Kelly Writers House

I really, really love this place! I am a Penn employee, and a Philly native and never came here before I started working here. My friend is on their mailing list and gets invited to all of the events. They have pretty constant events, all with fun themes and good food. The students and faculty involved are very kind and everyone is very open. All of the events are open to the public (I think?).
I would absolutely suggest checking out an event here!

All writers are welcome here, be it for a session with an English major or PhD that could proof a paper or thesis for class, or just to share in a reading or poetry session.
A good place to study or find people to critique your writing.

Oh man. The Kelly Writers House provided the fodder for my undergraduate thesis. I feel like I need to thank them for hosting the Machine: Autostart conference so I could meet some of the sharpest minds in New Media — then write all about their work. My brain still kind of explodes when I think about that time I met Noah Wardrip-​Fruin and our ensuing discussions of Brian Kim Stefans’ «The Dreamlife of Letters.» Oh hot damn. My geeky sensibilites are delighted just thinking of KWH! …but I’ll muster up all the restraint I have and try to review them instead of talking about hypermedia.
The kids that work at KWH are all incredibly friendly and dorky in the most charming way (they’re literate and they like to have dance parties after readings are over), they book some amazing authors to read, and the community discussions that ensue after the readings fill my heart with warm Quakery goodness.
This place is a godsend to the community — everyone should go! You don’t have to go to Penn to attend their events. I went to Bryn Mawr, and everyone at KWH was completely welcoming to me. I felt warmly encouraged to return.

As a Temple Alum, I always feel a little funny when I venture onto the U Penn Campus. It’s weird the way private and public education tends to form people into camps. But that’s beside the point. The Writer’s House provides a community locus for writers both in and out of the school. It is very cozy and homey with an A+ roster of internationally acclaimed authors and poets as well as reading opportunities for younger early-​career writers. I saw my favorite all-​time poet Lyn Hejinian perform at the Writer’s House and was very impressed all the way around. The Temple Writer’s Series, which has equally impressive programming (if not more exciting) just doesn’t have this little space. I’m very jealous.

The Kelly Writers House operates in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania from a very hip little cottage in the center of campus, but many of its programs are open to (and, in fact, intended for) the general public. The house is a hub for writers from across the region to learn, network and bounce ideas off of each other. Year after year, the Writers House brings in the most esteemed guests to talk about their work and encourage young artists. It’s pretty remarkable.
A highlight of the spring season at the Writers House is the Fellows program. Every year, the program coordinates visits from three Hall-​of-​Fame writers, guys like E.L. Doctorow and David Sedaris, who spend a day speaking with Penn students and then hold an open reading and discussion at night. The special thing about the writer’s house is the venue: it’s not like hearing these literary giants read in a big auditorium or at a City Public Library. You actually get the opportunity to interact with these people from the living room of a small West Philadelphia cottage.
This year’s fellows are Pulitzer Prize-​winning nonfiction writer John McPhee (February 12 – 13), novelist and former New Yorker staff writer Jamaica Kincaid (March 19 – 20) and United States Poet Laureate Donald Hall (April 16 – 17).