Willamette Writers in Eugene

Willamette Writers Chapters are local writing communities where writers improve their craft and acquire the career skills required in today's publishing world.

The Eugene Willamette Writers offers monthly meetings and occasional workshops. Meetings are normally held at Tsunami Books on the first Thursday of the month (unless it conflicts with a holiday, usually Sept. and/or Jan.) from September-May. 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

There are no upcoming events at this time.

About the Meetings

The Portland and Southern Oregon Young Willamette Writers meetings will be combined and held via Zoom through the end of 2020. Except for September, they will be on the first Saturday of each month from 10:00-11:30 am. 

The great news is that we now have a way for visitors to join our virtual writers’ meetings. Any student age 13-18 may join us by having a parent request the Zoom link via email. Send a message to yww@willamettewriters.org and let us know the name to be watching for in our “waiting room.”

We’ll let you in if we have your name on our list. There’s no cost, and no registration aside from letting us know to expect you.

The Deets:

  • First Saturday of each month, 10:00-11:30 am (starting in October)
  • For students age 13-18

How to attend:

  • Have a parent request the Zoom link and let us know the student's name via email: yww@willamettewriters.org
  • If your name is on the list, we'll let you in!

See you there!

Upcoming events:

Young Willamette Writers: Hello, World: Techniques and tricks for creating a realistic, complex, captivating science fiction world that can be used in any story!

February 6 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Online
Portland, OR United States

In this workshop, we'll look at the broad categories of science fiction and fantasy worlds and stories, then talk about how to put a new spin on old favorites, as well as how to make the worldbuilding in your story resonate with readers and propel your plot and character arcs. About the Speaker: Emily Suvada is the award-winning author of the Mortal Coil trilogy, a science fiction thriller series for young adults. The first book, This Mortal Coil, won the Oregon Spirit Book Award, and was shortlisted for an Aurealis Award, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and the Readings Young Adult Book Prize. Emily's work investigates themes of technological progress, bioethics, and what it means to be human in a world where DNA itself can be rewritten. Emily was born in Australia, where she spent her childhood reading, writing, and watching Star Trek. In college, she studied math and astrophysics, and went on to a career in finance before finding her way back to her first love—books. Today, Emily lives in Portland, OR, with her family, and still spends most of her free time reading, writing, and watching Star Trek. She also enjoys cooking, coding, and chasing her toddler around local parks and trails. 

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The Chapter Co-Chairs

Valerie Ihsan
JoannaBartlettHeadshot

Valerie Ihsan, Author Business Strategist is the author of The Scent of Apple Tea and Smell the Blue Sky: young, pregnant, and widowed, winner of a B.R.A.G. Medallion for Top Indie-Published Books. She co-chairs the Eugene Chapter of Willamette Writers, teaches workshops on writing and indie-publishing, and helps authors get clear about their goals so they can find success. She’s an editor and proofreader, loves dogs, and wants to live in Costa Rica and run writing retreats. She lives in Oregon with her husband, teenage son, and four dogs.

Joanna Bartlett is the author of multiple books on intuition and mediumship development and an award-winning writer. They co-chair the Eugene Chapter of Willamette Writers, provide grief recovery coaching and education to folks wanting to heal from loss, and teach online classes. Joanna has 2 cats and 3 teenagers and enjoys reading, spinning yarn, knitting, hiking, and doing puzzles.

Connect with the Chapter

We think writers are awesome!

  • Join our meetings and workshops if you’re a writing enthusiast from the 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 chapter's mailing list to receive updates by email.
  • 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 Eugene Willamette Writers? Volunteer!

Here are some ways volunteers help us:

  • Pick up snacks for monthly meetings
  • Prep Member Announcements for publishing on website
  • Organize events, workshops and meetings

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.

Chapter Blog Posts and Updates

Sun 17 April: Avenging the Owl Book Launch Party

Come celebrate the release of Melissa Hart’s debut middle-grade novel and the winners of the Northwest Nature Nerd essay contest. This is a family-friendly event with a fun and lively raptor slideshow and owl pellet dissection station. Local nature- and writing-related nonprofits will have informational tables. Light refreshments and general merriment provided. Sunday at 3 PM – 5 PM Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette St, Eugene Learn more here.

