Write This Way: Readers, writers, story-lovers — you’ve come to the right place

I think the assumption is that to make it as a writer, you have to live in New York or Los Angeles or some old Victorian mansion in Maine where you write about killer clowns. You don’t really think about Rhode Island — but you really should. Rhode Island is experiencing an explosion of writing workshops, reading groups and open mic nights. While there are plenty around the state, here are a few of our favorites that you might want to check out: 

AS220 marries open mic nights and writing workshops. The first Thursday of every month sees their open mic/Providence Poetry Slam, and the third Thursday is their youth poetry slam. The first and third Thursdays also feature free poetry writing workshops for youth. These are poetry slams – so please don’t show up with your guitar and expect to take all the glory. as220.org

Brooklyn Fourth Fridays at Brooklyn Coffee Tea and Guest House sees an open mic with first come first served sign-ups, and all performers get a free coffee or tea. Writers of all kinds are encouraged, as are comedians, actors and musicians. brooklyncoffeeteaguesthouse.com

The Cardigan Connection (formerly Point Street Reading Series) may be the place to go for connections to national authors. While I initially discovered Robin Kall (who also heads Reading with Robin) and her readings due to a weird obsession I have with her dog, Benny Irving (seriously check out his Instagram @bennyirvingthecorgi), her reading group offers monthly readings from big names as well as a discussion.  robinkall.com/thecardiganconnections

Frequency Writers Group has been around since 2011 and features rotating writing courses on a variety of topics, as well as talks from authors and open mic nights. Their website is always up to date on what courses they offer, and it doesn’t ever feel like it’s the same thing twice. Plus? Scholarships are available. frequencywriters.org

While they do not have anything scheduled currently, I would be remiss not to mention that Goat Hill Writers offers writing workshops for up to six people. They try to partner with School One to offer youth writing competitions. You also may have heard of one of the founders, New York Times bestselling author Ann Hood. Check out their website or email them for more information. goathillwriters.com

GrubStreet Providence feature seminars and classes at different places around Providence, including School One and What Cheer Writers Club, on topics ranging from querying literary magazines to constructing scenes in stories. They also have a first come first served reading where students from spring and winter classes can read their work. Financial aid is available. grubstreet.org/blog/grubstreet-in-providence

RiffRaff has a wealth of readings every month with authors on the local and national level. Plus, they feature a Monthly Collective Poetry Reading Series, a group poetry reading. And they’ll be running a monthly literary trivia event on the fourth Thursday of the month, which while not an open mic or reading, sounds incredibly cool.  (And hit me up if you want to be on my team.) riffraffpvd.com

Spoken Story Saturdays, hosted by local author Mark Binder, is about giving listeners of all ages the opportunity to enjoy a professional spoken story show. There are two shows, one at 2pm for families and one around 3pm for 14 and up. Their last show for the season is March 21. facebook.com/spokenstorysaturdays

Twenty Stories’ new space on the East Side has biweekly open mic nights with fiction, poetry, nonfiction and original songs all welcome to be performed or read. They also feature author readings throughout the month. twentystoriesla.com

The past year has seen What Cheer Writers Club in downtown Providence explode onto the writing scene. Their newsletters, which contain weekly calendars for writing around RI, are one of the only emails I actively get excited about when it pops into my inbox. In addition to being what I would argue is the ultimate resource for writers in the state, they offer monthly member meetups and specialized readings, and have had some great events in the past like platonic speed dating to find a writing partner and monthly podcasting workshops. whatcheerclub.org