McCormack Writing Center

What keeps readers glued to the page? Every story needs an "engine" — the technique that drives momentum and won't let go. In this generative craft intensive, we'll build and strengthen your own engine through hands-on exercises, and more! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/make...

In this generative intensive, we’ll use preferences and habits of mind to develop and deepen character! Writers at any level are welcome. You can use the exercises to discover new characters or bring in one you’ve been working on for years. Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/a-pa...

SAVE THE DATE and spend the summer with the MWC in Portland at one of our Summer Residencies! Applications for 2027 Summer Residencies open on November 4th. Each residency includes a $1200 dollar stipend, Lyft credit, and more! Learn more here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/residencies/

Life is messy, writing a memoir doesn't have to be! In this generative intensive, students will examine excerpts from the work of several writers who expertly travel between past and present to guide and enlighten the reader and more. Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/time...

Staring at a blinking cursor? This generative workshop applies the spontaneity of improv comedy to creative writing. Use "Yes, And," embrace mistakes, and silence your inner critic to get ideas flowing onto the page! Scholarship available! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/the-...

In this generative intensive, we’ll use preferences and habits of mind to develop and deepen character! Writers at any level are welcome. You can use the exercises to discover new characters or bring in one you’ve been working on for years. Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/a-pa...

What keeps readers glued to the page? Every story needs an "engine" — the technique that drives momentum and won't let go. In this generative craft intensive, we'll build and strengthen your own engine through hands-on exercises, and more! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/make...

In this generative intensive, we’ll use preferences and habits of mind to develop and deepen character! Writers at any level are welcome. You can use the exercises to discover new characters or bring in one you’ve been working on for years. Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/a-pa...

We're very proud to share that FIVE of the MWC's Faculty and Alum are National Book Award Finalists! Congratulations Julian, Joe, Gendy, Julián, and Morgan! We are so glad to know you and your work and are rooting for you all. Learn more: www.nationalbook.org/2026-nationa...

What keeps readers glued to the page? Every story needs an "engine" — the technique that drives momentum and won't let go. In this generative craft intensive, we'll build and strengthen your own engine through hands-on exercises, and more! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/make...

day two of the @mccormackwc.bsky.social speculative online workshop, & i’ve already been learning so much from the wonderful array of faculty writers! i’m so excited to have this opportunity.

Life is messy, writing a memoir doesn't have to be! In this generative intensive, students will examine excerpts from the work of several writers who expertly travel between past and present to guide and enlighten the reader and more. Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/time...

Staring at a blinking cursor? This generative workshop applies the spontaneity of improv comedy to creative writing. Use "Yes, And," embrace mistakes, and silence your inner critic to get ideas flowing onto the page! Scholarship available! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/the-...

What keeps readers glued to the page? Every story needs an "engine" — the technique that drives momentum and won't let go. In this generative craft intensive, we'll build and strengthen your own engine through hands-on exercises, and more! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/make...

Join us for Huna: Writing from the Silences of the Archive, at 4pm PT / 7pm ET tomorrow September 30th! ⁠ This event will take place on Zoom and is too exciting to be missed! ⁠ Register here: mccormackwritingcenter-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

APPLICATIONS CLOSE TODAY! ⁠ ⁠ Join us at the 2027 MWC Winter Online Workshop and expand your craft —wherever you are. ⁠Scholarships and fee waivers available! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

Fresh year, fresh perspective: apply by September 28th for the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Parent Scholarship: This award is intended to help support parents/guardians who have at least one child under the age of eighteen. Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

This is the last weekend to apply for our 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Fee waivers available by emailing info@mccormackwritingcenter.org! Trans Writers Scholarship: This award is intended for a writer who is trans. Apply today: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

There's still time to apply for the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Applications close in FIVE days! Scholarship for BIPOC Writers: This award is intended for writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color. Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

Take it from our participants, the 2027 Winter Online Workshop is the place to level up your craft and find your community! ⁠ ⁠ Join us for this fully remote experience to receive feedback on your WIP, and much more! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

No coat or mittens required: find your community at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! ⁠ This fully remote experience is designed to deepen your craft and build lasting creative connections, plus so much more! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

In this generative craft class, we will read, discuss, and write place as a living, active entity, not lived in or on, but with. Together, we will turn from the static settler colonial expectations of craft towards something more! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/im-t...

Skip the chill and catch inspiration instead at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! As with all of our programming, scholarships and fee waivers are available! Apply today: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

Bring your ideas in from the cold and cozy up to better craft at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Join us for this fully remote experience to enhance your craft and receive feedback on your WIP! Applications due September 28th! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

Thaw out your writer's block at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! ⁠ Join us for this fully remote experience to enhance your craft and build your ideal writing community! Applications due September 28th! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

Find inspiration and community at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! ⁠ Please note that all application fees for this Workshop will be waived for North American Indigenous Authors. Email info@mccormackwritingcenter.org to secure a waiver! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

Build your ideal writing community at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Parent Scholarship: This award is intended to help support parents/guardians who have at least one child under the age of eighteen. Fee waivers available! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.submittable.com/submit/17761...

