The Muse Writers Center
2021_06_29_classes

Time to Register for a Summer Class

We have an amazing Summer 2021 online class, workshop, and seminar schedule that starts in June and runs through August. You can find the right class for you by genre or in a searchable calendar and register now. Tuition assistance and flexibility is always available if you need it.

You'll find our introductory classes, workshops, and studios in Poetry, Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Screenwriting, Comics/Graphic Novels, Storytelling, Songwriting, as well as many great classes for Kids and Teens. Plus we have a great series of all-new craft, creativity, research, and professional development seminars... and this summer, all 1-meeting seminars are only $35!

Nonfiction & Memoir

  • Memoir 1: Wednesday Mornings: 8-meeting online class that begins Wednesday, June 30, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Instructor: Lisa Cooper. More information
  • Creative Nonfiction 1: 8-meeting online class that begins Thursday, July 1, 7-9:30 p.m. Instructor: Shawn Girvan. More information
  • Memoir 1: Tuesday Evenings: 6-meeting online class that begins Tuesday, July 6, 7-9:30 p.m. Instructor: Diane Zinna. More information
  • Writing About Family Secrets: Sunday, July 11, 1-3:30 p.m., online. Instructor: Deborah J. Cohan. More information

Screenwriting

  • Introduction to Screenwriting: 8-meeting online class that begins Wednesday, June 30, 7-9:30 p.m. Instructor: Matt Friedman. More information

Fiction

  • Fiction 1: Thursday Mornings: 8-meeting online class that begins Thursday, July 1, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Instructor: Jacob Gregory. More information
  • Fiction 1: Monday Evenings: 8-meeting online class that begins Monday, July 12, 7-9:30 p.m. Instructor: Abi Putnam. More information

Writers Craft

  • Twenty Ways to Immediately Improve Your Writing: Saturday, July 10, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., online. Instructor: Rick Eley. More information
  • Writing Humor & Satire: Saturday, July 10, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., online. Instructor: Shannon Curtin. More information
  • Characterization Through Dialogue: Saturday, July 10, 1-3:30 p.m., online. Instructor: John DeDakis. More information

Writers Life & Creativity

  • Giving Voice: A Creative Writing Workshop for Women: 4-meeting online class that begins Saturday, July 10, 1-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Wendi White. More information
  • Emergent Narrative: Exploring Setting, Character and Improvised Stories through Roleplaying Games (LIVE IN PERSON!): 3-meeting in-person class that begins Saturday, July 10, 1-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Gabriel Robinson. More information

Poetry

  • Writing the Elegy: Saturday, July 10, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., online. Instructor: Amanda Gomez. More information
  • Bacchanals and Mourning: Writing Poetry After a Plague: 4-meeting online class that begins Saturday, July 10, 1-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Tom Yuill. More information
  • Finders Keepers: The Art of Found Poetry: 4-meeting online class that begins Sunday, July 11, 1-3:30 p.m. Instructor: Kindra McDonald. More information

General & Multi-Genre

  • Write Anything: 6-meeting online class that begins Tuesday, July 13, 7-9:30 p.m. Instructor: Sarah Pringle. More information
Most all classes will be held online, using Zoom. Our fall session will feature both in-person and online classes. To participate this summer, students must have a stable internet connection with a computer or device with a webcam and microphone.
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In-Person Writers Happy Hour

Wednesday, June 30, 5-6:30 p.m., in-person at Plaza del Sol, More information
Join us as we come back together and meet in-person for our (soon-to-be) weekly Writers Happy Hours--an informal get-together where area writers and Muse teachers, students, and friends enjoy conversation, camaraderie, and drinks. We look forward to seeing your faces again!

More Great Upcoming Online & In-Person Events

Eddie Dowe Book Launch and Q&A

Tuesday, July 6, 7-8 p.m., Online, More information
Join The Muse Writers Center for a reading by Eddie Dowe from his latest poetry chapbook, I Have To Tell You Something, followed by a Q&A. Free registration to join the zoom webinar live. There will also be a recording available after the event.

