Dear writers,

This year, 2026, is the Writers' League of Texas' 45th birthday.

What started as a group of writers meeting in a backyard in Austin to commiserate and share resources related to writing has blossomed into a statewide organization serving writers of all experience levels and genre with a curated suite of programming designed to connect, instruct, and inspire. We have a beautiful community, and you're an important part of it.

We do what we do because of you.

Going into 2026, the WLT staff have been putting together a lot of plans to celebrate this major anniversary. New events, new ways to get writers connected, and the return of some much missed programs. The best way we know how to celebrate is to better serve you in all the ways we can.

Starting off, of course, we're bringing you the 31st Agents & Editors Conference, our premiere weekend conference focused on preparing you for the publishing industry today, which is now available for all to sign up. In response to requests for more in-depth classes and workshops, we are introducing in-person classes here in Austin that will provide you deep looks at a variety of writing topics. We're kicking these off with a three class series, “Pathway to the Personal: Writing Essays and Memoir” with Julie Poole. We're also bringing a new presentation series, designed to give you a deeper look into different craft topics while not breaking the bank, Crash Courses, starting with “Lessons from Romance: Putting Believable Relationships on the Page in Any Genre” with Elizabeth Hobbs. Finally, we're working on more and more ways to connect you with other writers, both online and in-person.

With all this excitement, I need to turn your attention to something a bit more sobering. 2025 was a hard year to be a literary arts non-profit. I'm sure you've received many notes and emails from other organizations asking for donations and additional support. I'm also sure you've seen some of these organizations close up shop for good. I said earlier in this note that we do what we do because of you, and it's true. This organization only exists because it is made up of a community of writers that believe in supporting one another. We put every dollar this organization receives in pursuit of that belief. If WLT has supported you in the past, or if you'd like to help support other writers, please consider donating to WLT, perhaps $45 in honor of this anniversary. We need your support to continue doing what we do.

Here's to 45 years, cheers,

Evan

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J Evan Parks

Executive Director

Over the course of the year, I plan to share glimpses at some interesting artifacts from the past 45 years of WLT. This month, I present to you the very first newsletter sent by our organization to its members.

Some context, before WLT represented Texas as a whole, we were the Austin Writers' League, and were a collection of volunteers organizing meet-ups, presentations, and workshops for the writers of Austin. I typically have this framed and hung next to my desk to reflect upon as I work. Some notable details:

• Our membership was intended not only to serve writers, but also editors and publishers.
• The word "peripatetic" was used, showcasing the great diction of the writers in charge of the newsletter.
• The announcement of Sarah Bird's first novel being acquired.
• We used to have four different workshop groups: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Screenwriting.
• Member dues were only $20 (though, according to an inflation calculator, that'd be $70.83 in 2025 dollars!).

Meet our 2026 WLT Fellows!

The annual WLT Fellowship Program, created during our 40th anniversary in 2021, offers a group of five emerging writers the opportunity to spend a full year honing their craft and learning about the business of writing, all while building their literary community.

Applications open each November.

Introducing our 2026 Fellows, a group of writers from across this state. If you happen into one of them, congratulate them!

Kimmy Chang

WLT 2026 Fellow

“My work is interested in eros under harsh, everyday light—what it means to keep choosing someone while the code breaks, the roaches pile up, and the garden keeps cycling through its own metamorphoses. Because I don’t come from a literary or an arts program, it’s been easy to believe I “missed my window,” that serious writing is for people who chose differently at eighteen. The poetry I write is my refusal of that idea.”

Taylor Howell

WLT 2026 Fellow

“When asked to describe my writing with one word, I always say messy, as being human is inherently a messy endeavor. I strive to write stories for readers who are told their feelings are too large whilst providing a spectrum of bisexual representation.”

Michelle Kraft

WLT 2026 Bess Whitehead Scott Creative Writing Fellow

“I write nonfiction and fiction. I am intrigued with how place informs identity. My ancestral roots run deep in Texas, but my family moved about throughout my childhood. I question how–and to what extent–each site became home, a refuge, a ‘querencia.’ How do we each become who we are in relation to place?”

About the Bess Whitehead Scott Fellowship: Formerly a scholarship, the Bess Whitehead Scott Fellowship is awarded to one writer over the age of 40 every year, selected from the pool of fellowship applicants, who we believe embodies the spirit of Bess Whitehead Scott, a Texas writer, a friend of the WLT, and a trailblazer who served as inspiration to so many. You can learn more about Bess and her legacy here.

