The Late Night Write
2027-09-21 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | California
Jump online to write in the company of other writers. Borrow their focus and flow, lose yourself in parallel play, and benefit from body doubling without having to leave your home. Join when you can, leave when you have to.

FREE – RSVP for the Zoom ID

Elevenses
2027-09-21 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden, 1223 Park Street, Alameda, California, 94501, United States
Join our weekly in-person gathering to discuss writing, the writing life, and your WIP with people who know what you’re talking about, feel your pain, and delight in your success.

FREE – your buy your own food and drink

The Monday Write In
2027-09-20 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Jay’s Coffee & Tea Treats, Adress: 1414 Encinal Ave, Alameda, CA, 9450, 1414 Encinal Ave, California, 94501, United States
Gather with us at the beginning of the week at a cute coffee shop on the west end. We at tables of two and three, and often end up pushing tables together if there are more than a handful of us. An alternative location will be provided when the weather is back to being ideal for writing outside. RSVP to be added to the group text.

FREE – you buy your own food and drink.

Proof of Write
2027-09-19 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | California
This online gathering is a safe place for writers to share up to 5 minutes of raw, rough, or polished work written the previous week. Every participant must give – and then sit still and receive – positive feedback.

In keeping with the spirit and intention of providing a safe space for writers from all walks of life writing about all kinds of life experiences, through imagine fiction and recounted reality, two modifications have been made to the original Proof of Write protocols:

Content warnings are expected from every single writer in attendance, regardless of whether they are considered necessary. This practice has the benefit of inviting the writer to consider message, theme, and presentation of even the most benign ideas and story lines to the potential reader. The more the writer knows about their work, the more readily they can tempt others to read it.

If a writer is uncomfortable sharing deeply personal or provocative work in mixed company, an arrangement can be made ahead of time to move them and members they are comfortable sharing with into a breakout room for their reading, with understanding and acceptance from everyone present.

FREE – RSVP required for Zoom room ID

The Top Secret Write Along
2027-09-17 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | California
The Top Secret Write Along is an online writing session where we gather to write quietly in each other’s company without having to leave the house.

This event is a perk for paid subscribers of our newsletter, The Week Ahead, which is part of the Live/Write Balance Substack. Zoom room ID provided to subscribers.

The Wednesday Write-In: Ongoing
2027-09-15 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Jay’s Coffee & Tea Treats, Adress: 1414 Encinal Ave, Alameda, CA, 9450, 1414 Encinal Ave, California, 94501, United States
In Person 10am-12pm

Gather with a bunch of writers in a local coffee shop to enjoy a hot drink and a tasty snack while you work on your book, short story, blog post, newsletter, poetry collection, or whatever else requires focus, flow, and attention to wordplay. Friendly faces, quiet writing.

FREE – You buy your own food and drink

The Wednesday Write In
2027-09-15 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Jay’s Coffee & Tea Treats, Adress: 1414 Encinal Ave, Alameda, CA, 9450, 1414 Encinal Ave, California, 94501, United States
Gather with a bunch of writers in a local coffee shop to enjoy a hot drink and a tasty snack while you work on your book, short story, blog post, newsletter, poetry collection, or whatever else requires focus, flow, and attention to wordplay. Friendly faces, quiet writing.

FREE – You buy your own food and drink

Writing Retreat: Write Down the Line
2026-01-30 08:00 - 2026-02-02 17:00 UTC | The Peppermill Reno, 2707 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, 89502, United States
Writing retreat

Write on the train Friday and Monday

Write at the hotel Saturday and Sunday

$459 (does not include train fare, ride shares, meals, accommodations, misc. incidentals)

Author Interview: Julia Park Tracey
2026-01-08 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Books, Inc., Alameda, 1344 Park Street, Alameda, California, 94501, United States
In conversation with Bronwyn Emery

About the book: Lonely librarian Nelly sets out to walk in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s footsteps—only to find that the prairie isn’t as romantic as she imagined. As she confronts the darker legacies of the Little House series—racism, revisionist nostalgia, and the shadowy influence of Rose Wilder Lane—Nelly must reckon with her own buried truths.

Along the way, there’s a clever, slow-burn romance with a modern-day Almanzo, a rivalry with a would-be Laura, and a blizzard that will test everything Nelly thought she knew about courage and care. By the time she boards the train home, Nelly has rescued more than just a child in danger—she’s reclaimed her own story.

Whoa, Nelly! A Love Story (with Footnotes) is a sharp, soulful heroine’s journey for the literary misfits, the daughters of difficult mothers, and anyone who ever found solace in a well-worn paperback.

Julia Park Tracey is an award-winning journalist and author of nine books, with an emphasis on women’s history and her female ancestors’ stories. Inspired by a mysterious train receipt in her family’s scrapbook, she researched her Orphan Train roots and continues to write novels about her found relatives. A lifelong fan of the Little House books, Tracey put her train-traveling time when crossing the American prairie to good use when she toured for her previous novels.

FREE

Tiny Retreat - In Person
2025-12-13 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden, 1223 Park Street, Alameda, California, 94501, United States
Hyper-local, super productive, 4-hour writing retreat. There’s nothing quite like quietly writing in the company of other writers, with someone else facilitating time and responsibility to really feed your creative need.

Come delight yourself with what you can get done with us on a Saturday morning.

$75 includes one menu item and one beverage.

Tiny Retreat - Online
2025-11-29 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-22 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | California
Online, super productive, 4-hour writing retreat. Stay warm and cozy at home while you write quietly in the company of other writers, with someone else facilitating time and responsibility to really feed your creative need. Join us to surprise yourself with what you can get done with us on a Saturday morning.

$75 – Zoom ID with payment

The Write to Eat Mini Retreat
2025-11-16 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | California
Online bite-sized writing retreat in two sessions, all to raise money for local food banks. Zoom ID exchanged for proof of donation. That’s it. Show me the receipt and enjoy the benefits of feeding your need to write in the company of other writers for a few hours. It’s an exceedingly excellent way to increase your November word count.

You pick: One session or both.

Morning Session -> 9:00am-1:00pm

Afternoon Session -> 3:00pm-6:00pm

Donate amount is up to you.

Support my work — optional.

The Write to Eat Tiny Retreat
2025-11-15 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden, 1223 Park Street, Alameda, California, 94501, United States
In-person bite-sized writing retreat to raise money for local food banks. Price of admission: Proof of donation to a local food bank. Make your donation in any amount and join us at Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden to enjoy the benefits of feeding your need to write in the company of other writers. An exceedingly excellent way to increase your November word count.

Optional: Support my work

Reading Church
2025-10-26 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden, 1223 Park Street, Alameda, California, 94501, United States
Join us for a couple of hours of quiet reading in the company of other book lovers who enjoy a little reading retreat outside the house (where the chores can’t get you).

Bring a book to read.

Bring a book to swap or donate.

We preach by example. Watch us read and do as you do.

FREE – you buy your own food and drink.
