Massachusetts Resources for Writers
Here you’ll find a collection of resources for writers in Massachusetts, from conferences to local critique groups to literary magazines. If you live in Massachusetts, these are some organizations you might want to check out.
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The Amherst Writers and Artists’ philosophy is simple: every person is a writer, and every writer deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, learn and develop craft.
The second largest independent center for creative writing in the United States, its mission is to be an innovative, rigorous and welcoming community for writers who together create their best work, find audience and elevate the literary arts for all.
A nonprofit organization committed to supporting the creation of new literature by providing a secure, affordable workspace and an engaged community to emerging and established writers in downtown Boston.
A literary series bridging Greater Boston’s nightlife and arts community. Each event is held in a club, bar or lounge, and features appearances from some of the most acclaimed authors in the nation, all reading their work under a unified theme.
A Massachusetts writers workshop and retreat center.
Workshops and a nationally-recognized writers conference which takes place annually during the third week in August at the charming Craigville Conference Center in Centerville on Nantucket Sound.
A nonprofit devoted to encouraging the growth and development of emerging visual artists and writers through residency programs, to the propagation of aesthetic values and experience, and to the restoration of the year-round vitality of the historic art colony of Provincetown.
Based in Salem, Massachusetts (but welcoming all writers living on the North Shore), NSWG nurtures writers at all levels by providing supportive feedback to their work.
The New England Writing Workshop
Offers expert small-group and individual guidance amid the austere beauty of the coast north of Boston.
A literary magazine and chapbook publisher, Anomalous “has its sights set on publishing literary text, advancing audio forms and creation, and supporting all sorts of alternative realities of the near future.”
Founded in 1971, Ploughshares is an award-winning literary magazine at Emerson College publishing poetry, fiction, essay and memoir.
Seven Bridge Writers’ Collaborative
A community-based creative writing organization operating under the auspices of the Thayer Memorial Library in Lancaster, Massachusetts.
Formed by graduate students at Harvard University in 2008, the CWW is a creative writing community in Cambridge, Massachusetts, offering workshops, online courses, and writing retreats.
A literary jounral run by Boston University undergraduate students, “committed to fostering literary talent that is unusual, unexpected, and exceptional.”
Writing workshops and one-on-one mentoring with author Dori Ostermiller to enhance writers’ lives and work.
Skype and in-person workshops (Boston and Cambridge) for writers who have obtained an MFA, been published, or have several advanced-level workshops under their belts.
A Boston-area writing workshop for writers of all genres and abilities.
A nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to the craft and transformative power of writing. Its mission is to support the writing community by strengthening, engaging and connecting writers at all levels of development.
Wachusett Writers and Poets Club
Founded in 2004 by a group of aspiring writers “who enjoy telling tall tales, writing clever poetry and spouting ideas in exciting essays for interested audiences,” the club meets twice a month for critique and conversation.
This “working writers center in a working town” offers classes, workshops, readings, lectures, residencies, and more.
Juniper Summer Writing Institute
An annual week-long event hosted by the MFA program at UMass Amherst. Attendees can choose from a wide variety of workshops in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as craft sessions, manuscript consultations, readings, and more.
Writing from Your Life Retreat
An annual retreat in Medfield offered by the International Women’s Writing Guild, this day-long event features workshops, lectures, readings, a book fair, and more.
Meets at the Sutton Public Library once a month and welcomes writers of all skill levels working in all genres. Meetings are social, and much of the reading and critiquing work is done via email.
A special interest group for writers who are also members of Boston Mensa. Meets in person monthly at various locations in Greater Boston.
Help us add to this list, Massachusettsians! Do you know of a local writing group or a lit journal we should be aware of? Let us know here
- If you’re a firm believer in “Write what you know,” then seek to know more.