Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Tr
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, FEEDBACK, EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT TO WRITERS OF FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION, AND HORROR TO HELP THEM IMPROVE THEIR WORK.
- Income
- $144,618
- Spending
- $148,694
- Reserves
- 21.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 49%
- Highest pay
- $89,000, trustee, dir
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 73% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 21.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $84,828 spent. YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP: OUR NOVEMBER 2024 SESSION (18 WEEKS) WAS COMPLETED ON APRIL 4, 2025, AND THEN TWO MORE SESSIONS WERE HELD, AUGUST 11-OCTOBER 31, 2025 (12 WEEKS), AND NOVEMBER 24, 2025-APRIL 3, 2026 (18 WEEKS). TO MAKE OUR WORKSHOP MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE EFFECTIVE, WE MADE SOME KEY CHANGES TO ITS FORMAT IN 2022, AND IT'S BEEN EXCITING TO SEE HOW THE UNIQUE STRUCTURE, CONTENTS, AND METHODS OF THE PROGRAM ARE HELPING STUDENTS DELVE MORE DEEPLY INTO THEIR WRITING AND MAKE GREATER IMPROVEMENTS. YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP IS A BREAKTHROUGH, ONE-ON-ONE ONLINE PROGRAM FOR WRITERS OF FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION, AND HORROR. WRITERS CAN DECIDE HOW LONG THEY WANT TO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM, WHICH TOPICS THEY WANT TO STUDY, IN WHAT ORDER AND IN WHAT DEPTH, AND THEY CAN DESIGN SOME OF THEIR OWN ASSIGNMENTS. THE NEW FORMAT ALLOWS WRITERS UNABLE TO ATTEND A SIX-WEEK, IN-PERSON WORKSHOP DUE TO FAMILY, WORK, FINANCES, OR OTHER DIFFICULTIES TO HAVE AN INTENSE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND MAKE MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR WRITING. IN ADDITION, THE PROGRAM MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO SATISFY THE UNIQUE NEEDS AND GOALS OF EACH WRITER, RATHER THAN FORCING THEM INTO A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL PROGRAM. YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY IS SUCCEEDING BEYOND ALL EXPECTATIONS. RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS OF WRITERS HAVE APPLIED FROM 25 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. IN THE WRITER'S STATEMENT PORTION OF THE APPLICATION, MANY APPLICANTS MADE COMMENTS LIKE THIS ONE: "I'M A SINGLE MOM OF TWO TEENS. I'M ALSO THE SOLE INCOME PROVIDER, SO WHILE I COULD NEVER TAKE THE TIME AWAY FOR THE PREVIOUS IN- PERSON VERSION OF ODYSSEY, I'M EXCITED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE 18-WEEK WORKSHOP. BECAUSE I ALREADY HAVE A DAILY WRITING PRACTISE, I AM CONFIDENT I CAN ACCOMMODATE THE DEMANDS OF THE PROGRAM INTO MY LIFE." FOURTEEN STUDENTS TOTAL WERE ADMITTED INTO THESE SESSIONS (4 IN THE 2024- 2025 SESSION; 4 IN THE 2025 SESSION, AND 6 IN THE 2025-2026 SESSION), AGED 29-55. WITH THE HELP OF DONORS, ODYSSEY AWARDED 8 SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS, PROVIDING AID TO