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Announcing our next Contest
Fall/Winter Contest: 2500 Words
About Submit a 2,500 words short story or chapter(s). Compete for recognition or pay extra to receive edits and written feedback from a professional editor!
PLEASE SEE THE RULES AND JUDGING CRITERIA BELOW.
We look forward to reading your entries!
Entry Submission Rules
Be sure to comply with all requirements. As with most professional writing submissions, there is no leeway on the rules. Questions? Please contact: kvhoffman@att.net.
1. Must be a member of Palm Springs Writers Guild with current, active status. 2. Entries accepted between the opening date and submission deadline posted above. 3. Please enter contest by registering online with a $40 entry fee for each entry; you can enter up to 3 times. Submit multiple entries separately. 4. Each entry is 2,500 word maximum 5. Must be submitted as a MS Word document 6. One inch margins, double-spaced 7. 12-point Times Roman or Times New Roman 8. Indented paragraphs 9. Title must be included in the document header. 10. Pagination must be included in the document footer. 11. Do not include your name anywhere on the submitted document, only in the body of your e-mail. 12. Please submit your entry as an email attachment and send it to kvhoffman@att.net, no hard copies accepted. 13. The subject line of your email will read PSWG Fall/Winter 2025 Contest submission. 14. Blind submission entries are critiqued by a professional editor. 15. For an additional $35.00 entries will be returned with edits and feedback on your story and presentation. 16. There are no refunds for this event.
Winners Will Receive
1. $45.00 and a digital laurel.
2. Announcement in Tuesday Tidings, PSWG Social Media and January Writers Forum.
Judging Criteria
Camaraderie, Creativity & Cocktails
Free Write and Mingle
TUESDAYS! HOST: Eduardo Santiago
Join fellow members to write and socialize! We will have writing prompts to spark our imagination, then transition to happy hour! Registration is not required for this free event, and please feel free to bring a guest!
Location:Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge 849 N. Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 (760) 325-8490
Registration is not required for this free event, but we'd appreciate it if you did.
Members only. Feel free to bring a guest.
Free Write begins at 3:30 p.m. Mingle begins at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. Attend either or both.
We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.
Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.
Event Contact: Eduardo Santiago (323) 377-9730 (323) 377-9730 santiagogo@aol.com
Announcing our next Online Lab
Finding Your Voice in Memoir
About Catherine Ann Jones
Catherine Ann Jones is an award-winning playwright, author and winner of a Nautilus Award with eight books published and eleven plays produced in and out of New York including Calamity Jane and The Women of Cedar Creek. As an actor she has played leading roles in over 55 plays both on and off-Broadway. As a screenwriter in Hollywood, her produced credits include The Christmas Wife (HBO), Unlikely Angel (Disney with Dolly Parton), and episodes of Touched by an Angel (CBS). She has taught writing in graduate school at New School University, NY and U.S.C., Los Angeles. She leads writing workshops in the U.S., UK, Europe, Middle East and India. For more information visit www.wayofstory.com.
Description:
Join us for the journey of memoir writing with award winning author and screenwriter Catherine Ann Jones.
Five Key Points to Take Away
Location: Zoom Online Meeting
To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.
Unable to attend, no problem, all paid registrants will receive a video replay.
You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
Event Contact: Ariella Moon authorariellamoon@gmail.com
Canapés, Cocktails & Cheer
Annual Holiday Party
Ring in the Holidays at this elegant literary cocktail party. No host bar! Appetizers will be provided by the Palm Springs Writers Guild Board of Directors.
Location:Willie's Restaurant 69830 CA-111 Rancho Mirage, CA
Members only, but each member may bring one guest. The event is free, but registration is required for catering purposes.
