creative writing workshops dc

A network of local writing groups in Washington D.C.

Capitol Hill Writers Group is a network of local writing groups in Washington, DC.  By connecting writers who are passionate about the craft, CHWG helps form the crucial support you need to keep writing.

Whether you are new to creative writing, getting back into it, or a seasoned author, Capitol Hill Writers Group provides the right amount of structure when you’re balancing full-time employment and a family.  

The close-knit community of fiction writers is your sounding board for new work.   Deadlines and accountability help you form writing habits that last throughout your professional career.  Constructive feedback from varied viewpoints enrich your writing, just as your unique perspectives on life and writing contribute to the group.

We are aspiring writers and published authors who embrace all fiction genres.   We provide structure and support through regular meetings, deadlines, and constructive critiques .

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Your Third Place.   A “third place” is that special community outside of home and office that helps a person thrive and feel fulfilled in life.   Creative writers need solitude to produce content but also need a place to help them hone their craft and grow as an artist.   Active participation in a writing group offers that face-to-face contact with other writers that can have an immediate and long-lasting impact on one’s development as a writer. 

Balance.   We understand how tricky it is to juggle family, work, and the passion for writing.   Most of our members work full-time and have family obligations.   We share strategies for carving out time for writing while maintaining   balance in life.   We are realistic about deadlines but encourage each other to meet personal writing goals. 

Lifelong Learning.   Creative writing involves a continual process of learning.   Members regularly share resources on improving one’s writing, developing professionally as a writer, and navigating the changing landscape of publishing. It doesn’t hurt that we live within walking distance of the world’s largest library.

Structure.   We believe in regular meetings.   While each group decides the day and time for their regular meetings, most groups find that a bi-weekly meeting schedule works quite well for developing a writing routine.

Accountability.   We adhere to deadlines.   The single-most important habit that a writer can develop is meeting deadlines.   Each group creates its own submission calendar that works with members’ other demands in life.

Feedback.   We follow the Clarion Method of critique.   The CHWG founder  attends the first meeting of newly-formed writing groups to give the members an orientation to the Clarion Method as well as tips for ensuring smooth and fruitful meetings.

Productivity. We help your story see the light of day. You know that novel you’ve been thinking about writing for the last few years?   We encourage you to get the story out of your head and onto paper.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Secret power.

Donna Sokol founded Capitol Hill Writers Group in January 2011 after the birth of her second child. The close-to-home group allowed her to pursue her passion for creative writing and find balance in her life.   CHWG participated in the inaugural Literary Hill BookFest in 2011 and has participated in the BookFest annually.   Each year, Donna launches new writing groups, bringing together writers who might not otherwise have met.

Donna began writing creatively as a child; then she went to college, where creative writing was all but beaten out of her.   She picked up the pen again after she swore off pursuits of higher education and has been extremely happy ever since.

Donna served as president of the Board for the Literary Hill BookFest (2016-2018) and led the first monthly fiction book club at East City Bookshop  (2016-2018).

Our application process is straightforward, and there are no application or membership fees.   To learn how to apply, please click Read More...

RECRUITMENT SEASONS

Starting January 2021, I will be launching writing groups under the PowerWriters brand via my website, donnasokol.com .

I have three recruitment seasons –Spring, Summer, and Fall–during which I form new writing groups based on the number of interested applicants. After a group forms, consenting members can add new members as needed or desired throughout the year. If you submit an application after the close of a recruitment period, I will hold your application for consideration until the next recruitment period.

To handle the growing membership, I will be orienting new members online. Instead of attending an in-person orientation, writers will receive an invitation to the online orientation , which is a live event you attend via Zoom. You’ll meet your new writing group members at the end of orientation! Soon after, you’ll receive an email from me with all your members’ names and email addresses. You’ll start meeting with your new group about 2 weeks after orientation.

Upcoming Application Deadlines

Please visit the PowerWriters page on donnasokol.com for the latest application deadlines.

