“I want people to understand we have cultural offerings here—our community is not just a suburb of DC. Also, I just really like hanging out with writers.”
That’s how Annandale-based mom Lisa Lowry explains the reason for her newest venture arriving in Northern Virginia on Tuesday, Oct. 1, The Writer’s Passage, which offers workshops for aspiring writers and creatives alike.
While Lowry has a Ph.D. in public policy, she recently dove headfirst into creative writing following the birth of her child. Yet after taking several classes at a studio in Bethesda, Maryland, she quickly realized there wasn’t a space for local writers to learn and practice the craft.
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As the concept is brand new, The Writer’s Passage does not have a studio location yet, but workshops will be offered on a regular basis in both Annandale and Arlington, with a cap of 15 students for each class. Plus, the courses will be led by experienced writers from right here in Northern Virginia.
“We have about five or six teachers who I found through word of mouth mostly, and there’s actually a ton of writers around here,” says Lowry. “I think your writing is a lot better with a support system. We are offering poetry, fiction writing, a picture book writing class. Right now we are really just trying to see what people are looking for.”
While the classes are currently geared toward beginner and intermediate writers with a strong focus on the basics of storytelling, Lowry hopes to eventually offer more advanced classes to experienced writers in the region.
The first-ever course offered by The Writer’s Passage is titled, “World Building,” honing in on the importance of setting a scene, and will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 6:30 p.m.
“To me, that’s the most exciting part about writing. You literally get to create your own world for characters to live in,” says Lowry. “I’ll be taking it right along with my students.”
For a complete list of upcoming classes hosted by The Writer’s Passage, click here.
