Brandywine Valley Writers Group

02/15/2026

Critique Night
Our next Critique Workshop is scheduled for April 21, 7:00 at Ryan’s in West Chester. Submit your work for a critique session or join us in assisting fellow writers to improve their craft.
If you plan to attend, please
• FIRST, please RSVP on Meetup.
If you plan to submit -
• Submissions are due by April 7.
• Submissions should be 3000 words or less.
• Submissions should be formatted to professional standards. See https://www.shunn.net/format/ for further guidance.
• Email your submission as an attached PDF or Word file to [email protected].
• Provide context for the critique. Is this a flash fiction, a short story, or part of a longer work? If part of a longer work, explain how it fits into the larger narrative.
If your submission is selected -
• Please show up. We’re reserving a space for you. It’s normal to be nervous, but we’re very nice to anyone brave enough to submit. We’re extra nice if you’re just beginning your writing journey.
• Bring copies of your work. Generally, 5-8 people will need them.
After your submission is accepted -
• We will send a link for all submissions ONLY to those who RSVP’d for attending via Meetup. This is a secure link for members and attendees who RSVP’d to review your work before the meeting.

Manuscript format for fiction writers, the way the professionals do it. It's the online formatting guide more editors point to than any other. Created by Hugo and Nebula Award nominated author William Shunn.

01/21/2026

Nine tips from professional editors and bestselling writers to tackle scenes with sensitive material.

01/20/2026

In this interview, author David Arndt discusses his changed philosophy while writing his new book, Philosophy of Writing.

01/11/2026

Just a few more days until the BVWG Reading Night Jan. 20 at Ryan's Pub in West Chester! We invite you to read a selection of your work to a live audience. Here are the guidelines:

* Readings should be no more than 7 minutes.
* Dues-paying BVWG members will get priority to read their work.
* Completed pieces as well as works-in-progress or a section from a novel are equally welcome.
* No judgment or critique. This is an enjoy-the-stories kind of night.

Reading your work aloud is a great opportunity to become comfortable with it while in a safe space among friends. Readings are about celebration, not evaluation. Come on out and celebrate the voices of your fellow writers!

*** This is the only way to secure a reading spot, so please read carefully! ***

If you want to be a reader, please send a 75-word, third-person bio to [email protected]. Your bio can be less but not more than 75 words. Your bio will be used to introduce you and your work. Remember that dues-paying members will get priority.

We're looking forward to seeing you and hearing you!

10/13/2025

Hi BVWG Members,

The stories for the October 2025 BVWG Critique

Critique Night will be held on Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 at Ryan's Pub in West Chester. Please RSVP on our Meetup event page where you can find more details.

For those who are new to critique, I've included a few guidelines to help you out. Please bring your comments to the meeting, because they will be given to the authors.

The four stories that will be critiqued are:

You'll Get Over It, Jane Ellen

All the Houses

Mystery White Boy

Antarcticus - Christopher Alden

The fifth story, (The Gate) is an alternate in case one of the four primary writers cannot make the meeting. You are not required to read and comment on it, but please consider doing so. Thank you.

Christopher Alden

BVWG Vice-President

03/17/2024

Join the Browseabout Book Club on Sunday, April 7th at 3:00 PM to discuss Rachel's Carson's Under the Sea Wind. No registration needed.
Buy the Book | bit.ly/Carson-Sea-Wind
Celebrating the mystery and beauty of birds and sea creatures in their natural habitat, Under the Sea-Wind—Rachel Carson’s first book and her personal favorite—is the early masterwork of one of America’s greatest nature writers. Evoking the special mystery and beauty of the shore and the open sea—its limitless vistas and twilight depths—Carson’s astonishingly intimate, unforgettable portrait captures the delicate negotiations of an ingeniously calibrated ecology.

03/16/2024

REMINDER: BVWG Reading Night on Tuesday, March 19th & The Philly Writing Workshop

This Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 7pm at Ryan’s Pub in West Chester, we have a fantastic line-up of writers who will read from their own work. Please come to listen, be inspired, and cheer them on!

Many of us arrive early for dinner and conversation. We’d love it if you join us!

A topic of conversation this month will be the Philadelphia Writing Workshop on April 27, 2024. A number of us have already registered for the event. If 5 or more BVWG members and attendees register, there will be a $50 rebate. If you are interested, let us know.

