EXPERIMENTS IN GROUP WISDOM

WRITE CLUB: one hour of silent writing (or reading) in the company of others

Fri, Feb 20 · 5:00 PM GMT

The Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX, London, GB

The first rule of WRITE CLUB is that you do not talk during WRITE CLUB.

This very simple meetup is based on the premise that public and peer accountability enables more productive writing than sitting at home and getting distracted by the fridge.

We will write/read for an hour in silence. (I will be writing thought experiments for my other meetup group: THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS)

If you'd like to hang out afterwards, or if you prefer just to hang out, I have another event immediately afterwards in the same place :-) You can find that here: HANGING OUT AT THE SOUTHBANK

We'll make use of the fantastic indoor public spaces on London's South Bank (The Southbank Centre, The BFI Cafe, The National Theatre Cafe, etc) to spend time in the company of other people.

There are plenty of places to buy refreshments, but you can also bring your own if you prefer.

This event will take place in the foyer of The Southbank Centre. You can find us by looking out for a big red flag with THE SUNRISE CLUB emblazoned on it (though this clearly isn't THE SUNRISE CLUB! If you want to find out about that, you can do so here.)

WHATSAPP GROUP - https://chat.whatsapp.com/BpMwnRev0H237KMx4uPnek

Looking forward to meeting and writing with you :-)

Bonny

HANGING OUT AT THE SOUTH BANK

Fri, Feb 20 · 6:00 PM GMT

The Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX, London, GB

Inspired by Sheila Liming's 2023 book, Hanging Out, this event is about "daring to do nothing much, and even more than that, about daring to do it in the company of others."

If you're curious, you can read more about my rationale for the event here, and how our pilot event went here.

We'll make use of the fantastic indoor public spaces on London's South Bank to spend time in the company of other people.

There are plenty of places to buy refreshments, but you can also bring your own if you prefer.

This event will take place in the foyer of The Southbank Centre.

You can find us by looking out for:

• Me - I will be wearing a black T-shirt with HANGING OUT written on the back
• Our table - which will have a red flag draped over it with THE SUNRISE CLUB emblazoned on it (though this clearly isn't THE SUNRISE CLUB! If you want to find out about that, you can do so here.)
• Other writers - who may be spread out across the centre. They will have white pieces of paper with the WRITE CLUB stamp at the top of the page.

And if you feel like using the hanging out as a carrot for some creative work, please join us an hour earlier for WRITE CLUB - an hour of silent writing/reading in the same location.

WHATSAPP GROUP: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FgGCrGc8TNzF8q7lvwozbR

Looking forward to meeting and hanging out with you :-)

Bonny

SOMETHING YOU LOVE

Mon, Feb 23 · 7:00 PM GMT

The Betjeman Arms, Unit 53, St. Pancras International Station, N1C 4QL, London, GB

A special event to uplift, inspire, and provoke new ideas.

THE BACKSTORY:

At a recent THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS event, someone on my table said:

“This is the best book I’ve ever read”.

The rest of us leaned in a little further and paid closer attention.

The person told us about a book they'd read, years ago, and how it had changed their life.

This moment stuck in my mind and I found myself pondering the idea of other people as curators, or filters of information. In a time where we have access to unprecedented amounts of information, filtering is valuable. It felt like a privilege to hear about someone's favourite book.

It was also very uplifting to hear someone talk so positively about something they love.

So, I envisioned a meetup where people would have the opportunity to share something they love and to hear what other people love right off the bat.

What kinds of things do you mean? Anything!

• A song that moves you
• The time of day when you feel most alive
• An idea you came across recently
• A memory
• A character (etc. etc.).

HOW WE'LL DO IT, logistically:

• Split into small groups, 3-4 people
• 20 minutes to share about your respective 'artefacts'. I will play a sound every 5 minutes so that you have a sense of the time and can make sure everyone has space to talk.
• Shuffle groups
• Another 20 minutes in a new group to share about your original 'artefact' or something new
• Shuffle groups
• A final 20 minutes for either another round of shares, or free flowing conversation

This is a pilot event, so the format is still subject to evolution, but if you feel like being presented with a unique bouquet of other people’s favourite things, please join us.

NOTES ON THE GENERAL ATMOSPHERE:

• Relaxed, laid back, friendly.
• No pressure to share.
• Everyone loves a good listener. Be generous and respectful with your listening.
• Feel free to suggest tweaks to the format, there's always room for improvement.

WHERE WE'LL MEET:
This group will be at The Betjeman Arms. The nearest Tube station is King's Cross St. Pancras. You can access the pub either from the street (entrance to the right of The St Pancras Hotel entrance) or via St Pancras Station (entrance from the upstairs train platforms). We'll be in the private dining room - ask at the bar if you can't find us.

WHO SHOULD COME:
Everyone! The more perspectives, the richer the conversation. This group is not about presenting a perfect share, its about offering something you love to the group and listening to other people's 'loves'. In doing so, we hope to inspire, uplift, and get to know one another.

I'm so looking forward to meeting & talking with you in this beautiful pub :-)

You can read more about my rationale for meetups like this here: SUBSTACK

And if you would like to further support them, you can do so here:
'buy me a coffee'

Thank you!

THE HEARTH: wisdom exchange for everyone interested in community building :-)

Wed, Mar 4 · 6:00 PM GMT

TBD - Central London, Revealed soon!, London, GB

THE HEARTH is a community for people interested in building community 😊

Why is it called 'THE HEARTH'?
Hestia is the goddess of the hearth. She is also the goddess of community, hospitality towards strangers, home, and warmth. She is symbolised by the sacred fire burning in every home and city. Known for her inner strength, calm demeanour, and commitment to peace, I think Hestia embodies qualities that can be very helpful when cultivating community! 🔥

HOW IT WORKS (... at present, we continue to evolve according to feedback) :

We will start by discussing a thought experiment related to community

• this is a tried and tested method of getting into good conversations quickly, see my other community "THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS" for evidence!
• we will split into small groups for about 25 minutes to discuss

We will then open up discussion to the room.

There will also be opportunities for storytelling, trouble shooting, and celebrating existing communities.

The rest of the evening is unstructured space to continue conversations, discuss collaborations, get to know each other.

NOTES ON THE GENERAL ATMOSPHERE:

• Laid back, light, fun
• Respectful of each other's time, views, ideas
• Generous listening and low pressure sharing

WHO SHOULD COME:
Everyone with an interest in community. This group is not about being experts, it is about working it out together. That is, bringing our various experiences and lenses on the world together to support, inspire, and uplift one another. The more perspectives, the richer the conversation.

WHERE WE'LL MEET:
Location TBD depending on interest. The event will be in Central London.

YOUR HOST:
I'm Bonny. I've created a couple of successful communities (e.g. THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS & THE SUNRISE CLUB) and have a lot of experience hosting groups. I'm always learning. My best ideas come out of conversations with others :-). You can read some of my thoughts on community building here.

WHATSAPP GROUP - stay in the loop
SUBSTACK - sign up for the newsletter

I'm looking forward to meeting you and hearing your ideas!

If you would like to further support these meetups, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/bonnyastor
Thank you!