Upcoming events

    • April 11, 2025
    • 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • ZOOM Virtual Meeting
    Register
                               

    Please Use the Link Below to Connect with Tiffany Grantham for her Social Write-Ins. on the 2nd Friday of the month from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.

    Mark Your Calendar for this free-writing and share session via Zoom.

    Take 75-minutes to write and share from the comfort of your own space. Bring your muse, your imagination and your favorite writing instrument.

    Because writing presented in the Virtual Writing Salon deals with adult themes from time to time, we have set the age limit for participation at eighteen years of age.

    Tiffany may spin instrumental music for your mind to riff on, offer pictures that take you down memory lane or set a scene for new character to play in. Following each prompt, there will be time for volunteers to read aloud.

    Be inspired by the works your fellow travelers share. No pressure, no angst - just you, your writing, and your untamed creativity. Bring your own characters, write with a story in mind or let your thoughts dance across the page. Shake off the dust of the day and perhaps when you're done, Tiffany's prompts will help you create something that really jazzes you! 

    Tiffany Grantham is a Children’s Service Specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, a short story-fiction writer, and former secretary for CWC’s executive board. A native of Goldsboro, NC who has called Charlotte home for the past eight years, she has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from North Carolina A&T State University, and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. In her spare time, Tiffany collects books to add to her in-home library.

    Join the Meeting!

    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86791552115?pwd=FMFEysQmOyq8b4f7fqA2atWxhiKdbU.1

    Meeting ID: 867 9155 2155

    Passcode: 901006

    We hope you'll make this virtual session a habit.









       

     

     

       

     


    • April 15, 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Youth Room, 2nd Floor, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte
    • 41
    Register


    Jay Ward

    How to Write Poems that Beckon-Grab-Intoxicate the Reader


    One of the most important (poetic) questions I’ve ever considered came to me back in 2016 when a workshop facilitator asked “why should the reader care about your poem?” The surface level answers were usually something like, "because I put my heart and soul into it," or "because the events in this poem really happened." The facilitator was asking something deeper, though. The reader has no connection to you and is not physically present with you; the reader has their own anxieties and happenings about which to be somber, furious, or otherwise preoccupied. What does it take to compel the reader to invest intellectually and emotionally in your poem? We’ll walk through some tips, strategies, and examples that have helped me in my quest to answer this question. A closely related question might be, how do you make the reader feel your presence on the page? We’ll discuss this too!

    Junious 'Jay' Ward is a poet and teaching artist from Charlotte, NC. He is a National Slam champion (2018), an Individual World Poetry Slam champion (2019), author of Sing Me A Lesser Wound (Bull City Press 2020) and Composition (Button Poetry 2023). Jay currently serves as Charlotte's inaugural Poet Laureate and is a 2023 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Ward has attended Breadloaf Writers Conference, Callaloo, The Watering Hole and Tin House Winter Workshop. His work can be found in Columbia Journal, Four Way Review, DIAGRAM, Diode Poetry Journal and elsewhere.

    If you have questions or thoughts,
    please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

    We look forward to seeing you!

    • April 25, 2025
    • 6:45 PM - 9:00 PM
    • Mugs Coffee - 5126 Park Road - Charlotte, NC 28209
    • 0
    Join waitlist
                                 

    Description

    In Partnership with MUGS Coffee - LIVE Event for CWC Members and non-members to read their work on the fourth Friday of the month from 6:45pm - 9pm. Registration is limited to 12 readers. Each reader will have 7 minutes to read their work.

    (You do not need to register to come to listen and support your fellow writers.)

    If you register to read you must agree to the following:

    You will purchase something - this is how we support Mugs.

    You will respect this is a business and public place and part of the skill building experience is to block out distractions. You are not allowed to ask the staff or other customers to be quiet.  

    You agree to the considerations listed. If you are unsure if what you want to read is allowed, you will review it with your host before you read.  

    Reading at Open Mic Night affords club members and non-members an opportunity to share what they have written and gain experience reading in public. Please understand that this is NOT a publicity event for our authors. The goal is to support our members as they practice reading in public.

    Before registering please read the following policy adopted by unanimous vote of the CWC executive board on February 5, 2024, A completed registration serves as your agreement to abide by these rules.

    All work must be original and must be read by the author. All readers must be mindful that this event is open to a general audience, which may include minors, and we do not want anyone to feel excluded, offended, or attacked. Although some material may deal with mature or provocative subjects, it must be suitable for a general audience and appropriate for all agesOpen Mic Night is not a forum for religious or political debate, nor is it a place for stand-up comedy, pornography, obscenity, racism, sexism, or personal rants of any kind. We expect readers to provide a receptive, supportive audience for one another. While a writer’s material and point of view are open to different interpretations, please show respect to the writer and the work. Any violation of these guidelines whether as a reader or as a member of the audience will result in the offender being cleared from the stage or audience. Repeated offenses will result in the member being  banned from future sessions and/or being dismissed as a member of CWC.