No writing sample is necessary to apply.   Applications are due at 11:59 PM on the last day of open recruitment. 

If you are accepted, you will receive a confirmation email with a notice to save the date for the season’s orientation.

CHWG members are between the ages of 27 and 70 and represent an ethnic and racial cross-section of   Washington DC.   And, yes, we allow residents of Maryland and Virginia to become members!

Below are the writing groups that are currently part of the CHWG network. Click the plus sign to read more about each group.

If you see an existing group that is currently recruiting new members, you may request to join that group in your application. Acceptance depends on the applicant’s fit with the other group members and on available spots. New groups form four times a year. Check the Apply page for more information on application deadlines.

The Core Group

Write on the hill, the mightier swords, h street fiction, capitol quills, the morning group.

We also like image of the morning – that of a bright, fresh start, the beginning of something new, never before explored – all that writing means to us and we hope our final products will become.

We are working on fiction and non-fiction. We are starting new pieces and revising earlier works.

Night Writers

Writers write, the go group, the role breakers, solid scribes, the red line district, saturday speculative fiction group, red line emissaries, still writing.

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Learn about The Writer's Center

America's oldest poetry magazine

The Writer’s Center supports writers and everyone who wants to write! Every year we offer hundreds of creative writing workshops in all genres and for all experience levels, dozens of free events for writers , and countless opportunities to connect with the Washington DC and national literary communities.

The story of the writer’s center.

In late 1976, a group of writers, small press publishers, and literary enthusiasts came together to create an independent home for the literary arts in the Washington DC metro area. Led by three founders, Allan Lefcowitz, Patricia Griffith, and Mary MacArthur, more than 70 members, including Barbara Lefcowitz, Ann McLaughlin, John Hill, Merrill Lefler, and Richard Peabody, gathered to celebrate The Writer’s Center. This new home would bring together a community of likeminded individuals who would build relationships with one another and share their love of writing, literature, and the creation of books.

The Writer’s Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. A copy of our current financial statement is available upon request. Contact The Writer’s Center at 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815. Documents and information submitted to the State of Maryland under the Maryland Charitable Solicitations Act are available from the Office of the Secretary of State for the cost of copying and postage. The Writer’s Center is supported in part by The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Our Mission: To Inspire and Empower Young Writers

District Writers’ Academy’s mission is to create a safe, inspiring and fun place for pre-teens and teens to learn how to write—and to learn to love writing. Whether you want to increase your child’s confidence and academic performance as a writer or encourage your child to explore their creativity, our private writing tutoring and small group writing classes for kids will support them and help them find their voice.

Every Child Can Be a Good Writer

At District Writers’ Academy, we know that every child can be a good writer if they are taught the skills in a creative, patient, nonjudgmental environment. Our small-group writing classes and private tutoring sessions are hands-on, visual, interactive, and designed to build confidence and joy in the writing process.  We love seeing miracle transformations in students when they discover the power of their voice!

Teaching that Builds Trust

Kids quickly see that our writing classes and tutoring are different. As writers, we don't just tell them what their writing should look like, or where the commas go--we actually teach them HOW to get the results they want. We teach them the skills and strategies that we, as writers, have learned to make their own writing come to life. We understand the writing process realistically and teach students how to navigate it efficiently and effectively. This is the kind of teaching that inspires trust, that makes them writers for life.

More about our staff.

Private Writing Tutoring

One-on-one sessions to enhance performance

Academic Support Classes

For Academic Enrichment and College Prep.

Creative Writing Classes

Fiction, Poetry, Creative Expression

Summer Writing Camps

Academic, creative, and college-prep options!

Suzanne is an incredibly gifted writing teacher. When I was younger, I struggled a lot with synthesizing my thoughts into a coherent form of writing. Suzanne exhibited tremendous patience. She worked with me for hours and tutored me consistently throughout high school as I transformed as a writer. Suzanne helped me discover my creativity and confidence, and most importantly, she taught me how to love writing. My teachers even noticed a change in my writing and confidence, and I went on to major in a writing-intensive area of studies in my undergrad. Thank you so much, Suzanne

“It was fun! There were many writing exercises that I had never explored before. My instructor was very helpful and encouraging. We all took turns sharing our work, and everyone was kind. It made me feel very secure.”

