Writing Groups

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These are some of the writing groups in central Ohio. We make no promises about the accuracy of this information. If you know of any changes to an existing group or a new group that would like to be added, please email us at news@writenowcolumbus.com.

614 Writers Community

Thursdays 6-8PM; Wolf Study Room at Worthington Public Library (820 High Street, Worthington, 43085) Park in the rear of the library.

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY WRITING GROUP PHASE II

contact group facilitator (see below) for time and place

Okay so here it is. This is how it started, we are calling this Phase II because phase I, at least in its current fashion is phasing out. Initially this group targeted and was restricted to African American females only. Ages 30-43. The goal was to attract those interested in reading and writing, only one person was writing. The rest, maybe read the assigned books. As much as we would like to still target African Americans, sorry, can’t do it. Already tried it. A group dies without participation. This time no one is restricted (minus age requirement– must be an adult). We will still target African American’s but won’t exclude anyone. No Restriction on Gender or Age if 18 and Up. All Adults Are Welcomed.

For this group, we are only interested in attracting people who know they are Ready To Write. We already have the meeting spots reserved. We just need to agree to make a commitment to meet bi-weekly or monthly to write for 2-3 hours! This way no one has any excuses for not writing and getting that great novel done! We will bring our laptops or pin and paper to our already reserve venue, greet each other drink coffee, tea, and write.

The goal is for each participant to finish one manuscript within the first year of the first meet. We will only read books to get ideas. NO MORE BOOK CLUBS. The goal here is to become a writer, so only those interested in becoming so need participate. Its ok to be scared or have a blank idea, we can get around that just so long as you know you want to write. We can refer you to several book clubs if that’s what you are interested in. But this will be a literal/writers group. As you can tell we are very sincere about attracting would be WRITERS this time. Looking forward to seeing the level of interest.

Email for details at eblg@yahoo.com or VSnipes921@readytowriteaa.ning.com. Surf to http://www.blackplanet.com/SFV111 or http://readytowriteaa.ning.com

ALEX WRITES

First Thursdays – 7PM
Alexandria Public Library
10 Maple Drive – Alexandria

Open to all aspiring or published authors. Write, critique, learn, support, encourage.

Contact Betsy Young 740-924-0305 byoung@columbus.rr.com for information.

AUTHORS ANONYMOUS

Various Mondays from 7pm to 8pm
Public Library of Mount Vernon & Knox County

Authors Anonymous is an informal meetup for writers age 18 and up. All are welcome. We will talk about craft, discuss current projects, share opportunities for writers and occasionally offer feedback on “Snippets” of new work.
Meetings are held virtually-registration is required. To get registered or for

more information please contact Literary and Writing manger Jamie Lynn Smith-Fletcher at knoxwrites1@gmail.com.

COLUMBUS CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION

Second Sundays from 3PM to 5PM
Meetings held on Zoom

For more information and log in instructions, email Mina at m_raulston@hotmail.com.

THE COLUMBUS HOUSE OF SCRIBES

Second and Fourth Saturdays from 4-6pm
Various (available on Meetup)
Founded 2007

We are dedicated to providing an open, friendly group to encourage your writing in whatever form it may take, as well as providing critiques for anything you would like to share, and writing voluntary monthly prompt responses as both writing exercises and to possibly spark new ideas. All writers, of any genre or format, are welcome to the Columbus House of Scribes!

We meet on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, as well as additional events. Official times and locations are available at our Meetup site.

Join the Meetup Group

Follow us on Twitter

Join us on Facebook

Our WordPress

Email us.

COLUMBUS WOMEN’S WRITING GROUP

First Thursdays – 6 to 8PM
Virtual

Love to write? Want to meet other women writers? Join us each month. Get inspiration, support and feedback on your writing. Open to women writing nonfiction and fiction.

Anyone interested in attending please email us at columbuswomenwriters@gmail.com so we can include them in the zoom invite and communications.

Follow Columbus Women’s Writing Group on Facebook

COLUMBUS WRITE TO PUBLISH MEETUP GROUP

Various Times and Locations – See the Meetup

Are you a short-story author or poet who’s worthy of being published, but don’t know where to begin? Are you actively submitting to journals, but lack opportunities to workshop your pieces?

