creative writing group york

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

10 Top Writing Groups in NYC

By Kevin Chan

Are you a resident of New York who is interested in joining a writing group? Check out our list of 10 top writing groups in NYC below.

1. 420 Friendly Writer’s Group

420 Friendly Writer’s Group is a writing group that was founded by organizer Azariya Ferall. Run through a public Meetup.com website, 420 Friendly Writer’s Group is a collection of writers who get together at Grace Health & Wellness Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Writing group meetings are held every two weeks on Sunday afternoons. Participants are encouraged to participate in writing sprints, which are periods dedicated to purely writing together. Writers who participate in 420 Friendly Writer’s Group’s writing events can feed off of each other and push through whatever writer’s block you would face writing on your own.

Check out 420 Friendly Writer’s Group!

2. Astoria Writers Group

Located in Long Island City, New York, Astoria Writers Group is a writing group with over 4,400 active members. Organizer Kara Elsayed and her co-organizers are behind this New York-based writing group and are committed to helping their members accomplish their writing goals.

Astoria Writers Group’s writing meetings are held online every Sunday evening, once a week. Writing submission from writers looking for feedback and critique can be done through Blogger links and posted on Astoria Writers Group’s Meetup page comments section. No matter how incomplete your writing is or what genre you happen to be working on, Astoria Writers Group is a place where you can find a community that understands your challenges and can provide you with the support you’re looking for.

For more information about Astoria Writers Group, check out their Meetup.com website .

3. Gay Women’s Writing Group

Based in New York, Gay Women’s Writing Group is a writing group welcoming all gay women in the area. Writers of all experience and skill levels are welcome to Gay Women’s Writing Group, which aims to be a positive space for gay women to bring their writing, ideas and energy.

Group meetings for Gay Women’s Writing Group are held online on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Writing group participants are welcome to bring in their work-in-progress, no matter what genre they are working on, including poetry, fiction or journal entries.

For additional information, check out Gay Women’s Writing Group’s private Meetup.com web page .

4. New York City Writers Critique Group

New York City Writers Critique Group is a writing group with over 4,000 writers that regularly participate in their writing group meetings in New York City. New York City Writers Critique Group has been organized on Meetup.com by Christopher Keelty and a number of over co-organizers, who are all passionate about writing and supporting writers.

New York City Writers Critique Group offers different events and services to group participants including monthly critique meetings and social gatherings held in person in New York City. Writing meetings happen online every other week on Saturday afternoons. Every meeting, writers will benefit from discussions with fellow members and also provide constructive criticism for pre-selected writing samples submitted by New York City Writers Critique Group participants.

Learn more about New York City Writers Critique Group!

5. Gay Men’s Writing Group

Situated in New York City, Gay Men’s Writing Group is a writing group that is managed by an organizing committee that include Jef Blocker. The writing group welcomes gay men who are professional or amateur writers looking for a supportive community. Gay Men’s Writing Group provides an opportunity for participants to get advice, build relationships and just had a place to go when faced with writer’s block.

Gay Men’s Writing Group meets online once a week on Tuesday evenings. The writing group encourages participation by writers no matter what genre they enjoy, whether that’s fiction or non-fiction, and even genres like screenplays and plays. Although the group is based in New York, Gay Men’s Writing Group welcomes participation from gay men who write from all over the country in today’s current online configuration.

Find out more about Gay Men’s Writing Group!

6. Harlem Writers United

Harlem Writers United is a writing group created for writers in New York. The writing group welcomes participation by any professional or amateur writer, regardless of gender or background. Harlem Writers United asks that all participants under the age of 18 have a parent or guardian in attendance with them.

Harlem Writers United meetings take place online on Saturday afternoons and Monday evenings. Every meeting consists of a number of writing critiques for writing samples submitted by members. Writers interested in getting constructive criticism from other members should check out Harlem Writers United’s submission guidelines on their Meetup.com web page. Submission samples should be a maximum of 8 pages, double-spaced and submitted by email by the indicated date and time for future meetings.

Take a look at Harlem Writers United!

