Alta Mesa Center of the Arts 

AMCA is an interfaith arts and spirituality hub, housed and sponsored by Orinda Community Church.

Mission 

We believe that art is a spiritual act and a human right. Contained within that sentence are our two primary goals: a) to provide a place for artists to engage in the spiritual aspects of their art and for spiritual seekers to use art to deepen and discover new avenues of spiritual experience; b) to provide a place where people from diverse traditions, artistic practices, and economic realities come together in community. 

From experience we know that art can bridge the divisions, substantive and arbitrary, that divide us. We come together not only to practice and teach the arts, but to celebrate and learn from our differences and to foster lively and respectful interdisciplinary dialogues. We seek unity in diversity. We welcome professional artists, writers and musicians, experienced amateurs, hobbyists, mystics and seekers young and old. Wherever you are on your artistic and spiritual journey, whoever you are, we welcome you.  

AMCA Reading Series 

November 13, 2022 at 4:00pm (pacific) 

A reading and discussion featuring
poet, novelist, playwright and cultural worker
Jewelle Gomez 
with Joan Steinau Lester 

REGISTER HERE for this free online event! 

Alta Mesa Writers Workshops

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September 22nd
and September 29th 
6:00pm - 8:00pm
​(on Zoom)
Writing Young Characters Authentically 
With Dallas Woodburn 
​
How does one create teenage characters who feel honest and compelling to the reader? Whether writing fiction for teenagers or adults, it can be difficult to present teenage characters in an interesting and genuine way. This workshop will provide guidelines and examples, as well as writing prompts and exercises, to help writers create young characters authentically in fiction. 
 
To address this topic, we will look at examples from contemporary adult and YA fiction, delve into our own memories of childhood and adolescence through writing exercises, and discuss the boundary between young adult fiction and adult fiction featuring teen characters.
 
CLICK HERE: to learn more and to SAVE YOUR SPOT