EVERY STUDENT WHO SHOWED FINANCIAL NEED. STUDENTS HAVE PURSUED THEIR PASSIONS, ATTACKED THEIR WEAKNESSES, BUILT ON THEIR STRENGTHS, AND MADE GREAT STRIDES IN THEIR WRITING. TO STUDY A PARTICULAR TOPIC, A STUDENT WATCHES THE LECTURE RECORDINGS, INCLUDING GUEST LECTURES; DOES READINGS, WRITING EXERCISES, AND CRITIQUES; WORKS WITH THE ODYSSEY DIRECTOR TO CREATE AND COMPLETE AN INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT; AND WRITES A STORY OR NOVEL EXCERPT. PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL FEEDBACK BY THE ODYSSEY DIRECTOR OR A GUEST CRITIQUER IS PROVIDED, AND STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO QUESTION THE CRITIQUER OF EACH SUBMISSION TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE EXPERIENCE. THE ODYSSEY DIRECTOR INTERACTS WITH THE STUDENT IN A DEEP MENTORING EXPERIENCE MADE UP OF OVER 30 HOURS ON ZOOM. STUDENTS HAVE MADE INCREDIBLE PROGRESS. IN COURSE EVALUATIONS, ALL STUDENTS HAVE RATED THE PROGRAM "EXCELLENT." ELEVEN GRADUATES OF THE PROGRAM HAVE SOLD NOVELS TO MAJOR PUBLISHERS, ONE GRADUATE HAS WON BOTH THE PRESTIGIOUS NEBULA AWARD AND THE BRAM STOKER AWARD, AND ANOTHER GRADUATE HAS JUST BEEN NOMINATED FOR A NEBULA AWARD. ONE STUDENT WROTE, "YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING, IMPACTFUL EXPERIENCE I'VE HAD IN MY WRITING LIFE. THESE PAST 18 WEEKS HAVE STRETCHED ME TO MY LIMITS AND BEYOND, AND I CAN GENUINELY SAY I'M A BETTER WRITER TODAY THAN WHEN I STARTED. THERE ARE SO MANY WRITING PROGRAMS AND COURSES OUT THERE, BUT I CAN'T THINK OF ANY THAT ALLOW FOR SUCH FOCUSED, INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION. THAT IS THE KEY DIFFERENTIATOR FOR YPO IN MY MIND; WRITING IN GROUPS IS WONDERFUL, BUT I WAS LOOKING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DIVE DEEP INTO MY OWN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AS A WRITER. A THOUSAND THANK YOU'S TO THE PEERLESS JEANNE CAVELOS FOR HELPING ME ON THIS LIFELONG JOURNEY TO BEING THE BEST WRITER I CAN BE." THE WORKSHOP IS WIDELY CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD FOR WRITERS OF THE FANTASTIC. GUEST INSTRUCTORS AT YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY INCLUDE BESTSELLING AUTHORS R. F. KUANG, FONDA LEE, STEVEN BARNES, BRANDON SANDERSON, CARRIE VAUGHN, E. C. AMBROSE, MEAGAN SPOONER, AND GREGORY ASHE; AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS NISI SHAWL, MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL, NANCY KRESS, MELISSA SCOTT, ERIC JAMES STONE, AND P. DJELI CLARK; AWARD-WINNING WRITER/EDITOR SHEREE RENEE THOMAS, AWARD-WINNING EDITOR/PUBLISHER SCOTT H. ANDREWS, AWARD-WINNING LITERARY AGENT ARLEY SORG, AND MORE. IN 2025, WE ADDED SIX NEW GUEST LECTURES AND QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSIONS BY BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING WRITERS, INCLUDING MAGGIE STIEFVATER, P. A. CORNELL, BARBARA ASHFORD, AND JILL TEW. THESE LECTURES AND Q&AS WERE HELD LIVE ONLINE WITH AN AUDIENCE OF STUDENTS, GRADUATES, AND APPLICANTS OF ODYSSEY PROGRAMS. THIS ALLOWED A