7. Bushwick Writers Group

Serving writers in Brooklyn, New York, Bushwick Writers Group is a group of writers that meet and work on their work-in-progress and build relationships with other local writers. The writing group currently has over 3,000 writers and is managed by organizer Joe Borrelli and his fellow co-organizers.

Writing meetups allow Bushwick Writers Group participants an opportunity to write alongside other supportive writers in New York. Meetings are held on Sunday afternoon every week usually at Ange Noir Cafe, their regular location. Meetings are organized in three 25-minute writing sprints, between which writers can engage in conversation and get advice from other writers.

Start a conversation with Bushwick Writers Group!

8. 20Somethings Creative Writing Community

20Somethings Creative Writing Community is a writing group with over 800 active members. In addition to their New York Chapter, based in Astoria, New York, the support for 20Somethings Creative Writing Community’s activities has allowed them to establish an additional writing group in neighboring New Jersey.

Writers of all skill levels and experience in their 20s are welcome to join 20Somethings Creative Writing Community’s writing meetings. Writing group participants are normally held on the first Sunday of every month in the afternoon, with the exception of special events that 20Somethings Creative Writing Community organizes, such as group participation at book festivals and social events.

Discover more about20Somethings Creative Writing Community!

9. Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group

Brooklyn, New York is home to Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group, a writing group that was established in 2017. Originally held in person, Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group’s writing meetings are now also held online, to make writing meetings more comfortable and accessible for participants.

Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group welcomes all women, including cisgender, transgender and anyone else on the non-binary gender spectrum who identifies as a woman. Online writing meetings are held on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings, and allow for personal sharing, a time of private writing and socialization. For writers who prefer to meet in person, Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group meets in person on Saturday afternoons.

Join Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group at one of their next writing meetings!

10. Black Women’s Writing Group

Black Women’s Writing Group is a writing group created by Eman Rimawi to support black women who write, no matter what experience or skill level. The writing group will incorporate writing assignments between writing meetings into their weekly review and critique sessions that will take place at writing group meetings.

Writing group meetings happen once a week on Sunday afternoons. After initial introductions, writers are given an opportunity to participate in writing exercises, aimed at improving writing skills and introducing new techniques that can be then used at home. Black women who write and are able to join Black Women’s Writing Group’s in person writing sessions in New York are all welcome to join.

Plan a visit to Black Women’s Writing Group!

Jump to navigation Skip to content

Search form

• P&W on Facebook
• P&W on Twitter
• P&W on Instagram

Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Find a home for your poems, stories, essays, and reviews by researching the publications vetted by our editorial staff. In the Literary Magazines database you’ll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact information—everything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work.

Whether you’re pursuing the publication of your first book or your fifth, use the Small Presses database to research potential publishers, including submission guidelines, tips from the editors, contact information, and more.

Research more than one hundred agents who represent poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, plus details about the kinds of books they’re interested in representing, their clients, and the best way to contact them.

Every week a new publishing professional shares advice, anecdotes, insights, and new ways of thinking about writing and the business of books.

Find publishers ready to read your work now with our Open Reading Periods page, a continually updated resource listing all the literary magazines and small presses currently open for submissions.

Since our founding in 1970, Poets & Writers has served as an information clearinghouse of all matters related to writing. While the range of inquiries has been broad, common themes have emerged over time. Our Top Topics for Writers addresses the most popular and pressing issues, including literary agents, copyright, MFA programs, and self-publishing.

Our series of subject-based handbooks (PDF format; $4.99 each) provide information and advice from authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests.

Find a home for your work by consulting our searchable databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, and more.

Poets & Writers lists readings, workshops, and other literary events held in cities across the country. Whether you are an author on book tour or the curator of a reading series, the Literary Events Calendar can help you find your audience.

Get the Word Out is a new publicity incubator for debut fiction writers and poets.

Research newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications that consistently publish book reviews using the Review Outlets database, which includes information about publishing schedules, submission guidelines, fees, and more.

