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DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240826T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240826T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
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SUMMARY:Open Writer's Labs
DESCRIPTION:These peer-driven workshops\, held the last Monday of each month\, are free and open to writers of all levels and focus on poetry\, flash fiction\, and short creative non-fiction.\n \n  \n\n\nOnline Via Zoom\nFor the online workshop\, sign up the day before the class to ensure you receive the Zoom link. \nThis workshop is facilitated by Kevin Ramos. Originally from the northeast\, Kevin studied theater arts at Rutgers University and The University of Washington. He’s lived all over the country before making his home in San Antonio\, Texas. Kevin has written several novels and short stories. Most recently\, publishing a short memoir called Enough about addiction\, mothers\, and missing graves. And a novel\, Hayley’s Sense of Fire (DLG Publishing Partners)\, a modern re-telling of the classic fairy tale\, The Little Matchgirl. \n\nIn-Person at Gemini Ink\n \nJoin our in-person Open Writer’s Lab with Robert Allen at Gemini Ink’s office\, 1111 Navarro St.\, San Antonio\, TX 78205. \nRobert Allen has worked as a librarian and an electrical contractor for most of his life. Many moons ago\, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin\, where he studied poetry under David Wevill. Allen has been active in local writer’s groups and open mics\, including the Sun Poets Society. He’s been published in The Ocotillo Review\, the Texas Poetry Calendar\, Voices de la Luna\, di-verse-city\, the San Antonio Express-News\, and Poetry on the Move. In 2006\, he started attending Gemini Ink’s free Monday night writing classes and has attended regularly ever since. With more than a decade of attending writers’ groups\, classes\, and open mics\, he now co-facilitates Gemini Ink’s Open Writer’s Lab. \nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/open-writers-lab-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25/2024-08-26/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Writers-Labs-1250-x-600-px-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240821T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240821T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240806T171835Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240819T183456Z
UID:10533-1724266800-1724272200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Sasha West
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, Aug 21st\, 2024 via Zoom for a conversation with poet Sasha West\, author of How to Abandon Ship\, Winner of the 2023 Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction\, Texas Institute of Letters. Moderated by Jill Meyers.\nRSVP\nAbout How to Abandon Ship\n\nIn How to Abandon Ship\, Sasha West emerges like a modern Cassandra\, one who doesn’t simply tell us of what is to come\, but one who teaches us\, “To bite. To keen. To howl.” West is an oracle whose words pop\, hiss\, and blaze. This terrific book has left me changed.  –Tomás Q. Morín \nThe poems in Sasha West’s How to Abandon Ship describe the anguish and disorientation of existing on a planet put in jeopardy by our very existence. Here we encounter a poet who has “spent a life sharpening the blade of [her]/imagination” slicing through the layered voices of greed\, complicity\, and blind faith that have left us with a world in peril and the painful task of telling our children the truth about it. Embodying the voice of a modern-day Cassandra\, West reveals a fundamental truth of our time: how a warning can be a blessing\, but only if we’re willing to receive it.—Carrie Fountain \nHow to Abandon Ship is equal parts prophetic and apocalyptic\, and Sasha West doesn’t shy away from the exigencies of the world: its floods and fires and earthquakes\, its wars and disease and mass graves\, its politics and tragedies and technology where “software reminded us / to have memories.” “I love: my country: it can break me\,” writes West\, and these powerful poems limn the urgency of our present moment\, as well as the tenderness and terror of new motherhood when the speaker becomes “permeable to the world.” How to Abandon Ship is a haunting book of grief and warning\, but also one of caregiving and survival. West’s poems ultimately offer a blueprint for meeting disaster head-on—with fierce love\, acts of service\, and the power of imagination. – Erika Meitner \n\nABOUT SASHA WEST\n \n\nSasha West was born and raised in Santa Fe\, New Mexico. Her first book\, Failure and I Bury the Body\, won the National Poetry Series and the Texas Institute of Letters First Book of Poetry Award. It was also selected as one of ten debut books by Victoria Chang for Poets & Writers. Her second book\, How to Abandon Ship\, was published by Four Way Books in March 2024. \nShe collaborates on multi-media\, eco-arts exhibitions with visual artist Hollis Hammonds as the collaborative Hammonds + West. Their collaborations have been featured at Texas A&M University’s Wright Gallery\, the Austin Public Library Central Gallery space\, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts\, the College of the Mainland\, ArtPrize2023 in Michigan\, and the Columbus College of Art and Design. Upcoming shows include Houston’s Art League and The Grace Museum in Abilene\, TX. \nHer work has been collected in the anthologies The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood\,Out of Time: Poetry from the Climate Emergency\, Still Life with Poem: 100 Natures Mortes in Verse\, Penned: Zoo Poems\, and others. Individual poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review\, Kenyon Review Online\, Ecotone\, The Georgia Review\, Agni\, American Poet\, Ninth Letter\, and elsewhere. \nHer awards include a Fellowship to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference\, a Houston Arts Alliance grant\, Pushcart nominations\, and Inprint’s Verlaine Prize. She has served as lead editor for and\, later\, board president of Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts. \nShe is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at St. Edward’s University\, where she received the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Hudspeth Innovative Teaching Award. She lives in Austin\, TX\, with her husband and kid. \n\nABOUT JILL MEYERS \nJill Meyers is the editorial director of A Strange Object\, the Austin-based imprint of independent publisher Deep Vellum. Her acclaimed writers have received numerous awards and honors\, including the Whiting Award\, The Believer Book Award\, and the Discovery Award from the Writers’ League of Texas. Titles from A Strange Object have appeared on NPR’s Best Books of the Year list and have been selected as best debuts from Poets and Writers. Formerly\, Jill served as editor for the celebrated literary magazine American Short Fiction and worked on staff at Texas Monthly. Jill is the cofounder of Lit Crawl Austin\, a freewheeling literary showcase\, and she serves on the advisory board for the Texas Book Festival.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-sasha-west/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TBTAT-Sasha-West.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240815T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240815T200000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240708T193246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240814T213427Z
UID:10356-1723746600-1723752000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Gemini Ink Teaching Artists &  Community Open Mic
DESCRIPTION:Don’t miss our FREE Teaching Artists Reading & Community Open Mic on Thursday! Want to share your work or just listen to some amazing performances? Join Gemini Ink on Thursday\, August 15th\, for a night of poetry\, prose\, and performance as we celebrate the talent of our Gemini Ink Partner Class teaching artists. An open mic follows. Come early to sign up! ???? \nEnjoy a beverage and connect with fellow writers! Wine\, coffee\, and other refreshments will be available for purchase from Poetic Republic Cafe. We look forward to seeing you! \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/teaching-artists-reading-open-mic/
LOCATION:Poetic Republic Coffee Co.\, 2330 S. Presa St\, San Antonio\, Texas\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Gemini-Ink-Teaching-Artist-Reading.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240810T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240810T143000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240523T005424Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240805T170618Z
UID:10073-1723284000-1723300200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:World on Fire: Writing About Crisis and Hope in the Natural World with Sasha West
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, August 10\, 10am-2:30pm CST (includes a 30-minute lunch)\, in person at Gemini Ink\nInstructor: Sasha West\nNonmember: $130; Member: $110; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \nClass Postponed\nBurning forests. Drought. Melting ice caps. Islands of plastic waste. With mounting natural disasters\, our anxiety about the environment is increasing. So how do we process these feelings and use writing to spark conversation about this very pressing topic?  \nIn this one-day generative workshop\, we will use poetry as a self-reflective tool to explore the multitude of feelings we have about the current state of nature.  We can identify and voice how the climate crisis affects us while also exploring the idea that something better is possible.  \nIn this eco-poetry workshop\, we will practice paying attention\, seeing connections\, and embracing contradictions in nature. We will study poets writing about the environment in celebration\, mourning\, and resistance. These explorations will be used to fuel our imagination. Poems will be written in class and generative exercises will be provided so you can continue to reflect and write about your relationship to nature.  \nOpen to writers of all skill levels. \nBy the end of the class students will have:  \n\nThe first draft of a poem\nGenerative exercise to fuel your writing after class\nResources for sharing eco-poetry\n\n\nSasha West is the author of Failure and I Bury the Body\, which was awarded the National Poetry Series\, a Texas Institute of Letters First Book of Poetry Award\, and a Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Fellowship. Her second book\, How to Abandon Ship\, was published in 2024 by Four Way Books. Her multimedia eco-arts exhibits with visual artist Hollis Hammonds have been exhibited at the Columbus College of Art and Design\, Texas A&M\, ArtPrize 2023 Michigan\, and elsewhere. She is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at St. Edward’s University\, where she founded and runs the Environmental Humanities program.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/writing-about-crisis/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/6-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240806T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240806T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240523T013003Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240724T190925Z
UID:10081-1722969000-1722976200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Raising the Stakes: Fictionalizing Your Stories for the Stage with Amalia Ortiz
DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, August 6\, 13\, 20 & 27\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, Hybrid (in-person at Gemini Ink and online via Zoom)\nInstructor: Amalia Ortiz\nNonmember: $145; Member: $125; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\n \n  \nEvery day all around us we encounter interesting characters\, compelling scenarios\, and memorable conversations. Whether it’s in line at the grocery store\, on the city bus\, or walking down the street\, the real world is full of potential stories–you just need to stop and listen. \nIn this four-week class\, we will observe the world around us and collect snippets of real-world dialogue. Students will review dramatic structure and use collected material to develop characters in fictionalized\, high-stakes situations through monologues and scenes. The class will culminate in a dramatic reading of works-in-progress. We will follow the reading with an introduction to Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process\, an affirming and interactive feedback strategy that will help a writer grow in their craft.  \nThis class is open to writers of all skill levels 18+. \nBy the end of the class students will have:  \n\nTwo monologues and one scene drafted \nAn understanding of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process\nCritical feedback to take your written work to the next level\n\nRead Amalia’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!\n\nAmalia Ortiz appeared on three seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. She was awarded the 2020 American Book Award for Oral Literature from the Before Columbus Foundation for The Canción Cannibal Cabaret (Aztlan Libre Press\, 2019). NBC Latino listed her book\, Rant. Chant. Chisme. among “10 Great Latino Books of 2015.” She won an Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Grant\, a residency at the National Hispanic Cultural Center\, the 2015 Writers’ League of Texas Poetry Discovery Prize\, and the 2018 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant to film videos for her latest book\, The Canción Cannibal Cabaret. Amalia received a BA in Theatre from UIW and an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is the Director of Theatre at SAY Sí\, a year-round afterschool arts program where she facilitates the creation of original theatre productions written by middle and high school students.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/raising-the-stakes/
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240731T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240731T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240523T010932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240727T234450Z
UID:10078-1722450600-1722457800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Get Ready to Write Your Novel This November with Laura Castoro
DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, July 31 – September 4\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, Hybrid\nInstructor: Laura Castoro\nNonmember: $155; Member: $135; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\n \nHave you always dreamed of writing a novel\, but didn’t know how to get started? Have you thought about participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)\, but were too scared to actually do it? \nNational Novel Writing Month is this November! The goal of this annual writing challenge is to write a book of 50\,000 words or more in 30 days. Although November seems like a ways away\, there are things we can do to prepare for success now! \nIn this six-week novel writing prep course we will use National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) resources and more to do the pre-work to set ourselves up to draft a novel this (or any) November! We will explore tools and resources to help us create a dynamic storyline\, build pivotal characters\, bring the setting to life\, and draft an outline. We will also set achievable goals for getting the book project completed.  \nIf you are not ready to write a novel in 30 days\, no worries! This course will help you generate new ideas and lay the groundwork for tackling that novel at your own pace. \nWe will open a discussion forum on WetInk\, our online platform for creative writing classes\, during National Novel Writing Month. Students will be able to post goals\, updates\, words of encouragement\, and insights on their novel writing journey. Laura will check in with students 3 times via the Wet Ink Platform during National Novel Writing Month (November\, 2024) to answer questions\, respond to discussion\, and cheer writers on. \nOpen to fiction writers of all skill levels who are ready to take on the challenge of writing a novel. Students are encouraged to bring laptops and their favorite writing tools. \nStudents will leave this course with: \n\nThe setting\, characters\, plot\, and outline drafted\nA calendar-driven plan of action for bringing your novel to life\nResources and support for completing a 50\,000-word novel\n\n\nLaura Castoro\, a USA Today\, Amazon top 100\, and Apple Books bestseller\, has published 47 novels with major publishing houses such as Dell Books\, Berkley\, Avon\, Warner\, MIRA\, Harlequin\, Kensington\, Pocketbooks\, St\, Harper Collins\, Martins Press\, and William Morrow. She has also contributed to several fiction anthologies and has published non-fiction YA and short fiction in Good Housekeeping. Under the name Laura Parker\, she writes historical and contemporary romance\, westerns\, and sagas. As Laura Castoro\, she writes contemporary African American and contemporary women’s fiction. Writing as D. D. Ayres\, she publishes a romantic suspense series called the K-9 Rescue Series. Her current release as Laura Castoro is Love On The Line (2021) through William Morrow. \nLaura has won multiple national writing awards. In 2005\, she was inducted into the Arkansas Writers’ Hall of Fame. She is a past president of Novelists\, Inc. (2013)\, an international professional fiction writers’ organization. She is a past president and board member of the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow\, a writer residency program in the AR Ozarks. She is a speaker at numerous conferences and workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Laura currently lives in San Antonio\, TX. Visit Laura at www.ddayres.com
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/get-ready-to-write-your-novel/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/blog-headers-2000-×-675-px-2000-×-875-px.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240729T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240729T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T145414Z
UID:9498-1722277800-1722285000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Open Writer's Labs
DESCRIPTION:These peer-driven workshops\, held the last Monday of each month\, are free and open to writers of all levels and focus on poetry\, flash fiction\, and short creative non-fiction.\n \n  \n\n\nOnline Via Zoom\nFor the online workshop\, sign up the day before the class to ensure you receive the Zoom link. \nThis workshop is facilitated by Kevin Ramos. Originally from the northeast\, Kevin studied theater arts at Rutgers University and The University of Washington. He’s lived all over the country before making his home in San Antonio\, Texas. Kevin has written several novels and short stories. Most recently\, publishing a short memoir called Enough about addiction\, mothers\, and missing graves. And a novel\, Hayley’s Sense of Fire (DLG Publishing Partners)\, a modern re-telling of the classic fairy tale\, The Little Matchgirl. \n\nIn-Person at Gemini Ink\n \nJoin our in-person Open Writer’s Lab with Robert Allen at Gemini Ink’s office\, 1111 Navarro St.\, San Antonio\, TX 78205. \nRobert Allen has worked as a librarian and an electrical contractor for most of his life. Many moons ago\, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin\, where he studied poetry under David Wevill. Allen has been active in local writer’s groups and open mics\, including the Sun Poets Society. He’s been published in The Ocotillo Review\, the Texas Poetry Calendar\, Voices de la Luna\, di-verse-city\, the San Antonio Express-News\, and Poetry on the Move. In 2006\, he started attending Gemini Ink’s free Monday night writing classes and has attended regularly ever since. With more than a decade of attending writers’ groups\, classes\, and open mics\, he now co-facilitates Gemini Ink’s Open Writer’s Lab. \nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/open-writers-lab-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25/2024-07-29/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Writers-Labs-1250-x-600-px-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240718T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240718T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240518T184551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240716T185939Z
UID:10061-1721327400-1721334600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Discover New Entry Points into Your Writing: An Open Genre Workshop with National Book Award Finalist Reginald Gibbons
DESCRIPTION:Thursdays\, July 18\, 25\, & Aug 1\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, on Zoom (This class was rescheduled from Thur\, July 11\, 18 & 25)\nInstructor: Reginald Gibbons\nNonmember: $140; Member: $120; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \nClass Full. To add your name to the waitlist\, please email Josh Cantú at joshua@geminiink.org. \nAre you struggling to begin a creative piece or has the revision process left you lost on how to move forward? Paying attention to our inner and outer worlds and connecting the two using our intuition as a guide can help us work through creative blocks. Using techniques based on the work of author and psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas\, we will tune into objects in the outside world to help us dig into deeper parts of ourselves\, so we can get unstuck and add depth to our writing. \nIn this three-part\, open-genre workshop\, we will learn how to use not only writerly craft from a variety of genres\, including poetry\, fiction\, and creative nonfiction but also our landscape of feeling and thought\, memory and experience to create a more deliberate artistic practice. We will examine the works of writers such as Amy Hempel\, Basil Bunting\, Patricia Smith\, Marga Minko\, Kimiko Hahn\, and others. Students will pick which writers resonate most for them and study how intuition and craft informs their work. \nIn the workshop\, everyone will draft new work as well as revise existing pieces\, using a process that brings together intuition and craft in unique ways. Participants will be able to carry this innovative practice into all their work. \nThis class is open to writers of all genres and skill levels. \nStudents will leave this class with:  \n\nAn understanding of the connection between intuition and craft \nTechniques for working through creative blocks\nA draft of new or revised creative work \n\n\nReginald Gibbons\, Frances Hooper Professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University\, is a poet\, fiction writer\, translator\, literary critic. His books of poems include Last Lake (University of Chicago Press)\, Creatures of a Day (LSU Press; Finalist for the National Book Award in poetry; see https://www.ronslate.com/on-creatures-of-a-day-poems-by-reginald-gibbons-lsu-press/)\, and Slow Trains Overhead: Chicago Poems and Stories (University of Chicago Press). Three bilingual selections of his poems have been published: in  Spanish and English\, Desde una barca de papel (translated by Manuel Ulacia\, Victor Manuel Mendiola\, Jennifer Clement\, and Jordi Doce\, and edited by Jorde Doce\, 2010\, Littera Libros [Spain]); in Italian and English\, L’Abitino Blu (translated by Piera Mattei\, 2012\, gattomerlino/superstripes); and in French and English\, Je Pas Je (translated by Nathanael\, 2014\, e-book\, recoursaupoeme.com).
