15 Oregon Writing Resources
Posted by David Duhr in 
Up next in our State Writing Resources series, the Beaver State, Oregon. Capital Salem, largest city Portland. Hard to think about the state of Oregon without picturing Oregon Trail.
Oregon writing boasts of eminences such as Richard Brautigan (Trouth Fishing in America); Vladimir Nabokov (he finished Lolita and began Pnin while living there); Sarah Winnemucca, known as the author of the first autobiography written by a Native American woman; legends Ken Kesey and Raymond Carver; and Gina Ochsner, who was born and went to college in Oregon, and who once won a writing contest I entered, which means, of course, that I will never forget her name.
Presented in no particular order, here are 15 Oregon writing resources, from conferences to local critique groups to literary magazines. If you are a beaver stater or are planning to become one, these are some organizations you might want to take a peek at.
A private literary studio and school for creativity in Portland, Oregon. It’s a think tank about the relationship between writers and civic life, a writers’ community focused on the process of making new art, and a haven for independent writers.
Offers support to writers in all stages of their writing careers, from novices to published authors. Members benefit from classes, inspiration from teachers and colleagues, and access to Colonyhouse, a lovely writing retreat on the Oregon coast.
The largest writers’ organization in Oregon and one of the largest writers’ organizations in the United States. It is a nonprofit, tax-exempt Oregon corporation which administers an active program of monthly meetings, special seminars, workshops and conferences.
4) Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference
Provides the faculty, connections, and a unique and realistic method of manuscript evaluation in order to set poets with a manuscript-in-process on a path towards publication.
5) Free Expressions, Writing the Breakout Novel
Supports new and experienced writers with professional literary services. Its annual Writing the Breakout Novel week-long intensive is held in Hood River, Oregon.
6) The Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency
A unique opportunity for a writer or pair of writers seeking a lengthy spell of unparalleled solitude for work and personal refreshment. In exchange for an hour a day of routine caretaking, the resident receives use of a remote, small but comfortable house in the Rogue River backcountry of southwestern Oregon and the support of a $5,000 stipend.
7) Tin House Writer’s Workshop
A week-long intensive of workshops, seminars, panels and readings led by prominent, contemporary American writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. The program combines morning workshops with afternoon craft seminars and career panels. Evenings are reserved for author readings and revelry.
An independent poetry journal in Portland.
9) Open Spaces
Presents thoughtful, well-researched articles on a variety of subjects from a number of different viewpoints.
10) Calyx Journal
Publishes fine literature and art by women.
Workshops and reading series in Eugene.
12) Literary Arts
Literary center located in downtown Portland, serving Oregon’s readers and writers. Programs include Portland Arts and Lectures, one of the country’s largest lecture series; Oregon Book Awards and Fellowships, which celebrates Oregon’s writers and independent publishers; and Writers in the Schools, which hires professional writers to teach semester-long creative writing workshops in Portland’s public high schools.
13) Independent Publishing Resource Center
Dedicated to encouraging the growth of a visual and literary publishing community by offering a space to gather and exchange information and ideas, as well as to produce work.
Oregon’s oldest literary organization, and with over 350 members it is Oregon’s largest literary organization.
Nonprofit organization dedicated to literary arts education and performance in Lincoln County, Oregon.
Help us add to this list, Oregonians! 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.