TOTAL OF 94 WRITERS TO LEARN FROM THESE SESSIONS. THE RECORDINGS HAVE NOW BEEN EDITED AND ADDED TO THE PROGRAM, INCREASING THE TOTAL VIDEO CONTENT AVAILABLE FROM 163 HOURS TO 184 HOURS. WHILE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY EACH YEAR IS NECESSARILY LIMITED DUE TO THE INTENSIVE NATURE OF THE PROGRAM, THESE GUEST LECTURES HAVE ALLOWED ODYSSEY TO HELP MORE WRITERS THAN EVER BEFORE MOVE AHEAD ON THEIR WRITING JOURNEYS. (GRANTS: 13,500)(EXPENSES: 84,827.84)
- $18,738 spent. THE NEVER-ENDING ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP (TNEO): HELD JULY 18-26, 2025. TNEO PROVIDES ADVANCED, GRADUATE-LEVEL INSTRUCTION TO WRITERS OF FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION, AND HORROR WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP OR YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY. OVER 8 DAYS, TNEO COMBINES LECTURES; WORKSHOPPING OF PARTICIPANTS' MANUSCRIPTS; WRITING EXERCISES; PLOTTING, BRAINSTORMING & PROBLEM-SOLVING SESSIONS; READ-ALOUDS; WRITING SESSIONS; AND LITERARY DISCUSSIONS. PARTICIPANTS HELP TO RUN THE WORKSHOP, CREATING AN ENERGIZING, COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT. TNEO WAS HELD IN A FULLY HYBRID FORMAT IN 2025, ALLOWING PARTICIPANTS TO CHOOSE WHETHER TO ATTEND IN PERSON, ON THE CAMPUS OF SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE IN MANCHESTER, NH; OR ONLINE. THIS PROVIDED FLEXIBILITY TO ALLOW WRITERS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES TO PARTICIPATE. FIFTEEN WRITERS FROM THE US AND NEW ZEALAND PARTICIPATED. THEY VOLUNTEERED TO RUN THE VARIOUS SESSIONS, OFFERED IN-DEPTH CRITIQUES, AND HELPED EACH OTHER IMPROVE. THEY LEARNED ABOUT THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES IN THEIR OWN WRITING AND WORKED TO IMPROVE. MANY OF THE STORIES AND NOVELS CRITIQUED AT TNEO GO ON TO BE PROFESSIONALLY PUBLISHED. ACTIVITIES GENERALLY RUN FROM 9 AM TO 9 PM EACH DAY. OF THE 13 PARTICIPANTS WHO FILLED OUT EVALUATIONS, 1 RATED THE WORKSHOP "GOOD-; AND 12 RATED THE WORKSHOP "EXCELLENT." PARTICIPANTS PRAISED THE VALUE OF THE FEEDBACK THEY RECEIVED, THE LECTURES IN THE MASTER CLASS, THE VARIOUS SMALL-GROUP ACTIVITIES THAT ALLOWED THEM TO DRAW ON EACH OTHER'S WISDOM, AND THE SUPPORT FROM BEING AROUND LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE. ONE PARTICIPANT WROTE, "THE WORKLOAD IS ON PAR WITH A GRADUATE-LEVEL WRITING COURSE, AND THE FEEDBACK AND EXPERIENCE ARE EVEN MORE IMPACTFUL. I HAVE SOME VERY VALUABLE TAKEAWAYS TO IMPROVE MY WRITING AND AM GRATEFUL FOR THIS WONDERFUL COMMUNITY." (GRANTS 0)(EXPENSES: 18,737.91)
- $12,186 spent. ODYSSEY ONLINE COURSES: GETTING THE BIG PICTURE: THE KEY TO REVISING YOUR NOVEL (HELD ONLINE 1/7/25-2/18/25, TUITION COLLECTED IN 2024); MIX-UP, MASH-UP, HYBRID, FUSION: HOW TO WRITE A BLENDED-GENRE STORY (HELD ONLINE 1/9/25-2/6/25, TUITION COLLECTED IN 2024); AND BODIES AND HEARTBEATS: CRAFTING CHARACTER FROM THE INSIDE OUT (HELD ONLINE 1/14/25-2/11/25, TUITION COLLECTED IN 2024). ODYSSEY HOLDS THREE ONLINE COURSES EACH WINTER. EACH ONLINE COURSE PROVIDES