                           

       

     

     

       

     


    • April 26, 2025
    • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Room 106, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
    • 7
    Register

    Hosted by Chris Arvidson

    Ever just feel like you want to write, but getting those first words on the page eludes you? Or, you feel like you’ve got a jumble of words in your head, but they just aren’t organizing themselves. How about that nagging “I’ve got something to say…” but can’t quite get it out of your head? Or, maybe just sick of working on the stuff you’re working on and want to begin anew? This workshop is designed to get words out of your brain and onto the page. We’ll work with imaginative, and maybe even whacky-seeming prompts, to get you jumpstarted on your writing. The aim will be to fill your writing notebook with a handful of starts worthy of further work. We’ll sprint our way to new poems or prose. Participants should bring paper, writing utensils, and an adventurous open mind. I promise it will be fun, and that you’ll sprint your way into new writing.

    Chris Arvidson was born and grew up in Michigan. She has worked in national politics in Washington, D.C., and as a nonprofit communications and development professional at Habitat for Humanity, in higher education, and with two land conservancies. She holds a B.A. from Olivet College, an M.A. from UNC Charlotte, and an M.F.A. from Goucher College. Chris has been an adjunct instructor at Robert Morris University and at UNC Charlotte. She has co-edited three anthologies in which her own work also appears: Mountain Memoirs: An Ashe County Anthology (Main Street Rag), Reflections on the New River: New Essays, Poems and Personal Stories (McFarland), and The Love of Baseball: Essays by Lifelong Fans(McFarland).

    Her poetry chapbook The House Inside My Head was published in May, 2022. In January 2025, Finishing Line Press will publish her poetry collection, Nobody Cares What You Think, which is currently in pre-sale at finishinglinepress.com. Chris maintains an art studio at the Charlotte Art League, where she mounted a show composed of her composed of her poetry and paintings. 


    Workshop Refund Policy:

    If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.


    • May 09, 2025
    • 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • ZOOM Virtual Meeting
                               

    Please Use the Link Below to Connect with Tiffany Grantham for her Social Write-Ins. on the 2nd Friday of the month from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.

    Mark Your Calendar for this free-writing and share session via Zoom.

    Take 75-minutes to write and share from the comfort of your own space. Bring your muse, your imagination and your favorite writing instrument.

    Because writing presented in the Virtual Writing Salon deals with adult themes from time to time, we have set the age limit for participation at eighteen years of age.

    Tiffany may spin instrumental music for your mind to riff on, offer pictures that take you down memory lane or set a scene for new character to play in. Following each prompt, there will be time for volunteers to read aloud.

    Be inspired by the works your fellow travelers share. No pressure, no angst - just you, your writing, and your untamed creativity. Bring your own characters, write with a story in mind or let your thoughts dance across the page. Shake off the dust of the day and perhaps when you're done, Tiffany's prompts will help you create something that really jazzes you! 

    Tiffany Grantham is a Children’s Service Specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, a short story-fiction writer, and former secretary for CWC’s executive board. A native of Goldsboro, NC who has called Charlotte home for the past eight years, she has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from North Carolina A&T State University, and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. In her spare time, Tiffany collects books to add to her in-home library.

    Join the Meeting!

    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86791552115?pwd=FMFEysQmOyq8b4f7fqA2atWxhiKdbU.1

    Meeting ID: 867 9155 2155

    Passcode: 901006

    We hope you'll make this virtual session a habit.









       

     

     

       

     


    • May 21, 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Youth Room, 2nd Floor, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte
    • 75


    Alyssa Pressler





    Alyssa Pressler started That's Novel Books as a used bookstore in February 2020. That's Novel started with used books in all genres before expanding into new books in January 2024. Since opening, That's Novel has always had a Charlotte author section and frequently hosts local authors for signings and other bookish events. The store also hosts writing events where local writers can gather together for focused writing time, meet others and get feedback. Supporting the local writing community is particularly important to That's Novel Books' mission and has created an engaged community around the bookstore.


    If you have questions or thoughts,
    please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

    We look forward to seeing you!

    • June 06, 2025
    • 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • TBD
    Register

    Summer Social

    Check back for more information in 2025!


    We look forward to seeing you!

    • September 16, 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Youth Room, 2nd Floor, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte
    • 75
    Register

    Judy Goldman

    What’s the Big Idea? (or, How Published Authors Turn Ideas into Books)

    Wondering how to get started on your next project? What to write about? Judy Goldman will explain where her ideas come from and how she develops them so that you can bring your own good ideas to the page. “Coming up with your original concept,” Judy says, “is probably the most crucial part of writing a book, regardless whether it’s a memoir, novel, short story, or essay.” Let her guide you through those initial steps!

    Judy is the author of eight books — four memoirs, two novels, and two collections of poetry. Her new memoir, The Rest of Our Lives, is forthcoming in May. Child was a finalist for SIBA's Southern Book Prize in Nonfiction, a Katie Couric Media Must-Read for 2022, and the #1 bestselling nonfiction book of 2022 at Park Road Books. Together: A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday) was named a best book of 2019 by Real Simple magazine, is an Editor’s Pick on Amazon, Book of the Month for Our State magazine. It received a starred review from Library Journal.