Well over ten thousand poets and writers maintain listings in this essential resource for writers interested in connecting with their peers, as well as editors, agents, and reading series coordinators looking for authors. Apply today to join the growing community of writers who stay in touch and informed using the Poets & Writers Directory.

Let the world know about your work by posting your events on our literary events calendar, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

Find a writers group to join or create your own with Poets & Writers Groups. Everything you need to connect, communicate, and collaborate with other poets and writers—all in one place.

Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs.

Whether you are looking to meet up with fellow writers, agents, and editors, or trying to find the perfect environment to fuel your writing practice, the Conferences & Residencies is the essential resource for information about well over three hundred writing conferences, writers residencies, and literary festivals around the world.

Discover historical sites, independent bookstores, literary archives, writing centers, and writers spaces in cities across the country using the Literary Places database—the best starting point for any literary journey, whether it’s for research or inspiration.

Search for jobs in education, publishing, the arts, and more within our free, frequently updated job listings for writers and poets.

Establish new connections and enjoy the company of your peers using our searchable databases of MFA programs and writers retreats, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

• Register for Classes

Each year the Readings & Workshops program provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops. Learn more about this program, our special events, projects, and supporters, and how to contact us.

The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community, providing them with a network for professional advancement.

Find information about how Poets & Writers provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops.

Bring the literary world to your door—at half the newsstand price. Available in print and digital editions, Poets & Writers Magazine is a must-have for writers who are serious about their craft.

View the contents and read select essays, articles, interviews, and profiles from the current issue of the award-winning Poets & Writers Magazine .

Read essays, articles, interviews, profiles, and other select content from Poets & Writers Magazine as well as Online Exclusives.

View the covers and contents of every issue of Poets & Writers Magazine , from the current edition all the way back to the first black-and-white issue in 1987.

Every day the editors of Poets & Writers Magazine scan the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know.

In our weekly series of craft essays, some of the best and brightest minds in contemporary literature explore their craft in compact form, articulating their thoughts about creative obsessions and curiosities in a working notebook of lessons about the art of writing.

The Time Is Now offers weekly writing prompts in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to help you stay committed to your writing practice throughout the year. Sign up to get The Time Is Now, as well as a weekly book recommendation for guidance and inspiration, delivered to your inbox.

Every week a new author shares books, art, music, writing prompts, films—anything and everything—that has inspired and shaped the creative process.

Listen to original audio recordings of authors featured in Poets & Writers Magazine . Browse the archive of more than 400 author readings.

Ads in Poets & Writers Magazine and on pw.org are the best ways to reach a readership of serious poets and literary prose writers. Our audience trusts our editorial content and looks to it, and to relevant advertising, for information and guidance.

Start, renew, or give a subscription to Poets & Writers Magazine ; change your address; check your account; pay your bill; report a missed issue; contact us.

Peruse paid listings of writing contests, conferences, workshops, editing services, calls for submissions, and more.

Poets & Writers is pleased to provide free subscriptions to Poets & Writers Magazine to award-winning young writers and to high school creative writing teachers for use in their classrooms.

Read select articles from the award-winning magazine and consult the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print.

• Subscribe Now

Status message

• Create a Profile
• Create a Group
• See Profiles

Poets & Writers Groups

Welcome to Poets & Writers Groups! Ready to connect, communicate, and collaborate with a new community of writers? Browse the list or use the filters below to find a writers group that is the perfect fit for you and your work. If you see one you’d like to join, click on “Create a Profile” in the menu bar above or log in if you’ve already created a profile. Once logged in, you’ll be able to click on the vertical ellipses menu that will appear to the right of the group name to request membership. To see groups to which you already belong, click on the “My Groups” button in the menu bar above. Or, if you’d like to create your own group, click on the “Create a Group” button.

New to P&W Groups? Get started now!

Are you new to writers groups and unsure how to begin? Looking for advice on being a supportive member or leader of a group? Look no further. We’ve curated a small collection of articles that offer guidance on starting a group of your own, insight into the many different kinds of writers groups, and inspiration for finding creativity, community, and play in a writers group. 