INTENSE INSTRUCTION FOCUSED ON A SINGLE ASPECT OF FICTION WRITING FOR 14 AUTHORS OF SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, AND HORROR. THE COURSES PROVIDE A LIVE CLASS EXPERIENCE ON ZOOM, AND GUIDANCE, DISCUSSION, AND FEEDBACK IN BETWEEN CLASSES THROUGH EMAILS, AN ONLINE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND INDIVIDUAL ONLINE CONFERENCES. COURSES ARE OFFERED FOR A VARIETY OF SKILL LEVELS, FROM BEGINNERS TO SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONALS. LECTURES ARE THOROUGH AND DETAILED, ASSIGNMENTS ARE CHALLENGING, AND FEEDBACK IS IN-DEPTH. THE COURSES WERE TAUGHT BY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR BARBARA ASHFORD AND BESTSELLING AUTHORS E. C. AMBROSE AND GREGORY ASHE. THROUGH THESE THREE COURSES, ODYSSEY GAVE A TOTAL OF 42 WRITERS FROM THE US, CANADA, MEXICO, GERMANY, AND AUSTRALIA THE CHANCE TO LEARN NEW TECHNIQUES AND TAKE THEIR WRITING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. STUDENTS INCLUDED ODYSSEY WORKSHOP GRADUATES, PUBLISHED WRITERS, AND TALENTED NEWCOMERS. THEY WERE ENTHUSIASTIC AND COMMITTED TO DOING THEIR BEST ON THE ASSIGNMENTS, EVEN WHEN HALFWAY AROUND THE GLOBE. THEY DELVED DEEP INTO THE SUBJECT MATTER IN ONLINE DISCUSSIONS AND MADE EXCITING IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR WRITING. IN COURSE EVALUATIONS, 91% RATED THEIR COURSE EXCELLENT, 9% GOOD. ONE STUDENT SAID, "THE IDEA OF PARTICIPATING IN SUCH A RESPECTED WORKSHOP INTIMIDATED ME. HOWEVER, I'M SO HAPPY I DID IT. I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM GREGORY ASHE. THANK YOU, ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOPS, FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE. I TOOK THE MIX-UP, MASH-UP, HYBRID, FUSION WORKSHOP ON BLENDING GENRES, AND IT HAS OPENED MY EYES TO HOW MUCH OF MY CRAFT I'VE YET TO LEARN AND PROVIDED ME WITH TOOLS I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED TO MY PROJECTS. THE WORKSHOP IS DEMANDING, BUT WORTH EVERY MINUTE OF WORK AND EVERY BIT OF MENTAL ENERGY I SPENT ON IT. I ALREADY WANT TO DO IT AGAIN AND RECOMMEND ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP TO ANY SPECULATIVE AND FANTASY WRITERS THAT ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR CRAFT." OUR 2026 ONLINE CLASSES WERE HELD TWO MONTHS LATER THAN USUAL, IN MARCH, SO TUITION WAS NOT COLLECTED UNTIL JANUARY 2026. (GRANTS: 0)(EXPENSES: 12,186.32)
- $13,348 spent. ODYSSEY CRITIQUE SERVICE: OFFERED YEAR-ROUND BY MAIL AND EMAIL. THE ODYSSEY CRITIQUE SERVICE PROVIDES AUTHORS OF FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION, AND HORROR WITH EDUCATIONAL FEEDBACK ON THEIR WRITING. AUTHORS CAN SUBMIT MANUSCRIPTS RANGING IN LENGTH FROM 20,000-150,000 WORDS AND RECEIVE IN- DEPTH, INSTRUCTIONAL, PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL CRITIQUES. CRITIQUES ARE PROVIDED BY 4 ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP GRADUATES WHO HAVE BECOME SUCCESSFUL, PROFESSIONAL WRITERS. ONE IS AN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND ANOTHER IS