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/discover-new-entry-points/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240717T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240717T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240702T182809Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240703T201718Z
UID:10319-1721242800-1721248200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Ramona Reeves
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, July 17th\, 2024 via Zoom @ 7PM CST\nUp Next: Ramona Reeves\, moderated Cassandra Lane\nRSVP\nAbout It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories\nWinner of the 2023 Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction\, Texas Institute of Letters\n\n\nHappiness and connection prove fickle in this debut collection of eleven linked stories introducing Babbie and Donnie. She is a thrice-divorced former call girl\, and he is a sobriety-challenged trucker turned yogi. Along with their community of exes\, in-laws\, and coworkers\, Babbie and Donnie share a longing to reforge their lives\, a task easier said than done in Mobile\, Alabama\, which bears its own share of tainted history. Despite overwhelming challenges and the ever-looming specters of status\, race\, and class\, the characters in It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories strive for versions of the American dream through modern and often unconventional means. Told with humor and honesty\, these stories remind us not only about the fallibility of being human and the resistance of some to change but also about finding redemption in unlikely places. \nIn linked short stories taking place across time\, Reeves offers up two characters finding their own form of redemption. . . . Both humorous and deeply emotional\, this collection shines for its beautifully written characters.\n–Booklist \nThese surprising\, wonderfully funny stories glow with comic energy. The eleven pieces in It Falls Gently All Around serve as chapters in a deeply satisfying portrayal of characters facing the expiration dates on their old beliefs and their newly acquired convictions. Ramona Reeves has fully brought to life a cast of flawed\, breaking people with bravery and resilience to spare. The book is a triumph of wise and compassionate storytelling.\n–Kevin McIlvoy\, author of One Kind Favor \nIt Falls Gently All Around when a character believes ‘He could make out ghosts swimming in the darkness\, like another life he might have lived. . . .’ It is one of several instances in the book when a story suddenly coalesces\, and the reader is both surprised and moved\, and this particular example speaks to a clear ambition of the author—to capture the elusive human moments that we all experience but for which we need an artist to genuinely see. This is a splendid book by an important new writer.\n–Robert Boswell\, author of Mystery Ride\, The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards\, and Tumbledown \n\n\nRamona Reeves won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters in 2022 for her collection\,It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories. She was a recent fellow at the San Ysidro Writers Residency and a 2024 judge for the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Her work has appeared in Post Road\, The Southampton Review\, Pembroke\, New South\, Bayou Magazine\, Texas Highways and others. She teaches a course for writers working on their first manuscripts and will be teaching at the Desert Nights\, Rising Stars Writers Conference later this year. She and her wife currently call Austin home. \n\n\n\n\nCassandra Lane is winner of the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize and author of We Are Bridges (Feminist Press)\, which NPR called “a stunning contribution to what must become our collective memory.” Lane received her MFA from Antioch University LA. She formerly worked as a newspaper reporter\, high school English and journalism teacher\, college admissions advisor\, senior writer\, and community relations manager for the Dodgers. Her stories have appeared in the New York Times’s “Conception” series\, the L.A. Times\, the Times-Picayune\, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and multiple anthologies. She is the Editor-in-Chief of L.A. Parent magazine.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-ramona-reeves/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2023-24-TBTAT.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240711T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240711T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240530T194340Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240701T185558Z
UID:8768-1720722600-1720729800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Gemini Ink Volunteer Summer Social
DESCRIPTION:Are you interested in getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the writing life? Interested in helping our community craft their stories? \nThursday\, July 11\, 2024 6:30-8:30pm CST\, in-person at Gemini Ink \nFree and Open to Existing and Prospective Volunteers \nJoin us for a fun and informal Volunteer Summer Social. We’ll share light summer refreshments\, fun literary games\, and learn about volunteer opportunities\, including general office duties\, event support\, social and assisting teaching artists in the classroom.  \nHelp us teach the craft of writing to people of all skill levels so they can bring their stories to life! \n\nhttps://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-Volunteer-Social-Video.mp4\nComplete this short volunteer survey for full details.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/volunteer-summer-social/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-Volunteer-Social-1250-x-600-px.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240708T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240708T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240423T211831Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240712T155005Z
UID:9990-1720463400-1720470600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Make Your YA Novel a Reality with David Bowles
DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, July 8\, 15\, & 22\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, in person at Gemini Ink\nInstructor: David Bowles\nNonmember: $150; Member: $130; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nDo you aspire to become the next Jacqueline Woodson\, Suzanne Collins\, or Benjamin Saenz? From dystopian adventures to explorations of young romance to coming-of-age stories\, the demand for fiction for young adult readers is as strong as ever. But how do you take a YA novel from concept to reality? \nIn this three-part course\, award-winning author David Bowles will guide participants through the process of developing their ideas for a YA novel from a concept to a synopsis and first chapter. We will discuss stylistic elements when writing longform fiction for teens—prose novels\, novels-in-verse\, graphic novels. We will also learn how to prepare to pitch YA (young adult) projects to agents and/or editors. \nThis class is open to writers of all skill levels who are interested or in the throes of writing YA. \nBy the end of the class students will have:  \n\nInitial chapters and synopsis for a longform work of YA fiction\nA plan for completing and revising the manuscript\nA cover letter and pitch to begin shopping for an agent / publisher\n\nRead David’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!\n\nDavid Bowles is a Mexican American author and translator from south Texas\, where he teaches at the University of Texas Río Grande Valley. He has written over three dozen award-winning titles\, most notably They Call Me Güero and My Two Border Towns. His work has also been published in multiple anthologies\, plus venues such as The New York Times\, Strange Horizons\, Apex Magazine\, School Library Journal\, Rattle\, Translation Review\, and the Journal of Children’s Literature. Additionally\, David has worked on several TV/film projects\, including Victor and Valentino (Cartoon Network)\, the Moctezuma & Cortés miniseries (Amazon/Amblin) and Monsters and Mysteries in America (Discovery). In 2017\, David was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. He now serves as its vice president. In 2019\, he co-founded the hashtag and activist movement #DignidadLiteraria\, which has negotiated greater Latinx representation in publishing. In 2021\, he helped launch Chispa\, the Latinx imprint of Scout Comics\, for which he serves as co-publisher. David’s literary representation is Taylor Martindale Kean and Stefanie Von Borstel of Full Circle Literary. His Hollywood representation is Sandra Ávila of Inclusion Management. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @DavidOBowles \n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/make-your-ya-novel-a-reality-with-david-bowles/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FB-Class-Headers-SUM-23.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240703T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240703T140000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240523T025047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240802T183149Z
UID:10096-1720004400-1720015200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:MOSAIC Summer Workshop with Poet Mandy Lynn
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/summmer-workshop-with-poet-mandy-lynn/
LOCATION:Contemporary at Blue Star\, 116 Blue Star\, San Antonio\, Texas
CATEGORIES:Workshop,Youth
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240624T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240624T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T145413Z
UID:9497-1719253800-1719261000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Open Writer's Labs