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April 2016 – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library

April 2016 – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library All events free. More information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Writer Tim Hicks Saturday, April 2, 3:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive A reading plus Q-and-A session with Tim Hicks, author of the novel “Last Stop before Tomorrow.” This modern fable brings together an artist, a computer modeler, and the CEO of an international energy conglomerate who wrestle with the dilemmas of climate change and humanity’s relationship with technology, as well as the challenges of their own lives. They are accompanied in their journey by the mythological figures of Prometheus and Pandora, whose legacies hang in the balance: will the outcome be tragic or transcendent? Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Writer Eliot Treichel Saturday, April 9, 2:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive A reading and talk by writer Eliot Treichel featuring on his new book for teens and adults, “A Series of Small Maneuvers.” The insightful, moving novel focuses on 15-year-old Emma, whose difficulties in growing up are tragically complicated when she inadvertently causes an accident that kills her father. Coping with guilt and grief, she ultimately finds the inner strength to continue with the help of river rats, ranch hands, and her horse, Magic. According to Publishers Weekly, “Treichel’s realistic and compelling characterization of Emma highlights a maturity into adulthood that offers no easy solutions to the difficulties of grief, but celebrates the best of her family.”   Eliot Treichel is a native of Wisconsin who now lives in Eugene, Oregon. His first book, “Close Is Fine,” won the Wisconsin Library Association Literary Award. His fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in Beloit Fiction Journal, CutBank, Passages North, Southern Indiana Review, and Hawai’i Pacific Review. He’s also written for Canoe & Kayak, Paddler, and Eugene Magazine. Free. Information: 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. ANNUAL BOOK SALE FUNDRAISER – Friends of Eugene Public Library  Saturday, April 9, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and Sunday, April 10, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Lane Events Center (Lane County Fairgrounds), Eugene  The Annual Friends of Eugene Public Library Book Sale will be held Saturday, April 9, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday, April 10, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Lane Events Center (Lane County Fairgrounds) Performance Hall. Proceeds from this all-volunteer project go to support Eugene Public Library classes, programs, and events, including Summer Reading for children and teens. VISA/Mastercard will be accepted, as well as cash and checks. Admission and parking are free. Shoppers will be able to choose from thousands of gently-used and like-new books on all topics, at bargain prices of only $1.00 to $2.00. Also for sale will be DVDs, vinyl, audio books, sheet music, and music CDs. Recent bestsellers will be available in the Good as New section, and collectors can check for rare and specialty books in Individually Priced. A Children’s area will offer a large selection of books, DVDs, and CDs for kids.   The Book Sale is the Friends of Eugene Public Library’s major fundraiser each year. Over 300 volunteers work on the Book…

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100 Book Club Challenge with our own Danuta Pfeiffer & Kathleen Cremonesi

Bring Willamette Writers members Danuta Pfeiffer and Kathleen Cremonesi to your book club! The goal is 100 book clubs in one year. Two Oregon authors have launched this ambitious campaign to share their memoirs: Kathleen Cremonesi with Love in the Elephant Tent, How Running Away with the Circus Brought Me Home, and Danuta Pfeiffer with Chiseled, A Memoir of Identity, Duplicity and Divine Wine. Both books are distinguished by Amazon five-star reviews, recommendations, honors and awards. Kathleen Cremonesi says, “Book clubs have been such fun for us in the past. We thought if more clubs knew about us, they might like the idea of having two authors and two books for one grand event. A two-for-one special!” The authors are prepared to Skype to book clubs outside the Eugene area. Danuta Pfeiffer says they’ve done it before. “Skyping a book club is easy and almost like being there. We do readings, answer questions, and offer stories behind-the-scenes and generally entertain our clubs for 90 minutes.” When local book clubs come calling, Pfeiffer often opens up her winery doors at Pfeiffer Winery in Junction City to they have book club events over a glass of wine. Cremonesi’s book, Love in the Elephant Tent, How Running Away with the Circus Brought Me Home, is her memoir of how an Italian circus offered a footloose American her very own pair of ruby stilettos. She dons a rhinestone bikini, becomes an ostrich-riding, shark-taming showgirl, and falls for the handsome elephant keeper, and lives to tell the tale. kathleencremonesi.com Pfeiffer’s book, Chiseled, A Memoir of Identity, Duplicity and Divine Wine, is her award winning memoir about an idealistic journalist who becomes the unlikely co-host to a television evangelist bent on becoming the President of the United States. When her past catches up to her, she is caught in the cross hairs of politics and religion. danutapfeiffer.com The authors can be contacted through their websites or Facebook pages.      

