Types of groups – Some of the groups listed below are true critique groups with the purpose of reviewing selections of a member’s work and offering suggestions for improvements in content, mechanics, and style. Others are discussion groups on samples of work or on a genre itself that may inform a member’s work. To determine the kind of group and whether it meets your needs, attend one or more meetings or contact the group’s facilitator(s).
Check ahead – Very rarely a meeting will be canceled, so be sure to contact the facilitator before attending a critique group for the first time. You need not bring a piece for critique in order to check out our groups!
- Creative Nonfiction & Poetry
When: Monthly on the first Tuesday, 7:00 PM
Where: The Broad Street Grille in the Chattanoogan Hotel, currently on Zoom
Co-Facilitators: Sherry Poff (poffmeister@comcast.net) and John C. Mannone (jcmannone@gmail.com) - Fiction @ Hixson
When: (In person) Monthly on the first and third Tuesdays, 5:30 PM Eastern at a Hixson-area restaurant; (Online) fourth Tuesday of the month at 4:30 Central/5:30 Eastern.
Facilitator: (In person) Kelle Z. Riley (kzriley1@gmail.com) (Online) Donna Patton
Website: http:crazybuffet.club
To find out more info about where in-person meetings will be held, join the mailing list by contacting Kelle. To find out more about the online meetings, email Donna at phantomphan92@gmail.com. The Hixson writers group is also known as the Crazy Buffet Club and they have published several editions of an anthology by that name. Purchase here: Crazy Buffet on Amazon - North Georgia Writers Group for Fiction and Nonfiction (a CWG Critique Group)
When: Second and fourth Thursday of each month at 3:00 PM
Where: Catoosa Learning Center, 36 Muscogee Trail, Ringgold, GA 30736 (Across the parking lot from the Catoosa County Library. Enter at the main door of that facility, walk to the end of the hall, turn left, and walk to the end of the hall, we will have the classroom on the left.)
Facilitator: Barbara Tucker (btbarbaratucker11@gmail.com) or at “Northwest Georgia Writers Group Ft. Oglethorpe Version 2” <northwest-georgia-writers-group-ft-oglethorpe-version-2@googlegroups.com
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/northgeorgiawritersgroup/home - Poetry
When: Monthly on the third Thursday, 6:00 PM
Where: Helga Kidder’s home in Chattanooga
Facilitator: Helga Kidder, 423-313-6789 - Speculative Fiction
When: Monthly on the fourth Tuesday at 7:00 PM
Where: (In-person) varies; email the facilitator for details. (Online) Discord
POC: Alexandria Kelly, alexandriabkelly@gmail.com - Rogue Christian Writers
When: Monthly on the first Thursday, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: Doug Daugherty’s home at the base of Signal Mtn. 673 Wilshire Way Chattanooga, TN 37405. Facilitator: Doug Daugherty, dedsr1952@gmail.com, 424-488-0435 - Ekphrasis: Art Inspiring Art weekly prompt given on the Writers of Chattanooga Facebook group followed by a Thursday evening Zoom meeting, led by John C. Mannone. Visit the Facebook Group to join.
Additional Groups
CWG does not sponsor or oversee groups listed below.
Open Mic Night at Barnes and Noble
Group meets monthly on the last Friday (except for November and December) at 7:30 PM, in the Hamilton Place Barnes & Noble at 2100 Hamilton Place Boulevard.
Facilitator: KB Ballentine (kb@kbballentine.com)
The Meacham Writers’ Workshop
Occurring each fall and spring, the workshop is free and open to the public; there is no registration. The program consists of readings, discussion sessions, and group conferences.
https://www.meachamwriters.org/index.htm
Write & Chatt
A casual writing group, meeting the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month from noon – 1 PM at Adelle’s Creperie 400 E Main Street. It is an informal group suitable for writers of all levels- no experience needed. They have monthly themes and do a little writing based on prompts and give feedback as wanted.
Rhyme N Chatt
Rhyme N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization (RNC) is a historic institution in Chattanooga, TN. First organized in 1999, it was created to “provide a safe place where poetry is shared and discussed and people are valued.” RNC encourages creativity without judgment. RNC prides itself on being “the first place” that many have ever shared their poetry aloud, because they provide such a safe atmosphere. rhymenchatt.com