NOW ENROLLING FOR SPRING 2024
Register today: https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW
Virtual and In Person
Registration may be limited

Most workshops are $50; community enrichment workshops are free.

Writers, bloom this spring with an Inlandia workshop! Registrations are now being accepted for new and ongoing writing workshops for poetry, prose, micro memoir, ASL poetry, and more. Sign up today and become part of the Inlandia community of writers.

This activity is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.gov and www.arts.ca.gov.

 

Poetry & Prose with James Coats
(All Levels)
Alternating Mondays: 4/8, 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, and 6/3 • 6:30-8:30 PM PDT
Zoom

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

In this multi-genre workshop, participants receive twice-monthly inspiration in the form of both poetry and prose. Prompts inspire writing in the genre of your choice. Class discussions include the craft of writing and the challenges writers face in generating poetry, memoir, and short and long fiction.

James Coats is an author, poet, and educator born in Los Angeles and raised in the Inland Empire. He received his BFA from Cal Poly Pomona and his MBA from Cal State San Bernardino. As a creative change agent, he believes the arts can inspire youth and influence positive change in the world. His first poetry collection, If I had Lived,was published in 2018. In 2021, he founded Lift Our Voices Education, which hosts the monthly “Be The Change: Social Justice Writing Workshop.” His newest poetry collection, Midnight & Mad Dreams, is published by World Stage Press. Follow him on Instagram @MrLovingWords.

 

(All Levels)
Alternating Tuesdays:  4/23, 5/7, 5/21,  6/4, and 6/18 •  6-8 PM
In person at Riverside Main Library – Carnegie Room
3900 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside 92501

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

Micro memoirs are short standalone pieces that often explore a moment in time, rather than an expanded life chapter. They are drawn from personal experience. Micro memoirs combine truth-telling with narrative tension and are specific to the writer’s micro-memory. Join instructor David Puma for this in-person workshop at Riverside Main Library as participants unleash the power of micro memoir.

David Puma obtained his M.F.A. in creative writing at San Jose State University and his B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Redlands. He has been in advanced poetry workshops every semester for the last four years, and has performed spoken word across California, including the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire – as well as in New York City and in London, U.K. Professionally, David’s poetry has been included on streaming platforms like Disney+.

 

All Genres Workshop with Victoria Waddle
(Intermediate–Advanced)
Alternating Wednesdays: 4/10, 4/24, 5/8, 5/22, and 6/5 •  6–9 PM PDT
Zoom

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

In this multi-genre workshop, participants submit poetry and prose for biweekly critiques and receive feedback from other group members. Discussions include the craft of writing and the challenges writers face. The workshop leader provides biweekly articles and links related to participants’ work, particularly to problems that were discussed in the previous session.

Victoria Waddle is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, with fiction and nonfiction published in literary journals and anthologies, including in Best Short Stories from The Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest. A collection of her short fiction, Acts of Contrition, is available from Los Nietos Press and her chapbook, The Mortality of Dogs and Humans, is available from Bamboo Dart Press. Her YA novel about a teen escaping a polygamist cult is coming from Inlandia Books. Previously the managing editor of Inlandia: A Literary Journey, she helped to establish a yearly teen issue. In a previous life, she was a high school English teacher and librarian.

 

Writer’s Toolbox with Renee Gurley
(All levels)
Alternating Saturdays: 4/13, 4/27, 5/11, 5/25, and 6/8 •  10–12 PM PDT
Zoom

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

Unlock the door to your storytelling potential with “Writer’s Toolbox,” a transformative 5-session workshop designed to hone your craft and elevate your writing to new heights. Whether you’re an aspiring novelist, seasoned writer, or simply eager to unleash your creative prowess, this course is your gateway to mastering the essential elements of compelling storytelling.

Throughout this immersive journey, we’ll delve deep into the art of characterization, exploring techniques to breathe life into your characters and make them leap off the page. From crafting complex personalities to infusing your characters with depth and authenticity, you’ll learn how to create protagonists and antagonists that resonate with readers long after they’ve turned the final page.

R. Gurley, MA, MFA, is a writer and English teacher with over 20 years of experience with words, whose works have appeared in Coping Magazine, Lehigh Valley Woman’ s Journal, and Budget Press.

 

The Art and Craft of Writing Poetry with Romaine Washington
(All Levels)
Alternating Tuesdays: 4/16, 4/30, 5/14, 5/28, and 6/11 •  6–8 PM PDT
Zoom

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

Discover the art and craft of writing poetry with generative prompts and other forms of poetic inspiration. Brief group feedback will help you uncover images and language that resonate for you and for your audience.

Romaine Washington, M. Ed., is the editor of These Black Bodies Are… A Blacklandia Anthology and the author of Purgatory Has an Address (Bamboo Dart Press) and Sirens in Her Belly (Jamii Publications). She has been published in various anthologies and periodicals, including Inlandia Institute’s San Bernardino Singing anthology and Cholla Needles 32, 36 and 39.

