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DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250726T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250726T133000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T170232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260624T154216Z
UID:12337-1753531200-1753536600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Teen Writing Circle with Daniel Ramirez
DESCRIPTION:Register\nLast Saturday of Every Month 12-1:30pm cst via Zoom \nFor ages 13-19 years old \nAre you a teen who enjoys writing in their free time? Or are you someone who’s never had the chance to write on their own? If so\, this Online Teen Writing Circle is for you!  \nIn this once-a-month writing circle\, teens will enjoy writing in a judgment free zone. We’ll break the ice with one another and perform various writing exercises. You are encouraged to share your work with your peers and get constructive feedback\, but it is not required. Our only goal is to keep you writing! \nThis course is open to teen writers of any skill level. \nParticipants will leave the writing circle with:  \n\nNew\, unique written work\nListening and sharing experience\nConstructive feedback to help improve their writing\n\nWant to learn more about our Teen Writing Circle? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!\n \n\nDaniel Ramirez has been an educator for more than 15 years. After studying History in graduate school\, he spent several years working in conservation programs with teenagers. His time as a Montessori educator revealed the power of combining creativity with learning and inspired him to explore his own creative practice. In addition to his longtime love of storytelling\, he has developed interests in calligraphy\, puppetry\, poetry\, and block printing. A San Antonio native\, he spends his free time exploring the crystalline waters of Central Texas. \n \n  \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/teen-writing-circle-2025-03-29-2025-04-26/2025-07-26/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TWC-website-header.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250723T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250723T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250404T193211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250714T175542Z
UID:12174-1753295400-1753302600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Reconnect with Wonder & Illuminate Your Writing Process with Laura Munson
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday(s) July 23\, 30 & August 6\, 13\, 2025 6:30-8:30pm CDT via Zoom \nNonmember $240; Member $205; Student/Educ/Mil $168 \n*EARN CPEs\n \n__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ \nWonder is the combination of curiosity and awe that makes us feel alive and inspires writers to explore and reimagine the world around them. In this worry-filled world\, we need our wonder\, and our writing\, more than ever.  \nIn this 4-week workshop\, best-selling author and founder of the acclaimed Haven Writing Retreats in Montana\, Laura Munson will lead students through writing exercises to uncover wonder and inject it into their own writing.  \nUsing Laura’s newly released teaching memoir The Wild Why: Stories and Teachings to Uncover Your Wonder as a guide\, we will explore teaching-spirited stories and writing prompts\, all centered on illuminating our true self-expression and the wonder it sparks. \nThis class is open to writers of all genres and skill levels 18+. \nIn The Wild Why workshop\, Laura will be leading writers through: \n\nReconnecting with themselves & their wonder\nUsing wonder to rekindle voice and expand creativity\nExploring their unique narrative\nDrafting several new written works\n\n__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ \nLAURA MUNSON is a New York Times\, USA Today\, and internationally bestselling author. Her acclaimed works include the novel Willa’s Grove and the memoir This Is Not The Story You Think It Is. Laura is the founder of the renowned Haven Writing Retreats and her writing has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair\, Elle\, Redbook\, Time\, Newsweek\, the New York Times “Modern Love” column\, The New York Times Magazine\, O\, The Oprah Magazine\, and many more. She has been featured on Good Morning America\, The Early Show\, WGN\, NPR\, London’s This Morning\, Australia’s Sunrise\, and other international media outlets. Laura lives and writes in Whitefish\, Montana. \nLearn about Cancellation & Refund Policies at https://geminiink.org/registration/
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/reconnect-with-wonder/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Laura-Munson-header.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250716T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250716T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T183635Z
UID:11150-1752690600-1752697800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans' Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veterans’ Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-07-16/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250710T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250710T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250404T192442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250703T205927Z
UID:12163-1752172200-1752179400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:On the Edge of Your Seat: Writing Mystery & Suspense with Richard Santos
DESCRIPTION:Thursday(s) July 10\, 17\, 24 & 31\, 2025 6:30-8:30 pm CDT via Zoom \nNonmember $200; Member $170; Student/Educ/Mil $140 \n*EARN CPEs\n \n\nHave you dreamed of writing a mystery that readers could not put down till the mind bending-end? Learn the elements of a thrilling mystery that leaves readers on the edge of their seats. \nOver the course of four weeks\, participants will discuss the common characteristics of effective mystery/suspense fiction and will set goals for their work in class. We’ll cover inciting incidents and protagonists\, review plot points and antagonists\, and explore how to create suspense and mystery in writing.  \nEach session will feature writing exercises and time to receive feedback from the instructor and peers. By the end of the workshop\, writers will have a tool box\, which will include character notes\, an inciting incident\, rough plot points\, and several pages of writing\, for their in-progress mystery or suspense project. This will provide a great starting point for participants to expand on after the workshop. \nThis class is open to writers of all skill levels 18+. Both short story writers and novelists are welcome! \nBy the end of the class\, students will:  \n\nLearn basic elements of mystery and suspense\nLay the groundwork for their own suspenseful story\nWalk away with one complete scene\n\nRead Richard Z. Santos’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!\n\n \nRichard Z. Santos‘ debut novel\, Trust Me\, was a finalist for the Writer’s League of Texas Book Awards and was named one of the best debuts of the year by Crime Reads. He’s the editor of the anthology A Night of Screams: Latino Horror Stories. His fiction has been nominated for The Pushcart\, Best of the Net\, the International Thriller Writers Awards\, and has appeared as a Distinguished Story in Best American Mystery and Suspense. His nonfiction and essays have appeared in Texas Monthly\, The Rumpus\, Los Angeles Review of Books\, Like the Wind\, and more. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Austin Noir (Akashic Books)\, Lone Stars Rising (Harper Wave)\, Sandra Cisneros: Portraits of a Writer (Texas A&M Press)\, Untitled Latino Folklore Anthology (Flametree Press)\, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. In a previous career\, he taught in high schools and before that he worked for political campaigns\, consulting firms\, and labor unions. \nSocial Media:  \n\nInstagram\nBluesky\n\nLearn about Cancellation & Refund Policies at https://geminiink.org/registration/
