Oakland Library: novelist Daniel Alarcon event Saturday-007

We love you Oakland Library - Oakland Word kickoff Sat with award-winning authors; free creative writing workshops this Spring

Finally write your novel, poem, blog, essay - with the brand new **and free** Oakland Word creative writing workshops. Program jumps off this Sat, Jan. 30 at 1pm at the Oakland Public Library Main Branch, 125 14th St. Words and music by award-winning novelist DANIEL ALARCÓN, author of Lost City Radio and War by Candlelight, poet and writer TENNESSEE REED, author of Spell Albuquerque: Memoir of a “Difficult” Student and multiple poetry collections, Oakland Word instructors, LINDA GONZÁLEZ, CLAIRE LIGHT, CARRIE LEILAM LOVE and BISOLA MARIGNAY, beats by DJ MAX CHAMP

***The party is free and open to the public.***

More details from organizers:

To provoke dialogue and encourage creativity among underrepresented youths and adults, the Oakland Public Library is offering free writing workshops during the months of February and March. The program, called Oakland Word, launches Saturday, January 30, at 1 p.m. with a kick-off party at the Main Library, 125 14th Street, in Oakland.

During the first of two sessions, a variety of Oakland Word workshops will be available at three Library locations, starting February 3 and concluding March 6:

Asian Branch, 388 9th Street (238-3400)

§ Intro to Writing Short Fiction (Fridays, 4 – 5:30 pm)

§ Writing Life Stories (Saturdays, 4 – 5:30 pm)

§ Teens: Blogging 101 Seminar (one day only: Saturday, March 6, 12:30 – 3:30 pm)

Cesar E. Chavez Branch, 3301 East 12th Street, Ste. 271 (535-5620)

§ Urban Fiction: Elements of Short Story Writing (Saturdays, 2:15 – 3:45 pm)

§ Take Charge of Your Work: Career Development (Saturdays, 4 – 5: 30 pm)

Main Library, 125 145th Street (238-3134)

§ Life Stories in Poetry and Prose (Thursdays, 6 – 7:30 pm)

§ Writing and Speaking Word: Poetry and Spoken Word (Saturdays, 3:30 – 5 pm)

§ Soul Song: Song Writing Seminar (one day only: Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 – 5 pm)

§ Literature of Oakland: Reading & Writing about Oakland Public Library (Wednesdays, 6 – 7:30 pm)

§ From the Heart: Love Poetry Seminar (one day only: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2 – 5 pm)

Courses at Chávez Branch will be taught by bilingual (fluent in Spanish and English) instructors. Some Asian Branch classes will be held at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, upstairs from the Asian Branch Library, at 388 Ninth Street, Suite 290 (call Asian Branch at 238-3400 for information).

A second session will begin in March and conclude in late April (details about class offerings are forthcoming).

Oakland Word is funded by a grant from the California State Library

Anyone interested in participating in the Oakland Word writing workshops will need to register in advance. For information, call (510) 238-6572 or email theoaklandword@gmail.com. Information is also available online at http://www.oaklandword.org. For information in Spanish, call the Chávez Branch (535-5620).