There are two ways characters show up in a story: through their actions and their words. Let’s talk about how to make music out of communication, balance what people say and do, and really learn how to tell a story out of speech alone, so we can be composers when the story calls upon us.

Writers Workshop: Dialogue
Sunday, November 9th, 2025
4pm - 6pm
Little Bird Brewing
3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 230-5445
$40 public / Free to Members at the Dude For All Seasons $25+ tier
Reserve your seat!

Yeah, no, I'm good. The path to good intentions sure is looking thin on boundaries. Come tell us about the time you had to put your foot down for your own sanity.

Long Story Short: Thanks, but No Thanks
Thursday, November 6th
7pm - 9pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn Street, San Diego, CA 92104
$10

***Submissions due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, September 3rd*** - SUBMIT HERE.

For the spooky season, So Say We All is going full Scooby-Doo Gang with eerie, mysterious, and spine-tingling tales of who or what is exactly behind the mask. The old inn keeper who would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids? Your anti-vaxxing relative with a ghoulish conspiracy from the dark web? Or perhaps it's the everyday hero or villain inside us all. Take it off and reveal everything!

October LA VAMP: Unmasked
Wednesday, October 15th 2025
7pm - 9pm
The Hotel Cafe - 2nd Stage
1623 North Cahuenga Boulevard Los Angeles, CA, 90028 United States
Price: $25
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If you’ve been sitting around with the burning urge to write, maybe even with a few ideas for stories cooking in the bag, but are struggling with getting started, then we have a class for you. This generative crash course will help you start your story from a well-planned place. We’ll share some hard-earned tips and tricks of the trade and break open the pages together. You’ll leave with the start of something and the path to finish it, we guarantee it.

Writers Workshop: Getting Started!
Sunday, October 12th
4pm - 6pm
Little Bird Brewing
3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104
All ages
$40 / Free for Members at the Dude For All Seasons $25+

Sometimes we just can't keep our damn mouths shut, can we? How did things turn out when you lost your cool? What self-fulfilling prophesy did you snowball into existence by not being able to reel it in? Give us your worst!

Long Story Short: Dig Your Own Grave
Thursday, October 2nd
7pm - 9pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn Street, San Diego, CA 92104
$10

Deadline to submit: Sunday, August 17th. Submit here: https://sosayweallonline.submittable.com/submit

Is it a conspiracy, or is it just common sense? All will be revealed as we hear stories of using logic to solve mysteries, learning a new language, catching a dirty rat, or coming to terms with the inevitable.

September SD VAMP: Connect the Dots
Thursday, September 25th
8pm -10pm
Whistle Stop
2236 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
$10
21+

ReVAMP unites some of the best stories ever told on our stage into an evening that confirms life is stranger than fiction. We’re incredibly excited to bring the show to Carlsbad on September 19th at New Village Arts, so come early and make an evening out of it—feel fancy, you deserve it!

Hear amazing stories from:

• Allison Gauss

• Jaime Barker

• Jordan Coburn

• Dallas McLaughlin

• Brent Hannify 

Re-VAMP at New Village Arts
Friday, September 19th
7:30pm - 9pm
New Village Arts
2787 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 433-3245
$15 - Tickets available here

September’s writing workshop explores the beating heart at the center of every story ever written: the plot. No matter how experimental, western or eastern your frame of reference is, there are concepts as old as the campfire that make stories work. We’ll uncover these, review the categories almost all stories fall into, and show how they can help you write any story you have cooking in your noggin.

Writers Workshop: Plot and Story
Sunday, September 14th
4pm - 6pm
Little Bird Brewing
3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 230-5445
$40 public / Free to Members at the Dude For All Seasons $25+ tier
Reserve your seat!

We can't control it all, and some decisions simply won't be well-informed. Yet, life goes on -- so blow on your hand three times for luck and shake some snake-eyes in our general direction.

Long Story Short: Roll of the Dice
Thursday, September 4th
7pm - 9pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn Street, San Diego, CA 92104
$10

Deadline to submit: Sunday, July 13th. Submit here: https://sosayweallonline.submittable.com/submit

Can you wrangle chaos with the best of them? Do you believe any problem can be solved with a spreadsheet? Do you have kids? If you answered yes to any of these questions, come commiserating with storytellers who are trying their best to keep it all together.

August SD VAMP: Herding Cats
Thursday, August 28th
8pm -10pm
Whistle Stop
2236 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
$10
21+

• SSWA Supporting Members giving at the Dude For All Seasons ($25 monthly) tier and higher can reserve for free!

It can be hard to know where to begin getting your work published amidst a sea of misinformation and a rapidly changing industry, but together we’ll unpack the questions, processes, and emerging developments so you can go forth prepared. We’ll cover how and when to solicit an agent, letters of inquiry, book proposals, the differences between non-fiction and fiction in the industry, book deals, marketing, residuals, advances, and emerging trends.

