No matter what kind of writing you do–business, school or pleasure–taking workshops and classes where you learn more tricks of the trade and taking in readings where you hear writers read and discuss their work will improve your writing. Hearing writers discuss their process will help YOU with your product!
You can find readings and workshops at book stores, colleges, cafes, and even salons held in homes. You can find out about them via online searches or local bulletin boards. Prices range from expensive to inexpensive depending on who is reading or who is giving the workshop.
Three sources I use for finding readings and workshops in California are Poetry Flash, Poetix, and Poets and Writers.
You can also find out about some readings and workshops by subscribing to this blog or to Art Predator. I’ll certainly be posting about my own upcoming readings and workshops! If you know of anything that I should write about, please send me an email or leave the information in the comments.
This week, during Ojai’s WordFest, I am looking forward to attending several readings. My friends who attended last night’s reading at Theater 150 raved about Robert Peake especially (unfortunately, I had to leave early to speak at the Ventura City Council meeting).I’m participating in a slam on Wednesday, hosting a living room style open mic on Thursday, and reading at an event for authors with new books on Friday.
I’m also excited about the Message in a Bottle Workshop on Thursday that I’m co-leading with Danika Dinsmore and then I’m taking both sessions of Danika Dinsmore’s Poetry BootCamp on Saturday. I know I’ll get some great ideas to use for my own writing and to share with my students.
Around Ventura, there’s a poetry night every Tuesday at the Artists Union Gallery 330 S. California Street. I featured last Tuesday and Joyce La Mers features next Tuesday. Here are more authors with featured readings there:
April 5 Jackson Wheeler
April 12 Doris Vernon
April 19 Dorothea Grossman & Michael Vlatkovich
May 10 Mary Rose Betten
May 17 Maxine Landis
May 24 Lynne Thompson and Candace Pearson
June 7 Chella Courington
Also at the Artists Union Gallery the “Friday on Saturday” poetry series held on the last Saturday of the month at 7:30pm hosted by friday. Future friday on Saturday readers are:
April 30 Bruce Williams
May 28 Spiritual Quartet featuring Lois P. Jones, Taoli-Ambika Talwar, Maja Trochimczyk and Susan Rogers
June 25 Florence Weinberger
July 30 Holly Prado
August 27 TL Cabrera
September 24 Jeanette Clough
Like this:
Tags: features and open mic readings in Ventura, Ojai WordFest 2011
Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator
Recent Comments