Freshly Squeezed

Late night at the corner diner. Struggling with that character who just won't speak to you or searching for that perfect word. Laboring over gallons of coffee, greasy comfort food, and blank notebook pages. Called by the feelings or ideas that compel a writer to set down her thoughts whenever she can find the time, wondering whether there are others out there doing the same.

This is why writers' workshops are so important-they are a place where one's passion and efforts can be shared, acknowledged, and improved in the presence of supportive, honest, risk-taking fellow writers.

The goal of the "Write Here, Write Now" workshops is to provide such a place. Founded in Baltimore in 2005, the workshops have grown to explore various genres and serve the area's resurging literary arts scene.

Welcome to the first anthology of select prose and poetry from these workshops. Readers will recognize themselves and their own journeys, and be inspired and moved by the honesty, beauty, and courage in this collection. Here is the reward for all those late nights, early mornings, and stolen moments of writing during the day. Remember to take it with you the next time you head to the diner.

"I want to thank you all for a fantastic workshop experience. Each of you provided me with useful input. I have no doubt that my manuscript will be better off for it."
- Fernando Quijano