Ironed Words Productions 

YOUR story is important.

Every Story Is Important

Find your words and explore your creativity with others who share your passion.

Press on with your writing, full steam ahead!

IRON WRITING CIRCLE

Don't write alone! Experience the fun of camaraderie and support, and get invaluable feedback.

Join the writing group for four weekly sessions starting the week of 1/6/25

FOUR OPTIONS: 

1️⃣ IN PERSON, Monday evenings, 6:00-8:00 p.m., South Hills

2️⃣ IN PERSON, Tuesday afternoons, 1:00-3:00 p.m., South Hills

3️⃣ VIRTUAL, Tuesday evenings, 6:00-8:00 p.m.*, on Google Meet

4️⃣ IN PERSON, Wednesday mornings, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., North Fayette

Register he

WRITE THROUGH LUNCH

One-on-One Writing Support 

Midday virtual sessions for busy professionals who find it challenging to write at home after work

Now registering for January

{NEW} YOUR WRITING CRAFT  June & August 2025 🔸 VIRTUAL EVENT

Get inspiration and guidance from published authors about the art and craft of writing.

Ask your burning questions about how to write effectively and captivate readers.

{NEW} SPARK YOUR WRITING  July 2025 🔸 IN-PERSON EVENT

Get inspiration and guidance from published authors about the art and craft of writing. 🔸 Meet other writers and authors. 🔸 Get feedback on your 1,000-word submission!

Reach writers in Pittsburgh and beyond!

Your sponsorship of the newsletter, podcast, and conferences will get your book, writing products, or services in front of your ideal clients. Email IronedWordsProductions@gmail.com for more details.

Welcome to 

Ironed Words Productions!


Do you wonder what readers might think about the work-in-progress you've been writing?

Do you wish you had somewhere to try out the story that's been in your head?

Ironed Words Productions can help!

If you love crafting words, Ironed Words Productions can help you shape them!


Maria Simbra

MD, MA, MPH

Director & Principal of Ironed Words Productions, LLC

Award-winning author and medical journalist, as seen on KDKA-TV News | CBS Pittsburgh as Dr. Maria

I'll help you get your words steamed and pressed!

Find an event to help you meet your goals as a writer and author.

Iron Writing Circle

Join other writers for support, accountability, feedback, and camaraderie with the Iron Writing Circle. Submit 1,500 words each week to the group for critique. Meet in person or virtually to discuss everyone's writing. Each session begins with writing tips from the moderator. 

Building Books

On the Building Books blogcast, you'll meet all the people you need to build a solid, marketable book, including editors, publishers, agents, cover designers, ghostwriters, and more. Also hear authors’ stories about their path to publishing. All at your fingertips, by subscription, in the comfort of your home.

Hot Off the Iron

In the newsletter, Hot Off the Iron, you'll get monthly writing tips to improve your storytelling, character development, and dialogue. You'll also be the first to hear about Ironed Words' writing workshops, contests, and other writing-related opportunities. Free to subscribe!


Your Writing Craft

Your Writing Craft is a virtual conference where you will get inspiration and guidance from published authors about the art and craft of writing. Ask all your burning questions about how to write effectively and captivate readers.

Spark Your Writing

Spark Your Writing is an in-person conference south of Pittsburgh where you'll hear presentations from published authors about the art and craft of writing, network with other writers and authors, and get feedback on YOUR 1,000 words from a panel of published authors.

The Conference Boutique

Specialized conferences for your group or club on specific types of writing are available upon request. Get a custom writing conference on screenwriting, narrative medicine, poetry, essays, memoir, non-fiction, and more.

You're in Good Company

Hello! I'm Maria Simbra, the director and principal at Ironed Words Productions, LLC. I love good words, and I bet you do, too. The way they feel under your fingertips as you type them. The way they zing through your brain as you read or hear a well-crafted passage. The way they roll off your tongue as you speak them aloud.

If you love good words, you're in good company.

I'm a memoirist on page and on stage, where I chronicle my careers in medicine and television news, my unusual path to motherhood, and other moments of my times. My words on page appear in lit mags, such as Door Is A Jar, Page & Spine, The Grief Dialogues, Hags on Fire, Sad Girl Review, and The Twin Bill, as well as in the Wolfsinger Publications' Us/Them Anthology. You can read my memoir compilation, Just a Moment of My Times, on Kindle Vella. My words on stage have been heard around Pittsburgh at the Moth StorySlams, Bricolage's WordPlay, and Steel City Storytellers' Just Sayin'.

Come find your words and your story along with me and others who share your passion.

Don't FAIL...

...with words that are

FLAT

DISORGANIZED

UNENGAGING

YOU CAN WIN...

...with words that are

SHARP

POLISHED

RESILIENT and RESONANT