Blood. Sweat. Tears. Publish!

Join us
Featured News
Literary Salon Series: Readings and Conversation with Queer Authors
June 19th, Friday, 5-7 pm, (In person) -- June's Grotto Literary Salon will celebrate the works of Queer writers, featuring K.M. Soehnlein, Josh Wilson, Chino Lee Chung, Sezin Devi Koehler, and Andrea Isabel Díaz. Dominic Lim will emcee the evening. The readings will span genres such as poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and will take place at The Writers' Grotto, 1663 Mission Street Suite 602, San Francisco (near the Van Ness BART & MUNI station). Snacks and refreshments will be provided. This event is FREE and open to the public, but refreshments ae
See More
Upcoming Classes & Events
MM/DD
MM/DD
Today
ddd, MMM. DD
9:30-10:30am PT
Spring Write-In with Xandra Castleton
See Details
7:00-9:00pm PT
Me, Myself, and I: Understanding Memoir with Julie Lythcott-Haims on August 19
See Details
7:00-9:00pm PT
Me, Myself, and I: Understanding Memoir with Julie Lythcott-Haims July 14
See Details
7:00-9:00pm PT
Me, Myself, and I: Understanding Memoir with Julie Lythcott-Haims
See Details
7:00-8:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Laurie Ann Doyle
See Details
7:00-8:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Jenny Bitner
See Details
7:00-8:00pm PT
Fall Write-In with Laurie Ann Doyle
See Details
6:30-9:00pm PT
Writing The Wilderness with Zoe Young
See Details
6:30-8:30pm PT
Scrivener Secrets: The Perfect Refresher Course with Janine Kovac
See Details
6:30-8:30pm PT
Aloud/Out Loud Reading Series: Candles in the Dark
See Details
6:30-8:00pm PT
The Driving Force of a Great First Line with Lenore Weiss
See Details
6:30-8:00pm PT
Find Your Story Find Your Voice with Britta Stromeyer
See Details
6:30-7:30pm PT
Lit Crawl SF 2026 Applicant Information Session
See Details
6:30-7:30pm PT
Winter Write-In with Laurie Ann Doyle
See Details
6:00pm PT
Grotto Nights at SFPL: So Good It Has to Go on a Holiday Card
See Details
6:00-8:30pm PT
Creative Writing 1: Getting Started, Getting Unstuck with Kristen Cosby
See Details
6:00-8:30pm PT
Introduction to Creative Writing with Kristen Cosby
See Details
6:00-8:30pm PT
Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Writing with Kristen Cosby
See Details
6:00-8:30pm PT
Start from Scratch: Write a Short Story in 6 Weeks with Lindsey Crittenden
See Details
6:00-8:30pm PT
Introduction to Creative Writing with Kristen Cosby
See Details
6:00-8:00pm PT
The Writers Grotto Presents: An Evening with Publishing Expert Jane Friedman
See Details
6:00-8:00pm PT
Writing the Unformulaic Novel with Jenny Bitner
See Details
6:00-8:00pm PT
Momentum: A Continuing Writing Workshop with Jenny Bitner
See Details
6:00-8:00pm PT
Autofiction: Combining Memoir and Fiction with Jenny Bitner
See Details
6:00-8:00pm PT
Write Your Memoir: A Course in Craft with Lindsey Crittenden
See Details
6:00-8:00pm PT
Fiction Workshop with Doug Henderson
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Grotto Nights at SFPL: MONEY, please! Fundraising and the Art of the Ask
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Write Your Heart Out with Britta Stromeyer
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Where The Poem Begins with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Grotto Nights at SFPL: Getting the Scoop: The Highs and Lows of Undercover Reporting
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Rewriting Diversity with Brandy Collins
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Rewriting Diversity with Brandy Collins
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Grotto Nights at SFPL: Strong Visions and Thick Skin: Writing Against the Status Quo.