"Suzanne convinced my kid that her creativity is worth sharing. I feel great knowing those foundational skills and confidence will benefit my daughter well into college and beyond.”  

“Camp was very fun because I felt like, as much as the teacher was teaching us, we were all working together and sharing thoughts and feedback as a group.” 

“Suzanne heavily influenced both of our children to open up and write like nobody had ever done before!  She has a gift!!”

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Virtual creative writing workshops, virtual creative writing workshops on thursdays.

Creative writing is a tool for knowing yourself, understanding the world, and connecting with other people. Led by author  Seema Reza  and accomplished guest writers—including poets, memoirists, novelists, and storytellers—these community workshops follow the model developed by Community Building Art Works (CBAW) over the course of a decade of bringing people together in military and hospital settings. Each workshop is designed to help participants put their personal stories on paper in a supportive environment.

Whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years, you are welcome; no experience is required. Bring a pen, a notebook, and an open mind!

Registration closes at 4pm Eastern Time before each session so we can prepare.   Please make sure you're subscribed to Strathmore emails to receive the Zoom info.

United States

(301) 581-5100

[email protected], free/pay what you can.

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Washington, D.C., Resources for Writers

Here you’ll find a collection of resources for writers in Washington, D.C., from conferences to local critique groups to literary magazines. If you’re looking for writing groups near you, writing workshops near you, creative writing classes near you, or simply a place to hang out with writers or submit your work, these are some Washington, D.C., writing organizations you might want to check out:

WriteByNight

For more than a decade, WriteByNight has helped writers in D.C. and beyond achieve their literary goals. And we want you to be next! Claim your free consultation  to learn about WBN’s customizable  one-on-one writers’ services , including:

Book Coaching :  If you’re writing a book and want some help along the way.

Manuscript Critique : If you’ve written a book and want a beta read, critique, or writing workshop.

Editing/Proofreading : If you’ve written a book and want someone to polish it for you.

Publication Assistance : If you’ve written a book and want help finding an agent or publisher.

A literary arts organization offering writing workshops, an author series, and eventually a writer’s residency in Winchester, VA.

D.C.’s branch of the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop

Offers classes and writing workshops in a wide variety of genres.

Conversations and Connections

Annual conference run by  Barrel House that features editors from a mix of established and cutting-edge literary magazines and small presses, all of whom will help you take the next step in publishing your work.

Hurston/Wright Workshop

A 2-day writing workshop for writers published or unpublished; offers peer review, instructor feedback, and a community of African American writers with which to share ideas and solutions.

The Inner Loop

A literary reading series and network in the D.C. metro area that also offers writing contests, residencies, retreats, and more.

An organization offering writing workshops, readings, retreats, write-ins, and more for writers in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland.

National Book Festival

The Library of Congress’ annual 2-day festival featuring author readings, signings, panel discussions and much more.

Politics and Prose Classes and Trips

Writing workshops and literary excursions from one of D.C.’s most popular bookstores.

Shout Mouse Press

A nonprofit press offering writing workshops and professional publication, allowing young people (12+) from marginalized backgrounds to sharpen their writing and storytelling skills and gain experience publishing their work.

Split This Rock

Dedicated to revitalizing poetry as a living, breathing art form with profound relevance in our daily lives and struggles. Its programs integrate poetry of provocation and witness into movements for social justice and support the poets of all ages who write and perform this vital work.

Stand-Up Studios

Comedy and storytelling classes for all levels.

Story District

Gives voice to people’s life experiences, supports artistic expression, builds community, and contributes to D.C.’s cultural capital and creative economy by promoting and teaching the art of autobiographical storytelling.

The Writer’s Center

Cultivates the creation, publication, presentation and dissemination of literary work through writing workshops, author readings and panels, and more.

