The Writers Guild at Bloomington is an association of writers committed to mutual support and the professional development of their craft. Its mission is to foster interaction among writers as well as other artists, educators, and the Monroe County public, thereby enhancing the vibrancy of the arts and the writing community in the greater Bloomington area.

Events Calendar

Dec
15
Sun
Three WFIU special “Jenny” Poets Weave episodes
Dec 15 2024 – May 30 2025 all-day

WFIU is doing a series of broad/podcasts celebrating Jenny Kander with three special “Jenny” Poets Weave episodes.

The first was December 15 (listen to here: https://indianapublicmedia.org/poetsweave/jelly-donuts.php).

Upcoming episodes will air March 30 and May 11.

Feb
20
Thu
Haiku Writing Contest
Feb 20 – Apr 20 all-day
Haiku Writing Contest

In honor of National Poetry Month (April) and National Haiku Poetry Day (April 17), MCPL is hosting an adult haiku writing challenge! Haiku submissions may be about any topic or subject, but must be original and adhere to the 5+7+5 rule.

Hiromi Yoshida is the judge.

Find out more about the contest: https://mcpl.info/geninfo/haiku-writing-contest

Mar
27
Thu
Maple and Vine @ Constellation Playhouse in downtown Bloomington
Mar 27 @ 7:30 pm – Apr 13 @ 8:30 pm

Welcome to the corner of Maple and Vine, where every day is 1955!

Constellation Stage & Screen presents

Maple and Vine

March 27 – April 13
at the Constellation Playhouse in downtown Bloomington

Katha and Ryu have become allergic to their 21st-century lives. When they meet a charismatic man from a community of 1950s re-enactors, they decide to forsake cell phones and DoorDash for cigarettes and Tupperware parties. But after moving to this compulsively authentic world, Katha and Ryu are surprised by what their new neighbors – and they themselves – are willing to sacrifice for happiness.

For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit https://seeconstellation.org/mainstage/maple-and-vine
*Featuring Pay What You Will Thursdays*

Apr
5
Sat
Book Launch: The Guy: Private Edition, by Marilyn Wolf @ Dream Palace Books & Coffee
Apr 5 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Apr
6
Sun
Voices of the Incarcerated, the First Sunday Prose Reading Series @ Juniper Art Gallery and Cafe
Apr 6 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Join the Writers Guild for

Voices of the Incarcerated, the First Sunday Prose Reading Series 

Nine writers will be featured, their work read by friends and workshop facilitators, in collaboration with Women Writing for a Change.

Come early and sign up for Open Mic!

 

April 6, 2025, 4pm to 5:30pm

Juniper Art Gallery and Cafe, 615 W. 5th Street

 

Image by BIZkettE1 on Freepik

Apr
10
Thu
Writers Guild Spoken Word Series: poets Thomas Kneeland and Marilyn Wolf, music by Jack Carl @ Backspace Gallery
Apr 10 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Writers Guild Spoken Word Series

 

Poets Thomas Kneeland and

Marilyn Wolf

Music by Jack Carl

Open mic to follow

Sponsored in part by the Bloomington Arts Commission and the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association

THOMAS KNEELAND is the author of We Be Walkin’ Blackly in the Deep (Marian University Department of Media, Communication, and Design) and a 2022 Frontier Poetry Global Poetry Prize finalist. He is a 2024 Speculative Play & Just Futurities Scholar-in-Residence, which is funded by Indiana University, the Mellon Foundation, IU Indianapolis (IUI) Arts & Humanities Institute, IUI Center for Africana Studies & Culture, and the Ray Bradbury Center. He is also the Founding Editor-in-Chief of The Elevation Review. His publication credits include The Rumpus, Southern Humanities Review, The Amistad, The Citron Review, Vagabond City Lit, Up the Staircase Quarterly, South Florida Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. Kneeland holds a BA in English Writing from DePauw University, an MA in Ministry from Wesley Seminary, and an MFA in Poetry from Butler University. http://www.thomaskneeland.com

MARILYN WOLF lives in Indiana and is a member of several writing groups. She has two books of poetry, In Celebration of the Death of Faeries and The Guy: Private Edition. Her writing on Medium.com is a collection of poetry, prose, and essays. Her work is published in anthologies, Indiana’s Poetry Archive, displayed in online and physical galleries, and more. She is a member of local, state, and national poetry organizations and currently an editor of The Howling Owl on Medium. She is a past 1st VP of the Poetry Society of Indiana and current Director on the Board for Indiana Writers Center. http://www.wolfen25.net

Between songs of foolish longing and scores to symbolic floods, JACK CARL has managed to turn impassioned composition into a full blown pastime.

