Who we are.

Established in 1982 by a small coterie of renowned Oregon authors, Oregon Writers Colony is a home for Oregon based and/or Oregon appreciative writers committed to exploring the written word while promoting the craft of writing in all its forms. All writers are welcome, especially those with courage and a burning fire within. By gathering together, virtually or in person, we support one another, share information, listen, and learn. We challenge one another to aim for newer heights. We host a writing retreat house on the Oregon coast, organize a variety of educational opportunities for writers, and sponsor workshops, including our annual conference at Sylvia Beach Hotel. We promote new and emerging writers in addition to those who may already be established. Be fearless, join us.

What we believe.

We believe that stories are better when storytellers represent the diversity of our world. To that end, OWC is committed to creating writing practices and spaces where writers of different ethnicities, genders, cultures, class backgrounds, ages, abilities, belief systems, and sexual orientations will flourish and be nurtured, online and off.

We acknowledge that different writers start with differing opportunities, including access, or not, to financial resources, education, writing time, technology, connections within the recognized writing community, safety, and yes, even security.

We also know we have work to do to level that playing field.

We pledge to not veer away from that work, to seek out and practice new ways of engaging, to model inclusion within our organization, to continually expand our community of writers, and to hold our organization, and ourselves, as creative writing artists, accountable for our highest outcomes.

Our driving goal is to grow a diverse, representative community of writers committed to the understanding that words are a powerful tool, useful for bringing about equality for all.

Upcoming Events

Sylvia Beach Annual Conference

featuring Melissa Hart and Jude Berman

Sylvia Beach Hotel Nye Beach (Newport, Oregon)

April 26 – 28, 2024 – Friday 4pm thru Sunday 1pm

Plan & Begin Your Book in a Weekend:
A guide for fearless writers.

 

In this lively and supportive workshop, memoirist and novelist Melissa Hart offers a wealth of information on how to plan and begin your book-length project–whether you’re writing a memoir, novel, nonfiction, or collection of shorter works. You’ll study how to structure your story around a topic, theme, and/or era, refresh your understanding of literary elements including characterization and dialogue and setting, and learn how to plot a book-length work with an eye toward narrative arc and character transformation.

Jude Berman will present a short overview of current publishing options: the pros and cons of traditional, indie, and hybrid publishers, and self-publishing, as well as the role of agents and how the industry works for both novels and memoirs.

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Verse of Ages 2024

To celebrate National Poetry Month, OWC is once again hosting Verse of Ages. Get ready for a month of prompts and myriad ways to stretch your imagination! Skip the rules and see how words spark ideas and then go where they take you.

OWC News

Books by Members

(please click on the book cover for more info)

Mission

Statement

 

Oregon Writers Colony supports all writers. Members benefit from classes, gain insight from teachers and colleagues, and have access to Colonyhouse, a lovely writing retreat on the Oregon Coast.