Join us every third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featured Readers this month submitted works inspired by our Lunar New Year: Year of the Wood Snake call for submissions.

Featured Readers:

Ronen Perry
Christina Slack
Sasha Victor
Julie Baldock

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featuring:
Mercury Sunderland
&
R. G. Mint

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featured Readers Include:
Shaun A. McMichael
&
Karen Miller

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Color Stories: A Generative Poetry Workshop

Join former Tacoma Poet Laureate Kellie Richardson for an interactive workshop exploring the role and use of color in poetry, music, and prose. Color has long been used as a symbol to communicate meaning, deepen creative expression, and even call humans forth toward justice. In this workshop, we will read works of poetry, song, and prose to look at the many ways artists utilize color to explore memory, honor humanity, and practice magic. Participants should be prepared to discuss the readings and engage with prompts to generate or build on their own memories and experiences with color. This workshop is open to all levels of writers and creatives. You will be offered an opportunity to share the work you create (though not required), as well as offer generative feedback to your peers.

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featured Readers:
Steve Tarry,
Kris Hall,
Jamie Fiano

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Whether you're a bibliophile, filmmaker, artist, or environmental enthusiast, come out to King's Books for a literary night that is free, family-friendly, and open to the public for a firsthand opportunity to participate in a great workshop open to all ages and experience levels AND have the opportunity to be filmed for a documentary...with details for a poetry submissions contest to follow. More details coming soon!

Workshop Description:

Do you care about the earth? What about the Salish Sea? Are you curious about creativity? Join literary arts teaching artist, Joy, for an interactive writing workshop where we will use writing and storytelling as a means of showcasing your care for our environment here in Tacoma! In collaboration with Creative Colloquy, this workshop will be the kickoff for literary entries for the Ground to Sound Film and Art Festival. During this exploratory workshop, you can expect time for writing, reading, sharing (if you’d like to), and learning more about the festival. With the help of literary forms, literary devices, and imagination - come away inspired! The theme for this year is "Healthy Sound. Better Tacoma. Now and Forever." This workshop is open to writers of all levels and ages. You are welcome to bring something to write with and write on, but no worries if not, we got you covered!

Join us for our annual literary extravaganza!

3 hours, various venues and dozens of storytellers in a walkable footprint.

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featured Readers Include: Nancy Miller Gomez, Kellie Richardson More TBA …

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featured Readers Include:
Richard Wilkinson
Kristina Corcoran
Sandy King

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Tacoma will be saturated with verse during TBW thanks to Creative Colloquy.

We’ll gather brilliant South Sound writers to tell short stories, prose, or poetry, and then the floor will open for listeners to do the same — all while enjoying cocktail-themed beers and ciders at Peaks & Pints.

Featured Readers Include: Jamie Fiano Jack Cameron J.D.AardeCat Melaunie

The Writer’s Workshop Series Presents: This Poem Is Not All That Feeds You: Writing Food in Community with Sarah A. Chavez.

Join us every third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featuring:

Elizabeth Beck,
Helen Rowe,
Joanne Rixon

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featured Readers Include:
Samuel Snoek-Brown
Laila Tova
Elizabeth Beck

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

This month we’re meeting at The New Frontier Lounge (21+).

Featured Readers Include:

Burl E. Battersby,
Layla Ormbrek,
Raissa Larson
&
Elizabeth Beck

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

The forecast says the sun will be shining, so catch us outside with our CC Book Bike. Our mobile little free library will have free books for all ages, with loads of genres to select from.

Literary Info Fair, Featured Poetry Reading & Open Mic! (open to EVERYONE! UWT community, Tacoma community, South Sound community; come one, come all!)

- Poetry fair featuring the musical stylings of DJ Yaya-Sol and Tacoma Literary Community partners such as Blue Cactus Press, King's Books, Creative Colloquy, and more!

- Featured reading & Q&A with amazing Washington State Poets Paul Hlava Ceballos & Laura Da'

- Ending with a community Open Mic

Creative Colloquy lures readers and writers out of hiding to connect and conspire. Bring your own short stories, novel excerpts, essays and poems to share or come for adult story time.

This month festivities are taking place at The New Frontier Lounge (301 E. 25th St) Please note this venue is 21+.

Featured Readers Include:
Celeste Schueler,
Tim Haywood,
Robert Lashley,
& more to be announced...

Come early to sign up for our open mic and please keep in mind open mic allows writers 5 minutes of stage time when choosing your piece. This time limit is firm to allow everyone an opportunity.Poetry, Essays, Short Stories. All are welcome.

This month we’re celebrating a momentous milestone — 10 years of CC!

Join us for a celebratory evening with readings, drinks, music and a raffle for rad swag and prizes at McMenamin’s Elks Temple Spanish Ballroom!

Raffle tickets will be $1 a piece or 25 for $20 with proceeds benefitting future programming at Creative Colloquy.

