Get expert writing advice in one-on-one consultations and workshops with writers
Rosemarie Dombrowski and
Shawnte Orion in our Writer in Residence program, running from
August through October 2025.
Rosemarie Dombrowski (RD) is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Phoenix, AZ, the founding editor of rinky dink press, and the founding director of Revisionary Arts, a nonprofit that facilitates self-care and healing through poetry. She’s published four collections of poetry and is a Teaching Professor at Arizona State University. Her work has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies, at
poets.org, NPR, TEDx, and elsewhere.
Shawnte Orion is the author of
Gravity & Spectacle (a collaboration with photographer Jia Oak Baker from Tolsun Books) and
The Existentialist Cookbook (NYQBooks). He is an editor for rinky dink press and his poems have appeared in
Threepenny Review,
Barrelhouse,
Sugar House Review,
New York Quarterly, and on the flipside of a split 7-inch vinyl record with San Francisco band Sweat Lodge. Visit his website at
https://batteredhive.blogspot.com for more information.
One-on-One Consultations
Meet one-on-one with Rosemarie Dombrowski or Shawnte Orion for writing advice or manuscript review. Registration is required.
August One-on-One Consultations
September One-on-One Consultations
October One-on-One Consultations
Please note: Consulting sessions are limited to the allotted session time. Patrons are limited to one session per week but may stop by to check last-minute availability for any session that has not been reserved online.
Writing Workshops
No registration is required.
Shawnte Orion Presents: Creative Writing Inspired by the Cinema
Monday, August 4, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Velma Teague Library
This workshop will explore editing innovations by classic film directors and apply those concepts to contemporary writing, through playful exercises and interactive prompts that embrace purpose, chance, and mistake. Poets and writers of all genres are welcome.
Rosemarie Dombrowski Presents: Poetic Medicine: Writing for Wellness
Saturday, August 23, 3:30-4:45 p.m.
Foothills Library
This workshop will highlight the ways in which the reading and writing of poetry (aka Poetic Medicine) can improve our mental and physical health. We’ll review some studies that support the effectiveness of this practice as a means to combating stress, illness, grief, and ageing, and we’ll also engage in brief poetic readings, discussions, and writing exercises. Writers of all genres are welcome.
Shawnte Orion Presents: Creative Writing Rooted in Place
Thursday, September 4, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Foothills Library
This workshop will map the inner and outer spaces where memories dwell. Try out generative exercises that sift through the debris of time and space, but also leave room for invention that is not confined to reality. Writers will leave with a better idea of how to incorporate their own experiences and memories into their works, whether fictional or nonfictional. All genres and skill levels welcome.
Rosemarie Dombrowski Presents: The Magic of Micro-Memoir
Saturday, September 13, 3:30-4:45 p.m.
Foothills Library
This workshop will cover the basic tools of literary memoir with a focus on micro-memoir — memoirs in the 250-word range. We’ll read and discuss some of these tiny memoirs, which can be used as a building block for long-form memoir, and we’ll engage in some expressive writing exercises in which we’ll play with the micro-form. Writers of all genres are welcome.
Rosemarie Dombrowski Presents: The Art of Writing about Art
Saturday, October 25, 3:30-4:45 p.m.
Foothills Library
In this workshop, we’ll read and discuss a selection of poems that engage with visual art, writing that’s commonly termed ekphrastic. We’ll also peruse some online galleries and experiment with a few different modes of ekphrastic writing. Writers of all genres are welcome.
Shawnte Orion Presents: Workshop to Be Announced
Monday, October 27, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Main Library
Details about this workshop will be coming soon.
This project is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.