Artificial intelligence is changing the way we write, research, communicate, and create. But what does that mean for writers? Drawing on insights from his recent essay, Who Am AI?: On Thought, Consciousness, Identity, and What It Means to Be Human in the Age of AI, poet, memoirist, and publisher Albert Flynn DeSilver will explore the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and its impact on the writing community. 

What You'll Learn:

• Where AI stands today and how quickly the technology is advancing

• Practical and responsible ways writers can use AI as a creative and professional tool

• The limitations, risks, and ethical concerns writers should understand before incorporating AI

into their work

• How AI-generated writing compares to human writing through interactive examples and

discussion

• How questions of thought, consciousness, and identity are shaping the conversation around AI

Interactive Exercise: 

Can you tell the difference between human-generated and AI-generated writing? Albert will challenge attendees with real-world examples and invite participation in a lively discussion about the future of writing. 

Whether you're an AI enthusiast, a curious observer, or a skeptic, you'll leave with a deeper understanding of how this technology is shaping the literary landscape and what it means for writers moving forward.

Saturday, August 8th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM 

Where 

Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists
1625 Salvador Ave., Napa 

Open to the Public 

NVW Members: $10
Guests: $15
Students: Free with ID 

Albert Flynn DeSilver is an internationally published poet, prose writer, speaker, and publisher. He served as Marin County's first Poet Laureate from 2008 to 2010 and worked with California Poet in the Schools for more than a decade. Albert is the author of several poetry books, including his newest, SOME VOID: New & Selected Poems 1996–2026. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Review, Adventure Journal, and more than 100 literary journals worldwide. He is the author of the memoir Beamish Boy, named a “Best Book of 2012” by Kirkus Reviews, and Writing as a Path to Awakening, a nonfiction book published by Sounds True/MacMillan in 2017. In 2016, Albert hosted international bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert for the sold-out event Writing Truth & Community at The Meritage Resort in Napa. Albert is also the founder of DeSilver Publishing, a Marin-based hybrid publisher specializing in memoir and family legacy book projects. To learn more, visit albertflynndesilver.com.

Discussions of craft often focus on the intellectual aspects of writing—structure, character development, voice, style, and revision—while overlooking fundamentals that can profoundly influence the writing itself: presence, focus, attention, energy, and inspiration. Craft tells us what to do. Wellness practices help us do it more effectively. In this session, writer and coach Matthew Félix explores how approaches that get writers out of their heads and into their bodies—including breathwork, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation—enrich the creative process. Participants will discover practical techniques for sharpening attention, cultivating inspiration, and creating the mental and physical conditions in which creativity can flourish and your best writing can emerge.

Saturday, September 12, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM 

Where 

Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists
1625 Salvador Ave., Napa 

Open to the Public 

NVW Members: $10
Guests: $15
Students: Free with ID 

Matthew Félix is the author of four books, a certified life coach, a speaker, and an interviewer. Publishers Weekly called his debut novel, A Voice Beyond Reason, “(a) highly crafted gem.” His work has been recognized with a Solas Awards Grand Prize for Story of the Year and Gold for Memoir in the Northern California Publishers & Authors Awards, and he ghost-writes, edits, publishes, and markets books for other authors. Matthew has certifications in personal resilience, nervous system fitness, and intuition medicine, as well as immersive breathwork training through Esalen. His twelve-week program Have Fun Falling is for people ready for change, and he co-founded the daylong wellness and writing retreat The Body & the Pen. Matthew regularly interviews leading thinkers and authors, including two recent sold-out conversations with Isabel Allende.