Drop-In Writing Circles

Create and collaborate.

Hugo House drop-in writing circles are free and open to all! Come on in, get inspired, and meet other writers. Bring something you’re working on, or just come ready to write. You will have the opportunity to share your work and get feedback—but only if you want to (no pressure). You can also use this time to explore your current work in progress, surrounded by fellow writers.

Free Drop-In Writing Circles Calendar of Events

Drop-In Writing Circles

Poetry Circle with Jeanine Walker

In this group, we’ll focus on generative writing through poetry prompts. The session will begin with introductions and a short warm-up, after which we’ll read two separate poems and write in response to those. At times writers will be invited to create community through sharing words or ideas with other writers in small groups. Attendees will leave the class with up to three new drafts of poems. Designed for all writers, this group supports poets as well those working in other genres, as the skills practiced in poetry can be thought of as “cross-training” for memoir and fiction, too.

Jeanine Walker is the author of The Two of Them Might Outlast Me (2022). She has received writing fellowships from Artist Trust, the Jack Straw Cultural Center, Wonju, UNESCO City of Literature, and Inprint. Her work has appeared in Bennington Review, New Ohio Review, Pleiades, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. A poet with a Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Houston, Jeanine is a long-time poetry teacher and most recently taught English at Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, South Korea.

Adventures with Your Inner Artist with Samar Abulhassan

Ready to shake off perfectionism and fall back in love with making things? This monthly creative writing circle for adults is your invitation to play. Each session, we’ll push past what we think writing should be and plunge into the strange, the chaotic, and the ephemeral to discover what it can be. In this safe, vibrant space, we’ll explore a myriad of creative writing prompts that incorporate music, divination, ritual, movement, visual art, and more to keep the creative channel open and receptive to surprise. Genre blending and hybrid forms are welcome and encouraged! Most of all, we’ll give ourselves—and each other—permission to create without expectation. Each session features new prompts and approaches. Leave with new work, fresh energy, and a renewed sense of joy and pleasure in creating. Writers of all levels are welcome.

Samar Abulhassan is a Jack Straw Writer and holds an M.F.A. from Colorado State University. Born to Lebanese immigrants and raised with multiple languages, she is a 2006 Hedgebrook alum and the author of six chapbooks, including Farah and Nocturnal Temple. Samar has worked with youth at Hugo House since 2012 and with Seattle Arts & Lectures’ Writers in the Schools since 2008. Samar also recently participated in the 2024 Skagit River Poetry Festival. In 2016, Samar received a CityArtist grant to aid in completing a novel-in-poems reflecting on memory, longing, and the Arabic alphabet. Samar often finds inspiration in images and places and replicates these techniques in her teaching. She also loves to dance and is interested in the intersection between movement and writing. 

Write Here Now with Grace Bialecki

Does writing always fall to the last spot on your to-do list? Or maybe, lately, it hasn’t even been making it on there at all? If life keeps getting in the way of your creative practice, this monthly group is for you. During our hour-and-a-half meeting, you’ll have plenty of time to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. Whether you’re chipping away at an existing project, or responding to a provided prompt, this time is dedicated to you and your writing. And at the close of each session, you’ll have a chance to share your words (or feelings) with fellow writers and be part of a supportive creative community.

Grace Bialecki is a writer, spoken word poet, and workshop facilitator. She has performed at KGB Bar and as the featured poet at Paris Lit Up, and her work has appeared in various publications including Catapult and Epiphany Magazine. Bialecki is the co-founder of the storytelling series Thirst, and the author of the novel Purple Gold (ANTIBOOKCLUB).