To better help us contour the class to your individual questions and interests, please take the time to fill out this form and let us know what you’d like to learn about in particular. - LINK.

Writers Workshop: How Publishing Works
Sunday, August 10th 2025
4pm - 6pm
Little Bird Brewing
3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104
$40 / free for supporting members at the $25+ tier

Algebra, your favorite ex, that weird part of your Prius where the passing lane goes to die -- we all have blindspots. Come share yours with a room full of equally foresight-impaired humans.

Long Story Short: Blind Spot
Thursday, August 7th
7pm - 9pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn Street, San Diego, CA 92104
$10

Deadline to submit: June 15th. Submit here: https://sosayweallonline.submittable.com/submit

Oh, God, the smell! Olfactory cues conjure up the most intense memories. Bask in the imagery of cartoon hands leading you by the nose to pies cooling in the window, or an unforgivable scent that smacked you out of an otherwise delightful moment.

July SD VAMP: The Smell
Thursday, July 31st
8pm -10pm
Whistle Stop
2236 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
$10
21+

So Say We All’s July writers workshop crash course dives into how to develop characters too big for the page to contain. We’ll cover the fundamentals of what every character you write needs to have to drive the plot forward, feel believable and unique, and compel your readers to care about them.

Writers Workshop: Character Development
Sunday, July 13th, 2025
4pm - 6pm
Little Bird Brewing
3176 Thorn St., San Diego, CA 92104
$40 or free for SSWA Supporting Members at the $25 and up tier

The Re-VAMP Storytelling Showcase returns to Vista with a stellar lineup of some of the best storytellers to grace our stage over the years. Come light up your Saturday night in North County with us this July and some stories you’ll be glad to bring your friends to!

Re-VAMP: Vista
Saturday, July 12th
7pm - 9pm
Inzane Brewing
236 Main St, Vista, CA 92084
All-ages
$10
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At the end of the day, some shit just won't fly. Even those of us with the lowest standards have a list of no-gos, no matter how small that list might be. Let us know what yucks your yum.

Long Story Short: Dealbreakers
Thursday, July 3rd
7pm - 9pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn Street, San Diego, CA 92104
$10

We all know the thrill of bettering an adversary, whether it's actually happening or it's all in our head. Or maybe our storytellers put in the hard hours and went on a fruitful journey of self-improvement, and can teach us all how it's done. Don't back down -- come hear about challenges that were bravely (or stupidly) accepted!

Featuring:

• Amanda Qassar

• Lisane Basquiat

• Katerina Vee

• Kristen Nash

• Sidra Montgomery

• Stephanie Hansen

• Tina Hoang

June SD VAMP: Challenge Accepted
Thursday, June 26th
8pm -10pm
Whistle Stop
2236 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
$10
21+

You’ve heard the cliche about showing versus telling, but what does that look like. How do you put the reader on your shoulder and carry them through the body, inviting in the senses, placing them in space in time, in a way that they can experience without demanding their trust. Well, we’ll cover just that and more at So Say We All’s June Writers Workshop when we talk about scene writing. Let’s get into the viscera, for art.

Writers Workshop: Scene Writing
Sunday, June 8th
4pm - 6pm
3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104
$40 General admission / Free to SSWA supporting member $25 and above tiers
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Whether it's our appetites, desires, or pits of despair, we've all felt a bit bottomless at times. Come hear takes and tales of the things in life that seem never ending, for better or worse.

Long Story Short: Bottomless
Thursday, June 5th
7pm - 9pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn Street, San Diego, CA 92104
$10

For LA Pride, VAMP has true stories about that b*tch...no, not that one! Y'know which one we're talking about. The sassy one. The scary one. The super extra one. Maybe even that one you know lives inside of you -- she'll definitely be taking center stage.

Featuring:

• Laura Beck

• Gina Brown

• David Ngo

• Huy Vo

• Kathi Chaplar

• Julia Lechner

• Hosted by the magnificent Pattyo.

June LA VAMP: That B*tch
Wednesday, June 4th 2025
7pm - 9pm
The Hotel Cafe - 2nd Stage
1623 North Cahuenga Boulevard Los Angeles, CA, 90028 United States
$25
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Deadline to submit: Sunday, April 20th. Submit here: https://sosayweallonline.submittable.com/submit

Peddling nonsense is a profession as old as time because someone will always buy it. Listen to the lessons learned from those who were scammed, conned, convinced of something absurd, or sold protein shakes to high school friends on social media.

May SD VAMP: Snake Oil
Thursday, May 29th
8pm -10pm
Whistle Stop
2236 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
$10
21+

Join us at ArtPower at UCSD for their inaugural VAMP Storytelling Showcase, “The Unexpected Ally.” Revel in true tales about receiving salvation from surprising sources, being gobsmacked by enemies becoming heroes, discovering redemption in the darkest crevices, and however else our brave storytellers interpret the theme. All stories are 100% true and boldly told, so come discover some unexpected allies in your own community as they bare their soul for your titillation.