DESCRIPTION:These peer-driven workshops\, held the last Monday of each month\, are free and open to writers of all levels and focus on poetry\, flash fiction\, and short creative non-fiction.\n \n  \n\n\nOnline Via Zoom\nFor the online workshop\, sign up the day before the class to ensure you receive the Zoom link. \nThis workshop is facilitated by Kevin Ramos. Originally from the northeast\, Kevin studied theater arts at Rutgers University and The University of Washington. He’s lived all over the country before making his home in San Antonio\, Texas. Kevin has written several novels and short stories. Most recently\, publishing a short memoir called Enough about addiction\, mothers\, and missing graves. And a novel\, Hayley’s Sense of Fire (DLG Publishing Partners)\, a modern re-telling of the classic fairy tale\, The Little Matchgirl. \n\nIn-Person at Gemini Ink\n \nJoin our in-person Open Writer’s Lab with Robert Allen at Gemini Ink’s office\, 1111 Navarro St.\, San Antonio\, TX 78205. \nRobert Allen has worked as a librarian and an electrical contractor for most of his life. Many moons ago\, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin\, where he studied poetry under David Wevill. Allen has been active in local writer’s groups and open mics\, including the Sun Poets Society. He’s been published in The Ocotillo Review\, the Texas Poetry Calendar\, Voices de la Luna\, di-verse-city\, the San Antonio Express-News\, and Poetry on the Move. In 2006\, he started attending Gemini Ink’s free Monday night writing classes and has attended regularly ever since. With more than a decade of attending writers’ groups\, classes\, and open mics\, he now co-facilitates Gemini Ink’s Open Writer’s Lab. \nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/open-writers-lab-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25/2024-06-24/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Writers-Labs-1250-x-600-px-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240622T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240622T130000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240422T203923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240620T233243Z
UID:9984-1719050400-1719061200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Poet Speaks with Amanda Eke
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, June 22\, 2024 10am-1pm CST\, via Zoom\nInstructor: Amanda Eke\nNonmember: $100; Member: $85; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\n \n  \nRhythm\, dynamic words\, dramatic flow–these are some of the core elements of spoken word poems. But what if you infuse this type of poetry with aspects of storytelling and other oral traditions? This cross-genre approach to writing and performance can open us up to a whole new art form. \nThe goal of this one-day workshop is to engage in a unique combination of personal story and poetry. We will start by learning about Nigerian and Igbo oral storytelling traditions of rhyme and verse. Then we’ll fuse this storytelling with the contemporary art of spoken word to create our own poems. Theater and choral reading techniques will also be covered to help students prepare poems for stage performance. \nThis course is open to writers of all skill levels\, 18+. \nBy the end of the class students will have:  \n\nNew strategies for incorporating storytelling and other oral traditions into crafting spoken word pieces\nExperimentation with beats and rhymes\n1 drafted spoken word poem\n\nRead Amanda’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!\n\nAmanda Eke is an award-winning Nigerian American Artist\, Poet\, Filmmaker\, Educator and Scholar. A Fulbright and UN Award winner and author\, she uses both her love for writing and music to address socio-political issues\, and contemporary culture prevalent in society today. Amanda has lived and worked with young adults in Malta\, Nepal\, United States and Nigeria.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-poet-speaks-with-amanda-eke/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Amanda-Eke-1250-x-600.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240605T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240605T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240422T193716Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240603T165407Z
UID:9977-1717612200-1717619400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Delving into Latin America: Inspiration from International Poets with Veronica Golos
DESCRIPTION:Wednesdays\, June 5\, 12\, 19 & 26\, 2024\, from 6:30-8:30pm cst via Zoom\nInstructor: Veronica Golos\nNonmember: $145; Member: $125; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \nClass Full \nIn a time of worldwide strife and disconnection\, poetry reacquaints us with humanity in a way that transcends borders\, time zones\, and languages. Join master poetry teacher Veronica Golos on an international poetry tour. First stop: Latin America! \nIn this four-week generative poetry workshop we will explore four international poets: Conceiҫão Evaristo (Brazil)\, Coral Bracho (Mexico)\, Pablo Neruda (Chile) and Juan Gelman (Argentina). Each week we will read deeply\, explore each poet’s craft tools\, and apply these techniques to our own work. A packet with poems will be sent to participants\, along with suggestions for developing your own work. \nThis class is open to writers of all skill levels 18+. \nBy the end of the class students will have:  \n\nStudy and analyze the work of 4 contemporary poets\nWrite poems that follow the selected poet’s structure and theme\nReceive on-the-spot feedback for written work \n\n\nVeronica Golos is the author of four poetry books: GIRL\, awarded the Naji Naaman Honor Prize in 2019; Rootwork\, winner of the 2016 Southwest Book Design Award in Poetry; Vocabulary of Silence\, a 2011 New Mexico Book Award winner that was translated into Arabic\, Spanish and Persian; and A Bell Buried Deep\, a Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize winner. She teaches poetry for Hugo House\, Gemini Ink\, and SOMOS. She reviews poetry books for Tupelo Press and works as a manuscript editor. She lives in Taos\, New Mexico\, with her husband\, David Pérez.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/delving-into-latin-america/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240604T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240604T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240422T190205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240604T151317Z
UID:9969-1717525800-1717533000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:No More Excuses: Submission Bootcamp with Lyzette Wanzer
DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, June 4\, 11\, 18\, 25  & July 2\, 9\, 2024 from 6:30-8:30pm cst via Zoom\nInstructor: Lyzette Wanzer\nNonmember: $155; Member: $135; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \nClass Full\nAre you on the verge of submitting your writing for publication\, but are you too nervous or afraid to follow through? Have you submitted your work\, just for it to end up in the rejection pile? Or does submitting your work keep falling to the bottom of your to-do list? \nIn this workshop\, you’ll learn how to plan a submission strategy\, research publishing markets\, and identify the publications most aligned with your work. We will also review proper submission etiquette and protocols plus suggestions for avoiding pitfalls that mark you as an amateur before editors even read your submission. \nStudents will be strongly encouraged to actively submit short stories\, articles\, poems\, essays\, novel excerpts\, and/or creative nonfiction pieces for publication while enrolled in the workshop. \nThis course is for writers of all levels—from those who are ready to learn about the submission process to those who are in the submission trenches. \nStudents will leave this class with:  \n\nAn understanding of how the submission and publication process works\nBest practices for organizing and tracking submissions\nStrategies for getting your work accepted\n\nRead Lyzette’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!\n\nLyzette Wanzer is a San Francisco writer\, editor\, and writing workshop instructor. She received her MFA in Fiction from Mills College. A flash fiction connoisseur and essay aficionado\, her work has appeared in Natural Bridge\, The Los Angeles Review\, Callaloo\, Tampa Review\, The MacGuffin\, Ampersand Review\, Journal of Advanced Development\, Fourteen Hills\, Journal of Experimental Fiction\, Pleiades\, Flashquake\, Glossalia Flash Fiction\, Potomac Review\, International Journal on Literature and Theory\, Fringe Magazine\, and many others. She is a contributor to Lyric Essay as Resistance: Truth From the Margins (Wayne State University Press 2022)\, The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays (Wyatt-MacKenzie 2012)\, Civil Liberties United: Diverse Voices from the San Francisco Bay Area (Pease Press 2019)\, and 642 Tiny Things to Write About (Chronicle Books 2015). Her articles have appeared in Essay Daily\, The Naked Truth\, and the San Francisco University High School Journal. Lyzette is the current judge of the Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition’s Intercultural Essay category and of the Women’s National Book Association’s Effie Lee Morris Writing Contest’s nonfiction category. \nLyzette has been invited to present her work and/or panels at conferences across the country\, including the American and Popular Culture Association\, Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP)\, College English Association (CEA)\, Louisville Conference on Literature & Culture Since 1900\, Litquake Festival\, San Francisco Writers Conference\, and others.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/submission-bootcamp/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240527T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240527T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T145413Z
UID:9496-1716834600-1716841800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Open Writer's Labs
