Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing

Established in 2003 with a gift from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University is dedicated to offering classes, readings, talks, workshops and other literary events and programs for the larger community. 

As a center, we aspire to be a point of reference in people's lives—a way of orienting oneself in relationship to others, of finding a direction—by creating moments of individual, social, and cultural significance around creative writing and contemporary literature.

We serve the public with a wide variety of literary events and programs within and beyond the metropolitan Phoenix area, including:

•  The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series: presenting author talks, readings, and other points of access with the national and international creative writing field
• The Piper Writers Studio: offering creative writing classes, workshops, and other educational opportunities for writers of all backgrounds, genres, and skill levels
• The Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference: connecting hundreds of writers and readers through the celebration and study of literary craft, culture, and community every late February at Arizona State University

Additionally, the Piper Center has a rich history of partnering with the Creative Writing Program at Arizona State University to offer scholarships, fellowships, and other educational opportunities for students and faculty, with specific support to the program's literary journal, Hayden's Ferry Review. The Center also leads numerous outreach programs and initiatives beyond ASU to serve the needs of greater Phoenix's diverse communities. 

To learn more about who we are and what we do, visit our website at https://piper.asu.edu.