A Home for Writers
About Us
Our Story
We are the Denver region of the now-defunct National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) organization which, despite its name, was an international challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. When NaNoWriMo announced in 2025 that they would cease operations, we were inspired to carry on the tradition as Denver Novel Writing Month, or DenNoWriMo—and yes, we are also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
While we have some similarities to the NaNoWriMo of old, we also have some differences, such as events and community support year-round.
Our Mission
At Denver Novel Writing Month (DenNoWriMo), we believe every great adventure starts with a blank page and the courage to fill it. We’re in the business of sparking imaginations, building creative tribes, and cheering on the dreamers, storytellers, and world-weavers of the Denver metro area and beyond—because your story deserves to be told.
Board of Directors
Michelle Kellogg
Co-Founder / President
Michelle is a published author, former Municipal Liaison for the Denver region of NaNoWriMo, and both Co-Founder and President of DenNoWriMo, with a background that spans instructional design, opera, religious studies, and nonprofit leadership. When she's not building communities for writers, she's serving as President of the Board for her choir, negotiating with her three cats, and proudly claiming credit for two kids who made it to adulthood.
Zac Champion
Member At Large
Zac is a long-time participant in NaNoWriMo, writing terrible and half-finished fantasy/sci-fi stories that he thinks are pretty fun every year since 2010. His writing is fed by all the other passions paradoxically pressing for his time — web development and programming, competitive Pokémon, and reading.
Kathy Leppert
Co-Founder / Secretary
Kathy has been writing novels since 1995, freelancing since 2005, participating in National Novel Writing Month since 2006, and volunteering as a Municipal Liaison for the NaNoWriMo’s Denver region since 2015. Currently she serves as Secretary for Denver Novel Writing Month, which she helped found to fill the black hole left by NaNoWriMo’s 2025 implosion. When she’s not writing (which is probably too much of the time), she’s at the barn with her horses, restoring and photographing dolls, serving on the board at her local doll museum, or arguing with someone on social media.
Matthew LaForett
Member At Large
Matthew is the creator and leader of our year-round write-in at Hello Coffee.
Virginia Roper
Co-Founder / Treasurer