Writers Coffee Break

Friday, July 9, 10:30 a.m.-Noon, in-person at Cafe Stella, More information
Join us as we come back together and meet in-person for our monthly Writers Coffee Breaks, on the 2nd Friday of each month at Cafe Stella in Ghent. At these informal get-togethers, area writers and Muse teachers, students, and friends enjoy conversation and camaraderie over a (perhaps much needed) coffee break. We look forward to seeing your faces again!

The Muse Neighborhood Jam

Friday, July 9, 7-10 p.m., in-person at The Muse, More information
Join us on the 2nd Friday of each month for an evening where everyone is welcome to make music, sing, read, laugh, or just hang out and listen. This is not an "open-mic" with a sign-up list. The Muse Jam is more fun! We'll alternate between individual-led and collaborative performance and pure unplugged jams. Everyone welcome, whether you want to listen or want to play. We look forward to seeing your faces again!

Projects, Passions, and Possibilities Writing Group

Saturday, July 10, 1-3 p.m., Online, More information
A roundtable discussion open to all writers and generated by the interests of the participants to exchange and spread information. Free registration required. Hosted by author, Fran Ward
board_email
Do you want to serve with a team of dedicated Board members to advance the literary arts in Hampton Roads? We are currently seeking candidates with a strong sense of commitment and dedication to advancing our mission.

The Muse Writers Center relies on the experience, vision, and leadership of our Board of Directors to guide and ensure continued growth, development, and financial health. The Board is comprised of community leaders with expertise in a wide range of areas, including education, finance, law, advocacy, fund development, and business management. Board officers and members serve three-year terms, and lead or support various governing and outreach committees. The Board meets quarterly and officers meet monthly.

If you are passionate about the literary arts and have the time, energy and resources to contribute to our dynamic organization, please learn more about our Board of Directors and submit an Expression of Interest. We hope you’ll consider serving with us and be part of the legacy of advancing the literary arts in our community.
Newsletter_Come back from COVID

Come Back from COVID Campaign
Become a Sponsor

During the Coronavirus in-person shutdown, the staff of The Muse Writers Center has been busy preparing for our eventual re-opening. We are re-organizing our library, assembling more comfortable furniture for our classrooms, and more.

Will you please help and sponsor a bookcase--or one of our classrooms?

All sponsorships are tax-deductible and all donors will be acknowledged with a thank you plaque on the item(s) or room(s) sponsored. Sponsorships can be made in honor of or in memory of someone special. Credit cards and checks are accepted. You can sponsor more than one item or room, and can split larger sponsorships into payments.

What's Still Available?

Become a MemberEmergency UpdatesMake a Donation

Stay Connected! Join The Writers Reservoir on Facebook

Visit facebook.com/groups/WritersReservoir and connect with other writers and share articles, essays and personal experiences about being a writer in the world today as well as information about places to submit, contests, conferences, and more. The Writers Reservoir is more than a writers’ resource, it is a writers’ community! It is a place where writers can share, learn, connect and find that often elusive creative spark. The Writers Reservoir is a Facebook group. All writers are welcome to join and send invitations to join.
re-open email
As people are becoming vaccinated, The Muse Writers Center is gradually re-opening its physical space. Our summer classes will remain online.
  • For the month of June, we will be open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. for people to use our space to write, meet others, and learn more about The Muse.
  • Beginning July 13, we will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • The Muse has installed is installing an iWave-R air purification system that uses needlepoint bipolar ionization (NPBI) cold plasma technology to sanitize the air, killing viruses, bacteria, and mold.
Please read all our re-opening guidelines and important information before you visit.
The Muse Writers Center’s projects, classes, and events are made possible in part through sponsorship by the City of Norfolk Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Queen of Virginia Skill & Entertainment, the Business Consortium for Arts Support, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding has been provided by Virginia Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020 as well as The Literary Arts Emergency Fund, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and the Norfolk Department of Economic Development.
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