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Sat. March 19: Ron Rash at Eugene Public Library

Please mark your calendars for a wonderful talk and reading by the critically acclaimed, best selling writer, Ron Rash at the Eugene Public Library on Saturday, March 19, at 2:00 PM. The event is free. Ron Rash is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River, The World Made Straight, Chemistry and Other Stories, Serena, Burning Bright, (winner of the prestigious international Frank O’Connor Award for short fiction), The Cove, Nothing Gold Can Stay and Something Rich and Strange. Equally recognized as a poet, short story writer, and novelist, Rash brings to all his work a masterful command of language and a deep sense of the Appalachian South. While critics have compared his epic narratives to Shakespeare, his compelling plotlines to Raymond Chandler, and his lyric sensibility to William Faulkner and Toni Morrison, Rash’s nuanced and thought-provoking fiction distinguishes him as a unique literary voice in his own right.    

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March 2016 – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library

March 2016 – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library All events free. More information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. Kids and Teens: Vote for Your Favorite Books Starting March 1, all locations of Eugene Public Library Kids and teens: vote for your favorites to win the Oregon Reader’s Choice Award and Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award. See this year’s nominees at Eugene Public Library or the Library website: bit.ly/19iqKF4.   Voting for the Oregon Reader’s Choice Award is open March 1 through March 30. Readers in grades 3 through 12 who have read or listened to at least two of the nominated books in their age level’s division are eligible to vote once.   The Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award is selected by kids who have read or listened to at least two of the nominated books. Vote once at the Library from March 15 through April 9. Free. Information: 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.   Talk: “And That Something is Music: Tchaikovsky and Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin” Tuesday, March 1, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive In connection with Eugene Opera’s upcoming production of “Eugene Onegin,” a talk by Susanna Lim titled “And That Something is Music: Tchaikovsky and Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin.” Lim will explore Piotr Tchaikovsky’s transformation of Aleksandr Pushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin, from a classic of Russian literature into a universally loved opera. She is an Associate Professor of Russian literature at the University of Oregon’s Clark Honors College.   Eugene Opera’s 2015-2016 season at the Hult Center features four operas based on literary works: “Turn of the Screw” by Benjamin Britten (based on the novella by Henry James); “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Gaetano Donizetti (“The Lady of Lammermoor” by Sir Walter Scott); “Eugene Onegin” by Piotyr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Alexander Pushkin); and “Little Women” by Mark Adamo (Louisa May Alcott). Accompanying events and exhibits will be held at Eugene Public Library, Central Lutheran Church, University of Oregon, and the Lane County Historical Museum. For more information about events at Eugene Public Library: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library. For more information about Eugene Opera: 541-682-5000 or www.eugeneopera.com.   Open Letter: A Writing Workshop with Kim Stafford Saturday, March 5, 2:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive Acclaimed author and teacher Kim Stafford will lead a writing workshop for adults titled “Open Letter: Secret Manifesto to the World.”   Says Stafford, “What is it about the personal letter—that literary luxury from before the digital age? Private, friendly, revealing, resonant with both leisure and quiet urgency? Clearly, there is work to be done beyond the tweet, outside email, and wrought by hand.”   In this workshop, participants will read landmark letters from the past, then pen a suite of pages in this informal form: a letter to a long-lost friend, a letter-poem, a witness letter to the world. Sample letters, prompts, and envelopes provided.   Kim Stafford is the founding director of the Northwest Writing Institute at Lewis & Clark College. He is the author of a dozen…

