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April 2, 2023(1 event)

1:30 pm: “Rewriting the Narrative: Fighting Erasure and Forging a Future”


April 2, 2023

Sunday, April 2, 2023

1:30-3:00 PM (Doors open at 1:00 PM)

Inlandia Institute and UCR Arts Present

Conversations at the Culver

“Rewriting the Narrative: Fighting Erasure and Forging a Future – A poets laureate discussion moderated by James Coats”

Panel: Antonio Edwards Jr., Natalie J. Graham, and Peter J. Harris

Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts

3834 Main Street, Riverside

Free and open to the public.

 

On Sunday, April 2, join James Coats for a conversation with current and past Poets Laureate as part of Inlandia’s Conversations at the Culver series, in association with Inlandia’s Blacklandia steering committee.

 

During this critical time of book bannings happening across the country and a push to blanch history we talk to three poet laureates rewriting the expected narrative by providing representation and truth-telling in their art and through their work. Poetry has long been a source of honest expression with people courageous enough to say the hard things. This panel looks to examine the difficulties of how we arrived where we are today and ways to reshape the future through education and understanding.

 

Books will be available for sale and signing. Light refreshments will be served. As part of the City of Riverside’s First Sundays program, entrance to the museum is free.

 

Motivational Speaker, Writer and Spoken Word Poet, Antonio Edwards Jr. provides audiences with powerful spoken word presentations customized to inspire and energize any event. When he is not performing Antonio is busy developing teaching methods to help young poets find their literary voice and use language poetry provides to develop their own form of self-expression and self–actualization. An explosive performer of the written word, Antonio's spoken word pieces are charged with rhyme, rhythm, wordplay and verbal assaults that will not just sit on paper. Known as the people’s poet, Antonio was named Tacoma Washington’s Poet Laureate in 2009.

 

Natalie J. Graham is an award-winning author and performer who has toured nationally with her collection of poems, Begin with a Failed Body. In August 2021, Natalie was appointed Poet Laureate of Orange County. A widely published scholar with research interests in race, identity performance, and music, she is also a professor in the Department of African American Studies at Cal State University. When she isn’t making poems, teaching, or planning events, she loves perfecting her chocolate chip cookie baking skills and learning about science with her son, Ronald.

 

Peter J. Harris, Altadena Poet Laureate Editor in Chief (2022-2024), is the author of Safe Arms: 20 Love & Erotic Poems (w/an Ooh Baby Baby moan), with Spanish translations by Francisco Letelier (FlowerSong Press), and SongAgain (Beyond Baroque Books). In 2015, his book of poetry, Bless the Ashes (Tia Chucha Press), won the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, and his book of personal essays, The Black Man of Happiness: In Pursuit of My ‘Unalienable Right,’ won the American Book Award. Harris is founding director of The Black Man of Happiness Project, a creative, intellectual, and artistic exploration of Black men and joy. He writes the blog WREAKING HAPPINESS: A Joyful Living Journal: www.inspirationcrib.com.

 

Moderator James Coats is a multidisciplinary artist, author, and educator born in Los Angeles and raised in the Inland Empire. As a creative change agent he believes the arts can inspire the youth and influence positive change in the world. He is the winner of the 2021 San Gabriel Poetry Slam. In 2021 he founded the organization Lift Our Voices Education which hosts an award winning workshop monthly called Be The Change: Social Justice Writing Workshop. He became the Artist in Residence at The Garcia Center for the Arts in 2022. His newest poetry collection Midnight & Mad Dreams is published by World Stage Press. You can find him attending poetry readings throughout California or follow his poetry via his Instagram @MrLovingWords.

April 3, 2023(1 event)

1:00 pm: Memoir: Writing Your Life Story with Rose Y. Monge


April 3, 2023

(Seniors, all levels)

Mondays, 1:00-3:00 PM Janet Goeske Center (Art Room), 5257 Sierra Street, Riverside,

1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 4/3, 4/10, and 4/17/22.

To register: https://tinyurl.com/Winter2023CWW

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.

April 4, 2023(2 events)

11:30 am: Celena’s Scribes with Wil Clarke


April 4, 2023

(All Levels)

Tuesdays, 11:30 AM-1:00 PM, Zoom, Weekly. Meetings resume January 10.

To register: https://tinyurl.com/Winter2023CWW

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.

7:00 pm: How to Get Started Writing When You Don’t Know Where to Start with Renee Gurley


April 4, 2023

How to Get Started Writing When You Don’t Know Where to Start with Renee Gurley
(Beginners Only)
Alternating Saturdays, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM PT, Zoom, 4/15, 4/29, 5/13, 5/27, and 6/10/23

This workshop is free and open to the public. To register: https://tinyurl.com/Spring2023CWW

Do you want to start writing, but don't know how to get started? In this course, Renee Gurley shows you how to get your thoughts down on paper -- and then grow from there. Learn the basics of:

Creating Structure
Language Use
Point of View
Journaling, memoir, stories, and more

“How to Get Started Writing When You Don't Know Where to Start” gives you concrete tools to help you become the writer you’ve always wanted to be. It's a fun and exciting class for all aspiring writers!

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.

April 5, 2023
April 6, 2023(1 event)

11:00 am: All Genres Workshop with Mae Wagner Marinello


April 6, 2023

(All Levels)

Thursdays, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Redlands Community Center, 111 W. Lugonia Ave, Redlands, Weekly.

To register: https://tinyurl.com/Winter2023CWW

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.

April 7, 2023
April 8, 2023(1 event)

10:00 am: inVISIBLE/unHEARD: Riverside's Civil Rights Stories


April 8, 2023 April 15, 2023

Saturday, April 15, 2023

inVISIBLE/unHEARD: Riverside's Civil Rights Stories

Dramatic, self-guided tour: Jeffery Owens Memorial Marker, Allen Chapel, Chinatown, and Sherman Indian High School

 

Presented by The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California, Empower You Edutainment, Fox Foundation, Inlandia Institute, the Museum of Riverside, and Sherman Indian High School.

Register free online:

https://tinyurl.com/inVISIBLE-unHEARD

 

The invisible/unHEARD theme stems from the truth that aggressions—both macro and micro—of racism and discrimination erect barriers to the fulfillment of potential for many people. The impact of those aggressions often manifests as an overwhelming sense of invisibility for those who are the recipients.

 

Keep the conversation alive!

 

The inVISIBLE/unHEARD project focuses on the journey from invisibility to visibility for those who have suffered racism and other forms of discrimination. inVISIBLE/unHEARD takes you on a tour of a portion of Riverside’s role in this global conversation through 4 stops and a discussion session. Appropriate for ages 10 and up.