Catherine Misener

WLT 2026 Fellow

“My writing explores the liminal. Speculative stories about the boundaries between death and (re)birth. Characters on the cusp of change, uncertain of fully embracing their future. The uneasy, shadowy places between thresholds where wounds and flaws and fears so often haunt.

What I strive most to capture in my work is that moment when a character realizes their ‘old ways’ of doing things no longer serve and that if they want to live—really, fully live—something must change. It is this moment of ‘letting go’ that most intrigues me, perhaps because I’m at that moment myself. ”

Abhijith Ravinutala

WLT 2026 Fellow

“My work explores how we make sense of life and loss through culture and faith. As a recovering tech consultant, I’m also begrudgingly intrigued by the impacts of technology on our society. I try my best to tell satisfying stories that touch hearts. Follow my journey on Substack if you’d like!”

We have a number of other programs underway as well, Project WISE (our authors in schools program, inspiring the future generation of Texas writers) has returned with a bang, and Texas Writes (our peripatetic half-day writing workshops) has hit the road once again. Finally, if you published a book in 2025, enter our Book Awards! The deadline to submit is March 4.

Looking Ahead

Write-ins

Live on Zoom / February 2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 17, 21, 23, 26, 28

Every February, we bring our writing community together for free dedicated writing meet-ups throughout the month. Join us for ten virtual sessions, three hours each, thirty hours total. Sit down, log in, write. 

Learn more and RSVP here

February One Page Salon

February 3 / In-person (Austin, TX) / 7:30-9:30 PM CST

On Tuesday, February 3, join us for our next edition of the one-of-a-kind One Page Salon! It will be a night of revelry and literary fun.

Learn more here

“Drama in the Details: A Day in the Life in Historical Fiction” with Sherri L. Smith

February 4 / Live on Zoom / 6:30-9:30 PM CST

It’s the small details of everyday living that really bring historical fiction to life. In this three-hour class, we will talk about historical worldbuilding, pitfalls and assumptions, and how to research the details that will make your story sing.

Register here

In-Person Series: “Pathway to the Personal: Writing Essays and Memoir” with Julie Poole

February 7-21 / In-person (Austin, TX) / 1:00-4:00 PM CST

Writing about our personal experiences is perhaps some of the most important writing we can do. In this three-week course, you will learn how to trust your story and tell it to the fullest, building self-confidence along the way.

Register here

Texas Writes in Honey Grove, TX

February 7 / In-person (Honey Grove, TX) / 10:00-1:00 PM CST

Texas Writes is a statewide program that brings accomplished authors to rural libraries for a half day of presentations and panel discussions focused on the craft of writing.

Learn more here

Ask Us Anything: The Small Press Publishing Experience

February 10 / Live on Zoom / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST

Our Ask Us Anything program gives writers the chance to ask WLT staff members and special guests any and all of their burning questions on a specific topic, both by submitting questions ahead of time and asking them during the live event.

RSVP here

“Submit Your Stories to Literary Journals and Magazines” with Stephanie Macias

February 11 / Live on Zoom / 6:30-9:30 PM CST

In this class, participants will learn how to submit their short stories to literary journals and magazines. The class will also address cover letters, when and where to submit, and how to know if you’re ready, when to go back in for revision, and when to keep pushing forward.

Register here

WLT Crash Course “Lessons from Romance: Putting Believable Relationships on the Page in Any Genre” with Elizabeth Hobbs

February 18 / Live on Zoom / 7:00-8:30 PM CST

The romance genre excels at depicting relationships on the page, and every genre of fiction writing can benefit from its lessons.

Register here

February Third Thursday “Ever After: Romantic Plots & Subplots”

February 19 / In-person (Austin, TX) / 7:00-8:30 PM CST

WLT hosts Third Thursday each month, featuring discussions focusing on specific topics of interest to writers and readers, bringing together distinguished panelists for conversations moderated by a WLT staff member. In February, we’ll be in-person at BookPeople!

RSVP here

Writers’ Happy Hour

February 23 /In-person (Austin, TX) / 6:00-10:00 PM CST

Show up, socialize, get some writing done.

Learn more here

Texas Writes in Giddings, TX

February 28 / In-person (Giddings, TX) / 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM CST

Texas Writes is a statewide program that brings accomplished authors to rural libraries for a half day of presentations and panel discussions focused on the craft of writing.

Learn more here

WLT programming is supported in part by funding from our generous sponsors.