Hello, writers!

We've got some big news to share!

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The Grind is saved!
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The Grind, our favorite coffee shop, very nearly closed its door for good last month. It was saved in the nick of time through help from the very supportive local community, and hopefully it will continue to be around for many more years.

All meetings set for the Grind will continue at The Grind, except for Thursday evenings, as the Grind remains on limited winter hours while they gear back up. Keep an eye on those listings to see when we change location.

Also, they're hiring! Full and part-time.

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The Survey, 2016
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It's been a few years since we last took a survey of PWG members, so here we go again: http://goo.gl/forms/WNkYHczlKK

The survey is long, because there's a lot we want to know. Remember, at most you'll get a survey like this once a year. And the result is a better group.

The survey will remain up through March, and I hope to get at least 50 responses. We're already more than halfway there.

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An entirely different survey
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Rutgers is considering starting up a new writing conference, and they want to know what local writers are interested in. It's MUCH shorter than the PWG survey, and they're raffling off gift cards. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/writersconfer

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NEW! The Monthly Read
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Once a month, we select something to read and discuss.

The selection will:

• Have something to do with writing craft or the publishing industry, or be a work of fiction, narrative nonfiction, poetry, etc.
• Be available to read online in its entirety (no pay walls)
• Come with starting commentary and a link to discuss on the forum

Anyone may suggest a link for discussion. Only one will be selected each month as the official Monthly Read, so as not to clutter inboxes. 

To suggest a link, contact Shen: [address removed]. The next read will go up in mid-February.

Discussion of our first The Monthly Read continues over on the forum. This month we're talking about Hugh Howey's "So You Want To Be a Writer".

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Create Something Magical Conference by Liberty State Fiction Writers
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Every year the Liberty States Fiction Writers host a conference. This year the keynote speakers are Catherine Bybee and Mary Higgens Clark. There's also a Scrivener workshop on offer. Included with your writer ticket is the opportunity to pitch directly to agents and editors. Your reader friends have their own entertainment track leading up to a signing event.

To learn more and register (your RSVP here is just to meet up with other PWG members!) go to: http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/conference/

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Thank you to everybody for hanging in there. Hopefully I'll see you in person or on the discussion forum sometime soon!

Shen