Ms. Washington is a graduate fellow of The Watering Hole, South Carolina, and the Inland Area Writing Project at the University of California, Riverside. She was a public school educator for over twenty years and has developed a social justice curriculum available for free on her website: https://www.romainewashington.com/. The proud mother of two sons, Romaine Washington is a native Californian from San Bernardino who resides in the Inland Empire.

 

Writing for Children with José Chávez
(All Levels) 
Alternating Mondays:  4/22, 5/6, 5/20, 6/3, and 6/17 • 6–8 PM PDT
Zoom

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

This workshop is designed to meet the needs of those who wish to write or are writing for children. We’ll explore the writing voice for children, define a “picture book,” story arc, story introductions, appropriate vocabulary, children’s poetry, and more. There will be time to flex our writing muscles and develop the beauty and strength of our “voice” for children.

José Chávez is a retired bilingual teacher and dedicates his life to writing. He’s had poetry published in the Multilingual Educator Journal, Acentos Review, Inlandia Anthology and has written two award-winning bilingual poetry books for children. He lives in Riverside, California, is married, and has three grown children.

 

Writing and Presenting Poetry in American Sign Language with Ryan Fingerle
(All Levels)
Alternating Wednesdays:4/17, 5/1, 5/15, 5/29, and 6/12 • , 6:30-8:30 PM PDT
Zoom
ASL Poetry is a FREE community enrichment workshop open to all

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

Do you want to write poetry but don’t know how? Would you like to express poetry in ASL, but you’re not sure where to begin?

Then come to this workshop! This introductory course is especially created for poetry lovers who want to learn how to write and present poetry in American Sign Language. It’s also for those who want to learn how to appreciate the art of poetry in both English and ASL. All are welcome – d/Deaf, HOH, and hearing – and an interpreter and closed captioning will be available.

In this course, participants will experience both written and visual poetry. The workshop has several aims: to increase the ways you can become more engaged and curious readers of poetry; to increase your confidence in writing poems through text in English and American Sign Language; and to provide you with the support and resources for writing and presenting poetry in ASL.

Ryan Fingerle is a Deaf writer, poet, and educator whose love of words has no boundaries. One of her works, “Stuck in the Middle,” was published in the 2021 MUSE Literary Magazine. She presented her English poem “Connected” in ASL in front of a live audience for a National Deaf History and Poetry Month event. Ryan holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing, and she is in the process of earning her M.A. from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a private tutor in English and Math, and her 10 years of experience – and passion – is helping her adult students and their families enjoy the merits of both ASL and the English language.

 

Celena’s Scribes with Wil Clarke
(All Levels)

Three Tuesdays a month: 4/2, 4/16, 4/23 (no class 4/ 9 or 4/30), 5/ 7, 5/14, 5/ 21 (no class 5/28), 6/4, 6/11, 6/18  •  11:30 AM-1:00 PM PDT
Zoom

https://tinyurl.com/Spring2024CWW

Named in honor of beloved workshop leader CelenaDiana Bumpus, participants are encouraged to write from a prompt and share their work, with friendly critiques offered by workshop members. All genres are welcome to be explored. Enrollment is limited.

Wil Clarke tolerates writing, but loves having written. He was born and spent 27 years of his life in Africa. He misses the guidance and wisdom of Celena Bumpus and is attempting to keep her legacy alive in her former students through Celena’s Scribes.

 

All Genres Workshop with Mae Wagner Marinello
(All Levels)
Weekly, Thursdays • 11 AM-1 PM
Redlands Community Center • 111 W. Lugonia Ave, Redlands
(A Zoom option may be available; contact Inlandia for details.)

This workshop is full. No new registrations will be accepted at this time.

This ongoing writing workshop meets weekly at Redlands Community Center. Memoir writing, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing are all encouraged and welcome. Discover the pure joy of writing and creating with others in a supportive environment.

Mae Wagner Marinello has been a part of Inlandia since a 2008 writing workshop with Ruth Nolan. In 2014, she began facilitating a weekly writing workshop called Joslyn Joy Writers, at the Joslyn Senior Center in Redlands. During the pandemic lockdown, the weekly workshop continued on Zoom; it is now a hybrid class averaging between 10-20 combined participants on Zoom and in-person.

 

Memoir Workshop for Seniors: Writing Your Life Story with Rose Y. Monge
(All levels)
Janet Goeske Center (Art Room) • 5257 Sierra Street, Riverside 
Class size is limited. Seniors only

This workshop is full. No new registrations will be accepted at this time.

Writers are encouraged to respond to prompts about universal themes related to the human condition: key relationships, physical places, historic events, personal hardships/recovery, love and loss, and personal achievement and development. It is these ties that bind us all in different stages of our lives. Each of us brings a unique perspective to every story. Maybe it’s time to write yours. Space is limited.

Rose Y. Monge has facilitated memoir classes at the Goeske Center since 2009. She encourages everyone to leave a written legacy for future generations. As an immigrant from Mexico, her memoir honors her parents’ legacy of life lessons. Her activism since retirement has been advocating for social justice, diversity, and inclusion.

 

Support for ASL interpretation of these workshops has been provided the County of Riverside Board of Supervisors.