The CWP considers workshop participants’ writing to be part of a larger flow of popular art that emanates from the communities where the writers live and work. Thus, producing and circulating participants’ writing in an artfully rendered magazine or booklet is a crucial component of the Community Writing Project.

The CWP produces a magazine series entitled Real Conditions, and publishes anywhere from one to four issues of Real Conditions each year. Some community partners choose to produce magazines under distinct titles that reflect the vision and spirit of their writing groups, an autonomy we support!

Copies of magazines are distributed at no cost within and beyond the writers’ communities, so that writers’ experiences, insights, and analyses can seep into the cultural and political fabric of everyday life. Publication affords the opportunity for writers’ stories to become part of community discussions about issues that matter to them. This is also one way in which the voices of ordinary people can enter into the wider public sphere.

Thanks to the internet, we are able to expand the reach of writers’ stories and the accessibility of magazines. Please read and share any and all stories in the magazines you find on these pages.