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ALAMANCE COUNTY BURLINGTON ALAMANCE WRITERS NIGHT AT THE BURLINGTON ARTISTS LEAGUE GALLERY When: Second Saturday of the month 7:00-8:30 pm Where: Burlington Artists League Gallery, Holly Hill Mall, 309 Huffman Mill Rd. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 336-266-6461 Join the North Carolina Writers' Network's Alamance County Representative and Burlington Writers' Club member Wayne Drumheller for lively readings, discussions, and book signings by some of the best writers and poets in Alamance County. Bring your best writing ideas to the gallery on the second Saturday of each month.
GRAHAM POETRY CRITIQUE GROUP When: Last Monday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Member’s home Contact: 336-578-2496 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Poetry critique group has formed and is seeking additional members. All levels welcome.
MEMOIR WRITING GROUP When: Last Thursday of the month, 10:00 am Where: Graham Presbyterian Church, 216 W. Harden St. Contact: 336-578-2496 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. All levels welcome.
MEMOIR WRITING GROUP When: Third Monday of the month, 10:00 am Where: The Gathering Room at Twin Lakes Retirememt Community, 3701 Wade Coble Dr. Contact: 336-578-2496 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Open to all, not just residents. All levels welcome.
MEBANE WRITING FOR CHILDREN CRITIQUE GROUP When: First Mondays, 10:30 am Where: Mebane Methodist Church, 200 S. Fourth St. Contact: 336-578-2496 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Seeking additional members. If a sufficient number desire an evening group, that can be arranged.
WRITING FOR CHILDREN CRITIQUE GROUP When: Third Mondays, 6:30 pm Where: Alamance Community College Library, Alamance Community College Contact: 336-578-2496 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Seeking additional members. If a sufficient number desire an evening group, that can be arranged.
ALEXANDER COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Alexander County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
ALLEGHANY COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Alleghany County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
ANSON COUNTY WADESBORO ANSON COUNTY WRITERS' CLUB When: Fourth Sunday of the month, 3:00 pm Where: First Presbyterian Church - Fellowship Hall, 208 S. Green St. Website: http://www.ansoncountywritersclub.org Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Anson County Writers' Club has been in existence since 1989. The Anson County Writers' Club fosters the art of writing in Anson County through support, awareness and recognition of all writers—from the beginner to the published author. This is accomplished through regular meetings, workshops, lectures and readings; through our annual contests in prose and poetry culminating in a public awards ceremony; and through our grant program.
ASHE COUNTY WEST JEFFERSON WORDKEEPERS When: Third Saturday (Dec., April, June, Aug., Oct., Dec.), 4:00 pm Where: Ashe County Arts Council, 303 School Ave. Contact: Diana Renfro, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We start our readings at 4:00 pm. It's first come/first served on the reading bill, so let Diana know if you'd like to sign up for your 5-minute slot.
BEAUFORT COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Beaufort County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
BRUNSWICK COUNTY CAROLINA SHORES SOUTH BRUNSWICK NCWN When: First Tuesday of the month, 1:00 pm Where: Southwest Brunswick Branch, Brunswick County Library, 9400 Ocean Hwy W. Contact: Joan Leotta, regional rep, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Meetings open to all, bring your friends. We invite speakers and or/discuss aspects of writing that group members have recommended. This is a monthly event put on by the North Carolina Writers' Network.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY ASHEVILLE
ONE-ON-ONE TUTORIALS When: Ongoing Where: Online Cost: $35 p/hour, $50 for 2 hours Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.twwoa.org The Writers' Workshop of Asheville is offering one-on-one tutorials for any writer, regardless of experience. Whether you need help getting started and sticking to a schedule, or how to polish your work for publication, we're here to help.
POETRIO When: First Sunday of every month, 3:00 pm Where: Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, 55 Haywood St. Poetrio events are free and open to the public.
THOMAS WOLFE BOOK CLUB When: Second Thursday of the month, 5:30-7:00 pm (January - April) Where: Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site, 52 N. Market St. Contact: Tom Muir, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: http://www.wolfememorial.comA monthly Thomas Wolfe Book Club, sponsored by The Wilma Dykeman Legacy. Each month, a different local educator will lead the club in discussion of a pre-selected short story written by Thomas Wolfe. Just read the selected short story, show up at the corresponding meeting, and be prepared for an informative and provocative conversation.
THE WRITERS' WORKSHOPS When: Various Saturdays in winter, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Where: 387 Beaucatcher Rd. Cost: $70 (members) / $75 (non-members) Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 828-254-8111 Info/Register: www.twwoa.org The Writers' Workshop is offering thee one-day intensive classes for beginning and experienced writers. Registration is in advance only. Financial assistance is available for low-income writers in exchange for volunteering.
WRITERS AT HOME When: Third Sunday of every month, 3:00 pm Where: Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, 55 Haywood St. Contact: Tommy Hays at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The University of North Carolina at Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program series.
WRITERS' POTLUCK When: Last Friday of every month, 6:00 pm Where: The Writers' Workshop, 387 Beaucatcher Rd. Website: www.twwoa.org Writers' Potluck is held on the last Friday of the month. Members and guests are invited—please bring a dish to share, and a short story or poem to read.
CRAFT: AUTHORS IN CONVERSATION When: The last Sunday of the month, 3:00 pm Where: Little Jumbo, 241 Broadway St. Cost: Free New York Times bestselling author Denise Kierman will host an author to discuss not only the writer's latest publication, but also the craft of writing itself. For each featured author, the Little Jumbo staff will create a specialty cocktail--or mocktail!--inspired by either the featured book or the author. Free parking available on the corner of Broadway and Monroe Streets. Co-sponsored by Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe and Litte Jumbo.
FLATIRON WRITERS ROOM When: Various dates in winter Where: 5 Covington St. Cost: Varies Website: www.flatironwritersroom.com The Flatiron Writers Room offers space for classes, workshops, and writing-related events, as well as co-working space for individual writers. They provide high-quality classes and workshops on both craft and the business of writing.
WNCMSYSTERIANS CRITIQUE GROUP When: Biweekly, 6:00 pm Where: Battery Park Book Exchange, Grove Arcade, 1 Page Ave. #101 Cost: Free Website: www.WNCMysterians.org Established 2009 for serious mystery, suspense, and thriller writers in Asheville and Western North Carolina. We meet biweekly to improve one another's writing. Check out our website for details and dates.
2020 GREAT SMOKIES WRITING PROGRAM When: Various workshops Where: Various locations in Asheville, Hendersonville, Black Mountain, and Burnsville Info: www.unca.edu/gswp or call 828-251-6099 Some of the area’s best authors and instructors are featured in the new spring lineup of workshops from the University of North Carolina at Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program. Courses will help hone the skills of writers of poetry and prose, including memoir, novels, and creative nonfiction. Some classes are open to interested writers of all levels; some are restricted to more advanced writers. In all cases, class size is limited and early registration is suggested. See website for complete course listing.
BURKE COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Burke County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
CABARRUS COUNTY KANNAPOLIS CABARRUS-ROWAN WRITER'S NIGHT OUT / OPEN MIC When: Fourth Thursday of the month, 6:30 pm Where: French Express Internet and Cyber Cafe, 2087 Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Blvd. (at Rt. 29, around the corner from Planet Fitness) / https://www.facebook.com/FrenchExpressNC Contact: Vincent James Vezza, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Member readings and publishing progress updates are encouraged in an open mic format. Time permitting, members are invited to focus on one aspect of their writing in a roundtable discussion. Several meetings feature guest authors, editors, publishers, and writing association presenters. There is no fee for the meeting. Great coffee, other beverages, and pastries are available off the menu. Join colleagues for a fun filled writers’ night out. This is a monthly event put on by the North Carolina Writers' Network.