Help us add to this list, Washington, D.C.-ans! Do you know of writing groups near you, writing workshops near you, creative writing classes near you, or a Washington, D.C., literary journal we should be aware of? Let us know here

"Thank you, David, for reminding me I'm a real writer even when I don't feel like it." Bridget Farr The Truth About Everything (Flux)

Client Credits

We’ve helped writers publish with:

Simon & Schuster Little, Brown & Co. St. Martin’s Press Routledge & many more!

WriteByNight, LLC Brooklyn, New York

646.374.8174 [email protected]

Politics and Prose Bookstore  202-364-1919   Hours and Locations   

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Creative Writing Academy

• How to Apply

Summer 2024 Applications are CLOSED. Summer 2025 Applications will open in late Fall.

Transform your dreams, ideas, and stories into organized, compelling, creative written works with dynamic lectures in craft topics, workshop sessions with graduate student instructors, and insightful, productive feedback from your peers. This combination of instructional approaches will help you generate and polish a wealth of new poems, stories, and essays, and allow you to experiment with innovative forms in the field of creative writing. The Academy will also focus on the publishing and professionalization aspects of the industry, exploring what markets are available for your writing, what jobs are available to creative writers, funding opportunities for your work, undergraduate and graduate programs in writing, and how to get published. Topics for discussion will include literary form and targeted craft points, often in relation to social, political, and environmental themes. In addition, this week-long program will feature excursions to sites around Washington, D.C., including an exercise in ekphrastic writing at the National Gallery of Art and the chance to read your work aloud at Busboys and Poets, a famous D.C. literary hub.

Estimated Tuition:

Price includes tuition, housing, and meals. Commuter Student tuition is $2,625.

How You'll Benefit

• Participate in writing workshops
• Awaken your powers of observation, imagination, and description
• Learn concrete elements of the craft of writing in daily workshops
• Attend readings from published authors, who will lead interactive classes and conduct group discussions
• Work with Georgetown's expert creative writing faculty to bring out your most creative ideas
• Read excerpts from award-winning works and use them to develop your own original works
• Visit local monuments, world-renowned theaters, museums, and literary organizations
• Take part in peer critiques and learn how to revise and refine your writing

Program Format & Subject Areas

As a student in the Creative Writing Academy, you'll spend your day immersed in a blend of classroom lectures, field trips, hands-on activities, and group discussions. Throughout the week, you'll have the opportunity to explore the following subject areas:

• Personal prose
• Literary history
• Technique (story structure, character development, theme, description, dialogue)
• Finding good ideas and turning them into polished pieces
• Using great literature and art for inspiration

All in all, I fell in love with the program. I got to meet so many amazing people not only from the D.C. area but all around the country.

Having the chance to experience once in a lifetime opportunities and getting to meet people from around the world made it so I got to really experience what college life was like.

My #SummerHoya experience was enriching, inspiring, and rewarding; if I could turn back the clock, I’d do it all over again.

It was amazing to be surrounded by such high caliber students and staff who were all encouraging and fabulous to work with. I took away many positive things from my week as a Summer Hoya.

As I am filling out my college applications, I am able to think back to my memories from the summer and I am reassured that I am pursuing the right educational path.

The program offers so much–from the off-site visits to the daily lectures and the on campus activities. The lectures were interesting, meeting new people was great and the off-site visits were interactive and intriguing.

Want to learn more?

Request information to find out the latest on the Summer Programs for High School Students.

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Writopia Lab is a national community of young writers and thinkers.

We are committed to cultivating a safe and intellectual space for student-focused, joy-inducing instruction in creative writing and more.

Our age-based workshops give young writers the opportunity to work on their own pieces alongside a maximum of eight peers. All workshops are guided by a published author or produced playwright who is thoroughly versed in Writopia's student-centric methodology.

Our Programs

After the Workshop

Students are encouraged to share their completed pieces with friends, family, and the world at large in a variety of ways.

