Weekly creative writing studios: A relaxing accepting space for writers and creatives of all styles and experiences
Every month, we offer a series of four hand-crafted 2-hr afternoon studios, each on a unique theme comprising guided exercises, discussion, and dedicated writing time.
At their essence, these are creative writing studios, but all creative individuals are welcome to join, brainstorm, and/or glean inspiration for their projects!
We focus on creating a chill environment to nurture the imagination while providing techniques and inspiration. These are not critique-based workshops, so no pressure! All positive vibes.
You'll leave with one or a combination of:
A fresh angle on something that's been sitting in a drawer, forgotten computer folder, or deep in the back of your mind too long
The beginnings of a first draft of something you didn't even know you needed to write
A new scene, image, or character pulled straight from the studio theme and one of the most atmospheric cities on earth
The first lines of something that will actually lead you to a finished piece of work
Each studio is limited to 8 participants, so be sure to secure your space for each studio below!
Follow us:
Studio #3: 18 July 2026 14:00-16:00 (Japan time) Online
Beneath every visible life runs a network of invisible possibilities.
What if we could meet the players in these numerous roads not taken? What if we could create them?
In Parallel Lives, using short readings and guided writing prompts, we’ll explore doubles, alternate selves, chance decisions, and the people we might have become. We’ll also experiment with second-person narration to uncover lives that exist just beyond the contours of our own.
This creative writing studio is led by Joy Waller, co-founder of Moon Hotel Press, co-host of Drunk Poets See God, editor at Tokyo Poetry Journal, and co-founder of Urban Writing Haus creative writing workshops. Author of poetry collections Pause :: Heartbeat and Cosmic Nervosa. joywaller.com
Studio #4: 25 July 2026 14:00-16:00 (Japan time) Online
What if a street looks different every time you walk it? Ever wonder why a certain building doesn’t fit in with its neighbours?
Through guided exercises, discussion, and solo writing sessions, we'll explore how we can use spatial disorientation as a literary space for you and your reader to inhabit … willingly or unwillingly. You'll practice how to build spaces that disorient and unnerve and write places that resist the logic of maps both physical and your mind’s. The only thing required is the eagerness to get a little lost.
This creative writing studio is led by Brian Wood-Koiwa, co-founder of Urban Writing Haus creative writing studios; author of the UrbanWeird serial novels Flowers Wilt, Weeds Thrive and Conspiracy of False Citizens; and literary and technical editor and coach. He is also a photo walk guide here in Tokyo. urbanweird.com
Keep an eye out for our August Online Studios
Meet Your Hosts
Joy Waller
Joy was raised in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada and spent her young adulthood on Vancouver Island. She currently resides in Tokyo, Japan, where she serves as an editor at the Tokyo Poetry Journal and co-hosts the long-standing open mic series Drunk Poets See God. She is also the co-founder of Moon Hotel Press and Urban Writing Haus creative writing workshops. Her fiction & poetry have appeared in numerous publications, including Best Canadian Stories 2021, and she is the author of poetry collections Pause :: Heartbeat (2019) and Cosmic Nervosa (2024).
Visit www.joywaller.com for more info.
Brian Wood-Koiwa
Brian was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania in the US but knew he really belonged in cities—the bigger the better. He was thus destined to settle in the megalopolis of Tokyo over 20 years ago. He is the co-founder of Urban Writing Haus creative writing workshops; author of the serialized UrbanWeird dark fantasy novels Flowers Wilt, Weeds Thrive and Conspiracy of False Citizens; literary and technical editor; and founder of Tokyo Photo Explorations.
Visit the following for more info:
UrbanWeird Chronicles (fiction); BWK Editorial Services (editing); Tokyo Photo Explorations (photo walks)