Saturday, November 25, 2023
Patti Townley-Covert – Better Techniques & Editing
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Saturday, October 28, 2023 – Murder in Huckleberry Heights
Join us for a Murder Mystery written and performed by members of the Inland Empire Branch of the California Writers Club (IECWC). This lighthearted adventure is suitable for all ages and should bring smiles to the audience as it is being performed by writers – not thespians.
For members of the IECWC this performance and lunch are included in your membership dues. IECWC members may bring guests for the nominal fee of $10 to help offset the cost of this production. The general public is heartily welcome for an entrance fee of $20. Payment may be made by cash or check in advance or at the door starting at 10:30 am. The doors will close promptly at 11:00 am to begin this cozy mystery escapade.
If you plan on attending please RSVP to iecaliforniawritersclub@gmail.com to insure we have adequate food on hand for our luncheon.
Click On The Flyer Below To Download A Full Size PDF
There Will Be No September Meeting
The Ovitt Family Library has scheduled a Giant Bag Sale for September 23, 2023 and will be using the meeting room. Therefore we will not be having a September branch meeting. I will email a reminder prior to September 23rd. For information on the Ovitt’s Giant Bag Sale please visit https://www.ontarioca.gov/events/giant-bag-sale.
Saturday, August 26, 2023 – Abigail Handojo
Writing and Performance Poetry
Abigail Handojo will share what she knows about the basics of writing and performing poetry. In her presentation, she’ll answer common questions such as where to start in your poetry process and how to deliver the performance your piece deserves! Expect simple tips that make a world of difference and snippets of knowledge she’s picked up from her Oral Literature class. As a student, she’s learned the most effective method to keep an audience attentive is by making the lecture interactive, so look forward to writing with her this month!
Abigail Handojo is the 2023-2024 Commissioner of Fine Arts at Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac Catholic High School. She participated in the National History Day competition as a state finalist for her documentary “Finding Freedom in Poetry.” Abigail recently played the role of Tranio in Shakespeare in the Vines’ Camp production of Taming of the Shrew. Spoken word poetry changed her life radically as she finds it a combination of both her interests: writing and acting. Her earliest poems were written three years after she learned how to turn sentences into stories. Since then, her style has changed, but one truth remains consistent: when she is inspired, she hopes to inspire others.
Saturday, July 22, 2023 – Member Open Mic
We would love to have as many members as possible read.
** Public reading of your work is excellent preparation for future public marketing and promotion of your published books!
The reading can be poetry, fiction, memoir, non-fiction, vignette, or you-name-it.
It can be a stand-alone work or an excerpt from a larger work.
We only ask that it be limited to 750 words or less.
The average reading speed is about 130 words per minute so to read a piece 750 words long would take roughly 6 minutes. Note, the average reading speed does not necessarily apply to poetry.
If you wish to participate in our July open mic please email Sam Nichols with your intent to do so.
If you have identified the piece that you would like to read please include the word count and title.
Saturday, June 24, 2023 – Randy Jurado Ertll
Randy Jurado Ertll will speak about his journey of becoming a writer, experience in finding a reputable book publisher, and the struggles/sacrifices of being an author.
Randy Jurado Ertll is an award winning published author, credentialed teacher, and newspaper columnist. He has also served as executive director for well-established, prominent, non-profit organizations.
Ertll served as a communications director for a Congressional member (Hilda Solis) on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. He has published numerous opinion columns in newspapers and magazines such as the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, La Opinión, Daily News, La Prensa Grafica, San Diego Union-Tribune, Orange County Register, Sacramento Bee, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Houston Chronicle, The Progressive and The American Interest magazines. He has been interviewed by networks such as NPR, CNN, PBS, Univisión, and Telemundo. He is an alumnus of Occidental College where he obtained the prestigious 2015 Alumni Seal Award for Service to the Community and obtained his master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University. He has published the following books: Hope in Times of Darkness: A Salvadoran American Experience, Esperanza en Tiempos de Oscuridad: La Experiencia de un Salvadoreño Americano, The Life of an Activist: In the Frontlines 24/7, The Lives and Times of El Cipitío, La Vida Y Los Tiempos Del Cipitío, In The Struggle: Chronicles, The Adventures of El Cipitío: Las aventuras del Cipitio, La Siguanaba and the Magical Loroco, La Siguanaba y el Loroco Magico, Race Wars: El Cadejo, El Cadejo: Entre El Bien y el Mal. Please visit his web site at WWW.RANDYJURADOERTLL.COM.
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Jan Herrman – The Last Cowboy
Jan Herrman will share his interest in the characters, places and events of what we think of as the Old West. He will to do so by reading some excerpts from The Last Cowboy and explaining the research that led to the plot development and historical settings of the American frontier. The novel spans the period from 1860 to 1912. It tells the story of a reluctant hero who somehow manages to survive the Civil War, Texas-sized desperados, and the great San Francisco Earthquake, only to face one last perilous adventure to rescue a friend…in Morocco. He admits to developing an extraordinary affection for the main characters, especially Hank and Beth, and had many conversations with them as he wrote the book. And, no, he does not believe this was a form of schizophrenia. He does, however, want to discuss the creative process with the authors in the audience and make the presentation as interactive as possible.
Jan Herrman is a retired physician with a keen interest in the myths of the Old West. In fact, he has been moving steadily west, having been born and raised in New Jersey. He attended Hamilton College in upstate New York and graduated in 1974 with a degree in English. From there he wandered a bit, spent time in Spain and eventually wound up in medical school at LSU in Shreveport, Lousiana. From there he moved on to the University of Texas at Houston for training in internal medicine and where he met his wife, Marta. She was a medical student from Brazil at the time and was doing research at MD Anderson Hospital.(She is now a practicing pediatrician.) The next move west was to Stanford for fellowship training in nephrology. From there he joined Kaiser in Fontana and, except for a several year hiatus on faculty at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, remained there for over 30 years, until retirement in 2020. He played many roles during that career besides seeing patients, including serving on the SCPMG Board of Directors, chief of nephrology and medical director of a dialysis unit. He and his wife have three children, all married (or one nearly so) and all embarked on successful careers of their own.
Jan’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082994097518
Saturday, March 25, 2023 – Cati Porter
Cati Porter will provide information on the Inlandia Institute, the growing hub for writers of the Inland Empire. In addition, she will discuss the new trend of hybrid memoirs and explain her own process in writing one.
Cati Porter is a writer, editor, and arts administrator living and working in Inland Southern California. The author of ten poetry collections, her latest, small mammals, is forthcoming is 2023 from Mayapple Press. Her essays and articles have been published in Salon, Zocalo Public Square, Shark Reef, Inland Empire Magazine, Flea Market Decor, and elsewhere. A hybrid memoir about her mother’s father and grandfather, Clay Bodies: The Brief Lives and Lasting Legacies of Rufus B. Keeler and Brad Keeler, Father and Son Ceramicists, is in progress. She is executive director of Inlandia Institute. You can find her on the web at www.catiporter.com.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Annual IECWC Published Author Panel
Join us as our members, who published books in 2022, speak of the process and answer questions. The authors include Scott Skipper, Jackie Phillips, Cynthia Chertos, Shirley Petro-Timura, Sherre Vernon, Jim Flores, Laurie Finucane, Ann Casas, and Jane White. Details on these books may be found here: CWC-2023-Author-Panel-Google-Docs.pdf. Clink on the Book Covers below to be taken to the appropriate sales page.
