Writers of Kern

Everything Writers Need | Writers of Kern

Nonfiction

November Featured Speaker – Kathleen M. Kline

By Leave a Comment

Workshop Title: Presentation Matters!

 

Want to make a good first impression with your manuscript? Professional presentation matters when submitting your work to agents, publishers, or contests.

Join us at the November WOK meeting as Kathleen M. Kline, a professional journalist, author, editor, formatter, and publisher with more than 35 years of experience, shares how to professionally format your manuscript for submission.

Kathleen’s Bio:
Kathleen M. Kline has been putting words to paper and screen since Oct. of 1991. Her craft has taken shape, grown and expanded from the newspaper and magazine industries to the book, booklet, teaching, coaching and publishing arenas. This self-starter began learning with Writer’s Digest magazine’s teachings and then added her university education which led to industry training and experience to her growing craft. She coaches internationally and enjoys encouraging writers and aspiring authors in and around her community as well as her expanded community world-wide.

Website: https://DragonflyEditingAndPublishing.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kathleen.klinelivingston
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DragonflyEditingAndPublishing
TikTok – @KathleenMKline
Instagram – TheKathleenKline
Substack – Kathleen.Dragonfly

Meeting on Saturday, November 21, 2026
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

 

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.

Fall Writing Contest 2026

By Leave a Comment

Fall Writing Contest

The topic this year is “Generations.” This can refer to family or societal generations, or the concept of producing or creating something (like with technology or energy, etc.). You may write about one, or more than one.*

One submission to the contest per person.

Word count is up to 1,200. Poetry, essay, or fiction. Please use a Word document with no names or other identifying marks. Use Times New Roman, 12pt font, double-spaced, and use the attachment function to send your submission. 

Submissions will be blind judged on the setting, originality, style (including grammar and spelling), voice, character development, and storyline. The rubrics used to judge the submissions can be found here: Rubrics

Submissions will be accepted September 15, 2026 through November 15, 2026. Submissions received before or after those dates will not be accepted. During that time period, please send your submission to Sandy Moffett; sm@sandymoffett.com 

Prizes will be awarded at the December meeting.

* Submissions will only be accepted from currently paid Members of Writers of Kern.

April Featured Speaker – Tina Hogan Grant

By

Workshop Title: Workshop for Indie Authors

Square event flyer for the Writers of Kern April 2026 meeting featuring speaker Tina Hogan Grant. All event details are listed in the main body text below.

Planning to publish your book? Learn the essential steps authors should take before publication—from building exposure while writing to understanding publishing choices, distribution options, and key marketing considerations.

This session condenses three of the speaker’s indie author workshops into an hour and fifteen minutes, focusing on the most important steps authors should take before publishing a book.

The presentation will address building exposure while the book is still being written, along with the importance of establishing an author website and maintaining a social media presence. It will also explore the publishing choices available to authors, including the decision between publishing wide or enrolling in Kindle Unlimited exclusivity, and how to avoid vanity publishers.

The session will also discuss distribution options, including the role IngramSpark can play, and considerations surrounding ISBN choices. Time permitting, Tina will touch on some of the ongoing challenges of marketing a book and highlight several key factors authors should keep in mind.

As time allows, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions or request additional clarification on specific topics.

Tina’s Bio:

Award-winning author Tina Hogan Grant was born in England and moved to the U.S. in 1979. She spent a decade as a commercial fisherwoman on the southern California coast before retiring to the mountains, where she and her husband built their own dream home. Tina writes women’s fiction, family sagas, small-town rural stories, and romance series—all with strong female leads who know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it. Her writing blends emotional depth, suspense, and heartfelt relationships, drawing inspiration from her own adventurous life.

Awards:

The Reunions – Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Award, Best Fiction Adventure (2021)
Better Endings – Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Award, Best Fiction Adventure (2020)

Website: https://tinahogangrant.com
Facebook Group: “Read More Books” https://www.facebook.com/groups/tinahogangrant
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Tina.Hogan.Grant.Author/
Instagram: @tina_hogan_Grant
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tinahgrant
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tinahogangrant/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18477671.Tina_Hogan_Grant

Meeting on Saturday, April 18, 2026
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.

