Upcoming Events
- 19 September 2026 | Todd Ramsay | Screenplay or Novel – How Each Can Benefit from the Other
- 17 October 2026 | Lisa-Behrens Smith | Beyond the Book Table: The Author Event Playbook
- 21 November 2026 | Mary Langer Thompson (tentatively) | How to Write a Flash Fiction Story of 1,000 Words or Less
- 28 November 2026 | Holiday Writers Row Outdoor Book Fair | Local Authors, Local Voices
- 19 December 2026 | Winter Holiday Breakfast | No speaker, just fun!
Past Events
- 15 August 2026 | Kathleen Kline | To Use a Nom de Plume/Pen Name or Not
- 18 July 2026 | Jennette Green | How to Create Characters Readers Care About
- 20 June 2026 | Theresa Simms | Navigating Instagram and Canva
- Writers of Kern Anthology 2026 Submissions March 15, 2026 – May 31, 2026
- 16 May 2026 | May Awards Breakfast | No speaker, just fun!
- 9 May 2026 | Writers Row: Meet the Makers | Event
- 9 May 2026 | Writers Row: Meet the Makers, Author and Vendor Information
- April Poetry Month Contest | Submissions accepted from April 1-30, 2026
- Peggy Connelly Scholarship | Submissions accepted from April 1-30, 2026
- 18 April 2026 | Tina Hogan-Grant | Workshop for Indie Authors
- 21 March 2026 | Spring Conference | Tom Foley (Anybody Can Write a Book), Rebecca Langston-George (How to be a Scrappy Little Writer and Pursue all the Publication Paths), and Mary Anne Em Radmacher (The Long and Short of IT and the Place Where Power Waits)
- 21 February 2026 | Robert Petersen | Turning Local History into Compelling Storytelling
- 17 January 2026 | Baylie Jett Mills | The Stories We Carry – Turning Memory into Creative Fiction and Nonfiction
- 20 December 2025 | Winter Holiday Breakfast | No speaker, just fun!
- 15 November 2025 | Beth Brookhart | The Long Journey – From Journalist to Published Fiction
- 18 October 2025 | Jenna Brandt | Marketing for Indie Authors
- 20 September 2025 | Lisa-Behrens Smith | Pull It Out of Your Life – Overcoming Writer’s Block
- 16 August 2025 | Dan Bronson | This Writer’s Journey
- 19 July 2025 | Mary Beth O’Connor | Memoir Writing Fundamentals
- 28 June 2025 | Robert A. Lane | Art of Audiobook Narration (and Marketing)
- 17 May 2025 | May Awards Breakfast | No speaker, just fun!
- April Poetry Month Contest | Submissions accepted from April 1-30, 2025
- Peggy Connelly Scholarship | Submissions accepted from April 1-30, 2025
- 19 April 2025 | Michele Drier | Adding Tension to Your Work
- 15 March 2025 | Spring Conference | Yumi Tomita (How to Unleash Your Creativity with Music and Imagination), Matt Woodman ((Not) Just the Facts: Writing the Scientific Poem), and Jenna Brandt (Marketing for Indie Authors)
- 15 February 2025 | Featured Speaker: Terry Willey | Artificial Intelligence for Creatives
- 11 January 2025 | Featured Speaker: Carla Martin | A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words
- 14 December 2024 | Holiday Dinner | No speaker, just fun!
- 16 November 2024 | Featured Speaker: David Wolf | “I Object!”
- Fall Writing Contest | Submissions accepted from October 1-31, 2024
- 19 October 2024 | Featured Speaker: Jenna Brandt | Writing to Market
- 21 September 2024 | Featured Speakers: Carla Stanley, Jennette Green | Git’er Done: Brainstorming the Writing Process
- 17 August 2024 | Featured Speakers: Larry Hanson, Gay Chambers | My Writing Journey
- 20 July 2024 | Featured Speaker: Andrew Roth | Audiobooks and the Western Genre
- 15 June 2024 | Upcoming WOK Board Elections | Details Here
- 15 June 2024 | Featured Speaker: Jason Cipriano | How to self-publish Effectively
- 18 May 2024 | WOK Honors Dinner 2024 | Details Here
- 12 April 2024 | Peggy Connelly Scholarship Contest 2024 | Details Here
- 20 April 2024 | Featured Speaker: Carla Stanley | The Art of Writing Great Memoir
- 16 March 2024 | 2024 Spring Conference | EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
- 17 February 2024 | Featured Speaker: Phyllis Wachob | Developing a Unique Writing Voice and Exploring Points of View
- 20 January 2024 | Featured Speaker: Kathleen Kline | Promoting Fiction in Today’s Tech-Savy World
- 16 December 2023 | WOK Winter Holiday Dinner | Details Here
- 18 November 2023 | Featured Speaker: Nancy Ellen Dodd | Spark: Learning the Process
- 21 October 2023 | Featured Speaker: Jenny Margotta | Effective Self-Editing
- 16 September 2023 | Featured Speaker: Tracy Kelly | Writing Your Legacy
- 19 August 2023 | Featured Speaker: Matthew Woodman | The Poetries of Inner Geographies
- 15 July 2023 | Featured Speaker: Joan Raymond | Creating Memorable Characters
- 30 June 2023 | Free Membership for a Year | Details Here
- 17 June 2023 | Featured Speaker: Mike Apodaca | Do The Twist: How To Create A Great Ending
- 12 June 2023 | WOK Board Elections (Members-Only Vote) | Details Here
- 20 May 2023 | WOK Honors Dinner 2023 | Details Here
- 15 April 2023 | Featured Speaker: Jenny Margotta | Writing Incredible Dialogue
- 20 March 2023 | 2023 Peggy Connelly Scholarship | Deadline & Details Here
- 18 March 2023 | 2023 Spring Conference | Details Here
- 18 February 2023 | Featured Speaker: Jim Grayson | Storytelling: Fitting the Pieces Together
- 13 February 2023 | 2023 Annual Dan McGuire Blog Challenge! | Details Here
- 21 January 2023 | Featured Speaker: Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner | Find Your Writing Voice
- 17 December 2022 | Holiday Dinner
- 19 November 2022 | Featured Speaker: Joan Raymond | Crush Imposter Syndrome and Start Writing!
