Inlandia Institute

We Are All Inlandia
Become a *Member today with every donation of $50 and up.
Visit our website for details: http://www.inlandiainstitute.org/support.php
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In 2006, Heyday published Inlandia: A Literary Journey Through California’s Inland Empire, and from that sprung our organization. No one could have predicted that that one book could bring so many together, but now, eight years later, we are a full-fledged charitable institution dedicated to the community and its literary and cultural heritage.

This past year has been one of growth and celebration. In 2013, We:

• Established a new membership program and held our first Annual Members Reception

• Launched our latest anthology, Orangelandia: The Literature of Inland Citrus, a compilation of recipes, poems, and stories by 48 contributors from throughout Inland southern California.

• Said goodbye to Literary Laureate Gayle Brandeis and hello to celebrated poet and newly-installed Literary Laureate Juan Delgado, whose Heyday/Inlandia imprint book Vital Signs won an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation shortly after his installation

• Joined forces with The Press-Enterprise to bring you the Inlandia Literary Journeys weekly column in the Life section on the Books page and associated blog and video interview series, resulting in over 300 blog posts and columns. 

Blog: localauthors.pe.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Inlandia+Literary+Journeys

• Served over 2000 children, including at-risk youth through The Women Wonder Writers program of the DA's office, resulting in a collection of written work and a public reading and discussion; and programs in Title 1 schools like Fremont Elementary, where we held a book discussion and all 200 fifth and sixth-graders received a free copy of Gayle Brandeis’ young adult novel, My Life with the Lincolns, thanks to a generous Rotary sponsorship.

• Served over 2400 adults through public outreach events like Celebrate Mount Rubidoux and the Mayor’s Celebration for Arts & Innovation, and by hosting free monthly author events during ArtsWalk at the Riverside Public Library, and writing workshops throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, including a Family Legacy Writing Workshop at the Goeske Senior Center.

• Partnered with organizations and venues such as The Press-Enterprise, the UCR Culver Center for the Arts, the Cesar Chavez Community Center, the Riverside Art Museum, The Ovitt Family Community Library in Ontario, the Feldheym Library in San Bernardino, The San Bernardino County Museum, Poets and Writers Readings/Workshops Program, Cal State San Bernardino, UC Riverside, The Pink Ribbon Place, The California Riverside Ballet/Ghost Walk Riverside, Temple Beth El, The Blood Orange Infoshop, Janet Goeske Senior Center, Cellar Door Books, Salt+Spice, Riverside East Rotary, Barnes & Noble, and The Women Wonder Writers program.

• And, one of the most exciting things this year was having esteemed attorney and local hero Arthur L. Littleworth bring us his memoir, No Easy Way: The Voluntary Integration of Riverside Schools - A Victory for Community. The launch will be in partnership with the Riverside Unified School District and the unveiling of a timeline mural dedicated to Littleworth’s life and work at Riverside Polytechnic High School as well as a rededication of the theater in Littleworth’s name. And beginning in of January 2015, thanks to a grant from Cal Humanities, Inlandia will be launching a series of public forum discussions with program partners that include the NAACP, Riverside African American Historical Society, Riverside Mexican American Historical Society, The Center for Civil Liberties and Social Justice, The Human Rights Commission, and others.

Special projects planned for 2015 include Adopt-a-School afternoon writing workshops; a Native Voices author event at the Dorothy Ramon Center featuring indigenous authors; and a new book, Empire, by photographer and essayist Lewis deSoto.

We are all Inlandia, and together we are building a community of writers and readers, working to make literature accessible to all by reaching out to underserved populations and at-risk youth. Words are what bind us all, and through fostering creative literacy and creative expression, we are shaping the future of the region, and of ourselves.

We would not exist without the generous support of people like you. Help keep the literature of the region alive and support our community of readers, writers, storytellers, and creative thinkers. Every little bit helps. Please show your support today.

 

*Memberships are non-voting.