What’s Happening at Charlotte Lit
Classes: In-person & Via Zoom
Charlotte Lit offers more than 40 fee-based classes each year for a wide variety of interests—poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, the business of writing, literature appreciation, and more. Classes are held either in-person at Charlotte Lit or virtually via Zoom. Find a list of all upcoming classes here. (Once you get there, you can use the search box on the left to narrow your choices.)
Scholarships are available for all classes! Click here to learn more and apply.
Community Lit Arts Events
Charlotte Lit hosts a variety of literary arts events each year, most of them free and open to the public. These include readings, author talks, lit-informed conversations, trivia nights, wine socials, and more. To find all upcoming events, go here!
Pen to Paper: Free Tuesday Session
Charlotte Lit’s “Pen to Paper” (P2P) is a free gathering for writers—anyone who writes or wishes to start (or restart). Each one-hour session includes a short craft lesson and a writing prompt, 30-40 minutes of writing time, and an opportunity for sharing your work. The environment is casual, supportive, and generative—and helps support you in developing a consistent writing practice. P2P is led by authors Kathie Collins, Paul Reali, Paula Martinac, and special guests. Weekly, Tuesdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. via Zoom. Register for any Pen to Paper session here.
Labs: Year-Long Immersions
Charlotte Lit’s labs are year-long intensives for book writers. Each combine craft classes, individual and group coaching, and a supportive cohort community. Authors Lab is for novels, memoirs, and short story or essay collections, and is led by authors Abigail DeWitt, Heather Newton, Paul Reali, Megan Rich, and Kim Wright. Poetry Chapbook Lab is for collections of up to 20 poems, led by poets Julie Funderburk and Kathie Collins, along with four widely-acclaimed mentors. Publishing Lab is for Authors Lab alums who are ready to go “from manuscript to marketplace,” led by the Authors Lab faculty and featuring special industry guests.
Open Studio
A special program for Charlotte Lit members! Come and spend time in the studio to read and write in community, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Membership is affordable—just $75 per year, with an even lower-cost “starving artist” version for those who need it. Join as a member here or sign up when you arrive!
Writers in Residence
Charlotte Lit’s brand new Writers in Residence program was created thanks to a foundational grant from the Cowan Slavin Foundation. This year, we’ll have three Residents—Jay Ward for poetry, Bryn Chancellor for fiction, and Patrice Gopo for creative nonfiction—to work directly with writers in the Charlotte Lit community. The goal of the program is to help writers in our community identify and take the next steps in their writing journeys through group and individual coaching by our Writers in Residence. Residents will help Charlotte Lit writers move their projects through completed first drafts onto revision, polishing, and identification of potential audiences (literary journals, community papers, blogs, open mics, etc.) through monthly office hours in the Charlotte Lit Studio, and individual mentoring through our Writers in Residence Coaching Program. Learn more here.
Online Community
Charlotte Lit members are invited to our online world—a place for discussing and debating, for seeking and finding, for teaching and learning. Here is some of what happens there: share craft advice and resources; ask and answer questions; discuss what you’re reading; create online book clubs; find critique groups, accountability partners, and beta readers; offer and find services such as editing, cover design, book layout, publicity; and whatever develops!
Because a valid membership is required to sign-in, you need to request an invitation so that we can validate that your membership is current.
GoodLit Fellowship
The GoodLit Poetry Fellowship is a year-long program to support and expand the career of an emerging poet in the Charlotte, area. The Fellowship is a collaboration of the Charlotte Poet Laureate and representatives of Charlotte Lit, Goodyear Arts, and West Trade Review. Applications are accepted from December 15 – 31, with the winning Fellow announced in January. Learn more here.