DESCRIPTION:These peer-driven workshops\, held the last Monday of each month\, are free and open to writers of all levels and focus on poetry\, flash fiction\, and short creative non-fiction.\n \n  \n\n\nOnline Via Zoom\nFor the online workshop\, sign up the day before the class to ensure you receive the Zoom link. \nThis workshop is facilitated by Kevin Ramos. Originally from the northeast\, Kevin studied theater arts at Rutgers University and The University of Washington. He’s lived all over the country before making his home in San Antonio\, Texas. Kevin has written several novels and short stories. Most recently\, publishing a short memoir called Enough about addiction\, mothers\, and missing graves. And a novel\, Hayley’s Sense of Fire (DLG Publishing Partners)\, a modern re-telling of the classic fairy tale\, The Little Matchgirl. \n\nIn-Person at Gemini Ink\n \nJoin our in-person Open Writer’s Lab with Robert Allen at Gemini Ink’s office\, 1111 Navarro St.\, San Antonio\, TX 78205. \nRobert Allen has worked as a librarian and an electrical contractor for most of his life. Many moons ago\, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin\, where he studied poetry under David Wevill. Allen has been active in local writer’s groups and open mics\, including the Sun Poets Society. He’s been published in The Ocotillo Review\, the Texas Poetry Calendar\, Voices de la Luna\, di-verse-city\, the San Antonio Express-News\, and Poetry on the Move. In 2006\, he started attending Gemini Ink’s free Monday night writing classes and has attended regularly ever since. With more than a decade of attending writers’ groups\, classes\, and open mics\, he now co-facilitates Gemini Ink’s Open Writer’s Lab. \nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/open-writers-lab-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25/2024-05-27/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Writers-Labs-1250-x-600-px-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240511T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240511T120000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231207T193649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240508T184628Z
UID:9541-1715421600-1715428800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Wellness for Writers with Jen Knox
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, May 11 & 18\, 10am-12pm; via Zoom\nInstructor: Jen Knox\nNonmember: $145; Member: $125; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE.\nClass cancelled (will be rescheduled)\nBetween writer’s block\, rejection letters\, and tough critiques\, the writing process can be an emotionally taxing experience. It’s easy for a writer to get discouraged. Many even abandon their practice completely. How do we support ourselves so we keep our creative engines burning\, tell the truth without injuring ourselves\, and manage the ups and downs of the writing life? \nIn this two-session workshop\, we will combine writing and wellness practices to help writers develop a more mindful approach to their work. We’ll use meditation to tap creativity\, explore the connection between self-compassion and craft\, and look at how to mine raw personal material in a safe but effective way. By the end of this workshop\, we’ll put these techniques into practice in order to write with momentum and heart\, then revise with craft and focus. \nThis course is open to writers of all genres\, backgrounds\, and skill level\, 18+ who write on a regular basis.  \nWhat you can expect in this workshop:  \n\nA nurturing and fun space to explore your deepest stories.\nWellness techniques for managing the ups and downs of the writing life and writing through and about difficult times.\nPractice using these tools to generate authentic raw material to create a piece of work after the workshop.\nPiece of authentic work.\n\n\nJen Knox teaches at Ohio State University and is the founder of Unleash Creatives. She combines her love of creativity with personal development and leadership in workshops she hosts around the world. Jen’s debut novel\, We Arrive Uninvited\, won the Steel Toe Books Award\, and her collection\, The Glass City\, won the Press Americana Prize. Jen’s short writing appears in over a hundred journals and magazines\, including McSweeney’s Internet Quarterly and The Saturday Evening Post. 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/wellness-for-writers-with-jen-knox/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240510T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240510T200000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20240422T175153Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240506T211302Z
UID:9961-1715365800-1715371200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:From Madness to Heaven: An Evening with Gemini Wahhaj and Chaitali Sen\, followed by a Community Open Mic
DESCRIPTION:Gemini Wahhaj and Chaitali Sen\nJoin Gemini Ink on Friday\, May 10th\, for a night of prose and literary celebration as we partner with our friends at Poetic Republic Cafe to create an inviting space for the writing community to share words\, wine\, and wisdom\, with a little latte or espresso on the side. \nLet’s honor Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the compelling fiction of Gemini Wahhaj and Chaitali Sen\, who capture the human experience through the lens of immigration and political unrest and do so with power and elegance. Following the featured reading\, we will host a community open mic. Bring your poems\, stories\, and thoughts to share (there will be a 3-minute limit for each reader). Open mic sign-up in person\, starting at 6pm. \n\nGemini Wahhaj is the author of the novel The Children of this Madness (7.13 Books\, Fall 2023) and the short-story collection Katy Family (Jackleg Press\, Spring 2025). \nChaitali Sen is the author of the novel The Pathless Sky (Europa Editions 2015) and the story collection A New Race of Men from Heaven (Sarabande Books 2023)\, chosen by Danielle Evans as the winner of the 2021 Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. Her stories and essays have been published by American Short Fiction\, Boulevard\, Catapult\, Colorado Review\, Ecotone\, Electric Literature\, LitHub\, Los Angeles Review of Books\, New England Review\, Shenandoah\, and many other publications. Born in India and raised in New York and Pennsylvania\, she currently lives in Austin\, Texas.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/from-madness-to-heaven/
LOCATION:Poetic Republic Coffee Co.\, 2330 S. Presa St\, San Antonio\, Texas\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-05-03-at-11.58.11 AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240504T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240504T160000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231207T191319Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240501T151749Z
UID:9534-1714816800-1714838400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:First Page Fiction Bootcamp with Chaitali Sen
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, May 4\, 10am-4pm CST (with 30-minute lunch); Hybrid (students can take this class online or in-person at Gemini Ink)\nInstructor: Chaitali Sen\nNonmember: $140; Member: $120; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \nClass Canceled. \nA formidable first page of fiction grabs the reader\, sets the tone for what’s to come\, and captures the essence of the entire work. But how do we create an opening that keeps the reader turning the page? \nIn this one-day workshop\, we will study and discuss various examples of compelling first pages to see what works; we will review craft elements such as character\, setting\, point-of-view\, and narrative voice; and we will write and examine our own first pages in a safe\, supportive environment.  \nThis course is open to fiction writers of all skill levels\, 18+. \nStudents will leave this class with: \n\nAn understanding of what makes for a strong first page\nTechniques for writing strong openings\nA strong first page of fiction\n\n\nChaitali Sen is the author of the novel The Pathless Sky (Europa Editions 2015) and the story collection A New Race of Men from Heaven (Sarabande Books 2023)\, chosen by Danielle Evans as the winner of the 2021 Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. Her stories and essays have been published by American Short Fiction\, Boulevard\, Catapult\, Colorado Review\, Ecotone\, Electric Literature\, LitHub\, Los Angeles Review of Books\, New England Review\, Shenandoah\, and many other publications. Born in India and raised in New York and Pennsylvania\, she currently lives in Austin\, Texas. \n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/first-page-fiction-bootcamp/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1250-x-600.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240420T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240420T143000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231207T174510Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240417T174852Z
UID:9528-1713607200-1713623400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:From Description to Discovery: Personal Essays on Art with Jehanne Dubrow
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, April 20\, 10am-2:30pm CST (with 30 min lunch)\, via Zoom\nInstructor: Jehanne Dubrow\nNonmember: $140; Member: $120; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \nClass Cancelled.\nEkphrasis teaches us that in standing back to study a work of fine art\, we can find a way to step back and examine ourselves as if we are the art. For many writers\, ekphrasis is a literary device that provides a visual springboard for unlocking stories you didn’t even know were inside of you. \nIn this one-day course\, participants will read examples of ekphrastic writing from across genres and go through the process of creating an ekphrastic essay. They’ll learn how to write about art using the five senses and concrete\, specific details and how to research the history of an art piece. Participants will then weave their description\, research\, and a personal experience together to generate an ekphrastic personal essay. \nStudents should come to class with an image of a piece of art that has personal meaning to them. This course is open to writers of all genres and skill level\, 18+.  \nStudents will leave this class with: \n\nA first draft of an essay that engages with a work of art\nAn understanding of how ekphrasis can be used to break through writer’s block\nConcrete strategies for blending research with personal stories\n\n\nJehanne Dubrow is the author of nine poetry collections and three books of creative nonfiction\, including most recently Exhibitions: Essays on Art & Atrocity (University of New Mexico Press\, 2023)\, and Taste: A Book of Small Bites (Columbia University Press\, 2022). Her next book of poems\, Civilians\, will be published by Louisiana State University Press in 2025. Her writing has appeared in New England Review\, POETRY\,  and The Southern Review\, among others. She is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of North Texas.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/from-description-to-discovery/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240330T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240330T120000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231129T201057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240316T205452Z
UID:9444-1711792800-1711800000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Poetry Flurry with Typewriter Rodeo!