A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. CRITIQUES AVERAGE OVER 8,300 WORDS (16 SINGLE- SPACED PAGES) AND ALSO INCLUDE SIGNIFICANT LINE EDITS AND MARGINAL NOTES ON THE MANUSCRIPT. IN 2025, 10 MANUSCRIPTS WERE CRITIQUED. AUTHORS WERE EXTREMELY SATISFIED WITH THE FEEDBACK THEY RECEIVED AND FOUND IT VERY HELPFUL. ONE AUTHOR SAID, "OUTSTANDING THE CRITIQUE I RECEIVED FROM LANE ROBINS WAS DEEP, THOROUGH, AND FELT LIKE SHE WAS SOMEHOW ABLE TO SEE MY FACE THROUGH MY MANUSCRIPT. OVER THOUSANDS OF WORDS, SHE TRACED EVERY PLOT THREAD, NOTICED IDEAS THAT I HAD INTENTIONALLY TAKEN OUT, AND ADVOCATED FOR THEIR REINTRODUCTION WITHOUT HAVING EVER SEEN MY WORLDBUILDING NOTES. SHE BROKE DOWN MY WRITING INTO MY STRENGTHS AND MY WEAKNESSES, BOTH IN TECHNICAL SENTENCE CRAFT AND STRUCTURAL STORY CRAFT, AND SHOWED ME THE PATH TO BRINGING MY NOVEL TO ITS FULLEST POTENTIAL. I WILL CONTINUE COMING BACK TO THIS SERVICE FOR FUTURE NOVELS THAT I WRITE." (GRANTS 0)(EXPENSES: 9,233.43) ODYSSEY PODCAST: OFFERED FREE ON OUR WEBSITE, ON ITUNES, AND ON OTHER PODCAST PLATFORMS. GUEST LECTURES AT THE ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP AND YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY ARE RECORDED. WITH THE LECTURERS' PERMISSION, 10- TO 15- MINUTE EXCERPTS FROM THOSE AUDIO RECORDINGS ARE POSTED ONLINE TO PROVIDE FREE EDUCATION TO WRITERS OF FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION, HORROR, AND OTHER GENRES. ONE VOLUNTEER MAKES NOTES ABOUT WHICH SECTIONS OF THE LECTURES COULD POTENTIALLY BE MADE INTO PODCASTS. ANOTHER VOLUNTEER SELECTS AND EDITS THE EXCERPTS AND POSTS THE PODCAST EPISODES. THE DIRECTOR SECURES PERMISSION FROM GUESTS. APPROXIMATELY TEN PODCASTS ARE POSTED EACH YEAR. IT'S HARD TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LISTENING, SINCE THEY CAN LISTEN IN DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT A LOW ESTIMATE IS 2600. ON ITUNES, THE PODCAST IS RATED 4.5 STARS FROM 98 RATINGS AND 77 REVIEWS. HERE IS ONE REVIEW: "THE EPISODES ARE SHORT SO IT'S SUPER EASY TO DEVOUR TONS OF THEM. THE INFORMATION IS GREAT; IT TENDS TO BE THINGS I HAVEN'T HEARD BEFORE. LOVE THIS PODCAST" THE ODYSSEY PODCAST HAS APPEARED ON SEVERAL "50 BEST PODCASTS" LISTS, SUCH AS "50 OF THE BEST PODCASTS FOR WRITERS," A LIST COMPILED BY ROBYN ROSTE. MANY PEOPLE HAVE EMAILED THEIR THANKS TO US FOR PROVIDING THIS FREE RESOURCE. (GRANTS: 0)(EXPENSES: 790.02) ODYSSEY BLOG: OFFERED FREE ONLINE. TWO VOLUNTEERS WORK WITH THE DIRECTOR TO CREATE POSTS WITH VALUABLE WRITING INFORMATION, WHICH PROVIDE FREE EDUCATION TO WRITERS OF FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION, HORROR, AND OTHER GENRES. POSTS ARE MADE MONTHLY AND INCLUDE INTERVIEWS WITH ODYSSEY AND YOUR PERSONAL ODYSSEY GUEST LECTURERS AND GRADUATES, AND WRITING ADVICE. THE BLOG HAS 235 SUBSCRIBERS. WE HAD 4,600 VISITORS OVER THE PAST YEAR AND 7,500 VIEWS. (GRANTS: 0)(EXPENSES: 691.27) ODYSSEY CONSULTATIONS: OFFERED THROUGH ZOOM. ODYSSEY PROVIDES CONSULTATIONS TO HELP WRITERS WHO HAVE A SPECIFIC WRITING PROBLEM THEY NEED TO DISCUSS. OVER THE YEARS, DIRECTOR