Come for the craft, stay for the brilliant community! ⁠ At the 2027 Winter Online Workshop, you’ll get the best of a classic MWC experience (karaoke anyone?) from the comfort of your own space! Apply today: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

Level up your craft at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Without Borders Scholarship: This award is intended for any writer who was born outside of the United States. Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

Gain a world-spanning community and get inspired at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Join us for this fully remote experience to enhance your craft and receive feedback on your WIP! Scholarships and fee waivers available! Apply today: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

Deepen your craft and expand your community at the 2027 Winter Online Workshop! Scholarship for BIPOC Writers: This award is intended for writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color. Learn more and apply today: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

MEET WITH AN AGENT AT THE 2027 WINTER ONLINE WORKSHOP! At this fully remote Workshop, one of our fantastic faculty will provide feedback on your work-in-progress via a one-on-one meeting, plus so much more! Apply: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

Join us at the 2027 MWC Winter Online Workshop and expand your craft —wherever you are. ⁠ ⁠ At this fully remote Workshop, you’ll attend industry panels, affinity groups, agent meetings, engaging craft lectures, and more! Scholarships available! Apply: mccormackwritingcenter.org/winter-works...

A story has a way of seeing. In this session, we’ll study how POV can open up new angles on plot—how zooming in and out, skipping ahead or drawing out, can create narrative energy that’s an implicit answer to the question: And then what? Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/seei...

What keeps readers glued to the page? Every story needs an "engine" — the technique that drives momentum and won't let go. In this generative craft intensive, we'll build and strengthen your own engine through hands-on exercises, and more! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/make...

The MWC is thrilled to share that our wonderful alum Karthik Raman and Annie Tan are hosting an Alumni Get Together @ Sheep Meadow in Central Park on August 29th! ⁠ Bring blankets, snacks, beverages, and fellow MWC writers! Calendar invite: tinyurl.com/MWCinNYC

The third person doesn’t have to be a voice from the wild beyond–it can be intimate, embodied, and stylish. In this generative intensive we will practice entering the minds of our characters from an embedded third person point of view and more! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/thir...

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026 AUTUMN WORKSHOP CLOSE TODAY!⁠ ⁠ Don't miss out on your chance to join our most intimate workshop (only six participants per class) in beautiful Portland, Oregon and take the time to tend to your WIP! ⁠ ⁠Apply today: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

Leaves are falling, deadlines are calling! Applications for our 2026 Autumn Workshops close on Wednesday. Apply today for the chance to immerse yourself in craft, community building, and so much more while moving forward with your WIP! Learn more here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

APPLICATIONS DUE WEDNESDAY!!! Come write, laugh, and grow with us at the 2026 MWC Autumn Workshops! Whether you're chasing rejuvenated craft or craving creative community, this is your chance to make a difference in your WIP! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

Writing is better surrounded by friends and fall hues! Don't delay and get your applications for the 2026 Autumn Workshop in before August 26th and join us for a cozy weekend full of craft, curiosity, and, as always, karaoke! Apply: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

Calling all Portlanders! Join us for a long weekend featuring curated, intimate workshops, craft lectures, generative exercises, and readings. There will also be plenty of opportunities for mingling, sightseeing and, of course, karaoke. Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

I wrote about my week at the @mccormackwc.bsky.social 2026 Oregon Summer Workshop, nighttime logic, 9 a.m. readings, prom pants, and the effort required to make such a great program feel nonchalant. shawnandrewmitchell.substack.com/p/its-couth-...

Give your writing a long weekend refresh at the MWC’s 2026 Autumn Workshops! Apply today for the chance to immerse yourself in craft, community building, laughter, and plenty of time to sight-see, all while moving forward with your WIP! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

Sweater weather is better together! Join us in scenic Portland for the 2026 Autumn Workshops, where your creativity (and coziness) will be in full swing! General Scholarship: Open to all applicants. Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

A story has a way of seeing. In this session, we’ll study how POV can open up new angles on plot—how zooming in and out, skipping ahead or drawing out, can create narrative energy that’s an implicit answer to the question: And then what? Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/seei...

It's time for a McCormack Writing Center fall! The 2026 Autumn Workshop Fiction Weekend is the perfect place to heighten your craft, work with an amazing faculty member on your WIP, grow your community and, of course, karaoke the night away! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

Cozy fall vibes + amazing writing community + curated workshops + stellar faculty = The 2026 MWC Autumn Workshops!⁠ ⁠ Don't miss out on your chance to join us in scenic Portland for a long weekend intensive! Apply here: mccormackwritingcenter.org/autumn-works...

Finally able to share that I was accepted to the @mccormackwc.bsky.social Speculative Workshop! Excited to work with @tehlormejia.bsky.social and meet my other workshop-mates. I want to keep learning, even as I’m querying! ¡Pa’lante!

Calling all spellcasters! In this generative writing intensive, we will challenge ourselves to write without metaphor by studying the ordinary and exacting language. In-class prompts and exercises accessible for all genres and levels included! Sign-up: mccormackwritingcenter.org/product/ordi...