Apr
11
Fri
Apples in Winter: a play @ C138 (Test Kitchen), Read Hall
Apr 11 @ 7:30 pm – Apr 13 @ 8:30 pm

An apple being peeled with a knife

Apples in Winter

a play by Jennifer Fawcett

 

 

 

Flour. Sugar. Love. In this one woman show, Miriam pours all of these ingredients and more into the last apple pie she will ever bake for her son, Robert. But all is not what it seems in Miriam’s world, as she excavates truths too chilling to face—until now.

 

Directed by Samwell Rose

Featuring Zilia Balkansky-Sellés

Free admission—seats are limited and available first come, first serve!

To reserve in advance, email samroseg@iu.edu.

3 Shows Only!

Friday April 11th 7:30 pm  . Saturday April 12th 7:30 pm .  Sunday April 13th 2:00 pm

Run Time Approximately 80 minutes

Where:

C138 (Test Kitchen), Read Hall

Indiana University Campus, Bloomington, IN

 

 

Apr
16
Wed
Poetry for All Occasions @ Monroe County Public Library Auditorium
Apr 16 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Join Tony Brewer, the 2024 Indiana Humanities Literary Champion, for this workshop on how to write poems for special occasions. Age 18 and up.

Bloomington’s own Tony Brewer won the 2024 Indiana Humanities Literary Champion prize! He will be leading a workshop on how to write poetry for special occasions and celebrate National Poetry Month. Come prepared to write, explore poetry, and hear more from Tony about the process of writing, editing, and selecting poems.

Register & info: https://calendar.mcpl.info/event/12920623

Apr
25
Fri
Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical @ The John & Linda Whikehart Auditorium | Waldron Arts Center
Apr 25 @ 1:00 pm – May 11 @ 1:00 pm

Constellation for Kids presents:

Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical

On stage April 25 – May 11 at the Waldron Auditorium in downtown Bloomington.

In a town full of squares, one dot makes a difference! 8-year-old Lily Polkadot just moved to the small, “Squares Only” town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. Lily’s quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her polkadot skin blooms into an unexpected friendship. Inspired by the events of The Little Rock 9, Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson that reminds us that our individual differences are what make us cool.

*Sensory-Friendly Performance on Sunday, May 11 at 1:00pm*

For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit https://seeconstellation.org/kids/polkadots

Apr
27
Sun
Last Sunday Poetry & Open Mic featuring Tracy Mishkin and Joseph Kerschbaum @ Morgenstern's Bookstore & Café
Apr 27 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

The Writers Guild at Bloomington presents

Last Sunday Poetry & Open Mic

featuring Tracy Mishkin and Joseph Kerschbaum

The Writers Guild at Bloomington celebrates National Poetry Month by presenting Last Sunday Poetry, featuring Tracy Mishkin and Joseph Kerschbaum.

TRACY MISHKIN‘s first full-length poetry book is The Way The Salt Falls (Main Street Rag Press, 2024). Holder of an MFA degree in Creative Writing from Butler University, she has also published three chapbooks: I Almost Didn’t Make It to McDonald’s, The Night I Quit Flossing, and This is Still Life. She lives in Indianapolis with her family and fewer than ten cats and dogs.

JOSEPH KERSCHBAUM’s publications include Midnight Sunrise (Main Street Rag Press, 2024), Mirror Box (Main St Rag Press, 2020), and Distant Shores of a Split Second (Louisiana Literature Press, 2018). His recent work has appeared in Reunion: The Dallas Review, Hamilton Stone Review, The Inflectionist Review, and Main Street Rag. Joseph is a poetry reader for Flying Island Journal. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana with his family.

7-8:30 PM (EST) 27 April 2025
Morgenstern Books & Cafe (849 S Auto Mall Rd, Bloomington IN 47401)

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