CAMDEN COUNTY Know of a literary event in Camden County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
CARTERET COUNTY BEAUFORT BEAUFORT
CRITIQUE
GROUP When: Alternate Wednesdays or Thursdays (mostly), 4:00-6:00 pm (no July meeting) Where: Provided upon registration Contact: Dr. Susan Schmidt, 252-269-0032; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.susanschmidt.net Recruits several writers who have a book in progress and have workshop experience. E-mail to register.
CARTERET WRITERS When: Second Wednesday of the month (September-April), 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Where: Clawson's 1905 Restaurant, 425 Front St. Contact: Stanley Trice, 540-207-0089 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.carteretwriters.org Monthly meetings include a speaker and time for conversation with fellow writers, some seasoned and some just beginning. Lunch is "Dutch treat," but the program is free. Anyone interested in writing is welcome. Do come and try out a meeting or two to see if it helps awaken your muse!
CASWELL COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Caswell County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
CATAWBA COUNTY HICKORY HICKORY WRITING GROUP When: Second Monday of the month, 6:00 pm Where: Patrick Beaver Memorial Library - 2nd Floor, 375 3rd St. NE Contact: Skip at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.hickorywritergroup.com Hickory Writers’ Group is a collection of serious writers who desire critical feedback on their work, and who are willing to be supportive of other writers. Writers at all experience levels are welcome. Ages 18 and up. Our agenda includes providing you the tools to appropriately critique another writer’s work; having your work critiqued; and passing on information and tips that will be helpful to you as a writer. Even if you’ve not launched your writing efforts, or have dabbled in writing, the Hickory Writers’ Group might well be that springboard to seeing your work in print someday. Prospective members are encouraged to visit in order to determine if you would like to become a part of this growing group.
POETRY HICKORY When: Second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm Where: Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse, 29 2nd St. NW, downtown Contact: Scott Owens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Hosted by Lenoir Rhyne Professor and Poet, Scott Owens, each event begins with a featured writer followed by an Open Mic. Participants in the Open Mic must sign up by 7:00 pm. There can be as many as 10 Open Mic readers, and each of them can have up to 3 minutes. This is the monthly get-together for the Central Foothills region of the North Carolina Writers' Network.
CHATHAM COUNTY PITTSBORO
PITTSBORO WRITERS' MORNING OUT When: Third Saturday of the month, 1:00 pm Where: Greek Kouzina, 964 East St. Contact: Carol Phillips, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Writers' Morning Out, the regular get-together for the Chatham-Lee Counties region of the North Carolina Writers' Network, is a free gathering of writers of any genre. Attendees enjoy monthly discussions and presentations about the subtleties, craft, and business of writing.
NC POETRY SOCIETY POETRY SERIES When: Fourth Sunday of every month, 2:00 pm (January to October) Where: McIntyre’s Fine Books, Fearrington Village Contact: Guy and C. Pleasants York at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Each month, McIntyre’s hosts published members of the NC Poetry Society for reading and discussing their work.
CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE – CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM When: Various dates Where: Central Carolina Community College Website: www.cccc.edu/creativewriting Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro offers ongoing classes, Saturday workshops, and a certificate in creative writing. Now registering for the winter. See our website for details.
CHEROKEE COUNTY BRASSTOWN NETWORK-WEST POETRY AND PROSE GROUP READINGS When: Third Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm (unless otherwise indicated) Where: John Campbell Folk School, One Folk School Rd. Contact: Mary Ricketson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Two readers from Network-West read each month. JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL WRITING CLASSES When: Throughout the year Where: John C. Campbell Folk School, One Folk School Rd. Website: www.folkschool.org
MURPHY NETWORK-WEST POETRY GROUP When: First Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm Where: Holland McSwain Building - Conference Room, Tri-County Community College Contact: Janice Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Our group invites poets to bring typed copies of their poems, share them with the group, and get constructive feedback from the other poets. At each meeting we usually have between six and ten writers who come from Clay and Cherokee Counties in North Carolina, and Towns County in Georgia. Newcomers are welcomed to visit and eventually share their work if they wish. The success rate for publication in this group has been very high. The members have published their poems in well-known and respected literary journals, and several have published chapbooks and even full-length books. NETWORK-WEST PROSE CRITIQUE GROUP When: Second Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm Where: Tri-County Community College, Conference Room, McSwain Building Contact: Bob Grove at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Positive constructive suggestions for writers' readings. E-mail Bob Grove for information.
CHOWAN COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Chowan County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
CLAY COUNTY HAYESVILLE COFFEE WITH THE POETS AND WRITERS When: Third Wednesday of the month, 10:30 am (March through December) Where: Moss Memorial Library, 82 Anderson St. Cost: Free Contact: Glenda Beall at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828-389-4441 Readers of poetry or prose from NCWN-West are featured. Community is invited to attend and participate in Open Mic.
CLEVELAND COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Cleveland County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
CRAVEN COUNTY NEW BERN THE NEXUS POETS When: First Tuesday of the month, 7:00-9:00 pm Where: Harrison Center, 311 Middle St. Cost: Free Contact: Sam Love, 252-876-9456 Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nexus-Poets/1433576556892128 Please join us in celebrating the amazing local talent this city has to offer! Each month will showcase two sets, begun by a featured poet followed by an open mic in round robin format. Get there early to sign up to perform/read and get one of the quickly filling seats to enjoy an evening with The Nexus Poets! Please check the Facebook page in case we have to shift the date.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY FAYETTEVILLE WRITING CAN HELP When: First and third Saturdays, 10:30 am Where: Room 202, All American Veteran Center, Fayetteville Technical Community College Contact: Jerry Bradley, facilitator, 910-574-5019 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.writingcanhelp.webs.com The purpose of this group is to inspire artistic expression and creation and to encourage release, hope, help, and healing through writing. The group includes but is not limited to military men and women, retirees, veterans, government civilians, battlefield contractors, first responders and their family members who have experienced or who are experiencing events resulting in mental (such as PTSD and TBI) or physical trauma and disabilities. The goal of this group is to encourage a peer environment in which participants can develop their artistic writing skills through instruction, review and feedback offered in an honest, positive and constructive (not destructive) manner. This will be done through workshops, discussions groups, critique groups, special projects and events. Remember, disabled does not mean unable. Jerry Bradley, facilitator.
WRITERS' INK GUILD POETRY AND PROSE CRITIQUE GROUP MEETING When: Third Tuesday of every month, 7:00 pm (except July and December) Where: 2nd and Charles Book Store, 1920 Skibo Rd. Contact: Jerry Bradley at 910-574-5019 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. You don't have to be a great writer or even a good writer to attend; you just have to be an enthusiastic writer. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call.
JAVA JAMS: FAYETTEVILLE’S PREMIERE POETRY OPEN MIC When: Every Sunday from 7:30-10:30 pm Where: The Coffee Scene, 3818 Morganton Rd., next to Carrabba’s restaurant The talented regular participants of this long-running open mic event offer up an inspired reading of poems. Newcomers welcome to the venue to listen or share some words of their own!
DARE COUNTY SOUTHERN SHORES ALBEMARLE / OBX REGIONAL NCWN MEETING When: Third Wednesday of the monrth, 12:00 pm Where: Duck Woods Country Club, 50 S. Dogwood Tr. Contact: Wade Hopkin, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Critiques and discussions about the art and craft of writing. We welcome new attendees.
DAVIE COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Davie County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
DUPLIN COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Duplin County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
DURHAM COUNTY DURHAM BULL CITY PRESS READING SERIES When: Second Saturday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Mettlesome's Okay Alright Theater, 401 W. Geer St. Cost: Free Website: https://bullcitypress.com/reading-series Bull City Press’ newest reading series brings you poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from established and emerging writers. And if you’re lucky, you can stick around and see one of our readers in a comedy show at 9:00 pm.
