Why Choose Westport Writers' Workshop
Westport Writers’ Workshop, located in Westport, CT is nestled along the Saugatuck River, and has been a creative enclave for the last 125 years, beginning in 1910 when F. Scott Fitzgerald discovered our shores and was inspired to write The Great Gatsby. The artistic population of Westport exploded from through the 1950s through the 1970s. Today Westport is still populated with communities of artists (Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward called Westport home and were great supporters of the Westport Playhouse, musicians (Keith Richards and Nile Rogers) and writers who continue to relocate here from New York, including Shirley Jackson, Jane Yolen, Robert Ludlum, and Jane Green, Shonda Rhimes,to name a few.
For the past 20 years, Westport Writers’ Workshop has been a beacon of the literary arts community. Our mission is to enrich, support, educate and connect local and nationwide writers to pay tribute to this legacy. We are the place where writers go for every stage of the creative development in a supportive environment to learn, revise, edit and publish.
Our Mission
The Westport Writers’ Workshop is an independent literary arts center offering enriching, supportive creative writing classes, as well as free literary readings to the public. Our organization also provides free writing workshops to underserved populations in their own communities.
Our Philosophy
You can expect a supportive group led by an experienced instructor. You’ll write, read, and learn from each other. Focus is always on the quality of the writing – not on the subject matter. Writing begets writing. The more you commit to your writing, to showing up for your writing group, the more you will write. By joining a community of writers, you will become a stronger writer and influence others to refine their craft. Our philosophy and practices are inspired by Amherst Writers & Artists and Pat Schneider's book, Writing Alone and With Others.