We’re a group of serious writers who want and need opportunities to share our work and get notes from other serious writers. We meet entirely online to post our work and offer critiques of each other’s work, as well as to share tips on publishing, and to celebrate successes. Our focus is on short stories (< 4000 words) and poetry, but we’ll review excerpts from long-form works as well.

We are not a social group. We do not meet face-to-face to spend time catching up on our personal lives or to discuss current events when we could be working on our writing (though we might schedule an occasional face-to-face to get acquainted). There are plenty of other writing-related MeetUps with a strong social component which you can attend for that sort of thing (and I attend most of them). This is a working MeetUp. If you’re accepted, you will be expected to contribute—and I will be keeping score. Non-participants will be asked to step up or step out. If that sounds harsh, then those groups I mentioned above might be more suited to your needs. If, instead, that sounds like what you need—a disciplined group of dedicated and supportive writers—then join us. Columbus Write to Publish Meetup Group

COLUMBUS WRITERS’ WORKSHOPS

Second and fourth Wednesdays – evenings
Downtown or Bexley

Part of the Columbus Creative Cooperative. Our writers’ workshops meet twice a month in Columbus, Ohio. The purpose is to provide peer feedback for writers of all skill levels.

Currently, the writers’ workshops meet on the second and fourth Wednesday evening of each month. The location changes from time to time, but we typically meet at a coffee shop, restaurant or library in the downtown Columbus or Bexley area.

Normally, we request that all pieces that you’d like feedback on be submitted by midnight on the Sunday before the workshop. This gives everyone time to read that week’s work and formulate some thoughts before we arrive.

The co-op is available to provide feedback on short stories, essays, poetry, novels and more. However, our current focus is on original short stories. If you’d like feedback on a longer work, please consider breaking it into chapters or groups of 5,000 to 8,000 words.

So far, our group has a diversity of skill and experience levels, from beginners to published academians. This provides a fantastic spectrum of insight, and all of the feedback has been incredibly useful.

Although our group is open to writers of all ages, our members are primarily adults. Some subject matter might not be suitable for writers under 16.

You do not need to be a paid co-op member to participate in our workshops, everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more information on our writers’ workshops, please contact Columbus Creative Cooperative, or consider becoming a member of the co-op.

COMPANY of WRITERS – WRITING GROUP

First and Third Saturdays from 10AM to Noon

Fiction and Nonfiction. Emphasis on revision and critique. Call 614-889-4857 for more information.

CONSTRUCTION ZONE – Poetry Workshop

Second Saturdays at 6:30 PM
310 E. Innis Ave.

Call 614-372-0453 for more information.

DUBLIN CREATIVE WRITERS

Meets at various times throughout a given month, usually on the northwest side of Columbus, sometimes online.

Please visit the Meetup for dates, times, and their website for more information.

Calling all creative writers! Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, published or unpublished, new to writing or decades into a storied (ahem) career, this group is for you. Dublin Creative Writers provides a supportive and constructive environment for writers of all genres and experience levels. Our meetings include write-ins, technical/craft workshops, writing contests, social events, and group critique sessions.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY CREATIVE WRITERS CO-OP

Dates for rest of 2023: Sept 2, Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec 2

The Fairfield County Creative Writers Co-Op is a group formed for writers in the Lancaster/Fairfield County Ohio area interested in any aspect of creative writing whether it is fiction writing, poetry, commercial writing, screenwriting or any other forms of written creative expression. Writers of all interests and experience levels are welcome.

This group will feature discussion, news of local writing classes, conferences and workshops, as well as any literary news. We’ll also post links to interesting articles, sites and the occasional writing prompt or quote to keep you engaged and encouraged in your writing.

Encourage your local writing friends to join so we can build a community of writers right here in the Lancaster/Fairfield County area.

Request to Join the FB Group.

FICTION FLURRY – MARYSVILLE WRITER’S GROUP

Every other Saturday at 9:30AM (beginning 1/8/11)
Goodies N More
205 E. 8th Street (Marysville)

We are just a short drive from Dublin, Hilliard, and NW Columbus. We invite anyone interested in writing to join us! In addition, folks may get a glimpse of who we are by visiting our blog: http://www.fictionflurry.blogspot.com
Anyone who has additional questions may contact Rachel Dilley at racheldilley@yahoo.com

INTERNATIONAL WRITERS GROUP

Monthly Meetings:

August 5, 10 am-12:30 pm: Whetstone Library, 3909 N. High St. 