FLASH FICTION GROUP When: Tuesdays, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm or Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00 pm Where: Private home in Durham Contact: Ron Jackson, 919-627-3914, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Work on a variety of voices, styles, and subjects; wrap your brain more easily around a story; tap your hidden lyrical language; work on all elements of craft; build story inventory fast. Each session will include some of reading work aloud, constructive critique, handouts, readings, and content generation through take-home and in-class prompts.
NONFICTION AUTHORS ASSOCIATION OF DURHAM AND CHAPEL HILL When: Second Wednesday of the month, 6:15 pm Where: Alternate locations Cost: $10 (advance) / $15 (door) Contact: Diana Needham Website: http://www.meetup.com/Durham-Chapel-Hill-Chapter-Nonfiction-Authors-Association A series of authors presentations followed by discussion. Topics include building an income stream as a writer, marketing your book, building a website, and more.
SHARING CREATIVITY POETRY CRITIQUE GROUP When: Third Thursday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: South Regional Library, 4505 South Alston Ave. Contact: Bartholomew Barker at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This monthly group meets to review poems, provide constructive feedback and spend a creative evening together. You must send poems the Monday prior to the workshop. Sponsored by Living Poetry.
JAMBALAYA SOUL SLAM ACADEMY When: Third Saturday of every month, 8:00 pm Where: Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville St. Contact Information: www.bullcitypoetryslam.com or 919-683-1709 Cost: $7 Writing and performance workshop facilitated by national spoken word artists. Learn to take your poetry from the page to the stage in a relaxed peer environment.
FORSYTH WINSTON-SALEM OPEN MIC NIGHT When: First Tuesday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, 251 Spruce St. North Come share your writing at our popular Open Mic event. Sign up to read at 6:45 pm. See complete rules at our website, www.wswriters.org. Hosted by the Winston-Salem Writers.
DRAFT NIGHT When: Second Friday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Bookmarks, 634 Fourth St. Cost: Free Contact: Ed Southern, Regional Rep, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. All writers with a work-in-progress can come take a number in the night's draft, for a chance to share from their work in an open-mic format, six slots of five minutes each. This is a monthly event put on by the North Carolina Writers' Network.
FOUR ON FOURTH When: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Bookmarks Bookstore, 634 W. 4th St. #110 (access parking in rear, off Holly Ave.) Contact: Bart Ganzert, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.bookmarksnc.org The Winston-Salem Writers is partnering with Bookmarks to host a monthly public reading event called “Four on Fourth”. The fourth Wednesday each month, four local authors will be featured at this live reading. Author’s books will be available for purchase. Come to enjoy and support your writerly tribe!
THE WORD IS OUT: OPEN MIC When: Last Tuesday of the Month, 7:00 pm Where: Central Library, 616 W. Fifth St. Co-sponsored by Forsyth County Public Library and the Winston-Salem Writers.
FRANKLIN COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Franklin County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
GASTON COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Gaston County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
GUILFORD COUNTY GREENSBORO NC WRITERS' NETWORK OPEN MIC When: Second Monday of the month, 6:30-9:00 pm Where: Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St. Cost: Free Contact: Carla Harper, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Writers: An open invitation to share your work out loud. All genres welcome. NCWN Guilford County members receive reminders about the open mic and a chance to sign up before the public via rep newsletter. Every month will have an optional theme. (Going with the theme is always nice, but not mandatory.) Each writer will have up to 7 minutes to read. Feel free to bring more than one piece in case we have time for a second round. Please time your reading beforehand. On-site sign-up is available between 6:30 and 6:50 pm on a first-come, first-served basis. If time allows--and once everyone on the list has read--the floor will be opened up to volunteer readers (i.e., those who did not plan on reading, but have become inspired to do so). This is a monthly event put on by the North Carolina Writers' Network.
PLAYWRIGHTS FORUM MEETING When: Second Wednesday of every month, 7:00 pm Where: Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St. Contact: Todd Fisher at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 336-373-2974 Cost: The meetings are free and open to the public. Membership is only $30 annually. Actors and directors are encouraged to attend. Each meeting begins with introductions, then readings of the monthly assignments, followed by works by member playwrights. Members may submit plays to be considered for production four times a year.
STORY SLAM When: Once a month, 7:00 pm Where: Scuppernong Books, 304 S. Elm St. Cost: $3 (members) / $5 (non-members) Story Slams are ~5 minute personal stories that are closely related to the monthly topic, evaluated by audience selected judges. Awards given.
BENJAMIN BARDS: A POETRY WORKSHOP When: Third Thursday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Benjamin Branch Library, 1530 Benjamin Parkway Cost: Free Register: 336-373-7540 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Join us once a month for a free discussion based workshop for poets of all skill levels from teens to adults. Learn about forms and techniques, read and study published authors, and bring and share your own works for constructive criticism. Each month we will focus on different topics or give you a chance to work on revisions.
THE SENIORS’ NOTEBOOK GROUP When: Fourth Tuesday of every month, 2:00-4:00 pm Where: Contact June Wilson Read (below) for location Contact: June Willson Read, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Writers over the age of fifty who wish to participate in a daytime group are invited to join the Senior's Notebook writers. Membership includes new writers as well as folks who have had some publications in various genres. We write, share current writing, discuss writer issues, and sometimes critique work..
HARNETT COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Harnett County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
HAYWOOD COUNTY WAYNESVILLE MOUNTAIN WRITERS MEETING
When: Second Tuesday of each month, 12:00 pm Where: Panacea, 66 Commerce St. Contact: Charley Pearson, charleyThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.mountainwritersnc.com Open to the public with programs for aspiring and published writers of all genres.
HENDERSON COUNTY FLAT ROCK LOST PLAYWRIGHTS MEETING When: Monthly (dates vary), 2:00 pm Where: Flat Rock Historic Cultural Center / Old Post Office, 118 Village Center Dr. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Playwrights read scenes from their works. Persons interested in creative writing or theatre are invited to attend.
FLETCHER WRITERS GUILD OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA When: Second Thursday of every month, 1:30-3:30 pm Where: Fletcher Public Library, 120 Library Rd. Contact: John Waterman, 828-296-9983 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. All writers are invited to join us for a lively discussion about our current projects related to publishing and marketing our work. Learn tricks and techniques from published authors and aspiring writers. Reveal your own convictions.
HENDERSONVILLE BLUE RIDGE WRITERS' SUPPORT GROUP When: First and third Mondays, 2:00-4:00 pm Where: County Parks and Recreation Athletics and Activity Center, 708 S. Grove St. Contact: Tom Hooker, 828-691-0118 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Blue Ridge Writers’ Support Group is open to anyone seriously interested in being published. The current facilitator is Tom Hooker.
BLEEDING LESSONS When: The first Wednesday of the month, 6:00-7:30 pm Where: The Black Bear Coffee Shop, 318 N. Main St. Contact: Meagan Lucas, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Charlie Wilkinson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. A topical presentation followed by a group discussion/writing exercise and sharing. A regular get-together of the Henderson County region of the North Carolina Writers' Network.
IN THE COMPANY OF WRITERS When: The second Wednesday of the month, 6:30-9:00 pm Where: The Brandy Bar, 504 7th Ave E. The evening showcases featured writers and poets reading from their work and then engaging in spirited discussion with the audience, followed by an open mic, with live music before the featured writers, during the break, and after the open mic. A regular get-together of the Henderson County region of the North Carolina Writers' Network.
