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
Between Art and Commodity: Writing Upmarket and Literary Fiction
May 10 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pmLibbie Hawker, who also writes under the pen names Olivia Hawker and Libbie Grant, is a bestselling author of upmarket historical and literary fiction. Her presentation will include a discussion of what “literary” means, how to find a profitable niche as a stylistic writer, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to “write pretty” no matter what your genre or your publishing goals. She’ll also share some of her experiences as a working author in upmarket and literary spaces, and her impressions of the current market for more prose-focused writers.
About Author
Libbie Hawker writes historical and literary fiction featuring complex characters and rich details of time and place. She is also the author of the runaway bestseller "how-to" guide for writers, Take Off Your Pants! Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing. When she's not writing, Libbie can be found in her garden, at her spinning wheel, or hiking the trails of San Juan Island, where she lives with her husband and three naughty cats. For more check out her website https://www.hawkerbooks.comFind out more »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:
Between Art and Commodity: Writing Upmarket and Literary Fiction
May 10 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pmonlineLibbie Hawker, who also writes under the pen names Olivia Hawker and Libbie Grant, is a bestselling author of upmarket historical and literary fiction. Her presentation will include a discussion of what “literary” means, how to find a profitable niche as a stylistic writer, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to “write pretty” no matter what your genre or your publishing goals. She’ll also share some of her experiences as a working author in upmarket and literary spaces, and her impressions of the current market for more prose-focused writers.
Click the registration link below, enter your name and email address, and you will receive the meeting link immediately. You will also be able to add the meeting to your calendar.
Register in advance for the May 10 Eugene/Southern Oregon Chapter meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qcu2qrT8jHtNYQFuR0uwWlvcw0ceJMCc_
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Willamette Writers chapter meetings are free for members to attend, and we ask for a $5 donation from guests: https://willamettewriters.org/donations/.
For information on how to become a Willamette Writers member, click here: https://willamettewriters.org/register/individual/
About Author
Libbie Hawker writes historical and literary fiction featuring complex characters and rich details of time and place. She is also the author of the runaway bestseller "how-to" guide for writers, Take Off Your Pants! Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing. When she's not writing, Libbie can be found in her garden, at her spinning wheel, or hiking the trails of San Juan Island, where she lives with her husband and three naughty cats. For more check out her website https://www.hawkerbooks.comFind out more »
Between Art and Commodity: Writing Upmarket and Literary Fiction
May 10 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pmLibbie Hawker, who also writes under the pen names Olivia Hawker and Libbie Grant, is a bestselling author of upmarket historical and literary fiction. Her presentation will include a discussion of what “literary” means, how to find a profitable niche as a stylistic writer, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to “write pretty” no matter what your genre or your publishing goals. She’ll also share some of her experiences as a working author in upmarket and literary spaces, and her impressions of the current market for more prose-focused writers.
About Author
Libbie Hawker writes historical and literary fiction featuring complex characters and rich details of time and place. She is also the author of the runaway bestseller "how-to" guide for writers, Take Off Your Pants! Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing. When she's not writing, Libbie can be found in her garden, at her spinning wheel, or hiking the trails of San Juan Island, where she lives with her husband and three naughty cats. For more check out her website https://www.hawkerbooks.comFind out more »The Chapter Co-Chairs
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.
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
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…
Read MoreJanuary 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.…
Read More21-23 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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