Because writing is a solitary pursuit, it’s nice to get out from behind the desk once in a while and meet with others who understand your obsession. A number of such groups exist in the Vegas valley. Here are three of them.

Las Vegas Writers Group

This group meets once a month at the Tap House on Charleston. Meetings feature a speaker or panel of speakers addressing a topic of interest to published and aspiring writers of any genre. Membership is simple – go to the group’s Web site and sign up. The fee to attend a meeting is $5 at the door. Group members include best-selling thriller author Jay MacLarty, romance author Tami Cowden, screenwriter John Hill, novelist Eric James Miller, and a number of other local authors. The group’s focus is on networking to assist members with issues pertaining to the writing process, literary agents, and publication through traditional publishing houses. The group is friendly and supportive, and visitors are welcome.

I love this group, and conversations I’ve had with other members have been extremely helpful to me in my dealings with agents and publishers.

Henderson Writers Group

This multi-genre group was founded by Mystic Publishers owner Jo Wilkins. The group meets every Monday night at locations around the valley, including a coffee shop in Henderson and two libraries in Las Vegas. The meetings usually revolve around critiquing. Members sign up in advance to read their work aloud and receive comments and suggestions from other members. This is a wonderful opportunity to “test out” new material and to get over beginner’s jitters. A number of members have self-published books, and many are working toward traditional publication. The group publishes Writer’s Bloc, a biennial anthology of members’ work.

The Henderson Writers Group sponsors the Las Vegas Writers Conference each spring, an opportunity for attendees to network with editors and agents as well as attend workshops and talks on a variety of writing-related topics.

Membership in the Henderson Writers Group is $36 a year. Visitors may attend meetings, but only members may read their work.

Romance Writers of America, Cactus Rose Chapter
The Las Vegas chapter of the RWA meets one Saturday a month at one of the Las Vegas libraries. Meetings usually include a speaker or a workshop on a topic of interest to writers in general or romance writers in particular. A number of Cactus Rose’s members are published authors, including Tami Cowden. While the group focuses on the romance genre, membership is open to all writers and aspiring writers. To join Cactus Rose, you must also join the Romance Writers of America. Visitors are welcome to attend two meetings before joining.

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