OPEN MIC NIGHT When: Third Monday of the month, 5:15:-7:45 pm Where: Henderson County Public Library, 301 N. Washington St. Cost: Free and open to the public Contact: Meagan Lucas, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Charlie Wilkinson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The North Carolina Writers' Network invites writers to share their work at Open Mic Night. Poets, fiction writers, playwrights, essayists, memoirists, etc. are welcomed. To read: sign up between 5:30 and 6:00 pm. Readings are from 6:00-7:30 pm and are timed, beginning when reader starts speaking: prose is five minutes and poetry is three minutes.
IREDELL COUNTY STATESVILLE IREDELL COUNTY WRITERS GROUP When: First Tuesday of the month, 11:00 am Where: Iredell County Public Library, 201 N. Tradd St. - Conference Rm. Contact: Billie-Fae Gerard Gill, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Published and unpublished writers are welcome to participate. Outside speakers and regular learning opportunities available. Work will be critqued upon request. Currently averaging twelve writers per meeting.
JACKSON COUNTY SYLVA COFFEE WITH THE POET When: Third Thursday of each month, 10:30 am Where: City Lights Bookstore, 3 E. Jackson St. Contact: 828-586-9499
JOHNSTON COUNTY
SMITHFIELD
JOHNSTON COUNTY WRITERS GROUP When: Second Thursday of every month, 6:00–7:45 pm Where: Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, 305 E. Market St. Cost: Free and open to the public Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jocowriters We are a diverse group of working writers ranging from beginner to advanced. We share information, critique each other’s work, host guest authors, and schedule write-ins and open mics in Selma, Four Oaks, Princeton and more. Facilitator is NCWN member Cindy Brookshire.
LEE COUNTY SANFORD FIRST THURSDAY'S TAKE 5 POETRY & PROSE OPEN MIC When: First Thursday of every month, 6:00-8:00 pm Where: Karma Boutique and Coffee Bar, 131 Wicker St. Cost: Free Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: https://www.facebook.com/KarmaandCoffee/events Treat yourself to the friendliest open mic around where encouragement and enthusiastic applause abound! Enjoy the sharing of original poetry and prose in blocks lasting up to five minutes each from 6:00-8:00 pm on the First Thursday of every month. Open mic sign-up begins at 5:30 pm. As time allows, writers may be invited to read a second time during the evening and anyone who didn't originally sign up to read will be encouraged to give it a go. Come share your work or just come ENJOY!
LENOIR COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Lenoir County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
LINCOLN COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Lincoln County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
MACON COUNTY FRANKLIN NCWN MONTHLY GET-TOGETHER When: The second Thursday of the month, 10:00 am Where: Cowee Arts and Heritage Center, 51 Cowee School Dr. Contact: Brent Martin, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Monthly get together for the Macon County region of NCWN, where writers share their work and participate in group writing exercises. Free and open to the public.
MADISON COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Madison County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
MCDOWELL COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in McDowell County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
MECKLENBURG COUNTY CHARLOTTE PEN TO PAPER When: Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 am Where: Charlotte Lit, 1817 Central Ave. - Rm. 302 Cost: Free Are you a writer or aspiring writer looking for an intentional and supportive writing community? A group that prompts and propels you? People to help you get unstuck? Someone to ask questions? Help in developing a regular writing practice? Charlotte Lit’s “Pen to Paper” is a weekly gathering for aspiring writers: anyone who is starting (or restarting) to write, or established writers who want the learning and growth that comes with wise guidance and group support. “Pen to Paper” is led by author Megan Rich.
WEDNESDAYS @LIT When: Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm Where: Charlotte Lit, 1817 Central Ave. -- Ste. 302 Cost: Free (members) / $20 (non-members) Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: http://www.charlottelit.org/wednesdays Join Charlotte Lit members for inspiring and educational community gatherings. Events rotate through four formats: Lit Writes (write-ins), Lit Chats (facilitated conversations), Lit Reads (member readings), and Lit Shops (workshops).
THE CHARLOTTE POETRY COLLECTIVE When: Second Thursday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: C3 Lab, 2525 Distribution St. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: https://m.facebook.com/TheCharlottePoetryCollective A new, free critique group!
WRITER'S WORKSHOP When: Second Saturday of the month, 2:00-4:00 pm Where: CML Library - Beatties Ford Road Regional, 2412 Beatties Ford Rd. Cost: Free Website: http://bit.ly/BFRwg Beatties Ford Road Regional Library offers a Writer’s Workshop, facilitated by writer Evangeline Billy. No fees or dues. Open to scripters of all genres, an arena to hone skills, get critiques, and be among other script creators. Read your written and spoken word to an audience, learn how to critique, update punctuation skills, prepare, plan, complete your works, and create new ones. The Beatties Ford Writers Workshop is all about that ink.
CHARLOTTE WRITERS' CLUB THIRD TUESDAYS When: Third Tuesday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd. - Rm. 104 Website: www.charlottewritersclub.org/home Charlotte Writers' Club 3rd Tuesday monthly meeting. Guests welcome. Since 1922 Charlotte Writers' Club, "Celebrating the Written Word."
OPEN MIC NIGHT AT MUG'S COFFEE When: Third Friday of the Month, 7:00 pm Where: Mug's Coffee, 5126 Park Rd. - #1d Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/charlotte-writers-club-open-mic-night-tickets-45628949416 This is a great opportunity for our members to share what they've written and gain experience reading in public. This is a necessary skill to promote your writing. The added benefit is being able to network with other writers. Hosted by the Charlotte Writers' Club and Mug's Coffee.
CHARLOTTE LIT – CLASSES When: More than 40 classes from September to May Where: Charlotte Lit, 1817 Central Ave. - Rm. 208 Cost: Varies Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Info/Register: https://www.charlottelit.org Charlotte Lit offers craft classes for writers and arts-based classes for everyone, led by some of the area's best writers and teachers. See website for current course listing.
HUNTERSVILLE WATERBEAN POETRY NIGHT AT THE MIC When: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Waterbean Coffee, 9705 Sam Furr Rd. - Unit A Cost: Free Contact: Leslie M. Rupracht, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Co-hosted by Pinesong editor, and former Iodine Poetry Journal editor Leslie M. Rupracht. We have a featured poet/writer do a reading, followed by open mic. (Sign up for open mic by 7:15.) Waterbean Coffee at Northcross Shopping Center is a fantastic venue offering a variety of coffee, tea, desserts, beer, and wine by the bottle.
MITCHELL COUNTY SPRUCE PINE MAYLAND WRITERS’ GROUP When: Last Monday of each month, 6:00 pm Where: Spruce Pine Public Library, 142 Walnut Ave. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828-467-4208 Members bring in material to critique. Prose and poetry are welcome.
MOORE COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Moore County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
NASH COUNTY ROCKY MOUNT NCWN DOWN EAST WRITERS OF NASH-PITT-WILSON COUNTIES When: Third Saturday of the month, 1:00-2:00 pm Where: The Bel Air Artisans Center, 115 S. Church St. Contact: Celestine Davis at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 252-526-7353 The NCWN Down East Writers of Nash-Pitt-Wilson Counties will host opportunities for writers of all genres to stir up their creative juices with stimulating writing prompts, quality feedback, and occasional open-mic style readings with special guests. Sponsored by the North Carolina Writers' Network.
NEW HANOVER COUNTY WILMINGTON DISCUSSION AND DISCOVERY When: Wednesdays, 6:00 pm Where: Athenian Bookstore & Lounge, 2231 Wrightsville Ave. Cost: Free Contact: Lori Wilson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Discover women and femme identified writers! Come to our weekly book club and free write where no advance reading is necessary. Every week we will read excerpts from thought provoking essays, stories, and poems to expand our wheelhouse and continue our exploration of diversity. We will be selecting excerpts from books carried in-house and delving into discussions on themes and perspectives that we may have grasped from immersing ourselves in these texts. Don't worry, no prior reading required! With titles changing weekly and free writing during our discussions, Discussion & Diversity is not something you'll want to miss out on!
