Adult Writers’ Studio: Finish Your Manuscript

virtual on zoom (With Optional Hybrid)*

Adult Writers' Studio: Finish Your Manuscript is a focused, supportive space for writers committed to completing their books with workshop leader Jen Knox. Sessions include structured peer feedback, accountability, and guidance to help you move steadily from draft to done. Whether you’re revising, generating new pages, or pushing through the final chapter, this experience will provide the momentum, clarity, and community you need to finish your manuscript.

*You will always have the opportunity to join Adult Writers’ Studio virtually on Zoom. Most meetings will be held virtually on Zoom only, but some meetings will be hybrid with the option of joining either virtually on Zoom or in-person at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215), next door to Thurber House.

click to register

‣ Meeting Information

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Adult Writers’ Studio meetings are inclusive and supportive of as many writers as possible by focusing on topics, tools, techniques, prompts, exercises, discussion, and feedback that apply to a wide range of writers' needs and interests. Discussions will be organic/based on what participants want to talk about rather than pre-constructed topics.

Most meetings begin with discussion and generative exercises, followed by time for peer feedback/workshopping pieces. There is an informal sign up process to workshop your pieces, and we ask that you upload your work far in advance of your sharing date so your fellow group members can read it and prepare feedback. This ensures that your peers come to the meeting having already read and made notes about your work, and the meeting time can be fully devoted to discussing that feedback. Participants are expected to be honest, kind, and constructive when giving feedback—we are not here to tear each other down.

Adult Writers’ Studio is an evolving and responsive program. Thurber House and the facilitator will adapt to participants’ needs and interests as they become apparent and as participants share feedback with us. Never hesitate to speak up about how you think AWS can best support you and your peers on your writing journey.

Pricing:

$180 for the full season. A limited number of scholarships are available. Please contact Jess Cox at jcox@thurberhouse.org if you need financial assistance.

‣ Meeting Location & Schedule

Location:

You will always have the opportunity to join Adult Writers’ Studio virtually on Zoom.

Most meetings will be held virtually on Zoom only, but some meetings will be hybrid with the option of joining either virtually on Zoom or in-person at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215), next door to Thurber House. See location, parking, and accessibility information below.

If weather, widespread illness, or other circumstance prevents the option of meeting in-person during one of the hybrid meeting dates, everyone will meet virtually on Zoom instead.

If you’re ill and can’t attend an in-person meeting, please contact Jess at jcox@thurberhouse.org.

MEETING SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, March 4, 2026 from 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Hybrid—your choice of virtual on Zoom OR in-person at Thurber Center)
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 from 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Virtual on Zoom)
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 from 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Virtual on Zoom)
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 from 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Virtual on Zoom)
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Virtual on Zoom)
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 from 6:30-8:30 pm ET (Virtual on Zoom)
Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 9:30-11:30 am ET (Hybrid—your choice of virtual on Zoom OR in-person at Thurber Center)

‣ Meet the Adult Writers’ Studio Facilitator

Jen Knox

Jen Knox is an educator and storyteller who leads workshops on writing, leadership, and meditation. After teaching writing for over a decade and managing a leadership program at The Ohio State University, Jen began to combine meditation techniques, leadership research, and the power of creativity to launch Unleash Creatives, a holistic arts organization. Her books include We Arrive Uninvited (Steel Toe Books Award Winner), The Glass City (Press Americana Prose Winner), Radicals (Library Tales/Simon and Schuster, 2027) and At Work (Cornerstone, UWSP, 2027). Jen's short fiction can be found in the Chicago Tribune, Prose Online, McSweeney's Internet Quarterly, The Saturday Evening Post, and more. She’s the proud recipient of grants from the Greater Columbus Arts Council and Ohio Arts Council, and blogs about writing and mindfulness at The Resilient Creative.

‣ Location (Plus Parking/Accessibility for Hybrid Dates)

You will always have the opportunity to join Adult Writers’ Studio virtually on Zoom.
Most meetings will be held virtually on Zoom only, but some meetings will be hybrid with the option of joining either virtually on Zoom or in-person at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215), next door to Thurber House.
If you plan to attend the hybrid sessions in-person, the meetings will be held at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215), next door to Thurber House. In the event of inclement weather, widespread illness, or other circumstance that hinders meeting in-person, everyone will meet virtually on Zoom instead.
Parking on Jefferson Avenue:
Free, easy street parking is available all along the Jefferson Avenue oval (unlimited on weeknights; three hour limit on Saturday mornings). Note: only the spots along the one-way oval are free; the spots along the two-way ends of Jefferson Avenue (near Broad Street and Long Street) are not free.
Parking off N. 11th Street (behind Thurber Center/Thurber House):
Free visitor parking is available in the small lot directly behind Thurber Center/Thurber House, accessible off N. 11th Street and located here.
All other parking lots do not belong to Thurber House and you may be towed.
Depending on various factors, in-person meetings will take place on either the first floor or the second floor of Thurber Center.
The entrance, first floor meeting space, and restrooms at Thurber Center are handicap/wheelchair accessible.
The second floor meeting space is only reachable by stairs. There is no elevator. If you cannot navigate stairs, please let us know and we will accommodate to the best of our ability.
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How to reach the wheelchair ramp:
If you park on Jefferson Avenue:
There is a slight curb (some wheelchairs can navigate this). The closest “ramp” cut is the entrance to the large parking lot on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Long Street (here).
Follow the sidewalk through the Thurber Center front gate. Take the sidewalk around the porch on the right side of the building. The entrance to the wheelchair ramp will appear on your left, past the porch.
If you park in the Thurber Center/Thurber House rear parking lot:
Follow the sidewalk between the handicap parking signs (here). The sidewalk will take you around the north side of our multipurpose building, Thurber Center.
The ramp will appear on your right and leads up to the front porch.

‣ FAQ & Disclaimer

For any questions that are not answered here, please email Jess Cox at jcox@thurberhouse.org or call 614-412-5955.

You will receive an email order confirmation containing your registration information.
Yes, although online registration is encouraged. To order by phone, call 614-412-5955.
Purchases made by credit/debit card are charged a modest fee to cover Thurber House’s processing costs. To pay by cash or check, please email jcox@thurberhouse.org or call 614-412-5955.
All registrations are final and non-refundable. However, you can give your spot to a friend, family member, colleague, etc. if you cannot attend. Contact us to transfer a registration.
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by event and program speakers in all mediums are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Thurber House, its affiliates, or its staff/board.