• Workshoppers are invited to read their work at bookstores, public libraries, and cafes in their communities across the country.
• Writopia notifies young writers about submissions opportunities, including Stone Soup , TeenInk , The Best Teen Writing (Scholastic Awards), The Huffington Post , H.O.W. Journal , and more.
• Writopia notifies our writers about competition submission opportunities such as the Scholastic Writing Awards, YoungArts, and Young Playwrights.
• We publish two online literary journals, The Parenthetical and The Ellipsis .
• Since 2010, Writopia students have had the opportunity to see their plays, monologues, and musicals produced professionally in Off-Broadway theatres as part of The Worldwide Plays Festival .

Just For Fun

Have a birthday? Party with us! Have your very own Writopia Lab Birthday Party .

Check out our online store and take a piece of Writopia Lab home with you!

Summer Programs

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• Enroll now in  Fall, Winter, and/or Spring Trimester workshops .
• September 28th: Teen Open Mic in NYC!

Enroll Now!

Weekly Trimester-Long Workshops

Check out the Weekly Trimester-Long Schedule .

Holiday & School Break Workshops

Check out the Half-Day and Full-Day schedules.

Summer Workshops and Camps

Check out the Summer Schedule .

If you love writing and want to share that love with young writers, apply today to join Writopia Lab! Click here to learn more!

Young people have important things to say

826DC helps DC students strengthen their writing skills, share what matters to them, and build a lifelong relationship with writing.

Free, year-round writing and publishing programs for DC students ages 6-18

We host programs at our Columbia Heights writing center, in schools, and in community spaces across the city.

After-School Writing Lab

A writing community for students, hosted at 826DC.

In-School Writing, Editing, and Publishing

Flexible short-and long-term writing residencies in collaboration with K-12 teachers.

Writing Workshops

Exploratory writing sessions across diverse topics and genres, outside of school.

Reading All-Stars

A Saturday morning literacy program for Harriet Tubman Elementary School students.

Field Trips

Two-hour writing and bookmaking experiences for the whole class.

Young Authors’ Book Project

A full-year classroom writing project, culminating in a book to be shared with readers across DC.

Spark a love of writing in your classroom

Check out our library of tips, tricks, and techniques to make teaching and learning writing skills more dynamic and fun.

Writers supporting writers

We’re a team of lifelong writers and educators who believe that writing is a fundamental tool for possibility. We recognize that for any individual to fully step into their own power, writing must be part of their skillset.

Get Involved

Make magic happen.

826DC is sustained by people who care as much as we do about young people. From jobs and internships, to volunteering, to donating, we invite you to help us support writing education in more classrooms.

Latest News

826DC Names Robyn Lingo Executive Director

826DC is delighted to announce Robyn Lingo as the organization’s new Executive Director! Following an extensive national search led by Good Insight, Lingo will begin her new role on August 1st.

826DC Chosen for 2024 Spur Local Class

Spur Local, formerly the Catalogue for Philanthropy, recently announced its 2024 class of critical nonprofit partners. 826DC is one of them!

Author’s Notes from “When Duty Calls”

Meet some of the sixth-grade Brookland Middle School authors—and their characters—from When Duty Calls, the newest 826DC book!

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Creative Writing Program

The University of Washington English Department's Creative Writing Program offers a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a two-year Master of Fine Arts  degrees in Poetry and Prose. 

Founded in 1947 by Theodore Roethke, the Creative Writing Program's tradition of transformative workshops continues with our current faculty:  David Bosworth , Nikki David Crouse ,  Rae Paris ,  David Shields,  and  Maya Sonenberg  (Prose), and  Linda Bierds (part-time) ,  Andrew Feld ,  Richard Kenney,  and  Pimone Triplett  (Poetry).  They include among their many honors fellowships from the MacArthur Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as prizes such as the Flannery O’Connor Award in Short Fiction and the McCarthy Prize. The list of our alumni publications represents a significant chapter in the history of American literature. To see recent examples of our MFA Program alumni publications, see the article MFA Program Graduates Publish at Impressive Rates in our Spring 2022 English Matters newsletter .