February Featured Speaker – Robert Petersen

By

Workshop Title: Turning Local History Into Compelling Storytelling

Square event flyer for the Writers of Kern February 2026 meeting featuring speaker Robert Petersen. All event details are listed in the main body text below.

What if some of your most compelling story ideas are already waiting where you live?

Notorious Bakersfield began as a passion project fueled by Robert Petersen’s love of true crime and local history. In this talk, he’ll explore how revisiting forgotten headlines became a way to tell meaningful stories, preserve local memory, and find a unique narrative voice by writing about the place he knows best.

Attendees will learn how real events—especially those drawn from history and true crime—can be shaped into responsible, engaging stories without sensationalism. The session also offers a practical look at how personal curiosity can become an ongoing creative project, developed one story at a time.

Perhaps most importantly, this talk gives writers permission to begin. You don’t need special credentials, a large platform, or a perfect plan to tell meaningful stories. You just need curiosity, attention, and the willingness to start—right where you are.

Robert’s Bio:

Robert Petersen is a Bakersfield native who spent much of his childhood living abroad after his family moved overseas when he was five. Though he lived in several countries, Bakersfield was always home, with summers spent returning before his family resettled permanently in the mid-1980s. During the COVID pandemic, Robert began reading archived issues of The Bakersfield Californian, discovering forgotten stories about his hometown. That curiosity led to the launch of the Notorious Bakersfield podcast in June 2021 and the publication of two companion books in 2023 and 2024.

Notorious Bakersfield website: https://www.notoriousbakersfield.com

Meeting on Saturday, February 21, 2026
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.

January Featured Speaker – Baylie Jett Mills

By

Workshop Title: The Stories We Carry – Turning Memory into Creative Fiction and Nonfiction

Square event flyer for the Writers of Kern January 2026 meeting. The speaker at this meeting will be Baylie Jett Mills. All event details are listed in the main body text below.

Our memories hold powerful stories. At this meeting, we will explore techniques for using personal memories to craft compelling creative fiction and nonfiction.

Many of us love to tell stories based on our memories, so why not use those memories to craft compelling creative fiction and nonfiction? Using your own memories as fuel for stories can help guide you toward realistic dialogue and actions while providing you with the basis for plot ideas. There is no rule that you have to use your experiences to write nonfiction; thus, memories can be a great springboard to write autobiographical fiction.

In this discussion, I will be providing techniques to utilize memories for creative story writing. I have been a creative writer my whole life, but as an undergrad and graduate student, I have studied creative writing and participated in various creative writing workshop groups that have helped me hone my technique as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Through my discussion and upcoming Levan Institute class, I hope to help others discover seeds for stories using their own life experiences. Be sure to bring a pen and paper to the discussion so you can take part in some writing activities!

Baylie’s Bio:

Baylie Jett Mills graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University, earning a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing and minors in communication studies and legal studies. She recently earned an MA in English with an American literature concentration and is currently pursuing a PhD in English literature and criticism. Baylie is the author and illustrator of The Adventures of Max children’s book series. She has also had work published in Western American Literature, Sigma Tau Delta Review, WORDY by Nature, Harbinger: A Journal of Art and Literature, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. 

In addition, later in January, Baylie will be teaching a course at the Levan Institute. The class name is: WRITING: HARNESSING MEMORIES FOR CREATIVE STORY WRITING
Levan Institute Class Description: Many of us love to tell stories based on our memories, so why not use those memories to craft compelling creative fiction and nonfiction? This class will teach you how to utilize a variety of craft techniques using your own memories as fuel. Each class will begin with a discussion of creative writing craft concepts. There will be short in-class writing exercises, breakout room activities, and short take-home readings and writing activities that will be discussed during class. Students will receive instructor feedback on their writing and, in the spirit of a workshop setting, students will share constructive feedback with one another. Registration for Spring 2026 will open Monday, January 12, 2026 at 10 a.m.  Register here: https://levan.asapconnected.com/#CourseID=321168

Writers of Kern Meeting on Saturday, January 17, 2025
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.