Novel Mill w/ Kristen Arnett
2025-10-01 19:00 - 2026-07-22 21:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Write your novel in a year with bestselling author Kristen Arnett!
Are you looking for an exciting, fun, collaborative way to get your writing brain into gear? Are you ready to finally sit down and write that novel that you’ve been thinking about forever? Do you wish you had a confident, cheerful writing coach to guide you to the finish line? If so, then this is definitely the course for you!
Students of this generative workshop will share their work with others in the class, learn to edit their own writing effectively, become naturals at crafting powerful openings, and will learn to stick the landing when it comes to novel endings. Place-writing techniques, craft capsules on injecting humor into your work, and myriad other learned skills will guide students through the sticky patches that often crop up in the middle of a project.
Regardless of the fact that we often write alone, novels are not formed completely in a silo. Crafting a novel with the help of a supportive community can mean the difference between finally drafting your dream project or leaving behind yet another empty word document. Students will have the opportunity to further develop their projects both inside of class and outside of it: we will read and comment on everyone’s work. Writers participating in this workshop will discover how to spot successful techniques already loaded in their arsenal. They will learn what engages readers, and how to effectively keep that engagement. Students will learn to ask questions of their work that will help them analyze tone, POV, structure, characterization, and much more. We will work toward developing processes that are the correct fit for each individual project. Every novel is like a thumbprint: perfectly unique.

Virtual Info Session Recording
Meet Kristen Arnett, instructor for our Novel Mill workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered!
Watch the recording on YouTube >>>

This course will include:

Information of intros and how to make them sizzle
How to draft compelling ends to your work
Plotting/Planning/Shaping– determining pace, finding what works for your particular project
Lists of tips and techniques to employ when you’re feeling stuck in a scene
Instructive readings that will help students fine tune their work
How to develop momentum to keep a project moving forward
A clear sense of process
Deeper understanding of the underpinnings of the novel
Determining the proper voice and perspective for your project
How to develop compelling characters
Master crafting finely detailed place writing
A clear discussion of writing difficulties when it comes to crafting a longform project
How to create and maintain reasonable writing goals
An assortment of helpful writing prompts

Schedule
This class meets via Zoom every other Wednesday beginning October 1, 2025, for a total of 21 sessions, with breaks for holidays and dedicated writing periods. Between Zoom meetings, participants can expect readings and assignments. Exact class dates subject to change at the discretion of the instructor and in collaboration with participants.
October 1, 15
November 5, 19

Dec 3, 17
Jan 7, 21
Feb 4, 18
March 4, 18
April 1, 15, 29
May 13, 27
June 10, 24
July 8, 22

1:1 Mentoring
Each student will have the chance for a private mentoring sessions with Kristen, including a 6-month follow up after completion of the workshop.

To Apply
Application Deadline: September 19, 2025
Send a cover letter and writing sample of 5-20 pages to laura.spencer@writer.org by September 19th. Admissions will be on a rolling basis so participants are encouraged to submit early.
Acceptance into the workshop is required before registering.

About Book Farm @ The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center hosts a series of workshops for serious writers to complete book-length projects, generate new work for publication, or master the elements of craft within a specific genre. You’ll work with an acclaimed author, guiding you through 4-12 months of lessons, workshops, and revisions. Our instructors are all accomplished educators with a track record of student success. Limited enrollment with rolling admission up to the application deadline, so apply right away to secure your spot!
All Book Farm participants receive an exclusive tote bag, a craft book recommended by the instructor, and a $100 gift certificate good toward future TWC workshops. Participants also receive exclusive access to The Writer’s Center staff, all of whom are accomplished writers with extensive experience in editing and publishing.

The Novel Year w/ Susan Coll
2026-01-20 19:00 - 2026-12-01 21:30 | Zoom
Bring your novel to life with best-selling author Susan Coll!
Whether you have been thinking about writing a novel for years but are not sure how to get started, or are already published but embarking on a new project, this year-long workshop is intended to help get the next book off the ground.

Watch the Virtual Info Session
Meet Susan Coll, instructor for our Novel Year workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered!
WATCH NOW >>>

Over the course of twenty sessions, we will:

create a fun, warm, and supportive writing community
discuss and engage in exercises focused on various aspects of craft including dialogue, setting, plot, point of view, character development, tense, and much more
workshop one hundred pages per student, broken into four submissions of 25 pages each (*students are also welcome to use their allotted workshop time to discuss their work and/or writing dilemmas rather than submit pages).
discuss publishing, including drafting sample query letters and elevator pitches
hear from guest speakers including published novelists and industry experts
read two novels (tbd) to discuss and deconstruct as a group with an eye toward both craft and publishing trends
the instructor is happy to schedule individual follow up sessions as requested following critique sessions, as well as a six-month or one-year check in after the class concludes.

*Students should be prepared to read and offer comments on the work of other participants. Detailed guidance will be provided at the first class about how this process will work.

Schedule
This class will meet virtually every other Tuesday, with a two-month reading and writing break over the summer. Workshop dates run from January 20, 2026 – December 1, 2026, 7–9:30pm ET, with a month-long break over the summer for students to focus on writing.
Jan. 20
Feb. 3
Feb. 17
March 3
March 17
March 31
April 14
April 28
May 12
May 26
June 9
June 23
SUMMER BREAK
August 25
Sept. 8
Sept. 22
Oct. 6
Oct. 20
Nov. 3
Nov. 17
Dec. 1

1:1 Mentoring
All workshops will be held over Zoom, with additional opportunities to meet 1:1 with Susan upon request. All enrolled students will have the option to schedule an individual follow-up meeting (1 hour) with Susan approximately 6 months after the conclusion of the workshop.

