Redbud New Headquarters Grand Opening Party
Sep
4
6:30 PM18:30

Redbud New Headquarters Grand Opening Party

We're moving to downtown Raleigh, and we couldn't be more excited!

Join us on Friday, September 4 at 6:30 p.m. as we celebrate the next chapter for Redbud at our new headquarters at 230 Fayetteville Street.

Raise a glass with us for an evening of wine, delicious food, and readings by local authors as we officially open the doors to our new home. (Featured readings by Carrboro poet laureate Amanda Bennett, novelist and short story writer Daniel Wallace, and nonfiction by Belle Boggs and Sylvester Allen, Jr. ) We believe the literary arts belong in the heart of downtown, and we want you to help us fill this space with conversation and community from day one.

Our new home is a beautiful two-room suite on the third floor of a historic downtown building, featuring transom windows, original wainscoting, exposed brick, and preserved plaster walls. But it’s more than just a new headquarters: it's the beginning of a literary arts center for Raleigh. We envision a place where writers and readers gather for workshops, readings, book clubs, celebrations, and community events, along with a dedicated co-working space for writers.

Whether you've been part of Redbud from the beginning or you're just discovering us, we'd love to celebrate this milestone with you.

Please note: The event is free and open to the public, but we’d love to get a headcount, so please RSVP through the “Grand Opening Party” tab on our webpage to reserve your spot!

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Rage Retreat at the NCMA
Sep
13
1:00 PM13:00

Rage Retreat at the NCMA

In this co-taught two-hour workshop, Redbud Writing founders Emily and Arshia delve into how writers can explore and interrogate the topic of rage in memoir and fiction. Together, participants examine how anger, so often dismissed, minimized, or pathologized, can become a powerful creative force on the page. Through guided prompts and in-class exercises, students practice translating emotional intensity into vivid, compelling prose and discuss craft techniques for shaping raw feeling into narrative focusing on voice, structure, and emotional clarity.

Learn more and register at https://ncartmuseum.org/event/rage-retreat-with-redbud-writing-project/

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Redbud at JFL North Carolina (Jaipur Literary Festival)
Sep
13
to Sep 14

Redbud at JFL North Carolina (Jaipur Literary Festival)

  • James B. Hunt, Jr. Library, 1070 Partners Way #4100, Raleigh, NC 27606 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Creating Compelling Characters: A Hands-On Fiction Workshop with the Redbud Writing Project

Great stories begin with unforgettable characters. In this interactive 90-minute workshop, we'll explore what makes fictional characters feel vivid and memorable through discussion, close reading, writing exercises, and collaborative storytelling. Participants will learn practical techniques for creating characters with depth and complexity while enjoying the creative, reflective, and community-building benefits of writing together.

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just looking for some inspiration, this welcoming, craft-focused workshop will give you practical tools and opportunities to share your work and receive encouraging feedback.

Learn more at https://jlflitfest.org/north-carolina/schedule

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Donor appreciation event plus March-April final reading/party
Apr
18
5:00 PM17:00

Donor appreciation event plus March-April final reading/party

Are you a donor to Redbud, or curious about becoming one? We’re hosting a donor appreciation night this coming Saturday, April 18 at VAE Raleigh. At this free event, guests will mingle, chat, enjoy wine and charcuterie, and receive an ekphrastic poetry lesson from Redbud instructor Josh Tvrdy. We’ll also share stories from our recently wrapped Intro to Memoir @ Healing Transitions class. All are welcome! Please RSVP here so we can get a headcount.

Starting at 6:15 p.m., we’ll transition into our second event of the evening: our March-April final reading/party. At this event, eight students who took a Redbud class during our March-April round will share their work with the public. There’s no need to RSVP for this one!

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Redbud's Galentine's Day Tea Party
Feb
15
4:00 PM16:00

Redbud's Galentine's Day Tea Party

Join us for an evening of stories and sips supporting creative writing in your community!

When: Feb. 15 from 4-6 p.m.

Where: Gallery C on North Blount Street in Raleigh

What: A Galentine’s Day tea party and fundraiser! Guests will enjoy a variety of teas, pastries, and petit fours, plus fine china and elegant decorations. Expect:

—Conversations and connections with like-minded admirers of the literary arts

—A reading and talk by a student from our Intro to Memoir for Survivors of Domestic Violence class, who will share with the audience how this course transformed her

— A curated selection of books to take home; and more.

We hope to see you at this celebration of community, literature, and the intersection between the two!

Tickets: Available here!

Why support Redbud?

Our mission is to bring the life-changing power of creative writing to every single person in our community. We offer six-week, low-cost classes in fiction, memoir, poetry, and more to the general public, as well as completely free offerings to groups such as survivors of domestic violence, unhoused people, and those in addiction recovery. Creative writing creates community, combats loneliness, promotes wellness, leads to the creation of our favorite books, uplifts the people who need it most, and changes lives—our students regularly tell us so.

We are currently fundraising to cover our expenses for the first quarter of 2026, which will include a class at Healing Transitions for addiction recovery, a class for BIPOC writers, one for unhoused Raleighites, the launch of a new student-run literary magazine, and much more.

Get your tickets today! See you on the 15th!

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