Party begins at 5pm And ends at 8pm
Event Contact: Eduardo Santiago santiagogo@aol.com
Announcing our upcoming
December Writers Forum
In-person monthly gathering. Come experience our new panel discussions and member-to-member knowledge sharing! THE POWER OF SETTING: HOW TO MAKE PLACE A CHARACTER IN YOUR STORIES
By thoughtfully selecting and crafting the environment of their characters, the astute author enhances plot momentum, deepens mood, and highlights theme, making the story more engaging and meaningful for readers. This skillful fusion of setting and story is a hallmark of compelling storytelling across all genres.
Expect to leave with a better understanding of the fun and function of place, location, time, and era.
Moderator: Eduardo Santiago. Presenter: Ruthie Marlenee and Eliana Tobias.
The meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at noon.
This event is free for all members. Registration not necessary.
REGISTER
We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes. Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.
Event Contact: Eduardo Santiagosantiagogo@aol.com
Announcing our next In-Person Workshop
The Forgotten Power
of Poetry
About Steven Bychyk and Joella Muncel
Steven Bychyk, a poet and film graduate from Victoria, British Columbia, channels life with Asperger’s into vivid, Jim Morrison–inspired poetry that reveals the depth and rhythm of his inner world.
Kate Spencer, a mental health professional turned poet, found creative awakening in the Mojave Desert. Writing as Joella Muncel, she explores self-discovery and authenticity through poetry, fairy tales, and The White Tigerproject.
Presentation Overview: Words have meaning, and the way those words come together is meaningful. Poetry can be written to allow readers to glimpse a world of thought and ideas that differ from their own, or it can be used as a therapeutic method that enables others to gain insight into one’s understanding of the world.
In this workshop, you will:
Hear two poems that express the inner thoughts of a person with Asperger’s syndrome.
Analyze the Power of Poetry to move the message from Story into Reality.
Discuss why the human brain loves poetry.
To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen, click, "My event registrations". Select the event and cancel registration.
Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.
Event Contact: Dak Kopec
dakkopec@mac.com
Register to display and sell your book(s)
PSWG Book Festival
Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory
About The Festival
40 published local authors will be at the Rancho Mirage Library's Community Room meeting with the public, selling and signing their books from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In a corner of the Community Room there will be an intimate circle where visitors can hear authors read a page or two from their work. During those hours, in the Conference Room, there will be panel discussions with select authors on topics regarding Historical Fiction, Memoir and TBD. .
Registration opens September 8, 2025.
To cancel your registration so someone else may register, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.
Book Festival begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 2:00 p.m., December 13, 2025.
Event Contact: President, Kristina Hoffman kvhoffman@att.net
January Writers Panel
In-person monthly gathering. Come experience our new panel discussions and member-to-member knowledge sharing! Culture Clash: Mastering Multicultural Dialogue.
Let’s say a character in your novel speaks a different language –– but your novel is in English! Wondering how to present foreign dialogue without losing readers or meaning? Join us for a fun, hands-on workshop where you’ll learn smart, effective techniques to weave multilingual or regional d ialects naturally into your story—keeping voice clear and vibrant, while avoiding confusion. ¡Komm bereit, pour écrire, y explorar, dude!
Expect to leave understanding of the best way to format foreign dialogue in novels, memoirs, and short stories.
Moderator: Eduardo Santiago. Panelists: Victoria Castillo and Glen Veccione
Breaking All The Rules?
By: Dwayne Ratleff
About Dwayne Ratleff
As a product of the segregated school system of Baltimore and a former special ed student, Dwayne never dreamed he would learn to read a book, let alone write several.
The theme of much of his writing is turning disadvantage into an advantage. One of his main mantras is, “Those who break all of the rules build, enhance, and make better all that sits still and stagnates."
Presentation Overview:
Why do we write, and who do we write for? This session explores the responsibilities writers hold to both their readers and themselves while challenging conventions with confidence. We’ll examine how to use ethnic language and dialect authentically, navigate criticism from readers of different backgrounds, and embrace writing for a smaller — but deeply connected — audience. Writers will leave with tools to break rules purposefully, respond to critique with openness, and craft stories that resonate with honesty and courage.
Takeaways:
Email: DakKopec@mac.com
