Upcoming IWOSC Events
for Independent Writers
Monthly General Meeting/Panel Discussion:
PLAY WRITING: It’s Not Just for Kids Anymore
Monday, June 24
7:30 SHARP to 9 p.m.
A varied but distinct discipline, play writing is a good exercise for any writer. The restrictions and opportunities are a good exercise, and if you want to develop natural dialog, this is a good way to perfect it. Aside from the exercises inherent in the form, it is particularly rewarding to see your works performed in readings or staged productions. But how do you get this work conceptualized, written, polished, produced, and published?
Read more about it.
Free for IWOSC members
$15 non-members
Monthly Seminar:
Crafting The Short Story – in Two Parts, June 15 and July 20, 2013
with Presenter Peter A. Balaskas
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
PART 1 on Saturday, June 15:
Peter Balaskas will discuss the craft of short story writing, the importance of writing cogently for brevity and impact, and various critical elements of this special writing genre. In a nutshell: What do I as an editor look for when publishing short stories in published anthologies?
The June 15 seminar will be divided into two halves. In the first half, Peter will discuss the CREATIVE aspects of short story writing: plot, styles, themes, etc. In the second half, after the break, he will discuss the BUSINESS aspects of short story writing: where to submit work, how to find trustworthy editors, how to write cover letters when submitting your work, etc.
PART 2 on Saturday, July 20 :
Strictly a writer's workshop, where Peter will teach and moderate. Everyone brings 5 pages of material. Peter will give an introduction of the seminar, explain critiquing rules. Followed by individuals reading excerpts of their work, to be critiqued by the participants.
You can take either Part 1 (June 15) or Part 2 (July 20), or both for a reduced rate. See Read more about it.
Read more about it.
IWOSC Reads Its Own
Sunday July 14, 2013
2 to 4 p.m.
Join us for a spellbinding afternoon of eclectic, eccentric, and exemplary works — from poems to true stories to hilarious monologues and beyond, read aloud by distinguished IWOSC scribes. We’ll be regaled with their wit, have our emotions stirred, or be plunged into deep thought as these talented member writers read short excerpts from their published, unpublished, or in-progress works at the beautiful independent bookstore, Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California.
We'll announce our selected readers as we set the line-up.
Free to all
Plenty of parking on Colorado and neighboring streets.
Read more about it.
Satellites Informal sessions
IWOSC's monthly drop-in satellite sessions are free and open to all writers both members and non-members.
Bring your writing, your ideas, problems, questions, and complaints. Receive support, laughs, juicy controversy, and plenty of networking.
Pasadena/Altadena Satellite
Upcoming meetings:
Friday, June 14
Friday, July 12
Friday, August 9
Friday, September 13
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Free to all
Non-members welcome!
Join writers in the San Gabriel Valley area for an active exchange of ideas at The Coffee Gallery. This is always a joint meeting of the IWOSC Pasadena Satellite and the Alameda Writers Group SIG. We thank Jane Neff Rollins for her support with this satellite.
Details
South Bay Satellite
IWOSC's South Bay Satellite is for writers in Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo — anywhere the ocean meets the shore in California. This group gets together on the third Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Marmalade Cafe in El Segundo.
Upcoming meetings:
Tuesday, June 18
Tuesday, July 16
Tuesday, August 20
Tuesday, September 17
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Free to all
Non-members welcome!
Location:
Marmalade Cafe
2014 Park Place, El Segundo
Details
West Valley (Woodland Hills/SFV) Satellite
Upcoming meetings:
Wednesday, June 12
Wednesday, July 10
Wednesday, August 14
Wednesday, September 11
Time: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Free to all
Non-members welcome!
The West Valley (Woodland Hills/SFV) Satellite meets monthly at Marie Callendar's each 2nd Wednesday at 10 a.m. offering writers a chance to participate in a free-flowing exchange of ideas about their work and the writing business.
Location:
Marie Callendar's
14743 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(between Van Nuys Bl and Kester)
Details
Ventura County Satellite
Upcoming meetings:
Thursday, June 13
Thursday, July 11
Thursday, August 8
Thursday, September 12
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
$2 per person
Non-members welcome!
IWOSC's Ventura County Satellite meets on the 2nd Thursday and is hosted by Dawn Wood.