To Apply
Application Deadline: Friday, January 9, 2026
To apply, please submit a cover letter describing your background and the project that you have in mind. The first five pages of the novel you will be working on are welcome as part of the application, but not required. The class will be limited to ten students. Send your submission to emily.holland@writer.org by Friday, January 9th, 2026. Admissions will be on a rolling basis so participants are encouraged to submit early.
Acceptance into the workshop is required before registering.

About Book Farm @ The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center hosts a series of workshops for serious writers to complete book-length projects, generate new work for publication, or master the elements of craft within a specific genre. You’ll work with an acclaimed author, guiding you through 4-12 months of lessons, workshops, and revisions. Our instructors are all accomplished educators with a track record of student success. Limited enrollment with rolling admission up to the application deadline, so apply right away to secure your spot!
All Book Farm participants receive an exclusive tote bag, a craft book recommended by the instructor, and a $100 gift certificate good toward future TWC workshops. Participants also receive exclusive access to The Writer’s Center staff, all of whom are accomplished writers with extensive experience in editing and publishing.

The Artist's Way: A Year of Creative Reawakening w/ Lindsey Van Wagner
2026-02-01 00:00 - 2026-12-27 00:00 | Wet Ink
Through reflection, community, and practice, you’ll awaken the artist within and build a creative life that feels aligned and alive.
This year-long journey through The Artist’s Way offers a sustained path for creative reawakening and artistic growth. Writers, artists, and creative seekers will move chapter by chapter through Julia Cameron’s classic text, reconnecting with their sense of purpose and play. The course offers the freedom to move at your own pace on Wet Ink, while regular virtual gatherings provide structure, engagement, and a sense of shared creative energy. Participants will receive guidance, accountability, and community support as you nurture your creative practices. Each session weaves reflection, discussion, and inspiration to help build consistency, courage, and joy in your work.

Watch the Virtual Info Session
Meet Lindsey Van Wagner, instructor for The Artist’s Way: A Year of Creative Reawakening, and have all your questions about the program answered!
WATCH NOW >>>

Format

Zoom sessions every month (11 total) for guided discussion and exercises. Full schedule for meetings TBD.
Weekly engagement on Wet Ink through prompts, reflections, and peer feedback.
Optional “Creative Partner” pairings for accountability.
Monthly themes (e.g., Courage, Flow, Abundance, Trust) to anchor growth.
Year-end community celebration and sharing of work.

Participants should plan to spend 1–2 hours per week on reading, journaling, and completing creative exercises from The Artist’s Way. Engagement on Wet Ink will support this rhythm through short reflections, prompts, and check-ins. Because the course combines self-paced work with monthly live meetings, students will benefit from both flexibility and community accountability.
This workshop is designed for writers, artists, and creative seekers at any stage who want to rekindle inspiration, develop consistency, and strengthen trust in their creative process. It’s especially well-suited for those feeling creatively blocked, in transition, or craving a supportive community to hold them throughout the year. Whether you’re returning to your art after time away or seeking to deepen your connection to your voice, this journey offers both structure and spaciousness to help you rediscover your creative rhythm.
Required text: The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Students Can Expect To:

Complete The Artist’s Way with structured accountability and community support.
Reconnect with creative intuition, curiosity, and confidence.
Develop sustainable creative habits and rituals.
Build lasting connections with fellow artists and writers.
Leave with tangible work—such as written reflections, short pieces, a portfolio, and a Creative Manifesto—that embodies your year of transformation.

To Apply
Application Deadline: Sunday, January 11, 2026
Please submit responses to the application questionnaire via this Google Form. We accept students on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply early! If you do not hear back from us with a confirmation that we received your application or you have any questions, please reach out to Emily Holland at emily.holland@writer.org.
APPLY HERE >>>
Acceptance into the workshop is required before registering.

About Book Farm @ The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center hosts a series of workshops for serious writers to complete book-length projects, generate new work for publication, or master the elements of craft within a specific genre. You’ll work with an acclaimed author, guiding you through 4-12 months of lessons, workshops, and revisions. Our instructors are all accomplished educators with a track record of student success. Limited enrollment with rolling admission up to the application deadline, so apply right away to secure your spot!
All Book Farm participants receive an exclusive tote bag, a craft book recommended by the instructor, and a $100 gift certificate good toward future TWC workshops. Participants also receive exclusive access to The Writer’s Center staff, all of whom are accomplished writers with extensive experience in editing and publishing.

Memoir Year w/ Nicole Chung
2026-02-03 19:00 - 2026-11-17 21:00 | Zoom
Work on your memoir with bestselling author Nicole Chung!
This intensive workshop is open to writers working on a memoir or memoir-in-essays. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in lively craft discussions, generative exercises, and in-depth workshops designed to help you identify and hone your strengths as a writer. If you have an idea for a memoir and are looking to jumpstart it—or are already underway, but want some help to maintain your momentum—this class will help you take concrete next steps and deepen your craft in a supportive community.

