INLANDIA INSTITUTE INC

THREE OF INLANDIA'S CORE PROGRAMS ARE YOUTH CREATIVE LITERACY AND ADULT CREATIVE LITERACY AND LITERARY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AS WELL AS THE LITERARY LAUREATE, CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON TEENS. THESE PROGRAMS SUPPORT WRITERS OF ALL LEVELS AND AGES. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS THAT RANGE FROM FREE TO MINIMAL COST. HIGHLIGHTS THIS YEAR INCLUDE INLANDIA'S JOURNALING JOURNEY FROM A TO ZINE WAS A SIX-WEEK SUMMER CAMP FOCUSED ON CREATIVITY AND NATURE FOR PRIMARY GRADES AT THE SSGT. SALVADOR J. LARA LIBRARY, LED BY YOUNG ADULT LEADERS FROM A VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS WHO LED THE CHILDREN THROUGH A WEEKLY PROGRAM THAT COMBINED NATURE WITH CREATIVE LITERACY. THE WEEKEND WRITING PROGRAM FOR TEENS AT THE RIVERSIDE PUBLIC LIBRARY, SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER? BROUGHT IN DIVERSE GUEST WRITERS FROM MANY GENRES INCLUDING JOURNALISM TO MANGA TO POETRY TO PUBLISHING, SO THAT ASPIRING YOUNG WRITERS COULD GET FIRST-HAND PROFESSIONAL LEVEL EXPERIENCE FROM WRITERS WHO LOOK LIKE THEM. OUR TEEN POET LAUREATE PROJECT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION, THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE, AND THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM, SPOTLIGHTS DOZENS OF TEEN POETS WHO EACH ARE HONORED DURING AN AWARDS CEREMONY AT RIVERSIDE CITY HALL, WITH ONE NAMED THAT YEAR'S TEEN POET LAUREATE BY A PANEL OF ESTEEMED POET JURORS. ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS INCLUDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING WRITING WARRIORS, A MEMOIR WRITING WORKSHOP FOR SENIORS, AND CARTLESS, FOR THE REGION'S UNHOUSED RESIDENTS, LED BY A FORMERLY UNHOUSED INDIVIDUAL. ADDITIONALLY WE OFFERED SPOKEN WORD, FLASH FICTION, AND POETRY WORKSHOPS, AS WELL AS THE BILINGUAL TESOROS DE CUENTOS AND ASL POETRY WORKSHOPS, AND DOES IT MAKE CENTS?, ON THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER. IN FY 2024-25, WE DELIVERED A TOTAL OF 152 SESSIONS ACROSS 17 WORKSHOPS AND 31 SESSIONS ACROSS 14 CHILDREN AND YOUTH CREATIVE LITERACY PROGRAMS.

ANOTHER OF INLANDIA'S CORE PROGRAMS IS OUR PUBLICATIONS PROGRAM WHICH AMPLIFIES THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO CALL THIS REGION HOME AS WELL AS UNDER-HEARD AND MARGINALIZED VOICES EVERYWHERE. IN THE FY 2024-25, INLANDIA BOOKS LAUNCHED MULTIPLE NEW PUBLICATIONS. IN TOTAL, WE RELEASED 8 BRAND NEW PUBLICATIONS, SEVERAL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN REPUBLISHED AS EBOOKS FOR ACCESSIBILITY. AS USUAL, WE PUBLISHED OUR YEARLY ANTHOLOGY OF READERS FROM ALL OVER THE INLAND EMPIRE. WE ALSO PUBLISHED OUR LITERARY AWARD WINNERS FOR OUR ELIUD MARTINEZ PRIZE AND HILLARY GRAVENDYK PRIZE: SEARCH PARTY, PAIN SURVEY, AND LAW OF THE LETTER. IN ADDITION, WE PUBLISHED A BOOK OF ALL RIVERSIDE, CA BASED WOMEN OVER 50 YEARS OF AGE CALLED RIVERSIDE WOMEN CREATING CHANGE. WE HAD A FEW OTHER TITLES INCLUDING RAZED AND KEEP SWEET, BOTH FICTION TITLES, THE FORMER DEALING WITH LGBTQ LOVE DURING A TUMULTUOUS TIME IN US HISTORY, AND FINALLY MEMOIR APARTNESS.