Willamette Writers Chapters are local writing communities where writers improve their craft and acquire the career skills required in today's publishing world.
The Coast Chapter offers monthly meetings and occasional workshops. Meetings are normally held on the third Sunday of each month from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Newport Public Library (McEntee Room). No meetings in December, July, or August. In August we head to Portland for the Willamette Writers Conference.
Monthly meetings are open to all writers 18 and older. Members attend for free. Read on to learn about our chapter, and join our mailing list to keep in touch.
Become a Willamette Writers Member today to enjoy membership benefits (like free meetings) and to support our community of writers.
Upcoming Meeting
Newport: “Writing is Luxury . . . But It Could Save Your Life” with Kim Stafford
February 17 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm“Writing is Luxury . . . But It Could Save Your Life"
Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford will speak on the topic “Writing is Luxury . . . But It Could Save Your Life,” at the Feb. 17 meeting of Willamette Writers’ Coast chapter. The free workshop takes place at the Newport Public Library from 2 to 4 p.m. Stafford said his talk is inspired by a quote from Oregon writer Gary Miranda, who said, “People who don’t read or write may be spared the inconvenience of thought.” He will dive into that inconvenience by sharing poems, questions, stories, and mysteries related to the practice of writing.About Kim Stafford 
In May 2018, Gov. Kate Brown named Stafford, the founding director of The Northwest Writing Institute at Lewis & Clark College, to a two-year appointment as Poet Laureate of Oregon, succeeding Elizabeth Woody. Over the next two years, Stafford will provide up to 20 public readings per year across the state to inform community, business and state leaders about the value and importance of poetry and creative expression.
Stafford is the author of a dozen books of poetry and prose, including The Muses Among Us: Eloquent Listening and Other Pleasures of the Writer’s Craft, A Thousand Friends of Rain: New & Selected Poems, and Wind on the Waves: Stories from the Oregon Coast. In 2016, the 30th anniversary edition of his collection of essays, Having Everything Right, came out from Pharos Editions. He has taught writing in dozens of schools and community centers, and in Scotland, Italy, and Bhutan.
Stafford’s most recent book, 100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do, is an account of his brother’s death by suicide, and the struggle of a family to understand and live beyond that event. It is a story where “the writer reaches back through the difficult end to grasp the beautiful beginning, like pulling a venomous serpent inside out,” he said.
Find out more »About the Meetings
The Coast Chapter holds monthly meetings for writers near Newport. We always look forward to meeting and seeing members from other chapters.
Unless otherwise stated...
Meeting Time
The Coast Chapter meets on the third Sunday of each month from September through June, with no meetings in July, August and December.
In August we head to Portland for the Willamette Writers Conference.
Meeting Location
Meetings are held at the Newport Public Library (McEntee Room).
35 NW Nye St.
Newport, OR 97365
The Meetings are Free Thanks To Our Sponsors
The meeting is free thanks to the generosity of the Newport Public Library and local businesses such as Hallmark Resort, Anchor Pier Lodge, Elizabeth Street Inn, and Sylvia Beach Hotel, and the generous time and space provided by our media partners.
Thank you for your support!
Would you like to be a speaker?
We are always looking for new speakers from around the region and around the country. Do you have a topic of interest to present to writers in our region?
Please contact us for scheduling and details.
The Chapter Co-Chairs
The Coast Chapter is run by two co-chairs who together create a program to fit the needs and interests of the Willamette Writers members from the Newport area.
Sue Fagalde Lick
Sue Fagalde Lick returned to creative writing after a long detour in the newspaper business and a better-late-than-never MFA at Antioch University Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Full Grown People, Voicecatcher, Cloudbank, New Letters, Tenemos, The American Journal of Poetry, Diode Poetry Journal, and other publications. Her books include Stories Grandma Never Told, Childless by Marriage and Shoes Full of Sand. Sue and her dog Annie live in South Beach on the Oregon coast. When not writing, she lives an alternative life as a church musician.
Lori Tobias
A longtime journalist, I have been on the staff of The Oregonian and Rocky Mountain News and have freelanced for numerous magazines and dailies, including as a stringer for the New York Times. My novel "Wander" was published by Red Hen Press in 2016 and won the Nancy Pearl Book Award in 2017, and was a finalist in the International Book Awards contest.
Past Co-Chairs of the Coast Chapter
Connect with the Chapter
- Join our meetings and workshops.
- Like our Facebook Page and subscribe to our events to keep in touch.
- Contact us privately if you have a specific inquiry or an announcement to share with the chapter.
Volunteer with the Chapter
Are you a local writer and want to be more involved with the Coast Chapter? Volunteer!
How would you like to be involved? Get in touch and let us know how you’d like help.
Click here for other volunteer opportunities at Willamette Writers.