Marcia Meier, an award-winning writer and editor, will speak on “Overcoming Adversity and Living Fearlessly” on Sept. 7 during a special event sponsored by the Santa Barbara Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications.

The presentation and reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Canary Hotel, 31 W. Carrillo St. in Santa Barbara.

Tickets are $10 for members and students and $25 for guests. Click here to order online. Tickets also may be purchased at the door, for $20 for members and students and $35 for guests. Refreshments will be served.

In 2010, Meier left a secure job to follow her dream of writing and going back to school.

“It wasn’t easy,” she said, “and the first step was letting go of fear.”

Meier will discuss manifestations of fear that block progress — fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of disappointing friends and family — and provide guidance on creating the foundation for courageous decisions. She will explain how she overcame her own fears in order to pursue her personal and professional objectives.

A writing coach and former owner and director of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, Meier is the author of Navigating the Rough Waters of Today’s Publishing World, Critical Advice for Writers from Industry Insiders and Santa Barbara: Paradise on the Pacific, a coffee table book published in 1996.

Her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, The Writer magazine and Santa Barbara Magazine. She is also a contributing writer to Miller-McCune Magazine online and has blogged for the Huffington Post.

The Association for Women in Communications is the only professional organization in the United States that represents all fields of the communications industry, including marketing, public relations, broadcasting, publishing, editorial, graphic design, photography, online media and corporate communications.

— Natasha Morton represents the Association for Women in Communications-Santa Barbara Chapter.