Catholic Writers

Old Ladies Writers Group

I'm old, and that's only going to worse. I've wanted to write since birth, but my mother wanted me to be an engineer then I got married in 1983, all excited to have a husband who would support my work. But he didn't. He had a mediocre career, into which he threw 100% of his effort, leaving me stuck at home to raise the kids, clean the house, and pick up his laundry. The kids were autistic in the early 1990s when it hadn't been discovered yet, so I was screwed. Then I was diagnosed with MS, proving yet again that God hates me. Now husband's retired and I need some space and some help, but he never had a chance to do his hobbies... neither did I, but he doesn't understand. Didn't I have all that time while I was raising the kids?

I want a group for people like me, older, hamstrung, trying to make it up as we go along. I write literary and find genre writers have a whole different take on the experience of writing so think it might be best to write literary fiction, women's fiction, and stuff like that. I'll be flexible.

Prefer meetings in person, but know it's not practical so Zoom or some other one is good for me. It would be nice to have people local to Massachusetts, but I think everybody in the state already has a group, so I can be flexible. What I can't be is boring, so bring your sense of humor.

Really. I just want to talk about writing with people who know something about how to do it, because I'm getting lost in all this extra stuff. I've got 20 decent years left so I have no time to waste.

The Creative Common Room

York Writers

York Writers is a group of writers who meet FOR writers in the historic English city of York. Our main meetings happen on the first Wednesday of the month in the upstairs room of a friendly central York bar and brasserie. Meetings alternate between external speakers or workshops and "Local Writers' Nights" where members and visitors are invited to read their work in front of a receptive and encouraging audience. Our members range from beginning writers to those with a substantial CV of published work. We're interested in all forms of writing - articles, poems, short stories, novels, scripts. We also run a programme of critique workshops and internal competitions for members of the group. New members and visitors are always welcome. Members pay £1 per meeting, guests £2.50. ...

Share on Social Media

MWG IS A CULTURALLY DIVERSE GROUP OF CREATIVE WRITERS BASED IN NEW YORK CITY.

Mission Statement

NY Writers Coalition Inc. (NYWC) empowers and enriches the lives of New Yorkers of all backgrounds and experiences through the art of creative writing.

Participants in our free and low-cost writing workshops in New York City become part of a community of peers, present their work publicly through NYWC’s readings and publications, and connect with broader audiences. Our workshops are particularly targeted toward underserved people, including youth, seniors, women, LGBT communities, people with disabilities, people who are incarcerated or have been incarcerated, and others from traditionally silenced groups.

Writing and sharing their work with others in a safe atmosphere of respect and acceptance, NYWC’s writers discover the power of their own stories, gain confidence and a stronger sense of self, and become part of a creative and socially conscious community. We encourage creative writing as a long-term practice in the lives of our constituents, developing an audience and recognition of individuals’ artistic and personal value. We believe that everyone has a voice and a story and that the world is a better place when we respect, deeply listen to, and honor all of its citizens.

NY Writers Coalition’s Workshop Method

Click here to read NYWC’s tribute to Pat.

What happens during an NYWC workshop?

Each week, a NYWC-certified workshop leader supplies writing prompts to the writing group, but workshop members are free to ignore the given prompt and write on their own.

All standard NYWC writing workshops run for two hours. Workshop participants write together during the time allotted and are then encouraged, but not mandated, to share. Those who choose to share receive positive, supportive feedback from their writing group; w e do not critique brand new writing because the writer has not yet had a chance to read or revise it. In addition, it is assumed that all writing done in the workshop is fictional.

Workshop leaders also write as part of the group, providing a model for taking risks and showing vulnerability in a group setting. These guidelines ensure that participants feel safe to write and read aloud even the riskiest material.

NYWC workshops provide structure for writers to produce new work on a regular basis. Writers are given the freedom to find and strengthen their individual and unique voices and are encouraged to experiment with form, style, and new genres. Workshop members become part of a creative community, easing some of the isolation that they and those in marginalized groups often encounter.

