A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Dear Friends,
“Thought Fox” takes its name from Ted Hughes’s poem of the same title, which opens with these lines:
I imagine this midnight moment’s forest:
Something else is alive
Beside the clock’s loneliness
And this blank page where my fingers move.
It is a poem about inspiration—its mystery, its quiet persistence, and the moment when something alive enters the page. That sense of inspiration is the foundation of Thought Fox’s mission.
As a writer, podcast host, and the founder of Thought Fox, I know a little something about inspiration—and about how elusive it can feel. I wanted to write a book as early as fourth grade, when I composed a fantasy epic in an etched leather journal that, in truth, was mostly a detailed retelling of the movie Willow. I went on to fill dozens of notebooks with stories, scenes, fragments of novels, and half-formed ideas.
For a long time, completing a story—much less publishing one—felt mysterious and impossible. Everything changed when I found a community of like-minded writers. I attended my first writing conference with about twenty pages of a novel and absolutely no understanding of the publishing industry. That conference, along with the many classes, workshops, reading groups, and events that followed, demystified the literary world. I learned that finishing a story was possible and that publishing was a realistic goal. My instructors and fellow writers supported my dreams, helped me hone my craft, and celebrated with me when I published my first book, Animal Wife (Red Hen Press, 2020).
My deepest mission is to give back to the writing community that made my own dreams possible—and to nurture that same sense of fellowship for others.
Thought Fox is devoted to helping writers develop their craft and reach their goals, whatever shape those goals may take: completing a short story, publishing a novel, getting into graduate school, writing a memoir for your grandchildren, landing an agent, or reading a poem aloud before an audience for the very first time. We offer classes, consulting, and events for writers at every stage of the journey.
So what are you waiting for?
Grab a pen and join the den.
Warmly,
Lara Ehrlich
Founder & Director, Thought Fox Writers Den
press
the space
Thought Fox Writers Den began as both a robust online community and a physical gathering space for writers inside the historic Velvet Mill in Stonington, Connecticut. Nestled within a bohemian former textile mill filled with local creative businesses, boutiques, and studios, the Den found its first home among artists, makers, and dreamers. The Velvet Mill’s intimate studios and expansive event spaces made it a natural incubator for book launches, author readings, beer & book clubs, workshops, and collaborative literary events.
That space shaped who we are.
Now, Thought Fox has entered an exciting new chapter: we are proudly located inside Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut—an independent bookstore owned by Lara’s husband, Douglas Riggs. Together, Thought Fox and Bank Square Books are building something deeply intentional: a shared literary hub where readers and writers meet, where books are not only sold but born, discussed, performed, debated, and celebrated.
This new home allows Thought Fox to be woven directly into a thriving independent bookstore community—connecting writers more closely to readers, booksellers, visiting authors, and the wider literary ecosystem. Classes, workshops, readings, and events now unfold in the living heart of a working bookstore, reinforcing our belief that writing is not a solitary act, but a communal one.
The vibe remains what it has always been: old-world academia with an edge—now infused with the energy of a vibrant indie bookstore. The Den continues to be a place of long tables and deep conversations, lush plants and coffee cups, drafts and discoveries, ambition and fellowship.
Thought Fox has always been about helping writers find their people. Our new home at Bank Square Books lets us do that more fully than ever before.
About thought fox founder
lara ehrlich
Lara Ehrlich embraces and reexamines qualities that in women are often considered monstrous, like selfishness, desire, and ambition. She is the author of the novel Bind Me Tighter Still (Red Hen Press, 2025) and Animal Wife, a collection of stories about women’s transformations from girls into wives, mothers, and monsters. Animal Wife won Red Hen Press’s Fiction Award judged by Ann Hood and was published by the press in 2020. Lara teaches writing and has led workshops and panels at Bread Loaf Writers Workshop, Yale Writers Workshop, AWP, and Story Studio Chicago, among others, and teaches at the University of Connecticut. Lara is the host of Writer Mother Monster, a conversation series devoted to dismantling the myth of “having it all” and offering writer-moms solidarity, support, and advice. She is the founder and director of Thought Fox Writers Den, which builds community and supports writers of all levels with in-person and virtual workshops, coaching, events, and more.
