What activities wake you up? What gets you going? Do you ever feel like you want to shake your friend, neighbor, or country awake? Find examples of your poems to read where you may feel pleading or demanding that people wake up, where you feel inspired to start the day, when all your cells are
Straw Dog Writers Guild
Writers Night Out in May
Join Straw Dog Writers Guild on Tuesday May 6, 6:00-8:00pm for Writers Night Out with featured writer Astrid Lindstrom Forbes Library. No registration required. If you want to participate in Open Mic and read, please sign up by 5:50pm. Ten names will be randomly selected. Each reader will have five minutes. The second half of
Writers Night Out in April
Join Straw Dog Writers Guild on Tuesday April 1, 6:00-8:00pm for Writers Night Out with featured writer Chris O’Carroll at Forbes Library. No registration required. If you want to participate in Open Mic and read, please sign up by 5:50pm. Ten names will be randomly selected. Each reader will have five minutes. The second half
Faking it and Breaking it: Generative AI and its Implications for Writers A Straw Dog Craft Workshop with Michelle Trim
In this accessible and friendly presentation, Michelle will explain the basics of how generative AI (GAI) works, highlighting some of its limitations. From there she will discuss some of the potential (and ongoing) impacts of GAI for writers, touching on topics that include: AI generated cover art, GAI unauthorized use of creative works, and some
A Writer’s Night in March
Straw Dog Writers’ Guild and Longmeadow Adult Center present writer Rick Parr on Thursday, March 20 from 6:45-7:30pm at the Longmeadow Adult Center. Rick Paar is a psychologist. For thirty-five years he taught a variety of course ranging from Theories of Personality (a lot of first year students) to Group Therapy (masters and doctoral students). He
Writers Night Out in March
Join Straw Dog Writers Guild on Tuesday March 4, 6:00-8:00pm for Writers Night Out with featured writer Chaya Grossberg at Forbes Library. No registration required. If you want to participate in Open Mic and read, please sign up by 5:50pm. Ten names will be randomly selected. Each reader will have five minutes. The second half
Holding a Bookstore Event Best Practices for Authors
Congratulations! Your book is due for publication. Now what? Whether you have a publicist or you’re representing yourself, this workshop will offer tips and advice on how to increase your chances of having an author event at an independent bookstore, and making it a success. You will learn what to say and what to avoid
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