    Her work has appeared in USA Today, Washington Post, Real Simple, LitHub, Charlotte Observer, in many anthologies, and in literary journals such as The Southern Review, Gettysburg Review, Ohio Review, Kenyon Review, Black Warrior Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, etc. She received the Hobson Award for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters, the Fortner Writer and Community Award for “outstanding generosity to other writers and the larger community,” the Sir Walter Raleigh Fiction Award and Mary Ruffin Poole First Fiction Award from the N.C. Literary and Historical Association, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Central Piedmont Community College, the Gerald Cable Poetry Prize, and all three annual prizes awarded for a book of poetry by a North Carolinian.


    If you have questions or thoughts,
    please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

    We look forward to seeing you!

    • November 18, 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Youth Room, 2nd Floor, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte
    • 75

    Kim Wiley Wright

    Story Structure: Moving the Reader Along

    Since mankind began to tell stories around a fire, the human mind has processed narrative in a very specific way. This craft talk will focus on four pivotal beats in storytelling: the opening image, the catalyst, the midpoint, and the closing image. Nailing these will help you whip a meandering story (or novel) into shape, avoid bogging down in the “muddy middle,” and improve your pacing. Best of all, it makes your story not only a pleasure to read, but easier to write. If your current WIP is feeling a little formless, bring it along!

    Kim Wright is the author of five novels: Love in Mid Air, The Unexpected Waltz, The Canterbury Sisters, The Longest Day of the Year and Last Ride To Graceland, which won the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. She began her career in journalism, specializing in travel, food and wine and is a three-time recipient of the Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Writing. Kim is a full-time lecturer at Charlotte Lit, and offers developmental edits through her service, Story Doctor.


    If you have questions or thoughts,
    please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

    We look forward to seeing you!

    • January 20, 2026
    • 7:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Youth Room, 2nd Floor, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte
    • 75


    Betsy Thorpe & Lisa Kline

    Scenes From the Revision Trenches

    Betsy Thorpe, a successful Charlotte editor and author, joins award-winning local author Lisa Williams Kline in discussing best practices, what to expect from a critique group, and revisions our group has suggested to each other for our last few published novels. We've changed from third person to first, from dual time frames to single time frames, from three voices to four voices, and more. We’ll incorporate stories about major revisions we’ve been asked to do by editors and agents, how we reacted, and how those revisions worked out. Not to mention the books we started, stopped, and put in a drawer. Q and A to follow. 


    Betsy Thorpe has been a book editor for over thirty years, starting her career at some of the Big Five houses in New York as an acquisitions and developmental/line editor, and then moving on to open up her own business as an independent editor. She works with authors on everything from how to even start writing a book, to full manuscripts, sometimes conducting “forensic edits,” and occasionally ghost-writing. She also consults with authors over the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus indie publishing, agents, and contracts. Her co-written books have appeared in The New York Times, The Today Show, and Oprah, and she’s written a trilogy under a pseudonym, Hope Carolle, published by Dragonblade, a boutique publisher. She is the proud mom of two young adult women, and a dyspeptic ninety-seven pound rescue dog, Charlie.


    Lisa Williams Kline is the author of two award-winning novels, Between the Sky and the Sea and Ladies’ Day, and The Ruby Mirror, an essay collection. A new novel, The Bristlecone Writers’ Group, will be released by Harpeth Road Press in spring 2026. She lives in Davidson with her veterinarian husband, a cat who can open doors, and a sweet chihuahua who has played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical. She and her husband treasure frequent visits with their grown daughters and their husbands.


    If you have questions or thoughts,
    please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

    We look forward to seeing you!

    • April 21, 2026
    • 7:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Youth Room, 2nd Floor, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte
    • 75


    David Radavich

    Revising & Shaping Your Poem for Publication

    Great poems are not born by autogenesis, or even by a talented muse.  They are revised and polished into more perfect being by a craftsperson who takes care to utilize all the tools of the lyric trade to enhance the poem’s potential impact on the reader.  In this presentation, we will pay close attention to the visual architecture of poems, their aural structures, effective use of punctuation, evocative imagery and metaphor, balance, proportion, and radiance, and creating a powerful overall impression.

    David Radavich (www.davidradavich.org) has published a variety of poetry, drama, and essays, including two epics, America Bound and America Abroad, as well as Middle-East Mezze and The Countries We Live In.  His plays have been performed across the U.S. and in Europe.  David has served as president of the Thomas Wolfe Society, Charlotte Writers’ Club, and North Carolina Poetry Society, and currently serves as state-wide coordinator of the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series.  His latest books are Unter der Sonne / Under the Sun: German Poems (Deutscher Lyrik, 2021) - yes, he writes poems also in German - and Here’s Plenty (Cervena Barva, 2023).

    If you have questions or thoughts,
    please contact membershipcwc@yahoo.com

    We look forward to seeing you!


Charlotte Writers Club  is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, P.O. Box 220954, Charlotte, NC 28222-0954

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