Willamette Writers Chapters are local writing communities where writers improve their craft and acquire the career skills required in today's publishing world.
Willamette Writers on the River offers monthly meetings and occasional workshops. Meetings are normally held on the fourth Monday of each month at the First Presbyterian Church (Allison Room) in Corvallis. No meetings in August when we head to Portland for the Willamette Writers Conference.
WWotR serves local writers by providing opportunities to develop skills in the business of publication and in literary craft; promote published writers and provide the public with opportunities to hear works in progress and published material; provide opportunities for local writers to hone their leadership, presentation, and teaching skills; encourage networking and productive critique; and create a welcoming, inclusive writing community.
Four times a year, WWotR hosts open-mic readings. The rest of the meetings are program meetings.
Because we value all of the literary arts, we strive to provide educational opportunities on a broad range of subjects including poetry, literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, playwriting, and the business aspects of all of the above. These meetings are facilitated by writers from the Corvallis area as well as some from further away.
Some past topics have included: dialogue, the submission process, freelance writing, true fiction, playwriting and screenwriting, writing retreats and conferences, creating chapbooks, and finding inspiration. Presenters have included Oregon Book Award winners, Emmy winners, and bestselling local authors as well as writers at earlier stages in their career.
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
Corvallis: Reading in public with Mo Daviau
Corvallis, OR 97333 United States
How to Read Prose in Public and Still Make Friends
Let's face it: literary prose can be kind of rough when you take it off the page and onto the stage. Mo Daviau, a veteran improv comedian as well as a fiction writer, offers tips on how choose and read your work for an audience for maximum entertainment. (Bring first two pages of your story to real aloud.)About Mo Daviau
Mo Daviau is the author of the novel Every Anxious Wave (St. Martin's Press, 2016), which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award/Ken Kesey Award for fiction in 2017. Her nonfiction has appeared in The Toast, The Offing, and Nailed magazine. Mo lives in Portland, where she is working on her third novel.Find out more »About the Meetings
Willamette Writers on the River holds monthly meetings for writers in the Willamette Valley, including Corvallis writers, Albany writers, and other Linn-Benton writers. We welcome all writers ages 18 and up and especially Willamette Writers members (from any chapter).
Unless otherwise stated...
Meeting Time
Fourth Monday of each month from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Meeting Location
Meetings are held at the First Presbyterian Church in Corvallis
The First Presbyterian Church
114 SW 8th St.
Corvallis, OR 97333
Use the parking lot entrance at 9th & Monroe. Other doors are locked. We will be in the Allison Room. Watch for the sign in the hall to point you in the right direction.
Our programs are not endorsed or sponsored by First Presbyterian Church.
Meeting Format
WWotR holds two types of meetings.
Quarterly Readings/Open-Mic
Four times per year in the months of March, June, September, and December, WWotR hosts public readings with open mic which give writers the opportunity to engage in one of the most important practices of the writing life. The readings are free and open to the public.
Meeting Format:
- 6:15-6:30 — Sign-ups
- 6:30-8:30 — News and Announcements followed by readings
Program Meetings
All other meetings are program meetings, where WWotR offers meetings with a speaker/workshop/panel discussion to help writers learn about writing.
Meeting Format:
- 6:30-6:45 – Networking & social time
- 6:45-8:15 – WotR News and Announcements followed by the Program
- 8:15-8:30 – Networking & Speaker’s Book Sales
Meeting Cost
Monthly meetings at all the chapters are free for members of Willamette Writers.
Quarterly readings are free and open to the public.
Fees for Nonmembers to attend program meetings (suggested donation):
- Nonmember guests of Willamette Writers members pay $5.
- Nonmember full time students with student ID pay $5.
- All other nonmember adults pay $10.
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 Willamette Writers on the River Chapter is run by two co-chairs who together create a program to fit the needs and interests of the Willamette Writers members around Corvallis.
Maren Bradley Anderson
Maren Bradley Anderson is a writer, teacher, and alpaca rancher in Oregon. She teaches English at Western Oregon University. She fills her days caring for alpacas, playing with her kids, and reading books that make her laugh. She has written two plays for the Apple Box Children’s Theater, and her writing has appeared in The Timberline Review and Alpacas Magazine. Her novels Fuzzy Logic and Closing the Store are available online and through your local bookstore—just ask them to order them for you.
Visit Maren's website, and follow her on Facebook @MarenBradleyAnderson, and on Twitter @marenster.
Rachel Barton
Rachel Barton, poet, writing coach, and editor, has been published in print or online in Cloudbank, Hubbub, Oregon English Journal, VoiceCatcher, Plum Tree Tavern, and more. She has taught poetry workshops independently and at Linn-Benton Community College, the Northwest Poets Concord, Willamette Writers on the River, and the Oregon Poetry Association Conference. She is editor of Willawaw Journal, an online journal for poetry and art, and is a memberof the editorial collective for the woman’s journal, Calyx. She facilitates a couple of longstanding critique groups and is co-chair for Writers on the River, the Corvallis Chapter. Barton just released a chapbook, Out of the Woods. Her chapbook, Happiness Comes, is forthcoming from Dancing Girl Press (Chicago). To learn more, go to RachelBartonWriter.com.
Connect with the Chapter
- Join our meetings and workshops if you’re a writing enthusiasts from the Corvallis area, if you happen to be in the area, or if you are interested in a specific topic/speaker. All writers 18 and older welcome. Join us!
- Follow our Facebook Page and subscribe to our events to keep in touch.
- Join our mailing list to learn what’s coming up next for the chapter.
- Find a local critique group or announce your group.
- Contact us privately if you have a specific inquiry or an announcement to share with the chapter.
- Join our chapter's mailing list to receive updates by email.
- Find a local critique/writers group or announce your own.
- Visit our contact page if you have a specific inquiry or something you'd like to share with the chapter co-chairs.
Volunteer with the Chapter
Are you a local writer and want to be more involved with the Mid-Valley 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.