Watch the Virtual Info Session
Meet Nicole Chung, instructor for our Memoir Year workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered!
WATCH NOW >>>

Format
Through in-class readings, craft talks, and guided writing prompts, we’ll explore book openings, plot structure, characterization, setting, writing the self, and more. We’ll spend time reflecting and brainstorming, learning how to identify and pursue the stories that matter most to you. You will have the opportunity to generate new pages throughout the course and have at least two memoir excerpts (10 – 20 pages each) workshopped by your instructor and peers.
We’ll discuss the different types of memories, the role imagination can play in personal storytelling, and whether and how to bring research and reportage into your memoir. We’ll read excerpts from both classic and recent memoirs, examining how other writers have organized and explored their personal stories. We’ll consider the ethics of writing about real people and events, and how to establish the boundaries you may need. We’ll address your questions about book proposals, pitching, and the publishing industry. We’ll hear from visiting authors and literary agents who will share tips and talk about the writing and publication processes.
This course will allow you to focus on and grow in your craft in community with your fellow writers, helping you build the sustainable writing practice you want—one that will allow you to continue showing up for your work, and telling the stories you need to tell, long after our workshop ends.
Writers are expected to read and respond to their peers’ work outside of class, and generate new writing at their own pace.

Schedule
This class will typically meet twice per month from February 3, 2026 – November 17, 2026, 7–9pm ET, although there may be one or two longer breaks over the summer for students to focus on writing. Full schedule TBD.

1:1 Mentoring
All workshops will be held over Zoom, with additional opportunities to meet 1:1 with Nicole upon request. All enrolled students will have the option to schedule an individual follow-up meeting (1 hour) with Nicole during the first quarter of 2027.

To Apply
Application Deadline: Saturday, January 24, 2026
Please share 1-2 paragraphs detailing your writing goals and/or intentions and a writing sample of 10-20 pages (double-spaced). You may also choose to include a one-page résumé or CV. Send your submission to emily.holland@writer.org by Saturday, January 24th, 2026. Admissions will be on a rolling basis so participants are encouraged to submit early.
Acceptance into the workshop is required before registering.

Student Testimonials
“Working with Nicole was like getting an ultra-engaged MFA professor, an eagle-eyed editor, and an ever-supportive writing coach all in one. I am a much better writer (not to mention critical reader!) as a result of her teaching, and I would absolutely recommend her to any writer who’s seeking to take their work and creative journey to the next level.” —Nik Chang Hoon
“Nicole is an exceptional teacher whose superpower is nurturing her students’ creativity, empowering their growth, and building community. Through craft talks, readings, writing prompts, and insightful comments, she supports each student in finding their stories and bringing them to life.” —Enid K.
“Nicole’s class was one of the first I took after spending more than 10 years away from creative writing. I felt like she opened this whole world up to me by sharing her expertise not only on the craft of writing but also on the business of publishing. The lessons I learned in her class have paid immense dividends for me—I would not have the writing community and career that I have today without learning from her example. I consider Nicole a role model for her generosity toward her students and fellow writers in general, and I couldn’t recommend her classes more enthusiastically!” —Hannah Bae
“Nicole’s class is terrific for both novices to the genre and experienced writers. She creates an ideal mix of workshops, craft lectures, and guest speakers that teaches students new skills and keeps them inspired about their own work. Nicole is also warm, supportive, and brings out the best in her students. She curates a supportive cohort of students who strive to bring out the best in each other. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate!” —Anne Kim
“It was truly a life-changing experience getting the opportunity to learn about memoir writing under the guidance of Nicole Chung. She was so thoughtful and generous with her enlightening ideas and exercises, as well as feedback on my writing. The boundless empathy and encouragement she showed her students brought us all closer together as a cohort, where we felt free to truly express ourselves and grow as writers and people in the process. I highly recommend Nicole’s workshops to anyone looking to evolve in their writing craft.” —Jean Trinh
“I feel very fortunate to have taken Nicole’s memoir class. She offers the perfect blend of workshopping opportunities, craft discussions, and guest author/agent appearances, all while coaching, cheering, and nudging participants along in a low-key but highly effective manner. Perhaps what I appreciate most about Nicole is the great care she takes with each participant’s story. Her class has been transformational for my writing.” —Ruth Berg
“Nicole is a thoughtful and skilled facilitator. I love that she uses a clear and consistent strengths-based philosophy. Working from strengths creates an environment of safety for memoirists to share, critique, and revise our most personal stories. In our memoir workshop, Nicole facilitates skillfully to bring out the shared wisdom of the group and ensure that writers feel empowered to generate and revise our work. Highly recommend working with her if you have the chance!” —Alex Shevrin Venet

About Book Farm @ The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center hosts a series of workshops for serious writers to complete book-length projects, generate new work for publication, or master the elements of craft within a specific genre. You’ll work with an acclaimed author, guiding you through 4-12 months of lessons, workshops, and revisions. Our instructors are all accomplished educators with a track record of student success. Limited enrollment with rolling admission up to the application deadline, so apply right away to secure your spot!
All Book Farm participants receive an exclusive tote bag, a craft book recommended by the instructor, and a $100 gift certificate good toward future TWC workshops. Participants also receive exclusive access to The Writer’s Center staff, all of whom are accomplished writers with extensive experience in editing and publishing.

Novel Club w/ Lisa Ko
2026-03-04 20:00 - 2026-12-30 22:00 | Zoom
Jumpstart your novel and writing practice in this ten-month intensive!
If you’re wondering how to write a novel and sustain a writing practice in the midst of everything, Novel Club is for you. Together, with the guidance of an experienced mentor and author and the camaraderie of your Novel Club cohort, this is the year we will write and revise our novels. Through craft talks, workshops, and generative exercises, you’ll experiment, look at your blocks, and define your creative process, building a regular writing practice that works for your project and busy life. You’ll find a clear path forward for your manuscript and actionable next steps.

