community of writers

What community of writers does

The Community of Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization founded in 1970 in Olympic Valley (formerly Squaw Valley), California. It operates annual residential Summer Writers Workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, and a Summer Poetry Program, taught by faculty that includes Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners, and a former U.S. Poet Laureate. Beyond the core workshops, the organization publishes the Omnium Gatherum Quarterly (OGQ) literary journal — currently in its 21st issue — produces podcasts and public benefit readings, and since 2020 has run The Writers' Annex, a year-round online platform offering short courses on canonical literary figures including William Butler Yeats, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, and James Joyce's Ulysses.

The organization's technology stack is a standard nonprofit publishing infrastructure: a WordPress-based content management system for the main website, Square for bookshop e-commerce, MailChimp for email newsletters, SmugMug for photo hosting, and social media presences on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. No proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or API is offered, and the website functions primarily as an information and registration hub rather than a software product.

The business model combines several revenue streams: summer residential workshop tuition (covering instruction, housing, and meals), online short course fees ($300-$400 per course, with bundle pricing of $750 for three), tax-deductible donations and named scholarships, and merchandise/book sales through a Square-powered online bookshop and partner bookstores (Bookshop.org, Beers Books). Workshop deposits are non-refundable, online payments incur a 3.20% service fee, and financial aid is available. The customer base is distributed across individual aspiring and emerging writers rather than enterprise accounts, and supplemental funding flows from publisher sponsorships (Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group) and foundations (Entrekin Foundation, TTCF, Foundation for Art and Healing). Governance is via a Board of Directors on which author Amy Tan serves, with Brett Hall Jones as Executive Director and Brenda Hillman as Poetry Program Director.

Name

community of writers

Legal name

Community of Writers

Website

https://communityofwriters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community of Writers is a nonprofit literary organization founded in 1970 that runs annual residential summer writing workshops and year-round online courses for aspiring poets and prose writers, taught by award-winning faculty and supplemented by a literary journal and public events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Writing Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL), Writing Craft & Technique Workshops (Voice, Structure, Character, Style) (EDAMAMAH), Creative Nonfiction & Memoir Workshops (EDAMAMAC)

Keywords

• Creative writing workshops
• Literary community programs
• Poetry education
• Fiction writing workshops
• Writer development

Headquarters

HQ city

Nevada City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Summer Workshop Tuition: Multi-day residential writing workshops in fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry held annually in Olympic Valley, California. Fees cover instruction, housing, and meals.
2. Writers' Annex Online Courses: Virtual short courses, seminars, and workshops offered year-round. Tuition-based programs with recorded sessions available to registered participants.
3. Donations and Scholarships: Tax-deductible donations supporting scholarship funds for writers with financial need. Named scholarships honoring alumni, staff, and family members.
4. Bookshop Sales: Sales of books and merchandise through their online bookstore powered by Square.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Community of Writers organizes week-long residential writing workshops in fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and poetry each summer in Olympic Valley, California, and runs year-round virtual short courses, seminars, and workshops through The Writers' Annex. The organization also publishes a quarterly literary journal (OGQ), hosts public readings and podcasts, and administers financial aid and scholarships. Tuition covers instruction, housing, and meals for residential programs; online courses are sold individually or as bundles.

Product overview

Community of Writers is a nonprofit literary organization offering a portfolio of writing development programs. The core offerings include in-person Summer Writers Workshops (Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir) and a Summer Poetry Program held annually in Olympic Valley, California, alongside year-round online programming through The Writers' Annex. The organization publishes the Omnium Gatherum Quarterly (OGQ), produces public literary events and podcasts, and administers financial aid and scholarship programs. The products work together to provide comprehensive writer development from immersive residential workshops to ongoing online education and community publication opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Writers' Annex: Online year-round platform offering short courses, seminars, and workshops led by staff poets and prose writers.
• Omnium Gatherum Quarterly (OGQ)

Products and services

• Summer Writers Workshops in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Memoir In-person week-long residential writing workshops held annually in Olympic Valley, California, offering intensive instruction in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writing with teaching staff, agents, and editors. Fees cover instruction, housing, and meals.
• Summer Poetry Program Annual residential poetry workshop held in Olympic Valley, California, featuring intensive poetry instruction with established poets and guest lecturers.
• The Writers' Annex Online Year-round online platform offering short courses, seminars, and workshops taught by established poets and writers, including courses on poetry analysis, fiction, and literary classics (e.g., Emily Dickinson, James Joyce's Ulysses, William Butler Yeats, Langston Hughes).
• OGQ: The Omnium Gatherum Quarterly Digital quarterly literary publication featuring essays, stories, poems, interviews, and book excerpts from Community of Writers alumni and teaching staff.

