About this Event
If you are like many writers, you are comfortable sitting quietly at home working on your writing projects. But when it comes to telling others about your writing projects, you recoil. Many writers shy away from marketing their books, articles, blogs, or other writing projects, sometimes using the excuse that they write strictly for themselves. However, if you are passionate about your work and believe others could be inspired by it, it behooves you to practice speaking with others about your work. As we all know, practice builds confidence. During this panel discussion, we will speak with several writers who are also Toastmasters to learn how Toastmasters has helped them write better, solicit valuable feedback on their writing, and promote their writing projects confidently.
About the participants:
Throughout her life, Erika Nomland Cilengir has incorporated writing into her personal and professional endeavors, including poetry, blogs, articles for professional and literary journals, technical manuals, training materials, and, most recently, a book – In the Shadow of a Maverick: Lessons from my Father, published in 2023. She is currently working on a second book and continues to write poetry, which has been published twice in Los Angeles City College’s annual literary journal, The Citadel. Since 2016, Erika has also been involved in Toastmasters International, serving in both club and district roles. She is currently a member of WriteOn! Toastmasters, a club for aspiring and published writers, and Professional Women Toastmasters. Her website is tea4good.org.
Kim D. Dixon is a thought leader, writer, and Distinguished Toastmaster. She is the author of Daily Praise Gratitude Journal, a guided daily journal that focuses on being in gratitude for the gift of each day. Kim joined Toastmasters in 2018, currently serves as the President of Divapreneurs Toastmasters, and is the co-founder of WriteOn! Toastmasters. Kim is the founder of Illuminate Leadership Co. and serves as Chief Leadership and Business Development Coach/Consultant. Kim believes in the proverb "Iron Sharpens Iron" and is dedicated to supporting leaders in exponential growth.
Eleanor Brownn with 2N's is the author of The Other Serenity Prayer: Meditations on Self-Kindness, a daily reader reminding women running on empty about the importance of maintaining self-compassion and self-care. With its one-life-lesson-at-a-time format, it contains Eleanor's heart-based poems, reflections, and gentle reminders for us to be kinder to ourselves. Her social media handle is @BrownnCares and her website is ebrownn.com.
Keith Jackson is a Distinguished Toastmaster and a dedicated member of Toastmasters International for more than 20 years, continually sharpening leadership and communication skills. He recently served as District 1 Director in Southern California, leading over 1,500 members across 150 clubs. In his "real" life, Keith brings more than four decades of engineering expertise and operational risk management leadership to high-risk industries worldwide. After a successful 15-year career with a major multi-national oil company, Keith founded ETEC Consulting Group, LLC in 1995 to assist petroleum and chemical companies meet federal and state OSHA and EPA regulations - reducing catastrophic risk and protecting worker safety. In his consulting role, Keith regularly produces reports of up to 500 pages for clients and state regulators. Most recently, Keith broadened his portfolio by integrating AI-driven automation technology to help corporations and non-profit organizations harness cutting-edge artificial intelligence. His focus is on enhancing organizational effectiveness and giving teams immediate access to the "knowledge of the world.”
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Village Well Books & Coffee, 9900 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, United States
USD 0.00