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30 Jan Workshop: Building Your Story with John Reed

Building Your Story Saturday, Jan 30th, 1-3 pm Wordcrafters Workshop: 480 Charnelton, Eugene Price: $35 Instructor: John Reed Register at Wordcrafters This class covers all the basic aspects of story and applies to both short stories and novels. We’ll discuss spicing up your story with the “Three Cs”: The Clock, The Crucible, and The Contract. We’ll learn how to determine where the story starts, when to enter the complication, we’ll talk about the need for rising action, what happens in the climax and what defines the story’s resolution. A number of in-class exercises and a series of handouts will be provided. *This workshop is located in a space accessed by stairs. Please note on your registration if you require a space with ramp or elevator access, so we can relocate to an accessible space. You may also email info at wordcraftersineugene.org.  About the instructor John Reed is the author of two novels, Thirteen Mountain and The Kingfisher’s Call, as well as numerous shorter non-fiction works. He has conducted writing workshops, classes and seminars around the country for the past 20 years; his sensitive and insightful critiques have inspired hundreds of writers. His classes on the novel, short stories, essays and magazine writing have given many students a stepping stone to publication. John has been a presenter at the Maui Writer’s Conference and the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference. Presented by  

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January 2016 — Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library

January 2016 – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library   All events free. More information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.   Celebrating Shakespeare’s First Folio Saturday, January 16, 3:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive. Free. Join Lara Bovilsky for an introduction to the exhibit “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare” at the University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.   Bovilsky will give an insider’s guide to this month’s events and discuss the history of remembering Shakespeare. Her talk will explore the radically changing assessments of Shakespeare’s gifts and contributions to the world, from his friends’ conflicting descriptions to modern perspectives. An Associate Professor of English at the University of Oregon, Bovilsky led the successful application process to bring this historic display to Eugene.   The First Folio was published in 1623, just seven years after the writer’s death, with the title “Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies.” It is the only source of 18 of his 38 plays including “The Tempest,” “Macbeth,” “Twelfth Night,” and “As You Like It.”   In 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, original First Folios will tour for display in every state in the nation plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene was chosen as the single Oregon site. Between January 6 and February 7, visitors to the museum will be able to see the exhibit with free admission, as well as participate in related events on campus and in the community.   The national tour “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare” is a traveling exhibition from the Folger Shakespeare Library, in partnership with the Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association. For a calendar of all events in connection with the exhibit, visit jsma.uoregon.edu/Shakespeare.   Windfall Reading: Molly Gloss and John Witte Tuesday, January 19, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive. Free. This month’s readers are novelist Molly Gloss and poet John Witte.   Molly Gloss is a fourth-generation Oregonian and the author of five novels: “The Jump-Off Creek,” “The Dazzle of Day,” “Wild Life,” “The Hearts of Horses,” and “Falling From Horses.” Her work has received honors including an Oregon Book Award, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Awards, PEN West Fiction Prize, James Tiptree Jr. Award, and Whiting Writers Award. Her writing is centered on the landscape, literature, mythology, and life of the American West.   John Witte’s poems have appeared widely, including in The New Yorker, Paris Review, Kenyon Review, and American Poetry Review, as well as in The Norton Introduction to Literature. The author of “Loving the Days,” “The Hurtling,” “Second Nature,” and “Disquiet,” he teaches literature at the University of Oregon and served as editor of Northwest Review for 30 years.   The Windfall Reading Series is sponsored by Eugene Public Library, Lane Literary Guild, Friends of Eugene Public Library, and Eugene Public Library Foundation. Refreshments served at intermission.   Tween Scene Thursday, January 28, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive. Free.…

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Sat, 9 January: Writing from Your Body Workshop

