No One Else Can Write Your Memoir! with Alaina Bixon

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
November 8, 2023

No One Else Can Write Your Memoir! with Alaina Bixon

(All Levels)

Meets Weekly on Wednesdays, 2:00-4:00 PM PT, 10/ 11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, and 11/8/23, Zoom

To register: https://tinyurl.com/Fall2023CWW

What makes a compelling memoir? We will examine some excerpts for structure, tone and craft. Each workshop session will include time for writing from prompts. Writers are welcome to share their work with the group for feedback.

Writers of all levels may join the workshops.

Alaina Bixon is a freelance writer of personal essays. She has led Inlandia Institute workshops on creative writing, food writing, and memoir. Her company, Tilton Bass Publishing, helps clients launch their books into the world.

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Events in June 2024

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
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2	3 6:00 pm: Writing for Children with José Chávez 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm June 3, 2024 Writing for Children with José Chávez (All Levels) Alternating Mondays, 6:00-8:00 PM PT 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, 6/3, and 6/17/24 on Zoom. $50. Registration required. 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, CA, is married, and has three grown children. More 6:30 pm: Poetry & Prose with James Coats 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm June 3, 2024 Poetry & Prose with James Coats (All Levels) Alternating Mondays, 6:30-8:30 PM PT, 4/8, 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, and 6/3/24 on 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. More	4 6:00 pm: Micro Memoir with David Puma 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm June 4, 2024 Micro Memoir with David Puma (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 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+. More	5 6:00 pm: All Genres Workshop with Victoria Waddle 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm June 5, 2024 All Genres Workshop with Victoria Waddle (Int.-Adv.) Alternating Wednesdays, 6:00-9:00 PM PT, 4/10, 4/24, 5/8, 5/22, and 6/5/24, on Zoom $50. Registration required. 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. More	6 7:00 pm: Loud and Clear -- The Voices of Gay and Trans Literature 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm June 6, 2024 Thursday, June 6, 2024 First Thursdays Arts Walk – Loud and Clear: The Voices of Gay and Trans Literature Riverside Main Library Community Room 3900 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, CA 92501 7:00-8:00 PM; doors open at 6:30 PM Free and open to the public. Celebrate Pride with Inlandia Institute and Riverside Public Library at Riverside Main Library on Thursday, June 6, as LGBTQIA+ community members share literary passages by LGBTQIA+ authors who have influenced, encouraged, shaped, and inspired them. The program begins at 7:00 PM in the Community Room. There will also be an open mic that is open to all! Please bring a (3-4 minute) passage by an LGBTQIA+ author you’d like to share. Free and open to all. Join us – and be inspired, too. More	7	8 10:00 am: Writer’s Toolbox with Renee Gurley 10:00 am – 12:00 pm June 8, 2024 Writer’s Toolbox with Renee Gurley (All levels) Alternating Saturdays, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM PT, 4/13, 4/27, 5/11, 5/25, and 6/8/22, on Zoom. $50. Registration required. 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. Renee Gurley, MA, MFA, is a writer and English teacherwith over 20 years of experience with words, whose works have appeared in Coping Magazine, Lehigh Valley Woman’ s Journal, and Budget Press. More 12:00 pm: Inlandia at the Maloof Artist Series Presents Ellen Estilai and Exit Prohibited 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm June 8, 2024 Saturday, June 8, 2024 Inlandia at the Maloof Artist Series Presents Ellen Estilai and Exit Prohibited 12:00-2:00 PM Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts 5131 Carnelian St Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701 Free and open to all ages. Inlandia Institute, in partnership with the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts, invites you to a very special afternoon with Ellen Estilai, author of Exit Prohibited: A Memoir of Iran, published by Inlandia Books. A book talk is scheduled for Saturday, June 8, at 12:00 PM, at the Maloof Home, Gardens, and Gallery in Rancho Cucamonga, and will include a discussion of the author’s extraordinary experiences living in—and leaving—Iran, accompanied by selected readings and book signing by the author. Books will be available for sale in the Maloof Store, and may be purchased online at https://inlandia-institute.square.site/ and through Amazon. Exit Prohibited explores a side of Iran and Iranians seldom portrayed in popular media. It follows Ellen Estilai and her family after the 1979 Iranian Revolution as they attempt to leave Tehran, their home of nine years. At the airport, Ali, her Iranian husband, is inexplicably prevented from leaving. As he confronts hostile colleagues and the Islamic Republic’s opaque bureaucracy, Estilai examines their lives, trying to understand what might have brought them to this point. It is a story of an Iran that is at once welcoming and hostile, progressive and traditional, enamored of and distrustful of the West—an Iran as complex as Estilai’s relationship to it. Ellen Estilai has spent much of her career collaborating with artists, writers, and agencies to strengthen communities through the arts. She has served as the executive director of the Riverside Arts Council and the Arts Council for San Bernardino County, and has taught English language, literature, and writing in universities in Iran and California. Because Ellen and her husband have been immigrants in each other’s countries, her writing frequently explores the joys and tribulations of the immigrant experience. More 1:00 pm: 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm June 8, 2024 Saturdays, June 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2024 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris FREE and open to all ages, but registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/MangaRPL 1:00-3:00 PM Riverside Main Library Carnegie Room 3900 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, CA 92501 Join Inlandia at Riverside Main Library for a creative workshop introduction to the inner workings of the Japanese comic medium, Manga, which will explore terminology, story, character design, and paneling to create your own one shot or series! Presented by animator and mangaka, Sebraé Harris. Sebraé Harris – AKA “StarLite Crystal” – is an African American artist, entrepreneur, and professional mangaka. He started drawing at the age of four and began taking art seriously when he was eight. Sebraé is a graduate of Riverside City College with degrees in Fine & Applied Arts, Animation, and Business & Entrepreneurship. The Vermillion Speedateer is his first manga/comic series. More
