Straw Dog Writers Guild

06/01/2026

Join member and poet Edward Doyle-Gillespie in person or virtually at the Enoch Pratt Free Library for a reading of his newest book, The Slow Lament of Dying Ice.

Saturday, June 6, 2026 2:00pm to 3:00pm EDT

Tickets are required and streaming is available:
https://calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/ed-doyle-gillespie-the-slow-lament-of-dying-ice

06/01/2026

Sharing this event for our friends at the LAVA Center.

LAVA’s next Writers Read to feature Audrey Jiggetts, Christine Benvenuto and Tom Skarzynski

WHAT: Writers Read featuring Audrey Jiggetts, Christine Benvenuto and Tom Skarzynski

WHEN: Wednesday, June 20, 7 p.m.

WHERE: The LAVA Center, 324 Main St., Greenfield

https://thelavacenter.org/events/writers-read-4-2026-06-10/

CONTACT: [email protected]

05/31/2026

Join members and poets Rebecca Hart Olander and Skyler Lambert at Mocha Maya's Thursday, June 11 at 7 p.m. for a poetry reading and open mic!

This Poetry Reading Series with Open Mic is presented by Slate Roof Press with Lea Banks.

June 11th, Rebecca Hart Olander and Skyler Lambert will be the featured readers.

Mocha Maya’s, 47 Bridge St., Shelburne Falls, MA
Open mic to follow readers; signup: 6:45
Supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the cultural councils of Shelburne, Buckland, Charlemont-Hawley, and Ashfield.

05/30/2026

Straw Dog Writers Guild and Longmeadow Adult Center present author Ellen Meeropol for A Writer’s Night on Thursday, June 11th from 6:45-7:30pm at the Longmeadow Adult Center.

Ellen Meeropol is the author of six novels, Sometimes an Island, The Lost Women of Azalea Court, Her Sister’s Tattoo, Kinship of Clover, On Hurricane Island, and House Arrest, and guest editor for the anthology Dreams for a Broken World. Essay and story publications include Ms. Magazine, Lilith, The Writer Magazine, The Boston Globe, Solstice Magazine, and Guernica. Her work has been a finalist for the Sarton Women’s Prize, longlisted for a Massachusetts Book Award, and selected by the Women’s National Book Association as a Great Group Reads. Ellen lives in western Massachusetts, where she is a founding mother of Straw Dog Writers Guild and on the planning committee for the WriteAngles Writers Conference.

You may register by calling 413-565-4150, option 1. Or you can just show up. The Longmeadow Adult Center is located at 211 Maple Road, Longmeadow.Islandhttps://strawdogwriters.org/event/a-writers-night-in-june-with-ellen-meeropol

05/29/2026

If you miss one of our online craft workshops or readings you can find them on our Youtube channel!

Take a look at this Historical Research presentation with J.A. McIntosh and Elena Palladino:

Historical Research: Fact and Fiction will review methods of historical research, with emphasis on first-person, or primary, sources. The presenters will be at the Swift River Valley Historical Society and will have access to their archive room. The presentation will include on-line research and problems and obstacles with historical records. The presenters will also discuss local historical societies and their role in presenting realistic thoughts, actions, and lifestyles, in both fiction and nonfiction works.

This is a workshop recording. Historical Research: Fact and Ficti...

05/28/2026

June 4th at 6pm. You don't want to miss it!

WMUA 91.1 FM - The Radio Voice of UMass Amherst - Broadcasting from the Scott J. Bacherman Broadcast Center

05/28/2026

Mark your calendar. Set a reminder. Share with your networks. June 11, 2026, is 𝟰𝟭𝟯 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝟰𝟭𝟯 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀?
A single day of giving and community action on June 11 between 12:01am and 11:59pm, bringing our broader region together and connecting donors like you directly to the community foundations they trust to do the work that matters.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲?
Every dollar you give will support the resilient work of nonprofits providing essential services for our neighbors across Western MA. In the past year, federal funding cuts and policy changes have had a direct impact on nonprofit partners doing this work. 413 Gives was created to raise awareness and support for frontline nonprofits.

Join CFWM, New England Public Media and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to make a difference in Western MA.

05/28/2026

Come to member and poet Jendi Reiter's local launch of their fourth full-length poetry collection, Introvert Pervert (The Word Works, 2026), on Tuesday, June 9, at Broadside Bookshop in Northampton.

Denise Duhamel calls this book "politically personal and personally political, bursting with post-confessional wit and tenderness". Poems in Introvert Pervert received a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship for Poetry, the Oscar Wilde Award from Gival Press, and the Saints & Sinners Festival Award. Find out more at: https://wordworksbooks.org/product/introvert-pervert/

05/27/2026

TONIGHT and every Wednesday night at 7pm, Straw Dog Writers Guild members who would like to spend some time writing together can join a Zoom session. We will spend 15 minutes on introductions, a 45 minute writing session, have a 15 minute discussion, then write for a second 45 minute period of time. Afterwards, the Zoom room will remain open for a half hour for discussion and chat.

To register and receive the zoom link, contact Steven D. Brewer at [email protected]

05/27/2026

This Wednesday and every Wednesday: in-person Weekly Wednesday Writing Group at the

“Curious Writers” will meet at the Dalton Free Public Library on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm for our Weekly Wednesday Writing Group in collaboration with the Dalton Free Public Library.
We will meet for dedicated writing time with a focus on:

getting settled and acquainted
writing goals for the session
one hour of concentrated writing
recap

Bring your laptop, journal, pen, and paper. At this time, the meetings do not include sharing writing for feedback. Feedback will be included if the group decides
it would be beneficial (guidelines for feedback will be provided). Spaces limited: email Emma Carkhuff at [email protected] for more information and to register.

The Dalton Free Public Library is located at 462 Main Street, Dalton, MA 01226. (413) 684-6112