Watch the Virtual Info Session
Meet Lisa Ko, instructor for our Novel Year workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered!
WATCH NOW >>>

Over these ten months, you will learn:

Storytelling techniques and craft strategies and how to apply them: building scenes; developing characters; and elements of structure, plot, dialogue, voice, and perspective
Uncover what your novel is about, clarify your writing intentions, and develop a plan for how to achieve them
Opportunities to workshop and thoughtfully engage with each other’s novels in progress in a supportive environment
Practical skills for the writing life and demystifying the publication process

Students may read and prepare written comments on up to 50 pages of their peers’ writing for each class meeting. You may also read an excerpt of published work in preparation for craft discussions.

You should take this workshop if:

You have a story you want to tell, but don’t know where to start
You’re at the beginning stages of writing a novel and unsure of how to proceed
You’ve started writing a novel, but need a road map and more consistent structure to get to the finish line
You’re a serious writer who is open to rigor and play and ready to show up with curiosity and consistency

Schedule
This class will meet virtually every other Wednesday, with 20 total sessions. Workshop dates run from March 4, 2026 – December 30, 2026, 8 – 10 pm ET. Full dates TBD.

1:1 Mentoring
All workshops will be held over Zoom, with additional opportunities to meet 1:1 with Lisa upon request. All enrolled students will have the option to schedule an individual follow-up meeting (1 hour) with Lisa approximately 6 months after the conclusion of the workshop.

To Apply
Application Deadline: Monday, February 16, 2026
To apply, send a brief cover letter explaining why you want to take this class and, if applicable, what your book in progress is about and where you are in your project (e.g., in the beginning/brainstorming stages, in the middle of writing a first draft, on your second round of revisions). A 5-10 page writing sample is encouraged, but not required. Send your submission to emily.holland@writer.org by Monday, February 16th, 2026. Admissions will be on a rolling basis so participants are encouraged to submit early.
Acceptance into the workshop is required before registering.

About Book Farm @ The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center hosts a series of workshops for serious writers to complete book-length projects, generate new work for publication, or master the elements of craft within a specific genre. You’ll work with an acclaimed author, guiding you through 4-12 months of lessons, workshops, and revisions. Our instructors are all accomplished educators with a track record of student success. Limited enrollment with rolling admission up to the application deadline, so apply right away to secure your spot!
All Book Farm participants receive an exclusive tote bag, a craft book recommended by the instructor, and a $100 gift certificate good toward future TWC workshops. Participants also receive exclusive access to The Writer’s Center staff, all of whom are accomplished writers with extensive experience in editing and publishing.

Creating Novel Characters
2026-05-01 | Wet Ink
Bring your characters to life on the page.
When writing a novel, we must know our primary characters inside and out. We need to understand their desires, motivations, and frustrations, their histories and their futures. This workshop will focus on the development of authentic characters. Participants will examine character as both autonomous and residing within the context of the other novelistic elements, and we will examine the challenge of creating and integrating these various elements into a cohesive and credible whole. Participants will explore the main character(s) in their novels-in-progress.

Intro to the Novel
2026-05-01 | Wet Ink
Have you always wanted to write a novel but didn’t know where to start?
This workshop will help you understand the process of writing a novel so you can get started putting pen to paper. The workshop will focus on everything from generating ideas to developing characters to establishing point of view. Participants will discuss many elements of fiction (dialogue, scene, etc.) but the emphasis will be on discovering the writing process that works best for each writer.

Reading Poems to Write Poems
2026-05-02 10:00 - 12:00 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
Study and analyze great poets and poems to discover new ways to write great poems.
This is a reader’s workshop, focusing on close readings of poems by two great American poets, Stanley Plumly and Natasha Trethewey, in order more deeply to enjoy their poems and to derive specific strategies and prompts for our own work. This focused two-hour gathering will be in two parts, with David Baker examining Plumly’s work and Christopher Kondrich plumbing Trethewey’s. We’ll dive-deep into specific poems, identify each poet’s signature tactics, and talk about the class’s own practices. We hope to have some time for in-class writing, and we hope you take away specific, engaging new methods for your next poems. There’s no prior preparation necessary, though familiarity with the two poets would be useful; we’ll have handouts for class and if you have Plumly’s Collected Poems and Tretheway’s Native Guard, it would be helpful to bring with you.

End of Season Celebration Reading!
2026-05-03 14:00 - 16:30 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
Ever wonder who else is taking classes at The Writer’s Center? Want the chance to hear the work being made in other classes? Meet with Instructors of the coming season’s courses?
We invite you to attend our first ever End of Season Celebration, a time to meet and hear work from the participants from the numerous workshops we’ve hosted for the past four months.
This in-person event will gather the community of writers and instructors of the past four months to showcase work generated, revised, and inspired by the workshops held this season. Following this showcase, there will be a reception to meet fellow workshop participants and instructors.
We hope to see you, at the Center, in celebration of our wonderful community.

If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Attending? We encourage you to become a member of The Writer’s Center for only $65/year »

How Do You Pronounce That? A Panel on Non-English Words in English Language Poetry
2026-05-06 19:00 - 20:30 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
The Writer’s Center welcomes three poets to discuss their use of non-English words in their English language poetry. Do they italicize? Translate? Footnote? Endnote? Through a craft discussion focused on the poem on the page, the poetry book as a whole and the ideal reader, you’ll leave the panel with some choices and directions for both reading and writing poetry.
FREE & open to the public. RSVP below.

