RIRW exists to promote excellence in women’s and popular fiction, to help writers become published and build careers in their writing field, and to provide continuing support for writers within the women’s and popular fiction publishing industry. Formed in 1983 as a Romance Writers of America chapter, we disaffiliated in 1988. We are an independent, nonprofit organization in Rhode Island.
If you are serious about writing popular fiction, we invite you to join us! Click here to see membership benefits.
We welcome everyone, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, religion, cultural identity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance, or any other identity distinction. Furthermore, we recognize that because racism, homophobia, and other forms of bias are systemic in our national culture, people from marginalized communities continue to be denied advancement in our industry. RIRW strives to address this by raising awareness within our membership and increasing our efforts to attract members from a variety of backgrounds to enrich our community of writers.
We meet from September to June on the first Saturday of the month (except for February, when we hold our annual retreat). Because of holidays and/or other conflicts, the date or venue may change (scroll down to see list of dates). We will announce changes here on our home page. We do meetings via ZOOM.
Check us out on our public Facebook page (click here!)
RIRW RETREAT has been postponed due to the death of long-time member Gail Eastwood-Stokes. As soon as the new date is solidified, we will report that here. Click on this LINK for more info about the content of the retreat.
March 7, 2026 — Moniquill Blackgoose: Interview & Open Q&A
Workshop: Join us for a special interview-style conversation with Nebula and Lodestar Awardwinning author Moniquill Blackgoose. Rather than a traditional presentation, this session will be an engaging discussion exploring her journey from early science fiction and fantasy writing to award-winning publication. We’ll talk craft, worldbuilding, writing across genres, navigating the publishing landscape, and her perspective on Indigenous representation in speculative fiction. Following the conversation, we’ll open the floor for live Q&A, so bring your questions!
Bio: Moniquill Blackgoose is the bestselling author of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, which has won both the Nebula and Lodestar Awards. She began writing science fiction and fantasy when she was twelve and hasn’t stopped writing since. She is an enrolled member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe and a lineal descendant of Ousamequin Massasoit. She is an avid costumer and an active member of the steampunk community. She has blogged, essayed, and discussed extensively across many platforms the depictions of Indigenous and Indigenous-coded characters in sci-fi and fantasy.
Note: We welcome Visitors for up to two regular meetings before you need to join. If you want to check us out, please send us a message by NOON on Friday (day before meeting) and we’ll send you a ZOOM link. Come join your fellow writers for a free-ranging discussion!
For regular meetings, we gather to chat at noon; Meeting starts at 12:30, with workshops starting about 1:15/1:30
Fall Schedule, 2025:
September 6 – Kimberly Kessler
October 4 – Kristina Stanley
November 1 – Daniel David Wallace: POV Shift Execution
December 6 – Rebekah Manley: DIY Publicity
Winter/Spring Schedule 2026:
January 3 – Roundtable
February 6-7 – TBA(Retreat, separate registration)
March 7 – Moniquill Blackgoose: Interview
April 11 – Rebekah Manley: “Mentor-shipping”: Work with an intern
May 2 – Julie Duffy
June 6 – Roundtable (Possibly rescheduled Retreat)