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Poets & Writers Groups

Welcome to Poets & Writers Groups! Ready to connect, communicate, and collaborate with a new community of writers? Browse the list or use the filters below to find a writers group that is the perfect fit for you and your work. If you see one you’d like to join, click on “Create a Profile” in the menu bar above or log in if you’ve already created a profile. Once logged in, you’ll be able to click on the vertical ellipses menu that will appear to the right of the group name to request membership. To see groups to which you already belong, click on the “My Groups” button in the menu bar above. Or, if you’d like to create your own group, click on the “Create a Group” button.

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Science!

I am interested in convening around the common denominator of science (STEM) in our writing, including but not limited to science fiction. A good question to ask yourself might be: does your creative writing involve scientific research (however formal or informal)? Or, are you channeling your scientific education or expertise into your creative writing? I am a science poet (sometimes speculative), and I've also worked with science writers across genres. Participating in creative workshops, as an editor, and as an educator, my focus is on STEM writing, literary, and creative communities. If you have workshopping experience and you are interested in incorporating some scientific element(s) into your craft, let's build a supportive workshopping collaboration!

Meeting for a weekly workshop, I suggest:

1. Selections of work-in-progress (1,000 words or less) are distributed to the group three days in advance for review.

2. Meetings involve the option for each author to read aloud and receive comments from the group. Guidelines for feedback will be discussed and agreed upon by the group and adjusted as needed.

Location: 
Columbus, OH
United States
Ohio
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
Preferred group size: 
8
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Have workshop experience
Group meets for: 
Workshop, Encouragement, Accountability partners
Language used: 
English
Group meets: 
Weekly
Group members:Currently has 1 member

Jacob Hollingsworth Network Corporation - P&W

Submit your Screenwrites, Film Reviews, inserts & more to connect with other writers, read, expand your writing horizons with JHN-P&W.

Location: 
United States
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
Commercial Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-genre, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Love, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Serialized Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult
Preferred group size: 
99
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Attend(ed) an MFA program, Attend(ed) a PhD program, Published in literary journal, Published a book, Self-published a book, Have workshop experience
Members identify as: 
American, British
Group meets for: 
Submissions, Inspiration, Accountability partners, Reading
Language used: 
English
Group meets: 
Other
Group members:Currently has 1 member

Embodied Workshop Series

Embodying Queer Stories — $120

The world is shaped by patriarchal white supremacist power structures, and the traditional workshop table is no different. It’s time to change that. Felicia Rose Chavez (The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop) and Matthew Salesses (Craft in the Real World) are some of the writers who have paved a path for us to write our stories in our voices. Writing through the body is key. When we write through the body, we pay attention to what happens inside of us when we experience trauma. When we write through the body, we pick up a pen and paper and let our words pour out, unfiltered. Writing through the body is an act of resistance. Let’s build a collaborative and supportive community of LGBTQIA+ writers. Our stories are life-giving and lifesaving, but, unfortunately, even as Pride has been co-opted by rainbow capitalism, our stories are still marginalized. Whether you are a seasoned workshop participant or have never attended a workshop before, all are welcome. Together, we will create a space to share our work that is safe, constructive and inspiring.

This ten-week course is open to 12 LGBTQIA+ writers. We will meet Tuesdays from 7 PM to 9 PM at H&H Books, 2230 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125, starting on October 4, 2022. You will have the opportunity to have your writing workshopped twice—either submit two pieces of writing to the workshop, or revise your first submission and submit the revision as your second piece, whichever you find most helpful. Workshop cost is $120, but, in recognition of the systemic silencing of BIPOC voices at the traditional workshop table and beyond, there are two partial or full scholarship spots available for LGBTQIA+ BIPOC writers. Partial scholarship in this context means that you pay what you can to attend the course; full scholarship means you attend for free.

Genres eligible to be workshopped in this course include*: 

  • Short-short story

  • Prose poem

  • Short story

  • Novel

  • Memoir

  • Creative Nonfiction/Narrative Nonfiction

  • Literary Journalism

  • Hybrid forms that combine one or more of these genres

*Note that for long-form work such as book-length projects, you will only be able to workshop two chapters or sections of up to 30 pages. You can, of course, use a revised chapter or section as your second workshop submission. If you are unsure if your work falls into a genre listed here, please email me! Though I love them, in this course we are not workshopping poetry, stage plays or screenplays. But stay tuned for future courses!

