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A free 20min breakfast lecture series for our creative community. Join us for coffee, donuts, and inspiration every last Friday of the month. Susanna Peredo Swap is an award-winning producer, journalist, and film director with over twenty-five years of experience as an arts administrator, actor, jazz vocalist, arts advocate, and public relations specialist. While working for the San Diego International Airport Art Program she curated 80+ exhibitions with some of San Diego’s best museums, artists and galleries; as well as a fantastic roster of talent for its performing arts series. She currently serves on the San Diego Museum Council; the Board of Women in Tourism & Hospitality International; the Board of the San Diego Press Club; the Advisory Board for the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego; and Community Advisory Committee for the Burnham Center for Community Advancement. She recently served as the Arts & Culture Co-Lead for World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 and on the Advisory Committee for UCSD-TV’s new ARTS Channel. She has previously served on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Art Institute; as Board Vice President of the Alliance Française de San Diego; Board Vice President of the San Diego REPertory Theatre; and Vice Chair of the Port of San Diego’s Public Art Committee. Susanna is a magna cum laude graduate of San Diego State University where she majored in Humanities and minored in French. She holds a Professional Certificate in The Cycle: Management of Successful Arts and Cultural Organizations from the Devos Institute of Arts Management, University of Maryland; a Professional Certificate in Business for Arts and Nonprofit Arts Organizations from University of San Diego; a Certificate in Photography: Images and Techniques from University of California, San Diego; studied Art History at the Université Paris Sorbonne (Paris IV); and History of Video Art at the École du Louvre in Paris, France. Her passion for the arts inspired her to found Vanguard Culture, a nonprofit uplifting San Diego’s creative workforce. Under her leadership, the organization has earned 80+ excellence in journalism awards, two Gold Anthem Awards by the Webby’s, and a National Geographic feature. CreativeMornings | San Diego on Facebook / Instagram

Note: Though this class is offered as part of the Novel Writing Certificate Program, there is no pre-requisite to join this class. All students, members, and nonmembers are encouraged to enroll. Plotting the Novel: While your characters are the beating heart of your novel, your plot is its bones. Whether you are an outliner or someone who works on the fly, this basic architecture (the novel’s skeleton, so to speak) cannot be neglected. In this six-week workshop, we will work on understanding the essential plot requirements of a good story, and work on building a good strong supporting structure for your novel. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Please note that there’s no class on July 4, 2026. Please also note that you will receive your Zoom link via email 24 hours before the start of this class. San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

So you’ve finished writing your novel — what next? What do published novelists do between that raw first draft and the final manuscript to make their plots sizzle and their prose sing? The key lies in reworking your manuscript until your writing jumps off of the page. If you have completed the first draft of a novel, this workshop will help you develop skills to shape your plot for maximum dramatic impact and give life and texture to characters, dialogue, and setting. You will be emailed the Zoom link 24 hours before the start of the class. If you sign up less than 24 hours before the start of the class, please either send us a message or email us at programs@sandiegowriters.org to request your link. There is a certificate discount for this course: if you buy all five of the classes in the certificate separately, the total cost amounts to $1,080. If you purchase all five of them as a package, you will receive a 20% discount and will only pay a total of $864. This discount is only good for members. Please note that if you enroll in the full certificate, you will automatically receive the individual course links throughout the year. If you do not plan to take all courses within the year, please contact us to ensure that a course credit is applied to your account. San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

In this six week workshop, students will expand upon what they have learned about the key components of novel writing. The focus of this workshop will be on character development, scene building, narrative structure and the process of writing a first draft. Participants will be encouraged to submit a chapter of their work for peer review. Previous Novel Writing Certificate classes are recommended as a prerequisite. However, experienced/advanced writers may take this workshop with instructor approval. Please note that you will receive your Zoom link via email 24 hours before the start of this class. If you enroll in this class less than 24 hours before it begins, please either send us a message or email us at programs@sandiegowriters.org to request your link. Tickets are $216 for SDWI members, $252 for non-members -- per class. If you buy all five of the classes in the certificate separately, the total cost amounts to $1,080. If you purchase all five of them as a package, you will receive a 20% discount and will only pay a total of $864. This discount is only good for members. Please note that if you enroll in the full certificate, you will automatically receive the individual course links throughout the year. If you do not plan to take all courses within the year, please contact us to ensure that a course credit is applied to your account. San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