Sara R. Burnett is the author of Seed Celestial (2022), winner of the Autumn House Press Poetry Prize. She has published in Barrow Street, Copper Nickel, PANK, Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, RHINO and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the University of Maryland, and a MA in English Literature from the University of Vermont. She also writes picture books. She lives in Maryland with her family. Her website is: www.sararburnett.com
Majda Gama was born in Beirut to a Saudi father and American mother. Her hometown is Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and her roots Hijazi, but she also has a long, complicated relationship with Northern Virginia where her father was stationed in the 1970’s. Majda is the author of the debut poetry collection In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls, winner of the Wandering Aengus Press prize for poetry, and the chapbook The Call of Paradise selected by Diane Seuss for the Two Sylvia’s press chapbook prize. Her poetry has been published recently in Adroit, AGNI, Ploughshares, Poetry, Prairie Schooner, TriQuarterly, and Tupleo Quarterly. Her honors include a Gregory Djanikian Scholar award from The Adroit Journal and the Graybeal-Gowen award for Virginia poets from Shenandoah literary journal. In 2025 she received a special mention from the Pushcart Prize for a poem published by Terrain. https://www.majdagama.com
Chloe Yelena Miller is the author of Perforated (2026) and Viable (2021), both out from Lily Poetry Review Books. A series of English and Italian Vocabulary poems span both books. She is a co-founder of Brown Bag Lit, an online writing community, where she teaches poetry workshops. She also offers classes through Politics and Prose, New Directions in Writing and privately. www.chloeyelenamiller.com

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Virtual Craft Chat on Nonfiction w/ Lauren Westerfield
2026-05-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The Writer’s Center presents a FREE Virtual Craft Chat on the craft of Nonfiction! We’re joined by author Lauren Westerfield for a discussion of her new collection of essays, Woman House: Essays and Assemblages. Lauren is in conversation with Claude Olson, author and Operations Manager at The Writer’s Center.
RSVP below to receive login information (our virtual events are held via Zoom). FREE and open to the public, all times Eastern
We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or directly from the publisher>>

Lauren W. Westerfield is the author of Woman House and Depth Control. Her essays and poetry have been published in FENCE, Seneca Review, Willow Springs, Denver Quarterly, Indiana Review, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. Westerfield is a 2022 Idaho Commission on the Arts Literary Fellow. She teaches at Washington State University, where she serves as the editor-in-chief of Blood Orange Review.

About Woman House
A compelling and inventive memoir exploring how pain and pleasure are passed down through generations of women
For years, Lauren W. Westerfield looked back at her childhood as an imaginative playscape lovingly crafted by her artist mother. But in truth, theirs was always a fraught relationship, close yet turbulent. It wouldn’t be until her mid-twenties that Westerfield would learn that her mother was assaulted while living as a single woman in 1970s Los Angeles, or until her mid-thirties when caretaking for her now chronically ill mother during pandemic lockdown would reveal how that earlier incident and its ripple effects had shaped both their lives.
The essays and assemblages in this book plumb the depths of two women’s experiences, exploring the pain and pleasure they find in their bodies, in culture, and in their own art. Violence, beauty, and love reverberate and dissipate and shape the forms and psyches of these two profoundly connected family members. At once raw and refined, narrative and lyrical, nostalgic and blunt, the stories and images presented here explore Westerfield’s life—from childhood to adulthood—passing through innocence, self-discovery and familial tethers. In unpacking her mother’s history and the complexities of their relationship, Westerfield finds herself confronted with her own story: one grounded in a yearning for agency and individuation, of a body and mind groomed to be at odds with one another, of a feminist politics examining deeply rooted patriarchal understandings of beauty, control, and power.
Part memoir, part critical sense-making, part reckoning with family, identity, illness, addiction, art, and inheritance, Woman House draws on diverse inspirations in an attempt to recontextualize the female body—in danger, in pleasure, in portraiture, in proximity, in resistance—and challenge the structures that silence and restrict female expression.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Show and Tell Intensive
2026-05-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Learn to make your work compelling with the most important skill any writer can possess.
Successful writers make readers feel and intuit precisely what they want them to by using the technique of showing writing. No other element of craft promises this immediacy and power to bring a work to life. This is how to make a flat passage sing, how to gain your readers’ trust and emotional participation. Through exploration of compelling published examples, exercises, lively discussion, and inspiring instruction, you will learn to elevate your stories to submission-quality prose.

Poetry Book Club w/ Tonee Mae Moll!
2026-05-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry journal and The Writer’s Center welcomes poet Tonee Mae Moll to our monthly Virtual Poetry Book Club for a discussion of her collection, You Cannot Save Here. Tonee is joined by Book Club Host, Hannah Grieco.
We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or online »
FREE & open to the public. RSVP below.

Tonee Mae Moll holds a PhD in English from Morgan State University and an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore. She is an assistant professor of English at a Maryland community college and teaches in MFA programs across the state. Her debut memoir, Out of Step, won a 2018 Lambda Literary Award and the 2017 Non/Fiction Prize. Her poetry collection, You Cannot Save Here, won the Jean Feldman Poetry Prize, and her poetry has also received the Adele V. Holden Award and the Bill Knott Poetry Prize, with nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.

About You Cannot Save Here
Winner of the Jean Feldman Poetry Prize from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House, You Cannot Save Here is a collection of poems about how we live when each day feels like the world is ending. The poems ask what we do with the small moments that matter when so much around us—climate disaster, gun violence, pandemics, wars-makes these days feel apocalyptic. The book is a bit speculative and a bit confessional. It’s queer, punk, and woven tightly with cultural allusion-from visual art to video games, pop culture to counterculture.

About Book Club
This is no run-of-the-mill book club. Visiting writers will read excerpts, join the discussion, and answer your questions about craft, process, the publishing industry, and getting advice for our own writing! We’ll hang and eat snacks with the authors and escape your doomscrolling.
Poetry Book Club will meet on Zoom every second Wednesday of the month with a new poet.
Fiction Book Club will meet every third Sunday of the month in person at The Writer’s Center with a new author.
Come build community and read amazing books that the Big 5 didn’t have the sense to publish!

