Arizona Writing Groups, Workshops, and Creative Writing Classes
Here you’ll find a collection of resources for writers in Arizona, from conferences to local critique groups, workshops, and creative writing classes. If you’re looking for writing groups near you, a workshop or class, a place to connect with other writers, or somewhere to submit your work, these Arizona writing resources are worth checking out.
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Writing Organizations & Groups
A statewide organization offering monthly writing workshops, author events, contests, networking opportunities, and Arizona Authors Digest, a bimonthly magazine featuring members and their work. (Statewide)
A nonprofit organization for mystery readers and writers offering monthly meetings with speakers on crime, writing craft, and publishing, along with annual writing contests for adults and young writers. (Tucson)
A statewide organization for writers, journalists, editors, authors, and other professional communicators, with chapters around Arizona offering meetings, professional-development programs, networking, a book group, and an annual state conference. (Statewide)
Founded in 1966, the Arizona State Poetry Society supports poets through workshops, readings, contests, mentoring, feedback programs, and four regional branches around the state. (Statewide)
A writing organization serving beginning and experienced writers through monthly meetings featuring authors, instructors, and speakers on writing craft and publishing. (Prescott)
Arizona’s longstanding independent bookstore hosts writing classes and workshops alongside a busy schedule of author readings and other literary events at its Phoenix and Tempe locations. (Phoenix / Tempe)
A free literary community offering critique groups, writing workshops, presentations, networking opportunities, and a calendar of writing events and resources for Northern Arizona writers. (Flagstaff / Northern Arizona)
A chapter of Sisters in Crime offering monthly meetings, craft and career programs, networking, mentorship, and other resources for aspiring and published writers, including writers outside the mystery genre. (Scottsdale / Online)
Founded in 1926, Phoenix Writers Club hosts monthly meetings featuring guest speakers, writing workshops, networking, and other programs designed to help writers develop their craft and publishing knowledge. (Phoenix)
University of Arizona Poetry Center
One of the country’s leading literary institutions devoted to poetry, the University of Arizona Poetry Center offers community writing classes and workshops, readings and lectures, youth programs, residencies, and an extensive archive of recorded readings. (Tucson)
Valley of the Sun Romance Writers
Arizona’s Romance Writers of America chapter welcomes aspiring and published writers across genres, with a mix of in-person and online meetings, guest speakers, writing challenges, and other professional-development activities. (Phoenix / Statewide)
Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University
Arizona State University’s literary center offers creative writing classes and workshops for writers of all backgrounds and experience levels, along with readings, fellowships, community programming, and the annual Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference. (Tempe)
The Tucson branch of the Writers Studio offers multi-level writing workshops in fiction and poetry for beginning through advanced writers, along with readings and other literary events. (Tucson)
Conferences, Retreats & Residencies
Arizona State Parks Artist Residency
A statewide residency program providing selected artists with dedicated time, space, and resources to develop work inspired by Arizona’s state parks and landscapes. (Various Arizona State Parks)
A major annual literary festival at the University of Arizona featuring hundreds of authors, panel discussions, readings, book signings, exhibitors, children’s and teen programming, and opportunities for independent authors. (Tucson)
The annual conference of the Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths chapter features workshops, panels, craft and publishing instruction, agent pitch sessions, and manuscript assessments for writers at various stages of their careers. (Arizona / Online)
Literary Magazines & Publishers
An online literary and arts magazine supported by Arizona State University’s New College, Canyon Voices publishes fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, visual art, and other work by emerging writers and artists. (Glendale / West Valley)
A long-running Tucson literary press devoted to innovative poetry and book arts, Chax publishes books and chapbooks by emerging and established writers and also hosts readings, workshops, performances, and other literary events in the local community. (Tucson)
Founded in 1986 and published by Arizona State University, Hayden’s Ferry Review features poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, and visual art by emerging and established writers. The journal holds regular open submission periods and an annual fiction and poetry contest. (Tempe)
A biannual literary magazine from PopTab Press devoted exclusively to work by Arizona writers and artists, publishing poetry, fiction, and visual art through open calls for submissions. (Arizona)
An independent publisher of fiction and nonfiction by emerging and established authors. Penmore accepts unsolicited manuscripts in most adult genres, including historical and contemporary fiction, mystery and thrillers, horror, military and nautical fiction, and nonfiction. (Tucson)
An independent Tucson publisher focused on literary fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and books addressing social and cultural issues. (Tucson)
An Arizona-based biannual print journal publishing an eclectic range of contemporary poetry by emerging and established writers, with an emphasis on voices that have historically been overlooked or underrepresented. (Arizona)
Founded in 1980 and based at the University of Arizona, Sonora Review publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid work by emerging and established writers. The journal is edited by graduate students in the university’s creative writing program and opens regularly for submissions. (Tucson)
An independent online journal devoted to literature and art exploring place and the built and natural environments, Terrain.org publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews, interviews, and visual work and runs annual literary contests and other submission opportunities. (Arizona / Online)
The University of Arizona Press publishes academic, regional, and literary works, including selected creative titles and literary series. It accepts proposals and manuscripts directly from authors for work appropriate to its list. (Tucson)
Help us add to this list, Arizonans! Do you know of writing groups near you, writing workshops near you, creative writing classes near you, or an Arizona literary journal or publisher we should be aware of? Let us know here. We periodically review these listings for broken links and outdated information.