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Howard County Chapter
Meetings
Howard County Meetings are typically at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month, but we adjust for key holidays.
When meeting is online, a Zoom link will be posted.
When meeting in person, the Howard County Chapter meets at The Owen Brown Community Center (6800 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045) unless otherwise noted in the meeting announcements.
Officers
Chapter President: Bellamy Angelise, [email protected]
Chapter Vice President John W. Harding, [email protected]
Chapter Treasurer: Suzanne Forest, [email protected]
Chapter Secretary: Susan Wright, [email protected]
Howard County Chapter Meeting: The Unreliable Narrator
July 16, 2026
7:00 PM EDT - 9:00 PM EDT
Howard County Chapter Zoom Meeting
Click here for Venue Website / Zoom Link
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DirectionsIntroducing a rare Zoom Chapter Meeting for Howard County presented by M.K Should - Using Unreliable Narrators
One of the neatest--and toughest--plot twists an author can pull off is to have the story readers have been following with bated breath turn out to be the product of an unreliable narrator. In this presentation we will learn: 1. How to write unreliable narrators and better understand who they are. 2. Learn the four classifications of unreliable narrators and their characteristics (with examples from literature and movies) 3. Get tips and the 3 “Golden Rules” on how to create unreliable narrators so when readers are fed misinformation through the source they trust most in a story, it'll come across as a satisfying way to add twists and turns in a narrative and build suspense.
About the Presenter:
After working as a freelance writer in the early 2000s, M.K. Should turned to writing horror. A recent flash fiction story, The Unusual Gravestone, was published in 2025 Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Anthology. She is the Carroll County Chapter president under the Maryland Writers Association and a member of the Horror Writer’s Association. Her first non-fiction book, 150+ Prompts: A Creative Writers Journal, was published May 2025. When she's not writing, you can find her enjoying road trips with her husband and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and making lollipops.
Howard County Chapter Meeting Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMocuGoqTosHNXceAT4FdZUxSaL_nvPG5Y-
For more information visit the MWA Howard County Chapter Page or email: [email protected]
Critique Groups
Crickets
- Genre: All fiction genres of novel writing
- Leader: Rick Cotter, [email protected]
- Contact: Kimberly Schreder, [email protected]
- Description: We welcome any genre of novel writing. Applicants must have a novel in process and commit to monthly participation via Zoom. Submissions are limited to twenty pages. Members read and critique submissions to discuss them at meetings. Our goal is actionable criticism to improve our writing. For consideration, please submit twenty pages double-spaced, 12-point font, 1 inch margins (standard publishing format) to [email protected]. The next step will be participation in one of our meetings.
- Status: Currently open to new members
Our Lives and Beyond
- Genre / Genres: ALL; memoir, legacy, poetry, creative non-fiction and fiction
- Group Leader: Phyllis Jovich
- Group Contact Email: [email protected]
- MWA Member Contact Name: Phyllis Jovich
- MWA Member Contact Email: [email protected]
- Additional Contact Information: Kay Armstrong Baker, [email protected]
- Listing: We meet online twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Fridays, from 10:00am -12:00pm. Our goal is to encourage the art of writing no matter your experience with supportive, positive feedback as well as constructive criticism.
- Status: Currently open to new members in Howard County and beyond.
MWA Howard County Multi-Genre
- Genre: All
- Contact: Steve Lubs, [email protected]
- Description: Meets on the second Tuesday of the month at members’ homes
- Status: Limited openings
MWA Novel Development Group
- Contact: Suzanne Forest, [email protected]
to check on openings, wait list. - Description: Meets on alternate Wednesdays at 1:00 at a member's home or local cafe, by agreement at the previous meeting. Note: Members are all in some stage of working on a novel.
Maryland Dream Weavers
- Genre: Primarily science fiction and fantasy
- Contact: Amy Kaplan, [email protected]
- Description: Maryland Dream Weavers meets once a month at a member’s house
- Status: Currently has no openings
Weird and Wonderous Writers
- Meets the third Tuesday of the month at BJ’s Restaurant and Brew House, Columbia
- Genres: Mainly Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror
- Visit https://www.meetup.com/Weird-Wondrous-Writing/ or write [email protected] for more details. Currently full, waitlist available.
And finally, our Writing Hangout for Writers with Non-Traditional Schedules:
Writers and Coffee – 9:30 AM every TUESDAY
This is an informal drop-in group at Mad City Coffee, 10801 Hickory Ridge Rd, Columbia (but actually easier to access off of Cedar Lane) where MWA writers can meet, write, share their questions, and connect to find critique or beta reading partners. Come and join us!
Suzanne Forest, [email protected], is the POC
Ali Parson's Project (2025)
- Genre: Any
- Leader: Jack Campbell, [email protected]
- Description: The focus of the group is on supportive critiques and suggestions. This group usually meets once a month.
- This group is for both Howard and Montgomery County participants
Howard County Chapter Meeting: The Unreliable Narrator
Unreliable narrators can create the most breathtaking twists in any genre. This presentation will introduce the four most common types of unreliable narrators and how to add this unique tool to your writing repertoire
