Our Mission: A non-profit educational association for professional writers throughout Missouri and surrounding states.

How can Missouri Writers Guild help you continue to build on your writing successes? We believe, like our founder, that hands on experience is the best method of teaching and leaning about writing.

Missouri Writers Guild salutes our founder Walter Williams who opened the world's first school of journalism right here in Missouri 100 years ago.

In 1806, the world's first school of journalism began lectures in Academic Hall, followed by practical work on the University Missourian. The Missourian, a novel community newspaper serving as a working lab for students, was published by the end of the day. More than 60 students enrolled in the School, including six women and two Chinese students.

Walter Williams hosted Editors Week, a journalism celebration at the School filled with high-profile reporters and editors, panel sessions and a grand banquet. In 1911, the spring tradition became known as Journalism Week. The Missouri Writers Guild, founded in 1916 by Williams, had a strong presence at J-Week for decades.

In 2009 the Guild hosts an annual spring conference bringing in some of the countries finest speakers, publishers, agents and editors for your professional development. Mark your calendar and save those writers checks so you can join us in MWG 94th Annual Conference in Cape Girardeau, MO April 11-12-13, 2009.

The first dean of the Missouri School of Journalism, Walter Williams, wrote Journalist's Creed. One century later, his declaration remains one of the clearest statements of the principles, values and standards of journalists throughout the world. If you do not meet the requirements for membership in the Missouri Writers Guild, I encourage you to join a chapter. Our regional and local chapters are supportive writers groups that will encourage and support new writers and long-time authors who have written dozens of books.

Find a local writers group on the Chapters page. Many more are highlighted on the chapters' page. Here are a few:

Our regional chapters host some of Missouri's best literary activities. Columbia Chapter Missouri Writers' Guild Prose and Poetry Contests are not only fun, it produces extraordinary work for publication. Winning these contests may be the confidence you need to send the work onto a publisher.

Saturday Writers provides a forum for writers in central-eastern Missouri to network by offering support and by sharing ideas and markets for publication. holds an annual meeting devoted to children and children's writers, with awards ceremony for student writers.

Blogging, writing tips, contests, submission opportunities, and other information to benefit writers. The Coffee and Critique Writers' Group hosts the blog. They meet every Tuesday to review each other's writing.

Members have access to our Members Only section listing additional writers opportunities, contests and hot markets. Membership includes access to our online writers network and on line opportunities to promote your books or publications.

The Speakers Bureau is another lucrative opportunity for writers hosted for accomplished members on our site. We also offer a (link to sample copy) quarterly newsletter; available in print or online.

We want to help you become a better writer. We invite you to help us become a better organization.

I close with William Safires "Great Rules of Writing."

Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

Patsy Bell Hobson

President of the Missouri Writers Guild, 2008 - 2009