by Diane Chiddister
— published on page 26 of the Fall/Winter 2026 print edition of Oly Arts
When Star Wuerdemann moved to the Olympia area a few years ago, she looked for a meeting place that combined writing and community. A lifelong writer who’s moved frequently, she always sought a place that connects writers to each other; sometimes, she found it. But in Olympia, she came up short.
Wuerdemann recalled recently the advice given by Andrea Griffith, the owner of Browsers Bookshop, when she talked of her struggle to find a writing community.
“Andrea said, ‘Sometimes you have to start it yourself.”
Now Wuerdemann is doing just that. In September she’s launching OlyPages, a writing arts studio. Located on the second floor of the historic Olympia Hardware building downtown, the new studio offers an ambitious schedule of classes and events.
Recently she had just finished hauling boxes of new chairs up to the studio. The chairs are heavy (she can confirm this!), solidly built and cushioned. The idea, she said, is for the chairs to be so comfortable that those sitting “do not have to think about them.”
Everything about OlyPages seems to reflect this level of thoughtfulness.
For instance, while long tables near the front are intended for writing, at the opposite end there are only cushions on the floor. It’s a “flexible space,” Wuerdemann said, and will be used for OlyPages’ first event, “Writing Mindfully: Writing and Meditation” on Sunday, Sept. 13.
The overlapping of writing and meditation is a subject close to Wuerdemann’s heart, since she’s been a student of writer and Zen teacher Natalie Goldberg .
Her Buddhist background also led Wuerdemann to offer some classes/events for free. For instance, in the first week OpenPages (free) activities include Writing Mindfully, the (Nearly) Silent Writing Club and a presentation, “Ask an Editor,” by Kevin Breen.
“I wanted people to come experience writing without having to pay for it,” Wuerdemann said, though donations are gratefully accepted.
StudioPages (for-a-fee) classes in the first weeks include a five-week Accountability Workshop taught by Wuerdemann; a Memoir Workshop with Nicole Hardy; a Query Boot Camp with Ari Koontz; and a Short Story Workshop with Kevin Breen.
Writing and community go together, Wuerdemann believes, because the act of writing often involves telling the story of one’s life. “Great writing classes become a cohort of support,” Wuerdemann said.
This support flows from the vulnerability of people sharing their stories with each other. “Once you hear someone’s story, even if you don’t like them, you learn to love their humanity,” she said.
This mutual support blossomed when Wuerdemann, following Griffith’s advice, took her first step two years ago toward creating a writers’ community in Olympia. Held upstairs at Browsers, the (Nearly) Silent Writing Club is a monthly gathering open to everyone. The event begins with all attendees weighing in on a writing-related topic suggested by Wuerdemann, followed by an hour of silent writing.
Wuerdemann had no idea how it would go, or whether anyone would show up. But show up they did, with up to 25 attending each month. “It’s been a resounding success,” she said. “Not the numbers so much as the quality of what happens.”
The support of Griffith has been key to the success of both the (Nearly) Silent Writers Club and the launch of OlyPages.
“If not for Andrea’s generosity, OlyPages would not have happened,” Wuerdemann said. Funding for OlyPages will rely on donations; initially, she’s used an inheritance from her father, who died two years ago, to launch the studio. He’d be proud of her, she said, and it’s hard that he’s not here.
Having recently completed her first novel, Wuerdemann has published articles and a short story. She has a degree in English Language and Literature, and has taught at the college level. Along with being a lifelong writer, she’s a student of Chinese medicine, with a masters in acupuncture and a small local acupuncture practice. Surprisingly, the study of Chinese medicine aligns with her interest in writing, in that it also focuses on how humans function in the world.
“My whole education has been a study in character development,” she said.
She brings all of that expertise to OlyPages, along with excitement about what can happen when writers get together to share their stories, such as the beginning discussion of each (Nearly) Silent Writing Club.
“By the time we go around the circle, something shifts,” she said. “We’re no longer just people in the same room; now we’re a group. There’s that sense of belonging.”
WHAT:
OlyPages Writing Arts Studio
WHEN:
A variety of classes/events beginning September 13; an Open House takes place Friday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.
WHERE:
111 Capitol Way N. (historic Olympia Hardware building), Suite 200
COST:
OpenPages events are free; StudioPages are fee-based.
LEARN MORE:
https://www.olypages.org