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, March 30\, 2024 10am-12pm CST\, in person at Gemini Ink\nNonmember: $115; Member: $100; Student/Educator/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE\n  \nCLASS FULL. To have your name added to the waitlist\, email joshua@geminiink.org. \nGet your creative juices flowing for National Poetry Month 2024 with Typewriter Rodeo!\nWhether you’re a poet or not\, this workshop has something for everyone\, including a room full of typewriters to play with. Clacking away on those keys with no way to correct your mistakes is freeing and just darn fun! \nIn this one-day\, fast-paced workshop\, you’ll write between 12 to 21 short poems in less than 2 hours. Yes\, really! And\, along the way\, discover a bit more about the creative voice that’s been waiting inside you\, patiently\, to peek out. Participants will respond to a wide range of highly creative prompts and generate new poetry. The techniques we’ll learn apply to crafting poetry\, stories\, and even non-fiction (you need a voice for that\, too). \nThis course is open to writers of all genres and skill levels\, 16+. \nStudents will leave this class with the following: \n\n12-21 new poems\n3 techniques to spark your writing at any point (hey there\, writer’s block)\ntypewriter experience (oh yeah)\n\n \n\nSean Petrie & Rebecca Bendheim are part of the nationally renowned Typewriter Rodeo\, where they’ve written thousands of poems for strangers on the spot\, and do weekly radio poems for NPR. Both have MFAs in Writing for Children from Vermont College of Fine Arts\, are writing teachers (Sean at UT\, Rebecca at Trinity Episcopal School)\, and authors. Sean’s books include Typewriter Rodeo\, the award-winning Pet Poems (also not just pets)\, and the Jett Ryder series for kids. Rebecca is represented by Patricia Nelson and has multiple books in the works. \n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/poetry-flurry-with-typewriter-rodeo/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/typewriter-rodeo.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240318T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240318T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231120T203004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240228T194808Z
UID:9428-1710786600-1710793800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Fiction Never Lies: Turning Personal Experience into Emotional Truth with Nan Cuba
DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, March 18\, 25 & April 1\, 8\, 15\, 22\, 2024\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, Hybrid (available in-person and online via Zoom)\nInstructor: Nan Cuba\nNonmember: $155; Member: $135; Student/Educator/Military $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \n  \nCLASS FULL. To have your name added to the waitlist\, email joshua@geminiink.org. \nPeople we’ve known\, moments we’ve witnessed\, conversations we’ve overheard\, places we’ve been\, something we’ve read: these influence aspects of our fiction. Sometimes an experience is so profound\, we decide to use that memory as inspiration for a story. But how do writers free themselves from the restrictions of facts in order to create a story with emotional truth? This six-week class will introduce techniques for identifying real events\, people\, or places that can be adapted into fiction. Examples will be shared\, participants will be guided through a sample exercise\, and each person’s story will receive feedback from the instructor and fellow classmates. Workshop discussions will honor individual styles\, voices\, intended audiences\, and perceived intents. \nThis course is open to writers of all genres and skill level\, 18+.  \nBy the end of the class students will:  \n\nHave strategies for successfully adapting personal experience into fiction.\nLearn and practice skills for giving sensitive critical feedback on manuscripts.\nHave a completed story draft with ideas for revision.\n\nThe Writer’s Desk with Nan Cuba \n \n\nNan Cuba is the author of Body and Bread\, winner of the PEN Southwest Award in Fiction and the Texas Institute of Letters Steven Turner Award; it was listed as one of “Ten Titles to Pick Up Now” in O\, Oprah’s Magazine and was a “Summer Books” choice from Huffington Post. Other work has appeared in Antioch Review\, Harvard Review\, Columbia\, Quarterly West\, and Chicago Tribune’s Printer’s Row. As an investigator of the causes of extraordinary violence\, she is a featured journalist in the Netflix documentary\, The Confession Killer\, and another by Hulu\, Wild Crimes: Murder in Yosemite. Cuba is included in Texas Monthly’s “Ten to Watch (and Read)” and has received a Dobie Paisano Fellowship and an artist residency at Fundación Valparaiso in Spain. She is co-founder and executive director emeritus of Gemini Ink\, a nonprofit writing arts center\, and was Writer in Residence at Our Lady of the Lake University. \n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/fiction-never-lies-with-nan-cuba/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240302T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240302T120000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231120T200628Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240221T170504Z
UID:9421-1709373600-1709380800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Loss\, Memory\, and Mortality: A Mixed Genre Workshop with 2023 Texas Poet Laureate ire’ne lara silva
DESCRIPTION:Saturdays\, March 2\, 9\, 16\, & 23\, 2024\, 10am-12pm CST\, in-person at Gemini Ink\nInstructor: ire’ne lara silva\nNonmember: $150; Member: $125; Student/Educator/Military $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \n  \nCLASS FULL. To have your name added to the waitlist\, email joshua@geminiink.org. \nOur lives are marked by losses small and great. Dreams that don’t materialize; relationships that fail; bodies that age and get sick; friends\, spouses\, parents\, children\, and other loved ones that die. In these turbulent times\, the world seems filled with tragedy and death. Few have the tools to handle these losses as individuals\, much less as artists\, yet many of us are expected to ‘move on’ from our grief without having the space to process what happened. \nIn this four-week workshop\, we will read and discuss grief-focused poetry\, fiction\, and nonfiction written by ire’ne lara silva. We will explore strategies for writing about loss\, memory\, and mortality and apply them when responding to on-theme writing prompts. This workshop will create an open and empathetic space to discuss loss in our lives\, so we can move forward with acceptance. \nThis course is open to writers of all genres\, backgrounds\, and skill level\, 18+.  \nBy the end of the class students will:  \n\nstudy grief-focused poetry\, fiction\, and nonfiction written by ire’ne lara silva\nexplore strategies for writing about loss\, memory\, and mortality\nrespond to 3-4 writing prompts per class regarding our workshop themes\n\n\nire’ne lara silva\, the 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate\, is the author of four poetry collections\, furia\, Blood Sugar Canto\, CUICACALLI/House of Song\, and FirstPoems\, two chapbooks\, Enduring Azucares and Hibiscus Tacos\, and a short story collection\, flesh to bone\, which won the Premio Aztlán.ire’ne is the recipient of a 2021 Tasajillo Writers Grant\, a 2017 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant\, the final Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Award\, and was the Fiction Finalist for AROHO’s 2013 Gift of Freedom Award. Most recently\, ire’ne was awarded the 2021 Texas Institute of Letters Shrake Award for Best Short Nonfiction. ire’ne is currently a Writer at Large for Texas Highways Magazine and is working on a second collection of short stories titled\, the light of your body. A new poetry collection\, the eaters of flowers\, is forthcoming from Saddle Road Press in January 2024. \n  \n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/loss-memory-and-mortality/
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240222T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240222T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231204T202357Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240214T165905Z
UID:9463-1708626600-1708633800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Rev Up Your Writing in the New Year:  Gemini Ink’s Spring Open House  