The students in this workshop will delve into the more formal forms of poetry styles; their histories and contemporary usage. We will continue to discuss the design and organization of complete books of poetry, both the chapbook and the full book. Each participant will choose two books of poetry and complete the analysis of both the poems and the structure/organization of the books, submit, by week 5, a one to two page analysis of the books and be ready to give a short presentation about the findings to the class of one of the books. Poem prompts will be given each week with the anticipation that the participants will generate new work. Participants are expected to actively participate in the read and critique portions of the workshop. Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop, you will have: - Become familiar with the syllabic forms, prose poems, sonnet, pantoum, short poem, villanelle and sestina - Dissected the different approaches to poetry book organization - Read and analyzed two books of poetry - Presented to the class the results of research on one book of poetry Zoom Note: Please note that you will receive your Zoom link via email 24 hours before the start of this class. If you enroll in this class less than 24 hours before it begins, please either send us a message or email us at programs@sandiegowriters.org to request your link. Certificate Discount: If you buy all five of the workshops in the certificate separately, the total cost amounts to $1,350. If you purchase all five of them as a package, you will receive a 20% discount and will only pay a total of $1,080. This discount is good only for members. San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

For Museum A Month, we visit the San Diego Botanic Garden. At 55 years old, it's still growing and shining bright for the holidays.

The poet should develop a strategy of revision. Often the good poem is attained through rigorous revision of the original draft. We will examine different approaches to revision as well as the more esoteric poem-making tools and types of poems and their uses and effects. In this session we will begin discussion of the structure of published books of poetry. Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop, you will have: Explored different revision techniques and how they match your writing style. Identified the importance of poem titles. Considered the nature of “truth” in contemporary poetry. Discussed the history of “deep image.” Explored different types of poems. Read and analyzed two poetry books. Assignments: Each participant will choose one book of poetry and one poetry craft book and submit, by week 5, a one to two page analysis of the book and its value, or not, to the individual’s poetry writing. Poem prompts will be given each week with the anticipation that the participants will generate new work. Participants are expected to actively participate in the read and critique portions of the workshop. Please note that you will receive your Zoom link via email 24 hours before the start of this class. If you enroll in this class less than 24 hours before it begins, please either send us a message or email us at programs@sandiegowriters.org to request your link. $270 for members, $315 for non-members -- per class. Certificate Discount: If you buy all five of the workshops in the certificate separately, the total cost amounts to $1,350. If you purchase all five of them as a package, you will receive a 20% discount and will only pay a total of $1,080. This discount is good only for members. San Diego Writers, Ink on Facebook / Instagram

After decades of planning and setbacks, South Bay officials are laying the groundwork for a multi-university campus that houses academic programs from schools across the San Diego-Tijuana metro.

A growing number of 20-somethings are trying to freeze time with preventative Botox treatments. Here's what's behind the trend.

The Coronado Public Library and the San Diego Writers Festival will host a series of writing workshops this Fall. Each focused on a different topic, writers both new and experienced will find new strategies to hone their craft. Writers who attend a workshop will have the opportunity to have the entry fee waived if they choose to participate in Acorn Publishing Debut Author contest (details available here.) This month, attendees will learn the art of memoir writing. Are you seeking a way to transform the stories of your life into a compelling, page-turning memoir? Join Tracy J. Jones, developmental editor and writing coach, for a fun, interactive writing workshop that will educate and inspire your own memoir-writing journey. Topics include: - The difference between a memoir, a personal essay, and an autobiography - Identifying your memoir's container - What's your character arc? - How to identify your memoir's theme - A checklist for effective scene writing This event will take place via zoom. Register below to receive the Zoom link for this event. https://coronado.librarycalendar.com/event/write-your-story-39857 Tracy J. Jones is a content writer, developmental editor, writing coach, and International Memoir Writers Association president. She co-produces the San Diego Memoir Showcase and co-edits the award-winning anthology, "Shaking the Tree": brazen. short. memoir. Tracy is a co-instructor for the Memoir Certificate program at San Diego Writers, Ink, and runs three writing groups. She is currently working on her memoir, "Starting Over at Ground Zero." Coronado Public Library on Facebook / Instagram