FEMME SPEAK OUT When: First Friday of the month Where: Gravity Records, 612 Castle St. Cost: Free Website: https://athenianpw.org To learn from, feel, and understand what the community of women and femme voices has to say. Hosted by Athenian Press & Workshops.
OPEN MIC POETRY NIGHT When: Second Friday of the month, 6:30 pm Where: Pomegranate Books, 4418 Park Ave. Join poets for a lively night of readings, open mics, and community building. Bring your own poems or those of your favorite poet to read orj just enjoy the atmosphere. Hosted by Jean Jones and John Evans.
PORT CITY PLAYWRIGHTS' PROJECT When: Two Saturdays a month, 11:00 am Where: New Hanover County Public Library System (TBD) Contact: Elizabeth Gordon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: https://portcityplaywrights.wordpress.com/ Port City Playwrights' Project, a community of writers for stage and screen, meets twice a month to read members' scripts and offer constructive feedback in a spirit of mutual support. Our meetings feature lively discussions and will focus on plays in development for upcoming productions. Newcomers at any experience level are always welcome.
ART IN BLOOM When: Second Sunday of the Month, 2:30 pm Where: Art in Bloom Gallery, 210 Princess St. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Join us for a special pre-Valentine’s Day Open Reading and reception on Sunday, February 9, 2:30–4:30 pm. Doors open at 2:30 pm; and the reading begins at 3:00 pm. Refreshments provided! Bring your own prose and poetry or share favorites by others. Help us celebrate love in all its form, for example, romantic, platonic, twisted, unravelled, struck by lightning and/or "it's complicated." The reading and reception are part of the Second-Sunday Reading Series each month in 2020 at Art in Bloom Gallery. Each Reading has a different focus including guest writers and is free and open to the public. The series celebrates the convergence of the literary and visual arts.
ATHENTIAN AT LARGE When: Sundays, 3:00 pm Where: Pomegranate Books, 4418 Park Ave. Cost: Free Contact: Lori Wilson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 919-961-5071 Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1794744290830597 Athenian Press & Workshops is reintroducing it's At Large series for the 2019 year. Every Sunday, we will hold a town-hall style community meeting in which woman and femme creators (artists, writers, arts entrepreneurs, etc.) are invited to discuss current events. The At Large series provides an opportunity to connect with fellow creators and survivors of marginalization, and it offers a forum to use writing as healing. Each week, the Athenian team invites its guest to participate in a writing prompt at the end of the meeting. The meeting is followed by Athenian Yoga with Heather Gordy, who curates a practice that allows guests to decompress, explore creativity, and reflect upon the discussion (although both events can occur independently if guests cannot attend both). Join our team to explore, create, and takeover!
ATHENIAN YOGA WITH HEATHER GORDY When: Sundays, 4:00 pm Where: Athenian Bookstore & Lounge, 2231 Wrightsville Ave. Cost: Free Join the Athenian team for our weekly yoga practice with certified yoga instructor Heather Gordy. Heather will be offering all level yoga classes specifically designed to help build internal strength, empowerment, confidence, and self-love. Each week she will guide you through asanas to help open the heart, encourage balance through everyday life, and find healing of the body and mind. These classes will be held after our “Athenian At Large” meetings and will serve as a time where you can find release of tension in the body and pull from your own inner strength to feel self-love and compassion. Please join us as we dive into the practice of yoga to form connection and help in supporting each other as we grow together.
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Northampton County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
ONSLOW COUNTY TOPSAIL WRITERS HOLLY RIDGE When: Contact for next meeting time Where: 4 C's Java, 1601 E. Ocean Hwy. Cost: Free Contact: Edward Wills, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 910-554-1374 Website: https://www.facebook.com/Topsail-Writers Are you an author, blogger, or writer of any sort? Do you want to become one? If so, you are invited to join your peers at Topsail Writers. The group is made of published authors, students, and those beginning to explore writing careers. Meetings typically last for two hours with the first hour reserved for a discussion of a writing-related topic and the second for communal writing time. Participants are encouraged to bring a computer.
ORANGE COUNTY CARRBORO JUMPSTART YOUR WRITING: A WEEKLY PROMPT WRITING CLASS FOR WOMEN When: Thursdays, 6:00-8:30 pm OR Fridays, 10:30 am - 1:00 pm Where: The studio of Nancy Peacock Cost: $120 per month Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.NancyPeacockBooks.com Prompt Writing: serious writing begins with playful writing. Writing weekly from prompts with a group of writers will help you play your way into the possibilities of the written word.
WRITING GROUP FOR WOMEN When: Mondays (10:30 am - 1:00 pm) or Thursdays (10:30 am - 1:00 pm) Where: The studio of Nancy Peacock Cost: $145 per month Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.NancyPeacockBooks.com This group is for women who are working in or who wish to work in fiction and/or memoir. Personal essays, short stories, or longer sustained works are welcome. Nancy Peacock is the author of the novels Life Without Water (chosen as a New York Times Notable), Home Across the Road, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson, and the memoir A Broom of One's Own (five stars from Cheryl Strayed).
CHAPEL HILL
CHAPEL HILL FRIDAY NOON POETS When: Friday's, 12:30-1:30 pm Where: Amity United Methodist Church, 825 Estes Dr. Contact: Dave Manning, 919-462-3695 Informal meetings every Friday. Read your poetry or poems of others. Free parking, side entrance. All are welcome!
FLYLEAF BOOKS SECOND THURSDAY READING SERIES When: Second Thursday of the month, 7:00-8:30 pm Where: Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Contact: Pam Baggett, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Joan Barasovska, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This monthly reading series is co-hosted by Pam Baggett and Joan Barasovska and sponsored by Flyleaf Books. An informal get-together before the reading will begin around 6:00 at the Root Cellar, next door to Flyleaf. Please join the group for an hour of conversation. Featured readers will each read for approximately twenty minutes and, after a short break for the readers to sign books, there will be an open poetry mic. Please sign up to read no later than 7:00 pm.
PROMPT WRITING WITH NANCY PEACOCK When: Second Saturday of the month, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Where: Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd. Cost: Free and open to the public Prompt Writing: serious writing begins with playful writing. Please join this unique ongoing group of supportive adult writers and play your way into the possibilities of the written word. Fun group and great community. No need to register. Just show up with paper and pen.
POWER TO THE POETS When: Fourth Sunday of the month, 6:00-8:00 pm Where: The Cave, 452 W. Franklin St. Cost: Free A monthly series dedicated to showcasing poets of all persuasions!
HILLSBOROUGH WRITERS' WORKSHOP WITH DAVID PAYNE When: Thursdays, 6:00-7:30 pm (Group 1); Thursdays, 8:00-9:30 pm (Group 2) Where: Location provided upon registration Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.davidpaynebook.com David Payne teaches two ongoing Thursday night writing workshops in Hillsborough. A member of the Founding Faculty in the Queens University of Charlotte MFA Writing Program, David has also taught and served as writer-in-residence at Bennington, Duke, Hollins, and elsewhere. He is the author of five novels—including Early from the Dance, Ruin Creek, and Back to Wando Passo--and a memoir, Barefoot to Avalon, published by Grove Atlantic Press. David has recently completed a screenplay of Barefoot to Avalon for Oscar-nominated director Giulio Ricciarelli. David’s Thursday evening classes—MFA-level workshops limited to six members per section—is open to fiction and nonfiction writers.
