My friend and critique partner, Artemis Savory, compiled a list of writing centers and events in the New England area and asked me to share it on this blog. If you are local and interested in writing, these events are definitely worth checking out! 

Like dogs, writers need to get away from the humans and just play with each other.

Six Local Writing Centers and Events

By Artemis Savory

1. (Writing Center) Grubstreet is a truly amazing place for writers. They offer classes, workshops, and free brown bag lunch and Happy Hour Writing sessions. In fact, this month on Friday, September 29^th they have an evening writing session—for free! They have another next month. In the heart of Boston, getting there can be a little tricky for us out-of-towners, and the parking garage isn’t cheap, although I think you get a discount if you are going to Grubstreet events. They also run the amazing Muse & The Marketplace. https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/#/events
2. (Event) Muse & The Marketplace is a fantastic weekend event taking place in this really tiny, but beautiful hotel in Boston. Run by Grubstreet, the workshops are interesting and everyone is extremely kind and understanding. It’s expensive, but if you’re a volunteering kind of person, you could work your way in if you play your cards right. This is definitely a great place to learn more about writing, meet other writers, and pick up further inspiration from people who are going through similar things that you might be. Next year it runs April 6-8. http://museandthemarketplace.com/
3. (Event) Boston Book Festival is a free event happening on Oct. 28^th in Copley Square. I’ve only been to one of their classes, and it was really more of an author discussion about writing YA books. It was interesting, if very full with people, and the Boston Public Library was breathtaking. There is food and lots of booths at this event, as well as discussions and I’m assuming signings. My favorite part of this event is the booths, where you can chat with other writers and learn about all the writing- and reading-related things happening in our area. https://bostonbookfest.org/
4. (Event) Arisia takes place every January, and this year it’s January 12-15 in Boston. The entry fee is not a lot (it’s usually around $60 for the whole weekend) and the offerings vary from dancing (blues, fusion, swing, etc.), to writing classes, to geeky classes about Star Wars and how things work, to making your own costumes and more. It’s an amazing place filled with creatives—there is no way that you will ever suffer writer’s block at Arisia, although you might be so busy taking notes or socializing that you’ll never get really anything done. http://www.arisia.org/
5. (Writing Center) New Hampshire Writers’ Project sounds like a really awesome place. They have a ton of writing groups and workshops, and they also have writer meet-ups on the first Monday of every month in various towns throughout New Hampshire: Portsmouth, Derry, Concord, Nashua, and more. They have a calendar that is up-to-date and looks very official. I’m really excited to engage in some of their events and start getting to know other local writers. http://www.nhwritersproject.org/content/events-0
6. (Writing Center) International Women’s Writing Guild sounds like they’re in western Mass, but offer some retreats and workshops throughout the country—in New Mexico, Niagara Falls, New York and beyond. They seem to have day-long as well as week-long courses and workshops, and some of the offerings aren’t wicked expensive. On April 28^th they’re having a “Boston Writing from your Life Retreat” with workshops in Metrowest, Ma. I have no idea how much it costs, but it’s worth looking into, and it sounds like one day, so it shouldn’t cost too much…I hope. http://www.iwwg.org/events/