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Place County Arts CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Community of Writers, supporting literary arts programs and workshops.
• Entrekin FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation sponsor supporting the organization's literary programs and scholarships.
• Penguin Random HouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor publisher sponsor supporting writing workshops and literary community.
• Hachette Book GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublisher sponsor supporting the Community of Writers programs.
• Poets & WritersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit literary organization supporting poets and writers, sponsor of workshops.
• Foundation for Art and HealingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor supporting the intersection of creative writing and wellness.
• Cave CanemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting Black poets, affiliated literary community connection.
• MacondominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiterary community partner, writers workshop organization with similar mission.
• UC IrvineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner, creative writing MFA program connection.
• LitQuakeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Francisco literary festival partner for literary events and readings.
• Bookshop.orgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline bookstore partner for selling books and merchandise.
• Beers BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Sacramento bookstore partner for book sales at events.
• Emily Dickinson MuseumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Writers' Annex short course on Emily Dickinson poetry.
• Shambhala PublicationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublisher sponsor of Writers' Annex poetry short course, provides course text materials.
• KimbiliominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellowship supporting fiction writers, affiliated literary community.
• Lambda LitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQ literary organization partner supporting diverse writers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tin House: Tin House operates a renowned literary magazine, book publishing imprint, and summer/fall writing workshops in Portland, Oregon. It is directly comparable as a multi-format literary organization combining publication, workshops, and community.
• Lighthouse Writers Workshop: Lighthouse is a Denver-based nonprofit literary arts center offering multi-genre workshops, residencies, and community programs. It directly competes with Community of Writers' Writers' Annex for the same year-round online workshop market.
• GrubStreet: GrubStreet is one of the largest independent creative writing centers in the U.S., based in Boston, offering multi-genre workshops, MFA prep, and year-round programming. It is comparable in scope to Community of Writers' Writers' Annex and its workshop curriculum.
• Hugo House: Hugo House is a Seattle-based literary nonprofit offering year-round writing classes, readings, and residencies across fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Comparable to Community of Writers in mission, multi-format delivery (in-person and online), and nonprofit structure.
• Cave Canem: Cave Canem is a nonprofit literary organization supporting Black poets through retreats, workshops, and publications. Listed as a partner of Community of Writers, it shares the workshop-and-community nonprofit model with a more specialized audience.
• Bread Loaf Writers' Conference: Bread Loaf is one of the oldest and most prestigious residential summer writers' conferences in the U.S., held annually in Vermont. It directly parallels Community of Writers' Olympic Valley model with multi-genre workshops (fiction, poetry, nonfiction) taught by established literary figures.
• The Loft Literary Center: The Loft is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit offering year-round multi-genre writing classes, readings, and community events. Comparable as a regional literary education nonprofit with similar course catalog and community orientation.
• Macondo Writers Workshop: Macondo is a literary community founded by Sandra Cisneros that supports writers through workshops, residencies, and mentorship, with a focus on socially engaged fiction. Community of Writers lists Macondo as an affiliated partner, reflecting direct mission alignment.
• Sewanee Writers' Conference: The Sewanee Writers' Conference is a prestigious annual residential summer workshop at the University of the South, offering instruction in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. It is the most direct peer to Community of Writers given its similar intensive summer residential format, faculty prestige model, and recruitment of aspiring writers.

Broad incumbents

• Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP): AWP is the largest nonprofit literary organization in the U.S., supporting 800+ MFA programs and creative writing departments through conferences, advocacy, and publications. It is a broader incumbent operating at industry scale rather than as a single workshop venue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/commofwriters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC58jziLyDSMlLxiWahFAzvA
• Facebookfacebook.com/commofwriters
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityofwriters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-of-writers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about community of writers