In the freezing temperatures of a January evening, about 50 Ann Arborites crowded in a small nook in State Street’s Shaman Drum to listen to Michael Shilling read the first chapter of his novel. His book, titled “Rock Bottom,” is a sharp and biting mock-autobiography about a touring rock band. Sipping a bottle of beer as he read and performed the voices of his grungy jaded rocker protagonist, Shilling — a recent Master of Fine Arts graduate and now Sweetland lecturer — performed with the gusto of a seasoned frontman.

Events like this are not uncommon in Ann Arbor. While the city is known for sports venues like Michigan Stadium and music venues like Hill Auditorium, there is still another very overlooked culture that pervades the town — a writing culture.

The literary scene that exists in Ann Arbor is vibrant. More than just a scene, individual writers living and working in Ann Arbor have formed a community. While the modern concept of social networking conjures the image of Facebook’s home page, concerts, plays and book readings exist as a form of social networking where people can physically come together over common interests. These communities encourage individuals to collaborate and share their art and their ideas.

“By definition, community is a collective,” said English Prof. Nicholas Delbanco, director of the Hopwood Awards. “It’s true in this community of individuals. Readings, workshops and bookstores like Shaman Drum are places where people congregate. However, community is a multi-pronged instrument that doesn’t exist in only one place.”

Fueled by the abundance of talent attracted to the University’s writing program, Ann Arbor is a haven for writers. As a result, they have formed a network that is visible and accessible. This network is made up of writers and readers, students and professors. From social chatter at Hopwood tea gatherings on Thursday afternoons in Angell Hall to experimental readings at Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room on Main Street, it's evident that this community is thriving.

Delbanco compared teaching at the University of Michigan to his experience working as a professor in New York City at Columbia University. He stressed the role that physical distance plays in community — rather than commuting via public transit in New York City, writers in Ann Arbor live within close proximity of the campus. This factors into the fact that writers in Ann Arbor simply see each other more often.

Book readings in particular are one way that new and seasoned writers connect not only with one another but also with their audience. While reading and writing are often individual practices, these events spur thoughts about them being living physical processes and invite the students and Ann Arbor citizens to be a part of an active community.

The Zell Visiting Writers Series, sponsored by the University’s English Department and the Office of the Provost, brings writers from the national literary scene to the small stage at campus venues including Rackham Amphitheatre and the Residential College Auditorium. This past year brought celebrated writers including British poet Simon Armitage, short-story writer Deborah Eisenberg and short-story writer Amy Hempel.

The readings are plentiful and ongoing: Today Israeli poet Hamutal Bar Yosef will read at the Thayer Building. This past week two writers were scheduled to read at Shaman Drum. This past Tuesday, Josie Kearns read from a recently published volume of poetry titled "The Theory of Everything." Four separate book readings are scheduled at the independent shop for the first week of March alone. These events are ever-present and provide an opportunity for readers and listeners to experience writing in another dimension through oral storytelling.

Outside the world of published writing, the University’s MFA program sponsors three separate series: the Zell Visiting Writers Series, the Mark Webster Reading Series and the J.