Craft Your Voice with East Austin Writing Project

The East Austin Writing Project began in 2018 as a small circle of ten writers meeting in coffee shops and breweries to share work, build creative momentum, and talk honestly about the craft. What started as a writing group quickly grew into a grassroots community.

In 2019, our founder, Marissa Ayala, formally launched EAWP as a platform for emerging writers and multidisciplinary artists. Today, we’re a volunteer-led literary arts organization serving over 1,200 creatives through free programming and a commitment to equity, experimentation, and access.

We offer creative writing workshops, critique groups, literary readings, and community events that support writers at every stage—from rough ideas to publication-ready drafts. Our Austin writing community includes novelists, poets, essayists, and artists who write across genres.

In 2024, we expanded with a team of volunteer teaching artists to lead interactive sessions. The following year, we launched Subculture Lit in partnership with Alienated Majesty Books—a small press book club for writers focused on subversive, independent, and experimental literature.

Rooted in East Austin’s creative energy, we continue to grow a space where writers connect, create, revise, and celebrate the work that matters most to them.