DESCRIPTION:We’re excited to introduce our dynamic roster of teaching artists who can help you take your writing to the next level. \nCome connect with talented writers from San Antonio and beyond as they share new work and discuss the classes they’ll be teaching. We will hear from award-winning fiction writer and founder of Gemini Ink Nan Cuba\, poet and Zoeglossia Fellow Jonathan Fletcher\, and other instructors. We’ll also get a sneak peek at Typewriter Rodeo and their on-the-spot-generated poetry!   \nThe presentation will be followed by time to mix and mingle with fellow literature lovers and to enjoy light refreshments. Our evening will culminate with a community open mic. Bring your latest work and arrive early to grab a spot. The list is capped at 6 readers.  \nIt all happens at Gemini Ink’s downtown writing arts center at 1111 Navarro Street. Don’t leave without our spring calendar of classes and events! \n\nSean Petrie & Rebecca Bendheim are part of the nationally-renowned Typewriter Rodeo\, where they’ve written thousands of poems for strangers on the spot\, and do weekly radio poems for NPR. Both have MFAs in Writing for Children from Vermont College of Fine Arts\, are writing teachers (Sean at UT\, Rebecca at Trinity Episcopal School)\, and authors. Sean’s books include Typewriter Rodeo\, the award-winning Pet Poems (also not just pets)\, and the Jett Ryder series for kids. Rebecca is represented by Patricia Nelson and has multiple books in the works. Join Sean and Rebecca for Poetry Flurry with Typewriter Rodeo! on March 30th\, and get ready for National Poetry Month in April. \nNan Cuba is the author of Body and Bread\, winner of the PEN Southwest Award in Fiction and the Texas Institute of Letters Steven Turner Award; it was listed as one of “Ten Titles to Pick Up Now” in O\, Oprah’s Magazine and was a “Summer Books” choice from Huffington Post. As an investigator of the causes of extraordinary violence\, she is a featured journalist in the Netflix documentary\, The Confession Killer\, and another by Hulu\, Wild Crimes: Murder in Yosemite. She is founder and executive director emeritus of Gemini Ink\, a nonprofit writing arts center. Nan is teaching a 6-week class in fiction beginning on March 18: Fiction Never Lies: Turning Personal Experience into Emotional Truth. \nOriginally from San Antonio\, Texas\, Jonathan Fletcher holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Columbia University School of the Arts.  He has been published in The Adroit Journal\, Arts Alive San Antonio\, FlowerSong Press\, riverSedge\, and The Thing Itself. He has served as a Columbia Artist/Teacher for iHOPE\, a specialized school for students with traumatic brain injury\, as well as a poetry editor for Exchange\, Columbia’s literary magazine for incarcerated writers and artists. Currently\, he serves as a Zoeglossia Fellow. Jonathan is teaching a Poetry for Beginners in April; a 4-session workshop for newbie poets who are ready to learn more about the genre.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/spring-open-house/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Spring-Open-House-.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240212T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240212T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231120T194444Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240130T203221Z
UID:9416-1707762600-1707769800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Unexplored Greats: A Study of Lesser Known African American Authors with Arrie Porter
DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, February 12 & 19\, 2024\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, Hybrid (in-person at Gemini Ink and online via Zoom)\nInstructor: Arrie Porter\nNonmember: $135; Member: $115; Student/Educator/Military $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \n \n  \n  \n \n  \nTupac Shakur\, Toni Morrison\, Nicki Giovanni\, Richard Wright\, and Maya Angelou. These gifted authors are all household names who have put African American literature on the map. However\, so many Black writers outside of pop culture have contributed to the lexicon of settings\, spaces\, imagery\, and poetics found in Black literature. Such authors include Henry Dumas\, Rita Dove\, Lucille Clifton\, Christopher Gilbert\, Yusef Komunyakaa\, and others. Delving into their work is vital to gaining an expansive view of literature and our shared history as Americans.  \nIn this two-session workshop\, participants will study the works of non-mainstream African American authors who have made valuable literary contributions. Participants will explore the narrative and lyrical license\, devices\, and history of these authors\, while learning to craft our own dynamic works in poetry and fiction. Join us and get acquainted with these Black authors! \nThis course is open to writers of all genres and skill level\, 18+.  \nStudents will leave this class with: \n\nA greater appreciation for lesser-known African American authors\nAn understanding of these writers’ craft techniques\nA listing of anthologies where undiscovered writers may be found\nSeveral beginnings to new creative work \n\nRead Arrie’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!\n\nArrie Porter is a poet and fiction writer with publications in The Windward Review\, Voices de la Luna\, RiverSedge\, The Thing Itself\, and other noteworthy periodicals. She has reviewed books of fiction for Angelo State University and serves as a Gemini Ink Teaching Artist. She is the former host of the Coffee Loft Open Mic in Atlanta Georgia\, and performs at various open mics. She is the creator of “Voices\,” a DreamWeek San Antonio event\, and creator and publisher of Nubian Notes\, a magazine now maintained as a special collection at the John Peace Library\, Institute of Texas Cultures. Her interviews and articles have appeared in the San Antonio Report and the San Antonio Express-News. Arrie has developed commentaries for Texas Public Radio\, including “The George Floyd Protests in the Pandemic” and “Juneteenth–It’s Complicated.” She oversees the Poetry Ministry at Agape Christian Church and holds a MA/MFA degree in Literature\, Creative Writing\, and Social Justice. Arrie is a Professor of English at Our Lady of the Lake University. \n  \n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/unexplored-greats-with-arrie-porter/
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/unnamed.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240203T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240203T120000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231120T183251Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240117T231217Z
UID:9407-1706954400-1706961600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Art of Zine Making with Caesar Morales
DESCRIPTION:Saturdays\, February 3 & 10\, 2024\, 10am-12pm CST\, in-person at Gemini Ink\nInstructor: Caesar Morales\nNonmember: $100;  Member: $85; Student $75.\n \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \n \n  \nWant to get your work out there but don’t want to wait for traditional publication? A zine is a quick\, easy way to distribute your writing in a format that’s one of a kind and easily digestible. These small independent publications are usually handmade and combine a collection of photos\, text\, illustrations\, poems\, etc.\, around a common theme. Because there is no definitive structure or layout for a zine\, this allows for highly creative book-making that can turn the publication itself into a work of art.  \nIn this two-session workshop\, we will use short writing prompts to generate new work around specific themes\, add visual elements through photos and drawings\, receive feedback\, and complete a mini-zine. We will also learn how best to distribute hard copy or digital zines. \nBasic supplies\, including construction paper\, writing utensils\, scissors\, glue\, and collage materials will be provided. Students are encouraged to bring in their own clip art\, magazines\, or photos that fit on 5.5” x  8.5” paper.  \nThis course is open to writers of all genres and skill level\, 18+.  \nStudents will leave with the following:  \n\n\n\nNew creative writing pieces\nOne handmade mini-zine\nInstructions on how to make more zines independently\nIdeas on how to distribute zines\n\n\n\nLearn more about Caesar at his Writer’s Desk Q&A.\nCaesar Morales has an MA in Playwriting and Screenwriting from City University of London in the UK. Prior to that\, he obtained a BSc from the University of Greenwich\, also in the UK. His photo essays have been published in Private Photo Review\, and he will have an original short story published in the upcoming anthology\, The 42 Anthology\, featuring 42 stories from 42 different writers\, each writing in 42 different genres/categories. Caesar’s story “The Outlaw Gerald Dorris” will be published in the Western category. He’s also taught podcast production\, photography\, filmmaking\, zine publishing and screenwriting at Wac Arts College in London\, UK and at the Institute for the Urban Arts in New York City. He’s also had two feature-length screenplays workshopped at the London Screenwriter’s Festival. \n\n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-art-of-zine-making-with-caesar-morales/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Caesar-Morales-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240117T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240117T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20231120T175014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240116T183150Z
