Palm Springs Writers Guild upcoming events

EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPING: How to Enrich Your Setting With Emotion (Saturday, November 07, 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Announcing our upcoming

NOVEMBER 2026 Writers Panel

In-person monthly gathering. Come experience our new panel discussions and member-to-member knowledge sharing!

EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPING: How to Enrich Your Setting With Emotion.

Description:

Every writer has heard the advice to treat "setting as a character," but how do you actually make a physical landscape carry the heavy emotional lifting of a story? In this craft-focused panel, authors of fiction and memoir dismantle the static backdrops of traditional scene-building to explore how geography, sensory details, and physical constraints can mirror a protagonist’s internal chaos.

Panelists: Tanyo Ravicz, Victoria Vanransom. Moderator: Eduardo Santiago.

The meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at noon.

This event is free for all members. Registration not necessary.

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
santiagogo@aol.com

The Art of Writing for the Theatre with Luke Yankee (Saturday, November 07, 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 20:30:00 GMT

Announcing our next In-Person Workshop

The Art of Writing for the Theatre
with Luke Yankee

Luke Yankee is an award-winning playwright, director, producer, author, and educator. The son of Academy Award-winning actress Eileen Heckart, he grew up surrounded by theatre and film legends, including Marilyn Monroe, whose friendship with his mother later inspired his writing.

Trained at Juilliard, he assisted acclaimed Broadway directors Harold Prince, Ellis Rabb, and Brian Murray. He has led two regional theatres and directed productions nationwide, including CV Rep’s upcoming December production of Around the World in 80 Days.

His award-winning plays include Marilyn, Mom & Me, The Last Lifeboat, The Jesus Hickey, and The Man Who Killed the Cure. His memoir, Just Outside the Spotlight, has been praised as “one of the most compassionate, illuminating showbiz books ever written.”

Currently Head of Playwriting at Cal State Fullerton, Yankee brings decades of professional experience and practical, real-world insight to his workshops.

Presentation Overview

What makes a story come alive onstage? Join award-winning playwright, director, and author Luke Yankee for an engaging two-hour workshop. Combining hands-on writing exercises, video clips of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award–winning playwrights discussing their craft, and practical insights from his book, The Art of Writing for the Theatre, Luke will explore how to create compelling characters, sharpen dialogue, and build dramatic conflict. Whether you’re beginning your first play or looking to deepen your storytelling skills, this interactive workshop offers inspiration and practical tools for turning your ideas into theatrical moments.

Takeaways

Turn personal experiences into compelling theatre.
Create characters with clear wants and obstacles.
Build conflict through competing desires.
Write dialogue with subtext and purpose.
Find universal themes in specific stories.

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.

We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.

Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

Event Contact: Brian Rouley

Email:Brian@Rouley.com

Free Write and Mingle (Tuesday, November 10, 2026)

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 23:30:00 GMT

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:
California Bistro
69820 CA-111 (behind Willy's)
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
(760) 656-7300

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

You Should Write a Book. Okay, I’ll Help. What I wish I knew before I published two novels: (Friday, November 13, 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Announcing our next Online Lab

You Should Write a Book. Okay, I’ll Help. What I wish I knew before I published two novels:

About Byron Lane

Byron Lane is the author of the novels Big Gay Wedding and A Star Is Bored. The New York Times Book Review has called his writing "wildly funny and irreverent." He is a former assistant to actress and writer Carrie Fisher, a two-time Emmy Award winner for his work as a television news journalist, and the playwright behind the acclaimed show Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad On Craigslist. He's from New Orleans and lives in Palm Springs with his husband, The New York Times bestselling author Steven Rowley and their rescue dogs, Belle, Shirley, and Raindrop.

BYRON LANE

Description of talk:

Memoir or novel? (how to decide)

How to start (your logline is your beacon)

How to write an outline (or whatever framing is right for you)

How to make sentences jump off the page (it’s competitive out there)

How to f-ing finish it (and have the confidence to start writing query letters)

“Byron Lane’s [writing] workshop was smart, funny, and inspiring. He is an engaging presenter, and despite having taken ALL of the workshops and having read ALL of the craft books, this workshop laid out a roadmap in a way I hadn’t seen before, and that felt exciting and accessible: I left feeling like ‘I can DO that!’ I came away inspired, informed, and with some solid book recommendations, to boot. Don’t miss this opportunity!”

—STEPHANIE PASHA

Takeaways:

Find out where to start when writing your life story.
How to elevate your writing style from basic to brilliant.
Discover the "north star" of your story so you don't run astray.
Turn your writing weaknesses into strengths.
Harness your imagination into your secret weapon.

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.

Meeting begins at 1:00 p.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m.

Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

Event Contact: Ariella Moon

authorariellamoon@gmail.com

Free Write and Mingle (Tuesday, November 24, 2026)

Tue, 24 Nov 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Camaraderie, Creativity & Cocktails

Free Write and Mingle

TUESDAYS!
HOST: Eduardo Santiago

Location:
849 Restaurant
849 N. Palm Canyong Drive
Palm Springs, CA
(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

MYNEGLECTEDWEBSITE.COM (Saturday, December 05, 2026)

Sat, 05 Dec 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Announcing our upcoming

December 2026 Writers Panel

In-person monthly gathering. Come experience our new panel discussions and member-to-member knowledge sharing!

MY/NEGLECTED/WEBSITE.COM

Description:

Building a website is easy; keeping it alive without losing your sanity is the real art. Too many writers fall into the trap of pouring their energy into fickle social networks like Facebook and Instagram, letting their primary digital home collect dust. Join a panel of authors who have been in the trenches and learned how to build a thriving, secure platform on their own terms. Discover the low-effort habits that keep your site fresh and automated, protecting you from social media distraction so you can get back to what matters most: writing.

Moderator: Eduardo Santiago
Panelist: Carlotta Rinke
Maryann Ridini Spencer

The meeting begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at noon.

This event is free for all members. Registration not necessary.

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
santiagogo@aol.com

Free Write and Mingle (Tuesday, December 08, 2026)

Tue, 08 Dec 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Camaraderie, Creativity & Cocktails

Free Write and Mingle

TUESDAYS!
HOST: Eduardo Santiago

Location:
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort
45000 Indian Wells Lane
Indian Wells, CA 92210
(442) 305-4500

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

Free Write and Mingle (Tuesday, December 22, 2026)

Tue, 22 Dec 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Camaraderie, Creativity & Cocktails

Free Write and Mingle

TUESDAYS!
Host: Eduardo Santiago

Location:
California Bistro
69820 CA-111 (behind Willy's)
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
(760) 656-7300

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

Author Branding & Your Book Marketing Roadmap (Saturday, February 06, 2027)

Sat, 06 Feb 2027 20:30:00 GMT

Announcing our next In-Person Workshop

Author Branding & Your Book Marketing Roadmap

Jeniffer Thompson is an author branding coach, book marketing strategist, and publishing consultant. She co-founded Monkey C Media in 2004, an award-winning book cover and website design studio, hosts The Premise podcast, and is co-founder of the San Diego Writers Festival.

Jeniffer is passionate about helping authors establish highly visible brands. She and her husband, Chad, co-founded Monkey C Media in 2004 and have been creating award-winning book cover designs and author websites ever since. They specialize in author services that integrate digital marketing strategies and engage readers all over the world.

She is a co-founder of the San Diego Writers Festival, serves on the board of the San Diego Memoir Writers Association, and is currently writing her own coming of age memoir.

www.JenifferThompson.com

Presentation Overview:

Build a sustainable author brand that grows with you.

Book marketing isn’t just about selling books—it’s about building an audience of loyal readers and being known. In this workshop, Jeniffer shows you how to elevate your authority, design your personal brand, and increase your online visibility. You’ll leave with practical tools to build your three-year roadmap and guide your publishing career to new heights.

Takeaways:

Identify your audience and the influencers who reach them
Refine your brand story for maximum impact
Create content that builds loyalty and visibility

We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.

Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.

Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

Event Contact: Dak Kopec

Email: DakKopec@mac.com

(copy) Substack for Writers: Build Your Audience One Subscriber at a Time (Wednesday, July 28, 2027)

Wed, 28 Jul 2027 20:00:00 GMT

Announcing our next Online Lab

Substack for Writers: Build Your Audience One Subscriber at a Time

Brian Rouley is a writer, speaker, technology consultant, and Director of Programs for the Palm Springs Writers Guild. He has spent years experimenting with blogging, social media, online publishing, and digital tools that help writers reach readers. In July 2022, while living in Florida, he launched his Substack newsletter, Damn Near Perfect, beginning a four-year exploration of how writers can use the platform to publish their work, connect with readers, and build an audience. A longtime Toastmaster, Brian particularly enjoys taking technology that initially appears complicated and breaking it into practical, understandable steps. His current writing projects combine memoir, personal discovery, and artificial intelligence.

Description:

You have something to write. But how do you find people who want to read it?

Substack combines several things writers once had to manage separately: a blog, an email newsletter, a subscriber list, social networking, and, if you choose, the ability to offer paid subscriptions.

In this hands-on Online Lab, Brian Rouley will introduce Substack from a writer’s point of view. We’ll look at what the platform can do, how to get started, how writers are using it, and how to begin attracting subscribers without turning yourself into a full-time marketer.

Participants will be able to follow along as we explore the platform and begin creating or improving their own Substack presence.

Five Key Points to Take Away

Understand what Substack is and how it differs from a traditional blog, email newsletter, and social media.
Set up the essential pieces of your own Substack publication.
Learn how posts, Notes, subscribers, recommendations, and the Substack network work together.
Discover practical ways to find your first subscribers and steadily build an audience.
Leave with a simple plan for what to publish next and how to keep your Substack growing.

Location: Zoom Online Meeting

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.

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: Ariella Moon
authorariellamoon@gmail.com