Writing Program
For writers at any stage, this is a place to cultivate and expand your writing practice and connect with a community of writers and artists.
Through guided workshops and open exploration, you’ll develop your voice, refine your work, and stay engaged in the practice.
Writing
Offered throughout the year, writing workshops create space for writers to develop their voice, explore ideas and genres, and strengthen their craft. Workshops range from generative opportunities to more immersive workshops that focus on skill-building and craft.
Through workshops, author presentations, and submission opportunities to share work, the Writing Program fosters connection, creative exchange, and a deeper engagement with the writing process. Led by professional writers and instructors, our offerings support thoughtful expression, creative thinking, and confidence for our local community and visitors to the North Oregon Coast to develop, refine, and expand the art and craft of writing.
Author Presentations
The Writing Program hosts author readings, book signings, and workshops year round. The Manzanita Writers Series brings local, regional, and nationally-recognized writers to the community, offering opportunities to hear new work, gain insight into the craft, and connect through shared stories.
North Coast Squid
The North Coast Squid is a literary journal published by the Hoffman Center for the Arts Writing Program, featuring work from writers and artists connected to the North Oregon Coast. Published every other year, the Squid showcases stories, poetry, essays, and visual art.
The 10th edition was released in Fall 2025 alongside a gallery exhibition and community celebration in Manzanita.
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Available at select bookstores and shops along the North Oregon Coast, including:
Manzanita — Hoffman Gallery, Cloud & Leaf Bookstore, Manzanita News & Espresso, Wild Manzanita
Nehalem — Wild Coast Goods
Wheeler — The Roost
Rockaway Beach — Seaquest Treasures
Tillamook — Tillamook County Pioneer Museum
Cannon Beach — Cannon Beach Book Company, Cannon Beach Gallery
Seaside — Beach Books
Astoria — Salty Siren Bookstore, Godfather’s Books
Word & Image
Word & Image is a collaborative project pairing writers and visual artists in creative response to one another’s work. Inspired by the tradition of ekphrasis, the project explores the relationship between language and visual expression through original writing, artwork, printed broadsides, and a gallery exhibition.
Produced in even numbered years, the project culminates in a public exhibition and the release of the accompanying Word & Image book, available through the HCA Gallery.
Neahkahnie Mountain Poetry Prize
The Neahkahnie Mountain Poetry Prize invites poets connected to the North Oregon Coast to submit original work for consideration. Submissions are accepted annually from January 15 through February 15.
First place receives $250, second place receives $100, and third place receives $50, with winning poems published on the Hoffman Center for the Arts website. Honorable Mention selections are featured on the Poetry Post in the HCA Wonder Garden throughout the year.
The 2026 Judge was David J. S. Pickering. A native of Tillamook County, David is the author of Jesus Comes to Me as Judy Garland, winner of the 2020 Airlie Prize. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, with several poems nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