9 Art Appreciation for Ekphrastic Poets and Writers with Jane Edberg and John Brantingham June 9, 2024 Sunday, June 9, 2024 Art Appreciation for Ekphrastic Poets and Writers with Jane Edberg and John Brantingham 8-Week Asynchronous Writing Boot Camp $150; to register: https://tinyurl.com/EkphrasticBootCamp In this 8-week asynchronous boot camp, participants will learn the artistic techniques – along with the design elements and principles – that artists use, and how understanding an artist's approach can enhance a poet's conversation of a work. An exploration of two- and three-dimensional art pieces will provide visual examples ranging from unusual contemporary work to old classics to ancient art. This class is open to all levels of experience, from the beginner to the professional writer. Prompts and an open forum will create opportunities for feedback from instructors and fellow writers. Jane Edberg holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Davis with an emphasis in photography, painting, and performance art. She taught photography and art for thirty years, retiring after twenty years at Gavilan College. Her art has been published and exhibited internationally. Jane is the author of the art illuminated memoir, The Fine Art of Grieving, published by Linen Press Books, 2024. Her writing is featured in the books, Death, and its Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Beautiful Lessons: Field Notes from The Death Dialogues Project; Sasse Museum of Art: Terry Givens Ekphrasis Collection; My Dead, Kelsey Books, 2024, in the flash anthology, BAM 42 Stories (to be released October 2024); and in journals, including Cholla Needles, and Gyroscope Review. John Brantingham was Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ first poet laureate. His work has been featured in hundreds of magazines, Writers Almanac and The Best Small Fictions 2016 and 2022. He has nineteen books of poetry and fiction including Life: Orange to Pear (Bamboo Dart Press). He is the founder and general editor of The Journal of Radical Wonder. He lives in Jamestown, NY. More	10	11 6:00 pm: The Art and Craft of Writing Poetry with Romaine Washington 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm June 11, 2024 The Art and Craft of Writing Poetry with Romaine Washington (All Levels) Alternating Tuesdays, 6:00-8:00 PM PT, 4/16, 4/30, 5/14, 5/28, and 6/11/24, on Zoom. $50. Registration required. 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. More	12 6:30 pm: Writing and Presenting Poetry in ASL with Ryan Fingerle 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm June 12, 2024 Writing and Presenting Poetry in American Sign Language with Ryan Fingerle (All Levels) Alternating Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 PM PT, 4/17, 5/1, 5/15, 5/29, and 6/12/24, on Zoom. ASL Poetry is a FREE community enrichment workshop open to all. Registration required: 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. More	13	14	15 1:00 pm: 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm June 15, 2024 Saturdays, June 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2024 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris FREE and open to all ages, but registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/MangaRPL 1:00-3:00 PM Riverside Main Library Carnegie Room 3900 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, CA 92501 Join Inlandia at Riverside Main Library for a creative workshop introduction to the inner workings of the Japanese comic medium, Manga, which will explore terminology, story, character design, and paneling to create your own one shot or series! Presented by animator and mangaka, Sebraé Harris. Sebraé Harris – AKA “StarLite Crystal” – is an African American artist, entrepreneur, and professional mangaka. He started drawing at the age of four and began taking art seriously when he was eight. Sebraé is a graduate of Riverside City College with degrees in Fine & Applied Arts, Animation, and Business & Entrepreneurship. The Vermillion Speedateer is his first manga/comic series. More
16	17 6:00 pm: Writing for Children with José Chávez 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm June 17, 2024 Writing for Children with José Chávez (All Levels) Alternating Mondays, 6:00-8:00 PM PT 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, 6/3, and 6/17/24 on Zoom. $50. Registration required. 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, CA, is married, and has three grown children. More	18 6:00 pm: Micro Memoir with David Puma 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm June 18, 2024 Micro Memoir with David Puma (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 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+. More	19	20	21	22 1:00 pm: 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm June 22, 2024 Saturdays, June 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2024 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris FREE and open to all ages, but registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/MangaRPL 1:00-3:00 PM Riverside Main Library Carnegie Room 3900 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, CA 92501 Join Inlandia at Riverside Main Library for a creative workshop introduction to the inner workings of the Japanese comic medium, Manga, which will explore terminology, story, character design, and paneling to create your own one shot or series! Presented by animator and mangaka, Sebraé Harris. Sebraé Harris – AKA “StarLite Crystal” – is an African American artist, entrepreneur, and professional mangaka. He started drawing at the age of four and began taking art seriously when he was eight. Sebraé is a graduate of Riverside City College with degrees in Fine & Applied Arts, Animation, and Business & Entrepreneurship. The Vermillion Speedateer is his first manga/comic series. More
23	24	25	26	27 7:00 pm: How to do Justice to Diversity in Fiction on ZOOM 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm June 27, 2024 How to do Justice to Diversity in Fiction — Journey to Merveilleux City with Stephanie Barbé Hammer and Romaine Washington How do we, as writers, tell the stories of characters whose lived experience is different from our own? How do we create a world in our work that’s true to the multicultural spaces we inhabit – without risking the misappropriation of those cultures? Join Romaine Washington and Stephanie Barbé Hammer in conversation about Stephanie’s new novella, Journey to Merveilleux City, finalist for the Foreword Indie book award, Mystery category. Thursday, June 27, 7 PM PT. FREE. On Zoom. Registration required. https://tinyurl.com/DiversityInFiction More	28	29 1:00 pm: Culver Center of the Arts Mini Comic Fest 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm June 29, 2024 Saturday, June 29, 2024 Culver Center of the Arts Mini Comic Fest Featuring Black Kirby 1:00 PM-5:00 PM UCR ARTS Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts 3824 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501 $15 Admission Culver Center of the Arts Mini Comic Fest is back! This event brings together artists, writers, creators, and scholars to discuss comics, culture, and industry. The event will feature panel discussions and the Black Kirby exhibition “Whatever Happened to Dyno-Woman: The Alternative History of an Afrofuturist Icon” on view now at the Culver Center of the Arts. More
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My Calendar