What Makes This Workshop Different?

  1. No gag rule. Traditional workshops implement what’s often called the “gag rule,” where a writer whose work is being discussed must stay silent for the duration of that discussion. This is detrimental to the writer and to the workshop as a whole. Instead, writers will meet briefly with me (either a quick phone call or in person) prior to having their piece workshopped. Together, we will come up with a list of questions you’d like to pose to the workshop table. During workshop, you will stand and read a sentence or two of your work aloud to us. You’ll tell us what inspired you to write that passage, what it means to you, why this story matters to you. Then you will lead the workshop discussion and I will support you. If, for instance, you feel the discussion is becoming unhelpful, I want you to say so, and I will help you steer the conversation in another direction. Remember: You know your work better than anyone, and we are here to help you more fully realize your vision.

  2. You write the syllabus. Seriously. As part of your application, you will be asked to name three writers or artists of any kind that inspire you. I’ll compile these, along with some of my own favorite pieces of art and literature, into a shared document that we can all refer to during the course.

  3. Freewriting. We’ll freewrite at the beginning of each class. You are encouraged to do this with a pen and paper rather than on a computer or phone. For ten minutes, we’ll write without stopping, without crossing anything out, without censoring ourselves. If you want, you can share what you’ve written with us.

About The Instructor

Jenni Milton is a queer writer who studied at Connecticut College, Oxford University and the Columbia Publishing Course. After graduating, she worked in book and magazine publishing at One Story, Oxford University Press, and Grove Atlantic. She earned her MFA at the Programs in Writing at UC Irvine, where she taught composition, fiction writing and literary journalism. In her final year of the program, she was Fiction Editor of the Pushcart Prize-winning journal Faultline. She now works as a freelance copywriter. In her spare time, she volunteers at H&H Books and plays violin with the Roxborough Orchestra. She has published work in Juked and A Distant Memory Zine and is working on a novel.

How To Apply 

Please email the following in one document to jennifer.l.milton@gmail.com. You can send your application as a .pdf, .docx or Google Doc file. Application deadline is September 18, 2022.

  1. A writing sample that best represents the work you hope to share in workshop (an excerpt from your novel, a short story, an essay, etc.). Please submit no more than 30 pages, double-spaced.

  2. A personal statement (1-2 double-spaced pages) that tells me who you are and why you want to attend this workshop. Tell me your story! What motivates you to write? What is your writing practice? What are you hoping to gain from this workshop? Name three writers or artists who inspire you. What about their work moves you? If you’ve done workshops before, what were some things you loved?  Things you wish had been different?

  3. A brief bio (200 words or less) and a photo of yourself.

  4. If you are an LGBTQIA+ BIPOC writer interested in a scholarship, include a brief sentence at the end of your application to let me know, and be sure to indicate which type of scholarship you are applying for (partial or full).

Location: 
Philadelphia, PA
United States
Pennsylvania
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online, Meets In Person
Genres of interest: 
Autobiography/Memoir, BIPOC Voices, Creative Nonfiction, Cross-genre, Feminist, Fiction, LGBTQ Voices, Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Prose Poetry, Short Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Preferred group size: 
12
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Attend(ed) an MFA program, Published in literary journal, Have workshop experience
Members identify as: 
BIPOC, LGBTQ
Group meets for: 
Workshop
Group meets: 
Weekly
Group members:Currently has 1 member

Gay Writers of America

A group for LGBTQ writers to connect and share their work.

Location: 
San Antonio, TX
United States
Texas
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
BIPOC Voices, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Formal Poetry, LGBTQ Voices, Literary Fiction, Love, Micro-poetry, Poetry, Prose Poetry, Short Fiction
Preferred group size: 
15
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Have workshop experience
Members identify as: 
Multicultural
Group meets for: 
Critique, Workshop, Writing exercises, Inspiration, Accountability partners, Discussion, Tips, Reading
Language used: 
English
Group meets: 
Weekly
Group members:Currently has 9 members

A different type of writing workshop

I would like to start something of a non-traditional writing workshop. I don't really enjoy the process of critiquing as I feel that it causes people to center towards the dominant style of writing rather than explore their own vision. Because of this, I'd rather just have a more encouraging exchange, with maybe some degree of sharing the impressions you get from the piece, although I'm not entirely opposed to some degree of editing exchange. I would also ideally like to find people with whom I have something in common to exchange writing by email as a sort of test audience, or to share thoughts on contemporary art. If you think this would interest you, request to join or DM me an email and we can talk about details including exchanging a sample of some work so that we know our mutual interests.