Hope to see you Tuesday!

Evangelina and the BVWG Board

02/29/2024

The deadline is quickly approaching to sign up for the BVWG Reading Night on March 19th!
�We invite you to read aloud from a selection of your own work (up to five minutes or 750 words). Share a short story, poem, book excerpt, essay, or other creation. Works-in-progress and completed writings are equally welcome from new and experienced writers alike.
�This is a great opportunity to practice reading your work in a safe space, among friends. Readings, in case you've never done or attended one, are about celebration, not evaluation. We can't wait to hear what you've been working on!
�We do require that you put your name in the reading pool ahead of time.�You must send a short bio of 50-75 words to [email protected], written in third person. Your bio will be used to introduce you and your work. ***This is the only way to secure a reading spot. You must send a bio. ***Walk-in reading slots will not be available.

No need to submit your writing in advance; just send a message indicating you’d like to read, along with your 3rd person bio. ​Readers will be randomly chosen, with paying members given priority. Deadline is Friday, March 15th.
�See you there!

02/25/2024

The Philadelphia Writing Workshop is back and in-person for 2024! The event takes place on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at the Doubletree Suites Philadelphia West in Plymouth Meeting.

Chuck Sambuchino and Brian Klems, coordinators of the Philadelphia Writing Workshop, are offering a $50 per person discount if 5 or more BVWG members register for the event. I will be there, and other BVWG members have expressed interest. If you decide to join us, feel free to comment, below.

Here is the information from the coordinators:

We are excited to bring the event back in person again in 2024! We already have 13 attending literary agents & editors, and that number will grow. If you're interested in attending, all you have to do is respond to this email and say you want the registration material. Simple as that!

The Philly one-day in-person writers conference (930 am - 500 pm, Saturday, April 27, 2024) has literary agents & editors meeting with writers for 10-minute one-on-one meetings. It has instructional classes on craft and business. And it also has add-on critique options for your manuscript or query. We hosted the PHL event from 2016-2023 both in person and online, and are pleased to once again bring it to you live and in person for 2024. ��Our Writing Day Workshops conferences draw great writing talent and amazing literary agents. Here are some success stories: 1) An agent from PS Literary met an attendee during a pitch session, signed her, and sold her book for more than $100,000+ to Atria. 2) A different attendee just won Simon & Schuster’s $50,000 "Books Like Us" writers contest, and the prize includes publication. Very cool! And those two among many. We have many, many more Attendee success stories listed here.��The Philadelphia website should answer all questions, such as pricing, details, location, attending agents, class schedule for April 27, and more. That said, we are happy to address any questions or concerns you have. Again, if you want to sign up / register for any event, email us at [email protected] and let us know. We hope to hear from you.

Our writers conference events rely on word-of-mouth from attendees and area writers. Any word-spreading you do about the Philly & DC events is appreciated, and valuable. Thank you for considering telling any friends or regional writing groups.
�Thanks!
�Chuck Sambuchino & Brian Klems, Coordinators

01/16/2024

TONIGHT'S MEETING CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Tonight's meeting of the Brandywine Valley Writers Group, originally scheduled for TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, has been cancelled due to snow and ice.

If you can make it to Ryan's Pub, join in for drinks and conversation with those gathered.

Tonight's presentation on Lessons in Creating Tension, with Philadelphia Crime Writer, James McCrone, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 20, 2024.

07/28/2023

Remember to sign up now for the BVWG August Reading Night!

August’s BVWG meeting on August 15th will once again be a celebration of the stories and poems we’re writing!

We invite you to read aloud from a selection of your own work (up to five minutes or 750 words). Readers will be randomly chosen. Rest assured this is a non-critique evening, and work-in-progress as well as completed writings are equally welcome — from new writers and experienced writers.

This is a great opportunity to practice reading your work in a safe space, among friends. Readings, in case you've never done or attended one, are about celebration, not evaluation. We can't wait to hear what you've been working on!

We do require that you put your name in the reading pool ahead of time.

To do so, send a short bio of 50-75 words to [email protected], written in third person. Your bio will be used to introduce you and your work. This is the only way to secure a reading spot. You must send a bio. Walk-in reading slots will not be available. No need to submit your writing in advance; just send a message indicating you’d like to read, along with your 3rd person bio. Deadline is 8/10/23.

See you there!