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/on-the-edge-of-your-seat-writing-mystery/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250707T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250707T200000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250404T190141Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250624T195132Z
UID:12135-1751913000-1751918400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Real Writing is in the Revision with Jasminne Mendez
DESCRIPTION:Monday(s) July 7 & 14\, 2025\, 6:30-8:00 pm CDT via Zoom \nNonmember $90; Member $75; Student/Educ/Mil $63 \n*EARN CPEs\n \nHave you ever sat down to revise a piece of writing but had no idea where to begin? Or have you started revising only to find yourself stuck halfway through? If you find revision to be an intimidating and messy process\, then this class is for you!  \nIn this two-part lecture\, writers of any genre and at any stage in their craft will learn practical revision strategies to help refine and reimagine their drafts and works-in-progress. We will discuss how to assess what needs to be revised\, including beginnings and endings\, scenes and plots\, syntax and diction\, metaphors and more. Then\, we will explore visual organization tools such as note cards\, sticky notes\, and highlighters. Students will leave with tools to continue these editing practices following the lecture. \nThis lecture is open to writers of all skill levels 18+. \nBy the end of the lecture students will have:  \n\nPractical\, concrete revision strategies \nIdeas for visual organization\nA plan for setting revision goals before writing\n\n\n \nJasminne Mendez is a best-selling Dominican-American poet\, translator\, playwright\, audio book narrator and award-winning author of several books for children and adults. Her middle grade novel-in-verse Aniana del Mar Jumps In (Dial) received the 2024 Pura Belpre Honor Award. Her other books have received prizes from the Texas Institute of Letters\, the Writer’s League of Texas and the International Latino Book Awards. Her YA fiction debut The Story of My Anger (Dial) will be out September 2025. She is an MFA graduate of the creative writing program at the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and a University of Houston alumni. She is the Program Director for the literary arts non-profit Tintero Projects and she lives and works in Houston\, TX. \nInstagram: @jasminnemendez \nLearn about Cancellation & Refund Policies at https://geminiink.org/registration/
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-real-writing-is-in-the-revision-with-jasminne-mendez/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250701T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250701T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250404T191121Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250623T194447Z
UID:12149-1751394600-1751401800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Sex is Not a Four-Letter Word with Laura Castoro
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday(s) July 1\, 8 & 15\, 2025 6:30-8:30pm CDT Hybrid (available online via Zoom and in-person) \nNonmember $150\, Member $129; Student/Educ/Mil $105 \n*EARN CPEs\n \n_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ \nAre you a writer looking for a fresh approach to sex scenes\, or are you a newbie ready to write your first R-rated interaction? Learn how to write memorable sex scenes that fit your characters and your plot!  \nThis is a frank\, fun\, respectful workshop about the ‘birds and the bees\,’ and what goes on between the sheets\, or on the kitchen floor\, or maybe out at sea. This class will allow participants to explore the many ways of writing about sex no matter the genre or fictional interest–Thriller\, Science Fiction\, Romance\, Suspense\, Mystery\, Western\, Saga\, General Fiction\, and more. \nThe classes will include writing prompts based on examples from books\, song lyrics\, visual images\, short videos\, and more. Writers will be asked to interpret them by writing their own versions. Each class will include in-class writing and homework assignments. Writers will be encouraged to share their own work in progress. \nThis course is open to fiction writers 18+. \nBy the end of the class students will:  \n\nLearn how to decipher the needs of a sex scene vs. a romantic scene\nWrite a compelling scene in the genre of their choice\nIdeas on how to keep the creative process going\n\nRead Laura’s Writer’s Desk Q&A!\n_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ \n \n Laura 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 is a speaker at numerous conferences and workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Laura currently lives in San Antonio\, TX. Email: Laurapcastoro@gmail.com. website: www.ddayres.com \nLearn about Cancellation & Refund Policies at https://geminiink.org/registration/ 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/sex-is-not-a-four-letter-word-with-laura-castoro/
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/2025/04/laura-castoro-3.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250630T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250630T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260423T145550Z
UID:11137-1751308200-1751315400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Open Writers' 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-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25-2025-04-28-2025-05-26/2025-06-30/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/open-writers-lab.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250628T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250628T133000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T170232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260624T154215Z
UID:12336-1751112000-1751117400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Teen Writing Circle with Daniel Ramirez
