Every February, I make a solo trip to San Diego to wrap myself in the warm community that is the Writer’s Symposium By-the-Sea, in Pt. Loma.
The Writer’s Symposium, hosted by Pt. Loma Nazarene College for 31 years, comes together via a collaboration of many SD entities, including Warwick’s Books, LaPlaya Books, The San Diego Union-Tribune, KPBS, and PLNU.
I found the Writer’s Symposium about four years ago, through a non-profit called San Diego Writers, Ink. This 501(c)(3) is dedicated to helping people like me. SDWI offers highly affordable classes, workshops, readings, programs, etc., all aimed squarely at supporting the writing community, not just in San Diego, but far beyond. In fact, I live in Northern California. Still, when I stumbled upon this non-profit’s promotion of the Writer’s Symposium event years ago, and saw not only the hard-to-beat ticket prices, but that it was being held in my former neighborhood, I didn’t hesitate to register for PLNU’s event.
The speakers at this event never disappoint. This year, I’ll be attending Judy Woodruff’s talk as well as Jamaica Kincaid’s. Tickets were under $25; link below.
Over the years, as a member of SDWI for a few dozen dollars a year, I have taken advantage of several classes and webinars and even found an affordable editor to evaluate my work and assist with reorganizing my manuscript. For professional writers and editors like me, or newcomers trying to break into or get around a literary career, I highly recommend SDWI.
Help spread the word if you know a writer who needs supportive resources. Here is a link to San Diego Writers, Ink: https://writeyourstorynow.org.
You can find all of the details and links to Writer’s Symposium-By-the-Sea here: pointloma.edu/2026writers. This year, the event is Feb. 24-27. Believe it or not, there are some affordable hotels if you are willing to stay outside the lovely bubble that is Pt. Loma, though I have found some inexpensive, perfect-for-one-person AirBnB accommodations in Pt. Loma and Ocean Beach, in the past. There seem to be fewer options this year; perhaps SD has been cracking down on short-stay rentals. Nevertheless, I recommend checking out Mission Valley hotels or downtown options outside the typical Convention Center neighborhood(s) that can be overpriced.
Leave a Reply