Details and RSVP
Westside Satellite
Upcoming meetings:
Thursday, June 13
Thursday, July 11
Thursday, August 8
Thursday, September 12
Time: 10 to 11:30 a.m.
There is a fee of $3 per meeting, which goes to charity. Non-members welcome!
IWOSC's Westside Satellite meets on the 2nd Thursday at the Santa Monica Bay Woman's Club. Vickey Kalambakal hosts.
Details and RSVP
Orange County Satellite
Upcoming meetings:
Thursday, June 20
Thursday, July 18
Thursday, August 15
Thursday, September 19
Time: 7 p.m.
Free to all
Non-members welcome!
The opportunity to meet fellow Orange County, California writers is brought to you by host Kurt Bensworth at the Tustin Library on the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Details
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Special IWOSC events
In addition to producing our own events for Southern California writers, we also participate in other writer-related events.

PIPW WRITERS’ WEEKEND: GLENDALE
Independent Writers of Southern California is pleased to be a co-sponsor of the Pacific Institute for Professional Writing Writer's Weekend: Glendale, offering IWOSC members at special discount.
JULY 20 & 21, 2013
Glendale College
Two Days of Education for Writers of Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, and Memoir.
Eight information-packed seminars over two days will feature leading Southern California publishing professionals discussing today’s hot topics.
Speakers include: literary agents, publishers, book publicists, published authors, social media experts, editors, writing instructors, and more.
Day One — Saturday, July 20:
The Business of Writing
- Book promotion today—what’s working best
- How to build your Author’s Platform
- Why some books sell and others don’t
- Learn how to write the perfect pitch
Day Two Sunday, July 21:
The Craft of Writing
- Master self-editing skills — a workshop
- Write the selling memoir
- Women writing about women for women
- How to avoid the 3 Big Rejections - a workshop with Shelly Lowenkopf
If you are a IWOSC member, here is how to receive your discount:
1)
Email the IWOSC office (info at iwosc.org) to receive that code.
2) Go to event's registration page and click the orange IWOSC button. Next, you'll enter your discount code and proceed to register.
Discounts apply to Weekend, One-Day, and Session passes.
Valid through June 24.
View all sessions and speakers at: PIPWWritersWeekend.com
LitFest Pasadena 2.0
On Saturday, May 11, 2013 IWOSC participated in the second annual LitFest Pasadena at Central Park in Old Town Pasadena.
LitFest Pasadena is a celebratory day of readings and panel discussions featuring well-known California authors, hands-on activities, gourmet food trucks, and great fun — all promoting the literary arts.
LitFest Pasadena 2.0 featured over 75 authors, storytellers, performers, and exhibitors creating a day that explored an eclectic mix of subjects such as Southern California surf culture, local history, children’s and young adult literature, and more.
See litfestpasadena.org for details.
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
IWOSC was proud to once again be a participant of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the USC university park campus the weekend of April 20-21, 2013. Admission is always free and it's a fabulous community event.
If you met us there and weren't yet a member of our writer's group, we hope you'll come join us at one of our upcoming meetings. If you are a member of IWOSC, we hope you came and said hello.
IWOSC-related events
UCLA Extension
Writers’ Program
The UCLA Extension Writers' Program is the nation's largest university-related writing program (more than 500 courses annually, with over 140 courses online). Complete info at the program's site.
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For some extra fun for writers, we're sharing a word of the day here.
~ Interested in learning it?
~ Think you know it?
Click the word to open a new window/tab to see, hear, or learn.
It's always nice to build some new pathways in your brain.
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News & Reminders!
IWOSC's Online Community
Join us in our Yahoo! Group and access the message board, calendar, links library and more. You'll have to register if you're not already a Yahoo! member.
IWOSC Events Mailing List
To get on the mailing list for all IWOSC events, send us an email with the subject: subscribe me to the events list.
NOTE: If you have a blocker such as Boxbe, please add iwosc-news(at-sign)iwosc.org to your OK list or we'll be plagued by rejection notes — and you won't receive the mailings.
IWOSC Meetings To Go
Couldn't attend an event? Be there with an audio recording of it! View our list of available events and purchase your tape today!
Easy Payment via Paypal
You can make reservations for selected seminars and pay for your membership at Paypal. Make payment to payiwosc(atsymbol)iwosc.org.
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