Shut Up & Write is owned and operated by Writing Partners, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We host free in-person and online writing events for writers all over the world. Our goal is to ensure that every writer - regardless of genre or skill level - has access to the resources, community, and accountability that they need to be successful in their personal writing goals.

Shut Up & Write was founded in 2007 in San Francisco, CA by Rennie Saunders, a science fiction writer who liked the idea of using group support to help him get his writing done. He launched the first Shut Up & Write chapter at the Crossroads Cafe in San Francisco and committed to showing up every week for his writing.

Rennie knew that for many writers, the hardest part about writing was developing a consistent writing practice. He wanted his group to be as simple as possible: no lectures, no workshops, no critiques. The only rule? Shut up and write.

That first event started with only a few members, and was so successful that one of those members asked to start a second one. Within a year, Shut Up & Write had a handful of events meeting in cafes around San Francisco. When one member relocated to New York City, the first East Coast event was born. Since then, Shut Up & Write has continued to grow organically, with members starting chapters in locations worldwide. As of 2022, Shut Up & Write has over 77,000 members in 51 countries.

Over a decade later, our events still use Rennie's proven formula: a few minutes of introductions, an hour of focused writing, and a final check-in to share the hour's progress. During COVID, Shut Up & Write pivoted to host events online, finding that our formula worked just as well over Zoom. We are now proud to offer our events both in-person and online to fit as many schedules and lifestyles as possible.

You want to write. We're here to help.