The core of what would become the Indiana Writers' Workshop came together in 1987 at Indiana University Indianapolis (at the time Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis).

 

That fall Professor Elizabeth Arthur, a novelist and memoirist, taught two upper-level creative writing classes, units 301 and 401. Anyone who has released a creative project out into the world to be critiqued, whether a short story, a song, a quilt or anything else, knows how daunting it can be. You’ve created something that, to you, is deeply meaningful. You want to polish it, make it even better, but are afraid it will be crushed by the negative words of a negative world.

 

Liz’s classes were different. She taught her students to build things up, not tear them down. She replaced fear with encouragement by beginning each class discussion with a simple question: “What did you like about this story?”

 

It was incredibly effective. When you start by hearing your strengths, it takes the sting out of confronting your weaknesses. You have a foundation on which to build, not a pile of rubble to sort through. And, if you take the time to think deeply about what is or isn’t successful in other people’s work, you improve your own efforts.

 

Our classes produced plenty of clunkers, but we also learned that our work had merit. With Liz’s guidance, we gave each other the courage to keep creating.

 

As the semester wound down, we told Liz how much we’d miss the class discussions. She said, “Why not form a writers’ group? That way you can keep the progress going.”

 

A great idea! Four of us in the 401 class – Marjorie Stonehill, Kathy Nappier, Dave Churchman and Joyce Jensen – decided to try. With contact information from everyone in both classes, we sent out a letter inviting them to the first meeting in January 1988. During those early years, when everyone was still a neophyte, we began critiques with the same simple question: “What works for you in this story?”

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~written by founding member Joyce K. Jensen