Instructors
Meet Our Fabulous Instructors
Rhonda Hayes Curtis
Rhonda is the extraordinary woman behind the Writing Retreat at Pauma Valley Country Club. As the founder of this incredible retreat, Rhonda has created a haven for writers to unleash their creativity and find inspiration in the beautiful surroundings. Not only is she an accomplished author, with her book Love at the Last Minute capturing hearts across the globe, but she is also a passionate writing teacher and coach. Rhonda's expertise and guidance have helped countless aspiring writers find their voice and improve their craft. Beyond her literary achievements, Rhonda is an award-winning speaker, captivating audiences with her powerful words and infectious enthusiasm. On top of all that, she is a loving and dedicated mother and wife. Rhonda truly embodies the spirit of Writing Retreat at Pauma Valley Country Club, and her passion for writing and nurturing talent is evident in everything she does.
Cherie Kephart
Cherie Kephart is a writing facilitator, inspirational speaker, editor, and award-winning author. She is best known for her inspiring memoir, A Few Minor Adjustments, about her search for life-saving answers to a mysterious illness she contracted while in Zambia as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Publisher’s Weekly called it, “A story of gut-wrenching determination and perseverance.” Her essays, short stories, and poems have appeared in various literary journals and more than 15 anthologies, and she is a two-time winner of the San Diego Memoir Showcase. Cherie is a staff workshop facilitator at the Southern California Writers Conference, Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and San Diego Writer’s Ink. Her unique approach to writing motivates people worldwide to harness the power within themselves to create their most authentic and inspired prose. Connect with her at: CherieKephart.com
Judith A. Habert
Judith A. Habert is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of San Diego Woman Magazine SDWomanMagazine.com for the past 16 years. Judith has an extensive publishing, photography, and writing background and holds a degree in Photojournalism from St. John’s University in New York. She is also the owner and founder of The San Diego Writing Academy SanDiegoWritingAcademy.com where she shares her love and knowledge of writing with enthusiastic new and seasoned authors and has helped many of her students accomplish their dream of becoming published authors. As a sought-after speaker, Judith focuses on women’s empowerment, surviving obstacles, and starting and running a business, all with a humorous style and conversational eloquence. Judith is the author of several books, including her humorous autobiography entitled Hey, I’m Italian, the story of growing up Italian in New York. Judith’s focus in life can be summed up in a simple sentence that she has often shared: “Women can accomplish whatever they set out to accomplish, give them a chance, and they will shine.”
Elizabeth McNeil, MFA, PhD
Elizabeth McNeil taught at Arizona State University for more than thirty years and has offered innumerable writing workshops through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and in public schools, prisons, churches, and arts venues. As a small business owner, she teaches classes for adults and children and serves as a writing coach and consultant, editor, and publisher. Specializing in creative writing, women's and American ethnic literatures, and gender studies, her publications include the poetry collections Ms. X's Ocean and Why We Need to Come Home; the monograph Trickster Discourse: Mediating Transformation for a New World; and the academic collections Sapphire’s Literary Breakthrough: Erotic Literacies, Feminist Pedagogies, Environmental Justice Perspectives and Mapping Queer Space(s) of Praxis and Pedagogy.
R.L. “Pete” Peterson
R. L. “Pete” Peterson presents numerous writing workshops at libraries throughout California and is much in demand to facilitate Read and Critique groups. His first publication was at age seventeen in Seventeen Magazine, while in Marine Corp Boot Camp. This earned him $35.00 and two hours standing before the Drill Instructor’s Hut shouting, “My name is Private Peterson, not Ernest Hemingway.” Since then, his work has graced publications as varied as Annals of America, Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The Charles Carter – A Working Anthology, Stoneslide Collective, Tin House, The Raven’s Perch, Deadly Writers Patrol, Collateral Journal, and many anthologies. His Off to Be a Marine won Veteran’s Write – Best Short Short - 2021. Humor in Uniform named Peterson’s An Oklahoma Christmas Top Short Story, 2023. After Midnight – A Short Story Collection, (Pallamary Publishing) was released in 2019. His novel, Leave the Night to God, (Pact Press) – a Petrichor Prize Finalist for Finely Crafted Fiction- is available wherever books are sold. His novella, Lost Lives and Restless Souls will be released in 2024.
