Ames Writers Collective
SALE! SALE! SALE! Furniture, Books, Journals, TV & More | May 22nd & 23rd
All sales will fund the Ames Writers Collective Community Outreach Programs. Shop for furniture, books, journals, a TV, and more…
Friday, May 22nd—MEMBERS ONLY! From 5:30 to 7:30 PM Fifth Street MEMBERS can sip, shop, and nibble. Purchase that favorite chair o table or book on writing.
Saturday, May 23–Open to the Public Shopping 8 AM to 1 PM
SALE! SALE! SALE! Furniture, Books, Journals, TV & More | May 22nd & 23rd
All sales will fund the Ames Writers Collective Community Outreach Programs. Shop for furniture, books, journals, a TV, and more…
Friday, May 22nd—MEMBERS ONLY! From 5:30 to 7:30 PM Fifth Street MEMBERS can sip, shop, and nibble. Purchase that favorite chair o table or book on writing.
Saturday, May 23–Open to the Public Shopping 8 AM to 1 PM
FROM OUR FOUNDER:
If you live in Ames, Iowa, you may have noticed a “Sale Pending” sign at Fifth Street Writers (612 5th Street). It’s true. We’ve sold the building and are closing soon.
My decision to sell and close Fifth Street Writers was a hard one. I spent hours mulling it over during the 2025 holidays, and came to the sad conclusion to sell the space. Creating and sustaining this space has been a meaningful and deeply rewarding endeavor, but it has also required an ongoing level of time, responsibility, and emotional labor that I find is no longer sustainable.
Please know that the Ames Writers Collective Board of Directors and I are grateful to all of you who joined as members and to all who attended the events we have hosted in the space since November 2024. We are thankful for the role each of you played in making Fifth Street Writers what it was.
The AMES WRITERS COLLECTIVE is ALIVE & WELL!
While the closing of Fifth Street Writers is bittersweet, know this DOES NOT AFFECT the ONGOING Ames Writers Collective Community Outreach Programs. If you are not familiar with these programs, they include:
SALE! SALE! SALE! Furniture, Books, Journals, TV & More | May 22nd & 23rd
All sales will fund the Ames Writers Collective Community Outreach Programs. Shop for furniture, books, journals, a TV, and more…
Friday, May 22nd—MEMBERS ONLY! From 5:30 to 7:30 PM Fifth Street MEMBERS can sip, shop, and nibble. Purchase that favorite chair o table or book on writing.
Saturday, May 23–Open to the Public Shopping 8 AM to 1 PM
Ana
Ana McCracken, Executive Director
Ames Writers Collective
Join the Ames Writers Collective & KHOI Community Radio Station for an evening with Alexandra Hayne—live at KHOI Community Radio station on Thursday, May 28th at 7 PM.
This free community event features a reading, book signing, and conversation with Alexandra, author of the novel, What Ruth Learned. Hosted in partnership with KHOI Community Radio, the evening celebrates literature, community, and creative storytelling.
About Alexandra Hayne: She was born and raised in Los Angeles in a movie industry family. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from California State University Northridge and a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley. An award-winning journalist, Alexandra worked for thirty-five years as a reporter and editor in print and online news media in California, Nebraska, and Iowa, including five years (2008-2013) as editor of the Ames Tribune. What Ruth Learned is her first novel.
Visit KHOI to tune in!
On Monday, April 13th, our founder Ana McCracken spoke with Nathan Porter on Studio 308’s Face to Face segment. During their conversation, Nathan, an Iowa State University Journalism student, and Ana discussed the Ames Writers Collective outreach programs, Writing Through Cancer and the Swift Youth Writers Workshop. To close the conversation, they briefly touched upon Ana’s memoir, Redacted: A Memoir of Adoption.
Teens in 6th – 12th grade are invited to escape into creative writing and connect with other writers. Regardless of your genre, for five days writers will come together in a safe space to write together to writing prompts. We’ll touch upon fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry collage and more. The week’s writing will be published in the Swift Youth Writers Summer 2026 anthology. 
We’ll wrap up each day with meals from the Free Summer Meals for Kids and Teens at 12pm.
Up to 12 spots are available. To register, CLICK HERE.
The EcoTheatre Lab Presents—In Our Backyard Rehearsals
Rehearsals for The EcoTheatre Lab’s new eco-play festival, In Our Backyard. Rehearsals are reserved only for participating artists. The festival is May 1st-3rd and is free and open to the public! Check out ecotheatrelab.com for more information!
The EcoTheatre Lab Presents—In Our Backyard Rehearsals
Rehearsals for The EcoTheatre Lab’s new eco-play festival, In Our Backyard. Rehearsals are reserved only for participating artists. The festival is May 1st-3rd and is free and open to the public! Check out ecotheatrelab.com for more information!
The EcoTheatre Lab Presents—In Our Backyard Rehearsals
Rehearsals for The EcoTheatre Lab’s new eco-play festival, In Our Backyard. Rehearsals are reserved only for participating artists. The festival is May 1st-3rd and is free and open to the public! Check out ecotheatrelab.com for more information!
The EcoTheatre Lab Presents—In Our Backyard Rehearsals
Rehearsals for The EcoTheatre Lab’s new eco-play festival, In Our Backyard. Rehearsals are reserved only for participating artists. The festival is May 1st-3rd and is free and open to the public! Check out ecotheatrelab.com for more information!