Presented by Mid-Valley Willamette Writers Saturday, 9 January 2016, 1:00-3:00 pm Stellaria Community Rooms, 150 Shelton McMurphy Drive $30 members/$45 nonmembers email Midvalleyww@gmail.com to register You carry every moment you have ever lived deep in the cells of your body. Your mind may have forgotten an experience, but your body holds it and carries it forward. You can draw on your body’s wisdom to deepen and enrich your writing. When you write from your body you can: Make your characters more complex and fully realized Move your plot forward with authentic actions that come from your character’s inner needs and unconscious motivations Find the “just right” words to capture a scene or situation Find metaphors that create the emotional context that will give your story its deepest meanings This workshop will consist of a number of writing exercises that will help you get in touch with and write from your body’s store of experience, drawing on the deep meaning and significance that come directly from that experience.   Anna Willman grew up in the Midwest. As an adult she has lived in the South and on both the East and West coasts. She also lived in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, for a year and a half as a Fulbright Scholar. She has two Master’s degrees in political science. She has had a varied career that has included working as a letter carrier, as a personal care assistant for a woman with disabilities, as the director of a community housing organization in New York City’s Lower East Side, as a library assistant, and as a secretary for a team of architects. She retired in 2008 after working for fourteen years as director of the Confidence Clinic, a community wellness program for women in Roseburg, Oregon. She has written extensively about that program’s history, philosophy, and practice. Since her retirement, she has also published five novels: three Regency romances, and two literary novels.  

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Oct. 2015  – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library

All events FREE. More information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library   Windfall Reading Tuesday, October 20 15, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive This month’s readers are poet Amy Miller and short story and songwriter Craig Wright.   Amy Miller has published poetry widely and won the Cultural Center of Cape Cod National Poetry Competition.   Vincent Craig Wright is a short story writer and songwriter, as well as Professor of Creative Writing at Southern Oregon University and Co-Founder of the Institute of New Writing/Ashland. In addition to journals, he has published a story collection, Redemption Center, published songs for HBO with Megatrax, and performed original music nationally both solo and with his band, Cast of Clowns.   The Windfall Reading Series is sponsored by Eugene Public Library, Lane Literary Guild, Friends of Eugene Public Library, and Eugene Public Library Foundation. Refreshments served at intermission. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 orwww.eugene-or.gov/library.   Matt Love: “One Author’s Muse: The Oregon Coast” Saturday, October 24, 3:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive In the last ten years, Matt Love has written seven books directly inspired by stories originating on the Oregon Coast. His passion to write was fueled by topics including Oregon’s rain; the unique legacy of the state’s publicly owned beaches; the movie of “Sometimes a Great Notion”; caretaking a wildlife refuge to the Yaquina Bay Bridge; and the community of Astoria.   Join Love for an interactive multimedia presentation about his approach to these topics and how he started a publishing company, Nestucca Spit Press, to distribute his works.  Love is the author/editor of 13 books about Oregon. In 2009, he won the Oregon Literary Arts’ Stewart H. Halbrook Literary Legacy Award for his contributions to Oregon history and literature. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.   “The Mockingbird Next Door: Life With Harper Lee” Author Marja Mills Monday, October 26, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive Marja Mills will give a free talk about her book “The Mockingbird Next Door: Life With Harper Lee” at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Admission is free; books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of the UO Duck Store.   “To Kill a Mockingbird” is one of the best-loved novels of the 20th century. Despite being published 50 years ago, it’s also one of the past year’s most talked-about books, due to Marja Mills’ bestselling memoir “The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee” and the subsequent publication of Lee’s own “Go Set a Watchman.”   Mills’ book became a New York Times, USA Today, and National Indie bestseller. It tells the story of Mills’ friendship with author Nelle Harper Lee and her sister, who invited the Chicago Tribune journalist into their lives in 2001. A few years later, with the Lees’ blessing, Mills moved into the house next door. She spent the next eighteen months there, sharing coffee at McDonalds, trips to the Laundromat, feeding the ducks, going out for catfish supper, and exploring lower Alabama with the…

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21-23 Aug: Stop by the Poetry Stage at Festival of Eugene!

Stop by The Poetry Stage for some great spoken word, in the shade. You can enter daily raffle drawings with a donation of any kind and win great prizes, all to help a wonderful local cause, the OSLP Arts & Culture Program: http://www.artsandcultureeugene.org/

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