Engage with Words


Monthly UP-Wide Virtual Meetings

Join writers from across the UP, as featured writers share their experiences and expertise on a variety of writing topics. Here’s the 2026 tentative schedule (someday click here for more details):

April: Michael Lemke: Unblock Yourself with AI: A No-nonsense, High-energy Guide to Integrating AI into Your Creative Flow without Losing Your Soul (Or Your Unique Voice)

May: Dr. Rebecca Frost: If It Bleeds: Researching and Writing True Crime

June: Chad Faries: “But That’s Not How It Happened!” Re-membering Memory and the Imposition of Family in Poetic Memoir.

July: Melanie Page: How to Write an Ethical Review: Going Beyond Your Feelings and Gut Reactions to Literature

August: Stephanie Flint: Crafting Your Fictional World: World-building Tips and Tools for Writers and Game Designers

Sept: Rosi Gambino Lemke: My Country Prim Dream Home: My Experience Pitching an Idea to Netflix

October: TBA

November: Joseph Heywood: Topic TBA

December: TBA


Writing Groups

Scroll through the list below the map to see all UP writing groups. Click on an area to change that list to only the information on the groups in that specific area. Put your group on the map here.


Writers

Bio :
Janeen Pergrin Rastall is the author of In the Yellowed House (dancing girl press, 2014) and Objects May Appear Closer (Celery City Chapbooks, 2015). She is a co-author of True Companions (Gordon Publications, 2017) and Heart Radicals (About Editions, 2018). Her work has appeared in several publications including The Dunes...
Bio :
Jesse Koenig is the product of the blended DNA of Kurt Vonnegut and Margaret Atwood. Raised in joint custody by Hunter S. Thompson and wolves, his writing fiercely examines pop culture and our society. Koenig has discovered satire’s sweet spot. Many sacred cows were sacrificed... – Janeen Pergrin Rastall
Bio :
Marty Achatz served as U.P. Poet Laureate for two consecutive terms. He current is the President of the U.P. Poet Laureate Foundation, and he leads the Marquette Poets Circle at Peter White Public Library in Marquette, Michigan. He has published two collections of poems ("The Mysteries of the Rosary" and...