Donna Hemans
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donna-hemans.bsky.social
Donna Hemans
@donna-hemans.bsky.social
Author: The House of Plain Truth, Tea by the Sea, and River Woman.
Owner: DC Writers Room
Pergola Lit, the new lit journal of Hood College’s low-res MFA program, is accepting submissions for its first issue. The editorial staff, some of them my students, are eager to read your work. Deadline is Nov 30. More details at pergolalit.com.
Home | Pergola Literary Journal
Pergola Literary Magazine is a literary magazine publishing well-crafted prose, poems, and visual art.
pergolalit.com
October 5, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Join us for a fiction craft chat at Kramers with October Author's Corner spotlight, Tamar Shapiro, and author Donna Hemans! They'll share all about Shapiro's recently published novel, Restitution. Save your spot to hear more about the craft of fiction at this not-to-be-missed event!
October 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM
New York friends, the Brooklyn Caribbean Lit Festival is next week. This year’s theme: Root & Remedy—Prescriptions for an Uncertain World. Come for the stories and the community, and a little healing. Sept. 5 - 7 at the Center for Fiction.
August 28, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
If writing is part of your life, then we’re the place for you. The DC Writers Room welcomes all kinds of writers, providing them with a quiet, neat, and productive space to do what they do best — write! Want to learn more about memberships? Visit www.dcwritersroom.com/memberships
August 8, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Want to escape a hectic household and write, but don’t know if a long-term membership is right for you? Consider a drop-in membership, providing you with one-day access to the DC Writers Room studio and all its amenities. Visit www.dcwritersroom.com/memberships for more info.
June 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
My second novel is 5 years old today. This is the worn, marked-up copy that I read from. Still love this cover and how it reps each character: Plum, searching for her daughter; Lenworth, who can’t bear to look at his own daughter’s face; and Opal herself, uncertain of her own place in the world.
June 9, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Want to get the latest interviews with members of the DC literary community in your inbox? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Lit Life: dcwritersroom.substack.com

Recent interviews feature Martha Anne Toll, Melissa Scholes Young, Paula Whyman, and more.
DC Writers Room Lit Life | Substack
Connect with writers, editors, publishers, and all folks literary in the DC area. Click to read DC Writers Room Lit Life, a Substack publication. Launched a year ago.
dcwritersroom.substack.com
June 6, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Who says summer can’t be productive? The DC Writers Room is the perfect place to escape the heat and write. Whether you’re buckling down for a long project, or just want to pop in on weekends, we’ve got you. Visit www.dcwritersroom.com/memberships to find out which membership is right for you.
May 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Who’s ready for another Writerly Happy Hour? We know we are! Come join us, The Inner Loop, PEN/Faulkner, and The Writer’s Center at No Kisses Bar on 6/12 to enjoy some drinks and connect with other members of the local literary community. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/1345637721...
May 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Have you registered yet for our 5/30 Pub Night with Grace & Gravity? Celebrate the launch of the latest volume, Grit & Gravity and hear from editor Melissa Scholes Young about the anthology and publication opportunities. Register here: www.dcwritersroom.com/events/dc-wr...
May 6, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Fiction? Check ✔️ Journalism? Check ✔️ Academic writing? Check ✔️ Poetry? Check ✔️ We could keep going, but you get the picture. Our space welcomes writers of all genres. Learn more about memberships at www.dcwritersroom.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Have you subscribed to Lit Life, the DC Writers Room's monthly newsletter? It's a great way to get updates from the DC literary community, as well as fresh interviews with local authors and publishers: dcwritersroom.substack.com
DC Writers Room Lit Life | Substack
Connect with writers, editors, publishers, and all folks literary in the DC area. Click to read DC Writers Room Lit Life, a Substack publication. Launched a year ago.
dcwritersroom.substack.com
April 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
In DC on April 9? Join us for an evening spotlighting stellar writers living in DC & Baltimore, courtesy of the Washington Review of Books Presents: lu.ma/wrb_presents...
March 26, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Looking forward to hosting Santa Fe Writers Project @dcwritersroom.bsky.social on Friday. Come join us to hear about publishing opportunities and to meet other writers.
There’s still time to register for our 3/21 Pub Night with Santa Fe Writers Project! Join us for a night of drinks and community, and hear about Santa Fe Writers Project’s mission and opportunities to publish work: www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-writers...
March 18, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Looking for a chance to mingle with other members of the DC literary community, learn about publishing opportunities, and enjoy some drinks while you’re at it? Register for one of our upcoming events! Learn more and access registration links at www.dcwritersroom.com/events
March 7, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Relegation Books is pleased to announce the two Relegation x @dcwritersroom.bsky.social Fellows: welcome, Amanda Borquaye and Dylan Tran! They will each receive a 6-month membership at the DC Writers Room, two strategic publicity consultations with Lauren Cerand, two editorial meetings, and more.
March 3, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Everyone has a story to tell. At the DC Writers Room, we provide the environment to help you do just that. Learn more about memberships here: www.dcwritersroom.com/memberships
February 28, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Santa Fe Writers Project’s submission window opens Saturday. And you ca hear more at the DC Writers Room’s 3/21 Pub Night with Santa Fe Writers Project. Registration info: www.dcwritersroom.com/events
February 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Happy Black History Month from the DC Writers Room! Did you know that Langston Hughes lived in DC from 1924-1926? Though only residing here for a short period, his time in DC was formative in his writing career.
February 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
There’s much to be said about the power of community, especially for us writers who work largely in isolation. So I’m happy to join The Writers Center’s Publish Now Conference on March 8 for the “You Can’t Do It Alone: The Importance of Literary Community” panel. Details at writer.org
February 19, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Registration is open for our 3/21 Pub Night with Santa Fe Writers Project. Come hear about SFWP’s mission, mingle with other local writers, and enjoy some light refreshments. Sign up here: www.dcwritersroom.com/events/dc-wr...
February 18, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Writers, keep on writing. Your words matter.
February 7, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
We (Michael Barron, Chris McCaffery, and I) are planning the new season of Washington Review of Books Presents readings at Sudhouse.

If you are an author living *outside of the DC area* who has plans to tour / is looking for an opportunity to read in the city this spring, DM me.
February 5, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Donna Hemans
Did you know that the DC Writers Room has a newsletter? Subscribe to Lit Life to to receive monthly news from the DC Writers Room, interviews with DC-area authors and publishers, and a list of exciting events happening in the local literary community: dcwritersroom.substack.com
DC Writers Room Lit Life | Substack
Connect with writers, editors, publishers, and all folks literary in the DC area. Click to read DC Writers Room Lit Life, a Substack publication. Launched 9 months ago.
dcwritersroom.substack.com
February 5, 2025 at 4:59 PM