Tag: FIFTH STREET WRITERS

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Words Meet Art: Call for Submission

Words Meet Art
At Fifth Street Writers

Call for Submission

The Ames Writers Collective is seeking “two-dimensional original art” submissions for an exhibition at Fifth Street Writers located in downtown Ames, Iowa.

Media can be oil, acrylic, watercolor, collage, etc. Pieces chosen for the exhibition will be featured at Fifth Street Writers Words Meet Art events.

Words Meet Art is a literary arts event demonstrating through words how art evokes feelings, triggers memories and stories, and inspires conversations across divides and demographics.

During our Words Meet Art events, writers create prose, memoir or poetry in response to an exhibit of artwork or photography.

Sometimes, we simply write in a group and read our work aloud to one another. Other times we hold public events where writing is performed for an audience.

In the past we have held spoken word and writing events at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames, Iowa and the Christian Petersen Art Museum at Iowa State University.

Fall 2025 Exhibition date TBD.

Interested in submitting your 2-dimensional art. Click here to Send us an email. 

Thank you to our funders:

 

Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam – Ames Qualifier

The 2025 IPA Poetry Slam Season is upon us! We are hosting a series of four qualifying poetry slams across the state in search of our 2025 IPA Poetry Slam Champion. The top three poets from each qualifier will automatically advance to the IPA Poetry Slam Finals to be held on April 5, 2024 as part of Poetry Palooza! The winner of the IPA Poetry Slam Finals will be named the 2025 Iowa Champion and earn an IPA-sponsored spot in the 2025 BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam. This year’s national slam will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on July 23-26, 2025.
Find a qualifying slam near you and save the date! Find the full slam rules and registration details at iowapoetry.com/slam.htm
If you didn’t register, no worries! Come on out to cheer on the poets, enjoy poetry, and/or volunteer to judge! All are welcome!
For questions, please contact Kelsey Bigelow at kelsey@kelkaybpoetry.com
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Founder Ana Hays McCracken on Talk of Iowa

The Ames Writers Collective is thrilled to announce that our founder, Ana McCracken, will be a guest speaker on Talk of Iowa! Hosted by Charity Nebbe and presented by Iowa Public Radio, Talk of Iowa is a platform where Iowans come together to share ideas and learn from one another.

Ana will discuss the exciting plans for our upcoming physical space, Fifth Street, and how this new hub will serve as a vital resource for writers in Ames. She’ll also share how Fifth Street will help build connections within the Ames community.

Tune in to Ana’s session at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7th. You can listen live on News & Studio One (FM) or stream it online at ipr.org. If you miss the live broadcast, the episode will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and under “Latest Episodes” on Talk of Iowa.

We hope you’ll join us to hear Ana’s inspiring vision for the future of Ames Writers Collective!

1st Saturday Write Together at Fifth Street Writers

Join us at Fifth Street Writers on the 1st Saturday of each month from 10 AM to Noon. Together we’ll write in community on our writing projects.

What’s a Write Together?

  1. Bring your laptop or whatever you write with to work on your creative writing projects—novels, memoirs, poems, project outlines, your to-do list for the coming year if need be
  2. We have seating areas spread throughout the building at Fifth Street Writers that run the gamut from comfy club chairs to benches with tables, to larger tables with chairs—some tables are shared spaces
  3. We’ll write in community for ~2 hours after sharing a brief comment about our creative project
  4. We have wifi
  5. We write, write, write in silence
  6. RULE: Cell phones MUST BE SILENCED, as well as laptop “dings”

Each month, we’ll open our doors at 9:30 am. Grab a coffee or tea and mingle with fellow writers. There’s plenty of street parking (metered) with a CyRide stop in front of our building at 612 5th Street in downtown Ames, Iowa.

While the event is free and open to all, we’re asking everyone to pre-register because space is limited. To register, click here.

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Ames Writers Collective Receives Grant for Upcoming Fifth Street Writers Co-Working Space

The Ames Writers Collective is thrilled to announce the receipt of a generous grant from the Story County Community Foundation! This grant will be instrumental in helping us accomplish our goals for the Fifth Street Writers Stage at our new space on 612 5th Street. With this support, we’ll be able to equip the stage with a podium and sound system, creating a venue for local writers in the Ames community. Our goal is to empower Ames and Central Iowa writers, host events, and continue to connect our community with the literary arts.

Thank you Story County Community Foundation!

Gathering of Artists

Join the Ames Community Art Council and the Ames Writers Collective on November 19 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm for the monthly Gathering of Artists event. This event will be the first in a series of soft opening events for Fifth Street, our new writers co-working space in downtown Ames. Meet with other writers and our director Ana Hays McCracken to explore the space as it’s open for the first time. Learn about the Fifth Street Writers community and how to become involved!

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Fifth Street—A Co-Working Space For Writers

COMING SOON at 612 5th Street, Ames, Iowa!

Fifth Street is a membership co-working space, meant exclusively for writers.

The atmosphere at Fifth Street is quiet (silence-your-cell phones/no-phone-call rule), and you won’t feel nervous leaving your computer on your café table when you get up to refill your coffee or stretch your legs. No glaring baristas suggesting with their glances that it’s time to leave.

Fifth Street is about community where we encourage writers to gather at 12:30 PM around a big table for lunch (bring your own) and conversation.

We offer Wi-Fi, monthly member Happy Hours, and bi-monthly member readings open to guests and the public, and writer-driven craft groups that schedule their own meetings. Fifth Street members have the opportunity to GET INVOLVED with our literary community and to give back to our community at large. Such engagements include:

  • Attend a bi-monthly planning meetings to contribute to our mission
  • Maintain the Ames Writers Collective Little Free Library and our Writers’ Resource Library
  • Qualified writers may lead community Open Writes to engage more writers and attract new members

Members are given access to the Fifth Street online platform to interact with one another, to create writing groups, and to share publishing “good news” and community announcements.

The staff of Fifth Street personally meets with every prospective member to ensure they’re a good fit for our congenial and supportive working environment.

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

FULL MEMBER—$125 / Month

  • Full-time members have unlimited use of the Fifth Street space (except during occasional evening events and weekend workshops)
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • Priority participation in Fifth Street bi-monthly public readings
  • Access to the Fifth Street online community platform

HALF-TIME MEMBER—$80/Month for 8 visits

  • Half-time members are invited to use the Fifth Street space up to 8-times/month (usage tracked using a smart keypad)
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • Participation in Fifth Street bi-monthly public readings
  • Access to Fifth Street online community platform

DROP-IN MEMBER—$40/Month for 4 visits

  • Drop-In members are invited to use the Fifth Street space up to 4 times/month (usage tracked using a smart keypad)
  • Complimentary coffee and tea
  • Participation in Fifth Street bi-monthly public readings
  • Access to the Fifth Street online community platform

REMOTE MEMBER—$5/Month

  • Offers access to our online community platform

FELLOWSHIPS—We offer a number of fully-funded fellowships to BIPOC, differently-abled, and other underserved writers. We encourage you to apply

To apply for membership or to make inquiries, contact, Ana McCracken, Ames Writers Collective founder.