Worth the Look: Opportunities for Writers … You Just Oughta:
90-Minute Craft Intensive
Melissa Wyse, Lauren Francis-Sharma, Jen Will-Thapa, and Rachel Coonce with Megan DeMatteo as moderator
Carey Center
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201

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CityLit remains aware and bewildered by the creatives who live in or have significant ties to Baltimore, which are terrific resources of value to readers and writers in the region. This 90-minute ‘craft’ intensive is more of one on enlightenment, and you need to know the treasures that abound and are available to you as writers and lit lovers. Join us for a closer look at HEDGEBROOK, BREAD LOAF WRITER’S CONFERENCE, THE CENTER FOR FICTION, THE INNER LOOP, and a panel moderated by a successful freelance writer and editor who will answer any questions you might have on the business of freelancing. Jen Will-Thapa has worked as the Program & Communications Manager for over 6 years at Hedgebrook. She has supported storytellers and facilitated storytelling processes for most of her career and is committed to uplifting diverse voices. Melissa Wyse serves as the Director of Development at The Center for Fiction, a 200-year-old nonprofit dedicated to supporting readers and writers. She is the award-winning author of Artists in Residence. Lauren Francis-Sharma is the Assistant Director of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference at Middlebury, a Pushcart-nominated writer, and the author of Casualties of Truth, her third novel, longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize, inspired by her time at South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Amnesty Hearings. Rachel Coonce is cofounder and Executive Director of The Inner Loop. Moderator and former CityLit Gladiator, Megan DeMatteo, is an internationally published freelance writer and editor, and one of the first 30 vetted journalists selected for Yahoo’s inaugural Creator program. She runs Unimaginably Good Media, a consulting practice connecting writing and entrepreneurship. Her debut self-help book is forthcoming from Broadleaf Books in 2026.

Visit the News Section for detailed information.

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CityLit Project in partnership with Maryland Center for History and Culture present Bearing Witness: Literature as a Revolutionary Act. This celebration of the arts showcases a bevy of leading poets and writers on April 11, 2026. We’re talking fiction, nonfiction, poetry galore, and ways to up the ante on your craft.

Download the CityLit Festival: Bearing Witness flyer with the schedule.

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