Typewriter poetry workshops near Charlottesville
Small groups come to a two-room studio in the Blue Ridge foothills to write poems for one another on vintage typewriters.
At a
glance
Three hours
$95 per person
Opening late 2026
The workshop
Small House Studio is a two-room typewriter poetry studio in the Blue Ridge foothills, about 45 minutes north of Charlottesville. Small groups come here to write poems for one another on vintage typewriters, and no experience is needed. You do not need to be a writer or a poet to join us. Workshops open in late 2026.
How a workshop goes
Three hours, from the first welcome to the last goodbye.
Settling in
We gather in the front room, settling into couches and chairs, and begin with poetry. Everyone brings a short poem they love. We read them aloud and say why we chose them, and we talk about the art of writing poems for another person and the particular challenges of typing compositions in real time.
Meet the machines
We move to the back studio and sit around a long table set with vintage typewriters, each of us finding a machine that calls to us. We discuss the mechanics of typing and take a few practice spins, troubleshooting as needed. Then we each type out the poem we brought onto vintage paper, which becomes the first keepsake of the day.
Write for each other
We pair off and dig into on-the-spot, custom poetry. We take turns asking the gentle questions that elicit topics and then writing for one another. This part can be a bit uncomfortable, a bit exhilarating, and is the heart of the experience.
Sharing aloud
We move back into the comfortable front room and process our experience together. Those of us who so desire read the poems they composed aloud, and sharing is always welcome but never required. At the end of our time together you collect the poem written for you, the second keepsake of the day.
Who books a workshop
Bachelorette and bachelor weekends
A bachelorette or bachelor weekend usually has its days accounted for already, and a workshop fits into one of them. The bride or groom goes home with a stack of poems written by the people who love them most, which is more than most weekend plans leave behind.
Team off-sites
Colleagues on an off-site get a few hours somewhere other than a conference room. People who only know each other at work end up writing something true for one another, and that tends to stay with a team longer than the drive home.
Couples and friend groups
Couples visiting the area take a machine each and write for one another. Friends who love books but do not want the monthly obligation of a book club get the reading life for a few hours without signing up for anything.
Families, reunions and UVA weekends
Families come for birthdays and reunions, and grandparents and grandchildren can do this at the same table, which is true of almost nothing else. The same goes for a UVA weekend, when parents arrive for graduation or move-in with time to fill and a town full of other people looking for the same thing.
Getting here
Guests come from Charlottesville, Richmond, Northern Virginia and Washington, and from Philadelphia, New York and beyond. The drive is part of it.
The studio sits at the end of a one-mile private drive near Stanardsville, in Greene County. Parking is plentiful, and guests come in through a step-free side entrance with a standard-width door. We send the address once you have booked.
Booking is not open yet, so join the mailing list and we will write to you when the first dates are posted.
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