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Open Mic @ The Writer's Center
2026-05-13 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-05-27 19:00 - 21:00 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
Prose, poetry, and spoken word Open Mic @ The Writer’s Center! All writers are welcome to come and share 4-5 minutes of their latest work.

Sign-up starts at 6:45pm, and readings begin promptly at 7pm.
Limited to 20 readers, so arrive early if you plan to read.

Sponsored by Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry magazine.
FREE and open to the public. Please note that we no longer offer advance sign-up.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

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Virtual Craft Chat w/ Poet Nur Turkmani
2026-05-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Zoom
Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry journal and The Writer’s Center present a FREE virtual chat about the craft of poetry! We’re joined by Nur Turkmani to discuss her debut collection, October. Nur is in conversation with Brandon Johnson, poet and Events Manager of The Writer’s Center.
RSVP below to receive login information (our virtual events are held via Zoom). FREE and open to the public, all times Eastern.
We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or directly from the publisher>>

Nur Turkmani is a writer and researcher from Beirut. Her work appears in The Iowa Review, Poetry, The Rumpus, and New England Review, among others. She is the recipient of the Anthony Veasna So Award for Fiction from The Adroit Journal. Her debut poetry collection, October, will be out in April 2026 with Hajar Press.

About October
October in Lebanon is heavy with memory. The euphoria of the 2019 revolution feels far away, its anniversaries marked by crisis, war and the genocide in Gaza.
Across multiple Octobers, Nur Turkmani meditates on rupture, transformation and the quiet undoing and remaking of relationships during collective catastrophe. Part archive, part love letter, her debut poetry collection holds the ordinary and the extraordinary in the same breath, spanning balconies and border towns, fig trees and songs for friends, autumn light and the instinct to flee.
Formally spare and emotionally saturated, October refuses both numbness and spectacle. These poems ask what it means to survive the world and still long for it; and how we hold what’s disappearing, or changing too quickly to make sense of.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

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Capitol Hill Poetry-Group Anthology Launch
2026-05-16 14:00 - 15:30 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
The Writer’s Center welcomes the Capitol Hill Poetry-Group for a reading from the new poetry anthology The Other Side of the Hill: 1975 – 2025. This launch will include readings from Patricia Gray, Jean Nordhaus, Rosemary Winslow, Greg McBride, Noel Salinger, and Anne Harding Woodworth.
Free and Open to the Public

About The Other Side of the Hill: 1975 – 2025
This anthology of poetry by the members of the Capitol Hill Poetry Group celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding. Jean Nordhaus, who along with Shirley Cochrane founded the group on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. in 1975, is still a member. This group of both long-term and newer members, who are the authors included in this book, currently includes the author as follows: Patricia Gray, Charise M.Hoge, Mary Ann Larkin, Greg McBride, Nancy Fitz-Hugh Meneely, Jean Nordhaus, Patric Pepper, Noel Salinger, Rosemary Winslow, and Anne Harding Woodworth. They still meet every two or three weeks to read and critique each other’s work. The poets who have passed through this workshop over the last 50 years have published scores of poetry books and chapbooks, a testimony to their dedication to the art of making excellent poems.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

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Fiction Book Club w/ Zach Powers!
2026-05-17 14:00 - 15:00 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
The Writer’s Center welcomes author, and Executive Director of The Writer’s Center, Zach Powers, to our monthly Fiction Book Club for a discussion of his most recent novel collection, The Migraine Diaries, at The Writer’s Center! Zach is joined by Book Club Host, Hannah Grieco.
We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or online »
FREE & open to the public. RSVP below.

Zach Powers is a native of Savannah, Georgia, and lives and writes in Arlington, Virginia. He will publish his next novel, The Migraine Diaries, in April 2026 with JackLeg Press. His novel First Cosmic Velocity was published in 2019 by Putnam, and his debut story collection Gravity Changes won the BOA Short Fiction Prize and was published in 2017 by Boa Editions. His prose and poetry have been featured by American Short Fiction, Black Warrior Review, The Brooklyn Rail, and elsewhere. He co-founded the literary arts nonprofit Seersucker Live. He led the writers’ workshop at the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home for eight years. He was an arts and culture columnist for Savannah Morning News. He serves as Executive & Artistic Director for The Writer’s Center and Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry journal. He once won a regional Emmy for writing a public service announcement.

About The Migraine Diaries
With lyrical prose and a deeply empathetic voice, The Migraine Diaries offers a raw, unflinching look at the impact of chronic illness on the human spirit.
When a 30-something man experiences his first migraine at the funeral for his best friend, his life within a close-knit friend group threatens to come undone. He must navigate despair and debilitation alongside relationships, work, and the quest for meaning. He struggles to find sparks of hope and beauty even as his body and mind rebel against him.
How does he live with endless, invisible hurt? How does he support his friends even as he loses the ability to support himself? His very experience of time alters—looping, regressing, and flashing back to a before that’s lost forever. The Migraine Diaries, told in the unique format of a diagnostic headache journal, is a visionary look at human endurance, as well as a poignant exploration of pain. Most of all, it’s a testament to the power of friendship in the face of strife and grief.

