Sure, writing can be a solitary pursuit, but why make it harder on yourself? It’s so much easier to accomplish your writing goals with encouragement, shared information, and accountability. Join us for a celebration of community, and hear from three panelists who do an excellent job of bringing people together in a variety of spaces for a plethora of purposes. Let’s make actionable plans to support each other’s goals in 2026.
Speakers: Gigi Howard, Ty Phelps, Kalela Williams, and Moderator Phil Hilliker
Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern Time
Location: NOW ONLINE DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER!
Cost: $12 Members | $21 Non-members | $5 Students
Registration is required.
The Writing Show includes a social time from 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm. This portion of the evening is optional. If you choose to only attend the panel discussion, please arrive by 6:25 pm, before the panel discussion begins.
SPEAKERS
GIGI HOWARD
Gigi Howard has been a public librarian for 15 years, and is the host of the podcast “Drinks in the Library,” where she interviews guests about their favorite books and pairs them with drinks. Passionate about supporting her community, Gigi loves connecting with others who use literature to make a difference. A dedicated mom and wife, she fancies herself a mixologist, though her husband remains skeptical of her skills in this area.
TY PHELPS
Ty Phelps’ work can be found at Poets.org, Poet Lore, Streetlight, Zizzle, and elsewhere. He won the 2022 Nancy Ludmerer Flash Fiction Fellowship, Virginia Commonwealth University’s 2019 Catherine and Joan Byrne Poetry Prize. He holds an MFA from VCU and served as the 2021–22 Cabell First Novelist Award Fellow and the 2023–24 Writer-in-Residence at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. He is a co-founder of the Flying South Reading Series and helps plan the Richmond Poetry Fest.
KALELA WILLIAMS
Kalela Williams is the author of the the YA coming of age story Tangleroot, a 2024 Indies Introduce and Indie Next pick. She directs the Virginia Center for the Book, part of Virginia Humanities, which produces the Virginia Festival of the Book and other literary programs, and has directed literary events for the Free Library of Philadelphia and Furious Flower Poetry Center.
MODERATOR
PHILLIP HILLIKER
Phillip Hillker is a creatively restless writer and illustrator with credits spanning many fields and genres. He has contributed to role-playing games such as Shadowrun and White Wolf’s World of Darkness, written voiceover scripts for too many whiteboard explanatory videos, and spent time as JRW’s membership coordinator.