September 2, October 7: 10 am-12:30 pm: Karl Road Library, 5590 Karl Rd., Columbus,  Meeting Room on first floor (check screen by librarian desk for room number),  Free parking.

Free and open to all. We offer writers a supportive environment for writing, reading, and gentle critiquing. Each person has an opportunity to share, to read or bring copies of their work for discussion. Some of us give better feedback when we see a copy; usually 5 copies are enough for us to share.

For more information contact Jeanne Marlowe, jamarlowe@juno.com, 614.476.8802.

KIRKERSVILLE WRITER’S CLUB

Second Tuesdays at 6PM (March through November)
Kirkersville United Methodist Church
(Conference Room – Upstairs)
180 East Main Street
740-927-3355

KNOXWRITES WRITING CLINIC

Various Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00 PM

KnoxWrites Writing Clinics are held virtually on selected Wednesdays, from 12:00-1:00 PM. Writing clinics are short, 20-minute limited sessions for short projects. All writing programs are delivered remotely: online via Google chat, Zoom, over the phone, etc. Registration is required for writing clinic. Please fill out the online form with the required information.

If you are unable to meet Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00 PM, please write in the comment section of the registration form at least three dates/times you are available during KnoxWrites office hours, 11am-7pm, Monday-Friday. You’ll receive an email from knoxwrites1@gmail.com within 2-business days to make arrangements.

NOTE: If you are visiting the Writing Clinic for a consultation about publishing, graduate school, test preparation, or other writing resources, please briefly describe in the comment section of the registration form your purpose of the visit. You may also share any comments you have about your upcoming appointment. For example, “I need some help with proofreading this letter” or “I need to write marriage vows and have writers’ block…”

If you submit a document as a shared Google document: If you are working in Google Docs, please click the email address for Literary and Writing manager Jamie Lyn Smith-Fletcher to share your document with knoxwrites1@gmail.com.

MAC WRITERS GROUP

ON HIATUS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC

formerly the Writers Workshop of McDowell Senior Center

Second and Fourth Fridays – 10AM to 12:00
McConnell Arts Center Corner of 161 & Evening Street Worthington

This Worthington centric group meets at the MAC every second and fourth Friday to write, read, share and offer feedback. The group began October 8, 2010. Come and enjoy the art of writing and share your work with others in the group. For more information contact Jules Knowlton at julesknowlton@gmail.com.

NORTH COLUMBUS FANTASY SCI/FI

2nd and 4th Sundays at 1:15PM
Worthington Area
Free!

A writer’s group that focuses on genre fiction. All levels of talent are accepted. Diversity encouraged! Easy to join. Apply for group membership or contact the moderator at Google Groups

PAGING COLUMBUS!

First Thursdays – 6 to 8PM
Urban Arts Space
50 W. Town Street (downtown)

Join poet, writer and instructor Hannah Stephenson along with some of Columbus’ best writers and bloggers the first Thursday of each month for Paging Columbus!, a poetry reading and literary arts event at the Urban Arts Space. This month’s readers have yet to be announced… stay tuned!

Free and open to all. Light refreshments provided.

Questions, comments or ideas? Contact Hannah Stephenson (hannahjstephenson@gmail.com) or follow Paging Columbus! on Facebook.

PEN & QUILL WRITER’S GROUP

Third Wednesdays – 7PM
Heritage Hall
Main Street – Crooksville

Pen & Quill currently has members from Newark, New Lexington, Buckeye Lake, Roseville and Crooksville. It is open to any writer seeking inspiration, editing assistance, or the company of other writers.

For more information, contact director Kathy Campbell at katonhottin2001@yahoo.com

PERIPATETIC POETS

Fourth Sundays at 7PM
Galleria Evangelina
4269 North Nigh Street (Clintonville)

Monthly featured readers. For more information contact 614-769-4851 or 614-915-3139.