DESCRIPTION:Register\nLast Saturday of Every Month 12-1:30pm cst via Zoom \nFor ages 13-19 years old \nAre you a teen who enjoys writing in their free time? Or are you someone who’s never had the chance to write on their own? If so\, this Online Teen Writing Circle is for you!  \nIn this once-a-month writing circle\, teens will enjoy writing in a judgment free zone. We’ll break the ice with one another and perform various writing exercises. You are encouraged to share your work with your peers and get constructive feedback\, but it is not required. Our only goal is to keep you writing! \nThis course is open to teen writers of any skill level. \nParticipants will leave the writing circle with:  \n\nNew\, unique written work\nListening and sharing experience\nConstructive feedback to help improve their writing\n\nWant to learn more about our Teen Writing Circle? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!\n \n\nDaniel Ramirez has been an educator for more than 15 years. After studying History in graduate school\, he spent several years working in conservation programs with teenagers. His time as a Montessori educator revealed the power of combining creativity with learning and inspired him to explore his own creative practice. In addition to his longtime love of storytelling\, he has developed interests in calligraphy\, puppetry\, poetry\, and block printing. A San Antonio native\, he spends his free time exploring the crystalline waters of Central Texas. \n \n  \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/teen-writing-circle-2025-03-29-2025-04-26/2025-06-28/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TWC-website-header.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250618T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250618T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250530T202346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250616T203014Z
UID:12553-1750273200-1750278600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Amanda Churchill
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, June 18th\, 2025\, via Zoom for a conversation with Amanda Churchill\, to discuss her new book\, The Turtle House\, A Novel (Harper Collins). Moderated by Kim Garza\, author of the critically acclaimed novel The Last Karankawas.\n\n\n\n\n(Virtual Readings Quarterly @ 7pm CST) \n\n\nRSVP \n“A heartbreakingly resonant debut\, The Turtle House is a tender\, big-hearted story about women\, family\, and the complicated history of Texas. These characters\, and their tentative\, flawed stumblings toward grace\, will stay with me.”—Elizabeth Wetmore\, author of Valentine \n“Sweeping yet intimate\, Amanda Churchill’s Turtle House spans cultures and continents. Minnie and her granddaughter Lia are unforgettable protagonists\, whose grit and grace will inspire you. Together\, they find a way through in this gripping debut.”—Vanessa Hua\, author of Forbidden City \nSpanning from late 1990s small-town Texas to pre-World War II Japan and occupied Tokyo\, this emotionally engaging literary debut follows a grandmother and granddaughter who bond over a beloved lost place and the secrets they share. \nIn spring 1999\, 25-year-old Lia Cope and her 73-year-old grandmother\, Mineko\, find themselves sharing a bedroom in Curtain\, Texas. Both at turning points—Mineko\, a Japanese war bride\, displaced after a fire; Lia\, an architect who’s returned home under mysterious circumstances—the two grow close through late-night conversations. Mineko recounts her early life in Japan\, her love for Akio Sato\, and the Turtle House\, an abandoned estate where their relationship blossomed. As Mineko reveals her past\, Lia begins to understand her grandmother’s sacrifices and sees her family anew\, while confronting her own secrets. \nWhen Mineko’s children plan to move her into assisted living\, she and Lia hatch a plan to revive a cherished lost place\, seeking safety and belonging together.\nThe Turtle House is a story of intergenerational friendship\, family\, identity\, and love—illuminating the hidden lives we lead and what it means to find home again when it feels lost forever. \n\nAbout the Author\nAmanda Churchill is a writer living in Texas. Her novel\, The Turtle House\, was inspired by the life of her beloved grandmother\, a Japanese war bride. Her work has been featured in Hobart Pulp\, Witness\, River Styx\, and other publications. Amanda is a Writers’ League of Texas 2021 Fellow. She attended the 2021 Community of Writers workshop in fiction as a James D. Houston Memorial Scholarship recipient. She has also attended the Tin House Summer and Winter Conferences\, the One Story Summer Workshop\, and StoryBoard Chicago. She was a Fall 2020 mentee in AWP’s Writer to Writer program. \n\nAbout the Moderator\n \nKimberly Garza is the author of the critically acclaimed novel The Last Karankawas\, a New York Times Editors’ Choice and an Indie Next pick. Her stories and essays have appeared in Electric Literature\, Texas Highways\, Copper Nickel\, and elsewhere\, and she is a 2024 National Endowment of the Artscreative writing fellow. She teaches creative writing and literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio\, where she directs the Creative Writing Program.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/tbtat-featuring-amanda-churchill/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-amanda-churchill-website-header-e1748883305336.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250618T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250618T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T183634Z
UID:11149-1750271400-1750278600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans' Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veterans’ Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-06-18/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250604T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250604T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250404T185046Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250603T140402Z
UID:12106-1749061800-1749069000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Delving into the Levant: Inspiration from International Poets with Veronica Golos
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday(s)\, June 4\, 11\, 18\, & 25\, 2025 from 6:30-8:30 pm CDT\, via Zoom \nNonmember: $200; Member: $170; Student/Educ/Mil: $140 \n*EARN CPEs\nTWO SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE\n \n\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. Next stop: the Middle East!  \nIn this four-week generative poetry workshop\, we will read\, discuss deeply\, and draw our inspiration from foundational poets Mahmoud Darwish (Palestine)\, Etel Adnan (Lebanon)\, Saadi Youssef (Iraq)\, and contemporary Iranian-American poet Solmaz Sharif.  We will explore each poet’s craft tools and apply these techniques to our work. Participants will receive a packet with poems and suggestions for developing their writing.  \nThis class is open to writers of all skill levels 18+. \nBy the end of the class\, students will have the following:  \n\nStudy and analyze the work of 4 Middle Eastern poets\nWrite poems that follow the selected poet’s structure and theme\nReceive on-the-spot feedback for written work \n\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. \nLearn about Cancellation & Refund Policies at https://geminiink.org/registration/