• Board of Directors
• About Pat Schneider
• 20th Anniversary
• Virtual Public Workshops
• In-Person Public
• Outreach Workshops
• The Black Writers Program
• Common Unity: An Anthology
• The Journal
• Press Mentions
• Volunteer With Us
• Become a Program Partner
• Memberships

CALL OUR HELPLINE- 212-684-3264 • learn more

Creative Writing Workshop (Virtual)

The Creative Writing Workshop is a fun and safe environment where aspiring authors come together to share, critique, and improve their work. Every Monday, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm ET. All are welcome. Closed captioning is available.

The group explores all forms of written expression, including short stories, script writing, and much more.

We invite you to join us five minutes before the group starts. Everyone who arrives by 6:35pm will be admitted into the meeting.  After 6:35pm, you may not be admitted based on group capacity. No one will be admitted after 7:00pm.   

• To join with video, click here.
• To join by phone, dial 646-558-8656, Meeting ID: 859 8069 9551, Passcode: 862092

Observers are not permitted.

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Creative Writing Group (Virtual)

The Creative Writing Group is a fun and safe environment where aspiring authors come together to share, critique, and improve their work. Every Monday, 6:30 to 8:00pm ET. The group explores all forms of written expression, including short stories, script …

Creative Writing Group (Virtual) Read More »

The Writers Studio

The Original School of Creative Writing and Thinking, est. 1987

The Writers Studio New York

IN-PERSON CLASSES

NYC Level 1, 2, and Advanced Poetry classes will be held in person at the Village Community School at 272 West 10th Street in the West Village. Proof of vaccination and masks are required to attend in-person classes.

VIRTUAL CLASSES

For those NYC Level 1 students who prefer a virtual class, there will be a Thursday class held via Google Meet. NYC Level 3/4 and NYC Memoir classes will continue to meet at their scheduled times via Google Meet.

Any NYC classes that meet remotely are open to students from outside of the New York City area.

The Writers Studio, founded in 1987 by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Schultz, offers ongoing writing workshops — both on site and online — designed to help students discover and nurture their own voices. We welcome students at all stages, from those who have only dreamed of writing fiction or poetry to those with MFAs hungry for additional serious, ongoing instruction. Students provide the desire to write and the willingness to learn, and we provide the structure, the technical know-how, the professional feedback and the friendly community to enable them to reach their full potential.

Our in-person New York City classes take place in an informal classroom setting in lower Manhattan. We understand how vulnerable students can feel sharing their words with a room full of strangers, so we take care to make everyone feel at home. In just a couple of weeks, a remarkable degree of solidarity and trust tend to develop in each workshop.

In Level 1, the emphasis is on building a solid foundation in craft as students do exercises designed to introduce them to a wide array of new narrative approaches. We also teach students to give constructive, supportive feedback. We work to assure that critiques build on each other, so that students never leave the class with a head full of conflicting reactions and suggestions. As students move up through the levels, the basic structure of the workshops remains the same, but the level of sophistication grows across the board. Assignments become more challenging to meet the increasing skill and understanding of the students. In the upper levels students are generally working on longer pieces, but they continue to do exercises, always honing their skills and deepening their understanding.

All students new to The Writers Studio in New York City start at Level 1. Since we approach teaching with our own method and vocabulary, even experienced writers with publications and/or MFAs will find plenty that is new and challenging in Level 1.

We also encourage our New York City students to take advantage of our other local events: the Craft Class and our ongoing reading series. Each year we showcase the work of favorite literary journals, new and established published authors, and the work of our own students and teachers. Students invite their families and friends to these events, which helps us introduce The Writers Studio to the larger community.

For more information, please call us at (212) 255-7075 or visit us on Facebook .

Available NYC Courses

The writers studio, online and local communities.

New to The Writers Studio? Start here .

San Francisco

Hudson river towns, craft class, tutorial program, all memoir courses.

Classes & Workshops

The New York Public Library offers more than 93,000 programs annually, serving everyone from toddlers to teens to seniors. Use any or all of the filters below to find a class that interests you. All classes are free unless otherwise noted.

