Writing and community go hand-in-hand for the Pitman Writers’ Guild. What began as a place for writers to enhance their skills has evolved into a key community organization.
“The Pitman Writers’ Guild hopes to create better writers and stronger editors,” Jason R. James, a founding member of the Pitman Writers’ Guild (PWG), said. “We want to create a community that supports one another as we grow in our individual writing. We want our members to write consistently. Finally, we want to engage with our community to promote the art of writing.”
Founded in late 2017 by local writers – James, Mike Shaw, and Kara Knauss – the writers’ guild members provide support to each other and to the community.
At its core, the PWG connects local writers and provides the opportunity for each one to flourish.
“Pitman Writers’ Guild is focused on creating better writers and stronger editors, supporting each other as we grow in our individual writing efforts,” Shaw said. “We do that through constructive critiquing, workshops, an annual writing retreat, and other activities. I’m proud that we’ve created a community of writers passionate about their own craft and in helping our fellow members strengthen their own writing.”
Founded in late 2017 by local writers, the Pitman Writers’ Guild members provide support to each other and to the community.
Pitman Writers’ Guild was created as a community of local writers to critique one another’s writing, and to hold each other accountable for consistent writing efforts, according to the PWG website.
“Writing is a solitary pursuit and having other like-minded people to talk to about your craft is beneficial,” said PWG president Jenna Rentzel, adding she has learned more from membership in PWG than from a writing class. “We all have a different skill set and our primary focus is to improve our craft.”
Doug Roberts, PWG vice president, said the guild “gives community members that are also serious about improving their writing a safe place to learn.”
Safety is of great importance to writers. “A deeply vulnerable artform” is how founding member Knauss characterized writing.
“One of the most meaningful aspects of being in the Pitman Writers’ Guild is the deep trust that exists between members,” she said.
Guild members write in various genres, including mystery and horror with a focus on supernatural elements (Michael Shaw); young adult or middle grade fiction (Jenna Rentzel); creative nonfiction, screenplays, science-fiction and fantasy (Jason James); speculative fiction (Doug Roberts); and contemporary fiction, magical realism, fantasy and poetry (Kara Knauss).
The guild’s 16 members meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month at Pitman Borough Hall.
Building community connections around the PWG has grown since the group’s inception.
“As a non-profit organization, giving back to our community is central to the PWG,” James said.
Annually, there are three primary outreach community events: Community clean-up; the Middle Grade Writing Contest; and the Excellence in Creative Writing Merit Award.
For the community clean-up, the PWG partners with Pitman Borough and/or Gloucester County each year for a volunteer clean-up program in Pitman, Shaw said. Next, the Middle Grade Writing Contest, open to 7th and 8th graders enrolled at Pitman Junior/Senior High School, is an opportunity for young writers to submit their work based on a choice of prompts.
Last, the Excellence in Creative Writing Merit Award is presented to a deserving Pitman High School senior selected by their own teachers in the English Department, in the area of creative writing.
“We’re really proud of how far we’ve come and intend to keep growing community outreach like this,” Roberts said. “I love that these contests get kids excited about creative writing, and hope the experience gives them fuel to keep at it for the rest of their lives.”
The PWG website outlines a vision, a vision that James said was worth noting: “The Pitman Writers’ Guild hopes to create better writers and stronger editors. We want to create a community that supports one another as we grow in our individual writing. We want our members to write consistently. Finally, we want to engage with our community to promote the art of writing.”
These goals illustrate the commitment the PWG has to each member and to the community at large.
For more information, visit https://www.pitmanwrites.com/.