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/delving-into-the-levant/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SU25golos2-e1748959387113.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250531T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250531T133000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T170232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260624T154214Z
UID:12335-1748692800-1748698200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Teen Writing Circle with Daniel Ramirez
DESCRIPTION:Register\nLast Saturday of Every Month 12-1:30pm cst via Zoom \nFor ages 13-19 years old \nAre you a teen who enjoys writing in their free time? Or are you someone who’s never had the chance to write on their own? If so\, this Online Teen Writing Circle is for you!  \nIn this once-a-month writing circle\, teens will enjoy writing in a judgment free zone. We’ll break the ice with one another and perform various writing exercises. You are encouraged to share your work with your peers and get constructive feedback\, but it is not required. Our only goal is to keep you writing! \nThis course is open to teen writers of any skill level. \nParticipants will leave the writing circle with:  \n\nNew\, unique written work\nListening and sharing experience\nConstructive feedback to help improve their writing\n\nWant to learn more about our Teen Writing Circle? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!\n \n\nDaniel Ramirez has been an educator for more than 15 years. After studying History in graduate school\, he spent several years working in conservation programs with teenagers. His time as a Montessori educator revealed the power of combining creativity with learning and inspired him to explore his own creative practice. In addition to his longtime love of storytelling\, he has developed interests in calligraphy\, puppetry\, poetry\, and block printing. A San Antonio native\, he spends his free time exploring the crystalline waters of Central Texas. \n \n  \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/teen-writing-circle-2025-03-29-2025-04-26/2025-05-31/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TWC-website-header.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250526T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250526T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260423T145550Z
UID:11136-1748284200-1748291400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Open Writers' 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-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25-2025-04-28-2025-05-26/2025-05-26/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/open-writers-lab.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250521T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250521T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T183634Z
UID:11148-1747852200-1747859400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans' Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veterans’ Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-05-21/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250517T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250517T133000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T174924Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250515T220202Z
UID:11128-1747476000-1747488600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Art of Bad Poetry with Abby E. Murray
DESCRIPTION:Saturdays\, May 17\, 2025\, 10am-1:30pm CST\, (includes a 30-minute lunch)\, via Zoom \nNonmember: $155  Member:  $130  Student/Educator/Military: $90       \n*EARN CPE’S\nTWO SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE\n \n  \n\n\nWhat do we even mean when we consider a poem “good” or “bad”? Beginners aren’t the only ones who benefit from conversations that question our assumptions about poetry and the way we practice connecting with our own voices. Established poets also gain from discussing poetry’s rules and reputation\, its stereotypes and possibilities.  \nIn this class\, writers of all levels will strive to expand their understanding of the art of poetry\, first by weeding out our judgments of “good” and “bad” poetry\, then shaping poetry’s elusive boundaries by playing with work that challenges our notions of value and weakness. Expect laughter. Anticipate letting go of fears that limit us. Plan to write. \nStudents will leave this class with:  \n\nAn awareness of how judgment applies to the “good” and bad” of poetry\nIncreased sense of freedom without worrying about bad poetry\nDrafts of new written work\n\nRead Abby’s Writers Desk Q&A!\n\nAbby E. Murray (they/them) is the editor of Collateral\, a literary journal concerned with the impact of violent conflict and military service beyond the combat zone. Their first book\, Hail and Farewell\, won the Perugia Press Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award\, while their second book\, Recovery Commands\, recently won the Richard-Gabriel Rummonds Poetry Prize and is forthcoming from Ex Ophidia Press. Abby served as the 2019-2021 poet laureate for the city of Tacoma\, Washington\, and currently teaches rhetoric in military strategy to Army War College fellows at the University of Washington. \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-art-of-bad-poetry-2/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/murray.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250506T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250506T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T174539Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250221T192113Z
UID:11125-1746556200-1746563400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Writing an Identity Not Your Own with Alex Temblador
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday(s)\, May 6 & 13\, 2025\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, via Zoom \nNonmember $135        Member    $115                  Student $80 \n*EARN CPE’S\nTWO SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE\n \n  \n\nDo you want to craft diverse and dynamic characters with respect and care for their unique identities? What honest questions must you ask yourself when creating characters different from you? Let’s explore character creation in a thoughtful way! \n \nIn this two-session workshop\, Mixed Latine award-winning author Alex Temblador of Writing An Identity Not Your Own will discuss one of the most contentious topics in creative writing: crafting a character whose identity is not your own. We will examine bias and how it might influence the text through stereotypes\, harmful storyline tropes\, character descriptions\, dialogue\, and more.  \nThe class will also cover the history and state of diversity and representation in publishing. Then\, we will discuss how a writer might approach writing main\, secondary\, and tertiary characters who have historically marginalized identities\, including race and ethnicity\, sexual and romantic orientation\, gender identity\, disability\, nationality\, etc.  \nThis course is open to writers of all genres\, backgrounds\, and skill levels\, 18+. \nStudents will leave this workshop with:  \n\nAwareness of how a writer’s own bias can appear in their creative writing  \nA list of considerations before you write\, as you write\, and in the editing process of character development\nAn introduction to using an intersectional identity approach to crafting characters\n\n\nAlex Temblador is the Mixed Latine award-winning author of Writing An Identity Not Your Own\, Half Outlaw\, and Secrets of the Casa Rosada. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a contributor to Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America and Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology. Her work has also appeared in PALABRITAS\, D Magazine\, and Colorado Review. Alex has taught creative writing seminars\, workshops\, and classes with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association\, WritingWorkshops.com\, the Writer’s League of Texas\, and more\, as well as spoken about diversity in the literary world with Macmillan Publishers\, Texas Library Association\, Abydos Learning Conference\, and at many other festivals\, conferences\, and universities. Alex lives in Dallas\, Texas\, where she runs a literary panel series called LitTalk and is the Executive Director of Write Here DFW.  \nSocial media links: IG and Twitter and Threads: @Alex_Temblador\, https://www.facebook.com/alextemblador
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/writing-an-identity-not-your-own/
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:20250428T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250428T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250401T180637Z
UID:11135-1745865000-1745872200@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-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25-2025-04-28/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250426T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250426T133000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T170232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260624T154214Z
UID:11198-1745668800-1745674200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Teen Writing Circle with Daniel Ramirez
DESCRIPTION:Register\nLast Saturday of Every Month 12-1:30pm cst via Zoom \nFor ages 13-19 years old \nAre you a teen who enjoys writing in their free time? Or are you someone who’s never had the chance to write on their own? If so\, this Online Teen Writing Circle is for you!  \nIn this once-a-month writing circle\, teens will enjoy writing in a judgment free zone. We’ll break the ice with one another and perform various writing exercises. You are encouraged to share your work with your peers and get constructive feedback\, but it is not required. Our only goal is to keep you writing! \nThis course is open to teen writers of any skill level. \nParticipants will leave the writing circle with:  \n\nNew\, unique written work\nListening and sharing experience\nConstructive feedback to help improve their writing\n\nWant to learn more about our Teen Writing Circle? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!\n \n\nDaniel Ramirez has been an educator for more than 15 years. After studying History in graduate school\, he spent several years working in conservation programs with teenagers. His time as a Montessori educator revealed the power of combining creativity with learning and inspired him to explore his own creative practice. In addition to his longtime love of storytelling\, he has developed interests in calligraphy\, puppetry\, poetry\, and block printing. A San Antonio native\, he spends his free time exploring the crystalline waters of Central Texas. \n \n  \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/teen-writing-circle-2025-03-29-2025-04-26/2025-04-26/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TWC-website-header.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250422T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250422T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T154614Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250421T204717Z
UID:11095-1745346600-1745353800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Cultivate Creative Resilience and Write Unforgettable Works with Jen Knox
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday(s)\, April 22 & 29\, 2025 from 6:30-8:30pm\, CST via Zoom. \nNonmember $145        Member  $125        Student $85 \n*EARN CPEs\n \n  \n\n  \nCreative resilience means facing setbacks and moving forward in your artistry anyway. It means harnessing the energy tocreate what you feel called to produce. It means owning your journey completely as you share your art. But how do you manage the ups and downs of the writing life\, tell your truths without injuring yourself\, and keep your creative engine burning through it all? \nIn this two-part workshop\, we will explore the many versions of creative block\, from writer’s block to rejection letters\, from tough critiques to typos to self-doubt. We will then combine writing and resiliency techniques to support an enduring creative practice while generating bold new work that only you can write.  \nThis course is open to writers of all genres\, backgrounds\, and skill levels\, 18+. \nWhat you can expect in this workshop:  \n\nA nurturing and fun space to explore your stories and poetry\nCreative resilience techniques for writing through and about difficult times\nPractice using these tools to generate authentic raw material\nFeedback and an opportunity to share\n\n\n\nJen Knox is an award-winning author and lecturer at Ohio State University. Her fiction can be found in The Best Small Fictions\, The Adirondack Review\, Chicago Tribune\, Istanbul Review\, Literary Orphans\, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency\, Room Magazine\, The Santa Fe Writers Project Quarterly\, and The Saturday Evening Post\, among over a hundred other publications. Jen’s books include We Arrive Uninvited (Steel Toe Books Award Winner in Prose) and The Glass City (Press Americana Prose Winner). She recently received grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Arts Council to work on a collection of essays about work\, and her newest novel Chaos Magic\, will be released by Kallisto Gaia Press in February 2025. www.jenknox.net \nLinks:\nInstagram\nSubstack\nFacebook\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/creative-resilience/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Screenshot-2025-04-01-at-2.04.42 PM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250416T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250416T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T183633Z
UID:11147-1744828200-1744835400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans' Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veterans’ Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-04-16/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250407T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250407T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T173426Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250407T154150Z
UID:11118-1744050600-1744057800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Poetics of You: An Intro to Poetry Workshop with Melissa Studdard