About Book Club
This is no run-of-the-mill book club. Visiting writers will read excerpts, join the discussion, and answer your questions about craft, process, the publishing industry, and getting advice for our own writing! We’ll hang and eat snacks with the authors and escape your doomscrolling.
Poetry Book Club will meet on Zoom every second Wednesday of the month with a new poet.
Fiction Book Club will meet every third Sunday of the month in person at The Writer’s Center with a new author.
Come build community and read amazing books that the Big 5 didn’t have the sense to publish!

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Virtual Craft Chat w/ Author & Physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
2026-05-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The Writer’s Center presents a FREE virtual chat about the craft of science writing! We’re joined by acclaimed author and professor of physics and astronomy Chanda Prescod-Weinstein for a discussion of her new book, The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie. Chanda is in conversation with Zach Powers, author and Executive & Artistic Director at The Writer’s Center.
RSVP below to receive login information (our virtual events are held via Zoom). FREE and open to the public, all times Eastern
We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or online from Bookshop.org »

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an associate professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. She conducts award-winning theoretical physics research on dark matter, the early universe, and neutron stars, while also researching Black feminist science studies. Her first book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, won the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science and Technology, the 2022 Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, and a 2022 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award. A columnist for New Scientist and Physics World, she is originally from East L.A., California, and now divides her time between the New Hampshire Seacoast and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A fresh, charming, socially conscious tour of the mysteries of space-time, from the award-winning author of The Disordered Cosmos
In her highly acclaimed debut, distinguished cosmologist and particle physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shared with her audience an abiding sense of wonder at the cosmos, while imagining a world without the entrenched injustice that plagues her field. Now, in The Edge of Space-Time, she embraces that cosmic wonder, taking readers on a mind-altering journey to the boundaries of the universe, inviting us to spend time at the edge of what we know about space-time and about ourselves.
Guided by her conviction that for humanity to go forward we must know our cosmic past and drawing on poetry and popular culture—from Langston Hughes, Queen Latifah, and Lewis Carroll, to Big K.R.I.T., Sun Ra, and Star Trek—Prescod-Weinstein renders accessible some of the most abstract concepts of theoretical physics to tell fascinating stories about the history and fundamental nature of our universe. Here we meet the quantum cat that is both dead and alive, learn the difference between dark matter and dark energy, explore the inner workings of black holes, and investigate the possibility of a unified theory of quantum gravity, following our guide out to the far reaches of the cosmic event horizon and down to the tiniest (and queerest) neutrino. Along the way, she calls on us to resist colonial approaches to space exploration and instead imagine a better path forward in our pursuit of humanity’s undeniable connection with the stars.
Through Prescod-Weinstein’s clear-eyed and unique perspective, and informed by her deep knowledge of post-colonial history and Black feminist thought, The Edge of Space-Time argues that physics is an essential way for everyone to look at the universe and presents a compelling case that “the edge” is a powerful vantage point from which to see the big picture.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Virtual Craft Chat on Fiction w/ Ramona Ausubel in Conversation w/ Masie Cochran
2026-05-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The Writer’s Center presents a FREE virtual chat about the craft of fiction! We’re joined by novelist Ramona Ausubel to discuss her new writer’s guide, Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page. Ramona is in conversation with Masie Cochran, Editorial Director of Zando & Tin House.
RSVP below to receive login information (our virtual events are held via Zoom). FREE and open to the public, all times Eastern.
We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or online »

Ramona Ausubel is the author of five books, most recently The Last Animal which was a national bestseller, received the National Book Foundation Science + Nature Prize and was a Barnes & Noble book of the month. Her previous books are Awayland: stories, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, A Guide to Being Born and No One is Here Except All of Us. She is the recipient of the PEN/USA Fiction Award, the Cabell First Novelist Award and has been a finalist for both the California and Colorado Book Awards and the New York Public Library Young Lions Award. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Paris Review daily, One Story, Tin House, The Oxford American, Ploughshares and elsewhere. She is a professor at Colorado State University and has taught in the Bennington Writing Seminars, Tin House Writing Workshop, Writing by Writers, the Community of Writers, Bread Loaf Environmental, Writing Workshop Paris and elsewhere. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her family.
Masie Cochran is Editorial Director of Zando & Tin House, acquiring literary fiction and nonfiction with distinctive voice and lasting impact. Before joining Tin House, she worked at InkWell Management Literary Agency, where she developed a deep understanding of author partnership and career-building. Masie has edited numerous bestselling and award-winning titles, including Night of the Living Rez and Fire Exit by Morgan Talty, The Language of Trees by Katie Holten, The Seas by Samantha Hunt, and Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou. Her authors have won or been finalists for major honors including the PEN/Jean Stein Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, Edgar Award, Lambda Literary Award, and the National Book Award. At Zando and Tin House, Masie focuses on shaping ambitious, voice-driven work that expands the contemporary literary canon.

About the Book
Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page is about staying in love with your writing: feeling excited, mischievous, productive, and hopeful—the opposite of being stuck.
Critically acclaimed, award-winning author and beloved teacher Ramona Ausubel offers 101 exercises that promise to welcome you back to the page again and again; to reinvigorate your process and help you see your writing through to the end. Full of personal stories and hard-earned wisdom of a veteran writer, Unstuck is written in the first person, human to human, writer to writer. Practical, clear, and welcoming, Unstuck offers immediately useable strategies for beginning, continuing, and finishing a piece of writing.
Organized into doorways and keys, Unstuck turns problems into possibilities, offers keys to put into use right now, all designed to lead the writer back to the art, not toward an outside idea or formula. With Ausubel’s steady, encouraging advice—find your doorway, unlock the lock, and get writing again.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Convergence: Poetry on Environmental Impacts of War Reading
2026-05-21 19:00 - 20:30 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
The Writer’s Center welcomes Randall Amster, Colonel Roger Chang, Lisa Couturier and Linda Dove for a reading from the new poetry anthology Convergence: Poetry on the Environmental Impacts of War (Scarlet Tanager Books).

