Phoenix's Literary Scene: Writers, Readings, and Community

Phoenix's literary community operates somewhat invisibly from outside its circles but with genuine depth and productivity within them. The combination of two major universities, a growing independent bookstore culture, and a regional identity that provides distinctive subject matter has produced a writing community of more substance than the city's general cultural reputation suggests. Arizona State University's creative writing MFA program, affiliated with the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, has attracted nationally recognized faculty and produces graduates who publish with major presses. The Piper Center's Desert Nights, Rising Stars conference in February brings writers from across the country to campus for readings and workshops open to the public. Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe and Phoenix is the institutional center of Phoenix's reader and writer community. The event programming — multiple readings and discussions per week — sustains a consistent audience. For emerging work: the writing workshops and open mic nights organized through various Roosevelt Row venues and the Changing Hands community provide access to the local writing community in its working state.