New Jersey Writing Resources

Posted by David Duhr in Writing Resources      2 comments

Mar
19

See that building over there? It’s in Jersey. (Photo credit: Duhr)

The Garden State, good ol’ New Jersey, is next up in our State Writing Resources series. Capital Trenton, largest city Newark, motto “Liberty and prosperity,” Jersey gets a bad rap, but the handful of New Jerseyans I’ve known are fiercely loyal to their home state. We at WriteByNight can see Jersey out of our office window–it doesn’t look so bad, honest.

The New Jersey writing scene has birthed or hosted some powerhouse authors: William Carlos Williams, who put Paterson, New Jersey (and red wheelbarri) on the map; the whole Higgins/Clark suspense novel dynasty; Judy Blume and Harriet Adams, beloved YA/children’s authors; the Newark-born Stephen Crane and Philip Roth; and WriteByNight friend Jeffrey Seglin. (For a much longer list, take a look here.)

Presented in no particular order, here are sixteen New Jersey writing resources, from conferences to local critique groups to literary magazines. If you are a Garden Stater, or are planning to become one, these are some organizations you might want to take a peek at.

1) Women Reading Aloud

An organization dedicated to the power of the writer’s voice, it offers workshops, readings, yoga and a writing retreat in Greece.

2) Poetry Center

The mission of the Poetry Center is to provide poetry events and workshops to a diverse audience and to provide opportunities for poets by offering contests, awards, a journal, anthologies, reference materials and conferences.

3) Murphy Writing Seminars

An annual seaside retreat offering workshops, readings and more.

4) Walt Whitman House

Tour the great poet’s house.

5) Nassau Literary Review

The second-oldest undergraduate literary magazine in the nation and the oldest student publication at Princeton University. Publishes prose, poetry and artwork.

6) Delaware Valley Poets

Founded in 1952, the DVP is a group of more than seventy writers, and offers monthly workshops.

7) Raritan

Aims to reach the common reader in everyone and to provide a particular experience of reading, one that nurtures an engaged and questioning approach to cultural texts of all sorts: literary, artistic, political, historical, sociological, even scientific.

8) ink

An organization that supports the literary and creative writing community at The College of New Jersey. Offers readings, visiting writers and an arts festival.

9) William Paterson Writers Conference

An annual conference which offers a day of workshops and readings in creative writing, literature and publishing.

10) Poetry & Prose Getaway

Challenging and supportive sessions, insightful feedback, and an encouraging community. Offers small, intensive workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction and memoir.

11) Althea Ward Clark W ’21 Reading Series

A reading series offered by the Lewis Center for Creative Writing at Princeton.

12) Poetry Festival 

An annual festival that brings together readers and writers.

13) Appel Farms Arts Camp 

Encourages writers to explore structure, voice and characterization in any style of writing they choose: poetry, creative nonfiction and short-story writing.

14) The Writing Center 

Seminars and workshops in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

15) Collingswood Book Festival

Closing off six blocks of streets in Collingswood, the festival is filled with nationally recognized authors/speakers for adults and children, as well as booksellers, storytellers, poetry readings, workshops, exhibitors, kid-friendly activities and other entertainment for all ages.

16) Writer’s Relief

An author’s submission service helping creative writers make well-targeted, professional submissions to literary agents and editors.

Help us add to this list, New Jerseyans! Do you run a local writing group or a lit journal we should be aware of? Feel free to share info and links in the comments section below.