EVENT LINK: https://ffpubliclibrary.org/events/

FEE: Free

Book Club @ Fergus Falls Public Library

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

October 13 & 14

We will discuss “The Cartographers” by Peng Shepherd. A highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings.

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson

November 17 & 18

We will discuss “The Demon of Unrest.” Erik Larson brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War in this “riveting reexamination of a nation in tumult” (Los Angeles Times).

Note that November’s meeting dates are one week later than usual due to Veterans’ Day.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

December 8 & 9

We will discuss “The Women” by Kristin Hannah. An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided set during the Vietnam War.

True Biz by Sara Nović

January 12 & 13, 2026

We will discuss “True Biz” by Sara Nović. This novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they’ll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who’s never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school’s golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both at the same time.

EVENT LINK: https://ffpubliclibrary.org/events/

FEE: Free

Social Justice Book Club

About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of the New York Times.

October 22 @ 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm

We will discuss “About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of the New York Times.” This landmark collection gathers the most powerful essays from The New York Times Disability Series.

Out of the Sierra: a Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco

December 17 @ 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm

We will discuss “Out of the Sierra: a Story of Rarámuri Resistance” by Victoria Blanco. The Rarámuri people of Chihuahua, Mexico, make up one of the largest Indigenous tribes of North America. Renowned for maintaining their language and cultural traditions in the face of colonization, they have weathered numerous hardships—climate disaster, poverty, cultural erasure—that have only worsened during the twenty-first century.

Based on more than a decade of oral history and participatory field work, Out of the Sierra paints a vivid and vital portrait of Rarámuri displacement. When drought leaves the Gutiérrez family with nothing to eat, they are faced with the choice many Rarámuris must make: remain and hope for rain and aid, or leave their sacred homeland behind. Luis, Martina, and their children choose to journey from their home in the Sierra Madre mountains toward a new and uncertain future in a government-funded Indigenous settlement.

To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making us Sick–and How We Can Fight Back by Alden Wicker.

February 25, 2026 @ 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm

We will discuss “To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making us Sick–and How We Can Fight Back” by Alden Wicker.

EVENT LINK: https://ffpubliclibrary.org/events/

FEE: Free

Fergus Falls Writers Group

2nd & 4th Thursdays of each month @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

This group shares and critiques their writing. Meets the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. This is a community-member-led group.

EVENT LINK: https://loft.org/classes/2026-year-long-creative-nonfiction-writing-project-sun-yung-shin-winter-online-cohort

FEE: Regular $7,500.00 / Friend $7,440.00

2026 Year-Long Creative Nonfiction Writing Project with Sun Yung Shin—Winter Online Cohort

Creative Nonfiction Year-Long Course with Sun Yung Shin
Dates: Jan. 26–Dec. 7, 2026
Time: 6–9 p.m. CT
Level: Advanced • Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Location: Online (Zoom)
Sessions: 1-year program
Price: $7,500 ($7,440 Friend rate)

Join acclaimed writer Sun Yung Shin for a year-long deep dive into creative nonfiction and memoir. Develop your voice, strengthen craft skills, and receive workshop feedback, author/agent insights, and one-on-one consultations. Designed for writers seeking focused guidance, structure, and support as they prepare a polished manuscript.

For full schedule and details, visit loft.org

EVENT LINK: https://galsguide.org/2025/11/09/call-for-submissions-2026/

FEE: Free to apply

Gal's Guide Anthology— Call for Submissions

Gal's Guide seeks poetry, fiction, and non fiction for its 5th Anthology. Gal's Guide was founded in Indiana but has recently moved to Moorhead, MN. Gal's Guide is a women's history focused non profit, however, for this years anthology they are looking for well told stories no matter the identity of the writer or the main character. 

There are many ways to rebel. Gal’s Guide is looking for fiction & non fiction about all of them.

This is the fifth annual Gal’s Guide Anthology. Previous themes have been Women’s History, Journey, Nourish, and Female Friendships.

Stories/poems/essays will be chosen by a jury made up of board members of Gal’s Guide and a judge from the literary world.

Stories/poems/essays picked for the anthology will be ones that best fit the theme of rebellion, follow the submission specs, and are turned in on or before the deadline.