PENDER COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Pender County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
PERQUIMANS COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Perquimans County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
PITT COUNTY GREENVILLE NCWN DOWN EAST WRITERS OF NASH-PITT-WILSON COUNTIES When: Third Saturday of the month, 10 :00 am - 12:00 pm Where: The Great Harvest Bread Company, 2803 Evans St. Contact: Celestine Davis at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The NCWN Down East Writers of Nash-Pitt-Wilson Counties will host opportunities for writers of all genres to stir up their creative juices with stimulating writing prompts, quality feedback, and occasional open-mic style readings with special guests. This is a monthly event put on by the North Carolina Writers' Network.
POLK COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Polk County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
RANDOLPH COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Randolph County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
ROBESON COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Robeson County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
ROWAN COUNTY KANNAPOLIS CABARRUS-ROWAN WRITER'S NIGHT OUT / OPEN MIC When: Fourth Thursday of the month, 6:30 pm Where: French Express Internet and Cyber Cafe, 2087 Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Blvd. (at Rt. 29, around the corner from Planet Fitness) / https://www.facebook.com/FrenchExpressNC Contact: Vincent Vezza, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This is a great venue to meet and greet with others in your craft. Typically, we share news of upcoming events of interest to writers; we discuss the status of our various projects--and of course, we always have an open mic. Come early, get a cup of something good from the French Express, and sign up for a spot to read your poetry or short prose pieces. All are welcome. Keep up to date by following the blog at www.albertoperez.co/guild.html. Members have their short stories, poetry and other work listed for others to enjoy. This is a monthly event put on by the North Carolina Writers' Network.
RUTHERFORD COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Rutherford County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
SCOTLAND COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Scotland County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
STANLY COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Stanly County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
SURRY COUNTY MT. AIRY AUTHOR DRAFT OPEN MIC When: Second Tuesday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: 449 N. Andy Griffith Hwy - Ste. 800 Contact: 336-755-2158 We welcome all authors and genres. All readers and listeners are welcome. Readers will be given 5 minutes to read. We will start at 7:00 pm and try to allow all authors to read. We will limit to 15 readers.
SWAIN COUNTY BRYSON CITY PINTS, POEMS, AND PROSE When: Second Thursday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Nantahala Brewing, 61 Depot St. Cost: Free Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/652293538542509 Nantahala Brewing Company, in collaboration with North Carolina Writers’ Network-West, is thrilled to announce its first writers' open mic, which will be held on Thursday, April 11—recurring every second Thursday of the month. Open to the public, PINTS, POEMS, & PROSE is an effort to cultivate and celebrate the rich culture of poetry and storytelling that exists in Swain County and the surrounding communities of western NC. Join award-winning poet and author of The Geese Who Might be Gods, Benjamin Cutler, and award-winning novelist and author of the forthcoming novel Even As We Breathe, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, for an evening of good words and good drink. Writers in all stages of development are welcome to read their work, and everyone is welcome to listen and enjoy. Event begins at 7:00, and open mic sign-ups will begin at 6:45 for ten-minute reading sessions. Share a poem, share a story, share a beer.
TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY
BREVARD
THE TRANSYLVANIA WRITERS ALLIANCE When: First and Third Tuesdays Where: Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church, 249 E. Main St., Brevard Contact: Betty O. Taylor, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We meet for two hours to critique one another's work and to share publishing opportunities. We would like more writers to join us: we have poets, science fiction writers, essayists, memoirists, nonfiction, academic writers, and fiction.
LOOKING GLASS ROCK WRITERS' CONFERENCE When: May 20-23, 2021 Where: Brevard College Cost: $550 (w/ board) / $475 (commute) Info/Register: https://www.lgrwc.org Exploring the theme “A Sense of Place," small select groups of conference attendees experience working under the guidance of notable writers. Founded in 2016 as a partnership between the Transylvania County Library and Brevard College, the annual conference consists of writing workshops for select participants and public readings by the workshop leaders free to the community. The Looking Glass Rock Writers’ Conference is sponsored by the Transylvania County Library Foundation and Brevard College. The 2021 faculty includes Rick Bragg (nonficton), Paisley Rekdal (poetry), and Silas House (fiction).
TYRRELL COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Tyrrell County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
UNION COUNTY MONROE UNION COUNTY WRITERS' CLUB When: Third Sunday of the month, 3:00-5:000 pm Where: Book Lady, 3513 W. Hwy 74 Website: www.ucwc.webs.com Everyone is cordially invited to come by. See our website for more information.
WAKE COUNTY RALEIGH
LGBT CENTER OF RALEIGH OPEN MIC NIGHT When: First Saturday of the month, 7:00-10:00 pm Where: LGBT Center of Raleigh, 411 Hillsborough St. The LGBT Center of Raleigh’s Open Mic Night seeks to teach members of the community the power of their own voices and provide a safe place for them to express themselves. Attendees are invited to share songs, poems, personal stories, and anything interesting. They may also initiate discussions and share anything that may be on their minds. Attendees are not required to share; whether they do or not, we ask that they all respect each other’s identities, pronouns, and experiences. The Center provides pizza and soda, and guests are invited to bring more food to share.
WRITERS COFFEEHOUSE When: Second Sunday of the month, 2:00 pm Where: Quail Ridge Books, 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Rd. Discussions will focus on the latest trends in the industry, the craft of writing, markets, pitching and selling, conquering frustration and defeating writers block. Not a peer critique group, this is discussion and networking. No publishing experience is necessary, and everyone from beginners to award winners are welcome to drop in, whether a writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, screenplays, comics, or journalism. Come enjoy the camaraderie of other writers.
TRIANGLE SCREENWRITERS GROUP When: Second Wednesday and Fourth Tuesday of the month, 7:00 pm Where: Hunt Library, NC Sate University (Wednesdays) and private residence in Durham (Tuesdays) Cost: Free Contact: Jim McQuaid, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: http://trianglefilmmaking.com/tfc-screenwriters-group A free group for screenwriters that provides feedback on work and community of fellow writers (and filmmakers). The group is currently moderated by Jim McQuaid and N.C. Jones. Anyone may attend at any time. The best way to join is to get on the email list, which is managed by moderator Jim McQuaid. Jim sends out a meeting reminder a week or so prior to every meeting which contains the room number for the upcoming meeting. Note that we share everyone’s email address to enable direct and informal connections within the group. All members are required to sign our “covenant” of rules which govern our meetings. Basically it means that everyone behaves like an adult and that suggestions for another’s script are freely given. You can download the form below. Physical copies are available at the meeting as well.
THIRD WEDNESDAY OPEN MIC AT LUCKY TREE When: Third Wednesday of the month, 6:30 pm Where: Lucky Tree, 3801 Hillsborough St. Website: www.luckytreeraleigh.com All genres welcome. Five-minute time limit; twelve readers.
TRIANGLE ASSOCIATION OF FREELANCERS When: Last Wednesday of the month, 5:30 pm Where: Milton's Pizza and Pasta, 8853 Six Forks Rd. Website: http://www.tafnc.com Contact: Donald Vaughan, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Triangle Area Freelancers are a dedicated group of working freelance writers located in North Carolina’s Triangle region and surrounding communities. The majority of our members place their professional focus on nonfiction magazine articles and books, but many have also excelled at fiction, poetry, personal essays, photography, newspaper writing and more. Dinner at 5:30; the meeting officially begins at 7:00 pm. Newcomers welcome.
WONDERLAND BOOKCLUB When: Last Friday of every month (but please check our site for some date variations), 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Where: Quail Ridge Books, North Hills, 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Rd. Website: http://www.meetup.com/wonderlandbookclub/ Cost: Free and open to the public Now going into its twelfth year, Wonderland Book Club features a monthly author guest and is especially helpful for aspiring writers who want to know more about the craft of writing by meeting a published author and having a worthy discussion with them. Read the book and then meet the author! We have regular members who are both writers and readers who love good writing and who love to meet a new author every month. In 2020, we will cover the genres of fiction, memoir, and nonfiction. The Wonderland Book Club is hosted by Alice Osborn and is the monthly meeting of the NCWN Wake County region of the North Carolina Writers' Network. Lunch follows the meeting (Dutch treat) at Vivace at North Hills. Sign up for free at our Meetup site. We are open to the public and welcome all!
