Conscious Writers Collective
Conscious Writers Collective (CWC) is where craft meets purpose.
If you’ve struggled to stay consistent with your writing, felt uninspired, or wished for a supportive and nurturing writing community, you’re in the right place. If you've finished your MFA and don't have a clear vision of next steps, you're in the right place. If you loved writing in college but pivoted to a more "realistic" career, you're in the right place.
005
ABOUT
Writers, Welcome Home
Some CWC members have multiple books out in the world; others are longtime readers who are only formalizing their practice for the first time. All writers in CWC are invited to deepen their craft through specialized sessions led by award-winning writers, structured guidance, and a supportive community.
Guided every step of the way by Maya C. Popa and a team of community experts, we help writers build a sustainable, fulfilling writing practice at every stage in their journey. CWC is unique in its emphasis on mindset coaching for longterm success in the field.
-Jane Hirshfield
What's Included?
The Course Vault
Access 200+ hours of craft classes, lectures, and workshops led by acclaimed writers.
Workshops & Live Zooms
Monthly live sessions & breakout rooms for group feedback.
Guest Speakers & Publishing Experts
Opportunities to work with Pulitzer winners & leading editors, agents, & publishers.
Feedback & Accountability
Forums, peer groups, & guided sessions keep your writing moving forward.
Community Spaces
Peer-run groups, book clubs, & writing cohorts to share the journey.
What Members Are Saying
Jesse B.
Mary R.
Julie S.
jb
I'm a man who is all but allergic to joining groups (isn’t writing a solitary activity?), but after sitting in on a couple of CWC sessions, I knew my resistance would prove futile. Not only is Maya one of my favorite contemporary poets, she’s also a teacher who possesses the extraordinary ability to draw the right words out of a writer. And the writers, both teachers and students alike, that she’s gathered around her in CWC are quite an extraordinary bunch themselves. Highly recommended.
If you are eager to explore a priceless vault of recorded lectures and classes, want to gain the highest quality MFA-level education at a fraction of the cost, want to workshop with a community of smart writers, are excited about Zoom meetings with extraordinary authors who share their knowledge and enthusiasm as they set your creativity on fire and believe that writing saves lives, then CWC is for you. My time in CWC has transformed me.
For years, I felt like I was writing in the dark: seeking my own voice in a one-sided conversation with the austere voices of my favorite writers (many of them dead!). Joining CWC, I feel like I am writing in the light: generating my voice in a community of kind, generous, intelligent, real human-beings. It is a gift.
Rachel N.
Gwenn N
I’ve been a member of CWC for nearly a year and I’m still pinching myself. I can’t believe my luck to have found this group and am so grateful to Maya for founding it. Before joining the community, my creative life was in chaos. I was doing too many things at once and was insecure. Now, I am completely and passionately focused on my writing in a sustainable and sensible way. The classes are top notch and the Office Hours run by Maya are invaluable for assuaging doubts and unhelpful beliefs around writing. I felt quite shy when I first joined, as there are incredibly talented members and many already have published books. I soon found that the members have hearts of gold and are always generous in their support and feedback. I am constantly excited to see what’s happening next in this community and deliriously happy to be amongst warm-hearted humans who are so dearly devoted to words.
I highly recommend writers who are zealous about craft and continuing education, as well as being part of a supportive and versed community, to invest in this rich, multi-leveled resource. Maya C. Popa offers a rare combination of passion, wisdom, and literary brilliance, with noteworthy leadership skills. She excels in nurturing the CWC community. Her deep engagement with the poetry community enables her to connect CWC members with some of the most luminous poets of our time for workshops and classes.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Maya C Popa
Conscious Writers Collective was founded by Maya C. Popa in 2024 after years of guest teaching in MFA programs and a decade directing a creative writing program. She brings her experience as an author of three collections, three chapbooks, and an editor at Publishers Weekly to CWC, supporting writers at every stage of their journey. CWC combines rigorous craft, community, and mindset coaching to help writers sustain their creative lives.
Conscious Writers Collective
Questions?
privacy policy
"This community of writers is rigorous, passionate, informed by Maya C. Popa’s depth of craft knowledge as an unparalleled reader and consummate writer of poems. I’m her fan—and the fan of this model of community writing, sharing, and learning.
While not everyone can enter the universe of MFA programs, this online gathering of writers brings an equally sustaining chance to deepen the practice and awareness of how poems work, how poets work, and how a human life may expand its reaches."
001
002
