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
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 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
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
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 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
WriteAngles has a new keynote speaker! We are delighted to welcome Shanta Lee to the conference, where she will accept the Abel Meeropol Social Justice Writing Award and give the keynote address. Shanta Lee is an award-winning writer across genres and visual artist. She was the 2020 recipient of the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Read More
It’s just a few short weeks until WriteAngles: a Straw Dog Writers Guild Conference, and tickets are going fast. Only a couple dozen seats remain available and a few agent meeting slots still open. Of note, we have awarded about 30 scholarships. Those scholarships are possible because of the amazing generosity of our community. We Read More
Registration is now open for WriteAngles Writers Conference, a project of Straw Dog Writers Guild. The one-day conference will be held on April 6, 2024, at the Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley Street in Northampton. The keynote address will be given by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, poet, essayist, and author of the award-winning Read More
The Straw Dog Writers Guild is planning our first-ever online auction to be held this coming May, and you can help make this fundraiser a success. We’re looking for donated items, everything from vacation stays and event tickets, to gift baskets or cards for as little as $20. Do you have something to offer, perhaps Read More