Writers may submit as many pieces as they like; however, a maximum of three (3) pieces per author will be chosen by the judges for publication in the 2026 anthology.

There is no submission fee.

Deadline is 3/31/26
For more rules and prizes visit galsguide.org

EVENT LINK: https://loft.org/classes/2026-year-long-memoir-writing-project-kelly-sundberg-winter-online-cohort

FEE: $7,500 ($7,440 Friend rate)

2026 Year-Long Memoir Writing Project with Kelly Sundberg—Winter Online Cohort

2026 Year-Long Memoir Writing Project with Kelly Sundberg
Dates: Jan. 28–Dec. 9, 2026
Time: 6–9 p.m. CT
Level: Advanced • Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Location: Online (Zoom)
Sessions: 1-year program
Price: $7,500 ($7,440 Friend rate)

Join author Kelly Sundberg for a year-long memoir writing cohort designed for writers at any stage—starting fresh, revising a draft, or seeking guidance to finish a manuscript. Through weekly Zoom sessions, craft lessons, workshopping, and one-on-one mentor meetings, you’ll build skills in voice, scene, structure, and revision while shaping a compelling memoir. Includes guest authors, agents, and publishing insights.

Full details and schedule available at loft.org

EVENT LINK: https://loft.org/classes/2026-year-long-novel-writing-project-peter-geye-winter-online-cohort

FEE: Regular $7,500.00 / Friend $7,440.00

2026 Year-Long Novel Writing Project with Peter Geye—Winter Online Cohort

2026 Year-Long Novel Writing Project with Peter Geye
Dates: Jan. 29–Dec. 10, 2026
Time: 6–9 p.m. CT
Level: Advanced • Genre: Fiction
Location: Online (Zoom)
Sessions: 1-year program
Price: $7,500 ($7,440 Friend rate)

Work with novelist Peter Geye in a year-long fiction cohort designed to take your novel from first draft to polished manuscript. Through weekly Zoom sessions, craft lessons, workshopping, and one-on-one mentorship, you’ll explore structure, pacing, voice, revision, and the path to publication. Includes virtual guest speakers and a final public reading.

See the Loft’s Novel Writing Project page for full schedule and details.

EVENT LINK: https://galsguide.org/2025/09/02/2025-2026-writing-workshop/

FEE: $150—12 week workshop (A limited number of scholarships are available.)

Feminine Healing & Creativity Writing Workshop

Gal's Guide well-love writing workshop returns. For it's fifth year, this program will 100% online with live sessions as well as self paced videos. Perfect for a new year, a new you!

This year’s workshop will again focus on healing & creativity through an unapologetically feminine lens. Using the Mother Castle method, students will use writing and meditation to heal emotional wounds for creativity to flourish. This tool, developed by Dr. Leah “Riwo” Leach utilizes women’s history, mythology, Buddhist meditation, and compassion. Previous students found immense value in a process that allowed them to heal the hard stuff so they could write.

In this 12-week workshop, students from around the world, will also learn writing critique tools, receive feedback from their fellow writers, and have an opportunity for publication in the Gal’s Guide Anthology. Previous years this workshop was supported by National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Noblesville Creates, Indiana Arts Commission, and The Pacers Foundation.

Gal's Guide is flexible because we know lives get busy. You can take the classes live on Wednesdays, watch recordings, or a bit of both. Registered writers will have access to all pre-recorded videos and digital materials for 1 year. The live classes will not be recorded so that conversations about healing can stay private.

LIVE ONLINE OPTION: Classes will be Wednesday evenings 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Central, January 7 – March 25. Leah will lead the classes live online with group discussion, writing feedback, and questions answered. This version is highly recommended to foster your own unique writing community.

SELF LED VIDEO OPTION: Take the class at your own pace. Watch and pause videos as you need. From January – March you’ll still have access to writer feedback from Leah and your classmates.

*NEW* ONE-ON-ONE TIME: Schedule time with Leah for help with your writing and/or creativity.

WRITING COMMUNITY: Registered writers get access to a private Discord channel within the Gal’s Guide server to build community, ask questions, share stories, ask for feedback, and more.