The MFA Program remains purposely small, admitting only ten students per year. The relatively small size of our program (20 students at most at any given time) allows for close associations to develop among students and faculty. The first year is devoted to participation in workshops and literary seminars, and the second year allows for concentrated work on a creative manuscript and critical essay under the supervision of two creative writing faculty members. 

The BA in English with a Creative Writing Concentration prepares students not only to be more effective communicators and artists, but also creative problem solvers and more nuanced critical thinkers. By situating small, student-oriented writing workshops alongside literary models, Creative Writing classes enhance the broader study of literature and critical theory, helping students gain a greater understanding of the social and cultural forces informing their work. A student completing the program is more able to situate themselves in a larger aesthetic and social context and make more meaningful, informed decisions about their own artistic practice. In addition, through the intense practice of creative writing, students are able to see the world more clearly, in a more nuanced and meaningful manner, and apply these skills to a wide variety of work and life situations.

Director:  Nikki David Crouse

Program Coordinator: Shannon Mitchell 

Graduate Program Advisor: Tim Cosgrove

Undergraduate Program Advising: Humanities Academic Services

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Changing Lives

STUDENT WORKS OF ART

AWARDS FOR THE WORKSHOP

CELEBRATE OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Winners in the 2023 Junior League Youth Poetry Contest

In the Junior League of Washington’s 24rd Annual Youth Poetry Contest, eight of our Hart Middle School students won for eleven poems. Our writers swept the 6th grade prizes: 1st place to Kyrie Johnson, 2nd place Jayla Nelson (two of her poems tied each other), and 3rd place to Kyrie Johnson (his second poem). In […]

Winners in the 2023 Parkmont Poetry Contest

In the 41st Annual Parkmont Poetry Festival, seventeen Workshop students were finalists and five were winners: Michael Chase (8th), Jalen Collins (7th), Crystal Rogers (8th), and Trus’ Stevens (8th) from Hart Middle School, and Armani Thornton (12th) from Ballou Senior High School. Congratulations!

Winners in the 2023 Haiku Contest

Three of our students won awards in the 2023 D.C. Public Library Haiku Contest. Crystal Rogers, Caden Rogers and Shaia Holmes won certificates and prizes in a competition through the Francis A. Gregory Library in Southeast.

Winners in the D.C. Library Haiku Contest

Three Workshop students won awards in the 2022 D.C. Library Haiku Contest. In a competition through the Francis A. Gregory Library in Southeast, Naeshaun Ford won 1st place and Justice Matthews won 2nd place in the teen division, while Shaia Holmes won 3rd place in the children’s division.

Workshop poem wins Washington Post contest

The Washington Post’s KidsPost page held a nationwide contest for the ten best student poems of the year. Sixth grader Gerome Wood won and his poem “Yes!” was published in the newspaper on April 26. Here’s a hyperlink to the online edition.

The D.C. Creative Writing Workshop unites parents, teachers and professional Writers-in-Residence to transform the lives of at-risk youth through the joys of self-expression and the power of the written word.

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The NYU Creative Writing Program

is among the most distinguished programs in the country and is a leading national center for the study of writing and literature.

Graduate Program

The graduate Creative Writing Program at NYU consists of a community of writers working together in a setting that is both challenging and supportive.

Low Residency MFA Workshop in Paris

The low-residency MFA Writers Workshop offers students the opportunity to develop their craft in one of the world's most inspiring literary capitals.

Undergraduate Program

The undergraduate program offers workshops, readings, internships, writing prizes, and events designed to cultivate and inspire.

Spring 2022 Reading Series

The lively public Reading Series hosts a wide array of writers, translators, and editors, and connects our program to the local community.

Creative Writing Program

Low-residency mfa writers workshop in paris, undergraduate, washington square review, literary journal, a sample residency calendar, write in paris, scholarships and grant opportunities, program of study, dates and deadlines, creative writing, recent highlights from the mfa community.

