Rebecca Hart Olander is a poet, teacher, editor, and publisher whose first book-length collection Uncertain Acrobats was released in November 2021 by CavanKerry Press. She is also the author of the chapbook Dressing the Wounds, published by dancing girl press in 2019. In recent years, Rebecca has received praise and awards for her poetry from Read More
Adin Thayer is the author of The Close World, a collection of poems published by Tebot Bach, which won the Patricia Bibby First Book Award in 2021. In her review, Ellen Dore Watson called The Close World “…a prayer toward co-existence between self and other, past and present, the natural and the made world.” The Read More
by Stephanie Shafran At the Northampton Christopher Heights Assisted Living Residence at Village Hill, I’ve had the privilege of facilitating a Creative Writing Workshop, founded by the local writer Peggy Gillespie. Meeting weekly for 90 minutes, we use prompts and follow the Amherst Writers & Artists Method created by Pat Schneider. The CH writers range Read More
NORTHAMPTON MA. Straw Dog Writers Guild has announced that Regine Jackson of Springfield MA is the recipient of the 2022 Emerging Writer Fellowship. Jackson will receive a $3000 grant to be used for writing-related expenses, access to mentors who can offer assistance with writing needs identified by the Fellow, a professional author website, valued at Read More
Writers Night Out is 10 years old! Help celebrate this literary birthday during the May 3 WHO by participating in our annual fundraiser for Straw Dog Writers Guild Our goal is $25,000 from March 15 through June 7, 2022. In 2020, we raised $22,000 and at the urging of friends and supporters, we increased our Read More
Lynne Bertrand is the author of City of the Uncommon Thief (Dutton Books, Penguin Random House, 2021). This novel for young readers takes place in a walled city of mile-high towers, quarantined from the rest of the world. Each tower is a cloistered home to a guild of craftspeople who specialize in making products of Read More
The selection panel for the Straw Dog Writers Guild Emerging Writer Fellowship has announced the 2022-23 shortlist of three writers. They are Vida James, Regine Jackson, and Syki Barbee. One writer will be named the 2022-23 Fellow in March. The Fellow will receive a $3000 grant from Straw Dog Writers Guild to be used for Read More
On January 19th, 2022, Straw Dog Writers Guild and Forbes Library co-sponsored the 8th annual Author Showcase. Twelve Straw Dog member/authors gathered on Zoom to read from their recently published books, along with a large, enthusiastic audience. Chris O’Carroll, Nina Dabek, Maureen Callahan Smith, Suzanne Rancourt, John Sheirer, Tom Weiner, Lanette Sweeney, Mark Luebbers, Julie Read More
Valley Society, the black writer’s guild of the Pioneer Valley and a Straw Dog project launched a new website last month. You can now subscribe to our newsletter to receive links to our new writings every month. Additionally, Valley Society is also planning a black or black-led writing group, The Midnight Run. We hope to Read More
John Sheirer has published works of fiction, memoir, and current events, as well as books for children. A few of his titles include Growing up Mostly Normal in the Middle of Nowhere: A Memoir (Foremost Press, 2009), Tales of a Real American Liberal (Veracity Press, 2012), and Uncorrected: A Novella (Scantic Books, 2020). His most Read More