UID:9333-1705516200-1705523400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:So\, You Want to Write Romance with Laura Castoro
DESCRIPTION:Wed\, January 17\, 24\, 31 & February 7\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, Hybrid (in-person at Gemini Ink and online via Zoom)\nInstructor: Laura Castro\nNonmember: $155; Member: $130; Student/Educator/Military: $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE\nClass Full\nCompelling lovers\, an emotionally driven plot\, and steamy sex scenes–these are the ingredients of every great romance story. If you’ve always wanted to write a romance but didn’t know how\, now is your chance! Bring your story idea to life with award-winning romance author Laura Castoro (aka Laura Parker).  \nIn this 4-session\, generative workshop\, we will guide writers through the creation of an emotionally resonant plot with a unique slant and irresistible characters for a fascinating and unforgettable romance. Yes\, there will be sex scenes! Writers will build on a story concept by constructing a synopsis and a first chapter while also learning about potential problems that can derail the creative process. By the end of the workshop\, each writer will have the good bones of a riveting romance. \nThis course is open to fiction writers 18+ who want to write or finish a romance manuscript. \nBy the end of the class\, students will have:  \n\nA story synopsis with characters and plot\nThe story structure and a good starting place\nIdeas on how to keep the creative process going\n\nRead Laura’s Writer’s Desk Interview!\n\nLaura Castoro\, a USA Today\, Amazon top 100\, and Apple Books bestseller\, has published 47 novels with major publishing houses such as Dell Books\, Berkley\, Avon\, Warner\, MIRA\, Harlequin\, Kensington\, Pocketbooks\, St\, Harper Collins\, Martins Press\, and William Morrow. She has also contributed to several fiction anthologies and has published non-fiction YA and short fiction in Good Housekeeping. Under the name Laura Parker\, she writes historical and contemporary romance\, westerns\, and sagas. As Laura Castoro\, she writes contemporary African American and contemporary women’s fiction. Writing as D. D. Ayres\, she publishes a romantic suspense series called the K-9 Rescue Series. Her current release as Laura Castoro is Love On The Line (2021) through William Morrow. Laura has won multiple national writing awards. In 2005\, she was inducted into the Arkansas Writers’ Hall of Fame. She is a past president of Novelists\, Inc. (2013)\, an international professional fiction writers’ organization. She is a past president and board member of the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow\, a writer residency program in the AR Ozarks. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Laura currently lives in San Antonio\, TX. Visit Laura at www.ddayres.com. \n\nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/so-you-want-to-write-romance/
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20231218T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20231218T203000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T145410Z
UID:8042-1702924200-1702931400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Open Writer's Labs
DESCRIPTION:These peer-driven workshops\, held the last Monday of each month\, are free and open to writers of all levels and focus on poetry\, flash fiction\, and short creative non-fiction.\n \n  \n\n\nOnline Via Zoom\nFor the online workshop\, sign up the day before the class to ensure you receive the Zoom link. \nThis workshop is facilitated by Kevin Ramos. Originally from the northeast\, Kevin studied theater arts at Rutgers University and The University of Washington. He’s lived all over the country before making his home in San Antonio\, Texas. Kevin has written several novels and short stories. Most recently\, publishing a short memoir called Enough about addiction\, mothers\, and missing graves. And a novel\, Hayley’s Sense of Fire (DLG Publishing Partners)\, a modern re-telling of the classic fairy tale\, The Little Matchgirl. \n\nIn-Person at Gemini Ink\n \nJoin our in-person Open Writer’s Lab with Robert Allen at Gemini Ink’s office\, 1111 Navarro St.\, San Antonio\, TX 78205. \nRobert Allen has worked as a librarian and an electrical contractor for most of his life. Many moons ago\, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin\, where he studied poetry under David Wevill. Allen has been active in local writer’s groups and open mics\, including the Sun Poets Society. He’s been published in The Ocotillo Review\, the Texas Poetry Calendar\, Voices de la Luna\, di-verse-city\, the San Antonio Express-News\, and Poetry on the Move. In 2006\, he started attending Gemini Ink’s free Monday night writing classes and has attended regularly ever since. With more than a decade of attending writers’ groups\, classes\, and open mics\, he now co-facilitates Gemini Ink’s Open Writer’s Lab. \nParking at Gemini Ink\nGemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/open-writers-lab-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25/2023-12-18/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Open-Writers-Labs-1250-x-600-px-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20231216T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20231216T130000
DTSTAMP:20260523T214021
CREATED:20230816T211102Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T203220Z
UID:9042-1702720800-1702731600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Exploring Your Cultural Inheritance through Poetry with Ebony Stewart
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, December 16\, 10am-1pm CST\, via Zoom\nInstructor: Ebony Stewart\nNonmember: $100; Member: $85; Student/Vet/Mil $75 \n*EARN CPE’S\nSCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. \n \n  \nWhen we think of cultural inheritance\, we often think of language\, music\, food\, holidays\, and maybe even sports. But what about the way a culture approaches central concepts like race\, religion\, patriotism\, literacy\, and integrity?  \nIn this workshop\, we will explore the idea of our own unique heritage as a museum of poetic artifacts\, reflect on spoken word pieces\, and generate writing. In the discussion portion\, we will explore the concrete and intangible elements of culture\, any logical or illogical fears these may evoke\, and the impact of that. We will study how “Hairitage\,” “Fear\,” and Nina Simone’s “Four Women” depict culture and use literary devices to create memorable pieces. We will use all of our explorations of culture and fear to create new poems that use some of the literary techniques covered.  \nParticipants can expect a safe workshop space where they can take risks\, be vulnerable\, and give and receive feedback for future revisions. \nThis course is open to writers of all skill levels\, 18+.  \nStudents will leave this workshop with: \n\nA deeper understanding of your own culture\nKnowledge of literary devices\nOne complete poem that captures your cultural inheritance\n\n\n \nEbony Stewart is a poet\, writer\, and performance artist. Her work speaks to the Black experience\, with emphasis on gender\, sexuality\, womanhood\, queer-positivity\, and race\, with the hopes to remove shame\, heal minds\, encourage dialogue\, and inspire folks in marginalized communities. Ebony is a respected coach & mentor\, one of the top touring poets in the country\, and the 2017 Woman of the World Poetry Slam Champion. She has performed in 48 states\, at over 200 colleges and universities across the country\, as well as featured internationally in Canada\, Australia\, and Ghana. She is the author of BloodFresh\, Home.Girl.Hood.\, and Love Letters to Balled Fists. Her work has been featured in Button Poetry\, AfroPunk\, For Harriet\,  Teen Vogue\, The Texas Observer\, plus countless others. \nLearn more about Ebony at her Writer’s Desk Q&A.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/exploring-your-cultural-inheritance-through-poetry/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ebony-stewart.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
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