• Alum Bruna Dantas Lobato   won the 2023 National Book Award in translation

• Faculty member Sharon Olds received the Joan Margarit International Poetry Prize from King Felipe VI in July 2023

• Alumni  Tess Gunty  and  John Keene   each won a 2022 National Book Award in fiction and poetry , respectively

• Books by faculty members  Sharon  Olds  and  Meghan O'Rourke;  and alums  Tess Gunty, John Keene ,  and  Jenny Xie  were named finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards; books by alum  Rio Cortez and faculty member Leigh Newman were also longlisted

• Alum  Ada Limón   has been named the nation's 24th Poet Laureate  by the Library of Congress

• Alum  Amanda Larson 's debut poetry collection  GUT  was selected by Mark Bibbins as the winner of the Poetry Society of America Norma Farber Book Award

• Alum  Sasha Burshteyn  was named a 2022 winner of the 92Y Discovery Prize. Alums Jenna Lanzaro and JinJin Xu were also named semi-finalists for the prize.

• Alum Clare Sestanovich was selected as a  2022 5 under 35 Honoree  by the National Book Foundation

• Alum  Maaza Mengiste  was awarded a  2022 Guggenheim Fellowship

• Visiting graduate faculty member  Brandon Taylor 's collection  Filthy Animals  was named a 2021/22  finalist for The Story Prize  and was shortlisted for the  2022 Dylan Thomas Prize

• Alum  Raven Leilani  won the 2021 Clark Fiction Prize, Dylan Thomas prize, the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the Center for Fiction 2020 First Novel Prize for her debut novel  Luster,  and was named a finalist for the 2021 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, the Gotham Book Prize, the 2021 PEN/Hemmingway Award for Debut Novel, the 2021 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award

• Alum Desiree C. Bailey 's debut poetry collection  What Noise Against the Cane  was longlisted for the 2022 Dylan Thomas Prize and was also named a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award in Poetry and the 2022 Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and was published as the winner of the 2020 Yale Series of Younger Poets

• Senior faculty member  Sharon Olds  was named the 2022 recipient of the Poetry Society of America's Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry

You can read more MFA Community news here and find a list of forthcoming and recently published books by alumni here .   NYU CWP alumni include  Aria Aber, Amir Ahmadi Arian, Julie Buntin, Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Isabella Hammad, Ishion Hutchinson, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Maaza Mengiste, John Murillo, Gregory Pardlo, Morgan Parker, Nicole Sealey, Solmaz Sharif, Peng Shepherd, Ocean Vuong, Jenny Xie,  and  Javier Zamora. 

Announcements

Ocean Vuong joins the NYU Creative Writing Program Faculty

Mary Gabriel, Author of “Ninth Street Women”, Receives the NYU/Axinn Foundation Prize

Claudia Rankine joins the NYU Creative Writing Program Faculty

Classic podcasts from the lillian vernon reading series.

Anne Carson

Zadie Smith and Jeffrey Eugenides

Terrance Hayes

Where to find us.

Faculty Spotlight

Ocean Vuong is the author of the bestselling novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and the poetry collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds.

Terrance Hayes’s most recent publications include American Sonnets for My Past And Future Assassin and To Float In The Space Between.

Jeffrey Eugenides is the author of acclaimed novels The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, and The Marriage Plot. His latest collection is Fresh Complaint. 

Claudia Rankine is a recipient of the 2016 MacArthur Fellowship, and the author of six collections including Citizen and Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.

Hari Kunzru is the author of six novels, including the most recent Red Pill, and White Tears, a finalist for the PEN Jean Stein Award.

Katie Kitamura’s most recent novel Intimacies was longlisted for the National Book Award and named a Best Book of 2021 by numerous publications.

Foer was listed in Rolling Stone's "People of the Year," Esquire's "Best and Brightest," and The New Yorker's "20 Under 40" list.

