What we’re about
Time and place—For in person meetups, we meet at the same time (9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Saturday) and the same place (Salsa a La Salsa, Midtown Global Market).
For virtual meetups, we provide a link on the Meetup event after you RSVP. Virtual meetups do not have a set schedule, but happen about once a month.
Please join us! We always welcome newcomers!
There's no degree of separation. No fame. No ego. Just writers writing. Authentic. Whimsical. Vulnerable. "It's all true, none of it's true, don't ask."
Format—During the meetup, we write with pen and paper to prompts for short bouts (usually 2 to 7 minutes). After each bout, we pass the microphone around for anyone who wants to read. There's no critique. Our focus is on getting words on paper, supporting the creative process, and having fun.
Bring your favorite pen and notebook, but please leave your laptop at home. If you need assistive tech, please bring whatever you need and let the leader that day know when you arrive so you don't get plied with spare notebooks and extra pens. We have been a pen-and-paper group since our founding in 2007 and find that writing longhand opens creative pathways that computers do not.
RSVPs—Please RSVP for both in-person and virtual events. Please keep your RSVP updated. To keep our meeting mailing list up to date, we automatically remove members who have not RSVP'd in the last 12 months. If you get removed, please simply rejoin the meetup group.
Getting here—The Midtown Global Market has free and metered nearby street parking and a more expensive pay-by-the-hour parking ramp. The Midtown Global Market is also easy to get to by bus (check out the 21) or bike (close to the Midtown Greenway bike trail).
Volunteer leaders—Some members volunteer to lead, so we do not have the same leader every Saturday for in-person events. We encourage our regular members to sign up to lead for a morning or more. We need volunteers to keep the group going. Go on...sign up! It's fun (and easy).
Rules—The rules are simple:
• Adults only. We create a safe space for adults where all topics and words are welcome and we don't want to dampen that freedom by self-editing or self-censorship.
• Never write something personal about someone else in the group.
• Keep pen to paper. If you can't think of something to write, then repeat what you have just written, rebel against the prompt, or write your grocery list. Just keep going! See what happens!
• Write in any genre you like.
• Read what you just wrote, or pass the microphone to the next person. Only read what you have written during the writing exercise.
• Critique is not allowed. The idea is to have a safe place to write and read. We strive to be supportive, encouraging, and creative.
Blog—We have a blog site where some of our regular writers share their work. Check out some of our finished pieces.
https://midtownwritersgroup.wordpress.com/
To blog on the site, you need to come to the group for a while and learn about signing up to blog.
Sponsor—We are grateful to our host Salsa a la Salsa.
https://www.salsaalasalsa.com/
