About Us
Our mission is to cultivate and promote the distinctive literary culture of Washington, DC.
The Inner Loop creates inclusive and accessible opportunities for our diverse network of both emerging and established writers to connect with each other, to connect to their community, and to transform the written word into a shared experience through the act of reading aloud.
The Inner Loop was founded in 2014 because we believe stories come alive in the community, and we dreamt of a place where storytellers could share their words both on the page and out loud.
Today, we have an incredible community that’s supportive, diverse, and equal. We foster human connection through our vibrant and dynamic reading series, our inspiring writers’ retreats, the collaboration of our residency, a one-of-a-kind podcast, and additional programming and resources like the Author’s Corner, workshops, and more.
“There are no egos here. Just DMV writers in dialogue with one another, sharing their work and their craft, and inspiring everyone to read local.”
– Zak Salih
Audience Members
Talented Writers
Podcast Episodes
Independently Published Authors
Meet
Our Team
Rachel Coonce
Courtney Sexton
Aeriel Merillat
Abi Newhouse
Meet
The Board of Directors
Itoro Bassey
Anthony Dobranski
Daniel Knowlton
Leeya Mehta
E. Ethelbert Miller
Chet'la Sebree
The DMV
Literary Community
The DC area is brimming with talent, and we’re always looking for ways to connect local writers (and readers!) with the thriving literary community beyond our programming. These are a few of the people, organizations, establishments, and events that we think are awesome.
American University MFA in Creative Writing
Creative Writing at Catholic University
George Mason University MFA in Creative Writing
Georgetown University Department of English
Creative Writing at the George Washington University
Goucher College Creative Writing
Howard University Department of English
The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University
Creative Writing at St. Mary’s College of Maryland
University of Maryland MFA in Creative Writing
University of Virginia MFA and Creative Writing Programs