Sharon Olds is a previous director of the Creative Writing Program. Her 2012 collection Stags Leap was awarded the T.S. Eliot Prize and a Pulitzer.

Darin Strauss is the author of several acclaimed novels, including the most recent The Queen of Tuesday: A Lucille Ball Story.

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Calendar: Play Readings, Workshops, and Short-Run Theater Events in the DMV

Check back regularly for the most up-to-date information about workshops, readings, and short-run/single-performance events.

P lay readings and workshops offer a chance to see exciting new work at various stages of development. Want to see the next big thing while it’s still being crafted? Get in on the ground level and see the creative process in action. Featuring new plays and musicals by local and national artists, here are the upcoming play readings and workshops in the DMV.

George Mason School of Theater and The Mason Players present The Originals! 2024 , Friday, September 13 at 8:00 PM and Saturday, September 14 at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM at the deLaski Performing Arts Building, A105, TheaterSpace, at the university’s Fairfax campus. An annual tradition, The Originals! allows creative artists to share their work in various forms, from musicals to ten-minute plays, with each presented work being written, directed, AND performed by George Mason students. Tickets are $20 ($10 students, staff, seniors, and groups) and available here .

Mosaic Theater Company presents a workshop for  POSTMORTEM , a new play that combines true crime with family drama to tell a story about one woman’s reckoning with her difficult childhood. Emmy Award-winning documentary  filmmaker Marilyn Ness makes her playwriting debut by inventively introducing documentary filmmaking techniques to live theater. The staged reading of POSTMORTEM will run September 8-12 at the Lang Theater at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC. Tickets are $25 ($15 for Mosaic season subscribers) and available here .

Chelsea Lane Theater presents Classics 101 , Friday , August 23 through Sunday, August 25 at The Writer’s Center at 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD. The satyr play on the mysterious life of Breseis from The Iliad was directed and written by Charles Barnett. The program can be viewed here . Showtimes are 7:30 PM Friday and Saturday and 2:30 PM on Sunday. Tickets are $10 at the door, cash or card.

Workhouse Arts Center presents its first annual New Works Festival , Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25 at its W-3 Theater, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, VA. Workhouse recently announced a call for new scripts (plays and musicals). Scripts were carefully reviewed, and finalists were chosen. On August 24 and 25 finalists will perform a 20–90-minute cut from their full piece in front of the panel and event attendees. The top-scoring piece will win a full-length staged reading in the W3 Theater in early 2025. Attendees may purchase a single ticket ($10) for one selected title, or may purchase a Passport Ticket ($25), which will guarantee admission to all six readings. Find the full lineup and purchase tickets here .

The Kennedy Center presents its second annual Local Theatre Festival , Saturday, August 24 , a free, day-long event starting at 10:00 AM at the REACH, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC. This year’s lineup of artists includes ArtsCentric , Cage Free Voices , Edwin Fontanez , Ifa Bayeza , Jeremy Hunter , Marjuan Canady , Navi Nikki Mirza , Prologue Theatre , Regan Linton , Spooky Action Theater , and Tom Minter . This is a free and ticketed event. Doors open 15 minutes before each performance and workshop. Registration will open about 10 days prior to the festival, and is required for all panels, workshops, and events. Doors open 15 minutes before each event. Make sure you get there early to ensure your spot! Additionally, the festival will feature an exclusive conversation between Peter Marks and Naveen Kumar , The Washington Post’s past and present theater critics, Friday, August 23 at 7:30 PM. Free tickets will be available via the Kennedy Center’s website August 12. For more details and to register, visit the event website here .

Rooftop Productions presents its 2024 10×10 New Play Festival , Thursday, August 22, Friday, August 23, and Saturday, August 24 at 7:30 PM at Virginia ARTFactory, 9419 Battle St, Manassas, VA. Join Rooftop in celebrating the creativity of short-form storytelling as 10 10-minute plays from playwrights across the country come to life on stage. Tickets range from $20-$25 and are available, along with the complete festival lineup, here .

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