Midwest Writing Center

06/20/2026

Thank you River Cities' Reader!

Article in comments!

06/20/2026

It's the happiest time of year in the Quad Cities!

The is just one week away and we still have some spots available in our workshops.

This year's Conference is happening at Augustana College in Rock Island with a kick-off reading July 24 at (free writing class at 6, open mic at 7, headliners and ) and classes start on July25!

We have three-day, 1.5 hour workshops in creative nonfiction, short stories, poetry, and novel writing PLUS on Thursday and Friday we have lunch hour talks from Allison Means at about publishing.

We have two presses taking manuscript pitches, a faculty reading + participant open mic, the faculty are offering manuscript critiques and more...

Scroll through the images to learn more and register on our website: https://www.mwcqc.org/events-opportunities/david-r-collins-writers-conference/

06/19/2026

MWC's offices are closed today, along with all of the Rock Island Public Library buildings, in observance of !

Juneteenth refers to the day when the very last Black Americans were informed of their emancipation following the Civil War. It is also called Freedom Day.

We encourage Quad Citians to celebrate with The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center tomorrow, Saturday, June 20 in downtown Davenport. The celebration and street fair will take place from 11am - 4pm on 2nd Street between Brady and Harrison.

06/19/2026

The SPECTRA Reading Series brings TWO readings to the stage in Rock Island next week as part of of our celebration!

On Wednesday, June 24, Denver poets Andrea Rexilius and Eric Baus will headline in addition to leading a free workshop! There will also be an and MWC's own Sarah Elgatian will open our features set.

Readings are always free and always open, so join us and get a little creative.

Weds., June 24
5pm - doors
6pm - community write in led by Eric Baus and Andrea Rexilius
7pm - Open Mic
8pm - Features

Then come back the next day for a new full line up of stars!

06/17/2026

In today's newsletter, we try to help you figure out which Conference events are right for you! (Check the comments if you're not subscribed!)

06/17/2026

Can't make it to the Collins Writers' Conference? Quad City writers are welcome to attend a variety of public events!

Join us for lunchtime sessions with Allison Means, from University of Iowa Press will feature discussions about the publishing world, including the opportunity to ask your own questions and to learn about the "life cycle of a book."

Space in these sessions is limited, so prior registration is required, though Conference registration isn't. Cost is $20 for MWC members and Conference attendees, $30 for nonmembers.

For more information, and to register, visit our website (link in comments).
Or, sign up by paying the fee through and email your receipt to mwc(at)mwcqc(.)org.

06/16/2026

MWC's free group dedicated to helping you document your family legacies, , meets once a month and our next meeting is this Thursday, June 18.

This meeting will take place at Butterworth Center (1105 8th St, Moline) from 1-2:30pm.

Each meeting includes generative writing time with prompts to help us jug our memories, discussion of progress and tools that help us learn and share our family histories, and many include a presentation from an expert in a related subject including genealogy, research, telling true stories, documentation practices, and more.

To join the Memory Keepers mailing list, email [email protected]. Otherwise, anyone is welcome!

06/15/2026

The is June 24-27 in Rock Island, IL. This is the region's only creative writing conference and comes with tons of opportunities to expand your craft, network, and get involved in the the literary community.

This year's Conference features two independent presses taking .

Appointments are required but you don't need to be a Conference participant to pitch your book to MWC Press or U Iowa Press!

We ask $10 to reserve your appointment, and once you've registered we'll reach out to schedule a time for your pitch meeting.

Folks pitching to UI Press are asked to review the notes on their Submit a Proposal page (in comments).

06/14/2026