Writers at Home Join us on January 26 at Story Parlor to kickoff our Spring classes and welcome our new Director! Event Details

Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize Submissions for NCWN's Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize are now open! Enter Today

Spring 2025 Classes Registration will open soon for the Spring 2025 semester! Read the Course Descriptions

Welcome to the Great Smokies Writing Program

About Us

For 25 years, The Great Smokies Writing Program has offered university-level community classes for writers of all experience levels in Western North Carolina and beyond. In-state tuition is highly affordable, and each course carries academic credit awarded through UNC Asheville, but students need not be enrolled in a degree-granting program.

Our program allows writers to join a supportive learning community and to enjoy the mentorship of professional writers. We also host numerous events at UNCA and other venues in the Asheville area, which are open to the public, including readings, craft talks, and panels with writers, editors, and publishing professionals.

Elizabeth Lutyen's class sitting around a table

Current Classes

Check out our current course offerings for Spring 2025, featuring classes in fiction, memoir & personal essay, and writing life, led by accomplished North Carolina writers.

Write With Us

Person writing in a notebook

Great News!

Do you have good news to share? Maybe you’ve been published recently, or won a grant or award, or accepted into a residency program—we want to hear about it! Click the button below to share a short blurb that we can add to the website.

Tell Us About It

Writers at Home

Donate to GSWP

Your contributions to The Great Smokies Writing Program make it possible for us to continue offering highly affordable classes to writers of all experience levels and to continue hosting public events that foster the literary community!

Make a Donation