The Writing Sisters are a community of women who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQ. Several years ago two of its founding members, Gri Saex Martinez and Darlene Elias, realized that a writing community that is culturally competent and caters to marginalized communities was needed in Western Mass. It became clear to us that not all Read More
Blog
The Algorithm Ate My Poem – Visibility and the Writer in a Platform World By Fungai Tichawangana
The Internet was supposed to be the playing field that equalized everything. It didn’t. Back in 2004, when I was building my first website for writers, the promise was that if you got online it would open up countless opportunities for you. Two decades later, the promise is basically the same; grind it out on Read More
WriteAngles: a status update
Planning a conference is a gargantuan task. So many details to figure out – finding the perfect venue, picking dates that don’t conflict with major holidays or events, selecting food and arranging the tech details, raising funds, choosing speakers with innovative ideas that match topics on the mind of attendees, deciding on swag, coordinating publicity. Read More
Straw Dog Writers Guild Seeks Administrative Assistant
Straw Dog Writers Guild (SDWG) is a volunteer-member-led organization whose mission is to support the writing community by strengthening, engaging, and connecting writers at all levels of development. We are a non-profit celebrating our 15th anniversary, dedicated to the craft and transformative power of writing, serving writers throughout the region by promoting individual growth, community Read More
Nine Writers Selected for 2025 Emerging Writers Residency
The Mount and Western Massachusetts’ Straw Dog Writers Guild are thrilled to announce the nine writers selected for the 2025 Residency for Emerging Writers. The 2025 residents will be working on developing their respective works at The Mount for one week each, between March 3 and March 21. Submissions were reviewed anonymously and ranked based Read More
Our Stories: Straw Dog Writers Guild Founders Look Back First installment: a conversation between Patricia Lee Lewis and Ellen Meeropol
Our Stories: Straw Dog Writers Guild Founders Look Back First installment: a conversation between Patricia Lee Lewis and Elli: I have such strong memories of you inviting Jacqueline Sheehan, Celia Jeffries, Joan Barberich, and me to Patchwork Farm in early January 2010 to talk about starting a writers’ collective in western MA. What were your Read More
Emerging Writers in Residence 2025
Thank you to all the accomplished writers for applying to the Edith Wharton-Straw Dog Writers Guild Writers-in-Residence program at The Mount. The Selection Committee is pleased to announce the residents, whose photos and biographies will post in January. Lizzy Beck Michele Bombardier Zite Ezeh Melenie Freedom Flynn Thaddeus Haas Irene Jiang Michael Plunkett Mason Wray Read More
Announcing the 2025 Emerging Writer Fellow
Congratulations to Darlene Elias (memoir, creative nonfiction) who has been selected as the 2025 Emerging Writer Fellow. Darlene Elias is an emerging writer and poet from Western Mass. She is a Hawaiian Boricua Anti Colonial Feminist who uses literature, poetry, and spoken word to elevate and validate her own experience as a woman who is Read More
Writers-in-Residence 2025 Finalists
The Selection Committee of the Edith Wharton-Straw Dog Writers Guild Writers-in-Residence project is pleased to announce 33 finalists from emerging writers across the United States and other countries around the globe. We were thrilled with the depth of talent, diversity, and sheer writing tenacity of the applicants. Thank you for sharing your work. From these Read More
Straw Dog Writers Guild Hires Executive Consultant
Straw Dog Writers Guild is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia Pin (known to most simply as “Pin”) as Executive Consultant of the organization, a new part-time, contracted position. A native of St. Thomas in southwestern Ontario, Canada, Pin now lives in the Berkshires. She comes to us from a position at The Mount, Read More