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The Terry Club - a writing workshop

Bring stories. Leave with craft, community, and confidence.

A year-long writing program at MLK Library, meeting monthly on Saturdays.

What is the Terry Club

A year of writing at MLK Library

A year-long writing program built around one story-structure method, walked one step at a time across twelve sessions. Each session pairs a short craft lesson with a workshop hour, where a small group of writers get their work read aloud and discussed by the group.

New to a novel? Use the year's structure to draft one from the ground up.
Already have a draft? Use the sessions and workshop queue to revise it.
Writing short stories? Join for craft, community, and feedback without the year-long arc.
Just want to write? Come, listen, join the exercises, and be part of the room. No obligation to read your own work.

Want to read your own work aloud and get feedback? That's by sign-up. Registering places you in a fair, transparent queue based on order of registration. Each session workshops four to twelve writers, about 15 to 5 minutes each, so there's real time for a full read and discussion rather than a rushed pass.

Submission Deadlines, Session by Session

• Session Nov 14, 2026 — submit by Nov 25, 2026 — goes out to the group by Nov 28, 2026
• Session Dec 12, 2026 — submit by Dec 23, 2026 — goes out to the group by Dec 26, 2026
• Session Jan 9, 2027 — submit by Jan 20, 2027 — goes out to the group by Jan 23, 2027
• Session Feb 6, 2027 — submit by Feb 17, 2027 — goes out to the group by Feb 20, 2027
• Session Mar 6, 2027 — submit by Mar 17, 2027 — goes out to the group by Mar 20, 2027
• Session Apr 3, 2027 — submit by Apr 14, 2027 — goes out to the group by Apr 17, 2027
• Session May 1, 2027 — submit by May 19, 2027 — goes out to the group by May 22, 2027
• Session Jun 12, 2027 — submit by Jun 23, 2027 — goes out to the group by Jun 26, 2027
• Session Jul 10, 2027 — submit by Jul 21, 2027 — goes out to the group by Jul 24, 2027
• Session Aug 7, 2027 — submit by Aug 18, 2027 — goes out to the group by Aug 21, 2027

If you're assigned to read at a given session, your piece is due about two and a half weeks beforehand, and goes out to the rest of the group a few days after that, so everyone has time to actually read it before you show up.

How Each Session Runs

3:30 to 3:55 — Welcome, temperature check, icebreaker, and recap of last session
3:55 to 4:15 — Beat lesson: that session's craft focus, applied to your own work
4:15 to 5:15 — Workshop: four to twelve writers get read and discussed, about 15 to 5 minutes each
5:15 to 5:25 — Goodbyes, next session's theme, and submission deadlines
5:25 to 5:30 — Close

The Full Year

1. Oct 3, 2026 — Opening Image & Theme Stated — Introduction to Club
2. Nov 14, 2026 — Set-Up — Thanksgiving
3. Dec 12, 2026 — Catalyst & Debate — Winter/winter celebrations
4. Jan 9, 2027 — Break into Two — New Year
5. Feb 6, 2027 — B Story — Valentine's Day
6. Mar 6, 2027 — Fun and Games — Prep for spring
7. Apr 3, 2027 — Midpoint — Spring/spring celebrations
8. May 1, 2027 — Bad Guys Close In — International Workers' Day
9. Jun 12, 2027 — All Is Lost — Juneteenth / Summer Solstice
10. Jul 10, 2027 — Dark Night of the Soul — Bastille Day
11. Aug 7, 2027 — Break into Three & Finale — Back-to-school / library appreciation
12. Sep 4, 2027 — Final Image — Year 1 celebration

Sessions 1 through 3 (October through December) ease things in alongside Lagos Library Club before the workshop queue and the schedule above take full effect in December.

When you register, you will be added to a listserv where you can learn in real time more about The Terry Club. If you have questions, please email: MLKLibrary@dc.gov with the subject line "Terry Club".

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