- 15 October 2022 | Featured Speaker: Mike Apodaca | Do the Twist
- 17 September 2022 | Featured Speaker: Carla Marting | A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
- 20 August 2022 | Featured Speaker: Cyn Bermudez | In Verse: Building Stories in Tiny Spaces
- 16 July 2022 | Featured Speaker: Donnée Patrese | The Page Turner Method
- 18 June 2022 | Featured Speaker: Aimee Liu | Gaining Substance by Composing in Layers
- 21 May 2022 | Featured Speaker: Michelle Cruz Gonzales I Inclusive Characterization: Writing ‘the other’ without Stereotypes or Appropriation
- 09 April 2022 | Peggy Connelly Scholarship Deadline
- 16 April 2022 | Featured Speaker: Deborah A. Lott | Writing Childhood
- 19 March 2022 | Spring Conference | Peter Clines, Susanne Dietze, Portia Choi | Flyer
- 19 February 2022 | Clarissa Kae | Feed Your Passion and Your Pocket Book (Link will open a PDF)
- 07 February 2022 | 2022 Annual Dan McGuire Blog Challenge
- 13 January 2022 | Book Club: Dog Years (A Memoir) by Mark Doty
- 15 January 2022 | Featured Speaker: Cat Rambo | Getting to the Heart of the Story
- 1 December 2021 | Winter Dinner at Hodel’s
- 20 November 2021 | Featured Speaker: Lucy A. Snyder | And Then The Murders Began – Watch the video here
- 15 November 2021 | Fall Writing Contest
- 11 November 2021 | Book Club:10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak
- 16 October 2021 | Featured Speaker: Mika McKinnon | Writing Science in your Fiction, Nonfiction, and Beyond – Watch the video here
- 18 September 2021 | Featured Speaker: Henry Barajas | La Voz de M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo – Watch the video here
- 9 September 2021 | Book Club: The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett
- 6 September 2021 | Members Only: Open Mic Monday Night
- 28 August 2021 | Featured Speaker: Cecil Castellucci | Heroes and Villains – Watch the video here
- 17 July 2021 | Featured Speaker: Nancy Ellen Dodd | Story + Character Arcs = Tension | Part One – Watch the video here & Part Two – Watch the video here
- 19 June 2021 | Featured Speaker: Brendan Constantine | “The Art of Getting It Wrong” | Board Elections | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 7 June 2021 | Members Only – Open Mic Monday Night | WOK members watch for an email invitation
- 15 May 2021 | WOK Recognition | Featured Speaker: Evan Gow | “Zero to 1,000+ Mailing List Subscribers” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 13 May 2021 | Members Only – Book Club | WOK members watch for email invitation
- 3 May 2021 | Members Only – Open Mic Monday Night | WOK members watch for an email invitation
- 1 – 30 April 2021 | National Poetry Month | WOK Poetry Slam | See Blog
- 17 April 2021 | Featured Speaker: Dean James (Pen name: Miranda James) | “How to Kill People for Fun and Profit” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- Applications for the Peggy Connelly Scholarship Acceptance period closed for 2021
- 5 April 2021 | Members Only – Open Mic Monday Night | WOK members watch for an email invitation
- 20 March 2021 | Featured Speaker: Mara Purl | “Giving Your Book a Voice: Audio Book Production and Distribution” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 11 March 2021 | Members Only – Book Club | WOK members watch for email invitation
- 1 March 2021 | Members Only – Open Mic Monday Night | WOK members watch for an email invitation
- 20 February 2021 | Featured Speaker: Leslie Zampetti (Literary Agent) | “Finding the Right Agent” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 7 February 2021 | Registration Deadline for the 2021 Annual Dan McGuire Blog Challenge | Details Here
- 1 February 2021 | Members Only – Open Mic Monday Night | WOK members watch for an email invitation
- 16 January 2021 | Featured Speakers: Bill and Mia Belew | “How to Find and Engage With Readers For Your Books” |Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 14 January 2021 | Writers of Kern Book Club – Virtual Meeting | WOK members watch for an email invitation | Details Here
- 4 January 2021 | Members Only – Open Mic Monday Night | WOK members watch for an email invitation
