Our Story
The Ames Writers Collective was conceived while founder, Ana McCracken studied for her MFA at Iowa State University. Prior to enrolling at Iowa State as a “late-in-life” memoir candidate, McCracken considered herself a non-traditional student of writing. To support the twenty-two years she spent writing her memoir, she studied memoirs of favorite authors and attended their writing workshops and retreats. She enrolled in continuing education programs at Stanford and UC Berkley. When McCracken was invited to teach at OLLI—ISU during her second year as an Iowa State MFA candidate, she welcomed the opportunity. While teaching, she realized that Central Iowa writers crave writing classes like she had and long to find ways to meet other writers. Thus was born the Ames Writers Collective.

A’Ja Lyons reading poetry at Words Meet Art
- offer opportunities for writers and authors to teach
- help writers to form writing groups and gather in community
- conduct community outreach for adolescents, seniors, and individuals receiving cancer treatment
- provide affordable classes and scholarships
- host an annual literary festival to showcase local authors and bring nationally acclaimed authors to Ames, Iowa
In brief the Ames Writers Collective is an organization committed to building and uplifting communities through the art of writing and storytelling, while advancing the literary arts in Ames, Iowa.
Our Mission
Board of Directors
Our Supporters

Our Major Foundations
The board of the Ames Writers Collective is deeply grateful for the generous and ongoing funding support we receive from the following foundations:



The Ames Writers Collective is proud to be a grantee of the Rotary Club of Ames.