RIRW exists to promote excellence in women’s and popular fiction, to help writers become published and build careers in their writing field, and to provide continuing support for writers within the women’s and popular fiction publishing industry. Formed in 1983 as a Romance Writers of America chapter, we disaffiliated in 1988. We are an independent, nonprofit organization in Rhode Island.
If you are serious about writing popular fiction, we invite you to join us! Click here to see membership benefits.
We welcome everyone, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, religion, cultural identity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance, or any other identity distinction. Furthermore, we recognize that because racism, homophobia, and other forms of bias are systemic in our national culture, people from marginalized communities continue to be denied advancement in our industry. RIRW strives to address this by raising awareness within our membership and increasing our efforts to attract members from a variety of backgrounds to enrich our community of writers.
We meet from September to June on the first Saturday of the month (except for February, when we hold our annual retreat). Because of holidays and/or other conflicts, the date or venue may change (scroll down to see list of dates). We will announce changes here on our home page. We do meetings via ZOOM.
Check us out on our public Facebook page (click here!)
Dec. 6, 2025 — Rebekah Manley: “DIY Publicity: Building Press and Partnerships for Authors & Business Owners”
Workshop: Trying to build press and partnerships? Small business owners, writers and online entrepreneurs easily find a wealth of social media suggestions at their fingertips!
But what about the “old school” strategy of getting into newspapers, magazines, news interviews and building community partnerships? Solid tips and publicity support can feel like shouting into the void of influencers and reinventing an obscure and undefined wheel.
Rebekah Manley combined her Public Relations degree, experience running the Texas Center for the Book and propensity towards partnerships to launch her book during the pandemic. She understands the power of a solid press release and media kit. You are free to replicate the wheel she invented with her interns—no more mystery and “going at it alone” marketing.
Learn how to create DIY publicity toolkits to:
● Garner local and personalized media attention
● Build organic partnerships with businesses, bookstores, community groups, libraries and more
● Use social media to market your book or small business and connect with fellow creatives.
Come with your curiosities, ideas and dreams to this workshop to nurture your professional and personal goals.
Speaker’s Bio: Rebekah received her MFA in Children’s Literature with an emphasis in Picture Books. Her debut book is a “Children’s Book” for adults: Alexandra and the Awful, Awkward, No Fun, Truly Bad Dates!
Rebekah empowers and supports creatives through her company Love, Bekah LLC (www.lovebekah.com). Bekah’s words for 2025 are Glow & Grow and she’s incorporating those concepts into all her workshops.
For eight years, Rebekah ran the Texas Center for the Book and continues to nurture literary partnerships and writers across the United States. She seeks to equip writers, business owners and big dreamers with valuable tools so they may succeed and enjoy their creativity!
You can learn more about her:
Author life: rebekahmanley.com
Love, Bekah business career: www.lovebekah.com
Creative non-fiction blog: bravetutu.com
Connect on Social Media:
Instagram: @RebekahAManley, @LoveBekah.xo & @YourBraveTutu
TikTok: @RebekahAManley, @LoveBekah.xo
X/ Twitter: @RebekahAManley
Note: We welcome Visitors for up to two regular meetings before you need to join. If you want to check us out, please send us a message by NOON on Friday (day before meeting) and we’ll send you a ZOOM link. Come join your fellow writers for a free-ranging discussion!
For regular meetings, we gather to chat at noon; Meeting starts at 12:30, with workshops starting about 1:15/1:30
Fall Schedule, 2025:
September 6 – Kimberly Kessler
October 4 – Kristina Stanley
November 1 – Daniel David Wallace: POV Shift Execution
December 6 – Rebekah Manley: DIY Publicity
Winter/Spring Schedule 2026:
January 3 – Roundtable?
February 6-7 – TBA(Retreat, separate registration)
March 7 – Moniquill Blackgoose: Interview
April 11 – Rebekah Manley: “Mentor-shipping”: Work with an intern
May 2 – TBA
June 6 – TBA