No One Else Can Write Your Memoir! with Alaina Bixon

6:00 pm: The Art and Craft of Writing Poetry with Romaine Washington

6:30 pm: Writing and Presenting Poetry in ASL with Ryan Fingerle

6:00 pm: Writing for Children with José Chávez

6:30 pm: Poetry & Prose with James Coats

6:00 pm: Micro Memoir with David Puma

6:00 pm: All Genres Workshop with Victoria Waddle

7:00 pm: Loud and Clear -- The Voices of Gay and Trans Literature

10:00 am: Writer’s Toolbox with Renee Gurley

12:00 pm: Inlandia at the Maloof Artist Series Presents Ellen Estilai and Exit Prohibited

1:00 pm: 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris

Art Appreciation for Ekphrastic Poets and Writers with Jane Edberg and John Brantingham

6:00 pm: The Art and Craft of Writing Poetry with Romaine Washington

6:30 pm: Writing and Presenting Poetry in ASL with Ryan Fingerle

1:00 pm: 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris

6:00 pm: Writing for Children with José Chávez

6:00 pm: Micro Memoir with David Puma

1:00 pm: 3-Week Manga Workshop with Sebraé Harris

7:00 pm: How to do Justice to Diversity in Fiction on ZOOM

1:00 pm: Culver Center of the Arts Mini Comic Fest