HEART OF CAROLINA ROMANCE WRITERS When: Second Saturday of the month, 1:00 pm Where: ECPI University, 4101 Doie Cope Rd. Cost: First two meetings free; then, $30 annual dues Contact: Susan Chapek, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.HeartofCarolina.org Arm your Fiction with Facts! Presenter Harvey Webb is going to demonstrate the types and uses of weapons that we rely on in our fiction to promote our characters’ conflicts. He will bring props for us to handle so we can get the feel of the weapons our characters might use and he will arm us with informational details that will make our fiction more realistic and believable.
WAKE FOREST WAKE STORYTELLING CIRCLE When: One Sunday per month, usually third Sunday Where: Morning Glory, 523 Wait Ave. Information: Claire at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 919-610-1483 Whether we are sitting around the kitchen table or speaking at a conference, the world is filled with stories. The Storytellers Book Store hosts The Northern Wake Storytelling Circle, a open group of storytellers, students and listeners, who love a good story. Facilitated by Claire Ramsey.
WATAUGA COUNTY BOONE HIGH COUNTRY WRITERS WORKSHOP When: First Thursday of the month, 10:00 am Where: Blue Ridge ArtSpace, 377 Shadowline Dr. Contact: Bill Runyan, President, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Workshops devoted to skills training, open to the public.
HIGH COUNTRY WRITERS When: Second and fourth Thursdays, 10:00 am Where: Watauga County Library, 140 Queen St. Contact: Bill Runyan, President, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Judith Geary, co-VP / Program Coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Anita Laymon, co-VP / Program Coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Thursday is devoted to a program and the fourth Thursday is used to critique a manuscript of a member. Meetings are open to the public.
WAYNE COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Wayne County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
WILKES COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Wilkes County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
WILSON COUNTY WILSON NCWN DOWN EAST WRITERS OF NASH-PITT-WILSON COUNTIES When: Third Saturdays of the month, 10:00-11:00 am Where: Say Yum Yum Ice Cream and Deli, 408 Nash St. NE Contact: Celestine Davis at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.252-526-7353 or or Toshika Johnson Smith, 252-363-8480 The NCWN Down East Writers of Nash-Pitt-Wilson Counties will host opportunities for writers of all genres to stir up their creative juices with stimulating writing prompts, quality feedback, and occasional open-mic style readings with special guests. Sponsored by the North Carolina Writers' Network and co-hosted by Vision Community Theatre Group, Inc.
YADKIN COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Yadkin County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
YANCEY COUNTY Know of a literary event happening in Yancey County? Send a brief notice to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for inclusion in the NCWN Literary Calendar.
ONLINE
NEW! WRITE TO FIGHT When: Tuesday, January 12, 7:00 pm Where: Online Cost: $35 (members) / $45 (non-members) Register: https://www.ncwriters.org/ncwnsecure/reg/onlineClassFormJan2021.php In light of current events and ongoing injustices, how can writers use their craft to engage in civic participation? "Write to Fight" will discuss the art of persuasion, how writers can use their skills for activism, and the mind-traps and ethical dilemmas of writing for a cause. Led by Tessie Castillo, who co-wrote her first book, Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row, with four men serving death sentences in North Carolina, whom she met while volunteering at North Carolina’s Central Prison in 2014.
NEW! AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHING When: Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 pm Where: Online Cost: $35 (members) / $45 (non-members) Register: https://www.ncwriters.org/ncwnsecure/reg/onlineClassFormFeb2021.php In this ninety-minute, open-format event, Dennis Lloyd will talk about university press publishing for writers of fiction, poetry, memoir, or regional-interest nonfiction. Following his short talk, Dennis will paricipate in a moderated Q&A driven mostly by questions from registrants. Come armed with questions: participation is strongly encouraged! Dennis, a native North Carolinian, is Director of the University of Wisconsin Press.
NEW! VIRTUAL POETRY HOUR When: Wednesday, January 6, 7:00 pm Where: Online Info/Register: https://ncartmuseum.org/calendar/event/2021/01/06/mindful_museum_virtual_poetry_hour_january_2021 Join writer-scholar Jameela F. Dallis to make language art! Or, rather, to write ekphrastic poems inspired by the Museum’s collection. Ekphrasis means 'description' in Greek, and ekphrastic poems are often vivid descriptions of works of art. Through grounding exercises, guided reflections, and writing prompts, participants respond to specific works of art around a central theme, encountering art, language, everyday objects, and ourselves in unexpected ways.
WRITING AND COLLAGE When: Saturdays, January 9-23, 9:00 am Where: Online Cost: $40 (each session) Info/Register: https://zeldalockhart.com/workshops-%26-events Join Zelda Lockhart for transformational deep and fun time with prose, poetry and art making We’ll utilize The Soul of the Full-Length Manuscript write short prose and poetry and create collage that will help us remember the way to the light without diminishing the ways of grief. You’ll end up with a celebration of living and loving you can keep as your guide, and/or to post and publish.
NEW! CROOK'S CORNER BOOK PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT AND PANEL DISCUSSION: "HOW DOES SOUTHERN LITERATURE CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE SOUTH?" When: Monday, January 11, 7:00 pm Where: Online Cost: Free Info/Register: https://www.paperlesspost.com/events/41920723-d487d89d/replies/628002730-dd0595f9 Moderated by Leoneda Inge.
NEW! VIRTUAL WRITING SALON & SOCIAL TIME When: Monday, January 11, 7:00 pm Where: Online Cost: Free Info/Register: https://charlottewriters39club35.wildapricot.org/event-4095351 Take 75 minutes to write and share. We'll start with a little face time and catch-up time, bring your imagination; Tiffany provides the prompts. No pressure, no angst, just writing fun! Hosted by Charlotte Writers Club.
THREE-IN-A-ROW WRITERS' WORKSHOPS When: Saturdays, January 16-30, 10:00 am Where: Online Cost: Free (members) / $25 (non-members) Register: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Three-In-A-Row Writers’ Workshops Return in January. Start the New Year off on the write foot! Winston-Salem Writers offers online workshops for all writers and aspiring writers via Zoom. Participation is limited to the first 30 registrants. As follows:
- January 16, "Using Metaphors to Sharpen Our Stories" with by Tracy Crow
- January 23, "How to Write Dynamic and Believable Dialogue" with Ron Stacker Thompson
- January 30, "How to Write Your First Draft in Two Months…and Still Have a Life" with Kathryn Johnson
VISITING WRITER'S SERIES When: Various dates in 2020-2021 Where: Online Cost: Free Info/Register: https://www.lr.edu/public-events/visiting-writers-series Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Visiting Writer’s Series will be offered streaming online through Zoom for their 32rd season of world-class literary arts programming. As follows:
- Thursday, February 25, 2021, 7:00 pm, Emily Nemens
- March 18-19, 7:00 pm, 2021, Colm Toibin and Patrick Radden Keefe
- Thursday, March 25, 2021, 7:00 pm, Jeanine Cummins
- Saturday, April 17, 2021, 12:00 pm, Kao Kalia Yang
WOMEN'S MONDAY NIGHT WRITERS WORKSHOP When: 6:30-8:30 pm every other Monday evening Where: Online Cost: $35 per session Contact: Allison Kirkland, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.allisonkirkland.com Since March, 2019, Allison Kirkland has been leading and facilitating a rigorous and collaborative women’s workshop that meets every other Monday evening. During these sessions, we workshop each others fiction, nonfiction, and poetry and also provide support and accountability. It’s a great fit for writers who are working on long term projects or who benefit from community. This workshop is open to women and women-identifying local writers of any genre. At the moment this workshop is conducted via Zoom. (Note: This is recommended for writers in the Triangle area because eventually Allison hopes to transition the group back to in-person classes, but for the foreseeable 6 months, she is taking new members from anywhere in North Carolina.)
