Send It!

When: 2nd Saturday of the month, 2-4pm (upcoming dates: May 11th, June 8th, July 13th)
Where: East Liberty Library (130 S. Whitfield Street) - Meeting Room 1

With the March meeting, we'll be trying out a new hybrid format. Folks who can't make the in-person meeting have the option to Zoom in and join the group in submitting work, or get guidance or advice on where to send their work. You can find the Zoom link:

Send It! is a new kind of group for Pittsburgh-area writers and artists that's focused on the publication side of the craft. Once a month, we'll meet up to learn about and submit work to literary journals, presses, agents, grants, and other opportunities to build an audience or creative career. We'll also have resources available, like:

  • Open Calls - Curated list of places currently open for submission
  • This Submission Quick Guide Google Doc - With advice on how to find journals and presses to submit to, how to write cover letters, and other helpful info
  • Access to the paid version of Duotrope
  • Back issues of print literary journals

This isn't a critique group--the idea is to show up with work that's finished, polished, and ready to publish. It is absolutely open to people of all experience levels, though! Submitting work can be anxiety-inducing whether you're sending your first submission or seeking a publisher for your 5th novel, but support and encouragement from people who have been there, too, can be a big help.

Send It! is free and there's no registration required--just show up with your laptop and creative works that need a home, and spend some time with other writers and artists looking for the same thing! If you want to get a reminder of upcoming meetings, you can join the Send It Meetup group.

 

Feedback Open Mics

When: June 3rd (Monday), 7pm
Where:Nico's Recovery Room (178 Pearl Street)

Past 2023 Events

Workshop Matchmaking

Sunday, October 22nd 2023, 2:30-5pm

Matchmakers find people who will be compatible, and this event will do the same thing for writers! Workshop Matchmaking brings together people looking for writing partners, workshop groups, and beta readers to help them find new sources of constructive feedback.

It's free to take part, but you do have to pre-register (since we'll need to know some info about you to pair you up with like-minded writers!). Attendance is limited to 15 and registration is first-come first-serve. If slots fill up we'll open up a wait list and post info here on how to get on it.

How's This Whole Thing Gonna Work?

  1. We'll split the attendees into groups of 3-6 people based on their responses to the registration survey (click here to see a preview of the questions).
  2. We'll send you info on the folks in your group, along with the works you'll be workshopping, by Wednesday, October 18th.
  3. The event on Sunday will start with a brief icebreaking with everyone together. Then, we'll split into groups to workshop the pieces one at a time. Every piece will get workshopped so that everyone can get a true sense of each other's workshop style and can identify the people who give the type of feedback they find helpful.
  4. After the workshopping, there will be some time to chat with the other attendees and exchange contact info with people you'd like to exchange work with in the future.

Scribble House Lecture Series: Unconventional Adventures in Publication

Saturday, May 25th 2023 at Bantha Tea Bar

The Scribble House Lecture Series aims to bring together a diverse set of voices to share insights and advice on the a chosen topic. This will start with 10-15 minute talks from each presenter, followed by a curated Q&A, with a handout of helpful resources and info for attendees.

For this first event, the topic is "Unconventional Adventures in Publication"--in other words, writers who are getting their words to readers in ways other than traditional book publishing. Featured speakers for this event will be:

You can click the links above to find out more about the featured speakers. We're stoked to hear this variety of perspectives on the many ways to get words in front of readers!