Starting in 2022, the Indiana Free Library in conjunction with the Jones White Writing Center will be hosting a Community Writing Center.
This series will consist of six writing-centered workshops and two community writing center opportunities. All of these events are free and open to the public. Workshops will be held in the Community Room at the Indiana Free Library (845 Philadelphia Street, Indiana, PA 15701) unless otherwise noted. Refreshments will be provided. Below is a list of dates and times for the events, as well as full descriptions for each event:
Community Writing Center: Wednesday, February 23, 6:00-8:00 p.m. AND Monday, April 18, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
The Community Writing Center at Indiana Free Library offers free and individualized tutoring on any piece of writing and at any stage of the writing process. Volunteer tutors and staff from the IUP Jones White Writing Center, which includes IUP students and faculty, staff the Community Writing Center. Community members are welcome to bring their writing, at any stage of the process, for one-on-one tutoring and writing feedback.
Writing tutors can help community members with any stage of the writing process and with any piece of writing. Writing tutors can assist with idea generation and brainstorming, respond to drafts to support revision, and help community members edit their work.
Our writing support includes, but is not limited to:
- Poetry, short stories, longer works, autobiography, idea generation
- Job search documents, including résumé and cover letters
- Scholarship and application essays for college
- Personal writing projects
- Community writing projects
- Business plans and proposals
- Homework and reading support for children
The Community Writing Center is a walk-in service. Please bring your writing with you when you come (print or digital) or bring your ideas to talk through with a tutor. Tutorials may last anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes.
Community Writing Center Workshop Series:
Grantwriting Workshop: Saturday, January 29, 10:00 a.m.–Noon
The challenge of any nonprofit or other organization can oftentimes be funding; grants tend to be a good solution to this issue but are difficult to construct. Therefore, the purpose of this workshop is to provide business owners, nonprofits, and any others the skillset necessary for writing a successful grant. By the end of this workshop, participants should be able to outline a grant proposal, identify weak areas in grant writing, and find grants that are applicable to their needs.
Creative Writing Workshop: Wednesday, February 9, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Have you ever wondered what strangers passing by are thinking? Do you have a knack for creating stories with your imagination? This creative writing workshop seeks to meet these demands through a “scavenger hunt” of sorts. The purpose of this exercise is to encourage writers to learn the practice of writing down any ideas that come to mind in the moment. Furthermore, participants should be able to transform these ideas into a working rough draft of a creative piece (i.e., a poem or short story).
Comic Writing Workshop: Saturday, February 26, 11:00 a.m.–Noon
Writing doesn't start in adulthood; the fundamental love for creative writing begins at a young age. It is this love for storytelling that we aim to foster in children of all ages by holding a Comic Book Writing workshop. Participants will be given pictures and be encouraged to create dialogue and a storyline to go with them. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to work with dialogue, create backstory for characters, and learn how to title their work. Their end product will be a simple comic book for sharing with friends and family.
Writing as Healing Workshop: Saturday, March 12, 11:00 a.m.–Noon
It’s no surprise that life can be difficult; but what’s the outlet we use to process all of this? The purpose of this workshop is to provide an outlet for those individuals who find themselves hurting in some way. Writing can serve as a healthy outlet for healing, and this workshop aims to provide participants with the skills necessary to use writing as a form of healing in their own lives. By the end of this workshop, participants should be able to identify genres effective for healing writing, demonstrate their ability in healing writing, and appreciate the use of writing as a form of healing.
Business Writing Basics Workshop: Wednesday, March 23, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Do you know how to create a résumé? A cover letter? Within this workshop, participants will work to create/edit a résumé or cover letter for a specific job. By the end of this workshop, participants should have a working document that can be used to apply for work. They should also be able to identify good practices for business writing and demonstrate knowledge of these practices.
Literature Workshop: Saturday, April 9, 11:00 a.m.–Noon
Reading and writing are like peanut butter and jelly; those who read tend to be better writers. Thus, the purpose of this workshop is to develop the skillset of writing in response to reading. Participants will be given a brief text to read during the duration of the workshop to which they will be asked to respond in writing. By the end of the workshop, participants should be able to thoughtfully respond to a given text, demonstrate an understanding of the connection between reading and writing, and respond meaningfully when writing about a text.
Please contact us at w-center@iup.edu with any questions about the Community Writing Center.