- 19 December 2020 | WOK Annual Winter Meeting | Members Only – BYOB (Bring Your Own Brunch | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 7 December 2020 | Members Only – Open Mic Mondays
- 21 November 2020 | Featured Speaker Jack Peters | “The Goldfish That Barked: Seven Actions to Distinguish Yourself for Success” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 2 November 2020 | Members Only – Open Mic Mondays | Details Here
- 17 October 2020 | Featured Speaker Alia Volz | “Memoir: The Art of Questioning Everything” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 5 October 2020 | Members Only – Open Mic Mondays
- 1 September to 30 September 2020 | WOK Fall Writing Contest | Count Your Blessings Theme
- 19 September 2020 | Featured Speaker Leslie Budewitz | “Building Character” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 1 July to 31 August 2020 | WOK Anthology Call for Submissions | Details Here
- 15 August 2020 | Featured Speaker Dr. Christina Gessler | “Funds for Writers: How to Apply for Grants, Residencies, Scholarships, and Fellowships” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 18 July 2020 | WOK Annual Conference | Details Here
- 20 June 2020 | Featured Speaker Judy Billingsley | “Tips on Researching, Writing, and Publishing Your Family Legacy.” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 16 May 2020 | Featured Speaker Annis Cassells | “Journaling For Life” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 10 February 2020 through 10 May 2020 |Annual Dan McGuire Blog Challenge! | Details Here
- 18 April 2020 | Featured Speaker Cyn Bermudez | “Surviving the Slush Pile” | Virtual Meeting – Watch the video here
- 21 March to 11 April, 2020 | Annual Peggy Connelly Scholarship Opportunity
- 31 March 2020 |Last day for Poetry Submissions for National Poetry Month on the WOK Website | Details Here
- 20 February 2020 | Poetry Submissions for National Poetry Month on the WOK Website accepted | Details Here
- 15 February 2020 | Featured Speaker Jamie Hoang | 30-Day Publishing Planner | Details Here
- 9 February 2020 | Registration Deadline for the Annual Dan McGuire Blog Challenge | Details Here
- 18 January 2020 | Featured Speaker Brent Gill | “How to Market Your Book Without Using Social Media” | Details Here
- 14 December 2019 | Winter Dinner | Details Here
- 8 December 2019 | Jenny Estes Book Signing & WOK Bookfair Fundraising Event | Details Here
- 16 November 2019 | WOK Writer Day | Details Here
- 16 November 2019 | Featured Speaker: Cyn Bermudez | Writing for the Reluctant Reader | Details Here
- 19 October 2019 | Featured Speaker Nancy Ellen Dodd | Writing Dialogue | Details Here
- Deadline 30 September 2019 | Fall Writing Contest
- 21 September 2019 | Featured speaker Mandy Wallace | 5 Steps to Beat Writers Block | Details Here
- 17 August 2019 | Featured Speaker Catherine Hodges | “Craft Talk: Georgia (O’Keeffe) on My Mind” | Details Here
- 20 July 2019 | Featured Speaker Robert Scott Kimsey | Intellectual Property for Writers | Details Here
- 15 June 2019 | Featured Speaker, Author Esther Hatch – The Pros & Cons for Small Press Publishing | Details Here
- 18 May 2019 | Annual Celebration | WOK Honors Dinner | Details Here
- 4 February thru 29 April 2019 | Dan McGuire Blog Challenge | Details Here | List of participants to read
- Month of April 2019 | National Poetry Month WebPoetrySlam | Details Here
- 13 April 2019 | Featured Speaker, Jeanne De Vita – aka The Book Genie | Details Here
- 16 March 2019 | Spring Conference | Details Here
- 16 February 2019 | Writing Comedy for TV, Movies, or Stage | Details Here
- 19 January 2019 | Identifying & Engaging Your Audience | Details Here
- 8 December 2018 | Annual Winter Dinner | Details Here
- 17 November 2018 | Suspense Tips from a Crime Novelist | Details Here
- 31 October 2018 | Young Writers of Kern Essay Competition Deadline | Details Here
- 20 October 2018 | Learn to Sell the Sizzle with Relationship Expert’s Tips | Details Here
- 30 September 2018 | Fall Writing Contest Deadline | Details Here
- 27-29 September 2018 | Central Coast Writers Conference
- 15 September 2018 | How to Create Three-Dimensional Characters
- 18 August 2018 | Self-Publishing Made Simple
- 21 July 2018 | Crafting the Perfect Pitch