Welcome to Amherst Writers & Artists Our History Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) was founded by writer Pat Schneider in 1981. Pat developed the Amherst Writers & Artists method of running writing groups which she used in her weekly workshops and retreats. Out of her writing group for low-income women in Chicopee, MA grew a non-profit AWA outreach program as well as a training program to teach people how to use the method with both typical and traditionally silenced populations. As more people were trained, AWA method writing groups were started across the country, in Canada and in Europe, and word about the power of the AWA method spread. Today Amherst Writers & Artists is a non-profit corporation with four programs. We continue to support and run Outreach writing groups for traditionally silenced populations, and we continue to operate Training programs on the east and west coasts of the U.S. We run a small Press, publishing fine books of poetry and fiction as well as the literary magazine Peregrine. Finally, our Affiliate network is an international community of experienced leaders of AWA method writing groups who are dedicated to the method and serve as our primary trainers of new leaders. Welcome to our website. You will find information here about all of our programs as well as more information about Pat Schneider, our founder. If you can't find what you are looking for, please feel free to contact us at: P.O. Box 60111 Florence, MA 01062 Phone:(413) 253-3307 Fax: (413) 256-1207 STAY IN TOUCH If you have an e-mail address please let us know what it is. It is important that our database is as accurate and as up to date as possible. Please write to amherstwriters@gmail.com. Thanks! Funding provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council