Writing Program at Johns Hopkins University

09/27/2026

Sharing this post from one of our beloved alum, Elizabeth Doerr, who is a co-founder of the organization Scribente Maternum. (I'll be hosting a dinner for participants one night so maybe I'll see you there.)

Write Like a Mother Writing Retreat is Coming to Baltimore

Scribente Maternum's fifth annual Write Like a Mother retreat will be held October 22-25, 2026 in the Charles Village neighborhood of Baltimore.

Every writer—of any age at any stage—who identifies as a mom (or grandma or auntie or anything else) is invited to attend. This retreat includes sessions with Afrominimalist author Christine Platt, Well-Read Black Girl founder Glory Edim, and Master Reiki practitioner Emily Souder. It also includes all meals, a curated writing experience through the Baltimore Museum of Art, time and space to write, as well as connection with the unique and wonderful writer-moms of the Scribente Maternum community.

Registration is open, but is filling quickly. You Deserve to Be Here funds are available. Reach out to hello@scribentematernum with any questions. Follow the link below for more information and to register.

Scribente Maternum is a restorative community for writers who identify as moms. Write and retreat with us in Baltimore, Maryland, October 22-25, 2026.

09/27/2026

PEN/Faulkner Foundation is hiring an executive director if any of you alumni out there fit the bill.

Executive Director   The PEN/Faulkner Foundation champions the breadth and power of fiction in America. The Foundation is dedicated to the idea that fiction creates empathy within and among communities and advances civil discourse and that American culture thrives when stories from diverse perspect...

09/14/2026

Congratulations to student Kacie England! One of the flash pieces she wrote during our Bar Harbor summer residency was published by the Penn Review.

Drywall is the least creative of the trades, my father said. He spoke in tight, lyrical quips: carpentry creates, electrical ignites. I listened, considering his verses as I fussed with the bookshelves I’d invited him over to inspect, shelves he made for me some time ago. The white built-ins were ...

09/09/2026

Please join MA in Writing faculty member Mark Farrington on September 19 at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, where he will be reading from his debut novel Loss of Life. He’ll be joined by his friend, author and fellow Johns Hopkins professor Michelle Brafman, for a discussion of writing process and technique. The event will take place on Saturday, September 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD. It’s free, but they do ask that you register in advance. Mark’s novel and Michelle’s novels, including her newest, will be available for purchase.
https://writer.org/free-events/
https://writer.org/event/mark-farrington/

The Writer’s Center welcomes writer and longtime Johns Hopkins professor Mark Farrington for a reading from his new novel LOSS OF LIFE and discussion of fiction techniques with former student and author Michelle Brafman. FREE & open to the public. RSVP below. Mark Farrington recently retired after...

08/07/2026

Congratulations to MA in Writing student Molly Tierney. Those in Bar Harbor for the residency may recall that she shared a flash piece she wrote as part of the group exercise (inspired by Sabrina Imbler's book). Molly's flash piece is going to be published by "Gone Long." I'll share the link when it's up.

08/07/2026

It's nearly two weeks since our summer residency in Bar Harbor, Maine, ended and I'm finally sitting down to share the remaining photos, including shots of all the students who participated in the final fab open mic night.

08/07/2026

Congratulations to faculty member Josh Rolnick; his new book will be published by Tivoli. Many of us from the MA in Writing Program--students and faculty--had the pleasure of hearing him read from this forthcoming novel while at our summer residency in Bar Harbor.

07/23/2026

07/23/2026

Day #4 of the Bar Harbor residency. It began with bang: MA in Writing Students joined MA in Science Writing students for some active, learn-by-doing exercises inspired by Sabrina Imbler's "How Far the Light Reaches." They rambled about the seaside campus, studied and personified the flora and fauna, and shared their written explorations as performances. Then lunch, classes, and a culminating evening reading by faculty member Elise Levine.

07/22/2026

Day #3 of the MA in Writing Program's Bar Harbor residency. Last night we had faculty member Josh Rolnick reading from his forthcoming novel and faculty member Mark Farrington reading from his new novel, just released this summer. Today, students in the program are joining those in their sister program, the MA in Science Writing program, for small group exercises across beautiful Bar Harbor's College of the Atlantic campus.