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Writers’ Studio Critique Group

Writers of all genres can get peer feedback in a structured, respectful, and moderated environment.

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Writers’ Studio Critique Group

Writers’ Studio Critique Group

Writers of all genres can get peer feedback in a structured, respectful, and moderated environment.

Pricing
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Cancellation & Other Policies
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Registrations Closed

About

Read. Reflect. Respond.

No pre-reading is required for this fast-paced, in-person critique group for all genres — literary, sci-fi, historical, fantasy, upmarket book club, romance, mystery, horror, romance, erotica, etc. Every session provides space to read your work aloud (up to five minutes or three pages) and get focused, time-limited feedback from peers.

Details

  • Six writers read per session.
  • A dedicated moderator will manage the time, select responders, and keep the discussion on track.
  • The critique portion starts at 7 PM.
  • Writers sign up on-site.
  • If you want your piece shown on-screen, upload it to the shared folder (location and deadline TBA). Or you can bring printed copies for everyone.
  • We don't accept homophobic, racist, misogynistic, ableist, or otherwise prejudiced content; exploitative sexual material; gratuitous body horror or graphic violence; work that glorifies abuse or harm; or AI-generated writing (knowingly submitted).
  • Readers must give content warnings where applicable.
  • Participants must respect the “no rebuttal” rule — writers listen, not defend.

Class Policies

Ages 14 and are welcome.

Instructor
Leslie Lutz

Leslie Lutz is the author of Fractured Tide, a young-adult survival story about an ill-fated scuba diving trip that strands the protagonist on a time-bending island off the Florida Keys (HarperCollins/Blink 2020) and Sweetest Darkness, a young-adult horror novel about a teenage psychic who comes into possession of a haunted safe (Holiday House 2024). Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in various journals, including Typishly, The Lyric, Raintown Review, and Orca Literary Journal. Leslie lives in Poulsbo and when she’s not writing, you can find her watching B-horror movies, scuba diving, or taking care of chickens.

Instructor
Emily Smiley

Emily, a writer from South Carolina who now calls Seattle home, crafts stories that reflect the world back to her readers, inviting them to explore deeper truths within themselves. Her novel, Treading Water, came in first in the horror category of the 2024 Pacific Northwest Writers' Association (PNWA) unpublished competition. She’s the programming coordinator for the Writer’s Studio at BARN. She’s also a member of the PNWA and the Seattle Chapter of the Horror Writers Association. Emily is a co-founder of Content Hospital, a speculative fiction writers marketing collective, and is represented by A.J. Van Belle at the Booker Albert Literary Agency. When she’s not giving her readers nightmares, she’s running, traveling, reading, or playing video games.

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