Southern California Writers Association Meeting,
November 21 2026.
Beyond Words: Writing Dialogue That Delivers.
Sometimes “I’m fine” means anything but—and “We need to talk” is enough to ruin a perfectly good afternoon.
Join the Southern California Writers Association as award-winning author Curtis Ippolito reveals how to make your characters’ conversations work harder. He’ll share strategies and tactics for writing dialogue that exposes the emotions your characters would rather keep hidden, layers in subtext, and plants clues about who done it and why.
Discover how an innocent question, a carefully chosen word, or a conspicuous silence can reveal who holds the power, who’s keeping secrets, and whose relationship is about to unravel.
Whether you write mysteries, romance, literary fiction, or anything in between, learn ways to give your dialogue—and your stories—greater depth, tension, and emotional resonance.
Bio
Curtis Ippolito is an Anthony Award and Derringer Award-winning writer. He is the author of the crime novels Waves of Burden and Burying the Newspaper Man. His short stories have appeared in numerous prominent publications, including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Dark Yonder, Tough, Vautrin Magazine, and more, as well as being featured in several anthologies including The One Percent: Tales of the Super Wealthy and Depraved and The Savage Waves of Spring.
Curtis is the guest editor of the Anthony Award-and Derringer Award-winning anthology On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology. He is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and currently serves as vice-president for the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime.
Who: Curtis Ippolito
What: Beyond Words: Writing Dialogue That Delivers
When: Saturday, November 21, 2026
Time: 9:30 am-12:00 pm
Where: Antonucci’s Restaurant, 24190 Alicia Parkway, Mission Viejo
Admission:
Members $35.00
Nonmembers $45.00
Admission includes a delicious meal and informative speaker.