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Difficult Conversations as Writers with Brandy Collins
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Difficult Conversations as Writers with Brandy Collins
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Difficult Conversations as Writers with Brandy Collins
See Details
6:00-7:30pm PT
Grotto Nights at the Library: Campfire Stories and Other Ghostly Narratives
See Details
6:00-7:30 pm PT
Grotto Nights at SFPL: Jack of all Genres: Master of More
See Details
6:00-7:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Preeti Vangani
See Details
6:00-7:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Lyzette Wanzer
See Details
6:00-7:00pm PT
Grotto Nights at SFPL: Unchecked: The Future of Journalism in a Factless World
See Details
5:30-7:30pm PT
Professional Submissions: Get Published with Lyzette Wanzer
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Literary Salon Series: Readings and Conversation with Queer Authors
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Literary Salon: November 20th
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Literary Salon: September 18th
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Literary Salon: August 21st
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Literary Salon: July 24th
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Literary Salon: June 19th
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Literary Salon: May 15th
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Reading + Meeting
See Details
5:00-7:00pm PT
Reading + Meeting: Nov. 21st, 2025
See Details
5:00-6:30pm PT
Micro-Tensions in the Novel with Sam Moussavi
See Details
5:00-6:30pm PT
Visuals in Screenwriting with Sam Moussavi
See Details
5:00-6:30pm PT
How to Tell the Story Only You Can Tell with Lisa Lerner
See Details
4:30-6:00pm PT
Members Only: Book Discussion: Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
See Details
4:00-7:00pm PT
Grotto Spring Volunteer Fair
See Details
3:00-4:30pm PT
Members Only: Essay/Memoir Group
See Details
3:00-4:30pm PT
Members Only: Essay/Memoir Group
See Details
3:00-4:30pm PT
Members Only: Essay/Memoir Group
See Details
3:00-4:30pm PT
Members Only: Essay/Memoir Group
See Details
3:00-4:30pm PT
Members Only: Essay/Memoir Group
See Details
3:00-4:15pm PT
So Bad You Have To Laugh About It: Turn Life’s Garbage Into Literary Gold with Jessica Martinez and Britta Stromeyer
See Details
2:00-5:00pm PT
Every Sentence Counts: A Hands-On Practicum
See Details
12 PM to 1:30 PM PT
Litquake x Telegraph Hill Arts and Literature present: An Afternoon with Larua Dave
See Details
12:00-1:30pm PT
Write With Image, Not Explanation with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
12:00-1:30pm PT
Write Stronger Poems Through Form with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
12:00-1:30pm PT
Rooted Words: Place, Landscape, and Setting in Contemporary Poetry with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
12:00-1:30pm PT
Unlock the Poet Within: Transforming Tradition with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Kristen Cosby
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Lisa Lerner
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Lisa Lerner
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Kristen Cosby
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Lisa Lerner
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Lisa Lerner
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Fall Write-In with Maw Shein Win
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Fall Write-In with Laurie Ann Doyle
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Fall Write-In with Jenny Bitner
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Fall Write-In with Kristen Cosby
See Details
12:00-1:00pm PT
Members Only: Grotto Book Publicity/Author Marketing Group
See Details
11:30am-1:30pm PT
Make It Move: Poetry That Thinks, Breaks, and Breathes with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
11:30am-1:00pm PT
Fragments, Rooms, & Returns: Writing Nonlinear Prose with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
11:30am-1:00pm PT
Build the Poem: Instructions, Constraints, and Poetic Systems with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
11:30am-1:00pm PT
The Music of the Line: Sound, Silence, & Rhythm in Poetry with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
11:00am-12:30pm PT
How to Tell the Story Only You Can Tell with Lisa Lerner
See Details
11:00am-12:30pm PT
Between Line & Sentence: Prose Poetry and Poetic Prose with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
11:00am-12:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
11:00am-12:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
11:00am-12:00pm PT
Spring Write-In with Jenny Bitner
See Details
11:00am-12:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Doug Henderson
See Details
11:00am-12:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Jenny Bitner
See Details
11:00am-12:00pm PT
Winter Write-In with Nate Olivarez-Giles
See Details
11:00am-1:00pm PT
Held Things: The Poetics of Objects, Memory, & Meaning with Sabina Khan-Ibarra
See Details
10:30am-2:30pm PT
Conference Panel Proposals: Strategize for Success with Lyzette Wanzer
See Details
10:30am-12:30pm PT
Writing Microfiction with Britta Stromeyer
See Details
10:30am-12:30pm PT
Writing Microfiction with Britta Stromeyer
See Details
1:00pm PT
Members Only: Bullet Journal Meeting
See Details
1:00pm PT
Members Only: Bullet Journal Meeting
See Details
1:00pm PT
Members Only: Bullet Journal Meeting
See Details
Member Spotlight
Chino Lee Chung
Chino Lee Chung is a queer and trans Chinese Mexican personal essay writer, grassroots activist, and is currently working on a collection of essays that integrate his social activism with his intersectional identities. He’s a recipient of the 2024-2025 San Jose State Steinbeck Fellowship and a member of San Francisco Writers Grotto Ethics Committee and Board. He holds an MFA from the California College of Arts and San Francisco State University. His work appears in "Invitation to Joy – Writer’s Creating in Community", "Gender Queer: voices from beyond the sexual binary", "Our Family Coalition Newsletter", a featured narrator in “So Many Stars; An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color,” and served as an Assistant Fiction Editor at 14 Hills Literary Magazine.
See MoreSee All Members
Featured Work
"You're going to the bookstore, aren't you?" with Lewis Buzbee
by:
T.K. Rex
Doug Henderson
Lewis Buzbee, Doug Henderson and T. K. Rex discuss the craft of books, and why we still love bookstores, even after (especially after) working at them.
See MoreSee All Works
Join Us.
The Writers Grotto is a home for writers of all levels. Find your perfect class, grow as a writer in our fellowship program, or join our community of established writers as a member.
Take A ClassBecome A MemberOther Ways to Get Involved
Get a Lit Start.
Lit Start books written by The Writers Grotto. Lit Starts on Memoir, Humor, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Dialogue, Character & Action
Little Books of Writing Prompts created by the Writers Grotto.
See Lit Starts
Lit Start books written by The Writers Grotto. Lit Starts on Memoir, Humor, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Dialogue, Character & Action
ABOUT US
NEWS
BUY OUR BOOKS
DONATE