What we’re about
This is a group for anyone interested in writing and meeting other writers in the Caversham and wider Berkshire area. For our online meetings, we also welcome members globally.
We were founded in 2018 by Canadian author Crystal Bourque with an ethos that we still maintain today: "If you write, you're a writer."
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We've always been free to join and free to attend. To help keep it that way, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, all donations go towards the running of the group.
All skill levels are welcome - published or unpublished, aspiring authors or enthusiastic hobbyists. We have members that write in all genres, so whether you write fiction or non-fiction, poetry or prose, fantasy or reality, you will fit right in.
We currently hold meetings in 4 different formats:
> Writing Meetings. In which we'll either work on (or start) any writing project of our own choosing, or we'll set a theme or prompt for all to use as a starting point.
> Feedback Meetings. In which we'll provide feedback on excerpts of members work, either submitted in advance or read out to the group on the night. Feedback should be constructive, encouraging, and tailored to the author's directed instruction.
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> Author Events. In which published authors come along to talk to the group. We have a Q & A with them about their writing process and path to publication.
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> Writes & Bites. In which we meet for a social evening, usually at a local restaurant. No writing involved in these events, they are an opportunity to get to know each other better and, of course, to discuss all things writing.
> We also have occasional one off special events, such as literary festival talks, book signings, launch parties.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Writeshare Night - Read Your Work To The Group (online event)Link visible for attendees
In this event members have the opportunity to read out their work to the rest of the group and get some instant feedback. You do not have to read anything out if joining this event, just listen and comment if you wish.
**This event is on a Thursday, not our usual Wednesday!!***
NOTE: When joining the Zoom session, please ensure you are using the same name as in your Meetup profile. You will not be admitted into the Zoom meeting if your name isn't on the Meetup attendee list.
What to expect: We shall take turns to introduce and read out our writing (10 minutes maximum) and then have a short discussion on the piece we've heard. Anyone that doesn't get a turn this time we will prioritize for the next one.
This event will comprise 3 x 40 minute Zoom sessions with a couple of 10 minute breaks between them (unless Zoom has rescinded the 10 minute wait time between meetings, in which case we'll resume straight away).
What do I read to the group? Anything you have written - a work in progress; a first draft; a finished piece. Anything that you'd like to share and get some immediate responses to.
Do I submit my work in advance? No, the object of the exercise is to get an immediate first impression response from members after you read the piece out.
The aim is to encourage our writing by having this space to share it and getting some spontaneous responses. We ask as always that this should be constructive and positive. It will be great to hear what we’re all working on.
**Don't forget to subscribe to our Caversham Writers newsletter! A weekly round up of our events, discussions, member news and more straight to your inbox every Friday.
- Write Night: Your Work in Progress (Online event)Link visible for attendees
This writing session is a chance for you to work on (or start) a project of your own. It's your space and time to use as you wish. You don't have to be in Caversham, or even the UK, to join us online.
NOTE: When joining the Zoom session, please ensure you are using the same name as in your Meetup profile. You will not be admitted into the Zoom meeting if your name isn't on the Meetup attendee list.
In these online writing events we follow the format of our regular writing meetups (see below). To do so, I will end the Zoom component of the meeting after 20 to 30 minutes so that we can all write for an hour without the feeling of being spied upon through our webcams! I will then restart the Zoom meeting and you will be able to re-join using the same link.
What to expect: We'll start off the meeting with introductions and a bit of a chat (which usually runs to about 30 minutes).
In this meeting, we do not set writing exercises or suggest themes - attendees are free to work on (or start) any writing project of their choice.We'll write for about an hour, after which we can talk about where our writing took us and maybe share some of what we produced. No pressure, though - only share whatever you feel comfortable with.
(We do have a more formal feedback meeting that you can submit pieces to for review - check our upcoming events for more details.)**Don't forget to subscribe to our Caversham Writers newsletter! A weekly round up of our events, discussions, member news and more straight to your inbox every Friday.
- Fourbears Fest - A Conversation with Curtis ChinProgress Theatre, Reading£6.00
Caversham Writers' Curtis Chin is coming to Reading!
I will be interviewing him about his book Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant - a memoir of growing up as a Chinese American kid in 1980s Detroit, the era of Reagan and the AIDS epidemic, all centred around the family restaurant, Chung’s.
This event is part of the Reading and Caversham Book Festival, AKA Fourbears Fest, organised by Alex Forbes from our local independent bookshop.
Tickets for this event are only £6, available from the Fourbears Books website here: Curtis Chin - Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant : A Memoir | Fourbears Books
**The event fee listed here on Meetup is NOT payable to me or Caversham Writers - it is the cost of the ticket from Fourbears Books for this event. You will not be charged twice, but you do need to buy a ticket at Fourbears to attend**
Curtis will be signing copies of his book in the foyer afterwards.
And after that we'll be going for a special 'Writes & Bites' lunch across the street at The Queen's Head on Christchurch Road.
