Ames Writers Collective

Ames Writers Collective & William R. Bliss Cancer Center Survivorship Day 2024
2024-06-02 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Reiman Gardens, 1407 University Blvd, Ames, IA, 50014, United States
Join Ana McCracken, founder of the Ames Writers Collective & the William R. Bliss Cancer Center for Survivorship Day 2024
Complimentary admission is included for this event.
Refreshments & FUN!Becca the Balloon LadyFriend’s Flowers Bouquet Building (while supplies last)Ames Writers Collective: Pop-Up Writing Through Cancer Session
Who is a Cancer Survivor? The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines SURVIVOR as anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.
RSVP for the event, including family/friends at www.blisscancercenter.org/survivor.

#ameswriterscollective #blisscancercenter #writingthroughcancercircles#writingcirclewednesdays
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June 24 to 28, 2024 | Swift Youth Writers Workshop
2024-06-24 10:00 - 2024-06-28 12:30 UTC | Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Open to 6th to 12th Graders
Five consecutive sessions – June 24 to 28th
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Location: Ames Public Library
FREE

In partnership with the Ames Public Library, our Swift Youth Writers Workshops offer kids an escape into creative writing and the opportunity to connect with other youth writers.

Regardless of genre, for five days writers will come together in a safe space to read an inspirational piece of writing and write together to timed-writing prompts. At the end of each session, writers will be invited to read aloud to the group to receive positive feedback.
These sessions are based upon the Amherst Writers & Artists Method, a methodology rooted in the belief that everyone is a writer. All feedback given is focused on the unique voice and strengths of the writer to encourage and model authenticity, peer support, and self-confidence.

These FREE sessions are held at the Ames Public Library. The Ames Writers Collective’s Community Outreach programs are funded by our generous donors, and held in partnership between the Ames Public Library and the Ames Writers Collective.
From one of our previous Youth Writers: “I learned from sharing my work with the group that I’m more confident than I thought. I felt that sharing with the group allowed for fair criticism that allowed me to improve my writing and it helped boost my confidence in my work.” -RC

Email Us to Register Today!
Please include your name, your teenager’s name, and your phone number in your message.
Class of 2023!
Class of 2022!

This FREE Ames Writers Collective Community Outreach Program is funded by a Kiwanis Club of Ames Grant, and held in partnership between the Ames Public Library and the Ames Writers Collective.

Open Write Tuesday with Speculative Fiction Author Rachel Aukes
2024-06-25 15:30 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Join Rachel Aukes for our Open Write Tuesday on Zoom.
WHAT’S AN OPEN WRITE?

We Zoom in, share what we’re working on, and write for ~90 minutes. At the end, we share our successes, and sign off. Easy peasy.

Click here to register for the Zoom link.
To learn about Rachel and what she’s written and published, check her out here.

Open Write Tuesday
2024-07-09 15:30 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for our Open Write Tuesday on Zoom.
What’s an Open Write?
We Zoom in, share what we’re working on, and write for ~90 minutes. At the end, we share our successes, and sign off. Easy peasy.

Click here to register for the Zoom link.

Writing Circle Wednesdays
2024-07-17 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-31 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Writing Circle Wednesdays are for individuals who are currently receiving or who have completed cancer treatments.
These sessions meet on Zoom from 3 to 5 PM CT.
Anyone interested may join at any time.
Living with cancer is a lonely journey. Only those who have been or are on that same journey truly understand the emotions, fears and challenges we face each day. I was hoping to gain some insight into how others coped with their diagnosis. I not only gained that, but also came to understand more fully my own reactions to my personal cancer story. This was a valuable experience for me. I don’t feel quite as alone as I did. —A Past Participant
These sessions are led by Ana McCracken, founder of the Ames Writers Collective. Registration is free and required. Contact Ana for questions and to register.

Writing Circle Mondays | John Stoddard Cancer Center
2024-07-22 17:30 - 19:30, 2024-07-29 17:30 - 19:30, 2024-08-12 17:30 - 19:30, 2024-08-26 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago)
Each session participants create a safe space, and then write together for timed intervals to writing prompts. Writing prompts inspire stories from participants’ lives. After each timed-writing session, participants will have the opportunity to read their stories to the group, which is healing on many levels. Writing Circle Monday sessions are sponsored by Stoddard Cancer Center as part of the Charlie Cutler Healing and Wellness Program and inspired by the Amherst Writers & Artist method, which believes that everyone is a writer.
Cancer patients and survivors are welcome to sign up for one to eight sessions. Registration is required, as each session will cap at 10 writers. For questions or to register, call (515) 241-8505 or email Gina Mandernach at Unity Point at gina.mandernach@unitypoint.org.

Open Write Tuesday with founder, Ana McCracken
2024-07-23 15:30 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Join Ana McCracken for our Open Write Tuesday on Zoom.
WHAT’S AN OPEN WRITE?

We Zoom in, share what we’re working on, and write for ~90 minutes. At the end, we share our successes, and sign off. Easy peasy.

Click here to register for the Zoom link.
To learn about Ana , check her out here.

2nd Sunday Swift Youth Writers Groups
2024-09-08 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
It’s almost Fall and the start of the new school year, which means the 2nd Sunday Swift Youth Writers Groups are starting up again.

On Sunday, September 8th, Linea King kicks off the Swift Youth Writers groups series. She looks forward to writing with those of you who can join her from 2 to 4 PM at the Ames Public Library. We are scheduled to meet in the P.E.O. room, but check monitors incase the location changes.

We supply notebooks, pens and other materials to prompt and inspire stories. You can learn about Linea and her writing philosophy by clicking here.

Swift Youth Writers Groups are an Ames Writers Collective FREE community outreach program held in partnership with the Ames Public Library. The Ames Writers Collective community outreach programs are funded by grants and generous donors.

