Events

Events in April 2024

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
March 31, 2024
April 1, 2024(1 event)

Call for Poems - Invent-an-Insect!

April 1, 2024

Submission Window Open Now!

Call for Poems: Invent-an-Insect

This Earth Day, invent an insect! Write a poem about the new species you've "discovered". What is its habitat? Its habits? Describe it and give it an insectilicious name of your own invention. What would a hot dog bug look like? How about a bubble bee? Or a clockroach? What does it eat? Where does it live? Get creative with your answers! Illustrate or embellish your poem however you’d like. Open to all ages.

DEADLINE: April 14, 2024

Guidelines:

  • You may submit up to three individual poems.
  • Each poem must fit legibly on one side of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.
  • Poems written by a minor must be submitted by a parent or guardian.

Selected poets must be available to attend the Insect Fair in person on Earth Day, April 20, 2024, and present their poem on the Main Stage at 10 AM.

To submit: https://tinyurl.com/InsectFairPoems

April 2, 2024(1 event)

6-Week Boot Camp “Abracadabra! – Poet-TRY 13” with Stephanie Barbé Hammer

April 2, 2024

STARTS Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Asynchronous Boot Camp for Writers: “Abracadabra! – Poet-TRY 13” with Stephanie Barbé Hammer

$150. On Padlet, with optional office hours on Zoom; to register: 

 A generative 6-week asynchronous class for poets (and fiction writers too) featuring magic, wizardry, illusion and more.

 Join us for Lucky 13! Yes, we are reuniting for our thirteenth year of Poet-TRY.

Writers will receive a prompt (or more) every week for four weeks, during which time they are invited to write about the prompt and then post their work to our online discussion board for support and a tiny bit of feedback. During weeks five and six, our class will conclude with two weeks of workshopping poems you choose for the process. Writers will receive more in-depth feedback during this time, and you will receive advice from your fellow writers on how to revise or grow your work further. Or maybe it’s just ready to send out!

This workshop is asynchronous. Students are asked to keep up with the weekly assignments and post them during the week.

Padlet is a virtual, customizable ‘bulletin board’ used by educators with options to populate with text, images, audio, videos, and links. 

All levels welcome! Prose writers are warmly invited – always – to this magical poetry party.

Stephanie Barbé Hammer is a seven-time Pushcart Prize nominee in fiction, nonfiction and poetry and is the author of two poetry collections, two novels, a novelette, and a how to write magical realism craft book. 

Originally from Manhattan, Stephanie moved to Southern California in 1986. She has lived on the West Coast ever since. She taught at the University of California, Riverside campus for 30 years, then tried living on Whidbey Island, Washington State, but found that she missed California too much, and moved to Santa Barbara in the fall of 2023. A professor emerita of Comparative Literature, she teaches creative writing at Hugo House Seattle and Inlandia, Riverside. She served as managing editor at SHARK REEF literary magazine for several years and is culture editor at large and writer at the Journal of Radical Wonder. She sits on the advisory board of Writers Bloc Presents. 

April 3, 2024
April 4, 2024(1 event)

7:00 pm: Panel Discussion and Book Launch of Cafe Stories: Riverside’s Zacatecas by William Medina


April 4, 2024

First Thursdays Arts Walk: Panel Discussion and Book Launch of Cafe Stories: Riverside’s Zacatecas by William Medina

Thursday, April 4, 2024

7:00-8:00 PM

Riverside Main Library Community Room Riverside Public Library Community Room

3900 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA 92501

Free and open to the public.

With William Medina, Carlos Cortés, Judith Auth, and Suzanna Medina

7:00-8:00 PM, doors open at 6:30

Inlandia Institute presents the launch of Cafe Stories: Riverside’s Zacatecas by William Medina, Riverside historian and educator. The author will be joined by a distinguished panel to discuss his novel and the Medina family’s renowned Cafe. The panel consists of Judith Auth, Carlos Cortés, and Suzanna Medina.

William Medina’s novel, Cafe Stories: Riverside’s Zacatecas is based on stories inspired by events and characters who frequented his parent’s eatery in Riverside. He masterfully re-imagines and chronicles “… curious bits and pieces of real events that I have reassembled to weave fictional stories,” states Medina.

William and his siblings grew up helping their parents Oscar and Josefina Medina at the cafe. Over the years he and his siblings managed the eatery. The original cafe was located in a shopping center in Riverside’s multicultural Eastside. Located nearby was the iconic Nosotros Fine Arts Workshop directed by acclaimed artist Leer Larkin — who was integral to the Medina family.

Cafe Stories: Riverside’s Zacatecas will be available for sale and signing. The event is free and open to the public.

The library will also provide an array of books on local history available for check out. Don’t have a library card? You can get one on the spot!

Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Please join us.

April 5, 2024
April 6, 2024(1 event)

2:00 pm: Zoom launch for Guajira, the cuba girl by Zita Arocha


April 6, 2024

Saturday, April 6, 2024

2:00-3:00 PM PT, on ZOOM

Launch of Guajira – the Cuba girl by Zita Arocha

Winner of the 2021 Eliud Martínez Prize

Free and open to the public. Registration is required. TO REGISTER:

http://tinyurl.com/GuajiraLaunch

After you register, we will send you a Zoom meeting link prior to the event.

Inlandia Institute is proud to announce the publication of the inaugural Eliud Martínez Prize for literature, Zita Arocha, for Guajira – the Cuba girl, a memoir. This annual prize is awarded to a first book author in fiction or creative nonfiction who identifies as Hispanic, Latino/a/x, or Chicana/o/x.

April 7, 2024
April 8, 2024
April 9, 2024
April 10, 2024
April 11, 2024
April 12, 2024
April 13, 2024
April 14, 2024
April 15, 2024
April 16, 2024
April 17, 2024
April 18, 2024
April 19, 2024
April 20, 2024(1 event)

10:00 am: Riverside Insect Fair


April 20, 2024

Saturday, April 20, 2024

10:00 AM

Riverside Insect Fair

Poetry Contest Reading on the Main Stage

Riverside Main Library

3900 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA 92501

Free and open to the public.

April 21, 2024
April 22, 2024
April 23, 2024
April 24, 2024(1 event)

7:00 pm: “Stories of Love from the Empires We Call Home” at the Culver


April 24, 2024

Conversations at the Culver

7:00 PM, doors open at 6:30

“Stories of Love from the Empires We Call Home” with Perris, California author Rachel Stark in conversation with Susan Straight and Alex Espinoza

Barbara and Art Culver Center for the Arts

3824 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501

Free and open to the public.

Please join us at the Culver Center of the Arts on Wednesday, April 26, to celebrate the launch of Rachel Stark’s debut novel, Perris, California.  Rachel will be in conversation with authors Susan Straight and Alex Espinoza beginning at 7:00 PM; doors open at 6:30.

Perris, California is published by Penguin Press, New York. Copies will be available for sale and signing at the event.

April 25, 2024
April 26, 2024
April 27, 2024(1 event)

11:00 am: 11th Annual Riverside Tamale Festival


April 27, 2024

Saturday, April 27, 2024

11:00-5:00 PM

Riverside Tamale Festival - Kids Zone

With children’s authors José Chavez, Vilayvanh Bender, James Luna, Carmen Gutierrez, and Yesenia Rodriguez

Visit the Tamale Festival and stop by the Inlandia Storytelling Booth to hear vibrant multicultural stories by authors from the region. Stories presented on the hour at 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM, and 4 PM.

April 28, 2024
April 29, 2024
April 30, 2024
May 1, 2024
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May 3, 2024
May 4, 2024