The Zine Machine: On Zine Creation and Publication Workshop at MWC

Posted on by Ryan Collins

Join Morgan Webb (RatTrap Magazine) and Melissa Conway (Recycled Valentine Press) for a 4-week workshop where you’ll learn how to turn your human brain into a ZINE MACHINE!! Participants will be guided through the full zine creation process from coming up with an idea and finding your medium, all the way to publication and distribution. Morgan Webb and Melissa Conway will share a variety of zine-making techniques and bring insight from their own publications as well as insight from other local artists in the community. Pitch your zine to the Midwest Writing Center for publication during the showcase at the end of the workshop! MWC will publish 2-3 zine projects.

Writing Malleable and True: Hybrid Writing Workshop from MWC & Brink Books

Posted on by Ryan Collins

Brink Books’ full-length anthology of hybrid writing, Malleable and True, is an innovative collection for readers, writers, and educators that explores the complexity and craft of hybrid writing. This anthology is also a workbook in which the writers of each piece explore the craft behind the work and offer prompts based on their work.

The Midwest Writing Center, in collaboration with Brink Books, brings this project to life by bringing four Brink contributors to the Quad Cities to teach from Malleable and True. Each of four sessions will focus on a piece of writing from Brink and, using its author’s methods, assist participants in generating new work.

THE ATLAS 21 Pre-Order is live! Order your copy today | Release Party 8/13 at RIPL & Rozz-Tox!

Posted on by Ryan Collins

LOCATION UPDATE!

The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program will host a two-part party to celebrate the release of the latest issue of THE ATLAS, the Program’s literary magazine, on Thursday, August 13 at the downtown Rock Island Public Library and Rozz-Tox.

The event will start at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the downtown Rock Island Public Library with the release of THE ATLAS 21, where the 2026 YEW interns will give a brief reading of their work from the magazine. Copies will be available for $10, along with other local literary artists selling their work. Light refreshments will be served.

Then, at 8:00 p.m., the party will move down the street to Rozz-Tox, featuring an open mic for YEW alumni and staff, followed by live music from KAS.

MWC Press Bookstore Open for Business!

Posted on by Ryan Collins

After much hassle & delay, our MWC Press bookstore is back up & running! All of our most recent titles are ready and available for purchase today — check out all the info here:

https://www.mwcqc.org/mwc-press/online-catalog/

We’re still updating some titles in our back catalog, but everything will be live soon!

MWC Offers New Writing Group — Memory Keepers: Next Meeting Thursday 6/18 at Butterworth Center

Posted on by Ryan Collins

One of the greatest gifts you can give to your children and future generations is to keep your family stories alive. Please join our new Memory Keepers Group as we come together with a common interest and goal to preserve our family stories through the written word.

The next meeting will be Thursday, July 16 from 1:00-2:30pm at Butterworth Center, 1105 8th St., Moline, IL (new graphic coming soon).

Join us for our Annual Meeting August 5 at Butterworth Education Center

Posted on by Ryan Collins

MWC’s offices will be closed through August 3 as we’re celebrating Sarah’s MFA graduation. Please join us in wishing her a big congratulations!

Join us for the MWC Annual Meeting – Wed. 8/5, 6pm, at the Butterworth education Center (701 12th Ave, Moline, IL 61265). The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be available.

This year’s Annual Meeting invites you to participate in a community-wide conversation about why writing matters. We’ll have leaders across all professions as well as MWC Board Members and staff, but we want you to be part of it, too. And, of course, learn about the last year at MWC and see what’s ahead.