Welcome Scribblers, Writers, Dreamers!
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Journal for Justice:
Empower Yourself, Your Readers, Your Characters & Your Story
with Alana Marie Garrigues
Friday, July 25, 2025 5pm - 6:30pm PST on Zoom
Journal for Justice: Empower Yourself, Your Readers, Your Characters and Your Story
Join us for a 90 minute hands-on workshop to get the creative juices flowing and engage in world building - in this world, or the one that exists only in the imagination!
Alana will share her Journal for Justice process, a few discoveries along the way, some prompts, and a real world example of her very early activism (which has inspired a children's book she's been toying with for yeeears).
Then we'll get to making together. Making time can be as quiet or chatty as participants like. At the end, there will be time to share and to ask questions.
Journal for Justice as yourself, or Journal for Justice as your character to get to know them and their world a little bit better.
Please bring a journal or some paper to write on, and a writing utensil. If you are artistically inclined in a visual manner of speaking or if you enjoy a good collage or found word session, please also bring whatever lights you up - paints, pens, markers, colored pencils, glue, magazines, etc.
You may find quotes by social justice icons helpful in preparing yourself, but I recommend that you come into the workshop with an open mind to see what develops.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ALANA GARRIGUES is an intuitive visual artist, a writer, a lover of land and trees, mama of nearly-grown identical twins, and a strong believer in multidisciplinary magic.
Home today is in Holden, Massachusetts where she tends to trees, native plants and seasonal food on a half-acre. While the woods around her are leveled and clearcut for cookie cutter development, she grieves and gardens in defiance and hope.
Art, writing, and nature have all healed, shifted, and transformed her in myriad ways, and she loves to share the beauty of creative process with others.
Alana created the Journal for Justice concept and launched it with a creative partner via Instagram in Summer 2020, after realizing how important art journaling had been for her artistic practice, her activism, and her sanity. Initially called the #40DayJournalForJustice - meant to build a habit - it has since been simplified as the Journal for Justice.
Whether a single page or a daily habit, it is a practice that shifts the creator. That is more important than any number.
Alana has presented the Journal for Justice concept in Strawberry Moon Art Journal magazine, where she co-edited the Art and Activism issue, and conducted a guest workshop at the New Hampshire Council on the Arts biannual conference.
She is also a former journalist and editor who co-created and co-facilitated the Story Sprouts series for CBW-LA alongside Nutschell.
Currently, she is opening up a FREE Patreon membership for artists and writers who want to come together in solidarity and Journal for Justice together.
Follow Alana:
https://www.instagram.com/alanaofloveandlight/
Purchase her books here:
Register for the workshop here
Whether you seek a community of like-minded authors, dream of becoming a published author, or simply want to pursue and explore your writing hobby, joining a writing group like the Children's Book Writers of Los Angeles will help you. CBW–LA offers critique groups and sessions, writing workshops, guest lectures, write-ins at local coffee shops, networking, writing support, and even publishing opportunities for our members and guests. Every month, there's something interesting on our calendar! Once you've had a look around, be sure to check out OUR NEWSLETTER at medium.com for thoughts on writing. | Upcoming events
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HISTORYAlthough the group's main focus is on writing for children, we welcome writers of all kinds, as well as those who love to read children's books. Founded in 2010, we branched out to start publishing our members in 2013 through our annual Story Sprouts Writing Day Workshop. We have two Writing Resources and Anthologies under our belt: Story Sprouts and Story Sprouts: Voice as well as a collaborative Middle Grade novel called Kayla Wayman, Teen Time Traveler: Lost in the Stream. Story Sprouts: Setting and Story Sprouts: Conflict are currently in development, as well as a yet-unnamed Middle Grade collaborative novel about a boy who gets sucked into his video game. Look for those soon. We encourage you to attend the annual workshop and buy a copy of the previous Story Sprouts; they make an excellent writing resource, brimming with high quality poetry, short fiction and nonfiction by our Story Sprouts authors. MISSION AND PURPOSEOur workshops provide tips and lessons on the craft and business of writing. You'll learn how to create characters so real, they practically jump off the page, weave storylines to make an interesting plot, revise and edit your manuscript, write and submit query letters to agents and editors, and how the publishing industry works. You can get helpful feedback on your manuscript through our critique sessions, and our creative writing sessions help in sparking the next great idea, or simply help you improve your writing skills so you can find your voice and style. MEMBERSHIP AND EVENTSEvents are open to members and non-members alike. Members get great discounts on our workshops and free access to our critique sessions. Be sure to RSVP to reserve your space at any event. We offer many takeaways and have limited space, so we want to make sure you get the most out of your experience. HOW TO JOIN(Online form currently down) To send a check, download the membership form below and mail it along with your payment to: CBW-LA
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Kayla Wayman, Teen Time Traveler: Lost in the Stream A Story Sprouts Middle Grade Collaborative Novel
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