Whether you’re a professional writer or someone who likes to jot down her thoughts and observations, Lighthouse Writers Workshop has an event for you: Write Denver. For this “collaborative write-the-city-project,” Lighthouse has teamed up with organizations and events in various neighborhoods around town for group writing experiences. The program launched in mid-2015, but it got a major boost after taking home $36,000 at the second annual Colorado Art Tank in January. “We’re just trying to get people writing, whether they identify as a writer or not,” says Corey Dahl, Lighthouse’s communications coordinator. “[We want to] let people know that their voices matter.”

This month, you have two opportunities to get involved with the program.

On July 16, Lighthouse joins forces with the Denver Central Library and History Colorado for Our House: The Empathy Project. (It’s free.) Participants will walk from the library to the History Colorado Center (the group will leave at 11:30 a.m. from the library’s Broadway entrance) to view Searching For Home, an exploration of homelessness in Colorado from both a historic and contemporary point of view. Around 1 p.m., everyone will return to the library and write responses to history-inspired prompts (light food and drink will be provided). Around 2 p.m., participants will be invited to share their work with the group if they’re interested. The writings will be published by History Colorado in the fall, and eventually transformed into a local art installation at the library, though details are still being worked out.

If you’re already booked that weekend, check out the Write Denver final reading and installation at the American Museum of Western Art on July 20, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. It’s the culmination of monthly “Writing the West” sessions that were held at AMWA. Local writers will share their works alongside the paintings that inspired their stories. A happy hour in the galleries will follow; tickets are $5.

If you’ve been searching for a new way to explore our beautiful city, or a creative way to spend a few hours, or a touch of inspiration, Write Denver awaits.

Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer is an award-winning writer and editor based in Denver. You can find more of her work at daliahsinger.com.