JEANNE CAVELOS HAS FOUND THAT ONE- ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH WRITERS ARE OFTEN THE MOST HELPFUL, ALLOWING HER TO BRAINSTORM WITH A WRITER, FOCUS ON A PARTICULAR PROBLEM THAT CONCERNS THE WRITER, AND EXPLORE ISSUES MORE DEEPLY. CONSULTATIONS ALLOW WRITERS TO SEND 2,000 WORDS IN ADVANCE, WHICH MAY BE A WRITING SAMPLE OR A DESCRIPTION OF A PROBLEM OR QUESTION. THEN JEANNE MEETS LIVE ONLINE WITH THE WRITER FOR AN HOUR, SO SHE AND THE WRITER CAN SEE AND HEAR EACH OTHER, AND THEY CAN ALSO LOOK AT THE WRITING SAMPLE THAT WAS SENT. THREE CONSULTATIONS WERE HELD IN 2025. THE WRITERS WERE VERY SATISFIED WITH THEIR EXPERIENCES. ONE SAID, "I WAS REALLY QUITE PLEASED WITH MY CONVERSATION WITH JEANNE. IT LEFT ME EXCITED AND MOTIVATED TO KEEP PUSHING FORWARD. I FELT THAT SHE LISTENED TO MY NEEDS AND DESIRES AND STEERED THE CONVERSATION APPROPRIATELY. I WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED THAT JEANNE HAD SEEMINGLY DONE A GOOD DEAL OF PONDERING OVER MY STORY BEFOREHAND, AND CAME TO OUR MEETING WITH QUITE A FEW GOOD PLOT IDEAS BEYOND THAT, I FELT SHE WAS ABLE TO ACCURATELY PINPOINT WHY SOME PARTS OF MY OUTLINE WEREN'T WORKING, WHICH WAS VERY USEFUL. I'VE RECEIVED LOTS OF DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF FEEDBACK FROM LOTS OF DIFFERENT WRITERS, SOME OF IT MOTIVATING, SOME OF IT ANNIHILATING, SOME OF IT ACTUALLY USEFUL. THE FACT THAT I WAS ABLE TO WALK AWAY FROM THIS MEETING HAVING RECEIVED CRITICAL FEEDBACK BUT FEELING POSITIVE ABOUT IT--I THINK THAT'S PRETTY UNIQUE." (GRANTS: 0)(EXPENSES: 616.84) ODYSSEY SALON: OFFERED FREE ONLINE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE. THE SALON OFFERS ONLINE DISCUSSION ABOUT WRITING ON ZOOM, SO PARTICIPANTS CAN SEE AND HEAR EACH OTHER. ALL WRITERS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. THE SALON MEETS MONTHLY FOR ONE HOUR. THE SALON ALLOWS WRITERS TO COME TOGETHER TO SHARE PROGRESS, STRUGGLES, QUESTIONS, INSIGHTS, OR RECOMMENDATIONS, OR TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR MONTHLY DISCUSSION TOPIC. THE DIRECTOR SERVES AS MODERATOR. OVER THE PAST YEAR, A TOTAL OF 134 WRITERS HAVE ATTENDED THE SALON. THESE INCLUDE ODYSSEY WORKSHOP GRADUATES, ODYSSEY ONLINE CLASS GRADUATES, AND OTHER INTERESTED WRITERS, FROM BEGINNERS TO SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONALS. MANY OF THEM ATTEND ON A SEMI-REGULAR BASIS AND FIND IT HELPFUL AND ENERGIZING. (GRANTS: 0)(EXPENSES: 592.51) ODYSSEY DISCORD: DISCORD IS AN ONLINE COMMUNICATION APP/DISCUSSION BOARD. ODYSSEY HAS SET UP A DISCORD AS A FREE METHOD FOR GRADUATES OF VARIOUS ODYSSEY PROGRAMS TO INTERACT. GRADUATES PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND INFORMATION ON WRITING AND PUBLISHING, INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT, EDUCATION, NETWORKING, FRIENDSHIP, AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO EACH OTHER. THE DISCORD ALLOWS GRADUATES OF ODYSSEY'S PROGRA
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 2011.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.