Our featured readers include:Jonny EberleCat MelaunieMiel MacRae&Christian Carvajal

PLUS Special Guest Performances by Tacoma Poet Laureate Christian Paige & Sparkle Stunts from Cheer TacomaAND special musical guest Kim Archer!

Dive into an ocean of inspiration, as we come together to celebrate our shared mission of protecting and restoring our precious natural resources. The Ground to Sound Film Fest is a call to arms by the City of Tacoma for the health of our neighborhoods, our marine ecosystems, and Tacoma’s future.

We believe everything we do supports healthy neighborhoods and a thriving Puget Sound, leaving a better Tacoma for all. 

We invite you to a family-friendly evening of oceanic art and inspiration! March 1st 6pm - 9pm 
Hear from keynote speaker Dean Burke, CEO of Travel Tacoma 
View award-winning film submissions 
Enjoy curated poetry readings by Creative Colloquy 
Peruse themed photography by the Tacoma Photo Center/Club Partake in hands-on art activities with The Anxious Tomato and Foss Waterway Seaport+ MORE!

💜 Sponsored by UWT Sustainability Committee

Experience the South Sound's Vibrant Literary Arts Community!

Writing Epistolary Poems Workshop with Christina Vega 10 - 11:30 am

Artist Talk with Erik Fremstad 11:30 am - 12 pm

Erik Fremstad will offer a talk about his exhibit, Unnatural Selection, on view in the Wagner House Gallery

2024 Poetry Contest Winners Reading 1:30 - 4 pm

Selected poets will share their work, followed by a Q&A session.

Plus, an open mic session for all attendees will round out the day!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Please note: The Living tapRoom is 21+ and is a self serve taproom offering a variety of beer, wine, kombucha and NA beverages. There is no food in house but you can bring outside food!

Featured Readers:
Nick Stokes
Peter Pendras
& More to Be Announced

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Kick off a new year of writing and sharing stories with us!

Creative Colloquy lures readers and writers out of hiding to connect and conspire. Bring your own short stories, novel excerpts, essays and poems to share or come for adult story time.

This month we're gathering at The Living tapRoom (2101 S. C Street), Tacoma's newest self-serve taproom for craft beer, wine, ciders and kombucha! (Outside drink is not allowed but outside food IS allowed -- hot tip, Camp Colvos is RIGHT around the corner!) Please note this venue is 21+. Apologies for any of our younger readers.

Featured Readers Include:
Dawn Ellis & Steve Tarry
& more to be announced!

Fill your heart with warmth and your soul with peace at Lakewold Gardens’ Winter Solstice Festival!

The Winter Solstice (or Midwinter) marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, bringing with it the promise of increased sunlight in the days ahead. It is a time to embrace the darkness, connect with nature and honor the changing of the seasons as a reminder that every ending is also a new beginning.

Create a luminary and take a walk through the darkened winter garden; view quilts inspired by the theme of light in the Coming to Light exhibit; listen to dramatic readings of solstice-themed poems and short stories by Creative Colloquy and enjoy warm beverages, snacks and wine.

Creative Colloquy lures readers and writers out of hiding, to connect and conspire.

Our 9th annual print publication features short stories and poems penned by South Sound wordsmiths, paired with art crafted by Tacoma artists inspired by the story!

Please note, there will be no open mic this month. It will be an evening to celebrate the anthology and connect. You can anticipate to hear a sampling of the stories within, writerly banter and live music!

Featured Readers Include:

Shaun A. McMichael
Jonny Eberle
Emilie Rommel Shimkus
& MORE!

Copies will be available for purchase for $20 a piece. Come celebrate these amazing storytellers with us!

Fill your heart with warmth and your soul with peace at Lakewold Gardens’ Winter Solstice Festival!

The Winter Solstice (or Midwinter) marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, bringing with it the promise of increased sunlight in the days ahead. It is a time to embrace the darkness, connect with nature and honor the changing of the seasons as a reminder that every ending is also a new beginning.

Create a luminary and take a walk through the darkened winter garden; view quilts inspired by the theme of light in the Coming to Light exhibit; listen to dramatic readings of solstice-themed poems and short stories by Creative Colloquy and enjoy warm beverages, snacks and wine.

The following is a community event and not sponsored or facilitated by CC.

What: A NaNoWriMo study hall that focuses on the details. Bring a single sentence from your current work that vividly describes a character, setting or situation. We'll spend 15-30 minutes talking about how to choose the right details for your purposes and what it is we're trying to describe, and then we'll write silently, with occasional check-ins for motivation.

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Details to follow…

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Details to follow…

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

The following event is a community hosted event and not sponsored or facilitated by CC.

What: A NaNoWriMo study hall all about the main character of your current project. Who are you writing about? How are you introducing them to your readers? Why this character? We’ll spend 15-30 minutes talking about our characters and what we’re putting them through, and then we’ll write silently, with occasional check-ins for motivation.