DESCRIPTION:Monday(s)\, April 7\, 14\, 21 & 28\, 2025\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, via Zoom \nNonmember $155        Member    $130                  Student $ 90     \n*EARN CPEs\n \n  \n\nPoetry has a way of shifting the way we view the world and ourselves\, of transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary\, of infusing the mundane with meaning. Ready to see life through a poetry lens?  \nIn this four-session workshop\, we’ll explore and review basic poetic concepts while working with prompts designed to unlock your own unique poetic gifts and subject matter. The Poetics of You will be a generative\, supportive\, and encouraging space to learn\, experiment\, and explore. In the weekly virtual meetings\, we will study basic techniques\, read sample poems\, compose drafts\, and share writings. \nThis course is open to writers of all genres\, backgrounds\, and skill levels\, 18+. \nStudents will leave this class with:  \n\nNew drafts of poems\nUnderstanding of basic poetic concepts\nA sense of your own subject matter and unique abilities\n\n\nMelissa Studdard writes poetry\, fiction\, song cycles\, and libretti. Her most recent book is the poetry collection Dear Selection Committee (Jackleg Press). Her work has been featured by PBS\, NPR\, The New York Times\, The Guardian\, Ms. Magazine\, the Best American Poetry blog\, and the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series and has appeared in periodicals such as POETRY\, Kenyon Review\, and New England Review. Her Awards include the Lucille Medwick Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America\, The Penn Review Poetry Prize\, the Tom Howard Prize\, the REELpoetry International Film Festival Audience Choice Award\, and more. As a librettist/lyricist\, she has had works commissioned by Aspen Music Festival\, Wolf Trap\, Yale Institute of Sacred Music\, and the University of Michigan School of Music. With Kelli Russell Agodon\, she co-hosts the YouTube poetry series Poems You Need. You can find her at www.melissastuddard.com and www.youtube.com/@PoemsYouNeed \nSocial media links: @melissastuddard \nLearn about Cancellation & Refund Policies 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-poetics-of-you/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250331T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250331T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T145425Z
UID:11134-1743445800-1743453000@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-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25/2025-03-31/
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:20250329T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250329T130000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T170232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T175337Z
UID:11197-1743247800-1743253200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Teen Writing Circle with Daniel Ramirez
DESCRIPTION:Register\nLast Saturday of Every Month 11:30am-1pm cst via Zoom \nFor ages 13-19 years old \nAre you a teen who enjoys writing in their free time? Or are you someone who’s never had the chance to write on their own? If so\, this Online Teen Writing Circle is for you!  \nIn this once-a-month writing circle\, teens will enjoy writing in a judgment free zone. We’ll break the ice with one another and perform various writing exercises. You are encouraged to share your work with your peers and get constructive feedback\, but it is not required. Our only goal is to keep you writing! \nThis course is open to teen writers of any skill level. \nParticipants will leave the writing circle with:  \n\nNew\, unique written work\nListening and sharing experience\nConstructive feedback to help improve their writing\n\nWant to learn more about our Teen Writing Circle? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!\n \n\nDaniel Ramirez has been an educator for over 15 years. After studying History in grad school\, he tromped around the outdoors doing conservation with teenagers. Spending time as a Montessori educator revealed the power of incorporating creativity with learning. Encouraging youth to tap into their creative abilities convinced him to discover his own. Since then\, in addition to his original love of storytelling\, he’s found a penchant for calligraphy\, puppetry\, poetry\, and block printing. A San Antonio native\, he explores the crystalline waters of Central Texas in his free time. \n \n  \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/teen-writing-circle-2025-03-29/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Teen-Writing-Circle-March-2025-e1740678808264.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T200000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250227T220317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250312T150149Z
UID:11957-1742410800-1742414400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Melissa Studdard
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, March 19th\, 2025 via Zoom for a conversation with Melissa Studdard\, to discuss her new book\, Dear Selection Committee (Jackleg Press). Moderated by Elena Karina Byrne.\n\n\n\n\n(Virtual Readings Monthly @ 7pm CST) \n\n\nRSVP\nSign up for Melissa Studdard’s class\, The Poetics of You: An Intro to Poetry Workshop on Monday\, April 7th! \n“I buried // everything they told me to bury. Then\, I dug it up again\,” Melissa Studdard writes in Dear Selection Committee\, an apt description of the work these poems do to unearth the incorrigible self and bury conventionality and its offspring\, shame. The speaker revels in her largesse\, claiming\, in one poem’s title\, she’s “Huge Like King Kong\, Like Godzilla\, Like Gulliver\,” and that the “world is my diorama of a world\,” and in another\, that her honeymoon pictures are “the cover / of the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass.” All of this immensity\, this grand unburying\, is squeezed into the prosaic corseting structure of a job application\, intensifying the split between tame and wild. Even her own birth is enacted with kinetic magnificence: “I broke the kingdom inside her\, broke the gala / of horses straining to get out. I broke the dancehall // mirrors and even the gilded faucet handles. / I was a river that strong. Made for flooding.” Indeed\, these poems are so desirous and animated that they spilled over the edges of the page and into my thirsty soul. “-Diane Seuss \n“The poems in Dear Selection Committee say what I’ve always wanted to say in a job application (and what I’m thinking as I perform the role of Normal Job Person) but never had the guts. Melissa Studdard’s burn-it-down-radical honesty is elating af—exactly what I needed to read—but the poetic attentiveness\, from the first page to the last\, was the real thrill. At the heart of the cyclone\, a dependable\, deepening pulse of self preservation.” -Jennifer L. Knox \n“In the universe of Melissa Studdard’s poems\, both the speaker and the audience will always have their cake and eat it too. After all\, “Life’s never dull when your name’s Melissa\,” and oh my goddess\, does Dear Selection Committee serve hard as a brilliant 21st-century take and