Looking Back.Stories of Resilience

The Bilbrew Writers' Workshop is a group of talented authors, writers, and poets who promote the art of writing and its power in telling a collection of stories from all walks of life.

Here you will find the writers who make up the workshop sharing their experiences, their disappointments to triumphs. Their hardships leading to victory. From all walks of life, they seek to teach us lessons found inside, using their gifts of the written word to show us a path forward.

Activist / Author / Entrepreneur / WarriorAs a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, author, entrepreneur and encourager, Rona likes to think of herself as a love-caster!Prior to being diagnosed with lung cancer, she worked in Human Resources Management, as an Educator at a local business college, and enjoyed a journey halfway through a PhD program in Organizational Psychology. As her health challenges grew, her inner warrior emerged even greater. Today, she advocates for greater awareness and increased funding to aid in new therapies for lung cancer and lung health. This is an example of her glass-full perspective and how she finds the good in just about any situation as she wears optimism well. A scripture she lives by is, Proverbs 11:27, "If you search for good, you'll find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!"Her philosophy: "My daughter keeps me young at heart. My husband keeps me protected and warm at night. My mother keeps me humble, and my sister keeps me real. Together with all my friends and family I stay laughing, but most of all, I'm loved and I love to love." Another scripture she lives by, Proverbs 17:22, "Being cheerful keeps you healthy" GNT, or "A cheerful heart is good medicine" NIV. Her mantra, "I will love, live, and laugh; sharing the blessings bestowed upon me as I fulfill each day's purpose!" Psalms 118:17linkedin.com/in/rona-cook-white/

Author / Certified Tai Chi InstructorOdie Hawkins was encouraged by Alex Haley in the 1980's when he told Norman Lear, "I think Odie Hawkins is a very talented writer, a brilliant storyteller. He deserves a wider audience." Odie Hawkins, working with Alex Haley, wrote the teleplay for "Old Sister". S. Pearl Sharp as Saundra Sharp, wrote the story. "Old Sister" aired on CBS in the Palmerstown television drama series. Norman Lear and Alex Haley, based the series on their own childhoods. (imdb.com/title/ tt0668946/). Invigorated by Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Budd Schulberg, Louise Meriwether, John W. Bloch, Al Jenner, Robert Lewin, Harlan Ellison and Professor Justin Gifford, Odie Hawkins continues to write. We hear his love for stories in his radio plays (archive.org/ details/ OTRR_Sears_Radio_Theater_Singles).We acknowledge his diverse experiences in documentaries - "Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp" (Director Jorge Hinojosa) and "Burn Motherf*cker Burn" (by Sacha Jenkins). Facebook and YouTube provide more insight on this talented author, musician, and actor.Odie Hawkins has been given the title, "The Underground Master", by a loyal constituency who have followed his career through his thirty-two novels, short story collections, essays, television scripts, radio and film scripts. He takes pride in being the originator of the Pan- African Occult genre, as exemplified by "The Snake, 20/ 20", "Shackles Across Time" and "The Snake Doctor".He was one of the original members of the famed Watts Writers Workshop, established by Budd Schulberg, in the wake of the Watts Rebellion, 1965; and the Open Door Program, created by the Writers Guild of America, West, Inc. Louise Meriwether, John W. Bloch, Al Jenner, Robert Lewin, Harlan Ellison and Budd Schulberg, instructors. "Ghetto Sketches", his first published novel, was on the required reading list - May 2010 - Professor Justin Gifford; University of Nevada, Reno, Department of English. Mr. Hawkins has also recently published books of Socio- Science fiction: "Lady Bliss" (with co-author Ralph Vernon), and "Mr. Bonobo Bliss aka Bo".Mr. Odie Hawkins' current projects are: "A Story Teller's Tale", an update on "The Chicago Sista" and political satire.odiehawkins.com linkedin.com/in/ odie-hawkins-044633a/facebook.com/odie.hawkins

Author / Poet / Community Activist Ron L. Dowell holds two master's degrees from California State University Long Beach. In June 2017, he received the UCLA Certificate in Fiction Writing. He's a 2018 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow. His story collection Crooked Out of Compton is a semi-finalist in the Chestnut Review Stubborn Artists Contest and a finalist for the Black Lawrence Press 2020 Big Moose Prize. His short story "Don't Worry" was a finalist in the 2021 Prime Number Magazine Award for Short Fiction. "Bruised" is a Tulip Tree Merit Prize winner. He connects gritty stories showing how people find hope and joy in lives where basic needs are demanding to be met. Ron's stories talk about a suite of sociopolitical realities in an honest, thoughtful way that challenges stereotypes and humanizes people. Running Wild Press' RIZE imprint released Crooked Out of Compton on Labor Day, 2024.Ron's poetry has appeared in Penumbra, Writers Resist, Oyster Rivers Pages, North Dakota Quarterly, The Wax Paper, Kallisto Gaia Press, The Penmen Review, Packingtown Review-Journal, and The Poeming Pigeon. World Stage Press released his Watts UpRise collection in July 2022. crookedoutofcompton.com/instagram.com/cpt4cops