Join us! Happy Writing!

Words Meet Art at Arts As Alchemy Forgetting to Remember Pieces of Me
2024-09-13 18:30 - 20:30, 2024-09-14 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, 1015 N. Hyland, Ames, IA, 50010
Join Ames Writers Collective Founder, Ana McCracken for an evening of Words Meet Art held in partnership with “Arts As Alchemy Forgetting to Remember Pieces of Me” a collage exhibit titled, “Pieces of Me” by of artist, author, and musician, Deb Kline.
These events will be held in the Gallery in the Round located at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames.
Words Meet Art is a literary arts event celebrating the intersection of words and art, which is referred to as ekphrastic response. Ekphrastic work combines vivid description by a writer of a piece of art, essentially representing a “painting in words.” During this evening’s event, writers may write prose, memoir or poetry in response to the collages featured in the exhibit, “Pieces of Me.”

Writing Circle Mondays | John Stoddard Cancer Center
2024-09-16 17:30 - 19:30, 2024-09-23 17:30 - 19:30, 2024-10-14 17:30 - 19:30, 2024-10-28 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago)
Writing Circle Monday sessions are sponsored by Stoddard Cancer Center as part of the Charlie Cutler Healing and Wellness Program and inspired by the Amherst Writers & Artists method, which believes that everyone is a writer.
Each session participants create a safe space, and then write together for timed intervals to writing prompts. Writing prompts inspire stories from participants’ lives. After each timed-writing session, participants will have the opportunity to read their stories to the group, which is healing on many levels.
Cancer patients and survivors are welcome to sign up for one to eight sessions. Registration is required, as each session will cap at 10 writers. For questions or to register, call (515) 241-8505 or email Gina Mandernach at Unity Point at gina.mandernach@unitypoint.org.

Writing Circle Wednesdays
2024-09-18 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-10-02 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-10-16 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-10-23 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago)
Writing Circle Wednesdays are for individuals who are currently receiving or who have completed cancer treatments.
These sessions meet on Zoom from 3 to 5 PM CT.
Anyone interested may join at any time.
Living with cancer is a lonely journey. Only those who have been or are on that same journey truly understand the emotions, fears and challenges we face each day. I was hoping to gain some insight into how others coped with their diagnosis. I not only gained that, but also came to understand more fully my own reactions to my personal cancer story. This was a valuable experience for me. I don’t feel quite as alone as I did. —A Past Participant
These sessions are led by Ana McCracken, founder of the Ames Writers Collective and held in partnership with the William R. Bliss Cancer Center located in Ames, Iowa. Registration is free and required. Contact Ana for questions and to register.

Swift Literary Festival—Pop-Up Event
2024-09-22 10:00 - 16:00 UTC | Octagon Art Festival, 409 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Join the Ames Writers Collective at our
2nd Annual Swift Literary Festival
at the Octagon Art Festival
Sunday, September 22nd from 10 to 4 PM
2024 Contributors to the Swift Literary Festival Community Story
Under our tent located in front of 409 Douglas Avenue, we will feature local authors. If you would like to be a featured author, click here to email us.
LOCAL AUTHORS TBD
10 to 11:30
11:30 to 1
1 to 2:30
2:30 to 4
ALL DAY

Writing-prompt free-writes
A chance to contribute to our Community Story

Writing for the Sake of Writing - A Generative Writing Workshop
2024-09-30 13:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-07 13:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-14 13:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-21 13:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-28 13:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago)
This workshop is held through OLLI-ISU.
Instructor: Ana McCracken
Five weeks: Monday, Sept. 30 – Oct. 28, 2024
Class Limit 8
1 – 3:30 p.m. CT Online with Zoom

Cost: $60 Class limit 8 REGISTER ONLINE

Do you dream of writing “someday” but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you already write, but you’re stuck. Maybe you’ve never written. This writing workshop provides a space for curious writers of all stages to generate stories inspired by prompts running the gamut from phrases, poems, photography, or a piece of art- work that inspires an ekphrasis response. We will read our stories to one another, discuss the craft of writing, and where to publish.
Ana McCracken, founder of the Ames Writers Collective, received her BS & MFA in Creative Writing from Iowa State University. Her writing has been published in literary journals and anthologies. A certified Amherst Writers & Artists facilitator, she serves on Litquake’s advisory board and the Willa Cather Foundation board of governors.

2nd Sunday Swift Youth Writers Groups
2024-10-12 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us on October 12th for the 2nd Sunday Swift Youth Writers Group held from 2 to 4 PM at the Ames Public Library. We are scheduled to meet in the P.E.O. room, but check monitors incase the location changes.

We supply notebooks, pens and other materials to prompt and inspire stories. This Sunday, Claire Kruesel will lead the Swift Youth Writers group. She looks forward to writing with those of you who can join her.

Swift Youth Writers Groups are an Ames Writers Collective FREE community outreach program held in partnership with the Ames Public Library. The Ames Writers Collective community outreach programs are funded by grants and generous donors.

Join us! Happy Writing!

A Generative Writing Workshop for Adults
2024-10-26 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Do you dream of writing “someday,” but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you already write, but you’re stuck.
Join this FREE monthly writing workshop for adults, which provides a safe space for writers of all stages and genres to generate stories inspired by prompts running the gamut from phrases, poems, photography, guest authors and their prompts, or a piece of artwork. We will read our stories to one another and share only positive feedback.
These workshops are inspired by the Amherst Writers & Artists Method, which believes that everyone is a writer.
This workshop is held at the Ames Public Library from 10 to 12 PM upstairs in the PEO Room.
Presented by the Iowa Center for the Book and Ames Public Library in partnership with the Ames Writers Collective.
