Loading Events
When registering for workshops and events, please note that you must log in prior to adjusting your quantity and adding your purchase to the cart.
Online

The Writers’ Commitment Circle

Seven Friday Sessions

2:00-3:15 EST

Dates: 4/10 – 5/29 (OFF 4/17)

 

The Writers’ Commitment Circle is a seven-week virtual gathering designed to help writers stay motivated, set weekly goals, and build steady momentum in their creative work. Each week, participants set intentions for their writing projects, share progress, discuss challenges and breakthroughs, and connect in a supportive accountability community. 

This circle is ideal for:

  • Writers who want consistent structure and motivation—without formal workshopping or dedicated writing time.
  • Writers actively revising and deepening an in-progress manuscript.
  • Writers ready to begin fresh pages or return to writing after a break.

Fridays

2:00 pm EDT - 3:15 pm EDT
April 10, 2026 - May 29, 2026

Online via Zoom (link sent week of class)

Meet the Instructor

Picture of Melanie Faranello

Melanie Faranello

Melanie Faranello is the author of the award-winning story collection, Everybody Needs Something, which received the 2025 Donald L Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. Her fiction and essays have appeared in Swamp Pink, Electric Literature, Hippocampus, StoryQuarterly, Blackbird, HuffPost Personal, Catamaran, Vol 1 Brooklyn, Vestal Review, and elsewhere, and have been nominated three times for a Pushcart Prize. Her novel manuscript was shortlisted for the Dana Awards for the Novel, William Faulkner's Wisdom Competition, and won an Emerging Writer Award from Key West Literary Seminars. She holds her MFA from The New School. She received an Artist Fellowship Award from CT Office of the Arts and a Writer-in-Residence at Monson Arts. She has taught for over two decades in NYC, Chicago, and Hartford as a teaching artist with various organizations and communities. Originally from Chicago, she lives in West Hartford, CT and is the founder of Poetry on the Streets, a community engagement project. Read more online at www.melaniefaranello.com

$280.00

Register

The numbers below include tickets for this event already in your cart. Clicking "Get Tickets" will allow you to edit any existing attendee information as well as change ticket quantities.
Writers' Commitment Circle
$ 280.00

Select your order quantity above, then click the button to Register. You must be logged in to register.

Frequently Asked Questions

Begin by reading the course descriptions carefully. If you have questions, email us at [email protected] or call the office at (203) 227-3250, and we are happy to help place you in the class that best fits your writing goals and needs.

Our beginner/introductory classes are for writers just starting out or who haven’t written in a very long time and crave more instruction. The intermediate classes are for writers who have taken a few workshops either with us or elsewhere and are ideal for writers who’ve already developed a foundation in the craft. Our advanced classes require the permission of the instructor and a short manuscript submission. Please contact the office if you are interested in registering for advanced classes.

We also offer a number of open level classes. Instructors will cater these classes to varying skill levels and students will benefit from working with writers at different stages of the process.

At Westport Writers’ Workshop, we believe creativity is fostered in small classes. To maintain this intimate creative environment, we cap each workshop at seven participants. Our workshops that focus on the business and marketing side of writing and do not involve sharing work may include up to ten participants. Our one-time lectures and Intro. to Craft series may include up to fifty students.

In most workshops, writers read their work aloud, followed by feedback and extensive discussion among workshop participants and the instructor. The exception to this is specific offerings that focus on the business and marketing side of writing or craft lectures.

You can expect to share work every week.

We are pleased to provide a limited number of need-based partial scholarships for our classes. To apply, please visit our SCHOLARSHIPS page and submit the form.

Yes, all of our instructors are available for coaching and editing. Visit our Coaching and Editing page to learn more about our large menu of services, from query letters to full manuscript critiques and everything in between. Instructors are also available for multi-week, one-on-one Mentoring .

Students who withdraw more than two weeks prior to the start date of the workshop are eligible to receive a refund or a credit applicable toward a future workshop. No refunds will be issued for withdrawals made within two weeks of the workshop start date or after the first session has occurred, regardless of attendance. Failure to attend a workshop does not constitute an official withdrawal. In the event that Westport Writers’ Workshop or an instructor cancels a session, a makeup will be scheduled; if a makeup session cannot be arranged, a pro-rated refund will be issued. Credits issued in lieu of a refund will remain valid for one year from the original date of purchase. Westport Writers’ Workshop reserves the right to remove any participant who fails to comply with the organization’s code of conduct; in such cases, no refund or credit will be provided.

Refunds and Credit Policy

Students who withdraw more than two weeks prior to the start date of the workshop are eligible to receive a refund or a credit applicable toward a future workshop. No refunds will be issued for withdrawals made within two weeks of the workshop start date or after the first session has occurred, regardless of attendance. Failure to attend a workshop does not constitute an official withdrawal. In the event that Westport Writers’ Workshop or an instructor cancels a session, a makeup will be scheduled; if a makeup session cannot be arranged, a pro-rated refund will be issued. Credits issued in lieu of a refund will remain valid for one year from the original date of purchase. Westport Writers’ Workshop reserves the right to remove any participant who fails to comply with the organization’s code of conduct; in such cases, no refund or credit will be provided.

Code of Conduct

Our workshop fosters an environment where writers can achieve their artistic goals without fear of unwanted exposure, uninvited criticism, or plagiarism. Students may not discuss or provide information about another writer's work to anyone outside the workshop without the writer's express permission.​

Students are expected to be respectful at all times toward instructors and fellow participants, including, but not limited to, being attentive and courteous. Instructors and Westport Writers’ Workshop reserve the right to remove any student who is disruptive, including instances of belligerence, unwelcome contact either in person or via email/phone, inebriation, or other behavior deemed inappropriate by staff.

Attendance

There are no refunds if a student cannot attend a regularly scheduled class or make-up class.​ Out of respect for our students’ privacy, weekly workshops are not recorded and are not available for absent students to review.

Age Policy

Our workshops are a forum for students to share a broad range of life experiences and creative concepts which may include mature topics. All students attending our standard programming must be a minimum of 18 years of age. Younger students may join our specialized teen and youth programming.

Schedule/Holidays

Workshop meeting dates are listed on our website under each specific course. Occasionally, dates may change due to extenuating circumstances. In the event of an unforeseen cancellation, a makeup class will be scheduled. If a makeup cannot be offered, the workshop fee will be prorated to reflect the reduced number of sessions. Westport Writers’ Workshop observes holidays and breaks in alignment with the Westport Public School calendar.

Sign Up For Our
Weekly Newsletter &
Receive 10 Free Prompts
Sign up
for our
Weekly
Newsletter
and receive 10 free prompts