not the normal second Saturday) will be Riley Eller, world renowned expert on network security, hackers, and Internet communications. Riley Eller is coauthor of the book, “Stealing the Network: How to Own an Identity”, and contributor to “Hack Proofing Your Network: Internet Tradecraft”. Riley is a well known speaker and expert on Internet security and blackhat techniques, having been central to DEFCON’s Capture Your Flag contest for many years. He is also a patent holder and expert in developing network communications frameworks and protocols and currently is a VP of technology for a mobile networking company.

So register now and come and hear Riley talk about the world of Internet security, hackers and cyber warfare.

WHEN: Saturday, November 19th at 6 PM

WHERE: Duke’s Chowderhouse at Southcenter

HOW: By registering here! Remember to register if you plan on coming so we can give an accurate count to Duke’s.

See you there!

October Meeting: Sheriff David Rood

mwanorthwest — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:24:03 +0000

On Saturday, Oct. 8, the Northwest Chapter will meet at Duke’s Chowder House, Southcenter, Tukwila, at six p.m. Guest speaker, David Rood, was on the small police force in Astoria, Oregon from 1975 to 1988. Attaining sergeant, he saw it all from murder and rape to injured dogs. In 1988 he joined the police dept. of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, outside of Port Angeles, WA. As its only officer, he was default Chief of Police. The dept. grew to eight officers in his eight years there. “Lots of tales to tell,” he says of his career.

So please register if you are planning to come (simply click here and register – it only takes 30 seconds) and come mingle with other mystery fans and writers, eat good food, and enjoy a visit with David Rood.

September 10th: MWA Coming to Portland to Honor Margolin & MBTB

mwanorthwest — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:44:56 +0000

Hey Portlanders, we’re coming to town!

On Saturday, September 10th, the chapter will be heading to Portland to award our third annual Willo Award, the award named after Willo Davis Roberts, and honors those which make exceptional contributions to the Northwest mystery writing community. This year’s recipient is none other that Phillip Margolin, one of most popular and successful mystery writers in the Northwest.

In addition to our award, the MWA/NW chapter board will be in Portland, OR to present the “Atta Mystery Bookstore Award” to Murder By The Book (MBTB) bookstore.

We’d love for members of MWA NW, friends of Phil Margolin, as well as Murder by the Book fans to join us Saturday, September 10th to celebrate Phil and one of the best bookstores in the Northwest. Pat Harrington and the rest of the board of MWA will be coming to town, as well as many other MWA members.

The day’s agenda looks like this:

5:30: Gather at Murder by the Book (at 3210 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) and award an “Atta Mystery Bookstore Award”.

6:30: Walk around the corner to Bazi’s (at 1522 SE 32nd Ave) and have the Willo Award Dinner for Phillip Margolin. Pat Harrington will MC and the format will include a schmooze/drink, dinner and a small awards ceremony.

That’s it. See the links above for directions. If you do plan on attending, please quickly RSVP here so we have an idea of how many are attending. Tickets are free and RSVPing takes all of two minutes, so please do so if you can!

Once again, we look forward to seeing you on September 10th in Portland!

June 11th Meeting: History Meets Mystery

mwanorthwest — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:44:34 +0000

Sorry for the late notice folks. We had some hiccups planning this month’s meeting, but have no fear, we are going to have a meeting next week!

This one will be great, with MWA’s own President, Pat Harrington, giving a fascinating presentation entitled History Meets Mystery. So make sure to join us for networking with other mystery writers, food and drink, and an entertaining presentation about history and mystery!

Please register here for your free ticket if you plan to attend (it takes just two minutes and is necessary for headcount). Meeting is open both MWA members and non-members.

Here are the details.

Title: History Meets Mystery

When: June 11th

What: MWA Northwest President Pat Harrington will give a compelling presentation that not only entertains by encapsulating the story within Harrington’s own amateur sleuth mystery, Death Stalks the Khmer, but educates about the fascinating history of Cambodia. The mystery features Bridget O’Hern, consultant and non-profit volunteer, who seeks bliss along the Oregon coast, but can’t help but stumble over dead bodies along the way.

In real life, the author also consults with non-profits helping those on the fringes of mainstream society. And Pat has written over 55 million dollars in funded grants for these groups.

Where: Duke’s Southcenter. Get directions here.

Schedule:

5:30 Officers arrive

5:30-6:00 Speaker arrives.

6:00-6:30 light conversation, drink orders (schmoozing/networking)

6:30-7:00/7:15 Speaker’s presentation.

7:00-7:15 to 7:30-7:45 Q & A

7:30-7:45 until we have to give the room back (used to be 8:00 PM) more schmoozing/networking

Registration: Reserve your free ticket here.

See you there!

May Meeting: Detective Susana Ditusa

mwanorthwest — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:37:56 +0000

Looks like we’ve got another great speaker lined up for May with Detective Susana Ditusa, with Seattle Police Department’s Special Assault Unit. Detective Ditusa focuses on sexual assault and child abuse cases, and is planning to discuss some of her cases and what led her to a career as a police detective.

The meeting will be on Saturday, May 14th from 6-8 PM at Duke’s Southcenter.

So, if you want to hear from a Seattle Detective and have some dinner and drinks with fellow mystery writers, make sure you make it this May.

See you there!

April Meeting: Karla Stover and Frances Snyder

mwanorthwest — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:32:04 +0000

Ever wondered how to poison someone with a plant? Thought so. We are mystery writers after all.

So then, you’ll not want to miss this month’s meeting, entitled “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies . . They’re Poisonous”

Our speakers, Karla Stover and Frances Snyder, will give a history of plants being used since early days to current times in real life and mystery stories to “do away” with folks. Sometimes this was accidental, and of course, some deliberate.

This is a powerpoint presentation in color that also shows some “famous” gardens dedicated to just growing poisonous plants and open to the public in England and America. Karla and Frances will also have note cards featuring some of the plants, pretty ones, available for modest cost.

So, details:

Where: Dukes Chowderhouse, Southcenter (map here)

When: 6-8 PM, April 9th

Who: Poisonous plant experts Karla Stover and Frances Snyder

It’ll be a fun time kibitzing with fellow mystery writers and learning about poisons for your next (or current!) novel. See you there!