The Capturing the Creature Called Creativity Collective

Mochas & Memoirs: A Writing Morning for Storytellers

Event Theme

Every memory deserves a cup of warmth.
Mochas & Memoirs is a cozy creative writing event where we gather over good coffee and richer stories — exploring the sweet, bitter, and beautiful flavors of our lives.
It’s a gentle afternoon for anyone curious about memoir writing — whether you’ve been journaling for years or you’re just beginning to give shape to your story.

Schedule (2.5 Hours)

1. Sip & Settle (20 min)

• Order your favorite mocha or drink of choice.
• Guided reflection: “If your life had chapters, what would this one be called?”
• Mini freewrite to loosen up the page.

2. Writing Session: The Flavor of Memory (60 min)

• Short discussion on memoir as truth-telling, not chronology.
• Prompts to spark story:
• “Write about a smell that carries you home.”
• “Describe a small moment that changed everything.”
• “Write to your younger self — the one who still believes.”
• Optional sharing round in pairs or small groups.

3. Reflection & Read Aloud (45 min)

• Volunteers read a page or paragraph aloud.
• Listeners respond only with what lingered — no critique, just connection.
• Final freewrite: “What story inside you is asking to be told next?”

Join us for Free Thursday at the Seattle Art Museum—a little creative field trip for writers, artists, and curious minds who want to refill the well.
We’ll wander through the galleries together, letting paintings, sculptures, and strange little details spark new ideas. Sometimes a single image can unlock a story you didn’t even know was hiding inside you.
Bring a notebook if you’d like.
Jot down impressions.
Sketch something that catches your eye.
Or just soak in the art and the quiet energy of a room full of creativity.
After exploring, we’ll gather for a casual conversation about what inspired us and how art can wake up our writing.
No pressure. No formal workshop. Just creativity, community, and a little artistic wandering.
If your imagination could use a breath of fresh air, come along.
Writers Connect: Creative Inspiration at SAM
Free Thursday at the Seattle Art Museum
All writers, artists, and curious creatives welcome.

## Event Idea: “The Unthinkable Mind"

## A Writers Connect Creative Lab

Frequency: Bi-weekly
Inspired by: What It Is by Lynda Barry
Writing isn’t always about perfect sentences.
Sometimes it’s about scribbles, memories, doodles, and strange little ideas that sneak in through the side door.
Every other week we gather to explore creativity the way Lynda Barry teaches it—through images, memory, drawing, and spontaneous writing. Her book encourages writers to reconnect with imagination and childhood curiosity to unlock stories hiding beneath the surface.
This isn’t a traditional critique group.
It’s a creative playground for writers and artists.

### What Happens at Each Meetup

Every session includes three simple pieces:
1. Warm-Up (10–15 minutes)
Quick creative exercises to wake up the imagination:

• Memory sketches
• Random word prompts
• Doodles that become stories
• “Write without stopping” exercises

2. The Barry Experiment (30–40 minutes)
A playful activity inspired by What It Is, such as:

• The Memory Map – draw a place from childhood and write what lived there
• The Image Trigger – use a random picture to generate a story
• Four-Panel Life Comic – tell a moment from your life in simple panels
• Object Stories – write about an ordinary object that holds a memory

3. Writers Connect Circle (20 minutes)
We talk about:

• what we wrote
• what surprised us
• what’s hard about writing right now
• the strange life of being a creative person

No pressure to share.
No perfection required.

### Who This Is For

• Writers
• Artists
• Journalers
• People who used to write
• Anyone curious about creativity

If you can hold a pen, you belong here.

### What to Bring

• Notebook or sketchbook
• Pen or pencil
• Optional: colored markers, collage scraps, or photos

### The Spirit of the Group

This is a place to write, experiment, vent about writing, and remember why we started creating in the first place.
Because sometimes the best stories start as a messy doodle in the margin.

Mochas & Memoirs: A Writing Morning for Storytellers

Event Theme

Every memory deserves a cup of warmth.
Mochas & Memoirs is a cozy creative writing event where we gather over good coffee and richer stories — exploring the sweet, bitter, and beautiful flavors of our lives.
It’s a gentle afternoon for anyone curious about memoir writing — whether you’ve been journaling for years or you’re just beginning to give shape to your story.

Schedule (2.5 Hours)

1. Sip & Settle (20 min)

• Order your favorite mocha or drink of choice.
• Guided reflection: “If your life had chapters, what would this one be called?”
• Mini freewrite to loosen up the page.

2. Writing Session: The Flavor of Memory (60 min)

• Short discussion on memoir as truth-telling, not chronology.
• Prompts to spark story:
• “Write about a smell that carries you home.”
• “Describe a small moment that changed everything.”
• “Write to your younger self — the one who still believes.”
• Optional sharing round in pairs or small groups.

3. Reflection & Read Aloud (45 min)

• Volunteers read a page or paragraph aloud.
• Listeners respond only with what lingered — no critique, just connection.
• Final freewrite: “What story inside you is asking to be told next?”