Writers in Community

Writers in Community is a non-profit program dedicated to helping the diverse communities of Coastal Virginia by cultivating literacy and creativity. A branch of the Old Dominion University Creative Writing Program, Writers in Community works in cooperation with local organizations to reach out to children and adults who can benefit from the opportunity to express themselves artistically. By introducing people to the pleasures of reading and writing, Writers in Community promotes literacy, self-esteem, and self-expression.

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The name Writers in Community embodies the program's main goal, which is to establish a group of writers who work as a community in the community. The WinC volunteers are qualified M.F.A. students in creative writing who share a knowledge of literature and a love of writing. Many of these graduate students also teach English classes at Old Dominion University and are experienced educators and mentors. Each WinC experience is designed to meet the needs of a specific community. Volunteers can lead group workshops, work with individual writers, serve as writers-in-residence, lead discussions, coordinate literary festivals or other literary events, and act as a creative resource.

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Writers in Community at Old Dominion University began with the work of Paul Sznewajs, a graduate student who initiated a volunteer artist-in-residence writing program for the patients at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. He modeled his efforts after the New Horizons program at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In the United States today, there are over fifty similar artist-in-residence programs serving various communities, such as schools, hospitals, and YMCAs. Gillian Devereux and Jamii Claiborne were also instrumental in laying the foundations for WinC, continuing Paul's work at CHKD when he graduated from the MFA program.