UCSD VAMP Storytelling Showcase: The Unexpected Ally
Thursday, May 15th
7pm - 9pm
ArtPower at UC San Diego
3151 Matthews Ln, La Jolla, CA, 92093
Free

In the sixteen years So Say We All has been around, every single writer who’s graced our stage has been provided with performance coaching, because we believe that anyone can and should tell their stories without any previous experience. We’ve learned a lot over those years, and we’re thrilled to be able to share it with you in this crash course, taught by one of our most talented and lauded performance coaches, Carlee Lewis. We’ll break down how you can break down your story into a script, the tricks and methods to making the reader’s voice audible in your own, and get you ready for the stage. It might probably help your writing too.

Writers Workshop: Performing Your Story
Sunday, May 11th
4pm - 6pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104
$40 / Free to supporting members giving at the $25+ tiers
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We're so back. And this time, we're rocking the stories on a SATURDAY. See you on May 3rd at Inzane Brewing in downtown Vista. Bring all your all-ages friends out to see the best of what happens when people air their dirty laundry.

Featuring:

• Eryn Roberts

• Jordan Coburn

• Tory Perkins

• James Biggs

• Eber Lambert

Re-VAMP: Vista
Saturday, May 3rd
7pm - 9pm
Inzane Brewing
236 Main St, Vista, CA 92084
$10

Let's get to the heart of the matter -- we want to hear about the hardware that holds together your lives, marriages, ambitious carpentry projects, or what you did with the pieces left over from an IKEA end table.

Long Story Short: Nuts & Bolts
Thursday, May 1st
7pm - 9pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn Street, San Diego, CA 92104
$10

We are excited to invite YOU to our super fun 2025 Member Appreciation Dinner! This will be a night of food, drinks, and entertainment to show our gratitude for your consistent support. Come join us at 6:30 pm on Saturday, April 26th, for fun and surprises and...a member talent show?!?! Whaaaaaaaaat???

Our super secret location will be disclosed once you RSVP.

Thank you for continuing to support this dog park for cats, and we do hope you come play with us.

SSWA Member Appreciation Dinner
Saturday, April 26th 2025
6:30pm - 10pm
Location announced upon RSVP
Supporting Members Only!

Deadline to submit: Sunday, March 16th. Submit here: https://sosayweallonline.submittable.com/submit

Sometimes you can smell the rot a mile away, other times what's lurking under the shell is a harder case to crack. We've all encountered the bad eggs, the ones who just wouldn't go away, or maybe even were a total Veruca Salt ourselves.

April SD VAMP: Bad Egg
Thursday, April 24th
8pm -10pm
Whistle Stop
2236 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
$10
21+

Submission deadline: Friday, February 28th at Midnight.

Calling all San Diego City College Students who have a great story and the bravery to share it: we are celebrating our allies, escape routes, and every other possible interpretation on the theme of Lifelines our writers take at this Spring’s San Diego City College VAMP Storytelling Showcase! It’s all 100% true and unfiltered, and guaranteed to inspire our community when we need it the most. Send us a story by the deadline and don’t miss this show.

San Diego City College VAMP: Lifeline
Date TBA
7pm - 9pm
LOCATION TBA
Free

• Submission deadline: Sunday, March 2nd @ midnight.

• Submit here.

So Say We All is honored to partner with the Hausmann Quartet presenting Seven Last Words, a performance of Joseph Haydn’s epic masterpiece alongside spoken word presentations of original works by the authors themselves. The texts will be inspired by the same scripture upon which Haydn based each of the movements of his monumental work, The Seven Last Words of Christ. Originally commissioned for a Good Friday service in 1783, it was adapted for string quartet by the composer and has since become a treasured Easter-time tradition around the world.

This concert will feature a name-your-own ticket price, with proceeds going to your choice of four nonprofits doing important work:

• San Diego Rapid Response Network

• International Rescue Comittee

• Border Butterflies Project

• ACLU of SD & Imperial Counties

7 Last Words
Live at Verbatim Books in North Park
3793 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
Fri, Apr 18th, 2025
Doors open at 7:45 pm, show starts promptly at 8pm
Tickets: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/hq-09/HQ-SSWA-Verbatim
Learn more about The Hausmann Quartet
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The worst day of your life doesn’t have to be painful when you sit down to write about it, or for people to hear about it. There’s a lot of intention and technique we can bring to the darkest experiences to make them into art that accomplishes the most important thing our work can do: help people know they aren’t alone in the world. So join us on Sunday, February 9th at Thorn Brewing for honest conversation and deep cuts into the craft and the process.

Led by Justin Hudnall.

Writers Workshop: Writing Trauma
Sunday, April 13th 2025
4pm - 6pm
Thorn Brewing
3176 Thorn St, San Diego, CA 92104
All ages
$40 / Free for supporting members at the $25 tier and higher