POETRY AT THE DELAWARE LIBRARY

First Thursdays – 7PM
Delaware County District Library
84 E. Winter St. Delaware, OH 43015

Poetry at the Delaware Library meets the first Thursday each month to write and workshop poetry at the Delaware County District Library. All ages are welcome to share and discuss. For more information, contact Ben at beeditty@gmail.com.

POET’S & WRITERS GUILD

Fourth Fridays from 7:30PM
Galleria Evangelina
4269 North Nigh Street (Clintonville)

Call Dottie Turner at 614-263-9346 or Elizabeth Ann James at 614-267-3085 for more information.

SEQUENTIALLY SPEAKING Art Critique/Workshop
VISUAL NARRATIVE WORKSHOP

Third Sundays from 2 PM to 4 PM
Upper Arlington Library (Main Branch)
2800 Tremont Road
Free event
Space is limited, please email or call ahead to confirm vacancy.

There is no question about it – Columbus and the surrounding Central Ohio area is a melting pot of comic book creators. Here’s your chance to meet, talk with and share your talents with experience and novice writers and artists alike in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. Bring copies of your latest comic strips or graphic novel in progress to get valuable feedback! Open to all genres and abilities.

Contact: Max Ink at 614-275-4764 or
max.ink@gmail.com
or visit: Sequentially Speaking at Yahoo Groups

SHUT UP & WRITE! COLUMBUS

Fridays at 8AM
Roosevelt Coffeehouse

Details

• What we’ll do
Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 8AM on Friday mornings.
Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you’ve written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done.

SCHEDULE:
8:00 – SESSION 1: quick intros.<
8:10 – timer starts: write for 1 hour.
9:00 – chat / take off / keep writing.

OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 9A-9:30ish (I have to leave by 9:40 for work, but that doesn’t mean others have to!). Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing.
BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer.
• What to bring
Whatever you need to be able to write!
Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible.

• Important to know — Roosevelt has a small parking lot on the east side of the building (enter from N 6th street) & if it fills, there’s metered street parking along Long & and also along 6th.

Sign Up here.

WAGNALLS WRITING CLUB

THIRD Thursdays – 6:30PM
Wagnalls Memorial Library – Lithopolis

Sharpen your skills with fellow writers.

WILD GOOSE WRITER’S GROUP

First Mondays – 7PM
Wild Goose Creative
2491 Summit Street (north campus/south Clintonville)

The writer’s group is a place for writers from beginner to experienced to share their works and receive feedback from others. Bring your most recent work, either complete or in-progress, and talk about where it has been, is, and where it could be.

For more information see the Wild Goose Creative website.

WRITESHOP

Third Sundays – 7PM
Meets in Columbus

Writeshop is a writers’ workshop group which meets to discuss and critique members’ work. While we are involved in all types of writing, our members’ specialties are fiction, particularly science fiction and horror.

See http://www.sff.net/people/lucy-snyder/writeshop/ for membership and location details.

See also http://groups.yahoo.com/writeshop/

THE WRITERS COLLECTIVE

Third Saturdays at 10:00AM
Locations Vary – See the Meetup for Details

We are a writers support group. We get together to discuss experiences, trends, techniques and procedures for creating successful careers in the field of writing.

Writers at all stages of development should be a part of the collective. Also agents, producers, managers, coaches, designers, illustrators, script consultants and other support personnel who have a stake in the success and positive progression of the writing profession. The collective will share ideas and experiences that encourage and promote the success of one another. In addition we will conduct forums and seminars on various practices and methods for achieving stated goals in our chosen endeavors.

https://www.meetup.com/TheWritersCollective

WRITERS READ, a 60+ group

Second Wednesdays from 1:30PM to 3:30PM
Zoom (hope to return to in person soon).
No fee.

Please contact Barb Chuko for further information. There is a waiting list for this group. To join the waiting list, please contact lavinpink7@gmail.com.

The group hopes to return to in-person meetings soon. Please contact  Barb Chuko for more information.

Writers are voracious readers. Participants read aloud a passage from a favored writer’s work that has influenced their writing. A “How and Why” discussion follows.

Perhaps we will eventually compile a list of these books or a book exchange for participants. Please join with us for a wise, sometimes wiseacre, meeting with other writers 60+ (or not). The meeting is FREE.