POETRY IN PAJAMAS When: Wednesdays, 12:00-1:00 pm Where: Online Cost: Free Contact: Rob Smith, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Join in from wherever you are, for Poetry in Pajamas (or other comfortable attire). We will work on new poems and listen to others in the comfort of a virtual space. Contact Rob Smith (above) and register with an email address and the meeting link will be sent on the day of the program. Hosted by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library.
CRAFT: AUTHORS IN CONVERSATION When: Wednesdays, 7:00 pm Where: https://www.crowdcast.io/denisekiernan Hosted by Denise Kiernan and Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe.
WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! When: Thursdays, 10:00-11:30 am Where: Online Free: Register: https://www.cmlibrary.org/calendar Please join from the comfort of your space to write and share our work. Hosted by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library.
OPEN MIC NIGHT When: Every Thursday Where: Online Info/Submit: https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaTheatre The Carolina Theatre of Greensboro believes that in these difficult times it is more important than ever to connect with one other. As part of their effort to bring our community together, support local artists, and showcase the amazing talent all around us, theye are hosting virtual open mics! Each Thursday, join online for a FREE virtual concert! Tip artists virtually for their performance, and tell them who you want to see perform LIVE at The Carolina Theatre of Greensboro! Interested in participating? Amateurs and professionals welcome! Singers, instrumentalists, beatboxers, spoken word artists, now is your time to shine! Each week, we’ll stream video submissions to our 35,000 fans! Get tips, exposure, and create JOY in this time of isolation.
MEETUP POETRY CRITIQUES When: First and third Thursdays, 6:30 pm Where: Online Cost: Free Contact: Jonathan Giles, 919-632-0696l or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Ongoing bimonthly poetry critiques by fellow poets. E-mail Jonathan for access.
JOHNSTON COUNTY WRITERS When: Second Thursday of the month, 6:30 pm Where: Online Contact: Cindy Brookshire, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We are working novelists, poets, journalists, creative writing teachers, business writers and storytellers in Johnston County. Our members have ranged from a teenager publishing her first book to a cowboy poet performing at open mics. Come to our virtual meetings! Contact Cindy for meeting log-in info.
WRITERS CONVERSATION HOUR When: Fridays, 7:00-8:00 pm Where: Online Contact: Pam Turner, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Hang out virtually with other writers to talk about resources, submission opportunities, and what you have been reading or writing. Contact Pam Turner and the meeting link will be sent on the day of the event. Hosted by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library.
BURLINGTON WRITERS CLUB MONTHLY MEEETING When: Second Saturday of the month, 10:00 am Where: Online Cost: Free Contact: Elizabeth Solazzo, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.burlingtonwritersclub.org
NEW! FLATIRON WRITERS ROOM WINTER CLASSES When: Various dates in winter Where: Online Info/Register: https://www.flatironwritersroom.com FWR has an amazing roster of virtual classes and events starting in January, with an all-star lineup of new and returning faculty.
NEW! WRITERS HOUSE WINTER CLASSES When: Various dates in winter Where: Online Info/Register: http://writerhouse.org/upcoming-classes The coming term offers seven eight-week classes meeting twice a week. The lineup includes two fiction, one nonfiction, two poetry, and two multi-genre classes. We also have three seminars coming up, one each in January, February, and March.
WRITE YOUR EROTIC JOURNEY THROUGH THE DECADES OF LIFE When: Rolling Where: By email Cost: Free Info/Register: https://page.stellafosse.com/journey This is the start of a journey through your erotic history. You will write about each decade of life so far and imagine your sensual life in the future, one decade at a time, guided by prompts about each period. After you finish writing you’ll be guided to reflect on the full arc of your erotic life and tutored through the revision process. With the class you will get an email a day for ten days. You will be guided each step of your journey by published writer, workshop leader and coach Stella Fosse. The entire class is completely free of charge.
LIVE AT WHITE ROCK HALL When: Ongoing Where: www.liveatwhiterockhall.com LIVE at White Rock Hall pairs nationally-known authors with regional musicians and film the collaborations LIVE. We've also started a record label for poets and songwriters and have roduced our first album with Quincy Troupe, which is available on the website, along with a new video "Words That Build Bridges," and a making of episode that is free to our visitors at the site. Get a subscription to our site to see and purchase episodes, interviews, video performances, album releases, and tons of cool merchandise and downloadable audio tracks. Check out our first episode, titled "GENESIS," which tells the history of the show and the 100-year-old church that houses our studio where all these recordings take place. Give us your feedback and continue to visit as we create and release upcoming episodes and groundbreaking content.
MALAPROP'S CONVERSATIONS When: Ongoing Where: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyrJepmblOCol0M_hv3Syzg Asheville's Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe has started a series of author, publisher, and translator in-conversation videos that we're posting on YouTube. So far, we've got interviews with Malaprop's bestselling authors Hernan Diaz (Pulitzer finalist In the Distance) and Scott McClanahan (Crapalachia, The Sarah Book), with more coming along every week.
OTHER STATES FLORIDA 17TH ANNUAL PALM BEACH POETRY FESTIVAL When: January 18-23, 2021 Where: Delray Beach Cost: Varies Info/Register: https://www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org The featured poets for the 2021 Palm Beach Poetry Festival are: David Baker, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Traci Brimhall, Jericho Brown, Vievee Francis, Forest Gander, Kevin Prufer and Mary Ruefle; Special Guest Gregory Orr (in performance with The Parkington Sisters); and Poet at Large, Brian Turner.
GEORGIA WRITERS’ NIGHT OUT When: Second Fridays, 7:00 pm (April through November) Where: Union County Community Center, 129 Union County Recreation Rd., Blairsville Cost: Free and open to the public Contact: Karen Paul Holmes, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Featured reader plus open mic. Food/drink available for purchase starting at 6:00 pm. Also serves writers in the bordering NC counties of Cherokee and Clay.
ROOM FOR POETRY When: Third Tuesday of the month, 2:00-4:00 pm Where: Mountain Regional Public Library, 698 Miller St., Young Harris Contact: 706-379-3732 Cost: Free This poetry critique group provides constructive verbal and written feedback from other poets. No fees or membership dues required. This program is hosted by NCWN-West, a program of NCWN, and is open to the public. Contact the library, above, for information.
BLUE RIDGE WRITERS' CONFERENCE When: April 9-10, 2021 Where: Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association & Center, Historic Fannin County Courthouse at 420 W. Main St., Blue Ridge Cost: TBD Info/Register: www.BlueRidgeArts.net Keynote Speaker: Melissa Fay Greene. Faculty includes Sheila Athens, G. Wayne Clough, Elizabeth Dulemba, Laura Newbern, Bonnie (BJ) Robinson, and Jennifer Jabaley.
SOUTH CAROLINA HUB CITY WORKSHOPS When: Saturdays, 2:00-5:00 pm Where: Spartanburg Public Library, 151 S. Church St. Ext, Spartanburg Cost: $35 Info/Register: https://hubcity.org/workshops Writing workshops throughout the year, hosted by Hub City Writers Project.
VIRGINIA WRITERS HOUSE SUMMER CLASSES When: Various dates in summer Where: WriterHouse, Inc., 508 Dale Ave., Charlottesville Info/Register: http://writerhouse.org/upcoming-classes Register now to ensure your spot in your favorite class. Fulll-day and half-day seminars available.
OTHER COUNTRIES Know of an event happening in another country? E-mail details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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