I have an advanced degree, a handful of publications in literary magazines, and workshop experience if that lends some credibility. Although if you don't have those things that's also fine. I don't know if there's any easy way to predict the ideal person, but I'm a bit of an outsider, and I value originality and artistic vision.

-Tom

Location: 
Bethesda, MD
United States
Maryland
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
Experimental, Poetry, Translation
Preferred group size: 
7
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Attend(ed) a PhD program, Published in literary journal, Have workshop experience
Members identify as: 
American
Group meets for: 
Critique, Encouragement, Inspiration, Discussion, Reading
Language used: 
English
Group meets: 
Weekly
Group members:Currently has 4 members

Manuscript Readers Swap Group

If you have a manuscript ready, this group is for you. If you are ready to receive some notes or any kind of feedback, this group offers you the opportunity to confidentially share your book with other writers, who will read it and offer some helpful suggestions.

In exchange for this, you will also do the same for that author.

This is a confidential swap. You cannot share any part of any author's work.

Just join the group and you will be matched with an author!

You can request some suggestions about any part of the novel that you feel may need some revisions, or just get the chance to have someone read your work.

We will meet remotely once a month so that we can build our community!

 

 

 

Location: 
United States
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
Autobiography/Memoir, BIPOC Voices, Commercial Fiction, Cross-genre, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult
Preferred group size: 
20
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Published in literary journal, Published a book, Have workshop experience
Group meets for: 
Critique, Encouragement, Inspiration, Accountability partners, Discussion, Tips, Reading
Language used: 
English
Group meets: 
Monthly
Group members:Currently has 2 members

The Ink Slingers

The Ink Slingers website first and foremost provides promotion and advice to writers and its forum wants to have the same theme. The Ink Slingers forum is a free community where writers can connect with one another. Whether you're writing a collection of poetry or a high fantasy novel, The Ink Slingers has something for you. Critique each other's works, trade advice, and most importantly, promote yourself and your work to other like-minded individuals.  We ask that members be over the age of 18. 

Link: https://www.theinkslingers.net/forum 

Location: 
Los Angeles, CA
United States
California
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
Commercial Fiction, Cross-genre, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Serialized Fiction, Short Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Speculative Poetry, Visual Poetry, Young Adult
Preferred group size: 
50
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Published in literary journal, Published a book, Self-published a book
Group meets for: 
Critique, Workshop, Submissions, Writing exercises, Encouragement, Inspiration, Accountability partners, Discussion, Tips, Reading
Group members:Currently has 1 member

Ladies Limning Association

Women (or non-binary), liberal, vaccinated, 21+ group to meet in person weekly in Fort Collins, CO. Currently have 6 members, looking for additions to an already strong group. Members write various genres of fiction. 

Location: 
Fort Collins, CO
United States
Colorado
Meeting preference: 
Meets In Person
Genre of interest: 
Fiction
Preferred group size: 
8
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Have workshop experience
Members identify as: 
American
Group meets for: 
Critique
Language used: 
English
Group meets: 
Weekly
Group members:Currently has 1 member

The Golden Pen

This group is open for published or unpublished authors of fiction and poetry. 

Location: 
United States
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
Fiction, Poetry
Preferred group size: 
99
Group members:Currently has 2 members

Lit Fiction Writing Workshop

This group's aim is to workshop and critique each others' writing. While previous publication is not a requirement, the ultimate goal of those in this group is to publish. This is a place to hone craft, polish pieces, and help others do the same. Short- and long-form fiction are welcome.

The group currently meets virtually on Mondays at 8pm EST and are meeting once a week (workshopping 1-2 pieces per meeting). Max group size is 6, and the group is full at this time.

If interested, please submit a representative work for consideration. Once submitted, I will send you a work of mine as well (or you are welcome to request to read my work prior to submitting yours).

Location: 
United States
Meeting preference: 
Meets Online
Genres of interest: 
Fiction, Literary Fiction
Preferred group size: 
6
Preferred publishing/workshop experience: 
Have workshop experience
Group meets for: 
Critique, Workshop
Language used: 
English
Group meets: 
Weekly
Group members:Currently has 2 members

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