Refine Your Search

339 classes found.

Give Local York | $37,405 Raised — Thank You!

Gift Memberships Available — Order Now

OLLI Apparel Sale — Order Now

Special Interest Groups

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are created and led by OLLI members who decide to continue meeting on a regular basis to further pursue an area of study or interest. SIGs are open to all OLLI members, but registration is required.

Creative Writing 

The creative writing group meets monthly, both in person and via Zoom. Members of the SIG develop the agenda, focusing on various aspects of creative writing in a fun and supportive environment.

Email group coordinator Gail Crow at [email protected] to register or for more information.

The games SIG meets in-person once or twice monthly to play board and card games like Scrabble, Scattegories, Quiddler, Five Crowns, Wizard, Rummikub, etc. You are free to bring a game you’d like to share. This SIG is led by Helen Livingston. (If you are interested in playing MahJongg, please email Helen with your availability. This group would meet at a different time.)

Email group coordinator Helen Livingston at [email protected] to register or for more information.

The knitting group meets in-person weekly. All skill levels of knitting and crochet are welcome. This group is very informal but does send out a weekly reminder to those who regularly attend. Sometimes only two people come, other times there can be as many as ten or twelve!

Email group coordinator Judy Leece at [email protected] to register or for more information.

We have established an OLLI group through an app called TeamReach. This easy-to-navigate app can be used by any of our members to schedule impromptu sessions of pickleball at any courts of their choice in York County.

If you are an OLLI York member and would like an invitation to join the group through the app, please contact Patti Baughman at [email protected] or Glenn Young at [email protected] .

The walking group meets at local parks and trails year-round. The length of the walk is shared prior to each walk. The goal is light exercise, fresh air, and camaraderie.

Email Patti Baughman at [email protected] or Glenn Young at [email protected] to register or for more information.

New York City Writers Critique Group

A workshop for all New York City writers

We are a writers workshop based in New York City. Due to COVID-19, for now we only meet via Zoom. You can learn more about us here, and join or find our upcoming calendar on Meetup .

Who we are, our history, and how to submit your work.

Read more About Us

Our Authors

Published work by NYCWCG members, including pieces workshopped by the group.

Read more Our Authors

Find us on Meetup!

See our full calendar and stay updated by joining us at Meetup (it’s free!)

Read more Find us on Meetup!

• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• Manage subscriptions

Advertisement

Supported by

Finding Refuge on ‘Mars,’ for the Characters and the Writers

The comedy group The Whitest Kids U’ Know completed the project dealing with the loss of one of its founding members, Trevor Moore, who died in 2021.

• Share full article

By George Gene Gustines

The animated film “ Mars ” — about a ragtag group of civilians visiting the red planet on a trip financed by a billionaire with an asteroid-sized ego — will premiere Thursday at the Tribeca Festival . It will mark the end to a bittersweet journey for the film’s writers that began more than a decade ago.

“Mars” was written as a live-action film in 2012 by Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger and Sam Brown, the founders of the comedy group The Whitest Kids U’ Know. They met thanks to living in the same dormitory at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where they performed lots of gigs. From there came tours of the city’s comedy clubs and a television show that ran from 2007 to 2011.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, they decided animation was the best way forward for the feature and opted to crowdfund the film. But in August 2021, tragedy struck when Moore died in an accident .

“It did seem kind of unfathomable to complete this movie without him,” Cregger said during a recent video interview with Brown and Timmy Williams, who is also in the comedy group. They, Darren Trumeter (the fifth member of the group), and Moore, who completed his recordings before the accident, provide the voices for all the characters in “Mars.”

“Trevor’s death changed everything,” Cregger said. Before Moore died, the group was having regular interactions with fans on Twitch and other social media platforms, which helped fuel interest in “Mars.” Continuing that was difficult. “When he died, it kind of became like, this hurts every time,” Cregger said. But they felt a responsibility to their fans, who helped fund the film, to complete the project.