critique of the epistolary\, filled with infinite heart and infinite humor and infinite neon signs that point towards the larger-than-life nature of poetry. This is excess. This is extravagance. This is the definition of sensuality. Studdard has the tremendous gift of finding the center of every poem\, giving us the whole damn thing.” -Dorothy Chan \nFramed as a job application and bounding with associative leaps and surrealist underpinnings\, Dear Selection Committee is a subversive\, sexy love song to an endlessly messy self and the burning world it inhabits. Full of apostrophic power\, these poems shift among registers of loss\, desire\, and joy as they wrestle with issues such as climate change\, addiction\, modern distractions\, gender presentation\, religious questioning\, and the nature of pain. Dear Selection Committee attests that although life can feel like a bumpy cab ride to an interview for a job you feel uniquely unqualified for\, if you lay aside the anxieties of self just long enough to peer out the window\, you’ll see great beauty amidst the chaos. \n\nMelissa Studdard is the author of five books\, including the poetry collection I ATE THE COSMOS FOR BREAKFAST. Her work has been published or featured by places such as NPR\, PBS\, The New York Times\, The Guardian\, POETRY\, Kenyon Review\, Psychology Today\, and New England Review. Her awards include The Poetry Society of America’s Lucille Medwick Memorial Award\, The Penn Review Poetry Prize\, the REEL Poetry Festival Audience Choice Award\, the Tom Howard Prize\, and more. \n\nModerator\nA Pushcart Prize and Best American Poetry recipient\, Elena Karina Byrne served as a final judge for PEN’s “Best of the West” award\, for the 2016-2018 Kate and Kingsley Tufts Poetry Awards\, and for the international Laurel Prize in environmental poetry. Her five poetry collections include If This Makes You Nervous (Omnidawn\, 2021). Poems\, reviews\, essays\, and interviews can be found in POETRY\, The Kenyon Review\, The Paris Review\, APR\, Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day\, Poetry Daily\, Verse Daily\, LA Review of Books\, Plume anthologies\, Reel Verse: Poems About the Movies\, BOMB\, and elsewhere. Former 12-year Regional Director of the Poetry Society of America\, Elena now works as a freelance editor\, lecturer\, reviewer\, and Programming Consultant & Poetry Stage Manager for The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-melissa-studdard/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-TBTAT-2-e1740781793601.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T183627Z
UID:11146-1742409000-1742416200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans' Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veterans’ Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-03-19/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250305T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250305T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T172335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250307T190350Z
UID:11112-1741199400-1741206600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Prepare Your Story Idea for the Pitch of a Lifetime with Marilyn Atlas
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, March 5\, 2025 & April 2\, 6:30-8:30pm CST\, via Zoom \nNonmember  $160   Member  $135    *No student rate available for this class* \n  \n\nDo you have a story or an idea that would make a compelling movie or television series? Are you ready to package your idea and make the pitch to television executives\, but don’t know how to take the next step? Let’s get our stories together and get ready for the big pitch!  \nIn this two-day workshop\, talent/literary manager and producer Marilyn Atlas will teach you the tricks and tips it takes to make that professional pitch. She will cover how to distill the essence of your story into short\, sharp\, easily digestible bite-size parts that strike the right balance between brevity\, colorful detail\, and cliffhanging suspense. The class will also review common mistakes writers make when pitching\, strategies for adapting your pitch to your target audience\, and advice on how to use comparable titles of similar works to prove there is an audience for your work. \nStudents will build pitch decks and have the opportunity to receive feedback from Marilyn on how to tighten and reveal the idiosyncratic narrative thrust of their stories. \nThis course is open to writers of all genres\, backgrounds\, and skill levels\, 18+. \nWhat you can expect in this workshop:  \n\nHow to make a pitch deck \nHow to synthesize your story in an attention-grabbing way \nAn opportunity to pitch your idea to a Hollywood producer\n\n  \n\nMarilyn R Atlas is a Talent/Literary Manager and Producer. Among her credits as film producer are Real Women Have Curves for HBO\, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival\, A Certain Desire\, starring Sam Waterston\, and Echoes\, which won the Gold Award at the Texas International Film Festival. She produced a movie at Lifetime\, based on a YA book\, airing in summer 2014\, titled The Choking Game. \nIn live theater\, Marilyn co-produced the West Coast premiere of the musical God Bless You Mr. Rosewater by Ashman and Menken (the writers of both Enchanted and Tangled). She also co-produced the Ovation award-winning play To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday\, which was made into a film starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Peter Gallagher. She is currently developing a musical based on her Sundance-winning film Real Women Have Curves (originally produced by Marilyn for HBO)\, amongst other projects. She was involved in several writers’ debut books for HarperCollins\, Grand Central Publishing\, and Source Books. She is in development on the movie Lola Goes to Roma\, amongst other projects. She has long been committed to projects that celebrate diversity. \nMarilyn is a member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. Marilyn has spoken at various colleges\, film festivals\, and industry events on creating three-dimensional\, non-stereotypical characters. She is the co-author of a relationship-based\, screenwriting guide called Dating Your Character\, about an organic approach to character creation for Stairway Press’s Summer 2015 catalog. She is also featured in the book Write Now! from Penguin/Tarcher.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/pitch-of-a-lifetime/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/atlas-e1740077605808.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250224T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250224T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T141203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T145424Z
UID:11133-1740421800-1740429000@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-2-2020-08-31-2020-09-28-2021-06-28-2022-05-30-2022-06-27-2022-07-25-2023-03-27-2023-12-25/2025-02-24/
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:20250222T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250222T130000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20241125T170232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250217T191330Z
