Have you been wanting to improve your creative writing skills lately? Or perhaps you have a strong foundation, but struggle with finding time to write and need some structure to help you out. Maybe you are an avid writer, and are looking for a writing community to share your work with and bounce ideas off. Write Pittsburgh is the perfect place to fulfill all of these needs — and it’s completely free.

According to the local organization, “Write Pittsburgh is a program collective that amplifies voices, empowers writers, and encourages relationships that build writer agency and foster relationships that grow and strengthen community. Write Pittsburgh teen programs are free and happen weekly (Rainbow Writers on Mondays; Girls Write on Wednesdays; Boys Write on Thursdays).” You can sign up for any of these here.

During these weekly workshops, writers are given prompts to help them spark ideas. Sometimes this includes reading another author’s work to garner inspiration, or looking at a peculiar image and building a backstory for it. No matter the prompt, you are bound to emerge from the hour-long session with a fresh and exciting start to a new poem, short story, or even a novel. Writers can also bring in outside work they want feedback on, or use this space to continue anything else they are currently working on.

Outside of these regular meetings, there are also special workshops structured around a specific theme that take place once a month or so. Recently, there was one based on Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, where participants had copies of the book delivered to their house so they could read, discuss, and write about different themes that this workshop brought up for them. There is also an upcoming 3-week workshop called The Magic of Place, led by published author Angela Velez, that begins this Tuesday. A few spots remain, and you can sign up now to participate.

On top of all of this, Write Pittsburgh offers opportunities to read your work for audiences, submit to various contests, engage in summer programs, and publish your writing. They even hosted a teen council recently where they brought young writers together to brainstorm ideas for a local writing space, and paid participants for their time. If you want to make connections in the writing world, high quality feedback on your work, or just a space to improve your skills, Write Pittsburgh has got you covered.