On the first Sunday of every month, a small upstairs space in Pittsburgh fills with couches, snacks and writers ready to share their work. A projector casts drafts onto the wall, and one by one, participants read aloud. Some voices are steady, others nervous, but the room always listens.
This is The Poetry Atelier, a monthly workshop hosted by Pittsburgh poet John Lambert at The Space Upstairs, a gallery/loft space above Construction Junction in the East End. It isn’t a typical open mic: There’s no competition, no pressure to be published and no ranking of experience. Instead, Lambert calls it a “democratized atelier,” where anyone can share writing and receive feedback in a supportive environment. At a time when much creative exchange happens online, the atelier has quietly endured since 2016, offering something harder to find: an in-person community built on trust and encouragement.
That impact is clear to attendees. Adrian Green, a poet and Point Park University alumnus from Fort Worth, Texas, credits the workshop with reviving his writing…