UID:11196-1740223800-1740229200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Teen Writing Circle with Daniel Ramirez
DESCRIPTION:Register\nLast Saturday of Every Month 11:30am-1pm cst via Zoom \nFor ages 13-19 years old \nAre you a teen who enjoys writing in their free time? Or are you someone who’s never had the chance to write on their own? If so\, this Online Teen Writing Circle is for you!  \nIn this once-a-month writing circle\, teens will enjoy writing in a judgment free zone. We’ll break the ice with one another and perform various writing exercises. You are encouraged to share your work with your peers and get constructive feedback\, but it is not required. Our only goal is to keep you writing! \nThis course is open to teen writers of any skill level. \nParticipants will leave the writing circle with:  \n\nNew\, unique written work\nListening and sharing experience\nConstructive feedback to help improve their writing\n\nWant to learn more about our Teen Writing Circle? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!\n \n\nDaniel Ramirez has been an educator for over 15 years. After studying History in grad school\, he tromped around the outdoors doing conservation with teenagers. Spending time as a Montessori educator revealed the power of incorporating creativity with learning. Encouraging youth to tap into their creative abilities convinced him to discover his own. Since then\, in addition to his original love of storytelling\, he’s found a penchant for calligraphy\, puppetry\, poetry\, and block printing. A San Antonio native\, he explores the crystalline waters of Central Texas in his free time. \n \n  \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/teen-writing-circle-2025-02-22/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Online Workshop,Workshop,Youth
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/25SP-TWC-e1739819739527.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20250128T222925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T132452Z
UID:11759-1739991600-1739997000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Octavio Quintanilla
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, Feb 19th\, 2025 via Zoom for a conversation with Octavio Quintanilla\, to discuss his new book\, Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours (University of Arizona Press); moderated by Monique Quintana.\n\n\n\n\nBrought to you by WritingWorkshops.com and Gemini Ink.\n(Virtual Readings Monthly @ 7pm CST) \nRSVP \n“‘I want to think where I’m going will be free of borders\,’ Quintanilla writes. These poems—informed by an artist’s eye\, the art shifted by a poet’s vision—refuse to ignore thresholds\, strange angles\, and blockades. We lodge in tight corners and find prayers emerge from line and shadow.”\n—Lauren Camp\, New Mexico Poet Laureate and author of In Old Sky: Poems Inspired by the Grand Canyon \n“Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours pushes against itself and ruptures the poetic grids inhabited by beasts\, storms\, scarecrows\, black cows\, neighbors digging graves at night\, and poems that dismantle the physical and psychological structure of our realities. It invites us to confront our own mortality\, and bears witness to the testimonies of rage and hope tattooed on our flesh/spirit.”\n—Elizabeth Torres\, winner of the 2022 Ambroggio Prize for Lotería: Nocturnal Sweepstakes \n“With alacrity and wit\, the poet pokes and jokes at life and the elements that make human existence a conundrum.”\n—Norma E. Cantú\, author of Chicana Portraits: Critical Biographies of Twelve Chicana Writers \nIn Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours\, Octavio Quintanilla takes us on a profound journey to witness what it means to erase those boundaries devised by genre and politics intent on stifling memory\, imagination\, and creativity. \nPresented in Spanish with English translations\, this poetry collection comprises lyric and concrete poems—or frontextos—that explore intimacy and different shades of violence as a means to reconcile the speaker’s sense of belonging in the world. From the opening poem to the last in the first section\, Quintanilla captures the perilous journeys that migrants undertake crossing borders as well as the paths that lovers forge to meet their endless longing. These themes are skillfully woven by Quintanilla\, guiding us back and forth across the Rio Grande to encounter the apparitions of the disappeared and to witness the willingness of many to risk life and limb for a better life. The second half of the collection is one long poem\, a letter addressed to a lost lover who will never get to read the speaker’s secret thoughts. Haunted by loss—of parents\, of children\, of the self—the speaker reaches an inevitable epiphany: “[A]nd sometimes it’s hard to know / on which side of the river I stand.” Stylistically\, these poems destabilize our notions and expectations of genre and lyricism. \nLas Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours is more than just an exercise in poetic virtuosity; it is an excavation into the complexities of what it means to be a human being in our contemporary world. \n\nOctavio Quintanilla is the author of the poetry collections If I Go Missing and The Book of Wounded Sparrows. He served as the 2018–2020 Poet Laureate of San Antonio\, Texas. His visual work has been exhibited in numerous spaces\, including the Mexican Cultural Institute in San Antonio\, the El Paso Museum of Art\, the Southwest School of Art\, Presa House Gallery\, the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art\, and the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center / Black Box Theater in Austin\, Texas. Octavio is the founder and director of the Literature and Arts Festival and VersoFrontera and the founder and publisher of Alabrava Press. Octavio holds a PhD from the University of North Texas and is the regional editor for Texas Books in Review. He is the recipient of the Nebrija Creadores Scholarship\, which allowed him a month-long residency at the Instituto Franklin at Alcalá University in Alcalá de Henares\, Spain. He teaches literature and creative writing in the MA/MFA program at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio\, Texas. \n\n \nModerator\nMonique Quintana is the author of Cenote City (Clash Books\, 2019). Her work  has been supported by Yaddo\, The Community of Writers\, Sundress Academy for the Arts\, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center\, and Storyknife. You can find her at moniquequintana.com
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-octavio-quintanilla/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-TBTAT-Octavio-e1738180581452.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T203000
DTSTAMP:20260626T081624
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T183627Z
UID:11145-1739989800-1739997000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans' Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veterans’ Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-02-19/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR