Writing Groups are opportunities for writers with specific writing interests and/or of specific identities to gather together and support one another. The Writing Center hosts a number of writing groups throughout each quarter. Writing Group facilitators support writers’ growth, needs, and interests by facilitating each meeting and offering feedback on members’ writing, focused writing time, and/or writing-related resources or presentations. Facilitators also plan and host open mic events or other socials for their writing group.
✏️ Writers Guild
Writers Guild is a multi-genre, non-evaluative creative writing group for DePaul students, alumni, faculty, and staff. We welcome writers of all skill and experience levels. Writers Guild is facilitated by the Writers Guild Facilitators.
Group Mission
Writers Guild is a place for creative writers in the DePaul community to share
works-in-progresses and talk about the process of writing. We welcome all creative
work by writers of any experience level, from short stories and poetry to scripts
and screenplays!
Sharing writing, especially writing that is creative in nature, can be a personal
and vulnerable experience. Our goal is to foster an environment of respect and
rich discussion among peers. Working together, facilitators and writers can
collaboratively build this supportive community.
How to Join
We hope that you’ll join us at Writers Guild to share your creative work! For
more information, please sign up for our email list by completing the form on
the Writers Guild Webpage or reaching out to us at writingcenter@depaul.edu.
How Does Writers Guild Work?
Writers attend meetings to share their pieces and/or to offer feedback on others’ work. In the week leading up to the meeting, writers submit any work they’d like to share to the Google form linked in the weekly email. We usually discuss pieces in the order they were received, and the time allotted to each writer depends on how many people would like to share their work on a given night.
Aloud! Open Mic Event
Aloud! is an open-mic night to share and celebrate writers’ work. Aloud! is hosted as the last Writers Guild meeting of each quarter. All are welcome, whether or not they plan to share.
📄 Scriptwriting Group (new as of Autumn 2024)
The scriptwriting group is for reading writers’ scripts, plays, and screenplays and offering feedback.
The College of Education Doctoral Program Writing Group offers a writing community and support to doctoral students in the College of Education. The group is a collaboration between the Writing Center and the COE Doctoral Program with a co-facilitator from each unit. This writing group typically meets in a hybrid modality 3-4 times per quarter on Saturdays depending upon facilitators’ availability.
📓 Faculty Writing Community
Facilitated by faculty and staff writers, the Faculty Writing Community offers accountability and support to faculty through weekly writing sessions over Zoom. Faculty writers join to work on writing projects for publication, conferences, coursework, or personal writing. This writing group offers dedicated writing time for members as well as check-ins to share progress, challenges, and accomplishments. The Faculty Writing Community is sponsored by the DePaul Writing Center.
🎉 Escribir (on hiatus as of Autumn 2024)
Escribir—meaning “to write” in Spanish—is a creative writing group for DePaul community members of Latinx heritage or descent (formerly called the Latinx Writing Group). The group provides a space to workshop current projects as well as allocates time for writing during meetings. Escribir meets in a a hybrid modality; in-person meetings are typically in the Latinx Cultural Center in O’Connell with the option to join in over Zoom. Escribir is facilitated by Escribir Facilitators.
Group Mission
Escribir is a place for Latinx creative writers in the DePaul community to share their work, get suggestions on their projects, and gain exposure to Latinx writers by those who share a cultural identity.
By having a Latinx specific group, we hope to provide a safe space for writers to feel that they can share writing they might not share in other environments due to the incorporation of cultural elements they think others might not understand or the usage of other languages (especially for those who might not have grown up speaking Spanish or Portuguese but are trying to reconnect with their mother tongue), among other reasons.
How to Join
Any Latinx DePaul member is welcome to join our meetings. To get updates for meetings, writers can sign up to be added to our email list through our form or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to stay updated on Writing Center operations, like writing group meetings. For more information, please reach out to us at writingcenter@depaul.edu.
How Does Escribir Work?
Prompts are emailed to writers before each meetings. At the beginning of the meeting, writers are asked if they have any writing they would like to share with the group. If yes, the group listens and gives feedback regarding things they enjoyed about the piece and suggestions for developing the piece. If no one has a piece for workshop, facilitators provide another prompt and give about 10-15 to write before reconvening and workshopping the pieces. When time allows, facilitators may read and share work from published Latinx writers out loud. Spanish literacy is not required to join.
Events
Depending on facilitator availability and other logistics, Escribir may host additional events such as socials or open mics beyond the scheduled writing group meetings.
Writers Guild Facilitators. 
Escribir Facilitators.