New! Monthly Writing Meetups Around the World

12 minutes ago

2 min read

By Marjetta Geerling, Spalding MFA Alumni Association Director

The MFA Alumni Association is excited to introduce a new addition to our Write with Me offerings: Write with Me Live!

For as long as we've hosted Write with Me online meetups, one thing has stayed constant: no matter where you are, you can show up and write alongside fellow alumni. Write with Me Live! brings that same magic into the physical world. Across the country, alumni gather in person at a local coffee shop — same day, same local time — every single month. If you don’t have a local meetup near you, we’ve got you covered with Virtual Write with Me Live! that can be accessed from wherever you are.

The format is easygoing: about thirty minutes of catching up, followed by quiet, focused writing time. Come and go as your schedule allows—there's no obligation to attend every month, or ever, but we hope you’ll give it a try.

Here's what makes it work: every Write with Me Live! meetup, everywhere, happens on the third Saturday of the month at 1:00 PM local time. That consistency is the whole point. Whether you're in Louisville or Los Angeles, Atlanta or online, you'll know that at that exact moment, alumni across the world are settling in with their drink-of-choice and their writing projects, doing exactly what you're doing. For one day every month, we’re never writing alone—we're writing together, just spread across time zones and cities.

As with all of our Alumni Association offerings, Write with Me Live! is open to all alumni, current students, faculty, and prospective students. In other words: writers welcome!

Here's where Write with Me Live! is happening now and where it's headed next:

Ongoing

Louisville, Kentucky — Switchboard at the Myriad Hotel, 900 Baxter Ave, Louisville, KY 40204. Next meetup Sept. 19, 2026. Hosted by Marjetta Geerling, W4CYA’11; Kristin Matly Dennis, F’10; and Ben Swindler, F/SW’25

Starting Sept. 19, 2026

Los Angeles, California — The Ugly Mug Coffeehouse, 3112 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505. Hosted by Deirdre Gainor, F/W4CYA’11; Jacob Bennett, F’13; and Katie Massa Kennedy, P’24
Atlanta, Georgia — Riverline Coffee, 2778 Cumberland Blvd. SE, Smyrna, GA 30080. Hosted by Jill Cox-Cordova, F’17; Brandi Bradley, F’14; and Raechel Sigur, W4CYA’26
Virtual: Attend from anywhere — the Zoom meeting starts 1 PM ET. Hosted by Mervyn Seivwright, P’19; Cristina Trapani-Scott, F/P’09; and Amy Roberts, F’25. Alums will find the Zoom link in their inbox.

Starting Oct. 17, 2026

Lexington, Kentucky — Location TBD. Hosted by Mary Beth Griffith, CNF’13; Shelda Hale, P’16; and Clint Martin, CNF’20
Jacksonville, Florida — Location TBD. Hosted by Darlyn Finch Kuhn, CNF’09; Julie Delegal, F’26; and Wendy Perniciaro, W4CYA’19
Columbus, Ohio — Location TBD. Hosted by Lia Eastep, CNF’08 and Laura Irmer, P’24

Starting January 16, 2027

Portland, Oregon — Location TBD. Hosted by Peter Field, SW’17; Cheré Coen, F’23; and Jeanne Haggard, PW’06

Coming Soon

Don't see your city yet? Contact me if you're interested in helping start a WWML near you.

We hope you'll join us—same Saturday, same local time, wherever you are.

Marjetta Geerling

Spalding MFA Alumni Association Director