About

A woman with short brown hair smiling and wearing a white blazer over a maroon top, sitting with two other people whose hands are visible, in front of a gray background.
A woman with short brown hair smiling and wearing a white blazer over a maroon top, sitting with two other people whose hands are visible, in front of a gray background.

Deb McKew

Teacher, writer, mentor, creativity catalyst

I founded Words in Play in 2006 to create a space for writers to flourish in a supportive and fun community. My workshops grew to include local weekend retreats and weeklong travel retreats in New England and abroad. Many of my writers have published pieces that were inspired and polished in these workshops. 

Open notebook with handwritten notes resting on a tree stump in a field of tall grass and small green plants, with a background of trees under a clear sky.
Open notebook with handwritten notes resting on a tree stump in a field of tall grass and small green plants, with a background of trees under a clear sky.

A Place to Write

Words in Play is a place where writers feel safe, motivated, and excited to learn and develop their craft, from rough draft to completed manuscript. The writing process twists and turns on a journey full of fun and adventure. As Karen Elizabeth Gordon tells us in her grammar book, The Deluxe Transitive Vampire, “words, too, have hoofs and wings to transport us far and deep.”

Most classes and consultations are held at my cottage by the lake. Words in Play, however, is not confined to four walls. Creativity can be inspired just about anywhere: at a coffee shop, on the beach, or in a Tuscan olive grove. When writers gather to learn and practice writing skills in a supportive, engaging environment, magic happens. 

Whether in one-on-one consultations or group workshops, we strive to meet your creative needs—the only criterion is to be open to the process.

Deb’s Journey

  • 20+ years teaching creative writers of fiction and nonfiction

  • Features and essay writer for science and general interest magazines and newsletters

  • NH certified secondary English teacher, Upper Valley Teacher Institute

  • M.S. in Science Journalism, Boston University 

  • B.A. in English and biology, Mount Holyoke College 

  • Williams College–Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Program, Mystic, CT

  • Trinity College Summer Course in Literature, Oxford, England

  • Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, MA