About the Anthology
Convergence: Poetry on Environmental Impacts of War offers a groundbreaking and vital perspective on war’s destruction of the natural world—the creatures, plants, soil, water, and atmosphere of Earth. In poems and contextual comments, 61 contemporary poets focus on military damages to the ecosystems on six continents and the moon. Framedby acogent introduction and a pair of forewords, one on the poetry and the other on global consequences, the poems are accompanied by a tally of ecological costs and a set of thought-provoking discussion and writing prompts for teens and adults. This compelling anthology alerts readers to environmental degradation of our planet while affirming nature’s resilience and regeneration.

Randall Amster, J.D., Ph.D., is a Teaching Professor in The Earth Commons at Georgetown University. He writes for a wide range of publications on themes of peace and nonviolence, social and environmental justice, political theory, and emerging technologies. His most recent book is Peace Ecology (Routledge).
As a two year old refugee in diapers escaping the Communist Chinese takeover to the safety of Taiwan, Colonel Roger Chang, spoke no English. After over 30 years of United States Army active and reserve duty, Ican share my declassified story “Helping Keep the Cold War Cold, Part 1”, answering the President’s Key Intelligence Question in 1973 to prevent the exchange of 7500 thermonuclear warheads in 17 minutes. I have taken 21 semesters of college creative writing classes to help make my story more readable. My autographed in person advice from National Poet Laureate Billy Collins shines as my guiding beacon. Our mission had an existential environmental impact on war.
A 2022 finalist for the Annie Dillard Award in Creative Nonfiction and a Pushcart Prize winner for “Dark Horse,” Lisa Couturier is author of The Hopes of Snakes (Beacon) and Animals / Bodies (Finishing Line), winner of the Jean Pedrick Chapbook Prize. A notable essayist in Best American Essays, 2004, 2006, 2011, she is a writer with the Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community and the Natural World.
Linda Dove holds a Ph.D. in Renaissance literature and teaches college writing. She is also an award-winning poet of five books: In Defense of Objects (2009), O Dear Deer, (2011), This Too (2017; reprint 2027), Fearn (2019), and Switchfish (2023), as well as the scholarly collection of essays, Women, Writing, and the Reproduction of Culture in Tudor and Stuart Britain (2000). Poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, the Robert H. Winner Award from the Poetry Society of America, Best of the Net, and Best Microfiction. While in southern California, she served as the Altadena Poet Laureate from 2012-2014, as well as the founding editor of MORIA Literary Magazine. She recently relocated to her hometown of Columbia, Maryland.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Virtual Craft Chat w/ Author Chet’la Sebree
2026-05-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
The Writer’s Center presents a FREE virtual chat about the craft of nonfiction! We’re joined by author Chet’la Sebree for a discussion of her new essay collection, Turn (W)here. Chet’la is in conversation with Zach Powers, novelist and Executive & Artistic Director at The Writer’s Center.
RSVP below to receive login information (our virtual events are held via Zoom). FREE and open to the public, all times Eastern
We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or online from Bookshop.org »

An essayist and poet from the Mid-Atlantic, Chet’la Sebree is the author of the debut essay collection TURN (W)HERE: A Geography of Home as well the poetry collections Blue Opening, longlisted for PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry and a finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry; Field Study, winner of the 2020 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets; and Mistress, nominated for an NAACP Image Award. She’s an assistant professor at the George Washington University and serves as a faculty mentor in Randolph College’s MFA in Creative Writing program.

About Turn (W)here
A probing essay collection that chronicles one woman’s complicated quest to find home in a fractured America, from the award-winning author of Field Study

At eighteen, Chet’la Sebree began, as she writes, “perfecting the art of leaving.” After moving out of her parents’ house in Delaware for college, the lauded poet, essayist, and academic rarely kept the same address for more than two years—bouncing from city to city, country to country, perpetually in search of her next adventure.
For Sebree, traveling has been a life-long passion, forged during family road trips and vacations with friends; college study abroad programs in Europe; and far-flung writing residencies and job opportunities. She dreamed of one day taking her own Great American Road Trip, Jack Kerouac–style—except refashioned as a millennial Black woman who had also begun considering her next chapter: settling down and starting a solo fertility journey.
During the pandemic, Sebree thought she might finally get her chance to hit the road. But then, George Floyd was murdered, following the killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, and so many others. As America continued to reveal its most violent self, Sebree started to wrestle with the very idea of home: Where do I belong in a country not meant for people like me to survive? What does this mean for a child I might bring into it?
In Turn (W)here, Sebree turns to the page for answers, seamlessly weaving memoir with history and cultural criticism in a collection of inventive essays bound by themes of movement, home, inheritance, and belonging. Spanning continents, geographies, and states of mind, Sebree lights a pathway for the wanderer, the seeker—anyone propelled into the unknown by the desire for a place to truly belong.

If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.

Enjoying our free events? Help us offer more programs to support writers with a $10 donation »

Recent Grad Writers Mixer
2026-05-30 11:00 - 13:00 | The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD, 20815, United States
Are you a writer who recently graduated? Join us for an informal gathering at The Writer’s Center to hang out and talk writing! Please bring a drink or an appetizer that serves six. You’re welcome to bring a friend, too.
FREE & open to all DMV writers who have recently graduated. RSVP required below.
Attending? We encourage you to become a member of The Writer’s Center for only $65/year »