But the long production process has also been a blessing, Brown said. “Not to treat this like a therapy session or anything, but Trevor passed away and we’ve been working on this for years and years,” he said. “There’s part of me that is really dreading having it come to an end because it really does feel like we’re still working with him, and I think it’s such a gift that we have this.”

Cregger estimated they raised a few hundred thousand dollars to make the film. The amount was a mix of a crowdfunding campaign, selling merchandise and royalties from the television show.

“The crowdfunding was kind of a blessing in a lot of ways,” Cregger said. “It gave us the money to make the movie, but we also had accepted money from a lot of people,” which was an obligation that weighed on them. “We’re pretty disorganized, lazy guys and I could easily see us not finishing the movie.” But “if we don’t put ‘The End’ on this and get it out into the world, I think we’re like con artists,” he added.

Williams agreed: “Then we’re bad. We’re like criminals.”

During Covid, Trevor got the script into the hands of Sevan Najarian, an animation and special effects director he had worked with. They had a conversation about making an animated film for cheap, recalled Brown. Pivoting the script from live action was fairly smooth, but there was a learning curve over what animation entailed. “You kind of have this idea: animation is all just drawings and backgrounds, so you’ll do anything,” Brown said. “But in reality, every new space needs a background design and someone has to think about the layout of that.”

Najarian, directing his first full-length feature, said his first step was starting with the voices. “We want to draw characters based on what they sound like,” he said in a telephone interview. The collaboration was a fruitful one. “They are great writers but there weren’t a lot of visual notes in the script,” he said. “We were able to shape the world visually and they really gave us a lot of freedom.”

The ability of Najarian and his team to visualize the script was evident to the writers right away. “One of the first things they showed us was the background for the dentist bar,” Williams said.

The audience will see the bar within the first few minutes of the film. That is where Kyle Capshaw (voiced by Cregger) meets his friend Cooter (voiced by Moore). The script named the bar the “Holy Molar,” but Najarian and his team gave it a logo that is a tooth with a halo and angel wings; designed the barstool cushions to look like the bottom half of dentures and a beer called “Molar Lite;” and threw in a “Tooth Tunes” jukebox.

The bar scene is also where we learn about Kyle, who fears that too much of his life has already been decided. “There are literally no important decisions left for me,” he tells Cooter. On a whim — and suffering from cold feet over his engagement to Candace (voiced by Trumeter) — he decides to enter a lottery to win a trip to Mars, which is set to depart on his wedding day.

“Mars” definitely earns its inclusion in the “Midnight” section of the festival, which is for surprising and shocking movies for mature audiences. The movie has coarse language, sexual situations and over-the-top violence.

“There is a scene with me and Darren’s character that’s going to be my favorite thing to see how people react to it,” said Williams, who plays a character named Wimmy Tilliams, a religious man who is forever changed by the Mars experience. “Can we call it a love scene?”

“Tender scene, let’s say,” Cregger said.

Brown said that jokes from the script were assessed to make sure they worked in today’s climate. “Part of the appeal of the movie is that we had those jokes that we wrote in 2012,” he said. But they reviewed the script to “figure out what’s funny about it that isn’t problematic today.

Cregger added with a laugh: “I think it’s also very, very important to say that any part of this movie that anybody thinks is offensive or crosses a line, Trevor wrote that,” he said.

More sincerely, Cregger is thankful to everyone who backed the film. “We had really, really supportive fans who believed in us and gave us the opportunity to make this movie we wanted to make forever,” he said.

“We were never going to get a studio on board to do it. So this is not just our movie, but it is the big ‘our’ — our online community. That’s who we made it for and who owns the movie.”

George Gene Gustines has been writing about comic books for The Times for more than two decades. More about George Gene Gustines

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

Leslye Headland’s new “Star Wars” show, The Acolyte,” is a dream come true, but she knows it carries enormous expectations .

Once relegated to supporting roles, the comedian Michelle Buteau  is a star of the film “Babes” and is moving to a bigger stage, Radio City Music Hall, for her new special.

American audiences used to balk at subtitles. But recent hits like “Shogun” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” show how much that has changed .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.